April 2011

In honor of Earth Day, EarthCorps will lead 140 volunteers to clean up Golden Gardens on Saturday, April 23rd.

In addition, Earth Day's central event is to restore the West Duwamish Greenbelt, the largest contiguous greenbelt in Seattle. Starting off at 10 a.m. today, volunteers will be removing English ivy, blackberry and other aggressive, non-native plant species that threaten the diversity of our urban forests.

At Golden Gardens on Saturday, EarthCorps and the Green Seattle Partnership will collaborate to perform maintenance on past restoration sites and remove invasive plant species such as English ivy. The invasive plant is crowding out native trees and shrubs and making the survival of native seedlings difficult.

Volunteers may sign up online at www.earthcorps.org or show up on Saturday at 10 a.m. An EarthCorps table will be locate din the upper parking lot.

I just returned from a trip to the deep South, which involved several flights, a rental car, hotel/motel stays, shopping for beach-y items, and much dining out. Now I’m shopping for thank you gifts that will be mailed to our gracious hosts. For someone who’s resource and consumption conscious, that’s a big carbon footprint. It’s giving me an up-close-and-personal understanding of why offsets are important. Families are stretched across the miles, work projects take us to all corners, and the value of experiencing cultural differences (including within our own borders) cannot be underestimated.

While in Savannah, I ventured into Ogeechee River Coffee Company, where some tote bags caught my eye. They’re made from coffee bean burlap, but modeled after, “you know, those cool Kavu bags that are so popular.” My interest piqued when I heard the Ballard-based brand mentioned in this small southern city. It was a reminder of just how global we are these days.

From the SPD Blotter:

On April 21st officers from the Aggressive Driver Response Team issued the following tickets:

On 35th Avenue SW, a 35 mph zone,

1 at 58 mph

1 at 51 mph

1 at 50 mph

3 at 49 mph

2 at 48 mph

2 at 46 mph

2 at 45 mph

12 Cell Phone violations

1 Stop Sign

1 Following Too Close

1 No Proof of Insurance

On the West Seattle Bridge, a 45 mph zone,

1 at 70 mph

1 at 68 mph

1 at 65 mph

1 at 60 mph

1 at 59 mph

2 vehicles for Racing

3 No Proof of Insurance

1 Bus Lane violation

The Seattle Police Department encourages all motor vehicle operators to be familiar with and obey all local and state traffic laws and to always drive with due regard for all others on the roadway.

Burien residents are split almost evenly on whether public access should be opened up at Lake Burien and Three Tree Point, according to an instant poll held at Burien's first visioning community meeting on April 16.

About 45 residents participated in the poll. Thirty-nine percent agreed strongly that public access should be limited to existing parks while 37 percent strongly believed access to the city's shorelines should be open to all residents. The remaining expressed opinions in between the two sides.

City Manager Mike Martin said the instant polls, where participants vote use handheld electronic devices, are not meant to be statistically significant.

"But we are trying to get a sense of which way the straw is blowing in the wind," Martin declared.

Brian Scott, consultant for Burien's visioning process, led the audience members through voting on several subjects. On each subject, Scott presented two contrasting statements and asked participants to assign a number from one to five between the two statements.

Through the instant votes, audience members indicated they wanted Burien to be a community that supports new residents and is friendly.

The Des Moines City Council is holding two open houses to gather the community's thoughts and ideas on proposed zoning changes for the Marina District neighborhood. Interested parties are invited to attend an open house on Saturday, April 30th from 9 a.m. to Noon and Wednesday, May 4th from 5-8 p.m. at the Des Moines Activity Center, 2045 S. 216th St.

The council wants to improve the economic health of the Marina District and accelerate positive change by removing development obstacles; providing flexibility in the city's development regulations; and identifying tools and incentives to spur economic investment. These economic development goals seek to create a thriving business district that provides a variety of goods, services, activities and events for the community and visitors to enjoy.
In order to realize these goals, the council is looking at changes to the D-C Downtown Commercial Zone that would include:
Raising building heights along 7th Avenue South to 45 feet;
Establishing building height bonus areas that would allow some buildings of 45 to 75 feet if certain public benefits are included in a project;

Cafe Cuzco, Seattle's only Peruvian Cafe, has only been open for one year but the owners continue to bring new additions to the quaint cafe on 15th Ave N.W.

