Ballard Fights the Tide Land Fill
The Ballard City Council moves to block a private contract to fill in Salmon Bay, fearing it will ruin the harbor and burden local commerce.
The city council of Ballard has determined to fight the letting of a contract to W. F. Hayes and Frank Shay to fill in the tide lands of Salmon Bay, preferring to see the harbor improved by the government in the construction of the Washington canal. Mayor M. P. Smith stated if the contract was let it would ruin the city of Ballard, as all the mills would be compelled to move away their water front and be destroyed by the proposed waterway. The council adopted a resolution instructing the mayor to file a formal protest with the commissioner of public lands, arguing that the government has already made provision for dredging Salmon Bay and that private contractors would only impose a special burden upon the trade and commerce of the city.
“If the contract was let it would ruin the city of Ballard, as all the mills would be compelled to move away their water front.”
The struggle over the development of the Ballard waterfront and the construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal was a defining moment for the neighborhood. This fight highlights the tension between private development interests and the public desire for infrastructure that serves local industry.
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