Judging by how much nicer Greenwood Avenue is today, street sweeping crews have been through the area, hitting their Jan. 21 deadline.
Greenwood Avenue bike lanes, where most of the sand accumulated, look good for most of their length. One area that needs another pass though is 50th between Phinney Avenue and Fremont Avenue, where a serpentine trail of sand remains on the bike lane, prompting cyclists to ride further out into traffic.
In our last post about this, cyclists “j” and NZ expressed concern about this very issue. We’ve left a message with the city Department of Transportation about it. If you see a road issue you want to draw the city’s attention to, call (206) 684-ROAD (7623).
Seattle police are investigating the robbery of a business Sunday evening in the 8500 block of Greenwood Avenue North.
Shortly before 7 p.m., two masked men entered the business and confronted the lone female employee, police said. They told her in Spanish to give them all of the money. One struck her in the face and placed a gun to her head. Needless to say, she gave them the cash.
They tied her up and put her in the restroom along with another customer with the unfortunate timing to walk in during the robbery.
The owner arrived shortly thereafter and called police.
Police say the victims were not seriously injured, but did not identify the business. The suspects are at large and the investigation continues.
While a lot of snow and ice remained on the roads during the last storms, the lane markers didn’t in many places. Seattle road crews are repainting missing right lane markers, including those on Aurora Avenue, as MyBallard recently reported.
Lane markers on Greenwood Avenue are also getting a touch-up. Some up by 105th have been replaced, but more work needs to be done along other stretches, so expect to see painting crews out and about.
Know of any local inauguration day events or Barack Obama-focused freebies to check out? The Barking Dog, 705 NW 70th St., is opening at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and is offering $3 mimosas and 1/2 off coffee and coffee drinks while events unfold on the TV. You can find out more here about events in Ballard and here’s a list of citywide MLK and inauguration day events.
If you know of any other events in Greenwood and Phinney, post them in comments. Thanks!
The power went out shortly before 6:30 p.m. through the center of downtown Greenwood.
According to a Seattle City Light employee, a connector on a pole that goes to an underground source failed, taking out power from 80th Street to 90th Street between 1st Avenue NW and Dayton Avenue North.
The problem began in a small area at about 2:30 p.m., likely affecting the traffic light on 85th at Dayton, as mentioned in an earlier post. At about 6:20 p.m., the problem spread, causing the larger outage affecting about 340 customers. Power was restored a short time later, according to the City Light employee we spoke with.
The folk duo, Pint and Dale (not to be confused with me and a pint) are holding their final local performance at 8 p.m. tonight at Wayward Coffehouse, 8570 Greenwood Ave., N., before they head off for a dozen performances in the United Kingdom.
Here’s a taste of their music:
They play guitar, mandolin, cittern and hurdy gurdy.
Anna tells us the traffic light at 85th and Dayton was completely out at about 3:30 p.m. today and that it was causing some traffic confusion. We haven’t been able to get over there to see if it’s out as of this writing, but just in case, be careful if you’re in the area.
Update: The light’s still out, tipster Anna tells us. “I think it’s confusing because no one is stopping since it’s not blinking. There were horns honking all afternoon.”
The national nonprofit writing and tutoring program 826 is publishing a book of practical advice from kids to President-elect Barack Obama. Ten children from 826 Seattle at 8414 Greenwood Ave. N. contributed to the book, “Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids’ Letters To President Obama.”
The book is available beginning on Jan. 20th, Inauguration Day, and 826 Seattle is having a big party Saturday, Jan. 24 from 1-3 p.m. The children’s advice covers serious topics such as the economy and war, but also provides a lighter side:
“I really hope you put America back together. No pressure though.” – Sheenie Shannon Yip, age 13
”You are just like a big me.” – Avante Price, age 7
“When you move into the White House, turn on the heater so it won’t be cold. You could also take hot baths in your new antique bathtubs. Or you could make hot tea and coffee.” – Nazrawit Dessie, age 7
The book will be available for purchase at the party, and all proceeds benefit 826 Seattle. The local young authors will be on hand to sign copies and read from the book.
The damaged Daily Planet sign that had been dangling over the sidewalk outside the building at the corner of 61st Street and Greenwood Avenue has been removed.
Sorry about the poor quality of this cell phone pic, but I hope you get the idea.
Piper Village, the five-phase, urban village construction project happening on 87th Street between 1st Avenue and Palatine Avenue, has applied for rezoning of two small parcels of land east of Palatine to commercial.
A public hearing has been scheduled for 10 a.m. on Feb. 3 at the City of Seattle Hearing Examiner’s Office, 700 5th Ave., Suite 4000, P.O. Box 94729, Seattle, WA 98124-4729. Written comments may be sent to the same address before the hearing date.
While the rezoning hearing notice shows a much larger shaded area for rezoning, it’s actually just the two most northern lots slated for a zoning change. The other two parcels are already zoned for the development.
The Director of the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) recommends conditional approval for the rezone. The conditions would be: creation of 11,282 square feet of conservation area, moving an English Yew tree, and the height of structures on the northernmost 50 feet of the area to be rezoned shall be limited to 40 feet.
The Director of DPD has determined that the proposal will not have a significant adverse environmental impact, and has issued a Declaration of Non-Significance (no Environmental Impact Statement required).
The land is in an environmentally critical area (salmon watershed and peat deposits), and a number of neighborhood activists are upset about several issues, including moving that mature English Yew tree, a grove of 36 aspens that will be cut down, and the developer not being required to fix damage from the street sinking at the corner of 87th & Palatine.
Kate Martin, president of the Greenwood Community Council and a landscape architect, has a lengthy explanation of the environmentally sensitive Greenwood Bog area on the Greenwood Blog.
Anyone wishing to formally appeal the DPD’s approval, must send a $50 filing fee to DPD before Jan. 22. Comments should be addressed to DPD regarding Project # 3007932.
Meanwhile, the developers have added some great landscaping around Blockbuster, Bartells, and Top Ten Toys.
Taproot Theatre opens its 2009 season with the regional premiere of “Gee’s Bend,”a critically-acclaimed play that highlights the African American journey of the past century. It coincides with Black History Month and runs through Feb. 28. Low-price previews are on Jan. 28 & 29, plus there’s a Pay-What-You-Can performance on Feb. 4.
Gee’s Bend captures the rich story of the women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, where discarded rags, scraps and bits of thread are pieced into works of art. Their compelling stories, like the spirituals they sing and the quilts they create, form a striking patchwork of the African American journey of the past century.
Taproot is hosting a series of special events during the run of “Gee’s Bend,” including a special appearance by several quilters from Gee’s Bend, Alabama, at the post-play discussion on Feb.18; behind-the-scenes preview events at the Greenwood library (at 5 p.m., Sat., Jan. 17) and the Northwest African American Museum (Jan. 24); and post-play appearances by the Pacific Northwest African American Quilters (on Wednesdays, Feb. 4-25), who built a quilt that will be seen at Taproot Theatre. The quilters association is also providing several other quilts to be displayed and auctioned off during the show’s run.
Gee’s Bend captures the rich story of the women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, where discarded rags, scraps and bits of thread are pieced into works of art. Their compelling stories, like the spirituals they sing and the quilts they create, form a striking patchwork of the African American journey of the past century.