West Seattle food news: Skillet gets the boot again

After three busy hours last Sunday in the Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) courtyard – a backup location after Diamond Parking told Skillet Street Food they couldn’t park next to the West Seattle Farmers’ Market after all – Skillet has been told they can’t come back for an encore. This is according to Hotwire’s Lora Lewis, who tells WSB that while the property owner gave permission for last week’s Skillet appearance, they have now canceled that permission. Whether Skillet will be anywhere in West Seattle this Sunday, therefore, is up in the air. We are making calls to see what else we can find out.

UPDATE 3:02 PM: Just talked to Josh from Skillet, who says, “We’ll be somewhere in West Seattle on Sunday, we just don’t know where yet.”

5:47 PM UPDATE: Regarding the West Seattle Junction Association‘s role in whether Skillet will be able to find a Junction home, we called Susan Melrose at WSJA to ask their position. Here’s her reply:

It’s great to see so much interest in the shiny silver Skillet! This is all very new to the Junction Association and we’re still figuring out a few things. There are factors which include that we’re a Business Improvement Area where each merchant is taxed and how does a mobile business fit into that model; the Junction Association has an agreement with the Farmers Market which addresses selling prepared foods; and also where might the best spot be? We are still waiting to get clarification from the City. Our mission is to make a fun, attractive and clean shopping district with free parking for West Seattle and once we get more information, we’ll figure out how Skillet can fit in.

shed22 April 30, 2009 (2:06 pm)

They can park in back of my home. Unfortunately, I do not live in a highly visible location.

growl April 30, 2009 (2:14 pm)

Shame on You property owners and the renters. :(

Buddsmom April 30, 2009 (2:16 pm)

This is sooooo lame! What’s the problem?

alki_2008 April 30, 2009 (2:28 pm)

It would be interesting to know what the reason for the “booting” would be? Does the trailer utilize utilities that the property owner has to pay for, does the trailer use up too many parking spaces, did the neighborhood restauranteurs complain, or is the ever present liability issue? The property owner’s insurance carrier may not cover having Skillet on their property, in which case I wouldn’t fault the property owner.

mom3 April 30, 2009 (2:32 pm)

My guess is that they take away from the restaurants and establishments in the Junction area that serve quality food, pay rent and also have to pay overhead costs related to the structures they operate in – not to mention the Junction dues etc they pay to be part of the West Seattle retail community. It would be great if there were a way to have these “mobile” establishments be able to be intergrated in to the neighborhood and asked to play a role as other West Seattle based businesses do – that way the spirit of having them in the ‘hood would be positive all around. I myself was really looking forward to checking Skillet out and hope this can be resolved.

b\'smomma April 30, 2009 (2:35 pm)

More than welcome to park at my place! I hope something works out! I want a skillet bacon jam burger and fries SOOOOOO bad!! There’s the BIG EMPTY Huling Bros. lot!

JBL April 30, 2009 (2:36 pm)

WHAT?? Why? What is going on? What about parking in front of the future WF aka “the big hole in the ground?” At least that space would get some great use.

grr April 30, 2009 (2:40 pm)

WTF??? Which namby pamby whiner complained?? Get a freakin life. Good lord. Something fun and interesting comes to our hood for a few hours and someone complains? Hanging with everyone for a few nice hours at Skillet was a BLAST.

Yup..those Huling lots would be good. Or by the boat launch on Alki. Or in front of my house. Fine by me. SHEEESH.

lg April 30, 2009 (2:42 pm)

nooooooooooooooo!

Wylie_snoop April 30, 2009 (2:46 pm)

Park @ PCC

christopherboffoli April 30, 2009 (2:48 pm)

Hmm. I wonder if the owners of the lot got word of how well Skillet did and wanted a piece of the till.

ale April 30, 2009 (2:51 pm)

This is awful news! I was SO excited to go to the farmers market then SSF afterwards! This totally bums me out and I hope that SSF can find another home in WS. It would be a shame to not have them in our neighborhood!

MrJT April 30, 2009 (3:00 pm)

We need Guerrilla Skillet !

west seattle golfer April 30, 2009 (3:02 pm)

How about the Rite Aid parking lot further South on California? That lot is almost never full, especially on a Sunday.

rockergirl April 30, 2009 (3:03 pm)

They should find out about parking in the WA MU Drive through area – we could drive up and order! Seriously though there must be some way to get them a dedicated place to park on Sundays in West Seattle so we can enjoy there food.

alki_2008 April 30, 2009 (3:16 pm)

@mom3 – I agree, there’s probably a lot of behind the scenes things and city regulations that restrict Skillet from just showing up and serving food wherever seems convenient. They could do tons of business at the Harbor Ave/Alki Ave juncture during the summer, but I’m sure the city doesn’t just allow food to be served ‘just anywhere’ that has space. Besides the city regulations, there are probably legal/insurance issues that we just haven’t heard about.

