November 2009

Seattle Parks and Recreation is inviting the community to participate in the planning for the future park on the West Seattle Reservoir lid. The first public meeting will be December 3, 2009 from 7 – 9 p.m. at High Point Community Center, 6920 34th Ave SW. At the meeting, Parks staff will outline the project scope and schedule, and learn what the community priorities are for transforming the 20 acres of open space adjacent to Westcrest Park.

“This new park space is going to be a great asset for the neighborhood,” said Dan Mullins, Chair of the Highland Park Action Committee. “I’m impressed with everyone’s passion and dedication to this project, and I encourage the neighborhood to attend the design meetings.”

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is replacing its open reservoirs with underground structures that will improve the quality and security of our water supply and provide new public open space on the reservoir lids. The West Seattle Reservoir is located at 9000 8th Ave SW. Lid construction is underway at this site and park construction is anticipated to start in early 2011.

Mayor Greg Nickels is seeking three volunteers to serve on the Pedestrian Advisory Board. Residents are invited to apply to serve on a volunteer committee that plays an influential role in implementing Seattle’s Pedestrian Master Plan. The board advises the mayor and City Council, participates in planning and project development, evaluates policies and makes recommendations.

Board members serve a two-year term, with an opportunity to serve a second term. The volunteers are frequent walkers of a variety of ages, levels of mobility and walks of life, and from areas throughout the city. Members must be Seattle residents and may not be city employees. The group meets the second Wednesday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. at City Hall, located at 600 Fourth Ave., James and Cherry streets.

People interested in serving on the board are encouraged to submit by Dec. 16 a resume and cover letter explaining their interest to:

Brian Dougherty, Seattle Department of Transportation,
700 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3900,
P.O. Box 34996, Seattle Washington, 98124-4996,

or via e-mail to brian.dougherty@seattle.gov.

The White Center Community Development Association (White Center CDA) is holding their seventh annual Community Summit, at Mt. View Elementary on Saturday, December 5 from 9:30am-4:00pm, admission is free. Childcare is available.

The aim is "to celebrate White Center while recognizing the community work and service that has shaped the area," according to an announcement released today.

Attendees will have access to numerous community organizations, partners and individuals who continue to make White Center a thriving neighborhood. Workshops, a resource fair and affinity groups will be available in several different languages. Food and cultural entertainment will reflect the diversity of White Center’s communities.

Attendees will also take part in an interactive electronic polling session to give feedback on their neighborhood, its environment and resources. The Neighborhood Plan, a book that contains a summary of community projects seeking to improve the lives of White Center residents, will be given to each attendee free of charge.

On November 18, the Federal Way Kiwanis Club today awarded three local civic groups with grant funding to support their programs.

Kent Cross, Principal of Rainier View Elementary School was awarded $1325.00 to the schools ASB fund. The grant will provide an ongoing math program integrated with the popular ELMOS learning tools in classrooms already.

In addition these grant monies will provide a live theater experience for the graduating fifth grade class later in the school year. Further, these grant monies allows for the purchase of an ongoing Pre-Kindergarten instructional aid reading program.

Club Member Walt Backstrom initiated grant request and introduced Principal Cross at today’s lunch meeting.

Ms Heather Longhurst accepted a $1500.00 grant to Pacific Ballroom Dance.

This program targets “kids at risk” to provide dance training and an opportunity to perform in the community.

This program serves more than 100 students in the community. They also provide community performance dance events.

The grant will enable Pacific Ballroom Dance to provide scholarships for students that do not have the ability to participate otherwise.

Christian Faith concluded a stellar girls volleyball season with a tremendous effort at the Class 2B state tournament in the YakimaSun Dome.

In opening round action, the high flying Eagles fought off Mossyrock 3-2. Game score were 25-22, 25-20, 13-25, 17-25 and 15-11. Starting out with two consecutive game wins, Christian Faith dropped two straight games before recovering for a clutch win in the third game.

Second round action had the Eagles dropping a tense 3-2 verdict to Northwest Christian (Colbert). Northwest Christian dominated the first and third games, 25-17 and 25-18. Sandwiched between these games, the Eagles captured a tight, 26-24, win in the second game. In another tight game, Christian Faith forced game five with a clutch 25-22 win in the fourth game before Northwest Christian dealt out a 15-8 defeat to the Eagles in game five.

Faced with elimination, Christian Faith (16-4; 15-1 before tournament) struggled mightily before dropping a 25-19, 25-17, 18-25 and 25-17 verdict to Kittitas in season ending play.

