January 2012

The Ballard Windermere Real Estate office is holding a free electronics recycling event this Saturday, January 14.

Windermere is working with SBK Recycle to collect and recycle old electronics that are just cluttering your house or office.

Bring your unwanted electronics to the Ballard Windermere office on 2636 N.W. Market Street from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan 24.

All computer and electronic items will be accepted.

The East Ballard Community Association is inviting neighbors to help design Ballard's newest park along 14th Avenue N.W. between N.W. 59th and N.W. 61st Street.

The park has been a multi-year project which started when resident and architect Peter Locke moved into the neighborhood and spotted underutilized space along 14th Avenue N.W.

After various studies, community meetings and bouncing around of ideas, the East Ballard Community Association came up with the idea of narrowing 14th Avenue between 59th and 61st street and turn the underutilized space into a Street Boulevard.

The project received funding from a Parks levy and in September of last year, EBCA selected landscape architect firm Mithun to work with neighbors on the design.

A "contents" fire, likely caused by an electrical short circuit, destroyed the contents of a garage on 30th Ave. s.w. at around 7:20 am Wednesday morning, Jan. 11. No one was injured.

One resident was home but the fire in the detached garage did not spread. The garage was very full, with bikes, and many stored "family heirlooms" but they were all essentially destroyed.

The resident said they have insurance.

Incident Commander Captain Gordon Wolcott said, "We had a fire in the garage here. The cause is still under investigation, we think it might be electrical, but we don't know. It didn't get into the structure, it was more of a contents fire so that was fortunate, but it was unfortunate that the occupant lost some family heirlooms."

Ballard News-Tribune:

Last Friday, President Obama took a small, but important, first step in eliminating the painful separation of American families because of twisted immigration laws. Right now, the spouse of a U.S. citizen cannot apply for a green card in the U.S. if they originally entered without proper inspection by an immigration officer. To obtain lawful status the immigrant must leave the U.S. and apply for a visa at a U.S. embassy in
their home country.
However, this sets up a Catch-22 because once the immigrant leaves the U.S. he or she is barred from returning for up to 10 years unless he or she is granted a waiver proving the U.S. citizen or legal resident spouse will suffer extreme hardship as a result of this forced and extended separation.

Gymnastics:

The Ballard gymnastics team placed second against Woodinville, Redmond and Garfield with the second highest score of the season despite the fact the team was missing one of their top gymnasts, Maureen Sturgeon, due to illness.

"The young team is learning a lot and performing many new skills in every meet," said coach Stephanie Gundel.

The scoring was as followed:

Team totals:
1. Woodinville 171.35
2. Ballard 149.35
3. Redmond 145.9
4. Garfield 111.2

Vault:
1. Alex Puri W 9.0
2. Maria Volk B 8.7
3. Julie Tollifson W 8.65
4. Lauren Lee B 8.4

Bars:
1. Madison Engel W 9.45
2. Katherine Smith W 8.1
3. Julie Tollifson W 8.05
4. Lauren Lee B 8.0

Beam:
1T. Ally Garcia R, Tessa King W, Kara Barton W, 8.9

Floor:
1. Julie Tollifson W 9.25
2. Emily Paratore W 9.2
3. Ally Garcia R 9.15

All Around:
1T. Julie Tollifson W, Madison Engel W 34.05
3. Ally Garcia R 32.95
5. Lauren Lee 32.0

The gymnastics next home meet is January 26th at 7:00 p.m.

Basketball:

Locöl Barley & Vine, a wine and beer only restaurant in a seemingly unlikely location on 35th Ave. s.w. celebrated their first year in business on Tuesday Jan. 10 with a packed house and special treats provided by Donna Lawson and her own new business, Stuffed Cakes.

It's been an eventful year for the bar with owners Kyle Duce and Shane Whitall finding that their concept of small plates (and reasonable prices) meant that limited parking was not a limiting factor. Most of their business actually comes directly from the neighborhood, with many people actually walking to and from the neighborhood spot.

CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO SEE MORE

Lawson prepared a signature cake with the business logo on it. That cake was Red Velvet with Almond Buttercream..She also prepared mini cupcakes with special flavors, Steamtrain Porter (a kind of beer) from Snoqualmie Brewery and Espresso flavor icing from Bird on a Wire Espresso plus another seasonal flavor Snowberry. "It was perfect," said Lawson, "It's exactly what Locöl does."

As the West Seattle Herald first reported, a fire broke out at the house of Teri Ensley Monday morning due to a the fire, accidentally caused by a hot plate that was left on and ignited consumables on the kitchen counter. Total estimated damages are $70,000. But that is just monetary. For Ensley, a pet activist who operates Furry Faces Foundation to aid pets and their owners, the loss became very personal and tragic. Pouncer died, her 16-year-old cat who showed up on her doorstep 15 years ago.

Animal Aid and Rescue Foundation, or AARF:

Burien-based Animal Aid and Rescue Foundation, or AARF, is helping Ensley and Furry Faces. It's president, Heather Johnson Enajibi, wanted to share Ensley's critical role in the animal community with the West Seattle Herald's readers:

Commissioner Gael Tarleton has been elected president of the Port of Seattle Commission. Tarleton was elected to the board in 2007. Commissioner John Creighton, who began serving in 2006, will be vice president.

"2012 begins the port's second century - we're online, open to the public, and open for business. We are on a path to creating a sustainable public port in the heart of our urban communities," said Tarleton.
"As the local and global economies recover from a prolonged recession, this port will be an economic engine - and an engine of equal opportunity - for King County's nearly 2 million residents."

Commissioner Tom Albro will serve as secretary.

Tarleton and Commissioner Bill Bryant were also sworn in for their second term in office. Commissioner Tarleton was sworn in by El Centro de la Raza Director Estela Ortega; former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton presided over Commissioner Bryant's oath of office.

The boy comes out of a house followed by his parents and visiting grandparents. It’s just before 8 a.m. on the last Friday of the winter break. Despite heavy rain in the forecast there is a sun break revealing the Olympics and making wet streets glint. The boy’s coat is bright green; his mother’s bright red. Even though the boy has had a recent growth spurt (he’s almost as tall as one grandmother) he’s still just a nine-and-a-half year old boy who thinks he’s on way to King County Courthouse by way of the #18 bus.

Side-by-side in Husky folding chairs is a couple who left their children in their beds nearby. She is waving pom-poms while her husband (in pajama bottoms) holds a cardboard sign with many exclamation marks. More neighbors appear; a man and a woman with a dog, a couple each carrying a little girl in their arms, a mother and daughter. The boy seems delighted to see so many people outside, but not surprised. The neighbors are gathering for a special send-off. It’s adoption day.

The Ballard District Council is convening for its monthly meeting tonight and topics on the agenda for the evening include Seattle Parks, the future of Seattle Public Library, transit facilities, street trees, and more.

As usual, the meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Ballard Library 5614 22nd N.W.

AGENDA:

7 p.m. Introductions & Short Announcements - please hold announcements to not more than one minute.

7:15 p.m. A Conversation with Seattle Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams

7:40 p.m. The Future of Services from Our Seattle Public Library, Dave Valencia, Regional Manager,
Seattle Public Libraries (Ballard, Fremont, Magnolia, Queen Anne)

7:50 p.m. Transit Facilities in the Ballard District - UW Design Studio, Steve Cohn, Project Advisory Team

8:00 p.m. Staff Report, Rob Mattson

8:10 p.m. Proposed City Policy on Street Trees in Seattle, Nolan Rundquist, City Arborist

8:20 p.m. Report – Executive Committee
- City Neighborhood Council, Jody Grage
- Ballard Prepares, Catherine Weatbrook
- Proposed Ballard DC letter to Metro transit Director Kevin Desmond re bus zone closures