Play softball, dodgeball, basketball, volleyball and more through the Seattle Parks and Recreation. Adult leagues for spring sports are forming now. Get your team together and sign up early because early birds get first choice of game days, times and locations. You can get more information on prices and participation requirements for all the sports here.

Parfait Artisan Ice Cream, crafted out of the Cookspace commercial rental kitchen in Lower Queen Anne, has been roaming the hill in its brown truck for some time now. Starting next week Queen Anne-ers will be able to get the seasonal and 100 percent organic flavors that owner and chef Adria Shimada has been mixing up delivered straight to their doorstep!

Parfait’s new delivery service will be launching on February 15 in Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, Wallingford, Greenlake, Belltown, Madrona and Capitol Hill, with plans to expand to other neighborhoods soon. Here are the details:

It’s a sweet, modern take on the classic milkman: fresh, organic and locally made ice cream delivered right to your door with just the click of your mouse. Customers can visit www.parfait-icecream.com to purchase pints, and the flavors of their choice will be delivered to their home on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Parfait is charging a $5 for its delivery service. All orders will be delivered in a reusable insulated tote that will keep the ice cream frozen for up to 4 hours, and can be returned to Parfait at the truck or on the next delivery for a $5 gift certificate. Pints are $9 each (order 3 at $8 each, or 4+ at $7 each). There is a 2-pint minimum order for delivery.

Customers can start ordering this week for the first day of home delivery on Tuesday, February 15. Details here.

No more chasing the ice cream truck!

John Hay Elementary is hosting a family and community Bingo Night this Friday, February 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the John Hay cafeteria/gym.

There are many great prizes from local merchants such as Zaw Pizza, Video Isle, Chocolopolis, Stuhlberg’s, Old Town Brewery, Regal Cinemas and more! In addition, if playing Bingo makes you hungry, there will be snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn, hotdogs available. The 5th graders will be hosting a bake sale. A couple of carnival games for the kiddies and a photos booth round out the evening of fun!

Tickets are $1 each and will be available for purchase at the door, or 30 for $25. All in the community are welcome.

Lower Queen Anne resident Kyle Traver is set to make his Seattle theatrical debut in the Seattle Musical Theatre’s performance of the Tony Award winner “The Drowsy Chaperone”. Opening Friday, February 11, Traver will perform in the show’s voice and dance ensemble, as well as working as a member of the set construction crew and the hair team.

“It’s one of my top five favorite shows, so just to get to do it is one of those moments where as a kid you’re looking up at the stage and you’re like, ‘oh god I really want to do that,’ and then you look back one day and you’re like, ‘wow, I really am doing that,’” said Traver.

Traver, who works at Helio Hair Studio in Fremont, said he played numerous theatrical parts before, including acting in productions of “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” Kiss Me, Kate,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” for Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” will run until March 5 with performances Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at their theatre in Sandpoint Magnuson. It is directed by Gregory Award winner Brandon Ivie.

“It’s a really fun production, and we got a great production team, a great cast and an awesome set,” said Traver.

After “The Drowsy Chaperone,” Traver will be in the Seattle Musical Theater’s production of “The King’s Proposal” where he will be playing in the ensemble and doing the hair and makeup design.  “The King’s Proposal” opens March 20 and runs to April 10.

Traver said he has lived all over the country and has been acting since he was seven years old, starring in roles such as Ren Mccormack in “Footloose” and Joseph in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Besides acting and hair styling, Traver enjoys mask-making and painting. A gallery of his work in Fremont is in development, Traver said.

In response to the numerous inquiries and complaints of West Mercer Place residents, most recently at the February 2 Queen Anne Community Council meeting, the board has written and sent two letters to city officials, according to an e-mail sent by QACC Chair Ellen Monrad.

The first letter, addressed to Mayor McGinn, was sent to the Mayor, the Seattle City Council and Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation Peter Hahn. It requests a comprehensive traffic plan for Queen Anne that takes into consideration the concerns over West Mercer and West Mercer Place. The second letter asks SDOT to present their plans on the West Mercer Place Project in a public forum.

From the QACC letter to Mayor McGinn:

Dear Mayor McGinn;

In several appearances before the Queen Anne Community Council and its committees, numerous residents of the West Mercer Place neighborhood have expressed their many concerns regarding potential changes to that street.