Mike April 30, 2009 (3:23 pm)

I’d assume it’s the same issues they’ve had before. Local restaurants don’t want them around without paying the high costs of having an establishment that is not mobile.

Mike April 30, 2009 (3:24 pm)

This is giving them more publicity that they could ever ask for…

growl April 30, 2009 (3:29 pm)

Boo Hoo. Poor West 5 & Shadowlands affraid of a little mobile restaurant coming into the Junction for 4 hours and making better food. Poor freakin babies. Its no wonder hundreds of people walked right by your restaurants for take out food.

Mike April 30, 2009 (3:38 pm)

I’d counter the claim that skillets has better food. It’s alright, but IMHO it’s not worth what they charge.

Ian April 30, 2009 (3:40 pm)

Park ’em near the Beveridge Place:)

Born-N-Raised April 30, 2009 (3:58 pm)

Park it at the Alki Homestead! They aren’t doing anything with their property….

furryfaces April 30, 2009 (4:08 pm)

Who rained on this event? The Skillet even had vegetarian fare this weekend, which I was looking forward to since I’ll be volunteering at the Mother’s Day Hanging Basket Sale in the Hotwire Courtyard. In fact, the first thing The Skillet did last week was post one of Furry Faces flyers! Thanks to Lora for making it happen at least once. I’m very disappointed with whoever put the kabash on it…

The Beveridge Place Pub is a great idea. We love them too! Teri

WHAT??? April 30, 2009 (4:23 pm)

This does not look good for the Junction. If it brings people into the area, the non food businesses might actually gain from it!!

RS April 30, 2009 (4:26 pm)

The city does have some weird regs about food carts and trucks. For example, there is currently a ban on food trucks in the downtown area and carts are only allowed to sell a very limited set of items like hot dogs and espresso- things that don’t have to be cooked. Hopefully some progress will be made and we will see a growing food truck culture here like in Portland!!

villa April 30, 2009 (5:06 pm)

i cant believe a few whiners are allowed to spoil it for everyone. Last Sunday was so much fun, and the food was so delicious, it was a real treat for everyone after a rough week, or a rough saturday night in my case. Whoever complained about Skillet should be ashamed and embarrassed that their petty complaints ruined a good time for everyone.

zero-to-life in West Seattle April 30, 2009 (5:23 pm)

Hey, head up South and park in the lot at Southwest Community Center and Pool!

Gatewood Too April 30, 2009 (5:40 pm)

Waitaminute. So a guy tries to do what dozens of local taco trucks have been doing for years, but he only does it for a couple hours once a week, and our neighborhood (and restauranteurs) put up a fuss? Is that what I’m hearing?

http://www.lostacotrucks.com/seattle/

It’s a novelty folks, not a threat. Something like this brings people to the area. Three hours once a week can’t possibly cause that big of a financial downturn for other restauranteurs.

Can’t speak for the food since i wasn’t there, but jeez people, give him a chance!

celeste17 April 30, 2009 (6:14 pm)

What about the parking area between shoo fly pie and the vet building? I would think this would work.

Still would like to know why the landlord won’t let skillet use the courtyard. TR any luck in finding an answer?

hopey April 30, 2009 (6:22 pm)

I think folks who have never owned a business severely underestimate the liability issues involved. I suspect at least one aspect of the problem — if not THE problem — is that the landlord found out their liability insurance does not sufficiently cover having a mobile kitchen preparing and serving hot food on their property.
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That said, I’m another one who wonders why they can’t just camp out by the Whole Foods Big Hole.

JanS April 30, 2009 (6:28 pm)

and what’s wrong with the Admiral District? We could use a little excitement up here :)

growl April 30, 2009 (6:50 pm)

Oh, now the merchants association wants to play. Gee, to much news in the media? Now skillet might have a fit? Are you smoking crack?

Need them to pay you a cut too and you’ll let them stay? Oh my just a tad greety these days are we?

