September 2009

A line on a map was at issue during the Des Moines Council meeting on Sept. 24th.

The City of SeaTac has appealed Des Moines' comprehensive plan.

Included in Des Moines' 2009 comprehensive plan is a map that shows Des Moines' preferred light-rail route. The route is east of Pacific Highway South and roughly follows the highway from South 216th Street to South 272nd Street.

Light rail could be coming to 200th street as soon as 2013, Des Moines Public Works director Grant Fredricks said. He said of lot of federal money has been released and the project is moving along quickly.

In the Pacific Ridge area the proposed light rail route briefly enters into SeaTac city lines.

Senior SeaTac city planner Michael Scary said he would have liked to see some language in the report acknowledging the light-rail route as shown on the Des Moines City map could have environmental impacts to the City of SeaTac.

The Sound Transit board determines the light-rail route but cities place preferred routes into their plan maps to show Sound Transit what they would like to see happen.

Saturday will be a banner day for families living in and around the Highline community, when the new Matt Griffin YMCA formally celebrates its grand opening.

The celebration will feature a little something for everyone, with classes, an open swimming pool, live radio remotes, and much more - all free.

The new Matt Griffin YMCA is located at 3595 S. 188th Street in SeaTac. The opening is set for noon to 5 p.m. and will feature KOMO Radio's Tom Hutyler broadcasting live from Matt Griffin.

In addition, Bustos Media will be broadcasting in Spanish from the event.

The opening will include tours, health and wellness information, class demos, youth and family activities, cooking demonstrations, and climbing on the new 21-foot climbing tower.

The $16 million, 48,000-square-foot facility features two fully-accessible pools, a family center, a cardio and strength training center, a "reflection room" for yoga and Pilates classes, a youth development center, a full-sized gym, play areas for children and a community kitchen.

Hannah Stewart wakes up every day with her dog Bailey at the foot of her bed -- that's where he sleeps.

Bailey is an 8-year-old Lhasa Apso and the Stewart family acquired him at the pound as a rescue animal. He has been part of the family for about a year.

Bailey is a very polite dog, according to Hannah.

"Sometimes he bows down to us," said Hannah.

He enjoys a special squeaky shoe toy for fun, but perhaps his most unusual trait is that he likes sardines, though he also enjoys hot dogs.

"He's been a great addition to the family," said Hannah's father Mark Stewart.

How to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week:

Want to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week? Stop by the VCA West Seattle Veterinary Hospital at 5261 California Ave. S.W. and just ask for a form. A nomination is not a guarantee of appearance and your name and photo may appear in our newspaper and online.

Photos may or may not be used and our "Pet Reporter" may be in touch with you to arrange to take a photo. Pets nominated will be chosen on the basis of uniqueness of the pet and the quality of the story and information submitted.

Erin Philbeck and Alex Bowns were once again the fastest Beavers on the course for the Ballard High School cross country team at the Sept. 26 Bellevue Invitational.

Philbeck led the Ballard girls with a time of 20:06, and Bowns led the boys with a time of 16:28.

Philbeck and Bowns have placed first for the Beavers in all four meets this season.

The Ballard cross country team races again at 4 p.m. on Sept. 30 at Marymoor Park against Mercer Island and Interlake.

An Arbor Heights resident took a scenic tour around the Charlestown area on Friday, running into five different parked cars and a telephone pole before pulling over near 39th and Bradford. A witness (who followed the driver after seeing the first collision) reports that after parking, the driver opened the car door and fell into the street. The driver (whose shirt, the officer noticed, was on inside out) claimed he had had only one 16 oz beer—yet he couldn't walk in a straight line and swayed when he tried to stand still. He was issued a criminal citation for DUI and driven home by a sober friend. The good news is that he was stopped before he could pick up his daughter (from a relative) and drive her home.

A Ballard resident reported—and signed papers verifying--that his Mustang had been stolen from in front of his house on Sept. 1. (Fortunately for his insurance company, but unfortunately for him, officers discovered he had actually sold the car to a wrecking yard back in May.)

