Where:  Phinney Neighborhood Association – Main Building – Downstairs in the Blue Room

7:30 – 7:50 p.m. – Dian Ferguson running for Position 9 on the Seattle City Council will give a brief overview of her candidacy and key positions then attendees will have time to ask questions and bring up issues.

7:50 – 8:00 p.m. Katie Wilson will update us on efforts by Phinney Apartments residents to assess and act on radiation levels from the many cell telephone antennae on the apartment’s roof.

Old Business:

Update on city plan to paint over neighborhood murals – Irene

Web page update

New Business:

Deborah Jensen’s report to Parks Board – Diane

Aurora Ave. Motel plan – Irene

The combination of increased public demand for programs and services and reduced funding requires a long-term, sustainable solution that will enable Seattle Parks and Recreation to pay for facilities in order to continue to contribute to the strength and vibrancy of our community.  Parks absorbed a $10 million budget reduction in 2011, and new revenue sources are severely limited due to legal caps.

The Seattle City Council tasked (“SLI”) the City Council and Seattle Parks and Recreation with engaging in a city-wide, in-depth dialogue about its community centers, and how to continue to deliver the programs and services citizens expect and cherish in the face of staggering budget cuts.

This SLI is aimed at reducing Parks’ dependence on the General Fund while supporting new funding strategies for the future.  The current recommendation will result in an immediate impact to the community in the form of a reduction and elimination of Parks services, as well the loss of Parks jobs.

Specifically, it was announced that Parks will:

• Create five geographical service areas, each with five community centers in it. Based on the condition of the building and the cost of maintaining it, past use of the building for drop-in use, paid use, and rentals, and the number of patrons served by scholarships, each will be assigned a service level: 1, 2a, or 2b.  This includes the heavily used downtown areas around Pike Place Market.
• Raise the number of hours for Service Level 1 centers and adjust them upward or downward for Service Level 2a and 2b centers.
• Eliminate approximately 13 full-time equivalent (“FTE”) jobs to save ~$1.25 million and will affect 75 employees with cuts in their working hours.
• Hold public meetings later this year to determine what programming the communities within each service area would like to see at their centers.

While budget cuts are inevitable in this economy, the impact to Parks and Recreation is especially critical because so many families who are already struggling rely on the Parks for a variety of social services at little to no cost.  These services range from childcare and youth programs (e.g. before and after school programs) to senior assistance programs.

Many of these programs will be cut, or operational hours will be reduced, creating additional burdens on the City’s social services (police, human services, etc.). Now that students are back to school and the winter months are approaching, the demand for these services will only grow.  The linked Parks fact sheet provides an overview of the Parks’ footprint in our city and its impact on Seattle’s jobs, income and quality of life.

Side sewers are the focus of the Phinney Ridge Community Council’s annual meeting May 16th. The PRCC program will begin at 7 p.m. and include a panel featuring a Seattle Public Utilities’ representative and information about water and side sewer best practices, laws, permits and insurance coverage. The meeting is free and open to all.

Location: Phinney Neighborhood Center, Rm. 6, 6532 Phinney Avenue N, Seattle

PRCC is seeking input, questions and advice from Phinney Ridge residents about their experiences with drinking water and side sewer repairs and replacements.
You may contact Diane Duthweiler at dduthweiler@comcast.net or Leslie Sacha lesliesacha@comcast.net

The meeting is now May 16th with speakers and topics including:
· Maps of our area that show the main sewer lines – Frank McDonald Seattle Public Utilities

· A laptop computer to demonstrate how someone can look up their sewer card on line – Brad Bryan Seattle Public Utilities

· Side sewer and Operation Response Center (ORC) information – Celeste Duncan Seattle Public Utilities (will bring brochures and ORC magnets)

Examples of how emergency repairs can be handled. (i.e. what should you do if your sewer is backing up into your basement in the middle of the night) – Mike Brennan – Seattle Public Utilities

Questions about “gray” water uses and roof drain disconnection –Tracy Tackett – SPU

They will also discuss patterns they’ve seen, i.e. which areas are ripe for failing side sewers and the different kind of contractors and what to ask before hiring someone, and the newest Northwest materials and techniques for installing side sewers

Other speakers are

DPD: Michelle Macias and Celeste Duncan -SPU

More information about side sewers at this informative link.

