Pike Place Market

THE MARKET INSIDER

Notice of PC-1 North Impacts; Comment by May 16

The PDA Charter requires public disclosure and a review process for actions that may have a substantial effect on Market merchants, tenants, residents and others in the Market community, and this includes projects like the construction that is being planned as part of the PC-1 North development and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) parking mitigation.

The process requires that we  provide a 45-day community notification prior to votes taken by the PDA Council, that we provide an analysis of possible impact to the community at least 31 days in advance, and that we compile and respond to public comments.

The written analysis has been completed and  includes exhibits about the development and our agreements with the City of Seattle and with WSDOT regarding parking mitigation. It is available at the PDA office and below. A five page summary of the analysis has also been prepared.
Written Analysis - 195 page document
Summary of the Analysis - 5 page document

The PDA Council will accept public comments on their proposed actions at a meeting on Thursday, May 16 at 5:00 p.m. in the Elliott Bay Room. Written questions and comments will also be accepted until May 16 at 5:00 p.m. in order to be included in the PDA written response.

Written responses to community questions and comments will be available at the PDA offices no later than May 24.
The PDA Council will consider the written response to questions and comments prior to taking action at its meeting on May 30 at 4:00 p.m. in the Elliott Bay Room. The PDA Council will take action to approve or disapprove the proposed actions at this meeting.

Further information about the PC-1 North project can be found here.

Guidelines Begin May 1 for Tour Groups in the Market

Beginning May 1, we are requiring businesses that conduct walking tours in the Market to be registered with the PDA, to provide insurance  coverage, and to agree to rules to minimize conflicts with commercial business. 
The new permit for tour leaders is required when they are escorting walking tours inside Market building. When obtaining the pass, the tour leaders are agreeing to:

• Display their permit at all times when leading a tour in the Market.
• Become familiar with historical information and current operations of the Market.
• Ensure that tour groups do not block store entrances or hallways from regular business traffic.
• Not lead tour groups into businesses without approval from the business manager.
• Limit their signage to an 8 inch circle or less.

If you notice a problem with a tour group, please quietly introduce yourself to the guide and let them know of the issue.  If the problem is unresolved, please take down the name of the tour and the tour guide, the date and time, the location, and a short description of the incident and forward the information to John Turnbull or Allison Krueger at the PDA office.

Registration for tour organizations and guides is available at the PDA office Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

188 Cruise Ships Expected this Summer

The Port of Seattle has announced the 2013 summer cruise schedule, which is available on their website at www.portofseattle.org/cruise/.

A total of 188 cruises are expected from May 1 - September 30, with 852,000 passengers. This is slightly down from last year, when 202 vessels were in town.

According to the Port, each time a homeport ship docks, it contributes $2.1 million to the local economy. Seattle’s cruise business accounts for $381 million in annual business revenue and over $16.5 million annually in state and local taxes.

Coffee with Ben

Have a comment or concern, or just want to hear what’s happening? PDA Executive Director Ben Franz-Knight will hold an occasional coffee gathering and we hope you’ll stop by. The first one will be Friday, May 17 from 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. in the Elliott Bay Room. Please join Ben for coffee!

Flower Festival May 11 - 12

Celebrate the arrival of spring at this annual Mother’s Day weekend event. Forty  flower tents will line the cobblestone street of Pike Place on Saturday and Sunday. Craft a unique Mother’s Day card in our card making booth. Local gardening expert Ciscoe Morris will share gardening tips at 2:00 p.m.

Restoring Highstall Signage

The Friends of the Market are raising funds to restore  some historical signs above the highstalls in the Main Arcade. The hand painted signs are from the 1950’s and are fragile—mainly thin paint on fiber board—and have been part of the Market for over 50 years, surviving several building renovations. The PDA replaced one missing sign at Arcade 2 over  15 years ago. The Friends of the Market will interview sign painters, make recommendations for restoration, and manage the work under a contract with the PDA.

Merchant News

Randy Finley is now partnering with William and Jennifer Kimmerly to revitalize the Market Cellar Winery’s tasting room on Western Avenue just south of the Hillclimb. They provide wine tasting and sales of locally produced wine.  Drop by to see the beautiful custom aged oak tables, chairs and walls; their relaxed environment is perfect for sharing wine with a friend.

The wayfinding signage project is continuing to progress.  Visitor feedback is actively being gathered as two of the three the prototypes have been installed since late March. The third sign, the Market Level 4 header prototype, will now be installed over the ramp by City Fish while the logistics of reorganizing the 4th Level Hillclimb entrance is pursued. Pending MHC approval, we anticipate advertising for a sign company to manufacture and install the signs. With the understanding that there are several approval steps between now and the installation of the signs, the signs are on target to be installed by September or early October.

Market Fresh Highstall Coupons expire May 31—that’s the last day to accept them from customers. They are due to the PDA office by June 27 for reimbursement.

Daystall News

June - September Rates
Mon - Thurs $12.55
Fridays     $28.55
Saturdays $33.55
Sundays   $31.55

Closing Times
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from June - September, daystall permit holders must stay open until 5:00 p.m. (other days are 4:00 p.m.) and need to  be off the tables by 7:00 p.m.

Daystall Meeting & Coffee
Topic: Summer overflow usage
When: Thursday, May 9, 8:00 a.m. on the Desimone Bridge

Save the date: the Daystall Appreciation Breakfast will be Friday, June 7.

Arcade Lights Sells Out with Over 1,200 Guests

On April 19, the PDA and Market Foundation hosted its most successful Arcade Lights yet, with a sold-out event featuring 70 local and regional vendors serving sweet and savory artisan foods, craft beer, wine and specialty drinks. A host of volunteers helped make this event of 1,200 guests run smoothly. The event raised over $11,800 for the Market Foundation.