LyndaB April 30, 2009 (7:02 pm)

alki homestead is a good idea!

so are the huling lots.

if you want to keep it a junction function, Bank of America is closed on sundays…

that’s just to followup on my previous suggestion at westwood village but they might also have issue if they have empty storefronts (do they?). yay, for fun eaterys.

WTF April 30, 2009 (7:24 pm)

No kidding!? Who rained on this parade? Shame on them… especially when people seem to be coming together to help businesses weather the storm. The old car lots around the Junction could use ye’ ol’ Skillet! Much better than looking at an empty, low grade, ghetto parking lot!

ArborHeightsMom April 30, 2009 (7:27 pm)

This booting is so unrepresentative of West Seattle. I fear the other posters are right: the Junction may be exerting a poor sport practices. Other locale ideas: Across from Lincoln Park on Fauntleroy, love the Huling lot idea, that place needs some positive karma. Junction: step up and benefit from the fact Skillet will bring in more foot traffic!

Max April 30, 2009 (7:31 pm)

The Merchant Association response was the wimpiest thing I have read in a long time. So, Susan Melrose, do the merchants want Skillet here or not? Sounds like you all are squabbling. The rest of the city, from Fremont to SODO to Columbia City, has figured out how to make Skillet welcome. It can’t be that hard, especially since Skillet seems to have been working on this for over a month! And as far as free parking, maybe nobody has noticed that all street parking city-wide is free on Sunday, when Skillet will be here?

Eddie April 30, 2009 (7:56 pm)

Everyone wants to cry and complain about how “someone else” is developing “their” junction, and how “the city” wants to squeeze on parking” and all the other complaints.

Nobody seems to remember that those free parking lots are owned by the junction association, and cost the merchants who belong to the association dearly. The lots aren’t free, the junction merchants are paying for them for your convenience. Why should those same merchants pay for the space of a competitor, or at the least, a merchant who isn’t going to contribute to paying for those lots, for the extra services that something like the farmers market requires, etc.

Everyone is so free to call out the bad bad merchants (West 5 and Shadowland were mentioned by name, but I’m betting that neither one complained) or the stupid city, but in fact, the property belongs to the merchants, they can do with it what they want. The city regs are put in place by those we elect and support – don’t like ’em, vote ’em out and get the regs changed.

Quit whining about what other people want to do with their property and business. When you have a business or some property that you want to turn over to the public will, have at it.

PS – why not get that trailer set up in that grassy area north of Rocksport? The long promised park…….

onceachef April 30, 2009 (7:57 pm)

More bureaucratic BS…sheesh.

charlabob April 30, 2009 (7:59 pm)

It’s pretty obvious *to me* that WSJA was behind the eviction and, when caught, they came up with their response. Kind of like, “I’m sorry if this offended anyone.”

Trust me, a strong community response will bring them back as a valued member of the junction business community. After all, they want to make it a “fun” and profitable place. And some skilleteers will probably shop in other junction emporiums.

It would be interesting to learn how the skillet dealt with this in other areas.

WSB April 30, 2009 (8:03 pm)

Josh did not want to comment further on the situation when we talked by phone, beyond “we’ll be SOMEWHERE.” We expect to hear fast when that “somewhere” is nailed down but anyone watching for bulletins is advised to watch his twitter feed
http://twitter.com/skilletstfood
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It may be down to the wire.

MJ April 30, 2009 (8:10 pm)

The trailer is here for three hours on a Sunday, so this is a pretty lame response. I’m disappointed in the WSJA. I hope they rethink their position and come up with a way (Quick!) to work with Skillet before we lose out to some other neighborhood that is more welcoming.

kittylove April 30, 2009 (10:40 pm)

the company that i work for downtown has to pay a LOT in taxes for every parking space on its property. since the WSJA is paying for the lot, i can understand why they wouldnt want an “outside” business taking that space without any cost.

maybe if the skillet decided to make the farmer’s market a permanent location, they could work out an agreement with the WSJA to contribute a pro-rated amount of dues?

if they are as great as all of you seem to think they are, the amount of business the location would generate would more than justify the investment.

pigeonmom May 1, 2009 (12:58 am)

Ex Huling lot is a great idea.
Lots of parking and no other food
competition in the area.

alki_2008 May 1, 2009 (1:05 am)