Mobility and safety are priorities for the area and must take into account traffic flow, sidewalk conditions, parking and ingress and egress to buildings. Mercer carries more traffic than most east-west streets in the area and serves as an important link between major highways, the urban village, west Queen Anne and Magnolia. It also is the center of a large, thriving residential area. We ask that the needs of the residents be heard in the city’s planning.

The Queen Anne Community Council has asked that a comprehensive traffic plan be developed and stands y that request. The need is stronger than ever with the Viaduct replacement Project underway. Already West Mercer Place neighbors report an increase in truck traffic as vehicles re pushed off a dieted Nickerson. The choking of Dexter will push even more traffic through Mercer. Out streets need to work and to work in conjunction with one another so that one neighborhood will not bear the brunt of the SR99 project.

As SDOT proceeds with the Mercer projects, especially those affecting West Mercer and West Mercer Place, we ask that the neighbors’ concerns be fully considered. We urge SDOT to schedule public events to inform those affected of proposed designs, to respond to their questions and to hear their concerns.

Sincerely,

Ellen Monrad
Chair, QACC

From the QACC letter to SDOT:

Dear Mr. Hahn;

Many West Mercer Place resident have attended the Queen Anne Community Council’s Transportation Committee meeting, as well as, our more recent QACC Board meeting.

There is no shortage of rumors and speculation as to what the project through their neighborhood will include. The neighbors have many concerns and questions that we are unable to answer. Their questions and concerns need to be heard.

Therefore, we ask that SDOT host a presentation of the West Mercer Place Project preliminary design as soon as it is available at a convenient location such as the Seattle Center. Public notice should be provided to businesses and residents in the area.

We look forward to hearing back from you as to the date and location.

Sincerely,

Ellen Monrad,
Chair, QACC

Small business Balance & Strength Bodywork recently opened in Lower Queen Anne, bringing massage therapist Cam Orgaard full circle from where he was trained more than a decade ago.

Orgaard moved his massage practice from the U-District to the Queen Anne Naturopathic Center (315 First Avenue West) last week, not far from the former location of the Brenneke School of Massage (since acquired by the Cortiva Institute Schools of Massage Therapy) where he trained to become a licensed massage practitioner.

“I really wanted to get back to this neighborhood,” said Orgaard. “I really like the feel of it, and I think it’s a good fit.”

The practice focuses on sports massage and injury treatment.  A lot of his clients are the “weekend warrior types” who overdo it with physical activities on their days off, according to Orgaard. He also treats a lot of athletes and dancers. Other clients seek relief from the occupational pains and injuries, such as those that go with being hunched over a computer for eight hours a day.

“I really enjoy seeing what’s wrong, analyzing it, figuring it out and fixing it,” said Orgaard. “When people come in with a problem, I like breaking it down. Not just where it hurts, but why it does, and not only fixing the pain on the table but helping them figure out what the source of the pain is.”

Orgaard, who began his trade giving his mom back rubs as a child, said he began attending the Brenneke School of Massage after seeing an ad for the program on television. He specialized in sports treatment and graduated in 1997. He then spent a number of years practicing at La Costa Resort and Spa in San Diego where he worked with a chiropractor honing his skills in therapeutic massage. He said he also has years of experience working in spas giving the “feel-good, stress-relief kind of massage.”

From the Balance & Strength Bodywork website:

My professional objective is to facilitate the success of my clients in achieving their personal goals, be they recovery, maintenance, or improving balance and strength, so they may perform at the top of their ability.

Massage has made strides in becoming accepted as a genuine medical practice, and many insurance companies will offer some sort of payment for massage services, according to Orgaard.

Orgaard rents space in the Queen Anne Naturopathic Center and said he finds the optimal environment to ply his trade.

“Everyone in the whole center has been really great, honest, genuine, and generous,” said Orgaard. “They are great people to work with.”

He is also launching a wellness alliance website that will be composed of area chiropractors, naturopaths, physical therapists, and a lawyer versed in issues related to health and wellness to facilitate communication and better serve the community. Orgaard said he expects the website to be up and running in the next two to three weeks.

Orgaard is a resident of West Seattle where he lives with his wife and son. In his spare time he and his son practice the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira.