Around 4:15 a.m. on Sept. 15, a resident of the 6000 block of Northwest 74th heard suspicious clanking noises outside his home. An hour later he discovered that someone had stolen his outboard motor from the back of his Bayliner as well as four fishing poles and two loaded tackle boxes.

A citizen called to report that $7,000 worth of fine jewelry is missing from a basement room of a house on Northwest 67th. She suspects that someone might have taken it during a real-estate open house back in June.

A young man reports that on Wednesday, Sept. 16, he was working on a car near 17th and Northwest Ione when an older man walked by and struck up a conversation. Suddenly, the older fellow reached out and grabbed the victim by the genitals before walking away southbound on 17th. The suspect is a white male, 50-64 years old, slim, and with brown hair.

As cars and pedestrians traveled over the Fremont Bridge this past weekend they were able to hear the premier of Ballard resident and Seattle artist-in-residence Kristen Ramirez’s audio composition, Bridge Talks Back.

At the Saturday, Sept. 26 event, Bridge Talks Back volunteers, marched up and down the bridge with signs depicting words and phrases featured in Ramirez’s three-minute audio composition, which she worked on over the summer.

Her completed piece will be played through the bridge’s sound system during daytime bridge openings.

“The sound collage included clips of boat horns, bird songs, bridge bells and more,” according to a press release from the Seattle Department of Transportation. “People waiting for the bridge to open will also be able to dial a phone number (posted on road signs) to hear a version of the soundscape, which will include residents’ recorded musings about the bridge.”

Ramirez said she is now relieved that her project is complete and excited at how extraordinary it came out.

Ingela Wanerstrand and Paula Jenson are two happy volunteer faces that worked at the Sustainable Ballard festival last weekend.

Jenny Heins, president, noted that more than 140 (!) folks donated time and effort toward the event.

It really warms my heart that so many people are willing to give up their valuable free time, materials and resources to inspire, educate and entertain the rest of us. All of that encouragement to eat locally, undrive, and do the right thing makes a difference.

Thank, Sustainable Ballard, for making me want to be a better person.

Rhonda lives in Ballard and is the Urban Crop Circle Project Leader for Sustainable Ballard. Questions, Comments, Ideas? You can reach her at Rhonda@sustainableballard.org.

How do you see the world? A lot of it depends on where you begin.

For famous photographer Harald Sund, a West Seattle native, it began here. His career has taken him to many nations, but he has always looked to come home to West Seattle.

"I guess we're becoming a rare breed a true West Seattlite. I grew up down by the Morgan Junction, went to Gatewood, James Madison and West Seattle High School," he said.

He joined the military for three years came back and went to the University of Washington.

"When I graduated, I started freelancing as a photographer," Sund said.

In 1967 he was mentored by his next door neighbor Steve Marts, a professional photographer, who was also a world class mountain climber.

"He was kind enough to show me some of the pictures he had taken and I instantly knew that's what I wanted to do," Sund said.

He worked locally for a short period and went back to New York impressing the editors of Life Magazine and for whom he shot stories, such as covering the entire length of the "Iron Curtain" to the largest ship in the world.

Dear Editor,

The Alaskan Way Viaduct (AWV) part of State Route 99 is in the news but lack of information on all options is disappointing.

The majority of people in Seattle and the Puget Sound region wanted and still want a retrofit. We don't want the functionality of the AWV diminished; we just want some improvements from South Holgate to Battery Street.

A rebuild-in-place is the closest we have to retrofit. It can be done without closing AWV and would meet federal SAFETY standards, retain the Columbia and Seneca ramps, provide shoulders, provide better runoff treatment, and use quieter pavement and acoustic tiles to improve AWV.

A deep-bored tunnel is being presented as the only solution that allows downtown and waterfront businesses to continue without great disruption during construction.

Wrong!

At public meetings the Washington State Department of Transportation previously presented at least two plans that allow CONTINUED THOUGH REDUCED CAPACITY USE of the AWV while a REBUILD-IN-PLACE occurs.