@hopey, @eddie – great, sensible responses. ——- I’m really surprised how many people are assuming the circumstances around this issue. Has anyone confirmed that Skillet had to leave because other junction businesses complained? It’s really disappointing to see so many accusatory assumptions based on nothing but conjecture. If Skillet wants to run their business somewhere, then there’s no reason they shouldn’t pay for space/utilities/etc just as every business does. If they’re not paying, then they should. It’s unrealistic to expect that they can just pull into any un-used space for free and run their business, especially if it’s property owned by a private individual/business. Such things take time to set up and insure. It’s not as simple as just driving up on a Sunday and parking.

lush May 1, 2009 (6:27 am)

the tenant must be so miserable :( thats sad… Lets have it in my yard!! i would love it!

m May 1, 2009 (6:38 am)

WHY COMPLAIN just for once a week for Skillets to come and serve great customers in this location? I know Skillets is not going to hurt or compete other businesses… PLS stop whining even though it is not your place to tell them to get lost. No way!!! I do welcome this Skillets – awesome foods!!! if you order it with your whining. HUSH! Let everyone enjoy their munch and shop in Farmer Market… Hurling Bros would be best place… plenty of space to use. Come back SKILLETS!!!!!!!!!!!!

KT May 1, 2009 (7:47 am)

Good heavens this is ridiculous. WSJA should be absolutely ashamed at the double speek goobly gook their spokeperson mumbled to the West Seattle blog. Admit it, you don’t want them here. They are here three hours and the sky is falling.

ArborHeightsMom May 1, 2009 (8:10 am)

OK Merchant association: ask Skillet to pay a charge for parking in your lot. It’s true that one of the great things about WS is the free parking in the Junction, totally get the need to preserve that. But, let’s be thoughtful about your foot traffic and what it will mean for your businesses.

swimcat May 1, 2009 (8:32 am)

I’m guessing the reason for this is because of lease language and insurance issues. If I were the property owner, I’d pull the plug too until I was reasonably sure there wasn’t a major liability issue with having Skillet set up shop. If something were to happen during those four hours, the property owner or junction association could be screwed. I’m sure this is not some evil conspiracy to keep Skillet away.

KBear May 1, 2009 (8:44 am)

Skillet would absolutely compete with existing Junction businesses. Places like Taqueria Guaymas and Husky Deli already serve quick, delicious food, but they also subsidize the “free” parking. The Junction Association has every right to be concerned about the impact of food trucks. And I didn’t think their message was “wimpy” or “lame” in at all. They fully recognize the appeal of Skillet, but they want to make sure it benefits everyone, including the businesses that are already there.

Leroy May 1, 2009 (8:55 am)

I fully agree with Swimcat and KBear…and all this outrage over food? A lot of energy here that could be going to something more productive.

Stephanie May 1, 2009 (9:39 am)

http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ehs/foodsafety/~/media/health/publichealth/documents/foodsafety/2009MobilePlanGuide.ashx

Stephanie May 1, 2009 (9:54 am)

How about the 7-11 parking lot right on the corner of cali & erskine/edmunds? I’m curious whether or not they have permits from the city to move from place to place and how that all works. hmmm

grr May 1, 2009 (10:23 am)

thanks for the link, Stephanie…One might assume that since Skillett has been in operation for quite sometime, they’ve already recieved all the blessings and proper permitting from the city, and fully abide by all the rules/regs listed in that PDF.

and I agree with those who said the Junction Association’s response is lame. Complete tap-dancing.

alki_2008 May 1, 2009 (10:49 am)

OMG! Does anyone complaining here actually KNOW FOR A FACT that the merchant complaints were the reason Skillet had to leave? Geesh!

KBear May 1, 2009 (10:58 am)

Well they were forced to leave, so it MUST have been some do-badder with evil intentions. There couldn’t POSSIBLY be any reasonable explanation for depriving the poor starving people of West Seattle of their Skillet food.

alki_2008 May 1, 2009 (10:58 am)

Great link Stephanie. Of particular interest is Section E on page 7 – “Site Location/Itinerary”. Changes to itineraries require approval by Public Health, and restroom availability is required within 200 ft of ANY location they’re at for more than 1 hr.

