Two Iconic Waterfront Streetcars Saved and More News

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and King County Metro have announced the decision to sell three of five George Benson streetcars, keeping two as part of a deal with non-profit group Friends of the Benson Trolleys. You may remember the Benson line trolleys as the ones that used to cruise up and down the Seattle waterfront, whisking their cargo of tourists to and fro in slow, old timey glory. SDOT will store the two remaining streetcars while “Friends” attempts to raise enough money to retrofit those two cars for a return to service—SDOT has stated they may be open to using both of the old trolleys if and/or when the Center City Connector is built. The beloved old streetcars, a popular attraction along the waterfront, haven’t been used since building of the Olympic Sculpture Park began in 2005.

Seattle Academy has plans to build a new $48 million middle school on the corner of 13th and E Union. According to Capitol Hill Seattle Blog, LMN Architects plans for the new structure to be five stories, 87,500 square feet and to include a rooftop play field. The question is, who has to run after the ball when it goes out-of-bounds?

Ever noticed those tall, white silos on pier 86 below Queen Anne? Of course you have, and so has just about everyone else who’s driven, walked or biked through the Interbay area—they’re disappointingly hard to miss. The good news is that Friends of Art on Pier 86, a local community group, is pushing for those silos be gussied up. Turning these large, industrial landmarks into something attractive while retaining their functionality is an idea that has worked in Vancouver, B.C., San Francisco and Buffalo. If you want to hear more about it, a public meeting will be held on the matter from 7-9 p.m. on January 20 at Pier 69 in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room. Maybe we can get the conversation started about doing the same for Gas Works Park…

Fast Reliable Seaways, a German shipping firm, has acquired Clipper, the company that operates the Victoria Clipper. The German company has said in a statement Tuesday that it would like open a new route between Vancouver and Victoria. This could be great news for those who want a weekend getaway to Canada without the hassle driving. Count us in!

Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced via Facebook earlier this week that a new baby orca has been born in the Puget Sound. This calf would mark the ninth orca born since December 2014 to the local whale population as reported by the Seattle Times and The Associated Press.