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32nd District gets new state rep

Maralyn Chase, a Democrat, was sworn into the state House of Representatives on Jan.7 as the new state representative from the 32nd Legislative District. She replaces Carolyn Edmonds who was recently elected to the King County Council. The 32nd District includes the North Seattle neighborhoods of North Ballard, Crown Hill, Bitter Lake and Haller Lake. Chase joins Rep. Ruth Kagi and Sen. Darlene Farley in representing the 32nd District. She has been assigned to the Capital Budget, Higher Education and Trade and Economic Development committees. Chase can be reached at 360-786-7880.

50th Street project update

Seattle Transportation reports that it has completed paving NE 50th Street, repaired most of the sidewalks, installed landscaping, and has remarked the pavement. Now the contractor is installing new traffic signals at four locations. For this work, curb lanes on NE 50th Street are closed intermittently between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the location where crews are installing the new equipment. The installation takes several days at each location.

Once all the traffic signals and signal controllers are in place and are operational, Seattle Transportation's traffic engineers will begin reprogramming the timing for the traffic signals at 48 intersections in the University District to improve the management of traffic. The reprogramming work is expected to extend into the summer.

Other upcoming work for this project includes the removal of utility poles along NE 50th Street, which can commence once private utility companies have removed their overhead wires. The street corners along NE 50th Street can then be finished. Traffic signal and streetlight poles will remain in place. The entire project is scheduled for completion this spring, with the exception of the traffic signal reprogramming. The 50th Street project is a joint effort of Seattle Transportation and Seattle City Light. The purpose is to increase safety, better manage traffic during peak periods and special events, and to improve electrical utilities.

Rogers playground renovation

After several years of planning, the Parent-Teacher Association at John Rogers Elementary School has finally completed a design for a proposed renovation of the school's upper playground. Francoise Stotler, a member of the PTA and the volunteer project coordinator said that the renovation will include a new jungle gym, new asphalt, new planter boxes and a new fence around the perimeter of the playground.

The Rogers PTA, which has taken responsibility for raising funds for the renovation project, has already received a $20,000 Small & Simple grant from the City to create the design for the playground renovation. Now, the group needs to raise an additional $225,000 through grants and donations to cover construction costs. Stotler said the PTA hopes to break ground this summer.

John Rogers Elementary is located at 4030 NE 109th St. in the Meadowbrook neighborhood. For more information, call Francoise Stotler at 365-8458.

Literacy Source looks for home

As planning for the new Greenwood Library continues, the Literacy Source, a tenant of the library's current building for the last 10 years, is looking for a new home.

While the new library will be twice its current size and contain many amenities, it won't have room the non-profit which provides classes and tutoring for adults in subjects like reading, writing and math.

Anne Helmholz, executive director of the Literacy Source, said that it would cost the group around $1 million dollars to get a space in the new Greenwood Library building - their contribution the building costs. While the organization has recently received a grant to pay for a fund-raiser on their staff, Helmholz said they still can't afford to co-locate with the new library, but are hoping to stay in the current building for the next several months. "We're looking for another space, but it's pretty depressing," Helmholz said. "The partnership with the library has been priceless to us."

Helmholz says her group is hoping to stay in North Seattle when they move. Currently, the Literacy Source serves about 250 people each year.

For more information, call the Literacy Source at 782-2050.

Lake City Farmers Market planning underway

Planning for the new Lake City Farmers Market continues to move forward. At a Jan. 7 meeting, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance Director Chris Curtis said that King County Councilwoman Cynthia Sullivan (a Wedgwood resident) donated $10,000 from her special project's fund to help purchase signage and other promotional items for the new market, set to open for its first season on June 20.

The market is currently scheduled to run every Thursday afternoon from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. through Oct. 17 and will be located behind the Lake City Neighborhood Service Center at 12707 30th Ave. NE. The group's next hurdle will be to obtain a Small & Simple Grant from the City to remove a fence which is currently on the property.

The Lake City Farmers Market will be Seattle's fourth farmers market organized through the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, a non-profit group. Curtis said the Lake City market will likely open with between 30 and 32 vendors.

For more information, call the Neighborhood Farmer's Market Alliance at 632-5234.