Check out more details from SDOT’s Ballard Greenway email update written last week:

Speed Humps

Weather permitting construction starts mid-week to install 18 speed humps along the corridor. This work will have significant short-term on-street parking impacts. On-street parking must be restricted in the work zone during construction. Speed hump construction requires parking restrictions for a minimum of two days and may include additional time for prep. Construction notices will be delivered to impacted properties prior to work starting, as well as ‘no park’ signs placed.

We understand that on-street parking is in high demand and appreciate your patience while we make this safety improvement. Once complete, speed humps will not interfere with on-street parking, because it is okay to park over them.

Speed hump under construction between 24th Ave NW and 26th Ave NW.

Speed hump under construction between 30th Ave NW and 32nd Ave NW.

Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons

The flashing beacons are on order and scheduled for installation at 24th Avenue NW this July.

Signs and Pavement Markings

Within the next couple of weeks you’ll start to notice crosswalk and crossbike stripping at 20th and 32th Avenue NW; painting, reflectors and signs around the partial diverter at 15th Avenue NW; and new 20 mph signs. The final piece of the project is to install wayfinding signs, stop signs, greenway signs and bicycle pavement markings. This work is currently scheduled to for late July.

Hopefully you have noticed the new ADA curb ramps, wider sidewalk at Seaview Avenue NW and new partial diverter at 15th Avenue NW in front of St Alphonsus School. Precision Cutting is also been busy making temporary sidewalk repairs.

Jennifer Litowski from Ballard Greenways emailed to let us know about the construction update and to let locals know that the draft of Seattle’s Bicycle Master Plan update is now available online here until July 26th. “Remember, it’s just as important for SDOT to hear from people that don’t ride bikes currently as it is to hear from those that do,” says Litowski.

The Ballard Greenways monthly meeting will be held this Thursday, June 20, at Ballard Coffeeworks (2060 NW Market St) from 7:30 p.m. All are welcome.

To find out more about Ballard Greenways check out the SDOT information page here. Check out the photos above of construction that is already underway on . For more photos and updates click here to see the Ballard Greenway’s Facebook page.

Photos courtesy of Ballard Greenways. 

Mayor McGinn had requested $500,000 to fund the study, which was to come out of the savings on the Spokane Street Viaduct. Publicola writes that City Council members Tim Burgess and Tim Rasmussen denied the funding “because, according to today’s announcement, Sound Transit and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) are already studying high-capacity transit for the downtown to Ballard corridor.”

“We must fix what we have, finish what we’ve started and plan wisely for the future for all transportation modes,” says budget chair Tim Burgess. “Our proposal will help balance these needs, which are crucial to keeping people safe and our economy moving in the right direction,” he continues.

According to Publicola, Mayor McGinn issued the following statement in response to today’s denial. ”While I am disappointed that Council chose not to leverage our partnership with Sound Transit now to expedite the planning work for a new multi-modal Ship Canal crossing, I will continue to work with council members to include funding for this important project in our 2014-15 budget so that we do not miss out on possible capital funding sources like Sound Transit III.”

Photo courtesy Andrea Mojzak

From organizer Andrea Mojzak:

“As we head into summer everyone is getting their lawn mowers out, and that can be a scary sound, especially for young trees. Even the most careful mowers can nick the trunk of the trees, which leads to cuts, that invite disease and infection of trees. By spreading mulch around the base of the tree, we can create a safety buffer around the tree to ensure that this damage doesn’t happen. The mulch will also help retain moisture for the young tree during the hot, dry summer months. Come spend an evening with your neighbors, and take care of some Ballard’s young trees.”

They’ll offer tools and refreshments, and suggest that volunteers wear clothes that can get dirty and closed-toe shoes. Register here for the work party.  

Anchor is Eddie Erickson, a dockworker by trade, who throws off his raincoat at the first sign of danger to fight off the evils of Ballard. The SeafoodFest folks have set up a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to create a comic book about Anchor, the funds from which will also go to support the costs of SeafoodFest.