A woman and her friend were robbed at gunpoint in a Lower Queen Anne apartment building at approximately 9 p.m. on Friday, February 4, according to a Seattle Police Department report. From the SPD Blotter:

On February 4th, at approximately 9:00 PM, the victim and her friend were inside her apartment in the 500 Block of 1st Avenue North when they heard what they described as a “friendly knock” at the door.  The victim opened the door and saw a heavy set white female standing there.  Suddenly, a large Samoan male pushed the female out of the way, shoved a gun in the victim’s face, then he and the female forced their way into the apartment. Once inside, the suspects began rummaging through the victim’s things in search for items of value.  The suspects took several electronic items.  As the suspects were leaving the building, a witness who apparently recognized at least one of the suspects as a suspect from another robbery that had previously occurred in the building, called 911 to report it.  The witness also observed the suspects get into a car and drive away.  They were last seen heading east on Mercer Street.

SPD officers conducted an area search for the suspects’ vehicle, but were unable to locate it. The SPD Robbery Unit was notified and responded to process the scene. No one was injured in this incident.

At the Queen Anne Community Council‘s monthly meeting last night a lively audience addressed concerns over SDOT’s West Mercer plans for the Mercer Corridor Project.

The redevelopment of West Mercer is part of phase II of the Mercer Corridor Project, and is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2012.

According to the SDOT website, this phase of the project, among other things, will provide freight with a route to and from 15th/Elliott Avenue West by adding a second eastbound lane, and improving key intersections to accommodate large trucks. The plan would also add a sidewalk to the narrow street that borders Lower Kinnear Park. But residents in the West Mercer Place area are concerned that the project will turn the residential street into a commercial truck thoroughfare.

A letter written by Rob Pennington, spokesman of a group of concerned residents in the West Mercer Place neighborhood, was submitted to the council’s transportation committee, intended to be sent to Mayor McGinn and the Seattle City Council as representative of the council’s official position. The primary issues outlined in the letter include the concerns over the truck routes and better conditions for pedestrians, bicyclists and businesses.

From the letter:

Uptown is a destination community, surrounded by a residential neighborhood that should be enhanced for pedestrian, bicycle and transit use with improvements to our North and South traffic flow. As projects proceed with the North Portal of SR 99 and the Mercer East Corridor, we believe that the concerns of West Mercer Street and West Mercer Place residents and businesses merit consideration over stakeholders outside our neighborhood.

The council ultimately voted against adopting the letter as it was written amidst protests from some of the citizens in attendance. Instead, a letter addressing Queen Anne transportation and incorporating Pennington’s West Mercer Place issues will be written and sent from the council.

Here are some of the highlights from the other issues discussed at the meeting:

• Updates from the Department of Neighborhoods from Central Team Neighborhood District Coordinator Christa Dumpys. There have been staff reductions and consolidations with the budget cuts, but Dumpys still remains the contact for Queen Anne and Magnolia. Both the director and deputy director of the Department of Neighborhoods have left, and the interim director starts on Friday. The Queen Anne/Magnolia Neighborhood Service Center has closed, and Dumpys is now working out of the Central Neighborhood Service Center on 23^rd and Jackson, but her phone number and e-mail are still the same.
• Council member Don Harper gave a summary of the Solarize Seattle program. In brief, the program will give tax credits and a bulk rate discount to Queen Anne residents who purchase solar panels for their home. More information can be found at solarizeseattle.org.
• Don Harper also spoke about the current state of the Smith Cove land trade. Certain issues (the inability to have an athletic field within 200 feet of a shoreline, and the Port of Seattle’s disinterested in making changes to the road) regarding the land in Interbay between the west yard and Smith Cove make the land swap unlikely, but Harper is proposing that the council asks the Port of Seattle for 50 more feet of Shoreline Parkway on the West Yard.

The Pacific Science Center arches are turning red again this year to commemorate the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” campaign, an annual program to increase awareness and lessen the risk of heart disease, which is the number one killer among women.

(Photo courtesy of Andrew Abernathy via Flickr).

From the American Heart Association:

In 2004, the American Heart Association (AHA) faced a challenge. Cardiovascular disease claimed the lives of nearly 500,000 American women each year, yet women were not paying attention. In fact, many even dismissed it as an “older man’s disease.” To dispel the myths and raise awareness of heart disease as the number one killer of women, the American Heart Association created Go Red For Women – a passionate, emotional, social initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health.

