EDGEWATER MAYOR ‘Edgewater Town Square’ Development Page 4
EDGEWATER COLLECTIVE Calling All Jefferson High Alums Page 5
BACK TO SCHOOL Special section with information, calendar Pages 7-11
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Gazette NEIGHBORHOOD
EDGEWATER
| SLOAN’S LAKE | WEST COLFAX | TWO CREEKS | WEST HIGHLAND August 14 — September 16, 2018 • ngazette.com • FREE
LCP Unveils Plans For 20th And Depew By Sally Griffin
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ne of the largest projects in Edgewater since the redevelopment of the Edgewater Marketplace at 20th and Sheridan was approved unanimously by the Edgewater Council at a second reading on Aug. 2. This redevelopment is located at 20th and Depew and includes, among other places, the old King Soopers building. This development will be called the Edgewater Public Market, in the same manner as Seattle’s Pike Place Market and other well-known market places. The developer is LCP Development. LCP’s plans for the project will include renovating all the buildings within the property. In addition, a new building will be built on the southeast corner of the property. The largest building, the former King Soopers site, will house, among other functions, a food hall run by various food truck vendors, a brewery, a large bar and central seating. The whole development will include several restaurants, a bar, a coffee shop, several retail shops, a liquor store, a natural pet food store, and other users providing custom Continued on page 2
LCP DEVELOPMENT’S PLANS FOR 20TH AND DEPEW – EDGEWATER MARKET – will include several restaurants, a bar, a coffee shop, several retail shops, a liquor store, a natural pet food store, and other users providing custom foods or beverages. ARTWORK COURTESY LCP DEVELOPMENT
Code Enforcement: For The Love Of Edgewater ■ By
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Tawny Clary
ode Enforcement is a multi-faceted endeavor as are most jobs, but it is quite interesting in that in addition to a daily routine, no two days are alike,” says Joseph Rodello of Edgewater Code Enforcement. Rodello begins each day catching up on “emails and phone messages.” This usually takes the better part of an hour. However, Rodello says, “Some days, especially Mondays or after holidays there is an increase in correspondence.” Then, the day really begins when it is time for him to go out in the field. The city is divided into four quadrants. Rodello visits one section per day on a rotation. It works out really well since any violation has a 72hour response time. Since there are four quadrants to the city, this means a four-day rotation, allowing that 72 hours before he returns to the same quadrant again. This is a very busy time of year for Code Enforcement, as the most common violations tend to be weeds and litter/ garbage. While these tend to be the most common problems for this time of year, they are certainly not all that Rodello deals with. “There are follow-ups to attend to from previous cases, follow-ups associated with the aforementioned phone calls and emails, and current and possible future violations,” he explains. Trees and shrubs are not as much of a problem for Code Enforcement unless they affect a public sidewalk. The only time public sidewalks are more of an issue is during the winter when they need to be shoveled. Some lesser known violations that Code Enforcement handles are vehicles, deceased animals, graffiti and even illegally parked campers. As the City of Edgewater strives to maintain a clean, pleasant environment for
residents and businesses alike, they keep a “proactive” stance on graffiti. To enforce this, they offer residents a service to remove graffiti for free. Residents can simply fill out a Graffiti Removal Form to authorize the city to remove this type of vandalism from their property. The form is kept on file for the duration of time that the resident occupies that property. Once it is on file, it applies to any future graffiti incidents (hopefully not too many) that may occur. For the most part, Rodello keeps a good relationship and an open communication with residents and business owners. He understands that everyone is human and
busy lives can get in the way of seemingly mundane maintenance and tasks. While he may have to leave a warning for a violation or at times abatement, having a conversation with someone - either by phone or in person - usually resolves the issue. He adds that the most common issue is just unawareness. Driving between the parameters of Edgewater with Rodello, it became abundantly clear how he sees the streets thanks to his occupation. Apparently, he has it better than previous Code Enforcement did. Along with his handy-dandy Municipal Code book, he has a portable laptop and printer set-up to create violations much
quicker. This means he can have a ticket drawn up in 10 minutes. Not that Code Enforcement is trying to hand out violations like candy, but it does help them save time so they can handle more urgent situations, especially cases that may affect people’s safety. This may be situations “such as a downed power line or tree, pipe burst, or other similar problems that [need to] be addressed immediately.” According to Rodello, “2017 brought more building violations than ever before.” He adds that “Because building violations Continued on page 2
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Edgewater Artist Turns Wire and Wood into High-Voltage Creations ■ By
Ken Lutes
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hat comes to mind when you hear the words “Lichtenberg figures?” Devious characters in a spy novel? Complicated routine for ice-skaters? Slimmed-down dieters? Alas, no. Envision a lightning strike. In artistic wood-burning, electricity can be used to burn patterns that resemble lightning; these “fractal burns” are called Lichtenberg figures. A walk through a lush Edgewater backyard garden overflowing with tall sunflowers and an active beehive leads to a workshop in a single-car garage. Inside, a rock tumbler on a wooden shelf is at constant work, polishing stones, and there’s the faint aroma of burnt wood. This is where the magic happens for artist Josh Akers. When asked what he does as an artist, Akers tells people, “I do copper wire bonsai trees and Lichtenberg art. I also use aluminum wire. “I never start out with any one particular thing in mind. I like to Continued on page 12
ARTIST JOSH AKERS CREATES SCULPTURES by twisting wire and burning delicate patterns into wood with a Lichtenberg machine. PHOTO BY KEN LUTES