Click here to watch the campaign video

The idea for the comic book came from a SeafoodFest meeting in January when the organizers were thinking of creative ways to fundraise for the annual event. One organizer, Sam, wanted to take a new approach:

“I’ve been wondering how we could kinda marry the old with the new. I’ve been conjuring how we might could bring the whole community together and share in the celebration of all things Ballard DOES have, like the fishing and maritime history, like the Nordic heritage stuff, like that gorgeous beach down at Shilshole.”

And thus, Anchor was born. He’ll be the “Spirit of Ballard,” they say; a symbol of our unique neighborhood.

“We know you love Ballard. We know you love superheroes. You love the concept of wrestling a giant squid or even a chair in the quest for truth. We know that you, like most Ballard denizens, have a giant sense of fun and a twinkle in your eye. Please support your very own community and give what you can to support this new comic book project and the Live Anchor project, too. It’s one that we hope to build throughout the years. With your help, we will.”

The donations will go to help with the comic book printing, which will in turn support the SeafoodFest, which happens July 13 and 14. Learn more about SeafoodFest here.

They keep the menu pretty simple with all burgers under $10. There are the classic Li’l and Big Woody’s, and for the more adventurous, there’s the Fig and the Pig (Boat Street pickled figs, Hills Bacon, mayo, crumbled gorgonzola cheese), Smoked Out (Smoked sharp cheddar, sliced raw onion, mayo, tomato and chipotle sauce), or the New Mexican (burger topped with Hatch Green Chilies, mayo and queso sauce).mAlso on the menu are Crack Fries, which are their signature handcut fries with a Molly Moon’s milkshake for dipping. And, for your sweet tooth, there are 14 flavors of Molly Moon’s ice cream.

Li’l Woody’s will be open from 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sundays.

The passengers were on their way back from their whale watching trip when they were told to go upstairs to help with “weight distribution,” according to passenger Lauren Robuck from Alabama. She didn’t know what was happening until she saw crew members carrying fire extinguishers. She says they were on the top deck of the boat for almost two hours as the boat made its way into Shilshole, where they docked and unloaded.

Three tour buses pulled up to collect the passengers after they disembarked the ship to take them downtown. “Thankfully everyone is safe!” Robuck said. “But we didn’t see any whales,” she added, with a hint of disappointment.

Earlier: The Victoria Clipper reported an engine fire, triggering a massive fire response while the ship diverted to Shilshole.

There’s no visible smoke from the vessel, which has now docked.
Passengers are beginning to disembark, and two city buses have arrived to pick them up.

(Photo by Rays Boathouse, @raysboathouse)

“I came all the way from New Mexico to get on the news!” woman jokes as she loads into a bus.

The Clipper was coming back from a whale watching trip when the engine caught fire. Passenger Lauren from Alabama told us they saw no whales, just reporters.

There are no reports of injuries. This is the largest fire response we’ve seen in our history with My Ballard: 10 engines and 4 ladder trucks, drawing from downtown units.

The initial call was for a fire in the engine compartment. It appears to be out.

We are on scene and updating here and on @myballard on Twitter.

More coming…

Friday, June 14:

• Name That Solar Brewery Ballard Brewery Crawl leaving Sunergy Systems (4546 Leary Way NW) at 4 p.m. Ballard has the best micro-brewery scened in the Pacific NW. They’ll hit the newest ones starting at Populuxe, Reubens next, and then to Peddler. If time, NW Peaks and Hilliards.Click here for more details.

• Author Reading at Secret Garden Books (2214 NW Market St ) at 7 p.m. Author Allyson Valentine reads from her new book How (Not) to Find a Boyfriend. All are welcome to attend this free event. Click here for more details.

• Comedy Sportz Seattle Show at 2220 NW Market Street at 10:30 p.m. Click here for more details and to buy tickets.

Saturday, June 15:

•  Author Illustrator Music Event at Secret Garden Books (2214 NW Market St ) at 11 a.m. Barney Saltzberg is not only one of the most innovative author/illustrators working in kid lit today, he’s also a singer/songwriter! So, when he’s at Secret Garden Books, he will read from his latest book Andrew Drew and Drew and sing songs. All are welcome to attend this free event. Click here for more details.

Sunday, June 16:

• Ballard Farmers Market down Ballard Ave from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Click here to check out the specials happening this week. 

For the past several months city planners have been discussing possibilities for the future of the Interbay area. Change has been rapid and is set to continue in the area with the addition of Metro’s Rapid Ride and the introduction of new apartments and offices, so DPD wants to make a plan with the community about the future of the area.

