Watch for a surprise in The Village
UPDATE: You may have noticed that some of the merchants decorated around their businesses with red lights. That was their surprise. They plan to keep them up through the month of February.
A group of merchants in the Magnolia Village has a surprise planned on the first day of February. They have asked us to help them keep it a secret until they reveal their special Valentines themed ?treat? on Tuesday.
Keep your eyes on The Village around dusk on Tuesday to see what they are planning.
‘Ballard Siphon’ project to start this year
Underneath Salmon Bay run a pair of 75-year-old sewer pipes that needs to be replaced. The old wooden pipes convey about 60-million gallons of sewage to the West Point Treatment Plant near Discovery Park every day. According to Annie Kolb Nelson with the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, the pipes are at the end of their lifespan.
The Metropolitan King County Council recently secured funding to replace the wooden pipes with larger concrete segments. The new 85-inch pipes will help ease the combined sewer overflows, which are overflows of stormwater and wastewater that occur during heavy rains in older parts of Seattle. “The County was able to use our strong credit rating to secure a low rate loan that will allow the Ballard Siphon to be upgraded while saving money for ratepayers, creating jobs, reducing sewer overflows, and improving water quality,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, who represents Ballard on the County Council. “This really is a win-win for people living in the Ballard area and for the entire county.” The $20-million, 20 year loan with a 2.8 percent interest is with the Washington State Department of Ecology. According to a release sent out by King County, this loan It will save the County an estimated $26.9 million in interest compared to conventional bond financing.
Kolb-Nelson tells us that they are currently looking for a contractor for the project and once started, the project will take two-and-a-half to three years. There will be two portals – one in Ballard, one in Magnolia. “People should expect impacts during construction – noise, dust, the presence of heavy equipment and possible traffic impacts,” Kolb-Nelson says. “King County will work with the public and the contractor to take reasonable steps to minimize impacts where we can.” The county will appoint a community relations contact if citizens have questions or concerns.
Construction on the Ballard Siphon project is expected to begin later this year. (Old photo courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives.)
?Ballard Siphon? project to start this year
Underneath Salmon Bay run a pair of 75-year-old sewer pipes that needs to be replaced. The old wooden pipes convey about 60-million gallons of sewage to the West Point Treatment Plant near Discovery Park every day. According to Annie Kolb Nelson with the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, the pipes are at the end of their lifespan.
The Metropolitan King County Council recently secured funding to replace the wooden pipes with larger concrete segments. The new 85-inch pipes will help ease the combined sewer overflows, which are overflows of stormwater and wastewater that occur during heavy rains in older parts of Seattle. ?The County was able to use our strong credit rating to secure a low rate loan that will allow the Ballard Siphon to be upgraded while saving money for ratepayers, creating jobs, reducing sewer overflows, and improving water quality,? said Councilmember Larry Phillips, who represents Ballard on the County Council. ?This really is a win-win for people living in the Ballard area and for the entire county.? The $20-million, 20 year loan with a 2.8 percent interest is with the Washington State Department of Ecology. According to a release sent out by King County, this loan It will save the County an estimated $26.9 million in interest compared to conventional bond financing.
Kolb-Nelson tells us that they are currently looking for a contractor for the project and once started, the project will take two-and-a-half to three years. There will be two portals – one in Ballard, one in Magnolia. “People should expect impacts during construction ? noise, dust, the presence of heavy equipment and possible traffic impacts,” Kolb-Nelson says. “King County will work with the public and the contractor to take reasonable steps to minimize impacts where we can.” The county will appoint a community relations contact if citizens have questions or concerns.
Construction on the Ballard Siphon project is expected to begin later this year. (Old photo courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives.)
Magnolia girl shaving head for good cause
Fourteen year old Elizabeth Swanberg is getting ready to go bald as she raises funds to fight childhood cancer. The Blaine 8th grader will shave her head on February 18th as part of her fundraising efforts for the St. Baldrick?s Foundation. She has already raised over $2,000 for the foundation that provides grants for researchers working to find a cure for childhood cancer.
The idea is for each participant to shave their head to raise awareness about childhood cancer since many children who have cancer lose their hair after treatment. Elizabeth writes that she has never had any connection to cancer, or been heavily impacted by it but that is why she is participating. She says she has been reading about peoples experiences with cancer, the causes, the symptoms and medications.
As you can see from the photograph, Elizabeth has very long hair. It measures 21 inches from the top of her scalp.
If you would like to support Elizabeth, you can donate here. We will update you with a photo and a fundraising update after the big day.
