SDOT crews are working on Holman Road, with one eastbound, outside lane closed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today to allow crews to safely perform landscaping work.

Drivers should expect delays due to possible traffic congestion.

Danette Johnston of Ballard’s Dog’s Day Out Seattle will be facilitating a Pit Bull Education Seminar, aplty called the ”Pittie Party”, this evening from 6:45 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. at the Dog’s Day Out Ballard location (6733 15th Ave NW).

The seminar will discuss what is currently known about the breed, how they differ from other dogs and what specific challenges or issues guardians of these dogs may incur. The history, temperament, management and behavioral/training issues of “Bully” breeds (including Pit Bull-types, American & English Bulldogs, Staffordshire and American Bull Terriers and mixes thereof) will also be covered in the seminar.

The 1.5-hour seminar is for humans only and there are still spaces available. Pre-registration is required and cost is $20.

Click here to find out more about the seminar. To register email Danette at danette@dogsdayoutseattle.com or call (206) 706-4875.

Ballard based organization Friends of the Cedar River Watershed (6512 23rd Ave NW Suite 320) is hosting an event at Peddler Brewing Company (1514 NW Leary Way) from 4-9 p.m. today. As a part of their Drink Local outreach initiative, Friends of the Cedar River Watershed is partnering with the brewery to spread the word about local beer for local water.

Friends of the Cedar River Watershed (The Friends) non-profit organization was founded in 1996 and is dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Cedar River/Lake Washington Watershed and all the communities within its boundaries. The Friends works towards the following goals:

• Ensuring the long-term stewardship of the watershed,
• Providing and promoting tangible and data-driven environmental education, especially for young people,
• Educating the public about the importance of enhancing and restoring our home watershed.

$1 from every pint sold at the event this evening will go to The Friends to ensure that their protection and restoration work will continue for years to come. Click here to find out more about the event and click here to learn more about The Friends.

A group of locals has joined forces to create “Keep High 5 Alive” and support local pet service business owner Kevin Pelletier who recently suffered a serious injury on the job. The group is hosting a fundraiser tonight from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. at The Market Arms (2401 NW Market St) to raise money to help with Pelletier’s surgery and recuperation costs and to keep High 5! Pet Service alive.

Pelletier founded High 5! Pet Service to devote himself to his true passion of animals after working for 20 years in the professional photo, printing and book making industry. He grew up with a deep love for animals and now shares that with the community by taking care of pets in Ballard, Greenwood, Phinney Ridge, Fremont, Queen Anne, Magnolia and Greenlake.

His dedication to and love for both his customers and their animals is clearly evident on his website. “I don’t see you as just a customer but as an extension of my furry family,” writes Pelletier.

Pelletier’s loyal customers and friends were not only saddened by the news that he had been injured on the job but that as he would be unable to work for up to six months, the future of their favourite local business was in jeopardy. The group of dedicated locals then came together and worked out the best way that they could help. “Because it’s the holiday season, we felt compelled to coordinate friends and customers of Kevin’s business to get the community to reach out and support him during this tough time,” says Keep High 5 Alive group member and Ballardite Andrea DeWees.

For those who can’t attend the fundraiser but still want to help out click here to donate to the Keep High 5 Alive Go Fund Me page.

Click here to learn more about the fundraising event.

Photo courtesy of High 5! Pet Service.

The Ballard District Council will hold their monthly meeting tonight from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Ballard Library (5614 22nd NW). Free parking is available below the building and can be accessed from NW 56th St. The meeting is open to the public and will be chaired by Catherine Weatbrook.

Check out the agenda below:

7:00 Introductions & Short Announcements

7:20 Ballard to Downtown High Capacity Transit Study Update– Rebecca Deehr , Senior Policy and Communications Analyst, Mayor’s Office and Karen Waterman , Planning and Project Development Manager, Sound Transit. Click here for more information.

7:40 Pedestrian Zone Study - Aly Pennucci, Senior Planner Dept. of Planning and Development. Click here for more information.

8:00 Ballard Partnership for Smart Growth update- Mike Stewart and Scott Ingham, Ballard Chamber. Click here for more information.

8:10 Districts Now…NOW What? – Catherine Weatbrook, Crown Hill Business Association. Click here for more information.

