Kimberly, Author at Wallyhood

Bus Bulb Update

Kimberly February 10, 2013 19 Comments

Last summer, I posted about the construction of bus bulbs and other transit improvements along 45th Street. After a recent post about proposed changes to N. 40th Street, Wallyhood got an earful about the bus bulbs on 45th. So I thought it would be a good time to check in with Mr. SDOT, Jeff Bender, who explains all manner of transit and traffic improvements to the willing lay person.

To recap, bus bulbs, or sidewalk extensions that allow buses to load and unload passengers without pulling out of traffic, were installed along 45th to try to improve the speed and …

Kindergarten Registration and School Tours

Kimberly January 29, 2013 32 Comments

Reportedly, your child won’t receive an admission letter to Hogwarts until they turn 10. If you are wondering what to do about your child’s education during the intervening years, one of our local public elementary schools might be the answer.

In Wallingford, public school students attend one of our three neighborhood reference schools: McDonald Elementary, BF Day Elementary or John Stanford International School. Your reference school is determined by your address, which you can enter into the handy-dandy Seattle Public Schools “reference school generator” here.

While Seattle Public Schools accepts students at their neighborhood reference school on a rolling basis …

Playfield repairs and a new dog park? There’s a grant for that.

Kimberly January 16, 2013 28 Comments

Back in December, we posted about the Wallingford playfield closure, a post which spurred a lot of comments from concerned neighbors. In true Wallyhood fashion, most comments were civil, though the off-leash-dogs-at-the-park issue clearly does push our collective buttons.

Reader and community leader Greg, who was the driving force behind the playfield and who still keeps a watchful eye over it, filled readers in on some the history of the park and the challenges posed by rain, cleats and paws:

During our community survey work in 1998 and 1999 leading into the improvement projects, we found that many view Wallingford …

Bike Tour to Little Free Libraries of Wallingford

Kimberly January 4, 2013 4 Comments

Inspired by our article about Wallingford’s Little Free Libraries, Spokespeople has put together a tour for biking bibliophiles this Saturday. Cathy writes:

Saturday, January 5 is going to be a great day for a bike ride. We’re going to go on a fun ride this Saturday to discover the Little Free Libraries of Wallingford. We’ll likely explore some poetry corners too as we bike about six miles around this literary neighborhood. You can bring a book or take a book (in a ziplock bag if it is raining)!

Most of our ride will be along greenways (safe healthy streets) proposed …

Little Free Libraries Take Root in Wallingford

Kimberly December 30, 2012 26 Comments

This past summer, I spent too much time browsing the boards on Pinterest, and subsequently developed an infatuation for Little Free Libraries. The brainchild of a man in Wisconsin who built the first one as a tribute to his late mother (a librarian), the concept has been spreading like wildfire. By July, there were enough local LFLs to merit a write-up in the Seattle Times. At the time of that article, no LFLs were recorded in Wallingford. I wanted to do something about that.

I checked out the Little Free Library website, and even went so far as to scavenge …

Field Closure at Wallingford Playfield

Kimberly December 8, 2012 39 Comments

If playing ultimate Frisbee or soccer in the mud is part of your winter ritual, then you’ll need to head somewhere besides Wallingford Playfield this year. The Parks Department recently closed to field to allow turf rebuilding. And this year they mean it! They have erected fencing to render the field largely unusable. I guess they finally realized that Wallingford’s winter sports enthusiasts, dog owners and restless youth were not going to stay off the field simply because a sign politely asked them to.

Margaret spoke with Seattle Parks and Rec crew chief, Colleen Hackett, who reports that the field …

Thwarting Jack Frost

Kimberly December 6, 2012 1 Comment

The combination of rain and holiday lights going up always prompts me to think about our homeless neighbors. With weather as wet as it has been lately, I don’t last more than 10 minutes outside before I am chilled to the bone. I can’t imagine sleeping outside in the cold and wet weather, or spending my days with the damp settling into every joint.

I’ve worked in human services, so I know I am not alone! Many charitable souls think about folks in need at this time of year. If you would like help keep people warm this winter, two …

Ben on SPS Updates Wallingford Playfield Public Meeting- Nov 20thBoth schools are here and not going anywhere. Past grievances with the school di...
Greg Flood on SPS Updates Wallingford Playfield Public Meeting- Nov 20thHmmm… let’s see… upgrade Hamilton, but stop maintaining Wallingford Playfield an...
Ben on Letter in Support of Japanese Dual Language Immersion at JSISJohn Stanford has been a dual-language immersion school for 24 years, but it has...
tj on Letter in Support of Japanese Dual Language Immersion at JSISMandarin programs are at Beacon Hill and Dearborn Park. Those programs need more...
ematza on Letter in Support of Japanese Dual Language Immersion at JSISI completely agree and would even argue that they need to find the funds to offe...