New tenants for former Hollywood Video store
The retail store on 32nd Ave West by Bartell Drugs that was left vacant when Hollywood Video closed is getting two new tenants.
Pet Pros will be relocating from their current location on McGraw Street and will share the space with a new branch of Umpqua Bank.
The move will happen in the next few months since the space needs to be renovated to accommodate both tenants. Pet Pros tells us that they are looking forward to having a larger space for their pet food and supply store. No word on whether a new tenant has been located for the space Pet Pros will be vacating.
One other business note. LyLy Nails is moving to the space that was formerly occupied by Katy?s Daisies at 2436 32nd Ave West. That store closed in December after two years in operation. No word on when the nail salon will move from its current location on McGraw Street.
Meet Sassy!!
Sassy is a five year old, Chihuahua mix that is looking for her forever home. She?s currently staying in a Seattle Animal Shelter foster home and after some initial shyness she?s settled in quite well ? she just needed a little time to feel safe and secure. Now she greets her foster family with such intense wiggles it’s impossible to tell which end is up.
Sassy is more playful as she has become more accustomed to her new surroundings and now helps herself to toys. She doesn’t seem interested in chewing anything. She will sometimes ask to hop up onto a lap, but she’s not needy and is a very easy dog to live with ? she?s always smiling and wagging. She does love to be up on the furniture and can easily jump up on the bed. She’s mostly potty trained but may need some encouragement as she transitions to a new home and routine.
Sassy shares her foster home with a couple of other dogs and would do well as either an only dog or with a compatible male dog in her new home. She may be okay with cats if supervised. She likes both men and women and she has happily greeted an assortment of teenagers who have come to visit. She will bark to warn when new people enter the home but then she settles down quickly. Sassy is easy to have around, cheerful and friendly.
If you would like to meet Sassy, download a Dog Adoption Application here and send your completed application to the Shelter?s Adoption Review team at adoptionreview@gmail.com or via fax it to (206) 386-4285. You may also pick up/drop off the application at the Seattle Animal Shelter, 2061-15th Ave. W. (1 mile south of the Ballard Bridge). The shelter is open Wednesday-Sunday from noon-6:00 pm, and closed on holidays.
Camp Fire candy sales underway
The Camp Fire candy sale runs from now until February 21 and there are three Camp Fire groups in the Magnolia area who are selling candy.
(Second graders Ava Olson and Sidney Misner selling candy at an area grocery store)
This year the kids from Camp Fire are are selling Mint Patties, Almond Roca, Almond Caramel Clusters, P-Nuttles and a new addition is Camper Mix, a sugar free mix of cashews, almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame sticks. Each item sells for $5. You can also buy online here.
Petitions submitted to the FAA
The Magnolia Community Club reports that it has collected and forwarded 74 pages of petitions to the FAA in opposition to the proposal to lower the Class B airspace over Magnolia and parts of Ballard and Queen Anne.
Well over one hundred people showed up at a Community Club meeting last November to express concern about the proposed change that would lower the floor from 3000 feet to 2000 feet above sea level. That would mean larger planes flying lower and with more frequency over Magnolia.
The FAA will accept written comments (in triplicate) until Monday (1/31). If you would like to submit your comments, click here for the information.
Give blood on Saturday
The Bloodmobile is coming to Interbay on Saturday (1/29) from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Peet’s Coffee in the Interbay Urban Center (1827 15th Ave West, across from Brown Bear Car Wash).
All donors can enjoy a free massage from the staff at Magnolia Chiropractic & Massage, who will be there for the entire duration of the blood drive. Donors will also receive free refreshments from Peet’s Coffee. For more information, or to reserve a time slot, email InterbayUrbanCenter@gmail.com. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Tiny Hip Hop classes at community center
We wanted to pass along this note from Melissa Valenzuela about a special class at the community center starting up next week.
We?re having a special promotion at Magnolia Community Center right now involving one of our new classes, Tiny Hip-Hop Dance. For just $2, parents can have their kids try out the first class of this 8-week session. The instructor is Annie McGee, a very well-known and celebrated instructor coming from Queen Anne Community Center. Tiny Hip-Hop Dance is designed to get children ages 3-5 moving to appropriate hip hop beats while learning motor skills, rhythm and coordination. The class begins Monday, Jan. 31 at 3 p.m. If a child enjoys the class, parents can sign them up for the remaining 7 classes for just $52.50, or they can secure a spot now by registering in full for $60 by calling 206-386-4235.