Market Renovation Leads to Melting Ice and Saving Energy

For years, PDA staff pondered how to dispose of large quantities of ice used by the Market’s fish markets in a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly way than putting it into our general garbage. As part of Market renovation improvements, we created a tank that melts all of the fish market ice that used to go down the garbage chute. We started using it late last summer with full use beginning in November.

The stainless steel ice tank is located on the Market loading dock on Western Avenue.  The 256 cubic foot tank has warming pipes in its base that are plumbed into the Market’s central plant. The water in these pipes continually runs at an average of 70 degrees. The tank is filled with 900 gallons of water to a level just above the pipes; the water quickly reaches the same temperature as the pipes.

The fish markets use half-yard carts to change out their ice. The PDA Facilities crew conveys each cart (weighing 800 pounds when full) down the Fairley freight elevator to dump into the ice melting tank; the ice melts within two hours.  The tank is drained in the morning and the melted water is filtered prior to entering the sewage system for treatment. 

In March, we melted 100 tons of ice that would have previously been dumped down the chute, compacted, and charged to the Market as garbage. Our garbage bill in March 2013 reflected 31 tons of garbage less than in March 2012. We are spending more time in labor and we are buying environmentally friendly enzymes to help eliminate a strong odor that initially occurred from the fish ice being kept at a constant seventy degree temperature.

Saving on garbage costs is only part of the story. The melted ice allows us to take energy that is usually wasted, reclaim  it, and use it in other parts of the Market to heat and cool spaces through our new central plant’s condenser loop—which is a system of pipes that run throughout the Market’s buildings in a circular pattern.

Steve Nelson, the PDA’s Operations Director, explains the process: “The condenser loop cools refrigeration equipment on the loop—such as our large coolers, which were changed from air cooled to water cooled during renovation—as well as the central plant’s heat pumps. Heat is picked up from equipment on the loop and the loop heats up, but then the ice’s energy helps cool the loop down—keeping it in the necessary temperature range. This process reduces cooling tower run times and reduces the energy needed to run these large cooling towers.”

It’s a true recycling story: what starts as day-old ice ends up helping the Market save energy and add longevity to the equipment in our heating and cooling system.

Market Foundation Cuts the Pie: Distributes $740,500 to Market Services

The Market Foundation recently held their annual event to “Cut the Pie” of funds raised last year to support the variety of services for our low-income neighbors in and around the Market. The Market Foundation doled out $740,500 this year and is proud to have granted more than $19 million to the Market’s human service and heritage programs over the years. Here’s the break-down of grants awarded given in April:

• Pike Market Medical Clinic received $265,000, which is enough to cover the unfunded healthcare costs of 13,250 visits or 50% of total visits to Pike Market Medical Clinic.
• Pike Market Senior Center was awarded $183,000 to cover more than 30% of their operating funds for the next year including its breakfast, lunch, wellness activities, employment services and case management.
• Pike Market Preschool received $175,000 to fund tuition assistance for 30 families.
• Pike Market Food Bank received $65,000 to cover the cost of 12,160 visits to the Food Bank.
• Market Fresh Coupons received a $25,000 grant. These “Market Bucks” enable low-income people to access fresh fruits and vegetables in the Market.
• The Market’s new SNAP Matching program received a $10,000 grant. This will double the purchasing power for our low-income neighbors when food stamps are used for produce at farm tables in the Market.
• Heritage House in the Market received $15,000 to improve the quality of life for our frailest seniors.
• The Community Safety Net Fund received $2,500 to assist our Market neighbors with emergency financial assistance.

Thank you to the Market community for all of the many ways you support the work of the Market Foundation. Together, we feed the hungry, care for the sick, educate the kids, and find homes for those without—all right here at Pike Place Market.

Rooftop Garden to Benefit Market Food Bank this Summer

The Market’s very own vegetable garden is now located on the roof of the LaSalle Building, just outside of Maximilien’s outdoor dining space. Built by the PDA and our VISTA volunteers, 16 - 18 different crops will be grown in the garden boxes shown above. This summer, the harvest will go to the Market Food Bank. Questions? Write to urbangarden@pikeplacemarket.org or call Suzanne Spencer at 774-5255.

Staff Comings & Goings

Welcome to Larry Mason, Market House Residential Manager, and Jose Hernandez, Custodian. Darryl Dimmer has moved from a Custodian position to Assistant Residential Manager. Farewell and best wishes to Armando Castillo, former Assistant Residential Manager.

PDA Meetings & Events

All meetings are in the Elliott Bay Room (2nd floor of the Economy Building).
May 7  Waterfront Redevelopment:  5:00 p.m.
May 9  Market Programs:  4:00 p.m.
May 13  Asset Management:  4:30 p.m.
May 16  Waterfront Redevelopment:  5:00 p.m.
May 21  Finance:  4:30 p.m.
May 22  Executive:  4:30 p.m. 
May 30  PDA Council:  4:00 p.m. 

Downtown Conventions

May 5 - 9
Association for Research in Vision & Opthalmology
11,000 attendees

May 13 - 16
International Customer Management/Annual Call Center Exhibition
2,500 attendees

May 15 - 17
International Living Future Institute unConference
1,000 attendees

May 17 - 21
American Society of Transpant Surgeons Congress
4,200 attendees

May 30 - June 7
Electrical & Electronics Engineers International Microwave Symposium
12,000 attendees

Need more info?

Call the PDA office if you have questions or need more information. 206.682.7453

Read previous editions of Market Insider:

2013: January, February, March

2012: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2011: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December