WSB May 1, 2009 (11:09 am)

FYI for anyone following the saga in comments, there’s no new location YET but we have just forwarded word we received of one potential offer. So if you’re interested, keep an eye on WSB over the weekend or via Twitter (@westseattleblog) and Facebook (WS Blog) and we’ll publish a new update whenever there is word of a new location (or if it turns out that nothing new works out) … TR

hopey May 1, 2009 (11:32 am)

the Junction Association has an agreement with the Farmers Market which addresses selling prepared foods
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This seems like a pretty significant restriction to me. If the WSJA has an exclusive CONTRACT with the Farmers Market group/association which states they are the only ones authorized to sell prepared foods on WSJA-supported or -owned property, then that’s a pretty strong LEGAL reason to boot Skillet.
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The ex-Huling property would indeed be a great location, but they’d have to open up access to the restrooms or bring in porta-potties, which I doubt they’re willing to do.
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That said, I do hope they’re able to resolve the issues. I didn’t get to try them last weekend, and had been looking forward to doing so this weekend.

grr May 1, 2009 (11:48 am)

hopey..I think that the parking lot in question (the Hotwire/Dentist/Rental home) is a PRIVATE lot owned by an individual, NOT the WSJA, and therefore the WSJA should have no say in the matter.

and Hotwire has a restroom available. So that’s a non-issue.

– (wsb..please correct me if I’m wrong here)

grr May 1, 2009 (11:50 am)

and…I second the other comment that Skillet might just want to find a spot up in the Admrial District. I’m sure they’d love the extra publicity and revenue.

hopey May 1, 2009 (11:54 am)

@grr– well then, I’m back to thinking the land owner discovered that their liability insurance did not cover hot/grilled food being prepared and served on their premises.
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Hey, wouldn’t Big Al’s brewery have space for the Skillet truck? Parking and bathrooms would be covered, though technically I think Big Al’s is outside the Seattle city limits…

sam May 1, 2009 (12:04 pm)

Big Al’s lot- yes- somewhere, any where. If the (wonderful) taco truck is legally able to operate down there, then Skillet should too.

I still don’t really understand what the problem is, other neighborhoods are able to host Skillet just fine….

grr May 1, 2009 (12:05 pm)

maybe, hopey..but I don’t think so..I would think the land owner would have checked into that before allowing the first one to happen. Must be something else.

none the less..I hope Josh is encouraged by all the positive feedback on this forum, and I’m looking forward to Sunday, wherever he ends up!

alki_2008 May 1, 2009 (12:43 pm)

@grr – did the property owner give permission to Skillet to be there last week, or was it just Hotwire? Seems pretty presumptious to me that we’re all assuming what happened, when none of us actually KNOWs.

WSB May 1, 2009 (12:51 pm)

Lora says permission was granted by her landlord. Then said permission was rescinded yesterday. That much I can tell you. As for the Junction Association regarding the previous location, the statement above is in its entirety what we have – but that is regarding the original location (and maybe a future one, who knows), NOT the Hotwire-neighboring courtyard – TR

JsJ May 1, 2009 (12:55 pm)

This is so ridiculous. Skillet has been all over different areas of Seattle. And in WEST SEATTLE where we all pride ourselves on our amazing sense of COMMUNITY we can’t get it together for 4 HOURS ONE DAY A WEEK! How embarassing for all of us. This was a great opportunity to bring people together, have some really good food, and hang out in a lot that has served MANY other community events. What about the west seattle garage sales and the fun summer Sidewalk Cinema that happens there and brings a huge crowd? Those things are ok, but when really yummy food is involved we tell them to get the heck out of there? WTF! Skillet is awesome! It wasn’t taking away from any local businesses, only bringing even MORE people to experience the greatness of the junction! SHAME ON THE NEGATIVITY AND COMPLAINING. Way to represent WEST SEATTLE!!!!!!

hopey May 1, 2009 (1:02 pm)

Ya know, I don’t really mean to come across as argumentative, but I believe it is easy for folks who have not owned businesses to underestimate the complexity of liability and risk evaluation.
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At 8:52pm on April 23, Skillet posted on Twitter that they had lost their West Seattle location. By 1:15pm the following day, they posted that Lora had offered the Hotwire location. In my experience, as a business owner who has carried liability insurance and has had to assess the risk of new business ideas and whether it is covered by that liability insurance, 12 hours overnight and 4 business hours afterward is not enough time for most people to accurately assess the liability risk. Unless they have an unusually responsive insurance agent, I doubt they got an answer back that same day. Again, this is based in my own experience as a business owner carrying liability insurance.
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I also agree with alki_2008: we don’t know whether Hotwire actually checked with their landlord. That adds another layer of time and effort; Hotwire has business liability insurance for their company, and then the landlord has their own liability insurance on top of that. Which insurance covers what? Who inked the agreement, Hotwire or the landlord? The questions go on. I am not in any way trying to suggest that Lora at Hotwire or the guys at Skillet did anything wrong. I am simply offering that the situation is not straightforward.
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Owning a business property and running a business on that property is far more complex than most people realize. Adding something like Skillet to the property takes a lot of coordination, especially when it’s the tenant and not the land owner who wants the mobile food service to be on the property.

