A contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation will close one northbound lane on the Ballard Bridge on Saturday, February 19, if weather is favorable. The contractor expects to have the lane closed for approximately six hours sometime between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Ramps and walkways to the bridge will remain open. The contractor will paint the railing on the east side of the bridge.
A long-standing staple of Seattle’s (and Queen Anne’s) arts community, Intiman Theatre, is facing closure, according to a statement from the Board of Trustees released today.
Due to a number of managerial problems since the Intiman’s former Managing Director departed last fall, the theatre, which first opened in 1972, now must raise $1,000,000, well beyond its 2011 fundraising goal, by September or face the end of its 39-year presence within the local arts scene.
We’ve republished the full letter Intiman sent out to the community below:
February 11, 2011
An open letter to the Seattle arts community
Dear friends,
I want to share some unsettling news about our beloved Intiman Theatre. As many of you know, we’ve been struggling for several months. Since the departure of our former Managing Director last fall, the board of trustees has unearthed a series of missteps and management failings. Inflated budget projections, unpaid bills and a complete lack of financial and accounting oversight have left the theater dangerously low on cash. Sadly, I must report that unless we are able to raise $500,000 by the end of March, an additional $250,000 by June, and $250,000 by September, we cannot continue.
The $1 million dollar campaign is above and beyond the theatre’s 2011 annual fundraising goal.
Our staff and trustees have been tirelessly working to put our house in order – reconciling our books; establishing clear oversight; soliciting the support of independent leaders; paying down our debt; cutting operational costs; and reaching out to friends and family in the local community for help. The picture is now clearer and so is the harsh reality of the current situation.
I find this most difficult because the staff and creative leadership are incredibly strong right now and the quality of work being produced on our stage is of the highest quality and thematically touches on topics that need a public stage.
Seattle is a unique community; we are intellectually curious; progressively open minded; and willing to openly reflect and debate who we are as a community. I’m continually reminded by friends from the national theater community that only a city like Seattle could create a theater like Intiman. I also believe that only a city like Seattle can help preserve a gem like Intiman.
For 39 years Intiman has served as our community’s kitchen table for discussing relevant topics through art. We need your help to make sure that tradition continues. Please make a donation today by visiting http://www.intiman.org. At the website you will find more information on the current situation along with video testimonials from our artistic director, Kate Whoriskey, and acting managing director Melaine Bennett. You will also be able to show your direct support by making a donation.
Thank you for your time and continued support in helping Seattle maintain its reputation as progressive/trend-setting hotbed for the performing arts. Theaters like Intiman are critical to protecting that fragile ecosystem. Please help us protect this local treasure by making a donation to the theater today.
Sincerely,
Kim Anderson
President
Intiman Theatre, Board of Trustees
If you’d like to support Intiman, donations can be made on its website. Intiman also posted the following messages from Artistic Director Kate Whoriskey and Acting Managing Director Melaine Bennett in the hopes of encouraging community support to help the theatre live on.
If you’ve walked by Flame on Queen Anne Avenue N recently, you may have noticed the paper covering the windows and the sign on the door directing patrons to Elliott Bay Pizza Co. two doors down.
That’s because the two restaurants have merged, according to an Elliott Bay Pizza Co. employee who spoke to us over the phone this morning.
While the sign on the door at Flame says it is only closed for renovations, adding “Y’all kin get yer got juicy delicious flame broiled burgers next door at Elliott Bay Pizza,” in fact the restaurant changed ownership this week, the Elliott Bay Pizza Co. employee confirmed.
The man who owned both Elliott Bay and Flame decided to consolidate the two restaurants – and their vastly different menus – and sell the Flame location. The renovations inside are on the part of the new owner, he said, adding that he does not know what the new owner plans to do with the restaurant.
A call to the new owner has not yet been returned. In the meantime, most of the original Flame menu (burgers, fries and onion rings, chicken tenders, BBQ sandwiches, and salads) can be found at Elliott Bay Pizza Co. alongside its existing pizzas, pastas, salads, calzones and subs. The only items not available in the new merger are Flame’s tacos and shakes.
And as for the fate of Flame’s old homestead, we’ll keep you posted as we learn more about what will be moving in.
Photos courtesy of the Department of Neighborhoods.
NSCs provide information on various city programs; connect those in need with food banks and other services; provide forms for passports, business licenses and voter registration; and provide meeting rooms and free Internet access. Some NSCs also act as payment centers for Seattle City Light and Combined Utility bills, traffic tickets and pet licenses.
