No More Free Rides Across 520 Bridge, Mariner’s New Signings Leave Fans Scratching Heads: SeattleIAM

This is a selection of recent popular blog articles from SeattleIAM where you will find the best blogs from Seattle, Washington as well as video uploads, social networking, rumors, and blog authoring

Gregoire Proposes 520 become a Toll Bridge

Matt Rosenberg, blogging for Cascadia Prospectus, announces that Governor Chris Gregoire wants to start collecting tolls for crossing the 520 bridge, a proposal which the legislature would have to approve. She “also indicated preliminary support for tolling the parallel I-90 bridge across Lake Washington.” Tolls collected could amount to $2 billion “for replacement of the deteriorating SR 520 span, which could fail in an earthquake or severe windstorm.” The total cost of bridge replacement is estimated at $4.4 billion, “though a new state estimate suggests the tab could be cut to $4 billion with a questionable single-pontoon design which limits future transit expansion.”

According to the post, tolls “would vary by time of day, higher during rush hours.” This kind of congestion pricing is catching on across the U.S. “Tolling the SR 520 bridge is a required condition of a federal grant which provides $138 million for the bridge rebuild and other projects.” Other tolling and congestion pricing developments, as “on the new Tacoma Narrows bridge and a pilot project starting this year on SR 167” have been promising. With a glut of “unfunded road and transit projects remaining in Puget Sound, a 52 percent population increase projected by 2040, and prospects dim for any major gas tax hikes, tolling and congestion pricing are key,” in addition to more transit choices.

Bring Capitol Hill Community Council Back to Life!

Blogging for the Miller Park Neighborhood Association, Andrew Taylor is calling for Capitol Hill residents to reviving the catatonic Capitol Hill Community Council “as a way for residents on the Hill to interact with the City” in a “unified” way. The CHCC was originally founded in 1968 and “has worked on assorted public interest issues that would have been beyond the scope of individual neighbors or more local neighborhood groups.” One of its successes listed on their website includes rallying opposition to a free-standing “cookie cutter Walgreens” at Broadway & Pine, and convincing developers to work with Capitol Hill Housing to “build a low income apartment building on the site, with a Walgreens at street level.”

As Taylor understands it, “the driving forces in the Community Council put their all into opposing the Mayor's proposal to upzone Broadway, and then moved onto other things when they failed in that effort.” Due to all the changes happening on the Hill, a neighborhood group would be helpful in order to better interact with City government. The Mayor or Councilmembers won’t come out to hear one person’s view, “but they will (and do) regularly come out to neighborhood groups to meet with people,” he states in his post.

Mariners Announce Two Free Agent Signings

In a recent post at Caffeinated Confines, a blog about the Seattle Mariners, John Shields reports that the Mariners have announced two free agent signings.  “Though these acquisitions were minor, they have caused head-scratching and shoulder-shrugging all around the Mariner blogosphere.” Miguel Cairo, brought on “to add bench depth,” signed a one year deal on Tuesday. Shields points out that “one light-hitting super utilityman” is enough and that Cairo “doesn’t have the speed or outfield ability that Willie Bloomquist” does, and will only “steal playing time from the already disgruntled utility man.” 

In addition to Cairo, the Mariners “re-signed reliever Chris Reitsma to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training… to add bullpen depth and Spring Training competition, along with a veteran presence.” Reisma did come cheap, although Seattle already has “right handed depth going into Spring Training with J.J. Putz, Brandon Morrow, Mark Lowe, Jon Huber … and other long relief candidates.” Veteran presence is a good thing, but not entirely necessary. Shields “recaps” the signings in his post by stating that “the Cairo signing is completely pointless… [but] Reitsma is actually a pretty good low-risk signing.”

More Money for Money Management Firm

In John Cook’s Venture Blog, Cook announces that the Seattle Investment Company The Sienna Group “is investing $40 million in Freestone Capital Management, a wealth management firm whose clients include several Microsoft millionaires.” This investment allows Freestone “to open a second West Coast office this year” in addition to providing more “investment opportunities in real estate and private equity.” Freestone has $2 billion in assets under management, and is one of 30 largest independent wealth management firms in the U.S.

According to the post, Sienna is led by Scott Svenson, co-founder of Seattle Coffee Co., “which was sold to Starbucks in 1998.” Gary Furukawa, former financial consultant with Salomon Smith Barney, founded Freestone in 1999. The Sienna Group has not disclosed “what percentage of Freestone it now owns.”

About SeattleIAM

SeattleIAM is part of a groundbreaking network of city-focused blog aggregation, user generated media and social networking websites currently rolling out across North America. Each IAM website filters and organizes blog content as well as offering video upload capabilities, social networking, blog authoring, favourites lists and rumours. The IAM Network is a division of SoMedia Networks Inc which also operates Inveslogic.com, Greenedia.com, Healthedia.com and Blabaloo.com. For more information or to register an account, visit SeattleIAM.com.