Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 8, Issue 2, February 2004
Copyright 2004 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article below in your research. Be sure to cite the Seattle Sun as your source.
Seattle Sun News Briefs
City Council seeks public input
Members of the Seattle City Council will host neighborhood meetings to discuss their priorities for 2004.
The council will draft its proposed priorities at a retreat in late January and finalize them in February after this round of community meetings to take public comment. Each neighborhood meeting will follow an afternoon of neighborhood tours, informal office hours at neighborhood service centers, and visits to local businesses.
The two North Seattle meetings will be held on Thursday, Feb. 5 at Nathan Hale High School, 10750 30th Ave. NE, and on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at the Ballard Community Center, 6020 28th Ave. NW. Both will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Because seating is limited, those interested in attending are requested to RSVP by Jan. 31 to Krista Bunch 684-5325 or Erika Nuerenberg 233-3981.
Future of Magnuson Park to be discussed
Seattle City Council members Peter Steinbrueck and David Della will speak at a public forum hosted by Friends of Magnuson Park on Monday, Feb. 2. The two council members will play a major role in the upcoming decisions regarding the fate of Seattle's second largest park, slated by Seattle Parks and Recreation to become the largest lit sports field complex in the entire Puget Sound region.
The Parks Department proposes to install 30 acres of lit, synthetic turf sports fields plus nearly 1,000 parking spaces (with lights on as late as 10 p.m., year-round). The plan also calls for the "mass-grading" of 151 acres of the heart of Magnuson Park as well as the construction of 65 acres of wetland habitat.
Other scheduled speakers include wildlife biologist Kate Stenberg of Quailcroft Environmental Services, lighting expert James R. Benya of Benya Lighting Design, and Dave Asher, Kirkland City Council member. Asher will address the impacts the proposed plan would have on residents on the eastside of Lake Washington.
The meeting will be held from 7-9 p.m. at University Unitarian Church, 6556 35th Ave. NE.
Roosevelt gets interim principal
Mike Musselwhite, whose career with Seattle Public Schools spans more than 36 years, will serve as interim principal at Roosevelt High School from February through the end of the school year. Musselwhite, who has been assistant principal at the school since 1999, temporarily fills the vacancy created by the resignation of principal Lisa Kodama, who left to become director of the Washington Education Association's Learning and Education Policy Center. The School District is currently conducting a search for a permanent principal at Roosevelt.
Lake City gets pedestrian lights
Seattle City Light has recently installed pedestrian lights in the heart of Lake City, reports Ed Pottharst, director of the Lake City Neighborhood Service Center. There are now 25 new lights on NE 125th between 35th Avenue NE and 28th Ave NE (by the Library) and on Lake City Way between NE 127th and NE 123rd. The lights have been installed as part of the Lake City Neighborhood Plan (also known as the North District Neighborhoods Plan). If you want to become involved with plan stewardship, contact plan steward chair Cheryl Klinker, phone 367-4635, email cakaea@comcast.net.
Green Lake volunteer honored
Tim Amen of the Green Lake Rowing Advisory Council was one of four Seattle parks supporters honored at the First Annual Denny Awards program for volunteer service to Seattle Parks.
The awards were presented by Seattle Parks Superintendent Ken Bounds at a Nov. 18 ceremony at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Last year, parks volunteers put in more than 164,000 hours, the equivalent of $2.7 million in labor.
Amen, a political science professor at Seattle University, received the honor for his 17 years of advocacy for and support of youth rowing programs. He has led efforts to create outreach and scholarship programs to involve young people who may not have otherwise tried boating. He was also a leader of fund-raising efforts to help purchase new boat equipment and to repair buildings damaged in the 2001 earthquake.
The Denny Awards are named for David and Louisa Denny, who donated land in 1884 to construct the city's first park (now known as Denny Park).
Volunteer drivers honored
Three North End residents were honored by the Senior Services Transportation Program for their service as volunteer drivers. The three drivers and their years of participation in the program are: Julie Harrison of Lake City (13 years), Claire Dunn of Northgate (seven years), and Cathy Wicklund of Matthews Beach (seven years). The volunteers were recognized at the program's annual appreciation luncheon on Dec. 8. Cindy Zwart, program manager, says that the demand for transportation services for seniors continues to grow and that more volunteer drivers are needed. For information on volunteering, call 448-5740.
Lake City Mini Park to be leveled
During the Jan. 15 Lake City Chamber meeting, Seattle Parks and Recreation representative David Goldberg presented plans for improving the Lake City Mini Park, a fifth-of-an acre park located at Lake City Way and NE 125th Street. All three proposals require the complete demolition of the bank vault, concrete seating area, fountain, benches and planters in order to start with a blank slate. Only the old bank arch will be retained.
The project's primary objective is to enhance security by improving sightlines into the park.
The project cost of $340,000 is being funded by the 2000 Pro Parks Levy. For more information, call project planner David W. Goldberg at 684-8414.
Bitter Lake reservoir to be covered
Seattle Parks and Recreation held a public meeting on Jan. 20 to review the final design for development of the Bitter Lake Reservoir Open. The reservoir is located at Linden Ave. N and N 143rd St.
Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Department of Transportation, and the Department of Neighborhoods worked with Parks to develop the design that integrates development of the open space with drainage and future street improvements.