Agenda
6:30 p.m. ~ Refreshments, Informal Meet & Greet
7 p.m. ~ Presentation
8 p.m. ~ Annual PRCC Elections (Nominations will be accepted until balloting begins)

The concert will include:

Puccini’s Humming Chorus (from the opera Madama Butterfly),
Aria by J.S. Bach (from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major), Voix Celestes by Gilbert Alcock, and To be sung of a summer night on the water by Frederick Delius.

Songs sung on nonsense syllables: El Hambo by Finnish composer Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, Ta Tikee Tei by Sid Robinovitch, Rondes by Folke Rabe, and Mosquitoes by Stephen Chatman.

Dravidian Dithyramb by Victor Paranjoti, with East Indian melodic motifs, and Past Life Melodies by Sarah Hopkins, based on Australian aboriginal music.

Verano Porteño by Argentina’s master of tango, Astor Piazzolla and arranged by Oscar Escalada, Tangueando by Escalada and Chindia by Alexandru Pascanu, based on traditional Romanian folk dance.

Tickets are $16-$20 and kids ages 6-12 are admitted free with an accompanying adult. Tickets available here. Please consider using public transportation or sharing a Seattle towncar with friends to join the concert.

Hello Phinney Ridge and Greenwood communities!

I am a parent at the Phinney Spanish Immersion Co-op Preschool at the Phinney Neighborhood Association (Phinney Cooperativa Preescolar en Espanol – PCPE). We’d love for more people to learn about our program and join us for the 2011-2012 school year.

WHO WE ARE:
We are a dynamic Spanish-speaking cooperative school: our children enjoy play-based learning as they create and explore while immersed in a Spanish-speaking environment.

We are a community: PCPE offers a nurturing environment for children to develop self-confidence and learn to share, cooperate and interact with other Spanish-speaking children and caring adults. This is a unique opportunity for Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers to participate in the social, emotional and physical growth of their children in the classroom.

WHAT WE DO:
We learn while we play and share: our children enjoy a fun, activity-rich environment that includes: circle time for introducing concepts through songs, stories, poetry, and movement; free choice activities for creative expression and exploring through sensory materials; outdoor time; and shared meals.

We offer resources for families: PCPE offers resources and ongoing support for a community of Spanish-speaking families who wish to educate their children in a language-rich multi-cultural environment.

PLEASE JOIN US:
PCPE welcomes children from ages 1 to 5 who speak Spanish either full or part time at home with at least one parent who is fluent in Spanish. Priority is given to children whose parent(s) are native speakers. Scholarships are available for families who need assistance.

Registration for new families for the 2011-12 school year, will begin April 1st.
Please contact PCPE at (206)859-5082 or pcpe@phinneycenter.org for more information.

When Taproot Theatre launches its 35th Anniversary Season next week with The Odyssey, Phinney Ridge resident Mark Chamberlin takes the stage as Odysseus.

From a Victorian miser on a journey of the soul to an ancient warrior on an odyssey of epic proportions, Chamberlin has played it all. Fresh out of his role of Ebenezer Scrooge in ACT’s A Christmas Carol, he joins the cast of The Odyssey—a mythic tale of epic proportions re-told by playwright Mary Zimmerman with her trademark humor, witty twists and imagination. Homer’s ancient Greek epic comes alive in this production—with 13 actors portraying over 85 characters—with mythological monsters, gods and adventurers and one of the most enduring stories in history.

Coming straight from A Christmas Carol, Mark had just one week before rehearsals began for The Odyssey. When asked what it was like switching gears from Scrooge to Odysseus, Mark had this to say.

“I’ve played Scrooge before, so the basics were in place. With The Odyssey I have the opportunity to invent from the ground floor.”

Models of Odysseus have been played by numerous actors over the years, from George Clooney in O Brother, Where Art Thou to Kirk Douglas in Ulysses.

“Great characters like Odysseus offer such a huge range of opportunities for any actor,” Mark said, when asked what it was like to step into this role. “Maybe that’s why we never agree on a definitive interpretation.”

Caption: Mark Chamberlin, right, as Odysseus with
Nicholas Beach (Hermes) and Nikki Visel (Athena).
Photo by Erik Stuhaug.

In addition to roles on various Seattle stages, Mark has appeared on Broadway and in a number of film and television projects. In addition, he is the president of the ALS Association Evergreen Chapter’s board of directors, and also serves on the boards of the UW School of Drama and New Century Theatre Company.

The Odyssey—an adaptation based on Robert Fitzgerald’s translation of Homer’s poem, and directed by producing artistic director Scott Nolte—kicks off the 2011 season with an opening night on February 4. The production runs through March 5, with previews on February 2 and 3. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.taproottheatre.org.

