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PNA to celebrate completion of painting project

The Phinney Neighborhood Association will hold an open house event at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N., on Sunday, Sept. 30.

The event, which will be held from 1-3 p.m., will celebrate the completion of the Blue Building exterior painting as well as the opening of the new Technology Center and the dedication of the Heart of Phinney Park. There will be a short presentation at 2 p.m.

In March, the PNA began repainting the wooden Blue Building at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. The project hit a snag in early August when it was discovered that the company hired to do remove the old lead paint and repaint the building, didn't have the required certification from the Environmental Protection Agency for lead paint abatement in a building which serves children.

"It's a very little known regulation, said Ed Medeiros, executive director of the PNA. "Part of the problem is it's a relatively new law."

The Department of Labor and the EPA contacted the PNA after receiving a total of three complaints from neighbors. Medeiros said the problems likely stemmed from workers not cleaning up everyday and tracking paint chips around. Painting on the south side of the building where the lead paint was already removed was allowed to continue but work on the lead paint removal was halted. It is expected to resume at the end of August after employees involved in the paint removal complete a training course. The project should still be completed in time for the Sept. 30 event.

Medeiros said the interior of the building was tested and came up negative for lead. For more information, call the PNA at 783-2244. (

Northgate Community Center sites discussed

At a community meeting on Aug. 16, Seattle Parks department staff members presented three potential sites for the proposed Northgate Community Center. The project, scheduled for completion by 2004, has a budget of $8.2 million dollars and is funded by the 1999 Community Center Levy. This includes $2 million to buy the property.

The three sites include 5th Avenue NE and NE 105th and 106th streets, currently the site of a tire store and bank, the current Metro Park and Ride lot at 5th Avenue NE and NE 112th Street, and the south parking lot at the Northgate Mall.

The advantages mentioned by the Parks Department of the first property were King County's possible interest in putting an underground commuter parking facility on the site and the potential to co-locate with the planned Northgate Library.

However, most of the people in attendance seemed to agree that they did not like the idea of a park and ride under the center.

"The idea of having a park and ride under this center is an abomination," said Joel Tufel, a nearby resident. "This is not a place to have dedicated storage of cars all day long."

Some residents also suggested North Seattle Community College as a possible site, however it was clear that others strongly supported a site east of I-5.

For more information or to comment on potential sites, contact Kate Kaehny with the Parks Department, 648-7165. (