The Seattle City Council has asked Mayor Mike McGinn to work with the community and the Department of Neighborhoods to figure out a new plan for the Neighborhood District Coordinator Program. That new plan is due to the council by July 1. In the meantime, an interim service model will begin on Wednesday.
Through that interim model, 10 Neighborhood District Coordinators will use a team approach to cover three large geographic areas: South (consists of four districts – Southeast, Greater Duwamish, Delridge and Southwest); Central (consists of five districts – Central, East, Downtown, Lake Union and Magnolia/Queen Anne); North (consists of four districts – Northeast, North, Northwest, and Ballard). Former NW District Coordinator Beth Pflug will work with the North team.
The NSC closest to our neighborhood is the Central NSC, at 2301 S. Jackson St, Suite 208, (206) 684-4767. It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The Ballard NSC is also not far, at 5604 22nd Ave NW, 206-684-4060. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Today is Veterans Day, a national holiday to honor the men and women who have served our country.
Many public organizations will be closed around town for the day in honor of veterans lost. The Metro bus service will be on a reduced service schedule, and there will be no service to the University of Washington.
The following businesses and organizations are closed today:
Banks
Post offices (and no mail delivery)
Seattle Public Library branches
Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities
Most government offices
Schools
Parking is free (you don’t have to pay to park on city streets that are metered today)
There are also several businesses around town celebrating Veterans Day by offering special deals and freebies to both retired and active military members and their families. Take a look at the list we’ve compiled of deals going on in Queen Anne and around it:
Some Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities will be closed on Friday and next Monday as part of the furlough program to fill the budget gap.
All Parks facilities and offices will also be closed on Thursday for Veterans’ Day.
Friday’s closures:
Grounds maintenance
Community centers (except child care and late night programs, which will still operate)
Swimming pools
Environmental Learning Centers
Lifelong Recreation (except Food and Fitness programs, which will still operate)
Business Service Center
Monday’s closures:
Administrative offices (communications, correspondence, Park Board support, web management, public outreach, human resources, finance and administration)
The Washington State Department of Transportation will be closing down the Alaskan Way Viaduct this weekend for a semi-annual structural safety inspection. From WSDOT:
Both decks of the viaduct will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 16 and 17, between Spokane Street and the Battery Street Tunnel.
During the closure, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and city of Seattle crews will inspect the structure for settlement and perform routine maintenance and preservation work such as: Applying a protective covering to exposed rebar; servicing drainage systems and traffic cameras; washing the walls of the Battery Street Tunnel and inspecting its lighting and ventilation systems; and restriping the roadway.
WSDOT will release preliminary inspection results by Friday, Oct. 22.
WSDOT advises drives to leave extra time for commuting, as they increased congestion on I-5 and other major north-south routes is expected during the closure. Drivers may check traffic conditions before they leave at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic, or via the voice-activated driver information line, 511.
The Ballard Locks out of commission since lightening caused mechanical problems on Sunday. Today the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is turning to manpower to get the large lock open and closed.
Mike Likavec , an engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, inspects the large lock during a manual gate operation test. Photo courtesy the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Starting today, October 14, the large lock will be manually opened twice each day—at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. The lockages will go both directions, allowing vessels to head both into Puget Sound and to into Lake Washington. Barges and freighters on scheduled runs will get priority, followed by other commercial vessels. Read the full story at our sister site, MyBallard.
The large lock at the Ballard Locks is still closed after being struck by lightning Sunday night. “We may be out the rest of the week,” Patricia Graesser with the Army Corps of Engineers tells us. It’s taking longer than the anticipated one day to restore the electrical system. The small lock is still open, allowing smaller pleasure boats through. Large ships, however, are stuck on either side of the locks until the power can be restored.
Seattle Parks and Recreation has more furlough days coming up this week and next, to help close its budget gap. City of Seattle employees are taking 10 days off without pay this year.
On Friday, all community centers, swimming pools, and environmental learning centers will be closed, and there will be no grounds maintenance.
Next Monday, all administrative offices (communications, correspondence, Park Board support, web management, public outreach, human resources, finance and administration) will be closed, as will the Planning and Development Division and the Magnuson Park office.
Golf courses and the Amy Yee Tennis Center will operate on a normal schedule.
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