Last year the American Heart Association set a goal to reduce death and disability from cardiovascular disease and strokes by 20 percent, while also improving the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent, by the year 2020. Find out how you can get involved and help reach this goal here.

The science center arches will stay red through Sunday, February 6. Want to stand in solidarity with women to fight the battle against heart disease? Participate in National Wear Red Day on Friday, February 4. Join hundreds of thousands of people across the country and throw on a red t-shirt, red tie, or anything red–even lipstick.

Find out more about the American Heart Association’s “Go Read for Women” campaign here.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) pushed ahead with the much debated Nickerson Street road diet back in August, decreasing the thoroughfare from four lanes to one in each direction, a center turn lane, with bike lanes on either side.

Despite support from a USDOT’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) study that found that rechannelizations in California, Washington and Iowa have not adversely affected roadway capacity, and data that indicates that the controversial Stone Way road diet improved safety and traffic, the decision to revamp Nickerson was met with split support and opposition. A survey we took back in June indicated that, of the 711 who participated, 48.4 percent were in support of the road diet, while 51.6 percent were against the plan.

Some of the major concerns opponents of the road diet argued is that, being one of only two east-west streets directly feeding Ballard industries, decreased lanes on Nickerson would be met with increased congestion and an inability to meet capacity demands. However preliminary data from the city indicates that the road diet is working as planned, according to a report from Publicola published Wednesday.

The city says that data collected three months after the implementation of the Nickerson rechannelization shows that the same number of cars have been able to use the street, and that speeds along the street have slowed somewhat since the restriping. From Publicola:

SDOT traffic manager Eric Widstrand says the data are still preliminary; the city will continue to do traffic counts through the rest of 2011 and release a full report after the end of the year. However, so far, the study shows that car and freight traffic haven’t been harmed by the lane reduction, and that traffic has slowed to be somewhat closer to the 30-mph speed limit on the road.

“Capacity has not decreased,” Widstrand says. “We’re still able to accommodate” between 15,000 and 18,000 vehicles a day.

Proponents of the project note that decreased speeding along Nickerson as a result of the rechannelization is a good thing. Since the road diet, the average speed along Nickerson has gone down from 40 to 44 miles per hour, to between 34 and 37 mph, according to Publicola. From the report:

“We aren’t slowing anyone down excessively,” Widstrand says. The new speeds remain higher than the 30 mph speed limit, but are still safer for cyclists and pedestrians. A pedestrian hit at 40 mph is about 85 percent likely to die; a pedestrian hit at 30 mph is about 40 percent likely to be killed.

Cascade Bicycle Club representative David Hiller says that neither the group nor the city has yet studied whether the number of cyclists using Nickerson has increased since the rechannelization (which was the case after the Stone Way road diet).

Tracking the progress of potholes in your neighborhood, or along your commute, just got a whole lot easier. The Seattle Department of Transportation, taking a feather from the hat of The Seattle Times, has launched a Pothole Status Map where you can see all the city’s potholes that have been reported since March 15, 2010.

SDOT recently increased its number of “Pothole Rangers”, and according to the SDOT webpage, the crews filled 2,584 potholes in December 2010.

On the map above you can see all the potholes that have been reported, and filled across the city. The green dots indicate potholes that have been fixed in the last three months. Blue dots indicate new reports, and pink dots indicate potholes that are currently in the process of being repaired. The full map can be found here.

Know of an untended pothole that’s not on this map? The city would like you to report it so that it can be fixed. According to SDOT the map is updated nightly, though its currently posted statistics are not as up-to-date. SDOT says that as of Januart 30 there were 1,175 open requests to fix potholes, and that 1,365 others had been repaired in the previous seven days.

In 2010, we reviewed our methods of patching potholes. We found that there were better methods that would provide a longer-lasting patch, and have made those changes. This method takes more time when a pothole is fixed, but will last much longer than the method we have used in the past. In the long run, this will leave Seattle streets better off for a longer period of time. Our goal now is to repair potholes within three business days of receiving a report.

Have a pothole you’d like to report? Use this form to report potholes and other non-emergency problems (minor street repairs, malfunctioning traffic signals,  damaged street signs) to SDOT.

