Street paving begins on Madison tomorrow

Four the next four days, through sometime Thursday afternoon, road crews are scheduled to repave a section of E. Madison Street near City People's in Madison Valley. This is the area where pipes were laid under the street during the spring as part of a surface-water mitigation project unrelated to the Madison Valley Stormwater Project. As a result of this planned repaving, parking will be removed from the south side of the street in the...

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Second Quarter Real Estate Report 2011

Are we on a roll?  Pendings skyrocketAs the second quarter got underway, things looked pretty dismal for the local real estate market.  In fact, during the entire month of April there was only one house sold in Madison Park (Broadmoor and Washington Park included).  While two condos also changed hands, the combined monthly volume of three total sales was the most depressed level of activity since the two-sales-per-month suffered by...

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August happenings

Blue Angels encoreAssuming that the weather cooperates (a by-no-means certain proposition), the U.S Navy's Blue Angels will be doing their regular Seafair thing this year, which means practice sessions and performances over the Lake and, not incidentally, very-low-flying jets above Madison Park.  For those of you who need some advance warning so you can brace yourselves (and your pets) for these noisy forays, here's the Blue Angels' flying...

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An excellent day for Fat Salmon!

The weather really cooperated with the 12th Anniversary Fat Salmon Open Water Swim yesterday, which culminated at Madison Park beach.  Last year's event was cold cold cold, but substantially better conditions prevaled on the course this year. Here's the commentary from one of the swimmers, Kirk, concerning conditions on the course: "Perfect day for a race! Temps probably in the low 60s at race time. The water was a little choppier than I would...

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Road-end death remains a mystery

Since the body of Michael Michel was discovered in a parked vehicle at the Lee Street road end earlier this month, his friends and family have been left to wonder how and why.  So far, the Medical Examiner has only been able to confirm that his death doesn't appear to have been a homicide, though the results of toxicology tests will not be known until September.  Perhaps then there will be some closure for those who knew Mike and for those...

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Anyone missing a parakeet?

This colorful parakeet arrived this morning in the backyard of neighborhood raconteur and Madison Park Times columnist Dick Lehman and his wife, Karen. The bird is currently hanging out in a mock orange plant at the Lehmans', but Dick and Karen are planning to get a cage and, hopefully, capture this little stray. If it's yours, please contact us and we'll try to arrange a reuni...

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Police Blotter 7/15/11

Car break-ins on the increaseThere were at least ten car prowls in the neighborhood in the three weeks since our last Police Blotter, though this number probably understates the true extent of the problem since many people do not bother to report these incidents to the police.  The thinking of the non-reporters, apparently, is that once the break-in has happened there is little likelihood that the police will be able to do anything about it....

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Hey, what's with all these goats?

You would've smelled 'em before you could've seen 'em, but if you'd halted and looked in the right place last weekend, you would have encountered a Washington Park hillside covered in goats.  Our informant (Lisa Loban, owner of Ropa Bella) discovered the goat herd as she was "fast walking" north on McGilvra Boulevard E., just north of its intersection with Lake Washington Boulevard E.  The property on which the goats were comfortably...

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Body identified, autopsy inconclusive

The man who was discovered dead in his truck at a Madison Park road end yesterday has been identified as Michael Westlake Michel. He was 42 years old and apparently lived in Everett.  It is not known why he was in Madison Park or how he came to die in the back seat of his vehicle, parked on E. Lee Street near Lake Washington.  Although the King County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy on the body late this morning, the official...

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Body discovered in truck parked at road end

Shortly before noon today multiple police and fire units descended on the E. Lee Street road end to investigate a report that there was a man lying in the back seat of a black Chevy Silverado truck, apparently deceased.  The discovery was a shock to many of us living in the area, who had been passing by the vehicle for days without investigating.  The truck was parked almost at the very end of E. Lee Street, just past 42nd Avenue E. and...

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The 520 bridge-replacement project moves forward: with us or without us

The Washington State Department of Transportation released photos this week showing workers in Aberdeen pouring concrete for the "casting basin" in which 33 pontoons will be produced for the new floating bridge.  As the photos aptly demonstrate, the State is charging ahead with its plans for SR-520 whether the money is there to complete the project or not. And, as we all know, it's not.The question for opponents is whether anything can be done...

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Great day for a parade

If you’re ever inclined to take a leisurely stroll down the middle of E. Madison Street on a sunny summer day, there’s no finer way to do it than by following a big red fire truck down the boulevard while surrounded by a hoard of kids and pets.  That’s the drill each year for the Madison Park Days Children’s Parade, and it always seems to work nicely for participants and parade watchers alike. Of course if you’re not a kid yourself, you should...

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Seen or heard in the ‘hood

Guns in the lake, scammers at the doorWe received this surprising report last week from an MPB reader regarding an episode she witnessed at the E. Prospect St. road end:“[My husband] and I were out with the girls yesterday morning and witnessed something fairly upsetting.  We came down the stairs adjacent to the north side of the Seattle Tennis Club and walked down to the public beach access (that has been the center of so much criminal activity)....

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Floating bridge closed (again) this weekend

Apparently the installation of a fish-passage culvert under the 520 floating bridge is more than a one-weekend operation.  When the bridge was closed for a weekend in June, that was one of the reasons given.  It's one of the reasons for this weekend's closure as well.  That and the need for inspection and repairs "to the aging SR 520 floating bridge to make sure it will continue to carry traffic safely through winter weather," in the...

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Bella Dolce closes

New York Cupcakes expands to the ValleyThough the demise of any business makes for somber news, the end of the run is an even sadder story for those of us who really appreciate a place before it's suddenly gone from the scene.  We’re doubly sorry, therefore, to report that Madison Valley’s highly rated Bella Dolce has called it quits, closing its doors on June 30.  Owner Joanne Corsi made no bones about the fact that the last year...

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Happy Fourth !!!

Whether it was God, The Fates, Mother Nature, or just the mechanistic forces of global warming in action, we were finally able to string together a sunny holiday weekend, followed by an absolutely beautiful Fourth of July.  How unusual!   From the generally deserted feel of the neighborhood, however, it seems that most Madison Parkers were taking their chances elsewhere for the holiday (side streets were mostly vacant and you could actually...

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Finding a life after grief

Kathleen O'Connor, a Madison Park activist, author, journalist and blogger, has just published a very personal memoir of a tragic time in her life and the path she chose in order to recover from her loss. Having suffered the worst experience a parent can endure, the death of a child, O'Connor eventually learned to cope with her grief and to find ways to help others through the tragedies of their lives. The story of her "before" and "after" lives...

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July happenings

Let's have a paradeMadison Park Days returns next week, beginning with the three-day Sidewalk Sale on Thursday, July 7 and ending with the Children's Parade and Picnic in the Park on Saturday, July 9.  The parade will get underway at noon, with the line-up starting at 11:45 in front of the Wells Fargo Bank branch parking lot.  As those who've attended in past years well know, you better be there on time because the route is short and...

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