January 2010

The other day, I was looking through some old columns, and I found this one. It features an interview I did with a guy who wanted to be mayor of Seattle about nine years ago.

He went on to become mayor, something that he did either incredibly well or very frustratingly, depending on who you are talking to.

Those who love the guy say he made great strides for our city nationally, knew the issues cold, and pushed through long over-due changes in areas that include global warming and transportation planning.

Those who are disappointed with him say he was arrogant and ran City Hall with a heavy hand.

Heck, maybe that's why we now have a Seattle mayor that no one knows, bringing along with him a staff of new faces and fresh ideas. Whether you like it or hate it, change is in store.

As for me, I am sentimental. Seems like yesterday I interviewed the guy in his King County Council office. I personally am going to miss having him around.

So I wanted to share with you, eight years later, the perspective of a parenting columnist who interviewed prospective Mayor Greg Nickels.

Good luck, your honor. I hope you didn't forget the wonder of it all.

Probably not as fun as a champagne toast, but a New Year's tradition nonetheless, here is my arbitrary list of the top ten Highline stories of the year.

As noted last week, 2009 was the year of the big ribbon-cutting scissors. The Burien Town Square project, Burien Transit Center, the Matt Griffin YMCA in SeaTac and two area light-rail stations all opened last year.

Of course, all these projects were years in the planning and implementation, which makes it ironic that they all came to fruition during the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression:

1. The Burien Town Square project, including the condominium/retail building, city hall/library and public plaza finally opens.

A minor debate broke out over whether the Town Square opening was the biggest thing to happen to Burien since Gottlieb Von Boorian settled on Lake Burien or since Mike Kelly discovered a "sunny dale."

Mayor Joan McGilton, who never stopped smiling on opening day, insisted it was simply "the most momentous event in Burien's history."

Meet Rory Rice

Many golfers at Rainier Golf and Country Club know the man pictured because when he was just a kid who played at our local course, he played pretty good.

In fact, there is a trophy in the clubhouse with his name on it. He won it by shooting the lowest score ever at this demanding test of golf.

Even though he bogeyed the first hole, he finished the game with a nine under par 63. No other member has topped or tied it.

He was visiting his sister the other day and dropped by, so I snapped his picture.

He lives in Galesburg, Illinois on a small farm, with a ten-acre lake full of fish and makes his living as a sign painter. But he has designed and developed a golf machine, which he calls his Teaching Machine. He has some in use, but is talking with local potential buyers who operate driving ranges.

He met his wife, Margaret Young when she was my editor at the White Center News a goodly number of years ago. They have a daughter named Dassie.

He played a lot with Joe Collello, Jim McLean, and other boy wonders.

Meet Dennis 'Seraphim' Donnor

It's the middle of winter in the Washington Cascades, and in a mountain pass town a mysterious visitor arrives at a small hotel just before a winter storm blocks the path both ways.

An escaped convict is believed headed toward the town, and the seven people staying at the Wallflower Inn each have a story to tell. Can you figure out who dunnit?

And can you spot the references to all 63 Alfred Hitchcock titles in the script?

That the plot for "Snowbound," Breeders Theater's latest production, that opens Jan. 15 at Burien's E'B. Foote Winery, 127B SW 153rd St.

Directed by Michael Brunk, with music by Nancy Warren, "Snowbound" features Andrew Smith and Laura Smith (who are not playing the roles of Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Teresa Widner, Steve Scheide, Kelly Johnson, Scott Green, Martin J. McKenzie, and Brenan Grant.

Andrew Pogue is the stage manager, and the script is by T.M. Sell.

Tickets are $20, which includes hors d'oeuvres and tasting of E.B. Foote Wines. Wine is also available for purchase by the glass at the winery.

Tickets are available at the winery, 206-242-3852, and also at CorkyCellars in Des Moines, 22511 Marine View Drive, 206-824-9462.

Highline Public Schools has refinanced 2002 bonds, resulting in a savings to taxpayers of more than $8 million over the next five years.

The savings flow directly to taxpayers through reduced tax levies. The dollars cannot be used for district expenses.

"This is a direct savings to our community members in the form of taxes they expected to pay, but will not have to pay," says Superintendent John Welch.

The district was able to exceed its savings target because of recent low interest rates. Interest rates averaged 6.31 percent on the new bonds compared to 5.33 percent on the old debt.

After the refinance, Moody's Investment Services reaffirmed the district's Aa3 bond rating on the district's outstanding debt.