alki_2008 May 1, 2009 (1:13 pm)

@WSB – thanks for the clarification. —————- @hopey – great perspective on the issue. —————- Interesting that the move to a new location was so quick, as I’d be surprised that a new location could be approved by Public Health in less than a day…which, according to the doc Stephanie linked, is required whenever an approved location is changed. —————- Sure, it sucks that Skillet is having a difficult time finding a more permanent spot in West Seattle, but can’t we all just stop finding someone to blame the situation on? —————- Sun’s out…can’t we all just get along?

JsJ May 1, 2009 (1:18 pm)

What about liability for the other community events that take place on the exact same lot? Sidewalk Cinema is located there and brings in 50+ people every single time. There will be tables set up in that lot for the West Seattle garage sale and you can imagine the foot traffic that will bring in, who doesn’t love a garage sale? Hotwire has been there for close to 7 years, I’d say Lora is much more business smart than to offer a location without first asking the property owner.

hopey May 1, 2009 (1:41 pm)

Sidewalk Cinema is not operating a kitchen and serving hot food. Garage sale tables are not operating a kitchen and serving hot food.
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Clearly we now know that Lora did ask her landlord. What we do not know is the terms her landlord offered. It may have been conditional: “you can do it this weekend, but I need more time to research before I can say yes to every weekend.” That seems reasonable to me, and is what I would have offered if Lora were my tenant. After that, the next steps would have been for the land owner to do their due diligence: contacting the insurance company(s) and getting their ok; contacting Public Health to ensure Skillet had all the proper permits and permissions, and to find out what the land owner’s responsibilities were; maybe contacting the Fire Chief to understand the risk of having a hot kitchen and grill on site… Each of these steps provides an opportunity for the land owner to say “No, sorry, I can’t accept that risk on a long-term basis.”
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In my experience as a business property owner with business tenants, it is completely unreasonable to think that a landlord could do a thorough investigation and evaluation of the liability and risk over the course of one business day. These things take time, and involve checks with other people and agencies who may not be immediately available, or who need time to do their own research.
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Again, I am not saying that Lora did anything wrong. But as a business property owner, the reasonable conjecture is that the land owner gave a conditional approval, which was then revoked upon further research. It’s unfortunate, but sometimes you have to tell your business tenants “No” to their great idea. Believe me, I’ve done it myself.
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Bottom line here is that I feel it’s unreasonable to say there is some kind of “conspiracy” afoot regarding the Hotwire location. It’s just business. The risk was too high or the cost was too great — or both — and the land owner wasn’t willing to assume the risk and/or cost.

JsJ May 1, 2009 (2:37 pm)

wow, even with the preface you definitely are coming across as argumentative. but it paid off because you’re absolutely right! i don’t know anything about owning property and i can see how there are many problems you could run into with codes and insurance and whatever. but i do believe in conspiracies too! nobody can say for sure what happened except for those directly involved with the issue, so every single post on here is just speculation (including what i have to say).

hopey May 1, 2009 (2:53 pm)

I can come across as somewhat strident online when it’s something I’m confident in and passionate about. I try my best to soften it, but it’s just who I am. I’m glad you were able to stick it out and understand my point. :) You’d be amazed how much liability insurance costs in general, and especially for hot kitchens, grills, etc.

growl May 1, 2009 (3:03 pm)

it’s really cool to see so much chatter and so many points of view about a topic.

WSB May 1, 2009 (3:04 pm)

We’d agree with that. While ‘taping’ a show on Seattle Channel yesterday, our main purpose was to discuss what people were saying here about the city budget, and we bragged about the Fire Station 37 comment thread in which people were presenting research, links, thoughtful discussion … though sometimes comment threads can get a little heated or go off the rails, the thoughtful discussion, research, information exchange, story advancement happens a LOT more than some might think! And thanks to everyone for that … TR

Admiral-Hiawatha May 4, 2009 (2:21 pm)

i heard its was pretty much just one persons fault, no small business owner and no property owners, just one single spoil sport that ruined the fun for all…………a normal citzen that didnt like it in our neighborhood, they must have no sense of community. any small business owner would love the oppurtunity to increase business especially in this economy. oh well one bad apple ruins the bunch…………..Atleast we got our Skillet back!

Sorry, comment time is over.