January 27th, 2012 by Doree
The major repaving project on NW 85th Street was put on hold for several days last week because of the snow and ice. Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) resumed work this week. Here’s an update on current work.
Work continues in Phase 1 between 15th Ave NW and 8th Ave NW. Work activities impacted by the snow are currently being rescheduled. We will continue to update you on how the weather delay may impact anticipated work activities over the next couple weeks.
Construction activities anticipated this week include:
- Continued roadway removal and excavation between:
- Mary Ave NW and 14th Ave NW (north side)
- 14th Ave NW and 12th Ave NW (north side)
- 11th Ave NW and 10th Ave NW (north side)
- Dibble Ave NW and 8th Ave NW (south side)
- Installation of drainage facilities at the intersection of 14th Ave NW and NW 85th St
- Concrete paving throughout the project area (as weather allows)
- Opening of 12th Ave NW and closing of 11th Ave NW — Side streets can be closed for up to 30 days total, however the days are not required to be consecutive. This means streets may be opened and closed as needed.
- Closure of Dibble Avenue south of NW 85th St for installation of drainage facilities and roadway removal, excavation and concrete panel replacement.
- Westbound traffic continues to be maintained through Phase 1 primarily on the south side of the street.
January 27th, 2012 by Geeky Swedes
While many of the sunset photos people send are of the horizon or colorful sky, this one has a different angle.
Betsy sent us this photo of a calm pond at Golden Gardens at sunset Thursday night. (Thanks for the photo!)
January 26th, 2012 by Geeky Swedes
They’re annoying, dangerous and when filled with water, deceiving. Now that the Seattle Department of Transportation is finished with the winter storm, the Pothole Rangers are out filling those pesky potholes.
A large pothole in Ballard on 11th Ave NW near the Fred Meyer.
“Freezing weather and heavy precipitation mean that we’re seeing more potholes. We’ve added dollars to respond to pothole repair requests,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. SDOT has $9 million available to address street surface repairs, which includes potholes. About $8.5 million of that is earmarked for main arterials.
Click here to report a pothole. Keep an eye on reported potholes on the city’s pothole map.
January 26th, 2012 by Geeky Swedes
Just a block off Market Street, The Amber Den will open next month.
“The Amber Den started with a simple concept: great wine, craft beer and artisanal food at prices anyone can afford, offered in a warm, welcoming environment,” the owner Nick Simonton writes in a release. The casual bar will have a high-top table in the ground floor ‘cove,’ easy chairs in the reading nook and a dining table on the mezzanine.
“My goal is to provide a space where everyone feels comfortable,” Simonton says, “whether you’re in jeans and a T‐shirt or headed home after work. I want everyone to feel free to be themselves and to enjoy the most amazing beer and wine the Northwest has to offer.”
Chef Ryan Boehler is putting together an evening menu with fresh, local and seasonal bites. They will serve artisan meats and cheeses and Mediterranean-influenced small plates. A future lunch menu is also in the works which will feature panini sandwiches, homemade soups and salads.
The Amber Den is located at the corner of 17th Ave NW and NW 56th Street (1556 NW 56th Street), the former location of Nervous Nellie’s. Follow The Amber Den on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest on their opening.
January 26th, 2012 by Geeky Swedes
As you walk along the first floor northern breezeway of Whittier Elementary, a large, three-dimensional dragon is watching you. It is The Year of the Dragon, afterall.
For the last six weeks, nearly 80 kids in Whittier’s three second grade classes, parents and staff, have been working with Ballard resident Jan Harvey-Smith, the Artist in Residence, to create this Dragon Art. On Wednesday afternoon, students gathered to unveil the large creature and celebrate with a professional lion dancer. (Thanks Pete for the photo!)
January 25th, 2012 by Geeky Swedes
It’s that time of year again, when the chocolate on top of chocolate cupcake hits the shelves of Cupcake Royale. It’s known as the Deathcake and it’s described as “death-by-chocolate meets Cupcake Royale.” Theo Chocolate decadence is fused with Stumptown Espresso Ganache and topped with a pinch of fleur de sel.
Thursday evening is a free Deathcake tasting party at the Ballard Cupcake Royale (2052 NW Market Street) from 5 to 7 p.m. The free event pairs the little bites of evil with Stumptown Coffee and Elliot Bay Brewery Stouts. (Photo courtesy Cupcake Royale.)