From live music to dancing, you never know what you'll experience when you stop by in the evening.

Despite its colorfulness, Cafe Cuzco is easily missed when you're driving by on the 15th Avenue. But it may be worth your time to step in for some authentic Peruvian coffee and food. The food and drinks are so authentic, Cuzco recently received a visit from the Peruvian Consul.

When you order coffee, don't be expecting a foam-topped flavored latte in a throwaway cup. The coffee at Cuzco is boiled at your table in a small hour-glass like boiler. The water is in the bottom, while the coffee grounds sit in the upper half of the coffee maker. A burner slowly heats the water, which moves upwards once boiling and mixes with the coffee grounds. The coffee will then slowly trickle back down.

No cream or sugar is needed for this coffee as it's best enjoyed black.

"Peruvian coffee is really good coffee," said chef Pedro Gaudamud, adding that all their coffee is imported from Peru.

Press Release:
April 22 is Earth Day, and EarthCorps is celebrating! EarthCorps will lead 50 volunteers to restore the West Duwamish Greenbelt, the largest contiguous greenbelt in Seattle.

Right next to a Superfund site, the greenbelt is home to a diverse population of wildlife and provides an important corridor for migrating birds. EarthCorps is also leading Earth Day events in Kiwanis Ravine, and at the Brooklake Blueberry Farm, as well as Saturday events in Golden Gardens, Juanita Bay Park, and Yowkwala in Tacoma. Last year’s weekend events drew 1,100 volunteers. Our partners include the Green Seattle Partnership, Nature Consortium, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, The City of Federal Way, Heron Habitat Helpers, Citizens for a Healthy Bay, Green Kirkland Partnership, Wells Fargo, and Safeco.

Press release:

Dates: May 13; 7 p.m.
Location: Highline Performing Arts Center - Burien
Tickets: $10-15 (17 & under free with a paid adult) www.northwestassociatedarts.org or 206-246-6040

Almost fifty years after The Fab Four took America by storm, a new generation of South Sound singers pay tribute to the incredible musical legacy of the pioneering rock-n-roll icons known simply as The Beatles. Under the artistic direction of Paula Hawkins, KidSounds, YouthSounds and TeenSounds join forces to present Beatlemania: A Musical Revue. This fast-paced program includes Hey Jude, Eleanor Rigby, Let It Be, The Long and Winding Road and many more. Narration, dancing, and solos blend together seamlessly with wonderful choral singing in an unforgettable salute to John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Families hunting for affordable entertainment will delight and parents looking for a risk-free way to introduce their children to the joys of choral music can rest easy because Northwest Associated Arts youth ticket program lets young people 17 and under in free with a paid adult.

Several development projects in Ballard are moving forward, the Department of Planning and Development reports.

A Land Use Application was received for a seven-story structure containing 96 residential units, nine live work units and parking for 97 cars on 1537 N.W. 56th St.

The Early Design Guidance has been conducted and approved. This project is subject to the Optional DNS Process and Early DNS Process and will need to obtain a building and grading permit.

The former site of the Ballard Food Bank on 7001 24th Ave N.W. may soon become Light House Montessori School Child Care.
A Land Use Application was filed to allow a 1,677 sq. ft. change of use from Community Center to Institution.

And on Monday, May 9th, the Director of DPD will convene the Design Review Board for an early design guidance meeting on the proposal for a seven-story building containing 7,500 sq. ft. of commercial space at ground level with 240 residential units above and parking for 288 vehicles on 5343 Tallman Ave N.W.

Press release:
Shorewood Elementary PTA invites art lovers and school supporters of all ages to its ArtWalk & Silent Auction in the school gym from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 29.
The evening includes coffee and dessert, raffles, 19 classroom projects for silent auction, plus art stations for young and old to try creating a masterpiece. Class projects up for bid range from striking pieces of framed art, outdoor sculptures, quilts, artful furniture, hand-decorated planters and a birdbath. The star of the show will be the unveiling of a series of stained glass windows funded by the Washington State Arts Commission in partnership with Highline School District. The Art in Public Places project, hosted at Shorewood’s new school and titled “School of Fish,” features colorful student-created art; the windows were designed and installed by Ellensburg artist Julie Prather.