Station 9, the firehouse serving Fremont, is looking to make some major upgrades. Here’s what it looks like right now:

And here’s what they’re looking to do:

And those are just the proposed changes you can see. Check out the full list here.

The City Council is conducting a public hearing Wednesday, March 23rd at 9:30 a.m. at City Hall to discuss the code changes and the Department of Planning and Development’s sign-off on the project.

The entrance to City Hall is located on Fifth Avenue between James and Cherry Streets. For those who wish to testify, a sign-up sheet will be available outside the Council Chamber one-half hour before the public hearing. Questions concerning the public hearing may be directed to David Yeaworth in Councilmember Clark’s office, by calling 206-684-8802 or by email at david.yeaworth@seattle.gov.

The design process for Fire Station 9 continues this week.

The Seattle Design Commission meets tomorrow, Thursday, May 20 to review its design development phase at Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave. The fire station part of the agenda is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Fire Levy Communications Officer Christina Faine said about 150 neighbors attended the design development open house on Saturday (May 15) to see the progress of the design and visit the firefighters, who served cookies, coffee and water.

This was the rendering by artist Mike Kowalski that was shown at the open house:

Faine said:

“The design and art were well received by the community. The new building will employ several elements that will reflect the fire fighting history of the site. The architects researched the numerical “tapper code,” a historical version of the 911 dispatch system, and will use it to add detail to the building façade.

The project team have made a number of changes to the design since the schematic design open house on January 9, 2010. In response to comments from the open house  - as well as the Seattle Design Commission Schematic Design review on January 21, 2010 - concepts from the site’s history have been incorporated into the building façade design and landscape treatment.

Since the open house in January, the public art piece has become more defined.

The landscaping and sustainability concepts have been fleshed out and include the installation of rainwater collection cisterns for re-using water in the building and landscape irrigation. The architects received comments supporting this approach and making it visible and instructive.”

Peter Reiquam is a Seattle-based artist who has created public works for over 20 years and was chosen for the public art for the fire station.

Big Black Cat features a large-scale black cat perched on the roof’s edge of Fire Station 9. The sculpture, a variation on the Eveready Black Cat graphic, will be twenty feet in length and feature amber-colored glass eyes that are illuminated from within by low-voltage LEDs. Reiquam was inspired by the Eveready battery logo which has become a mascot for Fire Station 9 and a symbol that lets the Fremont community know that the firefighters at this station are “Ever Ready.” 

The panelists selected Peter Reiquam because they felt he displayed the best potential to create a bold iconic statement for Fire Station 9. The panel was impressed by Peter’s artistic excellence and technical abilities, and felt his aesthetic would be a great match for the fire fighters, the surrounding neighborhood and the Fremont community.

The forecast says there may be clouds coming in to blot out a bit of this amazing and bright sunshine, but that shouldn’t stop you from doing the things this weekend you want to do!

Here are some ideas for Saturday:

Help clean and restore critical urban habitat in a Lake Union, Portage Bay & Union Bay Community Clean Up Event tomorrow morning, May 15 between 8 p.m. and noon. Check in at the Lake Union Park Armory Building. More than 200 volunteers in kayaks and small boats are expected to pick up trash in and along Lake Union, while shoreline cleanup involves  non-boaters.  A Community Celebration - with lunch - will be held afterward at about noon. Contact chris@pugetsoundkeeper.org for more information.

After last Saturday’s massive clean-up and re-organization, the main grounds for building the Solstice Parade is ready! Come to the Fremont Arts Council’s Open House at the Powerhouse (3940 Fremont Ave. N.) from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and be prepared to do a myriad of things:

• Make a mask
• get started on your costume
• dust off that float body
• meet new people
• nosh some snacks.

From Parade Coordinators:

We are holding a training for Workshop Mom and Pops at 2 p.m. We need your help to staff the studio this year- come sign up for a shift. There will be a drop-in mask making station, and snacks galore. Don yer apron and put on a smile, it’s time to make a parade.

• There’s also a “Walk with Us to Cure Lupus” at Alki Beach at 9 a.m. If you want to join the Fremont group, contact Dr. Valerie Hunt: vfhunt@gmail.com.
• If you’re looking for a more low-key way to begin the weekend, you can check out the design for the new Fire Station No.9 at its open house at 10 a.m., 3829 Linden Ave N.

We all know how important a neighborhood fire station is. Now you can see what our new one will look like.

Check out the designs for Fire Station No. 9, at 3829 Linden Ave N., which is having an open house from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 15. Invitations were mailed out to approximately 15,994 households and businesses in the fire station service area.

This replaces the existing station, which is “in poor condition due to its age. Replacement would be more cost-effective than remodel.” Station 9 will not only be rebuilt on the site of the current station, it will expand from 5,700 square-feet to approximately 8,500 square-feet.

It will also demolish the Annex on the south side of the site, built in 1921. In July 2009, the Landmarks Preservation Board voted 5 to 4 in favor of designating the Annex as a Landmark, which was one vote short of what was needed for that designation.

The replacement has been a long time coming - really since November 2003, when 69 percent of Seattle voter approved the Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy. Starting in 2004, the nine-year program planned several uses for levy proceeds and other funding. Among them: upgrading, renovating, or replacing 32 neighborhood fire stations - including our own Fire Station No.9.

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The Landmark Preservation Board voted 5-4 to designate Fire Station 9’s former fire signal station as a landmark, but it needed six votes to pass. This means that the building is not considered a landmark and can be demolished.

The Seattle Fire Department has plans to tear down the 1921 stucco-clad building and replace it with a new fire station. The Fremont Neighborhood Council lobbied to keep the building intact and put flyers up around the area asking neighbors to email their opinions or attend the meeting. At the meeting, board members voting for the designation cited many emails and letters received from Fremont residents. (Thanks Erik for the info.)

The Landmark Preservation Board is holding a hearing on Wednesday to determine whether Fire Station 9’s former fire signal station in Fremont should be designated a landmark.

The stucco-clad building at 3829 Linden Ave N was constructed in 1921 and was originally used for “receiving and transmitting alarms from pull boxes north of the Ship Canal to a centralized Fire Alarm Office of the Seattle Fire Department,” the Landmark Nomination document states (.pdf). Erik Pihl tells us that the Fire Department would like to demolish the current building to build a bigger fire station on its site. “Yet the building is significant,” he says, “and the only one built in Seattle to serve as a fire signal station.” You can send your opinion to the Landmarks Board coordinator Beth Chave at beth.chave@seattle.gov or you can attend tomorrow’s meeting at 3:30 p.m. in the Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 5th Ave, 40th Floor, Room 4060.