January 25th, 2012 by Geeky Swedes
Whittier Elementary will not be getting a fourth Kindergarten class next school year, but could get one additional homeroom for a different grade, if needed. The Seattle School Board is looking at options to ease overcrowding in the school district and one of the options included adding a fourth Kindergarten class – an option that was opposed by the PTA.
In a letter sent to parents on Tuesday, Pegi McEvoy the Assistant Superintendent for Operations for SPS writes,
Our preliminary enrollment projections indicate we may need to add one additional homeroom at Whittier next year. The additional homeroom would NOT be for a fourth kindergarten class – we are still planning for three kindergarten classes. The potential need for an additional homeroom is based primarily on enrollment distribution across the grades. If enrollment is not as high as anticipated, we will not add an additional homeroom. However, we need to be prepared in case this need arises . We are looking at options in the building, given the fact we cannot place a portable on the Whittier site.
The school board is voting tonight on the Short-Term Capacity Management and the New Student Assignment Plan: Transition Plan for 2012-13. The Board will not vote specifically on adding a new classroom at Whittier. Placement decisions – moving or adding a new program to a school – will be made by the Superintendent. If a new homeroom is added, it is unknown which grade would get the additional class.
“These decisions are made prior to open enrollment to ensure that families can review their options for the next school year,” the letter states. “The Superintendent seeks guidance for these decisions from staff and community groups, such as the Special Education Advisory and Advocacy Council (SEAAC) and the Advanced Learning Task Force to provide input to inform these decisions.”
According to the letter, no changes in the Spectrum program or the Phinney Neighborhood Association programs are being considered at this time.
Individuals can email suggestions to: programplacement@seattleschools.org.
January 25th, 2012 by Meghan Walker
If you’re over 50, and you’ve been putting off that New Year’s resolution to start exercising more, here’s your chance. Seattle Parks and Recreation is kicking off a new season of training for those interested in getting in shape for a 5K, 10K or half marathon walk. Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Lifelong Recreation Sound Steps is offering a kick-off training event in North Seattle on Wednesday, February 1 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Greenwood Senior Center (525 N. 85th St.). The event is open to all, but the training is specially designed for those, “50 and better.”
After the kick-off event, the real training gets started on Saturday, February 4 at 9 a.m.
The training is free, and volunteers will lead groups from Ballard Senior Center (5429 32nd Ave. NW), Jefferson Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave S.) and Ravenna Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave. NE).
To learn more about the training, visit the Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Lifelong Recreation site.
January 25th, 2012 by Geeky Swedes
A dozen video production students at Ballard High School will get a first-hand look at the competitive film industry this spring. The students will visit Hollywood to meet with professionals, visit world-class film schools and connect with Ballard alumni.
Matt Lawrence, the Video Production teacher at BHS, tells us the following alum will talk with the 12 students:
Kyle Seago graduated from BHS in ’07, and attended the film production program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. By his second year of college, Kyle was getting such attractive job offers that he decided to put college on hold. The next few years took him to Italy, Morocco, Greece, and Macau for location shoots as he rose to the position of Associate Producer. Kyle is eager to talk with current students about the program at Loyola Marymount and entering the industry.
Brendan McCarthy graduated in ’04 and attended film school at New York University. He is currently in Los Angeles working in the writers’ room of the new CBS series Rob! (broadcast Thursday evenings at 8:30 pm). Brendan will talk with students about writing for the industry and give them a tour of Studio City.
Chloe Warner-Moyer (’11) is currently attending Chapman University’s Creative Producing Program on a Dean’s Scholarship. She’ll be joining us for a tour of the new facilities at Chapman’s Dodge School of Film & Television and giving students the inside scoop on the producing program.
Rikke Heinecke (’11) is organizing our tour of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema Arts, where she’s studying film production. She’s also arranging a chance for us to screen work by USC film students and meet some of the faculty.
All of these schools made the Hollywood Reporter’s list of the world’s top film schools, released last year.
The film industry is highly-competitive and getting into a top college is difficult. “Despite these odds, BHS video students regularly gain admission to these prestigious schools,” Lawrence says. “As they move through college and enter the industry, these program alumni provide an ongoing source of inspiration and support for students currently in the program.”
