February 2011

Ballard Rotary Club has named Jordan Travis and Elliot Keder as students of the month.

Jordan Travis is a senior at Ballard High School with a 3.75 GPA. She is a gifted student athlete who plays for the BHS soccer team and recently signed a letter of intent to play soccer for Gonzaga University. She has started her college curriculum through the running start program in coordination with Shoreline Community College and has also volunteered in various service projects such as the “Free to Breathe” foundation.

Elliot Keder is also a talented senior at BHS with a 3.83 GPA. He is a four-year member of the BHS band and is a member of both the wind and Jazz ensembles as an Alto Sax player. He is looking forward to attending college next year at either Boston University or the University of Washington.

Today the United States Treasury announced that the City of Seattle received an award of $11 million in federal New Markets Tax Credits. These credits will be invested in commercial and mixed-use projects in neighborhoods where the economic need is greatest, as determined by the federal government. Potential areas for investment under this program include much of the Rainier Valley, parts of Capitol Hill and the Central District, Pioneer Square and Chinatown/International District, select North Seattle neighborhoods, and manufacturing and industrial centers.

“These tax credits give us an important tool to help local businesses create jobs and build toward the future,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. “This is one of the ways we are answering President Obama’s call to win the future. Our Office of Economic Development deserves thanks for pursuing these funds to help build a better Seattle.”

Press Release:
Beginning February 28, King County’s West Seattle Water Taxi will offer an enhanced sailing schedule that will give riders more travel options across Elliott Bay.

DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE VERSION OF THE NEW SCHEDULE

Given the advanced capabilities of the vessel Rachel Marie, the King County Marine Division has concluded that the current 40-minute round-trip sailing schedule can be adjusted to offer 30-minute round-trip service between Seacrest Dock and downtown Seattle's Pier 50 during the commute periods. As a result, the West Seattle Water Taxi will offer scheduled departures on the quarter-hour in the commute direction (varies for both AM and PM) with an average Elliott Bay crossing time of eight minutes. This schedule reflects one additional daily round-trip sailing in the morning and two additional round-trips in the afternoon. The free West Seattle Water Taxi shuttles - routes 773 and 775 - will also have new pickup and departure times that correspond with the new water taxi schedule.

Press Release:
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:

Gregory P. Hess, dubbed the Polite Robber for an alleged robbery of a Shell gas station on s.w. Roxbury, pled not guilty to first degree robbery charges on Feb. 24, according to King County Prosecutors.

Hess, 65, is currently being held in King County Jail on $250,000 bail and is scheduled for a case setting hearing on March 24, prosecutors said.

Hess allegedly used a BB gun intended to look like a real handgun in the robbery that yielded him $200 and national attention as the “Polite Robber” in surveillance footage the Shell station owner released to the media.

The footage of his latest alleged robbery (linked here) quickly went viral on the Internet, showing a calm conversation between Hess and owner/clerk of the Shell station John Henry as the robbery took place. Hess apologetically (and allegedly) robbed Henry and promised he would bring the money back if he became more financially stable in the future.

Starting on Monday, Feb 28, Seattle Parks and Recreation will ask customers at community centers to sign in indicating their age group and time of arrival.

The pilot project will help Parks staff respond to a City Council directive to reconsider how community centers are operated. After two weeks of gathering data, Parks will evaluate the information and decide whether to extend the project for 10 more weeks.

The reconsideration process, including public meetings to discuss with the community ideas for how centers can be run differently, began with a public meeting on February 2.

The directive comes in the context of the budget: the cost to run the 26 centers far exceeds revenue brought in from center programs. Because of the current difficult budget situation, Parks is exploring alternatives that would offer continued services for the public, while reducing costs, including new methods of management, staffing, fundraising, and partnerships. Learning the average age groups, frequency of visits, and numbers of people visiting community centers each day will help this work.

Press Release:
Beginning Monday, February 28, Seattle Parks and Recreation will ask customers at its 25 community centers (Rainier Beach is under construction) to sign in indicating their age group and time of arrival.

The pilot project, which will last two weeks, will help Parks staff respond to a City Council directive to reconsider how community centers are operated. After two weeks Parks will evaluate the information and decide whether to extend it for 10 more weeks. The process, which includes public meetings to discuss with the community ideas for how centers can be run differently, began with a public meeting on February 2.

The print deadline for calendar submissions is two weeks before the date of the event to be publicized. Email calendar@ballardnewstribune.com, or to get it posted online immediately, email anner@robinsonnews.com.

Norwegian Ladies Chorus Annual Fishcake and Meatball Dinner and
Scholarship Fund Fundraiser
March 13, 2011
Social Hour and Silent Auction: 4 PM
Dinner and Entertainment: 5-8 PM
Location: Leif Erikson Lodge
2245 Northwest 57th Street
Tickets: $25, reservation required. Call Arlene at (206) 784-1290.

Neighborhood Cleanup
March 5th at 10 a.m.
110th and Greenwood

This time we are joining forces with our neighbors from the GAIN groups north of us, so let's show them a good turnout. It will be an all-GAIN trash spectacular! Think of it as getting exercise, meeting your neighbors, and conveniently making your own streets cleaner in the process.

The Time Bandit, one of the fishing ships featured on "The Deadliest Catch" lost one of its members this week.

The Time Bandit's official website announced the death of crew member Justin Tennison. 

The website states that "Justin died peacefully in his sleep the night of February 21, 2011". The Associated Press meanwhile reports that Tennison was found dead in an Alaska motel room after a night of partying.

Tennison lived in Alaska for 28 years and fished commercially for many years. He worked on the Time Bandit first as an Engineer and joined the Time Bandit crew as a deckhand in 2010.
 
"Justin was tough as a bull and was an all-around good hand.  The Captains and Crew appreciated his hard work and many contributions this past year.  We will miss him terribly and wish his family all the best during this most difficult time," the crew states on their website.

On January 1st, Jill Baumgardner and Angela DiMario took over ownership of Kula Movement, a house of Forest yoga, dance, chiropractic care, bodywork, somatics and more, and pledged to make Kula Movement an ever growing, integrative health center. Its latest latest edition comes in the form of dance. Leila Fernandez, a Hawaiian choreographer and dancer, will start offering Hula classes at the Ballard Avenue health center.

"It's great to have her," said Jill Baumgarrdner. "We've been looking for ways to integrate dance into here. Plus, Hula is so core-centered. It's an abdominal-centered training with grace."

"Hula is a loving dance," Leila Fernandez said. "But it requires strength. You will feel it when you walk out of here."

Fernandez will teach an all-ages class every friday from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. $15 for walkins and $120 for ten classes.

"The thing with Hula is that everyone can do it. It's four steps to the right, four steps to the left. But Hula doesn't come naturally. You need to practice," Fernandez said.

Fernandez will offer a free class on Friday, March 25th at 6 p.m. to all-ages.