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Serving Queen Anne & Magnolia Since 1919 www.QueenAnneNews.com
JULY 23, 2025
VOL. 106, NO. 30
Summer camp for art and animal conservation
& QueenAnne&Magnolia news QueenAnne
Staff Report
This summer, Queen Anne artist and animal conservationist Casey Ailes is turning her studio into something extraordinary: a creative haven where kids can explore art, animals, and activism all at once. Known for her richly layered animal portraits and deep commitment to conservation, Ailes is opening her doors to young artists for a one-of-a-kind summer experience. “Opening my studio to children allows me to teach not only my artistic process, but also to spark curiosity and care for the natural world,” Ailes explains. “We learn about heroes like Jane Goodall, visit places like the Seattle Aquarium and Woodland Park Zoo, and each child chooses an animal to focus on and celebrate.” From photographing sea otters and snow leopards to transforming those images into textured, mixedmedia masterpieces, kids are stepping into the role of both artist and advocate. Fifth grader Aurora Casto, of Queen Anne Elementary,
Seattle's new and improved Pier 58 to officially open on July 25
Magnolia news
By Spencer Pauley The Center Square
Seattle’s Pier 58 is set to open on July 25, nearly five years after it was dismantled following the discovery that the pier had shifted and was no longer safe for public use. The original pier was removed in 2021 to make way for a new waterfront park. Removal of the original Pier 58 started in 2020 after it drifted six inches away from the land and eventually collapsed in September of that year. It was located next to the Great Wheel, a tourist attraction in Seattle. Then-Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan declared an emergency dismantling of the pier, which cost $4.3 million. The pier was fully removed by early 2021. Construction on the pier began in the fall of 2022, after marine construction contractor Pacific Pile & Marine was awarded $34.5 million to conduct the work. Notably, the company sued the city in September, alleging it had not been fully compensated amid an agreement to speed up development of the pier. The Pier 58 opening marks
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Seattle overspends on potholes as $2B road repair backlog lingers By Spencer Pauley The Center Square
Seattle continues to overspend on filling potholes as the city’s backlog of roads that need fixing totals more than $2 billion. In a Tuesday presentation to the Seattle Transportation Committee, the Seattle Department of Transportation said that the city has a large backlog of unfunded paving needs, totaling $1.8 billion for arterial streets in need of reconstruction. In addition, the city currently has a backlog of $460 million worth of roads in need of rehabilitation. However, SDOT Interim Division Director Elsa Tibbits notes that the city’s recent ADOBE STOCK
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voter-approved $1.55 billion transportation levy provides new funding for continuing pothole efforts. With the levy dollars, the city’s pothole budget from 2025 to 2032 averages $41.25 million a year, or $330 million in total. That’s up from $250 million under the last levy. “With the increased funding for our [Arterial Major Maintenance] crew paving projects – we can increase our response to stitch the areas of distressed street segments to extend the life for two to five years versus the 20 years of reconstruction,” Tibbits said during the Transportation Committee meeting. Seattle’s arterial streets have 1,153 lane miles of roads to maintain, with the city typically filling 15,000 to 25,000 potholes a year, according to Tibbits. Repairs cost about $152 per pothole, in addition to the conditions already outlined, other
factors like material and labor costs influence the cost per repair. Since 2020, SDOT’s expenditures on potholes have increased from $3.8 million in 2020 to a fiveyear-high of $5.68 million in 2022. Last year, the city spent approximately $5 million on repairing potholes. Tibbits noted that expenditures on pothole repair have exceeded the budget consistently over the last five years. As a result, through the 2023 budget, SDOT was approved to add an additional $1.3 million in budget from the Seattle Transportation Benefit District Fund, backed by vehicle license fee revenues, to establish a higher baseline budget for pothole repair going forward. The city’s need exceeds the allocated budget, but SDOT is pointing to progress on its goal of
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