February 2011

A little over twenty years ago, Rene Brisendine suffered a heart attack and was rushed to Swedish hospital. She was treated so well at the hospital that she decided to give back. She became a volunteer and has been working in the volunteer-run gift shop ever since.
"Rene is amazing. She runs that gift shop like a clock. She has put in over 20,400 hours of volunteer time," said Meredith Bland, Volunteer Coordinator.
A Ballardite of 25 years, Brisendine and her husband moved to Ballard to get away from the Minnesota snow and to be closer to their son who worked in the fishing industry.
"We love the boats and we have a beautiful view of the Olympic mountains.
I don't want to be any place else," Brisendine said.
"My husband and I, we're just comfortable here, even with the growth. As my husband says, Ballard is the sleeping giant that woke up."
At least twice a week, Brisendine can be found at the little gift shop in the Swedish hospital surrounded by flowers, teddy bears that say "I was born in Swedish hospital", cards, candy and souvenirs.

By Kate Ganiron, Web Intern

Two local small business art galleries, Tasty Delectable Collectibles and Bherd Studios, are showcasing original art produced by women of the Pacific Northwest.

“We’re always curious about meeting new people who are supporting local artists. So when Tasty moved into the neighborhood, we introduced ourselves and we became friends,” said Michele Osgood, co-owner of BHerd Studios.

“We started talking about how we could co-promote certain shows. That way, two small business owners were sending love back and forth and supporting the artists at the same time.”

Osgood and Sheri Hauser, owner of Tasty, decided to share a common concept: art by local women. Promoted on the same flyer, Tasty’s show is called "Tickled Pink" and Bherd Studios’ show is called “XX.”

Tickled Pink showcases 15 different female artists, of which eleven are from Seattle. There are over 100 pieces in the Tickled Pink collection, all of which are on sale.

The Alki Homestead restoration project took the next step Feb. 25 in a meeting with the Architecture Review Committee of the Landmarks Preservation Board.

In the previous meeting with ARC Alloy Design Group (Mark Haizlip and Greg Squires) presented and got general support for the removal of non historic add ons and the idea of the construction of an external accessory structure to be located on the west side of the Homestead. To see a rendered version of what the view from the top of that two story structure would look like download the file at the link above.

Alloy pointed out that the height allowed is 40 feet but their proposal tops out at 32 feet. Only the elevator and stairs would require that height in one section.

Questions were posed about that elevator (it would be hydraulic) about internal functionality, and about the view deck the architects are proposing.

In the meeting on Friday the architects showed nine views in basic 3D renderings with hand drawn overlays to depict the log structure.

Seattle Parks and Recreation, which has had to make substantial cutbacks in the operations of its 25 wading pools because of budget reductions, is seeking partners interested in helping increase access to the pools during the eight-week 2011 summer season.

Cutbacks include the reduction from operating 25 wading pools six or seven days a week to operating five pools seven days a week, 10 three days a week, and closing 10. (Three are being converted to water spray features, which do not require staffing as wading pools do under state law.)

Parks hopes to expand the schedule to increase family recreational opportunities in a way that is economically and geographically equitable. Some communities may be more organized or have different access to funding sources, so Parks would pair wading pools as a way to ensure balanced and equal recreational opportunities across our city. Under this partnership, Parks would keep the wading pool open one additional day each week in the neighborhood from which the funds came, and Parks would select a second site that the contribution would fund as well.

Opportunities include:

West Seattle Little League is still accepting registrations by mail but the time is running out to get on board for this season.

Here's their notice:

We are still accepting registrations After you have all of your registration documents in order please mail them with your payment to:
WSLL
4742 42nd Ave. SW PMB 252
Seattle, WA 98116
T-Ball - Coach Pitch $120.00
Minors to Juniors $140.00

a $25.00 late fee will be added to all registrations received after February 27th.
Please, all registrants make sure you send a copy of your child's birth certificate with 3 proof of address documents. Nothing is kept on file from previous years so returning players must resubmit all documents.

Due to sustained northerly high winds and waves, the King County Water Taxi's Vashon service is suspended for the rest of the morning. Please check back later this afternoon for updates.

King County Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation have been meeting with community members and business owners in the Luna Park area as part of a collaborative effort to mitigate the impacts of the establishment of Metro's RapidRide C Line service set to debut in the fall of 2012. They have sent a letter to the area merchants and residents that details the changes requested and thus far implemented in the plan.
The merchants have been concerned about the perception of a lack of parking and the potential loss of business as well as the location of the RapidRide bus stop as the West Seattle Herald reported on Feb. 2.

Here is the letter:

Dear Luna Park Merchants and Residents:

CLICK ON PHOTO FOR SLIDE SHOW

Snow scenes on Alki and points south Thursday, Feb. 24.

By Kate Ganiron, Web Intern.

2:02 p.m. on February 18. 30th block of NW 54th Street

On Friday afternoon police responded to a report of an aggravated assault.
 The victim said that she was in the process of moving out of her residence. She had left the doors unlocked and was inside cleaning when she encountered a stranger inside her residence. 
The victim asked the suspect what he was doing and asked him to leave.

“It’s a public park so I can be here,” the suspect responded at which point the victim called 911.

The suspect slapped the victim twice, causing her to fall, and the suspect continued to kick her while she was on the floor.
 The suspect fled and the victim declined medical assistance.

4:05 a.m. on February 19. 78th block of Dayton Avenue N

Results of the 2010 U.S. Census have placed official numbers on what residents already knew-the Highline area has become a much more diverse place to live.
According to data from the U.S. Census, analyzed by the Seattle Times, minorities in the cities of SeaTac and Tukwila are a majority of their cities' population.
The New York Times has declared Tukwila schools the most diverse school district in the country. In the Highline School District, 80 nationalities are represented and 70 different languages are spoken, according to district officials.
The census figures demonstrate that members of minority groups have moved out of Seattle's Central District, Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill to join immigrants and refugees in the south suburbs of Highline.
While only 6.6 percent of Seattleites are Hispanic or Latino, 20.7 percent of Burien and 20.3 percent of SeaTac's population are Hispanic or Latino.
Blacks or African Americans represent 7.7 percent of Seattle's population. In Tukwila, it is 17.5 percent and in SeaTac, the figure is 16.6 percent.