November 2009

Highline Public Schools is improving in a number of key areas, according to results from the 2009 student and parent surveys conducted by the district.

Thirty-five percent of the district's high school students participated in the survey in May.

Some highlights of the survey results include:

Eighty percent of students agreed "I am challenged in my classes," up from 53 percent in 2005 when the survey was first given to students.

Eighty-one percent of students reported "I feel safe at school," up from 65 percent in 2005.

Eighty-five percent say "My teachers have high expectations of me."

Well over half of students surveyed (58 percent) have visited a college or university as part of a school activity or field trip.

Over half (56 percent) say the primary language spoken in their home is a language other than English.

The survey also showed some areas in need of improvement. Fewer than half of the students who responded to the survey reported that "the views of different races, religions, genders or political beliefs are considered in class discussions or assignments."

It appears a foot ferry will not be coming to Des Moines soon after the King County Ferry District Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last week to reduce the ferry district levy for 2010, limiting King County Water Taxi service to the two existing routes serving West Seattle and Vashon Island from downtown Seattle.

Des Moines was one of demonstration cities that will be postponed.

King County Executive Kurt Triplett thanked the Metropolitan King County Council acting as the ferry district board for dramatically reducing the county ferry district's property tax. The action leaves open the possibility of a dedicated Metro transit tax at no net increase to property owners.

"I congratulate the ferry district supervisors for taking this important action," said Triplett. "This vote clears the way to save transit services for millions of riders annually."

Boardmember Jane Hague said, "In light of tight economic times and the transit crisis King County is facing, we hope that these savings will allow us to preserve bus service, Estimates show that these savings could translate into more than 180,000 hours of bus service."

First-quarter South Seattle Community College culinary student Michael Brown won top honors in the American Lamb Board’s Fall in Love with Lamb Recipe Contest Seattle.

His autumn-inspired winning recipe for Bourbon Cider Glazed Lamb Rib Chops with Smoked Apple-Almond Relish, accompanied by Butternut Squash Mashers with Herbed Goat Cheese, will be featured in Seattle Magazine and on the American Lamb Board Fans of Lamb website, http://www.fansoflamb.com/stealorsharerecipes/folrecipes.aspx.

The recipe contest was part of the inaugural Seattle Lamb Jam, which took place October 25 at Bell Harbor Convention Center, and featured 17 chefs and 17 wineries. Brown, who was recognized at the event, will receive prizes including a professional knife kit, meat thermometer and lamb lover’s gift pack.

Recipes follow.

Bourbon Cider Glazed Lamb Rib Chops
w/ Smoked Apple-Almond Relish
and Butternut Squash Mashers w/ Herbed Goat Cheese
Servings 4

Lamb Rib Chops
Ingredients:
8 French cut lamb rib chops (2 each)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

The Burien Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on proposed zoning for the North Highline annexation area on Tuesday, Nov. 24th, at 7 p.m.

The hearing will be held at Burien City Hall, 400 S.W. 152nd Street, Suite 300.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend and/or submit written comments. The commission then will make a recommendation to the Burien City Council, which must adopt zoning for the annexation area prior to annexation in March 2010.

The commission is reviewing a proposal from Burien's Department of Community Development to convert the existing King County zoning designations to City of Burien designations.

A more formal review of these designations will occur as part of the city's scheduled planning process in 2010 and 2011.

Information on the proposed conversion, and zoning maps showing current county zoning and proposed city zoning are available online at burienwa.gov/annexation or by contacting Chip Davis, planner, at 206-248-5501 or by e-mail at chipd@burienwa.gov.

Tukwila Mayor Jim Haggerton and Southwest King County Chamber Executive Director Nancy Hinthorne are urging residents to be aware that some unfair business practices have been reported relating to flood preparations.

City officials recommend using a contractor who is licensed and bonded as required by Washington State law.

Also, when selecting a contractor, be sure to ask them about their familiarity with Tukwila City Codes and procedures, and their Tukwila business license number.

"I am confident that our local contractors will work with citizens honestly and fairly to help them protect their homes and businesses" said Haggerton.

The Better Business Bureau offers the following advice for people facing disaster when using a contractor to perform work on their homes:

Homeowners should be suspicious of door-to-door workers who, in order to get the job, may use scare tactics.

Homeowners should check to see if the company's name is on the worker's vehicle, if the company is listed in the telephone directory, and if a street address is provided.