Anyone who’s lived in Seattle for a significant amount of time in recent years would likely recognize Kathi Goertzen. The 30-year KOMO News veteran, former nightly news anchor and Magnolia resident is undergoing surgery today to remove parts of an aggressive brain tumor that she’s been battling for the past 11 years.

Yesterday our sister site Magnolia Voice published excerpts from Kathi’s story, which she shared on the KOMO website Tuesday night.

Although the doctors say Kathi’s tumor is benign, it has continued to grow back, and recently damaged her facial nerve, causing her to lose control over some of the muscles in her face. The worst part of this, Kathi says, is her “inability to break into the wide smile I so much enjoy.”

“It’s not easy sharing this picture. After 30 years of being a news anchor for KOMO-TV, I’m dealing with a challenge, as you can see. But I don’t give up easily,” Kathi wrote. “Luckily, I have excellent medical care and have great support with family, friends, and viewers.”

You can read the rest of Kathi’s story here and here.

Kathi and her family have received an outpouring of support from family, friends, Seattle-ites, and viewers since posting her letter earlier this week. If you’d like to send well wishes and messages of support to her and her family, you may do so on Kathi’s Facebook page.

National urgent care network Doctors Express is opening a new location in Lower Queen Anne this month.

The new center, located at 610 1st Avenue N (in the complex shared by Metropolitan Market, Bartell Drugs, and a number of other retailers) plans to open on Saturday, February 19. It will be the 25th outpost of the urgent care facility nationwide, and the first in the Pacific Northwest.

Doctors Express treats urgent medical needs ranging from acute illness, such as the flu or stomach bugs, to broken bones, cuts, burns, rashes, bites and more. The center also provides travel medicine, sports physicals, drug and STD testing, occupational medical services, as well as scheduled pre-operative exams in conjunction with surgical specialists.

Doctors Express aims to provide an accessible and convenient way for people who cannot get into their regular doctors office (due to overloaded schedules, off-hours or lack of insurance), to get the medical treatment they need. The facility is not meant to treat emergency conditions that would otherwise require a trip to the ER.

Doctors Express will be open 365 days a year, and for extended hours in the evenings and on weekends. All visits are done on a walk-in basis (no appointments necessary), and wait times average anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes. All patients are seen by trained doctors, not nurse practitioners or physician’s assistants.

While the center says it accepts most insurance carriers, it also treats those without insurance or wishing to self-pay. A typical visit for treatment of a simple condition without insurance costs approximately $135.

“Doctors Express bridges the gap between a primary doctors’ office and the emergency room, and does it in a patient-focused way that ensures high-quality, convenient, affordable treatment in a comfortable setting,” Dr. Michael Sthay, owner and medical director of the new Queen Anne Doctors Express, said in a press release.

The facility also has X-ray and lab machinery on site, enabling it to diagnose and treat patients in a single visit.

“In my many years as an ER doctor, many patients who came for treatment did not have life-threatening injuries and could have been perfectly served at an urgent care center in a much shorter time, and at a much lower cost. The average visit to Doctors Express is about a third of the cost of an ER trip, and more aligned with a typically doctor’s office fee,” Sthay said.

Just a friendly reminder that Seattle Public Schools is hosting a public meeting on the district’s new school Transportation Plan, which if approved will go into effect for the 2011-2012 school year, tomorrow, Thursday, February 3 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Hamilton International School, located at 1610 N 41 St.

The proposed Transportation Plan changes would save the district an estimated $4 million by creating new transportation zones for bus routes for attendance area elementary and K-8 schools. Get details on the new plan here.

The school board is scheduled to vote on the proposed plan at its February 16 meeting, where there will be opportunities for public comment. More information about signing up for public testimony is available here (.pdf) and on the school board website.

If you can’t make Thursday’s meeting, don’t worry. There will be a third meeting regarding the proposed plan next week from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, February 8, at Chief Sealth International High School, 2600 SW Thistle.

This story was re-posted from our sister site, My Ballard, because the sunrise was just too beautiful to pass up.

This morning’s sunrise was spectacular. In case you missed it, Steven Thompson sent us this photo.

And since today is Groundhog Day, we thought we’d share that Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow (video here), predicting an early spring.

