Ballard organizations receive thousands in King County funding

Three local organizations — the Ballard P-Patch, Ballard Senior Center, and National Nordic Museum — have all received grants from King County for projects in the community.

The funding comes as part of a $450 million supplemental budget, helped pushed through by King County District 4 Councilmember, Jeanne Kohl-Welles.

Ballard programs to receive funding include the following:

• $50,000 for the National Nordic Museum in Ballard: The Nordic Museum plans to install a labyrinth in the Museum’s Fisherman’s Terrace. This would be an active space for children of all ages to run or for meditative purposes. 
• $19,000 for the Ballard Senior Center: The budget also included funding for operations and programs at the Ballard Senior Center.
• $2,000 for Ballard P-Patch: The Ballard P-Patch annually donates more than 2,000 pounds of food to the Ballard Food Bank, serves as the Ballard Emergency Hub location and more, but the land is at risk of a sale. Funding will go toward helping the group secure the land before it is sold for development.

“This supplemental budget recognizes the urgency of many of our region’s most pressing issues,” Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles said in a statement. “As a member of the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, I engaged with my colleagues to ensure the values and needs of the residents of District Four were reflected throughout this spending plan.”

Other District 4 funding includes $2,500 for Forward Operating Base Hope, a veteran-founded organization that helps other veterans experiencing homelessness through providing necessary items and connecting them with housing resources; and $50,000 to make the Green Lake Boathouse fully accessible by 2021, including an expansion to launch Seattle’s first public adaptive rowing program.

Additional programs in the budget include funding to speed up electric vehicle infrastructure within King County, a new campaign to raise awareness about human trafficking, and a gender identity and sexual orientation task force designed to develop a countywide inclusion strategy.