If possible, homeowners should request two or three estimates of the work to be done.

Highline Public Schools has been awarded $475,000 from the Stuart Foundation for the second year of a three-year project.

The grant funds community schools programs at 14 schools in White Center and SeaTac.

Community schools programs include academic support such as homework help, enrichment classes, and recreational opportunities for students, often after school.

Community schools also coordinate family involvement programs and other services for students and their families at the school.

Highline partners with Community Schools Collaboration, a local non-profit organization, to manage community schools in the district.

"We believe the collaborative community school effort between Highline and Community Schools Collaboration will positively impact students and families," stated Rhonnel Sotelo, Vice President for Program & Operations at the Stuart Foundation. "It can inform and influence the educational practice of other districts and communities in Washington and beyond."

The foundation funding pays for staff who are housed in the schools, as well as program costs.

The Housing Market just got another shot in the arm, when Friday morning, President Obama signed the bill extending the $8000 federal tax credit for new home owners, and expanding the credit for current homeowners.

The clock was ticking as the first-time homebuyer tax credit was due to expire at midnight on November 30th – but an expansion and extension of the tax credit, spearheaded by Senators Chris Dodd and Johnny Isakson, was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives with an overwhelming 403-12 margin.

The senators have hammered out a compromise that allows existing homeowners who have lived in a home for more than five years to participate. The existing program only covers first-time buyers. The extension will run from December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010, but those with contracts as of the expiration date will still qualify as long as they close their deals within 60 days.

According to Dodd’s office, the extended credit will be available to more than 70 percent of existing homeowners.

The Des Moines City Council discussed Nov. 12 the essentials as they worked to balance a budget with a $2 million shortfall from last year, and another year of anticipated falling revenues.

The four employees in charge of taking care of Des Moines parks are unable to keep up maintenance now-- a situation which will only get harder next year when that number is reduced to three, lawmakers were told.

Staffers said in the late 1990s and early 2000s the city employed 6.5 full time employees to maintain the parks. This was before the addition of Steven J. Underwood Park.

Councilwoman Carmen Scott spoke about the conditions of the buildings and field at the Des Moines Beach Park. She said the staffers and council members have allowed conditions to become "atrocious. "

"I was down at the beach park today, wandering everywhere, looking at ugly, ugly deterioration. I am ashamed of the condition we have allowed many of those pieces, those buildings, to fall into," Scott declared. "I think we seriously need to talk about, whenever we have this discussion, taking care of what we are responsible for."

To the editor:
I am going to try again to do 2 things to save the tax --- and the environment.

I hope to get all of you that I send copies to read and do something about what I care about. I refer you to an editorial written by (Civil and Structural Engineer) Victor O. Gray, Viaduct Prevention Group and was printed in the West Seattle Herald/ White Center News on 8/23/06. I’m sure most of you haven’t read.

Victor O. Gray has studied our Viaduct like no one else has. He knows what most of you don’t. I am asking you to contact this man to help save the moneys everyone is so quick to spend. I don’t believe most of the voters and people today were here when they built the Viaduct or you would know as I that it was built to withstand almost anything. We want to save our Viaduct and being born here and raised a family of 9 kids should have rights with all the other people that are from Seattle.

The bill the Governor and the Mayor signed to go ahead with the tunnel can be reversed. There is no legal standing in the bill to go ahead with the tunnel. Talk to Elizabeth Campbell she will paint it out to you. We can change the ruling.

In a move to keep City Light’s borrowing costs low and maintain its commitment to conservation, the Seattle City Council passed a 13.8 percent rate increase which will begin in January 2010.

While I fully support the council’s commitment to conservation and protection of the utility’s borrowing status, I believe the needs of the people and businesses should always come first.

I preferred a lower increase of 7.9 percent that could have given the utility the necessary funds to operate efficiently, improve its debt service coverage ratio to 1.6 and restored $1 million that was cut by the mayor for conservation.

We must continue to drive the costs of its operations down in order to protect the people from unreasonable rates.

However, even with a 13.8 percent increase, Seattle City Light offers power at 6.42 cents per kilowatt hour, which is one of the lowest rates in the region.
The average monthly bill of $44 will increase $6 per month. By comparison, the U.S. average is 9.7 cents per kilowatt hour.

Los Angeles has a rate of 10.20 cents per kilowatt hour and San Francisco has a rate of 12.94 cents per kilowatt hour.