January 24th, 2012 by Geeky Swedes
While most students took the afternoon off from school, passionate teachers gathered at Ballard’s busiest intersection to protest budget cuts.
Waving to honking cars, many of the protesting teachers were wearing red.
“Today is a furlough day which means that we’re essentially laid off without pay today,” Judy Oerkvitz of Lawton Elementary tells us, “But when you lay off teachers without pay what you’re doing is depriving students of their education. the state has a paramount duty to sufficiently fund education at the K-12 level and we think they could be doing a much better job.”
A Loyal Heights teacher waves at a passing car
All four corners of the intersection were populated by protesting teachers demanding better for students. One sign held by an Adams Elementary counselor reads, “This furlough is stealing from children to protect the 1%. Fund education!” Others read, “We should be teaching” and “Students need me IN the classroom.”
Even kids came out to support the teachers. Some chanting, “We miss math!”
Ann Gateley of Salmon Bay School on the left and Judy Oerkvitz of Lawton on the right.
Before heading to the intersection at 15th Ave NW and NW Market Street, teachers gathered in front of their schools for a picture to send the legislature.
(Thank you Colette for the tip!)
January 24th, 2012 by Geeky Swedes
Learn more about Ballard’s newest park at a public meeting tonight.
The park will run along two blocks of 14th Avenue NW from NW 59th Street and NW 61st Street. At tonight’s meeting, Mithun, the design consultant, will present three design options, talk about the history of the project and give a site analysis.
One of the sketches of the park boulevard plan presented to the Ballard District Council in February.
Here is the project description from the website:
The Parks and Green Spaces Levy provides approximately $1.5 million for design and construction of the 14th Avenue Park Boulevard.
The purpose of the project is to convert two full blocks and two half blocks of 14th Ave NW between NW 58th and NW 62nd from an existing concrete roadway and gravel parking median to green space with green infrastructure and park elements and incorporate safety improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.
The blocks between NW 59th and NW 61st will be completely converted and the half block north and south will be converted and used as transition lanes.
Tonight’s meeting is from 7 – 9 p.m. at St. Alphonsus Parish School (5816 15th Ave NW.) Construction on the park boulevard is expected to start later this year, with completion in 2013.
January 24th, 2012 by Geeky Swedes
The second of two design meetings to help shape the new Sunset Hill Green Market building is on for Wednesday night. The meeting was postponed after last week’s snow storm.
At the first meeting many nearby residents gathered to hear plans by developers for the old building. Johnston Architects showed three designs that residents commented on. The final design that comes from these meetings will be presented to the Design Review Board at a yet-to-be-determined meeting.
Wednesday’s meeting will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Sunset Hill Community Association (3003 NW 66th Street.)
Here are the three schemes that were presented:
Scheme A
Overview – 3-story massing – replaces existing building – garage entry off 32nd – up to 16 residential units – up to 5000 sf retail commercial – up to 16 parking spaces
Opportunities – most flexible/efficient design – re-use of existing curbcut along 32nd – most space available for on-site parking
Challenges – requires demolition of existing building
Scheme B
Overview – 3-story massing – preserves existing building – garage entry off 64th – up to 14 residential units – up to 5000 sf retail commercial – up to 12 parking spaces provided
Opportunities – maintains existing commercial building @ corner – continuous retail commercial presence along 32nd
Challenges – requires development departures, new curb cut on 64th (alley access preferred by zoning), setback relief on west – re-use of the existing building is financially and structurally challenging – space available for parking is limited – difficult to match existing floor-to-floor heights with site slope.
Scheme C
Overview – 4-story massing – preserves existing building – garage entry off 64th – up to 16 residential units. Possible integration of small office space – up to 5000 sf retail commercial – up to 12 parking spaces provided
Opportunities – maintains existing commercial building @ corner – example of viable sustainable design in Seattle – continuous retail commercial presence along 32nd
Challenges – requires development departures. New curb cut on 64th (alley access preferred by zoning) > additional 1 story height > additional 15% FAR > setback relief on west – re-use of the existing building is financially and structurally challenging – space available for parking is limited – green strategies significantly increase up-front development costs – difficult to match existing floor-to-floor heights with site slope
You can see a larger version of these designs here (.pdf.)
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