The rating reflects the district's satisfactory financial operations and its manageable debt levels. The district has a AA- rating from Standard and Poor's.

The Highline School Board approved the issuance of refunding bonds at its Dec. 9 meeting. The original bonds funded the replacement of ten aging schools, which opened beginning in 2004.

He only started his job on Nov. 1, but Steve Gilbert glows with optimism at the prospect of working in Burien.

The self-proclaimed optimist was hired as the new executive director for Discover Burien, an organization that works with the city of Burien, the local chamber and local businesses on issues concerning the local economy and business environment.

Discover Burien is in a small suite on Southwest 150th Street, equipped with a copy machine, a few tables, a cabinet and not much else.

Gilbert normally answers his own phone. Occasionally, volunteers come in to assist with administrative duties.

His main job is at the consulting firm, the Northwest Business Intelligence Group. Gilbert calls himself a "construction brat." His father was heavily involved in construction projects that moved Gilbert's family around the country during his childhood.

Gilbert has lived in Connecticut, North Dakota, Texas, Alaska and Ohio, but when he came to Washington, things were different.

At the 2009 Washington State School Director's Association annual conference, six Tukwila School District students, five from Foster High School and one from Showalter Middle School, shared their stories with conference attendees.

The Tukwila School District is the most racially diverse school district in the United States, as determined by a study done by The New York Times.

The six students, Amina Sali; Donna Enguerra; Michael Fertakis; Songul Izzatova; Kevin Lim; Michelle Tran and Carlos Vega, represented this diversity through their very different and very moving stories.

From stories of the struggle to learn English to being a refugee in a new country, the students told stories that nearly moved one audience member to tears. They also, however, explained through each of their stories how the international environment of the schools in Tukwila made the adjustment easier for them.

Michael Fertakis, who was born and raised in Tukwila, said he thought the district was normal and that was how other schools are.

Conventional wisdom leads us to pity the person who chooses to open a business in the midst of the current recession, but there are small retailers who thrive in a risky economic climate — traditionally bars, repair shops, education and other services where demand increases as general societal thrift grows.

Ballard has its own collection of businesses that have opened in recent months, well into the current economic downturn.

Sustainable, which sells furniture and home décor imported from southeast Asia, opened three weeks ago at 20th Avenue Northwest and Market Street.

Owner Wanna Keawnapaporn said she chose Ballard as the location for her new business because the neighborhood is both artsy and sustainability-focused.

Keawnapaporn, who is an interior designer, opened the store with the hope that the economy is improving.

She reasoned that when money is tight, customers will choose to buy pre-made furniture rather than design their own and a store like Sustainable would fare better than a custom-designed furniture business.

The Three Tree Point Polar Bear Plunge brought in a new decade of brave but crazy souls who chose to swim in Puget Sound on January 1st.

They were competing for the right to display the drift wood trophy, complete with polar bear commemorating the event.
As always the event featured young and old and a mix of veterans and rookies eager to prove their immunity to cold.

Led by Andy Klietsch and the so called "King of Three Tree Point" Chris Cancro, the group of about 35 people prepared for the frigid experience on the shore and then with some brief pre-plunge instructions and a countdown, raced into the water, many choosing to splash around for some time before emerging, even colder than before.

Shawn McEvoy the Mayor of Normandy Park was a participant and called it "Invigorating!"

This years winner of the event was Carol O'Kennedy who let her dog ride on a small surfboard amid the waves. O'Kennedy stayed out longer than everyone else and yet was very humble upon getting the trophy saying, "I don't know, it's not fair, I go out there, somebody else deserves it."

CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT

With New Years Eve just 10 hours behind them, over 50 revelers doused themselves into the not-so-warm waters off Alki Beach Jan. 1. They took the occasion, the 10th annual Alki Polar Bear Swim, to celebrate not just the new year, but the beginning of a new decade as well. The swim took place across the street from Dukes Chowder House on Alki.

Most ran into the water screaming and splashing, did an immediate about face, and darted back to shore. A few brave swimmers took the occasion to actually, well, swim, and stayed in for several minutes.

“Out with the old. In with the new, a good way to start the decade,” said Tami Schendel after the plunge.

“This was the best condition I have seen, no waves,” added Tracy Burrows. “It’s like a swimming pool out there.”

The event was established by Kip Kolodziejski and Jeanne DeBaets.

“It was the Y2K year and we wanted to do something big for the year 2000, said DeBaets. “It started with just us. The next year more people came. Then more the next. It just feels good. It wakes you up.”