Some of the key issues that DPD want to hear about include:

• Business: What kind of businesses can thrive in the Interbay corridor?
• Retail: What types of retail does the community want ?
• Pedestrians and Bicycles: Which streets are the most important for walking and biking?
• Housing: Would Interbay be a good place for more people to live?

Learn more about the study here. To look at the preliminary recommendations for zoning changes, click here.

About Name That Solar Brewery, from their website:

The idea exploded as Jon Lange (brewmaster) and Howard Lamb (brewmaster) began to exhibit their newest home brew creations, offering up taste after hoppy taste. Jon was the experimenter, fascinated by the ingredients and how they could change the taste and Howard with an engineering background was captivated by how the components and processes affected the taste of the brew. With all the experimentation and excitement around brewing they continued!

The combination of solar (what they do) and the beer (what they were brewing) fit right into their way life, sustainably. That’s when the big idea hit, let’s open a brewery. Not only let’s open a brewery, a solar brewery! Especially after considering the solar community of Seattle and the microbreweries in Ballard, a solar brewery is the only thing missing!

They’re asking the community to help them come up with a name for their brewery – click here for their forum or here for the Facebook page.

Ballard Kayak has opened on the beach at Golden Gardens (8498 Seaview Pl NW) just in time for the good weather to hit. The local business was started by Ballard couple Becca and John Guillote, with a little help from their dog Chaco.

“It’s estimated that 40 percent of urban travel is for trips of two miles or less and close to 90 percent of those trips are by car,” according to SDOT. “The  challenge premise is that many of these trips could easily be taken by public transit, on foot or by bicycle – saving money, helping the environment and offering the chance to stay fit all at the same time.”

The challenge is for individuals to convert 24 solo car trips to walking, biking, car/vanpooling, or riding transit between June 15 and September 9. In doing so, you could win one of the following prizes:

•Grand Prize: A brand new Specialized bike (Sirrus or Vita Elite) & helmet worth $800 from Gregg’s Cycles

•$200 REI Gift Card

•$150 Zipcar gift certificate

•$100 Farmers Market gift certificate

•$100 Nordstrom gift card

•Car2Go membership and four hours of free use

•Family pack tickets to the Woodland Park Zoo

•Special prizes to be announced during the Challenge

This year, SDOT is partnering with Luum, a Seattle-based tech startup that exists to help communities tackle challenges to improve their communities. Luum uses social connections and team-based competition, measured with feedback and incentives, to get people involved. A major focus of Luum is transportation, so they’ll be working to help corporate groups reduce commuting trips in the region.

SDOT says that in the 2011 and 2012 Walk Bike Ride challenges, 1,900 people took part, avoiding 26,219 trips and 423,363 miles of driving alone. They kept 412,369 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere. They hope to pass the 2,000-participant mark this year. To sign up, click here.

Photo courtesy Heidi Osborn

Over the past several months, they asked fellow students where they’d like to see the money go, and the students researched homelessness, foster children’s needs, animal welfare and support for Guide Dog Puppies of Seattle. The charities they chose to give money to are the Ballard Food Bank ($100), Treehouse for Kids ($300), PAWS ($300) and Guide Dog Puppies ($300). They also did an end of the year service project to collect school supplies for Project Cool with the Seattle/King County Coalition to end Homelessness.

Congratulations to the Penny Pilers for their efforts!

Public comments regarding the sidewalk cafe application will be accepted through June 27. If you wish to comment, email annualpermits@seattle.gov or send mail to: SDOT, Attn:  Annual Permits, PO Box 34996, Seattle, WA 98124.

Original post: My Ballard reader Max spotted this car on fire in front of Ballard High School late last night. “Happened to drive past this vehicle which I spotted on fire, quickly ran to make sure no one was inside then called 911,” Max writes.

No word yet from Seattle Fire about the cause of the blaze. We’ll update with any new information.

Thanks, Max, for the tip!

