Mayor Takes Press on SLU Tour

On April 8, Mayor Greg Nickels conducted a press conference and led local media on a six-block walking tour of the South Lake Union neighborhood. The Mayor, city officials and reporters, complete with cameras, walked with the Mayor as he talked about neighborhood highlights.

Nickels started at the Denny Park Apartments and took pride in telling the crowd that the apartment building, which has been financed in part by a Seattle Housing Levy, is the first low-income LEED-certified building in the U.S.  (See the last story in this issue to learn more about LEED certification.)

The next stop was the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI). Reporters listened to Michael Podlin, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, and Dr. David Sherman, Director of SBRI’s Tuberculosis Program, talk about research and global health.

Including local small businesses on the trip meant a personal chat with the Mayor for Marc Gimbel, owner of City Hardware in the neighborhood.  Afterward, the Mayor went on to visit with Dr. Paul Ramsey, Dean of the UW School of Medicine and CEO of UW Medicine. Nickels also mentioned Group Health, and PATH, the global research organization that will move its headquarters from Ballard to SLU in 2010, lauding both institutions for their research efforts and contribution to global health.

The mayor and his entourage moved along to stand in front of Amazon.com to show reporters progress on the new buildings that will serve as the company’s headquarters, with move-in slated for 2010.

Last, but certainly not least, the Mayor stopped at a board complete with diagrams to explain the city's fix for the "Mercer Mess," which will make it easier to reach  Queen Anne, Magnolia, Interbay and South Lake Union neighborhoods.