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 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.

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.

The annual “Pig Out” to fight hunger will happen across North Seattle on October 14th, 2010 including some of the top restaurants in Phinney Ridge and Greenwood. A portion of sales from designated restaurants listed below will be donated to soup kitchens that serve almost 200 meals per week to low income, disabled, and elderly neighborhood restaurants. The event is a “Pig Out” because a portion of meals from breakfast, lunch, and dinner all go to help the needy. Last year – the event raised over $4,000 for the Phinney soup kitchens and you can help out while having a great meal. PhinneyRidge.org is a huge advocate of this event and encourages you to participate in this worthy cause to help the hungry.

Participating Restaurants:
74th Street Ale House
Baranof Restaurant
Barking Dog Alehouse
Carmelita
Fatty’s Corner Pizzeria
Fresh Flours
In the Red Wine Bar
Kouzina
Mae’s Phinney Ridge CAfe
New Noodles
Oliver’s Twist
Picnic
Porst!
Red Mill Burgers
Romio’s Pizza
Santa Fe Cafe
Stumbling Goat
Wingdome
Yanni’s Greek Restaurant

You can also donate directly to help the hungry by sending a check to the Phinney Neighborhood Association at 6532 Phinney Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98103. Get more information or your questions answered by calling 206-783-2244.

Come out for amazing deals and secret finds at the Seventeenth annual Greenwood Garage Sale Day! It’s a great opportunity to meet your neighbors and find new deals for your home.

In addition to garage sales and rummage sales all over the neighborhood (see map), there will also be:
* A Flea Market in Phinney Neighborhood Center lower parking lot,
* A Tool Sale at the Tool Library,
* A Rummage Sale at the Greenwood Senior Center

Phinney Ridge Townhouse Zoning

As the Seattle City Council considers changing design requirements for low-rise multifamily housing, the Phinney Ridge Community Council is considering how the changes would affect the Greenwood-Phinney urban village. Public meetings and an environmental review hearing about the new zoning ordinance will take place in May, ahead of a City Council vote in June.

At this month’s meeting, PRCC president Irene Wall explained that the zoning proposal, started by former mayor Greg Nickels, deals with everything from housing designs to parking. As an “urban village,” the Phinney area would be particularly affected.

Parking is one possible concern. Because new low-rise developments in urban villages are exempt from certain on-site parking requirements, that could push more cars into the already-crowded street parking equation in Phinney. On the other hand, removing on-site parking requirements gives designers more freedom to experiment with multi-family housing designs other than the 4-pack townhouses that have popped up all over Seattle in the past few years. It also means cheaper housing, and creates an incentive to drive less often.

Those unpopular townhouse designs are the reason behind the proposed ordinance. It would divide low-rises into several different categories, making townhouses one option, but not the only option. At the PRCC meeting, Wall explained that this “housing categories” scheme doesn’t deliver the simplified zoning that Nickels promised. In fact, she said, it’s a lot more complicated. It also adds additional landscaping and building facade requirements, among other changes designers will have to consider.

The ordinance wouldn’t change the existing multifamily homes in Phinney, but would almost certainly have a bearing on the future face of the neighborhood. Whether neighbors see it as a progressive step in the right direction, or a misstep that clashes with the character and design of the neighborhood remains to be seen.

You can read the ordinance for yourself at the Seattle City Council website, and view illustrations and data about the types of houses it would encourage. The PRCC hasn’t taken an official position on multifamily zoning or sent a message to the City Council yet, but Wall encouraged neighbors to become familiar with the ordinance before the next meeting.

The PRCC meets at the Phinney Neighborhood Center at 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. Anyone is welcome to attend and discuss this or any other neighborhood issue. Thanks to our generous sponsor for support of this blog and related community efforts – Phoenix Airport Shuttles.

The PRCC boundaries are Aurora Ave to 8th N.W. and 46th Street to North 75th St. Along with people who live in that area, anyone who owns a business or property within those boundaries is eligible to serve.

We are normally quite informal and consider our primary goal just to be in place, then if something happens in the neighborhood that needs attention or a “community voice” we are able to respond quickly and speak up for our neighborhood early in the planning process.

The minimum involvement as a board member includes attending the monthly meetings and weighing in on the occasional group e-mail. There are opportunities to do more, such as attending meetings or writing letters on PRCC’s behalf, but it is not required.

