September 2014

Locally based, Northwest Senior Care, has coordinated antique appraisal fundraisers at community senior centers across King County in an attempt to alleviate the pressure of their often limited operational budgets. Ballard NW Senior Center is one of the centers benefiting from the program.

“Senior Centers save lives and provide vital services to the elders in all our varied communities”, says Carlye Teel, Director Ballard NW Senior Center.

In 1943, New York City opened the doors to the United State’s first senior center. Today there some 11,000 centers nation wide, and despite measures for financial assistance such as the Older Americans Act of 1965, many struggle to fund day to day operations; while others have been forced to close their doors all together.

In July, Seattle Subway published stories advocating for Sound Transit to study a direct rail corridor connecting North Seattle to the Eastside via a crossing of Lake Washington. This Sand Point Crossing would connect Ballard, the University District, and Children’s Hospital with Kirkland, Redmond, and the Microsoft campus. Seattle Subway organized its supporters to submit public comments in favor of this option. On September 25th, Sound Transit unveiled its Long Range Plan Supplemental EIS study corridors which included the Sand Point Crossing as outlined by Seattle Subway (see Figure 1 below).

What this means

Between now and December, Sound Transit will be studying the costs and ridership

Dakota Place Park Clean Up
Dakota Place Park
4304 S.W. Dakota St.
Saturday, Oct., 11, 9 a.m.-Noon. Join us for a morning of fun and community. Bring shovels, rakes, trowels, gloves or a wheelbarrow if possible. Label all your tools and come prepared for the weather! We work rain or shine. Hope to see you all there.

Culinary Volunteers Needed
Senior Center of West Seattle
4217 S.W. Oregon St.
206-932-4044 x8
Great volunteer positions to utilize culinary talents. Friendly people and great atmosphere. Working with seniors and members of the community. Café assistants: 8:30-12:30 p.m. or 10:30-2 p.m., M-F. Kitchen Assistant: 9:30-1:30 p.m., M-F. Call Debra: 206-932-4044 or email: debrag@seniorservices.org.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly
Guadalupe Church-Pastoral Care Center
7000 35th Ave. S.W.
Every Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. TOPS is an encouraging weight loss support group with weigh-ins every Tuesday. For info at 206-932-2621.

Seeking Host Families for International Students

By Tim Clifford

Assault by wheelchair
On Sep. 18 police were called to a retirement facility on the 5400 block of Delridge WY with reports of an assault that had occurred at 3 p.m. When police arrived and contacted the victim he immediately made it known that he did not wish to pursue any legal action against the suspect and refused any medical assistance. The sequence of events was eventually revealed by on site nurses and video surveillance.

The victim was in the elevator to the facility when the suspect, who currently uses a motorized wheelchair, entered the elevator very quickly and positioned herself in the corner. Words were exchanged between the two and when the elevator arrived at another floor the victim stood in the doorway of the elevator and prevented it from shutting as well as blocking another resident from entering.

by Paul Moseley

The West Seattle Wildcats hosted the Rainier Beach Vikings at the Southwest Athletic Complex (SWAC) for a varsity football match-up on Friday Sept. 26. Rainier Beach came in with a 2-1 record and a very physical team as West Seattle looked to get their first win of the season.

In an aggressive game that saw Rainier Beach walking backward 4 times in the first half for personal fouls, both teams went after each other for three quarters of football - but it was Rainier Beach who performed in the fourth and went home with a big victory.

Rainier Beach put up the first two scores of the game. In a drive that seemed to put the Wildcats on their heels, Rainier Beach took the opening kick-off and marched straight down the field - capping the drive with a 30 yard run to go up 8-0.

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

From the beginning of time various creatures roamed the earth. Some grew to enormous proportions during the period of the dinosaurs. Then, because of circumstances beyond their control, they were wiped out. Gradually human beings began to fence off areas and declared these areas private property. Until that time people freely roamed, living off the land, the rivers and oceans. When agriculture developed and people began to dwell on pieces of land rather than roaming about then ownership of land became an issue.

A motorcycle traveling southbound on Fauntleroy Way SW around 3:45pm collided with a car emerging from a driveway at Cloverdale Street SW. The male rider of the motorcycle was injured in the incident and taken to the hospital.

Members of the Seattle Fire Fighters Union, Local 27 raised $50,000 during the annual Fill the Boot drive on September 18th and 19th to benefit children and adults affected by muscle disease throughout the Seattle area.

“For six decades, fire fighters have fueled MDA's mission to find treatments and cures for life-threatening muscle diseases, and this year’s Seattle Fill the Boot results are a perfect example of the true dedication Seattle Fire Fighters Union, Local 27 has toward supporting the families we serve,” said Director of Business Development, Whitney McIlwain “We’re grateful for the support of these inspiring, selfless individuals who provide life-saving help that will fund research, advocate for children and adults affected by muscle disease, and rally our community to fight back.”

Funds raised through 2014 Seattle Fill the Boot events will help support MDA's programs of worldwide research, specialized health care services, and day-to-day support – which includes sending children affected by muscular dystrophy and related muscle diseases to a weeklong, barrier-free MDA summer camp at Camp Seymour in Gig Harbor.

When Suzanne Rankin got the flyer on the doorknob of her home saying Habitat for Humanity SKC was looking for homeowners to help in the area, she almost threw it away. But she didn't. She instead applied for help through the organization and became one of nearly two dozen White Center area homeowners to qualify for assistance in Habitat's Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative.

The organization celebrated that effort on Sept. 26 with Senator Sharon Nelson and Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, Sili Savusa and others from the White Center CDA and lots of volunteers from Loews Hardware.

They were there as a result of a grant from Lowes which is contributing nearly $1 million to 11 Habitat for Humanity affiliates across the nation. The local affiliate was awarded a grant to assist ten White Center families with their home repair needs from July through December of 2014. That $70,000 grant, included the approximately $5800 spent on "hardy plank" siding for Rankin's home.

The Seattle Department of Transportation announced the winners for the Park(ing) Day Seattle challenge today. The pop-up park installation by the Ballard Writers’ Collective won a 'Corners of the City' PARK(ing) Day Seattle award.

According to SDOT, “Award winners were chosen based on social media response garnered throughout the event day, as well as park location, meritorious design, and creativity of concept.”

You can view the rest of the winners here: http://designinpublic.org/parking-day-seattle-2014-award-winners/. Please feel free to share this link.

Winners:

Best of PARK(ing) Day 2014 Community-Hosted Pop-up Park
WINNER: Downtown Seattle Association, Bowling and Bean Bags

Best of PARK(ing) Day 2014 Business-Hosted Pop-up Park
WINNER: MITHUN + Social Scale Media WORK + PLAY | ALASKAN WAY

Most unique
WINNER: Weber Thompson, Why You Gotta Be So Rube?

Greenest Park
WINNER: HBB Landscape Architecture, Walking through Western Washington

Best use of Festival theme: Design in Motion
WINNER: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, (car)Park

Longest string of parks (multiple winners)