The Council's resolution asked Nickels to hire a "nightlife regulator" and at least two field agents, who would enforce noise codes, and a team to inspect clubs and larger bars at least three times a month.

Also, the Council authorized the city to take legal action against clubs that violate occupancy limits three times in a year, and required them to file "safety plans" detailing their security operations.

The centerpiece of Nickels's proposal, a requirement that clubs obtain special licenses, will be debated by the council in September.

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Part of the former Downunder nightclub space, 2407 First Avenue, is now the Underground Events Center. The Low Income Housing Institute, the building's owner, is renting it for community and arts events.

One such attraction is the Punk Rock Flea Market. It occurs Saturday, Sept. 15, 10 a.m. Vendors will offer vintage treasures, CDs, books, video games, computers, toys, customized clothing, handcrafted household goods, and much more. To reserve a table or for more info, contact producer Joshua Okrent at Jokrent@gmail.com.

Live bands take the stage at 6 p.m., with Tiny Manhood, the Sea Donkeys, and Geist. Net proceeds will benefit LIHI.

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The ex-Downunder space is also the new home of the Form/Space Atelier gallery, previously located on Second near Stewart.

On Sept. 7, 6-10 p.m., the gallery opens an exhibit by Susan Barron with a reception and lecture by Steven Vroom (creator of local-arts blog VroomJournal.com). Barron specializes in what she calls "an abstract representational fusion that allows the exploration into the full range of human emotion; using a variety of 2-D mixed media on canvas."

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Neverland by Jason Huntley

"Summer G-rl," an exhibit of new color nude photos by Walt Jones, continues through September at the Gilt Edge Society hair salon, 2312 4th Ave. The show is a preview of a new erotic-art web site, g-rl.com.

And early Messenger readers can catch the last days of Tony Taj's neon-esque Pike Place Market paintings through Sept. 3 at Gallery 3131, 3131 Western Ave.

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Mackis v. O'Reilly, the musical by Belltown resident Igor Keller that premiered this past January on the UW campus, is now out on CD. Keller calls it "a musical dramatization of the recent sexual harassment charges against Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly that were brought by Andrea Mackris, one of his staff producers," in the form of baroque-era oratorio. Its 31 parts are scored for chamber orchestra, a full chorus and soloists, a complement that comes to nearly 60 musicians and singers." The two-disc set is available exclusively at Keller's web site, mackisvoreilly.com.

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Seattle's Belltown, the latest photo history book by Messenger editor Clark Humphrey, will be out on Nov. 25 from Arcadia Publishing. Like his previous book, the local bestseller Vanishing Seattle, it's a breezy paperback stuffed with more than 200 historic images.

Another Seattle author, Mark Hinshaw, has just come out with True Urbanism, a book about Americans rejecting suburban sprawl and returning to vibrant downtown neighborhoods. Belltown is one of Hinshaw's examples, along with areas in Vancouver, Portland, Atlanta, New York, and elsewhere. Its publisher, the American Planning Association, says "Hinshaw shows how cities can breathe new life into downtown neighborhoods by encouraging a variety of housing options, establishing streets as social networks, and more."

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The North Arcade, a musical revue by Donna Rae Davidson and Rob Jones celebrating the Pike Place Market's craft sellers, has been held over at least through Sept. 9 at the Market Theater, 1428 Pike Place.

The Market's sixth annual Buskers' Festival, showcasing street performers in all genres, happens Sunday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Performers will offer short sets throughout the day on two amplified stages and one acoustic stage.

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City of Seattle preschool programs are now enrolling four-year-olds from low- to moderate-income families. Seattle Step Ahead and the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) still have free or reduced-cost spaces available for 638 children at 22 sites this school year. For info about eligibility and applications, call 206-386-1050.

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Alex,

Hey, do your homework. You grouped my Honda Odyssey with gas hogs like Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Suburban and Range Rover. I get 32 miles per gallon on the highway at the speed limit. In town it's 20 per. The others don't even come close.

David Hecker
Former Belltowner

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Dear Editor and Citizens of Belltown,

I have a long history with the Belltown, Denny Regrade / Denny Hill neighborhood. My family lived on Wall Street when it was Denny Hill and moved to Capitol Hill when the regrade was completed.

The purpose of my letter to you is concerning a very recent and troubling challenge that has arisen in your neighborhood as well as the neighborhoods of Pioneer Square, Freemont and Capitol Hill: The nightclub ordinance that came before the Council (in August).

As it now stands, this ordinance only helps the city and developers; no one else.

The city has taken a passive-aggressive position on this situation. It pits residences against clubs in every neighborhood in our city. The problem is not the clubs or the residences but the city for not hiring enough police. We need police to walk the streets, similar to what is happening in large cities such as Boston, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. (Because of the police on the streets, crime has fallen in these cities by as much as 14 percent in just a few months.)

Studies show that when patrons, upon entering clubs, see the police on the streets-and when these same patrons know that the police will be there when they exit the clubs-they are more "on guard" and act more responsibly. This has proved highly successful in other cities.

Also, I would like to see the clubs stagger their hours so that they are not putting their patrons out on the streets at 2 a.m., but a little later after club goers have had water or soft drinks to sober them up; and also to play "gentler" music for the last songs of the early morning hours. Again, in other cities this tactic has proved to be extremely effective in reducing noise and crime.

I want to get a group of citizens together with club owners and the police to work out the nightclub issue without involving the city who will, per usual, sit back and spend our money to conduct another study. The citizens of Belltown, along with all the neighborhoods that share space with clubs, can work in concert with the police to solve this issue in a win-win manner.

If you're interested in working out this issue with me in a cost-efficient and timely method, please contact me at sondheimcampaign@hotmail.com.

Sincerely,

Robert Sondheim
(The writer was a candidate for Seattle City Council, Position 1 in last month's primary election.)

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Editor:

Thank you for the great piece by Charlotte Quinn ("Summer Frolic," July). The Olympic Sculpture Park could have been so much if the creators had vision beyond the blinders they were wearing when they conceived the spendy development project.

From the "bite out of Seattle" beach cove that robbed Myrtle Edwrads Park of valuable green space to the infra-red cameras and "do not touch" signs it is obvious that the Olympic Sculpture Park has been erected for (some of) the people of Seattle.

We can only hope that, as time goes on, the people of Seattle will be able to partially reclaim that public land by being able to relax and enjoy the park and artwork unfettered by security guards, invasive cameras and elitist attitudes.

Vivian McPeak
Seattle

The trouble with anarchists is they're too conformist.