February 2010

Schmitz Park Elementary School went global Friday, Feb. 26, when it hosted 30 international University of Washington students as part of the grade school’s “Passport” program. The college students represented FIUTS, or the Foundation for International Understanding Through Students. Most paired up in classrooms to share their cultures with kids from K-5.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE A SLIDESHOW OF IMAGES

“We are a small non-profit with a mission to connect students both international and domestic to the wider Puget Sound community,” said Era Schrepfer, executive director of the foundation who grew up in White Center. “This is part of our education outreach program.”

Participants were from countries including Belarus, Montenegro, Sweden, China, South Korea, India and others.

Schmitz Park music teacher Liz Dunn led 30 elementary school kids in a drum circle to warm up the crowd as the rest of the kids and teachers poured into the gymnasium to be “briefed” by principal Gerrit Kischner about the international program.

Today Mayor Mike McGinn announced that the city and state are helping the Fauntleroy Community Service Agency save the 93-year-old Fauntleroy School in West Seattle by purchasing it from the Seattle School District. The acquisition preserves a neighborhood asset for long-term community benefit and use.

The Fauntleroy School, at 9131 California Ave. SW, operates as a community center, including the Fauntleroy Children’s Center, a child care center serving about 80 families and 100 children.

“The Fauntleroy Children’s Center has been serving West Seattle families for more than 30 years. This acquisition means we are truly ‘home for good,’” said Kim Sheridan, Children’s Center director.

The Fauntleroy Community Service Agency (FCSA), master tenant and manager of the building since 1981, will become owner of the property. The FCSA, with the assistance of the city of Seattle and the Legislature, has purchased approximately 3.1 acres of the Fauntleroy School site for $2.9 million. The FCSA will raise funds for the renovation and maintenance of the historic school building – estimated at several million dollars.

Citing her tireless efforts on the behalf of animals, the U.S. Humane Society named State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles from the 36th District its Legislator of the Year.

“I could not be more honored to receive this award, especially as it came from the national organization representing millions of members throughout the country,” Kohl-Welles said in a press release. “The Humane Society is an organization whose work I greatly admire.”

Kohl-Welles was recognized specifically for her 2009 legislation to curb puppy mills in our state.

Senate Bill 5561, as signed into law last year, prohibits an individual from possessing more than 50 non-neutered dogs older than 6 months at one time.

The bill also set standards for kennel size, exercise, sanitary conditions and basic care.

The basic standards included providing clean food and water, allowing dogs to leave their cages for at least an hour a day and having clean housing. Violators are guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

Value Village’s move a few blocks next week means not only meant a larger space for the retailer but a brighter Crown Hill thanks to the commissioning of local artist Ryan Henry Ward, better known as simply Henry.

Value Village, which has been located at 8700 15th Ave. N.W., is completing its move into the old Crown Hill QFC location at 8532 15th Ave. N.W. on March 4.

As part of the move, Ward, whose colorful work can be seen all over the Ballard area, is covering the building's 3,000-square-foot western wall with his largest mural in Seattle.

Ward is iconic in the neighborhood, Value Village spokesperson Ian Jefferies said.

He said the artist is reflective of the funky, fun culture that Value Village wants to represent. One Crown Hill Value Village employee even has a car painted by Ward, Jefferies said.

Ward said his Value Village mural is influenced by thinking about what would improve the community and make its members happy and also by the dimensions of the wall.

The small lock at the Ballard Locks will close its gates to marine traffic and be drained for 12 days from 7 a.m. on March 8 through 4 p.m. on March 19. The closure will allow crews to conduct annual maintenance.

The large lock will continue to operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Lock wall staff will get the commercial traffic through as quickly as possible.

All pleasure boats will be using the large lock during this time. Mariners may experience some delay, depending upon how heavy the demand for passage becomes.

Boaters should be prepared to use the large lock with appropriate equipment and crew. Requirements in the large lock include long lines and fenders on board the boats.

The small lock is capable of handling vessels up to 25 feet wide and 100 feet long while the large lock can be configured to handle vessels as large as 760 feet by 80 feet.

Most of the equipment at the locks is 93 years old. The maintenance program gives staff the chance to dry out the chambers for a thorough inspection, make any necessary repairs and paint the walls.