In January, just 96 days after the arson, Taproot reopened its doors to packed houses celebrating its return. It was a momentous time in the theatre’s history, and one that proved the theatre’s resilience and perseverance that will serve it for years to come. Beginning with C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, 2010 was a year of significant artistic challenges—featuring three regional premieres and one world premiere—each met with excellence and positive response. Taproot Theatre hit the ground running last January with the regional premiere of The Great Divorce. Playing to sold-out houses, Taproot had to add performances—twice—to meet demand, and sold 103% of its tickets, including standing room. The season continued with Brooklyn Boy, Charley’s Aunt, Man of La Mancha and Wedding Belles. Then in November, Taproot finally brought the highly-anticipated world premiere of Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol—by Seattle’s John Longenbaugh—to the stage with sold-out performances. By the end of opening weekend, Taproot had already met the show’s financial goals.

Throughout the season, audiences turned out in record numbers, seen in substantial growth in subscribers and dozens of sold-out performances. In all, Taproot Theatre served over 35,800 ticketholders in 2010 through its Mainstage performances, over 2,300 of which subscribed to three or more shows, and 2,400 who were 25 years old or younger. It offered discounted tickets to over 900 senior citizens and over 1,100 students through its Senior and Student Matinee programs, and made theatre available to 1,128 people through its pay‐what‐you‐can performances. The 2011 35th Anniversary Season begins in February with Homer’s The Odyssey, an adaptation by Mary Zimmerman based on the translation by Robert Fitzgerald.

Pirates and superheroes, jocks and homecoming queens—off the Mainstage, the Road Company’s Touring plays teach kids and teens how to respond to and prevent bullying and cyber bullying. With recent bullying-related suicides, the Road Company’s work is more important now than ever before. In 2010, the Road Company toured to 170 schools across the Pacific Northwest, reaching over 87,000 kids through 211 performances. In November they were featured guests and performed at the International Symposium on the Prevention of Bullying in Seattle. This past fall was one of the best autumn touring seasons in the Road Company’s history, with 101 performances at 85 schools. The Road Company’s 2010-2011 touring repertoire features four performances—two world premieres—for elementary, middle and high school students, focused on preventing bullying and cyber bullying.

From classes for kids, teens and adults to summer camps for grades K through 12, the Acting Studio continued to innovate with classes that meet the schedules of busy families, as well as new classes for adults and working actors. For the youngest actors, the Acting Studio launched Drama with Your Mama—a new class for toddlers and their caregivers—drawing a broad spectrum of interest. In addition, teacher Jenny Cross was named teacher of the month at Madison Middle School, and the Acting Studio reached an all-time high for onsite class attendance and broke records for summer and fall class enrollment.

In 2010 Taproot unveiled plans for a new building to replace the former Eleanor Roosevelt Building (ERB). Just one year after the fire, the theatre has a clear plan for restoration, has earned Scott Nolte the praise of city, county and state officials, and has raised 50 percent of its capital campaign goal. The Murdoch Trust has given a $350,000 two-to-one matching grant toward the capital campaign.
The loss of the ERB required the theatre’s leadership to think outside of the box to find a solution to quickly and affordably fill the gap in the middle of the Greenwood business district. Using cutting-edge design and construction methods, Taproot’s proposed design features a two-story, 12,000-square-foot facility alongside the current theatre. The innovative new building will serve the neighborhood with a café space to be open year-round, in addition to extended lobby space, scene shop, black box theatre/rehearsal hall, and new offices. It is expected to be completed later this year.

2010 also brought exciting news for two of Taproot Theatre’s co-founders. Scott and Pam Nolte, who founded the theatre with four others in 1976, have been named Seattle Pacific University’s 2011 Alumni of the Year. They will be officially recognized later this month.

Just one year after Seattle’s Taproot Theater was forced to cancel it’s performances of Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol – the theater has brought back this amazing show. With the story of the delay in the show due to the Greenwood arsons – the Seattle community has had an outpouring of support for the Taproot Theater with packed houses night after night. The show is a combination of the story of Sherlock Holmes, mixed with the classic tale of a Christmas Carol.