St. Luke’s redevelopment plans

Plans are in the works to completely redevelop the 1.5 acres of property owned by St. Luke’s Episcopal church on 22nd Ave NW, just across from the Ballard Commons Park. St. Luke’s vicar RC Laird explained that the church hopes to make the space more usable for the greater Ballard community, including plans to create affordable housing and a civic space that would be open for the public to use. They plan to demolish the nine buildings that currently stand on the property, which Laird explained will be replaced by structures that can serve as Ballard’s “living room.” “The vision is to create a place on 22nd Avenue that can serve both as our community gathering space for our worshiping community, but can also be a civic space for Ballard.” Laird described that they’d like to have a space for music events, author readings, and community banquets at a reasonable cost for the public to rent.

The church is two months into the feasibility study, in which they’ve invited community leaders and business owners to explore the possibilities of development options. Along with wanting to build a civic space, the church hopes to develop affordable housing for families in need in the neighborhood. While the plans are still vague and in the very early stages, Laird says they want as much community involvement as possible as they move forward with plans. “We commit to being good neighbors,” Laird explained. “We think we can do that best by approaching the neighborhood up front and being transparent in our redevelopment process.”

To keep up-to-date on the process and plans, visit the St. Luke Project website.

Ballard to Downtown Transit Study

There will be an open house later this month for residents to review the recommendations for new transit options between Ballard and Downtown. The Seattle Department of Transportation, in partnership with Sound Transit, will host the meeting that will show the range of options they’ve developed, after which they’ll ask for community feedback. The next meeting is June 27 at the Ballard High School at 5 p.m. To learn more about the transit study, click here.

Neighborhood Park Street Fund

The Ballard District Council looked at several Neighborhood Park Street Funds proposals, most of which include creating safer crossings at busy streets. The City of Seattle provides $1.25 million citywide to fund small scale improvements to Seattle streets and parks annually, and each of Seattle’s neighborhoods are provided roughly $90,000 to that end. The likely proposals to move forward include the following:

1.  Kirke Park parking strip: This project includes building a parking strip on 9th Ave NW, which the applicants say will help reduce traffic speeds for the heavily used park. The original proposal included plans for a rain garden in the parking strip, but now the recommendation is for the planting strip only. The proponents say it will not restrict parking, but will help slow drivers down, which is important as it is a popular children’s park in the area. The project is estimated to cost $71,000.

2.  Pedestrian crossing improvement on 36th Ave NW at NW 62nd St.: The applicants say the crosswalk is important due to poor visibility at the intersection. The project is estimated at $90,000.

Two other proposals included pedestrian crossings at NW Market St. and 11th Ave NW, and at Holman Road and 13th Ave NW. The recommendations from SDOT differed greatly from the applicants’ visions, so the projects are unlikely to move forward.

Neighborhood Street Fund

The council also heard proposals for three Neighborhood Street Funds, which is funded by the 2006 Bridging the Gap Levy from the city. This round is the last of three $4.5 million funding cycles, and the following proposals are potentials for funding:

1.  Sidewalk installation and street widening on 13th Ave NW from Holman Road to NW 100th St. Estimated cost: $2.2 million.

2. Pedestrian and traffic safety improvements at the intersection of 3rd Ave NW and NW 56th St. This project includes installing crosswalks at the intersection, which is near Woodlands Park Elementary. The project plans also include eliminating NW 55th Place, which would create a larger green space at the corner of 3rd Ave NW and NW 55th St. Estimated cost: $300,o00.

3.  Sunset Hill Gateway project. This project would improve safety near the intersections of NW 62nd St. and 36th Ave NW and at Seaview Ave and 38th Ave NW. Estimated cost: $120,000.

For more information about the Ballard District Council, click here. The next meeting will be July 10.

Li’l Woody’s, with its full selection of ice cream from Molly Moon’s, is set to open its doors next Monday, June 17th, according to a post on Seattle Met’s NOSH Pit blog. The burger joint will open in the previous spot of Zak’s Burgers at 2040 NW Market St. Check out our previous post about the new eatery here.

According to the NOSH Pit post, the Ballard location will boast 50 seats and is larger than its Capitol Hill counterpart. There will also be an extra special sandwich on offer just for Ballard, the Ballard Salmon Burger. In terms of the usual favorites, such as the fried chicken sandwich and crack fries, Li’l Woody’s fans will not be disappointed as the menu will be the same in the Ballard location. Caffe Vita cold-brewed coffee will also be offered on tap in addition to kombucha from Townshend’s Tea Company.

