Nickels Newsletter - December 2006

Dear Friends,

Sincerely,


GREG NICKELS
Mayor of Seattle

Last week Gov. Gregoire made her decision on the Alaskan Way Viaduct. She called for the voters of Seattle to decide whether to replace the viaduct with an elevated structure or a tunnel. I remain committed to a cut-and-cover tunnel and am confident we can work with the governor to bring down the cost of this project and add certainty to the funding plan. I welcome taking this to the voters of Seattle. It is a critical issue for the future of the city and we will abide by the decision of the citizens.

I was pleased to announce my nominations for two important directorships in city government - Stella Chao for the Department of Neighborhoods, and Susan Shannon for the Office of Economic Development. Stella brings a wealth of experience helping poor and underserved populations and will play a key role in my refugee and immigrant initiative. She has the vision and commitment to build on Seattle's legacy of strong communities and great neighborhoods. As director of OED, Susan will play an important role in creating jobs and economic opportunity for everyone in Seattle. She has a proven record for bringing investment and new jobs to a major urban center. Under Stella's and Susan's leadership, I look forward to DON and OED making great strides in community building and economic development for all of Seattle.
Read the news release about Stella Chao
Read the news release about Susan Shannon

After 31 years with the city of Seattle, Ken Bounds will retire from his duties as superintendent of Parks and Recreation in February. He has had a remarkable career and will leave a big hole to fill. Under Bounds' leadership, voters approved four funding measures, leaving a massive legacy of new parks and open space for future generations. It would not have happened without Ken. On behalf of a grateful city, I thank him and wish him well.
Read the news release

Four times a year, I have the privilege of announcing the recipients of our Department of Neighborhoods' Small and Simple Project Funds. This season's 21 recipients are from all over the city with projects focusing on public art, race and social justice, youth and the environment. The awards total almost $250,000, with individual awards ranging from $1,300 to $15,000. Through their efforts, these neighborhood groups, including the Friends of Meridian Playground, pictured here, demonstrate their commitment to their communities. I look forward to seeing their completed projects.
Read the news release

Six months ago we opened the doors of the Plymouth on Stewart, an innovative facility to help some of the most difficult cases of chronic homelessness. Under our "Housing First Initiative," the Plymouth illustrates a shift from the reactive emergency shelter approach to a proactive approach combining homeless housing with important in-house medical and mental health services and other support programs. After six months, we are making a difference, helping change the lives of up to 20 chronically homeless individuals. With innovative programs such as this, we are making progress toward our goal of ending homelessness in 10 years.
Read the news release

Seward Park in southeast Seattle is one of our premiere parks, featuring some of Seattle's oldest trees. And Southeast Seattle is one of our most diverse neighborhoods with a large school-age population. It is home to families from more than 70 different ethnic backgrounds. In partnership with Audubon Washington, we just broke ground for a state-of-the-art environmental learning facility at Seward Park. Audubon worked with the community to find out what kinds of programs would appeal to this community. Programs will be multicultural, accessible, informative and distinctive. This will be a great educational resource for residents of Southeast Seattle and the whole city, especially the kids. We look forward to a grand opening this coming summer.

As part of a national "Home 4 the Holidays" campaign, our award-winning animal shelter is making an extra effort to find homes for all animals at the shelter so they can have a home for the holidays, now and forever. Throughout the year the shelter runs programs and events to find loving homes for all animals that come through their doors. Shelter animals are great; my family includes Polly, a boxer mix we adopted from a shelter about 10 years ago. If you're thinking of adding a four-legged member to your family, be sure to visit our shelter.
Read the news release