8:25 Executive Committee Report – Kirk Robbins

8:30 Adjourn

The City of Seattle is now accepting proposals to the Neighborhood Park and Street Fund (NPSF) which works to support improvements to neighborhood parks and streets that are proposed by the community.

The NPSF can be used for projects valued up to $90,000 that will improve parks and streets for your local community. Examples of park projects include playground improvements, trail upgrades, sport court resurfacing, natural area renovations, and accessibility improvements. Examples of street projects include crossing improvements such as marked crosswalks, curb ramps, and pedestrian countdown signals; and traffic calming, such as traffic circles and speed feedback signs.

The deadline for applications is February 3, 2014 and awarded projects will be completed in 2015. Any individual, neighborhood group, or business group is eligible and encouraged to apply.

To learn more about the fund or to propose a project click here.

If you have any questions contact our Neighborhood District Coordinator Thomas Whittemore at (206) 684-4096 or email Thomas.Whittemore@seattle.gov.

Update:

According to a post on Eater, published after our story this afternoon, Brimmer & Heeltap is not yet ready for the planned pre-holiday opening. Doak revealed to Eater that “at this point, it’s safe to say our grand opening will be January 15.”

The team is excited to showcase the new bistro to the local community and is working hard to put all of the design and menu elements together. In terms of design, Doak reported that she received about 100,000 penny donations, which will be enough to cover the floor with the unique penny design.

Eater also reported that all of the Brimmer & Heeltap staff have been hired which includes Lieu Hoang, who formerly work in the kitchens of Poppy, and Jeff Steiner from Ray’s who is set to take care of the bar.

Original Post:

The team at Brimmer & Heeltap gastropub (425 NW Market St) are putting the final touches on their new space and, according to a note on their front door, are planning to open before the holidays this month.

Co-owners Jen Doak and Mike Whisenhunt teamed up to open the new establishment and share “their take on the neighborhood bistro-pub.” They have been busily working since summer to prepare the space and create their team for the opening.

We initially covered the story back in July when Doak and Whisenhunt closed the deal to purchase the former Le Gormand space and then covered Doak’s penny collection drive last month to create unique penny tiles for the decoration of the space.

The note on Brimmer & Heeltap’s front door announces “with a measure of humility and a heap of happiness” the launch of the new eatery. It also points to the mysterious origins of the bistro’s name. “The name Brimmer & Heeltap commemorates the proper pour, one that teases the top of the glass and culminates in a satisfying glimpse of the bottom,” write Doak and Whisenhunt.

Until the opening, locals can check out the progress on the Brimmer & Heeltap Facebook page (which already has over 800 likes).

“Like a good toast, we hope that Brimmer & Heeltap will be a place that evokes camaraderie,” write Doak and Whisenhunt.

Thanks to My Ballard reader Chrissy Elles for sending in the photo.

Seattle Public Utilities wants to remind Seattle residents that extra recycling, in addition to a full recycling cart, is free. Locals are encourages to put extra recyclables in sturdy bins, boxes or 32-gallon cans next to your recycling cart on collection day.

Here are some more holiday recycling reminders from SPU:

• Recycle cardboard boxes: Cardboard pizza boxes can be recycled if clean.  Flatten them first. If they have food in them, put uncoated cardboard boxes in the food and yard waste cart.
• Recycle or reuse paper gift wrap.
• Recycle catalogs and holiday cards.
• Reuse ribbons and bows, or put in the garbage.
• Batteries, burned out holiday lights and Styrofoam CANNOT be recycled in curbside recycling carts. There are several locations where you can dispose of them for no charge.
• Fluorescent bulbs and tubes, Ni-Cad and Lithium rechargeable and other batteries can be disposed of free of charge at Seattle’s Household Hazardous waste stations.

Find out what can be recycled and where you can recycle them here.

Local Internet Service Provider (ISP) CondoInternet announced today that its gigabit internet service is now available in Ballard. Several local buildings have already signed up for the service including Ballard Place Condominiums, Canal Station, and Canal Station North.

CondoInternet is a subsidiary of Spectrum Networks and was acquired by Wave Broadband in September this year. The local ISP has now added Ballard to the list of the eight local neighborhoods they are currently serving including: Belltown, South Lake Union, Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, First Hill, Pioneer Square, U District, and Bellevue. The ISP currently provides service to more than 15,000 homes throughout the city.