It’s that time again, the Queen Anne Community Council is having its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, February 2 at the Queen Anne Community Center.

Here’s a look at what’s on the agenda for tonight:

Update 9 a.m.: The QACC released last month’s agenda by accident, which was subsequently republished here. Below you’ll find the corrected, February meeting agenda.

• 7 p.m.: Adoption of Agenda; Approval of Minutes; Treasurer’s Report
• 7:10 p.m.: Open Forum—Comments
• 7:20 p.m.: FOLKpark—Don Harper
• 7:30 p.m.: Solarize Seattle—Update Don Harper
• 7:35 p.m.: West Mercer Place—Glenn Avery
• 7:55 p.m.: Smith Cove Land Trade—Don Harper
• 8:00 p.m.: Committee Reports

1. LURC/Planning—Craig Hanway
2. Transportation—Glenn Avery
3. Parks—Don Harper
4. Communication—Michael Lapin
5. District Council—Mike Warren
6. NAC—Kirk Robbins, Jim Smith, Glenn Avery, Don Harper
7. Social Issues—Kirk Robbins
8. Police & Crime—Allen Panich

• 8:45 p.m.: New Business
• 8:55 p.m.: Adjournment

Upcoming QACC meetings, sub-committee meetings, and events:

• QACC: March 2, TBA
• Parks Committee: February 15, Queen Anne Community Center, 7:30 p.m.
• LURC/Planning: February 28, Queen Anne Community Center, 7:00 p.m.
• Transportation: February 23, Queen Anne Community Center, 7:30 p.m.
• NAC: February 16, Port Headquarters, 4:30 p.m.
• District Council: February 14, Magnolia Community Center 7 p.m.
• Queen Anne Clean and Green February, 12 9 p.m.
• SNAP: Queen Anne Library February 8 6:30 p.m.

Before February is over, the controversial fence designed to help prevent suicides on the Aurora Bridge will be complete. Now, everyone is waiting to see if it will really make a difference. With the help of the nonprofit Common Language Project and communications students at the University of Washington, we take a closer look at why this issue is so personal for so many. Continue reading No Suicide Zone on Aurora.

WSDOT image

A whole bunch of Seattle films stood out at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. One in particular is of interest to Queen Anne-ers since parts of it were shot on location here.

“The Details” stars Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney and Ray Liotta. Maguire plays Dr. Jeff Lang, who along with his wife Nealy (Banks), lives a regular middle-class life in Seattle. What begins as a series of innocuous events and bad decisions by Lang ultimately becomes something a bit darker in this black comedy.

The film was shot entirely in Seattle and features the Montlake and Fremont neighborhoods as well as many Seattle-specific references. Some of you may remember when the film was shooting in Kerry Park, as well as a few other sites in Queen Anne way back in September 2009. Here’s some video of the film shooting in Ballard.

Writer/director Jacob Aaron Estes sold the film for a reported $8 million, one of the festival’s biggest sales and ensuring a well-publicized theatrical release sometime soon.

After recent budget cuts left community centers facing service and operational cuts, including here in Queen Anne where the neighborhood fought to keep the gym open, the city has been forced to take a second look at cuts planned for community centers citywide.

As a result of much public backlash to the challenging budget cuts, the City Council has asked the Department of Parks and Recreation to rethink how community centers in Seattle are operated. As part of the process, the city is holding a public meeting with the community to discuss ideas for how the centers could be run differently tomorrow, Wednesday, February 2 at the Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave. E, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Seattle Parks and Recreation operates 26 community centers. The cost to run the centers far exceeds revenue brought in from center programs. Because of the current budget situation, Parks staff are exploring alternatives that would offer continued services for the public while reducing costs, including new methods of management, staffing, fundraising, and partnerships.

At the February 2 meeting, Parks staff will ask attendees to share ideas and concerns relating to community center operations. In the spring, Parks will hold another public meeting to discuss specific options.

The Community Center Advisory Team, which is comprised of community members, representatives from the Board of Park Commissioners, representatives of employee unions, employees, the Associated Recreation Council, and City Council and City Budget Office staff, is also working on a solution to the community centers operations and budget problems. For questions about the public meeting, contact Susan Golub at susan.golub@seattle.gov or at 206-684-7046.