Take 21 » Parks and Recreation

Summer Food & Fun on City Stream

george — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:53:11 +0000

We’re celebrating summer on CityStream! From fun family activities to food drives, we’re covering it all. How the City of Seattle and school officials are making sure kids who rely on school lunches for their main meal, get plenty to eat this summer. Plus, what you can do to help. Then, from the critters and creatures of the Puget Sound, to concerts, boat rides and story time; we’ll tell you about plenty of family fun that’s also pretty frugal. There’s something for everyone on this all new edition of CityStream. Join host Nicole Sanchez from Luna Park in West Seattle for these stories and more!

Watch it now: http://www.seattlechannel.org/CityStream.

The Future of Seattle Center

george — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:47:56 +0000

Nearly fifty years ago, the World’s Fair was held on the grounds of what is now Seattle Center. After half a century, the “cultural and community heart” of Seattle is showing its age. What’s the future of the popular gathering place? And as the rollercoaster and other rides of the Fun Forest come down, what should take their place? Some want more open space; while others propose putting a museum dedicated to glass artist Dale Chihuly on the site.

This week on City Inside/Out host C.R. Douglas welcomes Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, Crosscut’s David Brewster, Seattle Center Director Robert Nellams and Space Needle CEO Ron Sevart to discuss Seattle Center’s future.

Tune in to City Inside/Out, Friday, April 8, 7 p.m., SEATTLE CHANNEL, Cable 21 for this compelling discussion.

Did you miss our show about the new proposed restrictions on panhandling? Watch it right now by visiting http://www.seattlechannel.org/CityInsideOut/.

KeyArena upgrade bill dies in Olympia

george — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:02:31 +0000

In April 2009, at the end of its regular session, the Washington State Legislature did not act on a bill that would provide money for upgrading Seattle Center’s KeyArena. This, in turn, means that the City of Seattle may not be able to collect $30 million from Sonics/Thunder owner Clay Bennett.

Senate Bill 6116, sponsored by Seattle Democratic Senators Jeannie Kohl-Welles and Ed Murray, would direct some of the hotel-motel taxes collected by King County to renovating KeyArena.

The Seattle Times reported that when Bennett broke his lease agreement at KeyArena in order to move the Sonics/Thunder to Oklahoma City, he agreed to pay the City of Seattle an additional $30 million contingent on two things happening: 1) the Legislature authorizing money for an arena upgrade by the end of 2009′s legislative session and 2) Seattle’s failure to land a new NBA team in the next five years.

City officials still hope to revive the bill if the legislature meets in a special session later in 2009.

New Seattle Center Director to take oath of office

george — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:05:00 +0000

On January 22, Robert Nellams was sworn in as the new Seattle Center Director by the Seattle City Council. Nellams was acting Director since Virginia Anderson retired early last year after 18 years as Center Director. Mayor Nickels made his announcement appointing Nellams in November. Nellams is a 25-year City employee who’s been with the Seattle Center since 1996.

Nellams faces several on-going challenges as he takes the helm. Notable are the fate of the Supersonics and Storm, Key Arena tenants whose lease expires in 2010 and the needed improvements to the Seattle Monorail. Nellams will also consider recommendations made by the 2005 Mayor’s task force on sustainability for the Center and also from the recently formed Century 21 Committee.

The Mayor’s task force recommended restoring the budget for Center which includes hiring more staff. It also recommended dealing with aging structures at the Center including the Center House and Fun Forest. The Century 21 Committee is charged with building on the task force’s recommendations in constructing a 20-year plan for the campus.

Still an Economic Fixture

Despite the losses over the past few years, the Seattle Center has become an economic fixture in the city’s tourism industry.

In 2005, Seattle Center visitors and businesses created $1.15 billion in business activity, 15,534 jobs and more than $41 million in tax revenue.
Seattle Center visitors spent $396 million in relation to their visits to the Center.
6,489 people are directly employed by businesses at Seattle Center, 32% have full-time employment.
For more information view the Seattle Center Economic Impact Assessment