“Ballard is one of Seattle’s most vibrant neighborhoods and we are excited to extend our high- speed gigabit service to the area,” said Joe Bangah, COO of CondoInternet. “We look forward to continuing our expansion in Ballard and other key areas in the Greater Seattle region.”

CondoInternet owns and operates its own network and extended its existing fiber assets to bring service to Ballard. According to the ISP, this enables them to provide “a highly-reliable, multi-path infrastructure built to enterprise standards,” which in laymans terms means higher speeds and more uptime for users.

According to an article on GeekWire, CondoInternet attempted to work with the City of Seattle when it was first seeking private companies to use the city’s 500 miles of unused cabling to deliver high speed internet service to Seattle residents. My Ballard reported the story back in February when Mayor McGinn announced that Ballard had been added to the list of demonstration neighborhoods for the Seattle Broadband Partnership with Gigabit Squared.

GeekWire’s article pointed to an interview with Mayor McGinn on Monday afternoon during which he mentioned that Gigabit was having problems securing funding for the project and raised questions about the future of the project, which is currently delayed.

Opposingly, CondoInternet service appears to be expanding successfully and is getting rave reviews from current customers in Ballard. “I get asked every week ‘how soon until I can get CondoInternet?’ CondoInternet has generated more excitement than any other service our building has introduced,” says Mark Ernsting, Chief Concierge at Ballard Place Condominiums.

CondoInternet provides service to apartments and condominiums and is currently the #1 ranked ISP in Seattle on Netindex.com.

To learn more about CondoInternet and their service click here or call their Seattle office at (206) 777-6666.

Seattle musician Elliot Knapp is set to release his new CD, Discoveries, on Wednesday, December 11, from 6:30 p.m. at The Noble Fir (5316 Ballard Ave NW). The release is being held in conjunction with a special “Pints for Parks” fundraising event where all proceeds from CD sales and $1 from every pint sold will directly benefit ongoing habitat restoration at Discovery Park in Magnolia.

Knapp describes Discoveries as “an album-length nature sound collage” which comprises of aural field recordings that he collected this summer at Discovery Park. The recording takes the listener on an aural journey around the park’s trails and reveals the subtle environmental and animal sounds found there.

Knapp says that he created the CD as a tribute to the unique escape that Discovery Park offers Seattlites from urban life. “I find that when you start listening to the sounds going on around you, there’s almost always something musical happening,” says Knapp. “Whether it’s a randomly orchestrated chorus of birds, the ever-shifting rhythm of waves crashing on the shore, or the layered texture of wind blowing through hundreds of leaves.”

The “Pints for Parks” release party is an event that highlights The Noble Fir team’s passion for parks-related giving. Owners, Ellen Kelly and Rick Weersing have celebrated their love of and appreciation for the outdoors at The Noble Fir through numerous “Pints for Parks” events benefitting various organizations and parks including King County Parks, Golden Gardens, Washington Trails Association, and McKenzie River Trust.

All are welcome to attend the event and support habitat restoration at Discovery Park.

Click here to check out a sneak preview of Discoveries and learn more about Knapp’s music.

My Ballard reader Kacey emailed in to let us know that she is missing her cat Pekoe. He was last seen at NW 75th St and 3rd Ave NW on Saturday, November 30.

He is a 2 year old orange tabby who is super friendly. Unfortunately, he is not yet micro chipped or wearing a collar.

“We are super worried about him and just hope that a kind family has taken him in from the cold. Unfortunately, he is not yet micro chipped or wearing a collar. Our 3 year old daughter and 12 year old dog are missing their best friend,” writes Kacey.

Please call or text (206) 240-5632 or email kaceycrawford2@gmail.com if you have seen him.

Whitman Middle School is set to host their Winter Band Concert tonight at 7 p.m. The concert is free of charge and will take place in the Whitman Middle School Auditorium (9201 15th Ave NW).

The concert will feature the Jazz Band, Combined Beginning/Intermediate Bands, Concert Band, and Symphonic Band. All bands will be conducted by Joel Orsen.

“These concerts are a great opportunity for children active in music in elementary schools to see the exciting opportunities that wait for them in middle school. They are also a testimony to the strength of music education in Seattle public schools,” writes 6th grade parent and Friends of Whitman Music Communications Volunteer Rachel Rios.

A bake sale will also be in full swing at the event to support the Friends of Whitman Music and the Performing Arts Program.