This annual routine maintenance ensures the chambers will continue to safely operate.

Twelfth Night Productions (TNP) is proud to open its spring production, The Miss Firecracker Contest, by Beth Henley on Friday April 9 at the Youngstown Cultural Center in West Seattle.

The Miss Firecracker Contest is set in the small town of Brookhaven, Mississippi and centers around its annual beauty pageant, the titular Miss Firecracker Contest. Young and attractive Carnelle is trying out for the pageant as a way to elevate her somewhat tarnished reputation. Together with her recently returning cousins, Elain and Delmount, she is determined to leave her small town life behind her in a blaze of glory. Meanwhile, Popeye, her seamstress, has fallen in love with the deeply intense Delmount, but hides her feelings behind stories of her eccentric life. Once they all make it to the contest, they meet up with Mac Sam and Tessy, two characters who have an intimate knowledge of two of our protagonists. It all comes to a head with the crowning of the one and only Miss Firecracker and the yearly fireworks display.

Please join the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle on Wednesday March 3rd at 11:00am at the Southwest Precinct, located at 2300 SW Webster St, for carrot cake, as the Kiwanis Club presents the Everyday Hero Award to Captain Joe Kessler on behalf of all the officers who serve the West Seattle Community.

The Kiwanis Everyday Hero Award honors folks who may go unnoticed or unappreciated for their work or commitment to the community. Kiwanis Club president West Niver says “We've seen a marked improvement in safety for the Delridge community since this precinct was established and appreciate all that they do for us”.

At the Sunset Hill Community Club, nearly 30 community members huddled over pieces of paper, colored markers working as furiously as ideas were being thrown around, to create their ideal community space.

The exercise was part of a Feb. 23 meeting to develop a proposal for the former Seattle City Light substation site on Sunset Hill.

A group of neighbors received a $15,000 grant from the Department of Neighborhoods to conduct a feasibility study of the land located behind Ristorante Picolino's on the corner of Northwest 65th Street and 32nd Avenue Northwest.

Dave Boyd from Groundswell NW said the goal is to get the neighborhood excited about the project and develop a good pitch to convince City Light, which owns the property, to let them use it or to convince Seattle Parks and Recreation to purchase it.

The main idea for the site is to have solar-power generators over an area of community space on the 6,300-square-foot lot. That left a lot of room for the community to exercise its creativity.

The Burien City Council has unanimously selected 16th Avenue Southwest between Southwest 112th Street and Southwest 116th Street to be designated for adult businesses.

Cascade Middle School is at the end of Southwest 112th, so that street is used by the walking students going to and from school who live to the west.

Evergreen High School is on Southwest 116th, which is the street used by those living to the west who must walk.

There are no adult type businesses on 16th Southwest at this time. It is noteworthy that a Montessori school is here. The King County Library, White Center branch, is here and McDonald's is here.

The last two are the only spots in the area that qualify as "kids hangouts." A restaurant, pizza store and mini-mart anchor the ends of this two-block strip.

It would seem more "adult" of the Burien City Council if they wanted to get even with the residents of North Highline for voting to become part of the city of Burien, they would have found a way to do it without jeopardizing the young people of the area.

John W. Seeley
North Highline

Although it's a couple of weeks past, the blush of Valentine's Day is still in the air -- especially for Chalmers, 98, and Evelyn Elliott, 89, who just celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary. It's nice to know that love really can last a lifetime.

To get to the start of their story, we need to jump back to 1942, when Chalmers was working in Fort Lewis managing P-38 airplanes.

He was 29 and just another lonesome soldier who was invited, by a mutual friend, to come to the Knibbe's house for supper. It was there that he met their spunky daughter, Evelyn, a 20-year-old schoolteacher.

I asked if it was love at first sight and with a shy cheeky grin, Chalmers said, "An impression was made."

At that, Evelyn chimed in, "We talked every Monday night at 7 p.m., wrote almost every day and when he was on furlough, he'd come to visit. We'd use my '37 Plymouth Coupe, which he gassed up with the leftover fuel from the airplanes. Times were tough."

Since they met in the midst of the WWII, I wondered what they did on dates.