Our agenda is shaped largely by input from people who attend our meetings – most frequently Phinney Ridge residents who are feeling frustrated by the response, or lack of response, they are getting from the city on a problem that most commonly includes traffic, safety, zoning and land use. PRCC board members often bring agenda items to the meetings based on their experiences or at the request of neighbors. We also get occasional guest speakers such as candidates running for office, city planners hoping to build support for a new or proposed city policy, or those who can help shed light on a complicated issue.

Most often we give advice and help connect neighbors with problems to other neighbors who can, or are willing to help. If we decide to take a side in an issue, we often draft a statement, then send it to the appropriate parties. If there is a neighborhood issue someone wants to deal with, the PRCC is a great way to find other people who might share your views and can help.

The board is a nice group of open-minded people, pretty low key, so all input and all styles of people are welcome and encouraged. We really could use some fresh faces, especially any neighborhood business owners and condo and apartment dwellers as they are currently not represented on the board at all.

Even if people are not interested in serving on the board, we are trying to raise awareness that we are there and really encourage “drop ins” at our meetings.

Diane Duthweiler dduthweiler@comcast.net (206) 782-1420

It’s on. The two top homes for holiday lights in Greenwood Phinney are dominating the votes at the annual Wacktastic Light Show contest. Unless you make your voice heard – these homes will battle for the top prize. Check out what they have to offer – and contribute to our country’s democracy.

731 North 88th Street

6819 Phinney

Awards Party

There will be a party at the Greenwood Collective (8537 Greenwood Avenue North) on December 20th 4p to 8p to honor the residents who won the community poll for favoritest lights!

4-6pm: Food and drink provided by lovely local Greenwood restauranteurs

Hot chai from Morning Glory Chai
a keg o’ beer from Naked City (we’ll have to make sure you’re over 21 for this goody)
… plus an ongoing slide show of entries and (if we’re really, really good) a roving Santa

… plus any donations to the Greenwood Food Bank collected

6-6:45pm: The Christmas musical stylings of band, Green Handshake

7 to 8p: Awards Ceremony and Prizes emceed by Rat City Rollergirl Mascot, Rocketman Houllahan. The results of the community vote revealed! The wackiest store display as determined by Esteemed Wacktastic Judges!

In preparation for the big day, Couth Buzzard is actively soliciting volunteer help for sorting and shelving thousands of books. This Saturday and Sunday, (December 12-13) the owners will be hosting all-day work parties, so stop by if you have a chance and lend a hand!

Contact Couth Buzzard directly at 206 436-2960 or call Theo Dzielak (206 418-9522, melodyplay@earthlink.net) for more information.

By: Alicia Craven

Community Arson Prevention Meeting

Tuesday night’s community meeting about the wave of arsons plaguing Greenwood was so well-attended that the basement of Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church reached capacity. About 15 minutes into the meeting, city councilmember Jean Godden arrived, announcing that 100-150 more people were waiting upstairs. A second meeting took place later, to accommodate all the neighbors who showed up.

Chiefs from the Seattle Police and Seattle Fire Department weren’t able to tell the huge crowd — which included multiple city council members and mayor-elect Mike McGinn — what they came to hear: who might be behind the string of 14 fires set in Greenwood since June. The Police Department doesn’t have a true profile of the arsonist (or arsonists) yet, and they couldn’t say why small businesses seem to be the main targets. Visible and invisible police patrols have been stepped up around the neighborhood, and the fire department also now sends two trucks to every suspected fire, in hopes of catching it early.

Every speaker at the meeting emphasized community involvement in stopping the arsons. All of the fires so far have been set using readily-available combustible materials, and the fire department urged residents and business owners to clear trash from around their buildings. The combustibles in one of the fires apparently came from over a mile away.

The police aren’t discouraging citizen patrols, and they’re asking the community to provide extra eyes and ears. They are discouraging confronting any suspicious people. If you see anything out of the ordinary, call 911 instead. The fire department also addressed rumors about business owners sleeping in their businesses overnight. They strongly advise against it, saying it doesn’t protect your store, and only puts you at risk and makes it harder for firefighters to work.

The Police, Fire Department and mayor’s office all offered resources to help residents who want to do something about the arsons:

For help with dead streetlights or overflowing dumpsters, call the City’s general customer service line at (206) 684-CITY.

There will be a joint Police and Fire webpage with information about the ongoing investigation. Until then, the Police website lists some non-emergency numbers you can call with tips.