March 2008

I had the fun of working with him for over six years when we were both professional busybodies - Tim for The West Seattle Herald and I for the City of Seattle (Department of Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Service Center Coordinator for Southwest District).

Since we both specialized in the same area, we had a lot of professional reasons to share information, but for personal reasons, we also became friends. I can't remember Tim ever saying a mean thing about anyone. What he did say, he made interesting, including many a fun lead sentence to his stories here in The Herald.

Editor's note: This letter was sent to Parking Services, Diamond Parking Inc., with a copy to the Wells Fargo Bank, the Neighborhood Farmers' Market Alliance, and this newspaper.

Unfair ticketing practices

Re: Parking ticket for Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008.

Enclosed herein is my payment of $38 for a ticket I received on 2/17/08 at 12:21.

* At 10:30 a.m., I parked my car in the lot. I brought a friend to buy her breakfast and attend the West Seattle Farmers' Market.

A group of North Highline citizens working to keep Seattle as an annexation option organized a recent Saturday meeting, on private property. We had invited Charley Royer, former mayor of Seattle, to talk about government, and Rep. Bob Hasegawa, D-Tukwila, to give us an update on state legislation to provide annexation incentive funding to both Seattle and Burien.

Someone from the "We hate Seattle" group got a copy of the email and organized their group to show up in force, angry and indignant.

I see street parking fees as a deterrent to shopping at the Junction. I often park and walk to several Junction businesses, but I would not pay to do this - I would drive elsewhere. You will lose business from those living outside of walking range if others are of the same frame of mind.

RapidRide will not be enough to lure me to the Junction for a quick purchase. There will be a gain in business from those living in the new apartments and condos, but those outside the core will probably end up somewhere like Westwood.

West Side MOPS, a non-profit program designed to nurture mothers of preschoolers, wishes to thank the following local businesses for generously donating their time, goods and/or services for our annual Spa Day event on Friday, March 7.

Again & Again, Alaska USA FCU, Alki Bakery, Arbonne Beauty Products - Christina Miskho, Authentic Home, Bakery Nouveau, The Body Bar (Leg Scrubs & Massage), Capers, Sherry Cejna (Massage), Coffee to a Tea, Kathy Cronin (Massage), Curious Kids Stuff, Eat Local, June Eguchi (Massage), Elliot Bay Brewery, Essential Services - Danielle Varanda (Waxing),

Well, here we go again. We need to keep our aeronautics at home. Do you really want our men, women and children depending on the French or any other country; after they had taken away our jobs and safety. I would not feel safe, would you?

Don't you think we should get to vote on where tax dollars go? Please write or call your representatives, better yet - call the president. The president is the only one who can stop this. Stop our jobs from going overseas and out of the country.

Harbor Properties may be best known for their development of downtown Seattle's upscale 734-unit Harbor Steps apartments.

They would also like to be known as the developers with a conscience.

They have plans for three West Seattle apartment buildings - that's right, apartments, not condominiums, targeting the environmentally conscious middle-income customer.

On the seventh anniversary of the Nisqually earthquake, members of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Stakeholders Advisory Committee heard presentations on the current use of the viaduct, and about improvements which can be made to surface streets and to I-5, two more building blocks of any packaged solution for the central structure.

At the meeting Thursday, Feb.

The idea of a trail or a walking path is being redefined to fit this urban community, and soon residents and visitors will be able to explore West Seattle neighborhoods on foot through a system of community created pathways.

What started as a project by the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association more than two years ago to expand the Longfellow Creek trail east and west through the Delridge corridor has bloomed into a partnership with several community groups, the National Park Service, and the non-profit Feet First.

Based on the Green Crescent Trails concept in th

Entrepreneur Thampipillai Thilakarajah, or "Thampay," says he found a "sweet spot" with his 10th boutique grocery store, the Alki Urban Market.

"Every day I hear from the neighborhood that I have the right stuff," says the 44-year-old Sri Lankan-born man, enthused with an unintentional pun.

His eye was on that spot at 2820 Alki Ave. S.W. since 1998 when, he says, he offered to buy the existing Alki Market for $300,000, but the owner walked.

"The building was real old," he recalls. "Then they tore it down and built this beautiful new building with a market.