In terms of Molly Moon’s ice cream, 14 flavors will be on offer as will the signature waffle cones, milkshakes and sundaes.

After its opening on Monday, the new eatery will be open from 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sundays.

We will keep readers updated with more information, and of course more photos, after the opening on Monday.

Photo courtesy of NOSH Pit Blog. Photo credit – Morgen Schuler. 

The performance will include dances to some of TV history’s best theme songs, according to a release about the production. The Ballard Academy of Music and Dance opened three years ago and provides music and dance lessons to all ages, and all instructors are university-trained.

The showtimes on Saturday are 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Sunday’s show is at 12:30 p.m. Last year, tickets sold out, so to buy your ticket in advance, call the Ballard Academy 206-240-3408, or buy your tickets at the door. Advance tickets cost $19.50; they cost $21 at the door.

Kohl-Welles has been well known for her work on issues such as medical marijuana, gun violence, education reform and gender equality. For the title of most progressive senator, Kohl-Welles won with a score of 276 points. Each senator was awarded points for positive positions but also penalized for negative actions.

“This score confirms that I am accurately representing my constituents’ priorities, and I’m proud to be working on their behalf,” Kohl-Welles said in a release. “I consider it a privilege to represent our district and its progressive values to move our community and our state steadily forward.”

To read more about the scorecard, click here.  

Here is the agenda:                        

7:00   Introductions & Short Announcements - please hold announcements to not more than one min.

7:15   Briefing  – Plan to develop approximately 1.5 acres of property by St Luke’s Episcopal Church located in downtown Ballard at 5700 22nd Ave NW, RC Laird (Vicar) & Darel Grouthaus – Project Manager

7:25   Update – Ballard to Downtown Transit Enhancement Project, Karen Waterman – Sound Transit & Michael James – Seattle DOT

7:45   2013 NPSF (Neighborhood Park Street Fund)

Annually, the City of Seattle provides $1.25M citywide to fund small scale improvements to Seattle streets and parks.   Each of Seattle’s 13 districts is provided approx $90K from this program to fund projects in their district.  Proposals come from community groups and individuals.   The 2013 funding cycle attracted five proposals in the Ballard district.   At its meeting in March, the Ballard DC recommended three proposals which it forwarded to SDOT for further analysis.  These three plus one other previously analyzed will be aligned in order of funding priority at this meeting via written ballot.  Project evaluations have been shared with proponents as well as Ballard DC representatives.

Kirke Park Rain Garden – Estimated $71K

                        Pedestrian crossing improvement on 36 NW at NW 62 – Estimated $90K

                        Pedestrian crossing improvement NW Market at 11 NW – Estimated $52K

                        Pedestrian safety improvement Holman Rd at 13 NW – Estimated $90K

8:05   Neighborhood Streets Fund – Bridging the Gap Levy

The 2006 Bridging the Gap Levy provided nearly $300M to construct a host of transportation improvements in Seattle.   One component of the levy is the NSF (Neighborhood Streets Fund).  During the nine year life of the levy, three opportunities for citizens and community groups were provided through the NSF to suggest needed transportation improvements in their neighborhood.  The last of these three $4.5M funding cycles occurs this year.  SDOT received nine proposals from the Ballard district by the December 17, 2012 deadline.

At its meeting in January, Ballard DC selected three proposals to be evaluated by SDOT for further consideration.   BDC will determine funding priority for these three proposals via written balloting among BDC member representatives.

Sidewalks 13 NW from Holman to NW 100 – Estimated $2.2M

                       Ped/traffic safety improvements – intersection of 3 NW at NW 56 – Estimated $300K

                       Sunset Hill Gateway – Estimated $120K

8:20   Staff Report, Rob Mattson

1.        2013 Neighborhood Matching Fund Large Project Fund

2.        Parks Green Space Levy Opportunity Fund recommendations

3.        Waste Management grants

8:25    Executive Committee Report, Catherine Weatbrook

1.      Draft letter – Tolling the SR99 tunnel (draft letter will be distributed separately  to BDC member    representatives) Discussion and Vote

2.       Draft letter – Preliminary recommendations – Interbay Zoning (draft letter will be distributed separately to BDC member representatives)  Discussion and Vote

3.      Update – Ballard CSO Control Project – Community Advisory Committee

4.      City Hall candidate forum

5.      Next meeting – July 10 

8:40     Adjourn

Map from the Seattle Department of Transportation

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) tells us that this week they’ll be getting underway with putting in 18 speed bumps along the corridor. SDOT says the speed bump construction will mean significant short-term parking impacts, so they’ll be placing out signs to alert drivers of the parking restrictions. SDOT notes that once the speed bumps are installed, they will not have an impact on parking.