Christian Faith had reached the No. 1 state ranking, including the SeaTac 2B League title and Tri-District championship on the way to state.

Ballard residents Laura Hornung and her boyfriend Joshua Slagle had just returned from a trip to Denver and San Antonio Nov. 1. By Nov. 4, H1N1, or swine flu, struck Slagle. Two days later Hornung caught it. Their roommate got it the following week.

It took Hornung and her boyfriend 10 days to recover, and their roommate, who has asthma, is still fighting it.

"I think we caught it on one of those flights," said Hornung. a planning purchaser at K2Sports in Seattle. "We had aches, pains, a sore throat and couldn’t get out of bed. I felt like I couldn’t handle the pain. Our skin hurt to the touch. I was sleeping 12 to 15 hours a day. I didn’t eat a whole lot, maybe broth, crackers and pho. I couldn't move for seven days. It took energy just to get up to walk to the bathroom."

Hornung went to her doctor at Virginia Mason.

"The doctor looked at me, felt my face, and said, 'Don’t cough on me,'" Hornung said. "He then had me see an urgent care doctor. My temperature was 104 for a day and a half."

She was given Tylenol and Advil and said Tamiflu, the antiviral drug, is only effective if you start within two days of being diagnosed.

By Alyne Fortgang, co-founder of Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants

Woodland Park Zoo announced it will be closing the Night House exhibit in order to save money. It is reported that the zoo is cutting $700,000 dollars, including 12 full-time jobs, from its $29 million budget.

The most expensive animals to keep on display at a zoo are elephants – close to $400,000.00 a year for the three elephants housed at Woodland Park Zoo.

In addition to being expensive, the postage stamp-sized exhibit is woefully inadequate for the planet’s largest land mammal.

For about seven months of the year, the elephants are locked in a barren barn stall for 16 to 17 hours a day due to climate.

Outdoors, they share less than one acre of yard. Science has conclusively shown that deprivation of space and social contact causes mental and physical suffering in elephants, resulting in their lifespan being shortened by decades.

Woodland Park Zoo and the citizens of Seattle have the opportunity to send our three elephants to the 2,700-acre Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee’s sub-tropical climate.

On Nov. 18, the Seattle School Board voted unanimously to approve the New Student Assignment Plan boundary maps. The New Student Assignment Plan and recently approved boundary maps will be phased in beginning in the 2010-2011 school year for students at entry-grade levels—usually kindergarten, sixth and ninth grades.

The final maps will reflect the changes included in an omnibus amendment submitted by the School Board Executive Committee that outlines adjustments for the Whittier and Loyal Heights attendance areas.

Staff will incorporate the approved amendments to the boundaries into a final set of maps. Those maps, and an updated address look-up tool, will be available on the district’s Web site next week.

In what was one of the more controversial aspects of the new attendance areas, the northern boundary for Ballard High School will remain Northwest 85th Street.

The help of the public is needed to find the vehicle that struck and critically injured a pedestrian in a crosswalk two days ago.

Discover Burien Association is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for this crime.

The incident occurred about 5:20 PM on Tuesday, November 17th.

Jeff Kearney, a 36 year-old White Center resident, was crossing 16th Ave SW in the crosswalk at SW 106th. The suspect vehicle was southbound on 16th Ave SW and struck the man. The vehicle slowed but did not stop and was last seen driving off southbound on 16th.

The victim was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.

A driver’s side exterior mirror was found at the scene. There will also be damage to the left front fender.

The vehicle is probably maroon in color, a Chevrolet or GMC product. It is one of the following models:

GM or Chevrolet full size pick-up 1988-1989
Blazer or Jimmy 1992-1994
Suburban 1992-1999
GMC Yukon 1992-1999
Chevrolet Tahoe 1995-1999

Some have suggested that my columns have been all negative without any suggestions on how to improve education in Federal Way.

I believe I have made some suggestions in the past, but I will devote this column to what I think it would take to make Federal Way a light in the darkness of education.

It is my contention, supported by the empty buildings that could house well paid workers in Federal Way, that if this community were producing well educated students who did not spend their time committing crimes, businesses would target Federal Way for any expansion, or relocation, that was contemplated.

My suggestions follows:

1. As one school board member stated recently, and quite correctly, “The parents have primary responsibility for the education of their children.” Schools should not be “Daycare Centers.” When parents are not assuming this responsibility school personnel should be quite clear about the possible outcomes to the parents and the community.