Almost anyone can relate to the classic story of Christmas ghosts past, present, and future who give people a fresh outlook on the meaning of their own lives. For Sherlock Holmes, these ghosts haunt him with the vision of isolation and cold attention to facts and details. By demonstrating to Sherlock how he has detached himself from his friends, colleagues, and society – the ghosts teach him the valuable lesson of Christmas from Dickens to the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

The show takes place in Holmes house and office at 221B Baker Street after Sherlock Holmes has been presumed dead for three years. The new Sherlock is mean, nasty, and uncaring. The show is conceived by Longenbaugh from the concept that offers the joy of the classic story but with surprises thrown in. There are some great details of the life of Sherlock Holmes that really help to bring his life to the stage. Longenbaugh worked directly with the Taproot Theater for this production.

All of the cast of the original performance – ready in November 2009 before the tragic Greenwood arsons returned to the stage for this performance. This includes Terry Edward Moore as Sherlock Holmes and Stephen Grenley as Watson. Terry’s grouchy realism of Sherlock Holmes cool detachment and uncaring manner towards the community really sets the stage for the story of a Christmas Carol. Stephen’s interaction throughout the performance is a stunning display of American theater at its best. Amazing performances also include Pam Nolte, a founding member of Taproot Theatre who has performed in over 80 roles with the company since 1976 and Jesse Notehelfer who has coincidentally performed in It’s a Wonderful Life.

Full ticket information detail including prices as low as $20 matinees at the Taproot Theater website.

Those plans go to the Northwest Design Review Board on December 13 at 6:30 p.m. The location has yet to be announced. Community support is an important part of the Seattle design review process and members of the community are encourage to share their point of view.

Initially purchasing the ERB in 2000 with plans to eventually expand, Taproot Theatre leased the building to several small businesses, waiting for the right time to begin the expansion process. However, the theatre’s timelines were changed on October 23, 2009, when Taproot became the victim of arson.

While Taproot’s original expansion plans would require years of planning and fundraising before even breaking ground, the theatre’s leadership has identified a solution that will both honor its original vision and its patrons’ investment, while serving the neighborhood with a timely restoration, infusing Greenwood with renewed vitality.

The proposed 12,000 square foot building will include an expanded lobby and café space, serving both Taproot’s patrons and the general public year-round. In addition, Taproot plans to add a second performance and rehearsal space, a new scene shop, and office space. The project follows “green construction” guidelines and is anticipated to be LEED certified.

First Ave would also get a pedestrian overlay. Both changes discourage auto-oriented development and encourage pedestrian-oriented development. Keep in mind that Seattle’s neighborhood design review allows for adjustments to pedestrian circulation, density or height (such as lower perimeter building heights and taller buildings in the center) during those public design reviews.

Full recommendation text below and detailed PDF attached with community input summary which indicated a “strong lack of community support” for all of the options analyzed.Seattle DPD Recommendations For Greenwood Town Center Seattle

It’s important to note that the city’s planner — Andrea (author of text below) — is leaving the DPD on November 19th. Will she be able to see this part of the rezone process through before her departure?

There are currently no set dates for public comment, but comments are very much encouraged at this blog.
=============================================
Subject: DPD Recommendations for Greenwood Rezone

Hello all,
Thank you for your patience while we worked out the details of DPD’s recommendations for the Greenwood Town Center Rezone. Attached, please find the report. For now, DPD recommends moving ahead with a rezone for subarea 1, while leaving the discussion open for subareas 2 and 3. The recommendations for subarea 1 are slightly different than the original proposal; DPD recommends the entire block of the “Fred Meyer site” be rezoned to NC3-65, with a P-zone overlay along NW 85th Street.

The next step will be to prepare a full rezone analysis along with a SEPA checklist, and this will likely happen very quickly. For one, it’s long overdue. Two, I will be leaving DPD effective November 19th, and I want to see this project through as far as I can before I leave. However, I’m not leaving the City so you will be able to reach me and I can continue to answer questions. I’ve taken a job with the Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) and will start there on November 29th.

So – please distribute widely, and Tyson will put this up on the Greenwood Rezone project website here at DPD. There is plenty of process left, so rest assured there will be time for public comments, and there will be a public hearing. With the SEPA determination there is a comment and appeal period. If there are no appeals, the legislation will continue on to City Council, and there will likely be a briefing or two ahead of the actual hearing. Once the SEPA determination is published there will be a better sense of timing and actual dates.

Please contact me with any questions and again, thank you so much for your patience.

Andrea

Andrea Petzel, LEED AP, cSBA
Senior Urban Planner
City of Seattle – DPD
andrea.petzel@seattle.gov