Crosswalk and crossbike striping will begin in the next couple weeks at 20th and 32nd Avenues NW, and painting, reflectors and signs will be installed around the partial diverter at 15th Ave NW, along with new 20 mph signs along NW 58th St. The rectangular rapid flash beacons will be put in on 24th Ave NW next month. SDOT says the final pieces of the project include installing wayfinding signs, stop signs, greenway signs, and bicycle pavement parking in late July.

To learn more about the greenway construction, click here.

Thanks for the amazing photo, Ernie!

“Graduation season is one of our favorite times of the year,” said Jim Spady, Dick’s Drive-In vice president, in a press release. “It’s an important milestone and we love seeing all the grads in their colorful caps and gowns. It’s our way of saying ‘congratulations for a job well done.’” Nearby Dick’s include Ballard’s location at 9208 Holman Road NW or the one in Wallingford at 111 N.E. 45th St.

Ballard High School’s graduation is just a few days away on June 13 at Memorial Stadium.

Photo courtesy Jen Dynes

The potluck is being organized by Donna Williams, Gene’s colleague at the Sunset Hill Barber Shop. From the Sunset Hill Community Association:

A letter to the community from Donna Williams:

My name is Donna. I have been Gene’s friend and co-worker for 20 years. I am heartbroken at our loss. Even though his health was failing this past year, he continued to try working. He was happiest when he held court at the barbershop especially the years since his wife passed away. I am so glad that everyone is remembering Gene with kind thoughts. He was not himself this past year and those who knew him well realized something was terribly wrong. Please always remember the real Gene, the one who gave everyone young or old his heart and 35 years of his physical strength to make all look better then when they entered. He always greeted with a genuine smile, a joke and a great haircut. I will miss him everyday, he was my mentor and friend for over 23 years. His daughter has given me her blessing to organize a “Celebration of his Life”;  I am planning a community memorial celebration Tuesday evening, June 11th, at SHCA.   A potluck would make us all feel like were doing this together. If anyone has the time to help me plan, please stop by the shop, as I’m not much of a computer person. Also I’m hoping someone very close to Gene over the years will volunteer to moderate. I would be too emotional.

If you wish to help/contribute, please contact Donna at the Sunset Hill Barbershop, 206-465-7803.

Unified Sports teams are made up of special-ed and general-ed students, and there were 2,700 athletes who took part in the games over the weekend. The team is made up of Brook Fitch, Gavin Halbett, Henrik Mansfield, Heyiwot Amare, Liam Moser, Liz Radford, Matt Brown, Matthew Anderson, Rebecca Hultman, Sean O’Neill, and Tess Schooler-Reed. Their coaches are Susan Dutro, Dagmar Obert, and Andrea Porter-Smith.

Ballard High School student Rebecca Hultman was additionally honored as she was asked to carry the official Olympic torch for the closing of the games.

Congratulations to BHS Unified Soccer for the wins!

Photos courtesy Ron Wang, TeamBUS

Peterson, with his parents after the race. Photo courtesy Todd Peterson

Benjamin’s father, Todd Peterson, tells us his son is also the Junior-A (17-18 year-olds) State Road Race champion for the Washington State Bicycle Association. Peterson says it was, “pretty exciting for his parents who were far to distracted to get any action photos.” Benjamin has been racing competitively for over two years, and is a member of the First Strike Velo/Slalom Consulting Racing team. His father says last year he watched the Ballard Crit from the sidelines, and said, “I want that.” He clocked in at 35 mph on his fastest leg, allowing his second-place finish in the Cat 3 race.

For a full list of the Ballard Crit results, click here.

Congratulations to all who participated!