February 2010

The parking controversy raised earlier this week in Pigeon Point that the Herald first brought you has been at least partially mitigated. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) worked with residents in the Pigeon Point neighborhood and with Metro Transit this week to find ways to reduce impacts of the construction–related closure of 23rd Avenue SW:

· Improved signage on Delridge Way SW to direct traffic to use SW Orchard Street to get to the South Seattle Community College.

· Directed construction trucks to use the Orchard Street detour route.

· Added a stop sign at SW Andover and 21st Avenue SW to enable Metro Transit to alter its detour route. (This adjustment did not result in a change of detour bus stops.)

· Removed turn restrictions at the intersection of 23rd Avenue SW and 22nd Avenue SW.

· Removed parking restrictions on 23rd Avenue SW between 22nd Avenue SW and SW Hudson Street.

Federal Way earned its way into the West Central District III boys basketball championship game after pummeling Wilson of Tacoma, 67-47, at Showare Center in Kent Tuesday.

The Eagles -- champions of the South Puget Sound League and SPSL North Division -- advance to play Narrows League champion Lincoln at 8 p.m. Friday back at Showare.

"I'm just proud of our kids," said Federal Way head coach Jerome Collins, whose team is already assured of going to next week's state tournament at the Tacoma Dome as the WCD No. 1 or No. 2 seed. "I'm proud of what they did. We came out and established momentum. They want another West Central District championship and they want to get it done."

Then the Eagles will get their shot at defending their state 4A title in tournament action starting Wednesday, March 3.

Federal Way jumped out to a 24-11 lead against Wilson, starting with a three-point basket by Tyrell Lewis with 6:40 to play in the first quarter.

The Rams closed the gap to 3-2, but University of San Francisco-bound Cole Dickerson scored a two-point basket and a three-point basket for a sudden 8-3 lead with 4:45 to go in the quarter.

The five large group workshops for city residents to discuss the Seattle Youth and Families Initiative are underway - but that's not the only way you can participate.

The Youth and Families Initiative, announced by Mayor Mike McGinn during his inaugural address, will shape the city of Seattle's agenda on youth and family issues. The Youth and Families Initiative is committed to eliminating racial disparities in key indicators such as education, child care, children's health and the criminal justice system.

The Youth and Families Initiative plans to hold up to 100 Community Caucuses around the city between March 22 and April 30. These caucuses are part of the city's commitment to active involvement by Seattle's diverse communities and neighborhoods, including communities of color and immigrant and refugee households.

The sixth annual “Sweets for Success” Dessert Benefit and Auction at Todd Beamer High School will be held Friday, April 30th, from 6-9 p.m.

Hosted by the Federal Way AmeriCorps team, Sweets for Success raises money to enable secondary students to participate in extracurricular activities such as music, speech and debate, sports, and art. To date, the AmeriCorps team has distributed 959 awards to students in the district.

In the Federal Way Public Schools, 51percent of the student population is on free or reduced lunch. With the rising cost of extracurricular fees, many students lose the opportunity to develop essential skills and build their self-confidence.

By participating in the auction, you’ll be helping provide opportunities for students to rise above their circumstances.

Last year’s event raised over $20,000; in the past five years over $60,000 has been raised with $55,000 already awarded to students.

This year’s event will feature entertainment and refreshments, as well as a silent/live auction. Desserts will be one dollar per slice. Auction item contributions are welcome and may be sent to:

Sweets for Success
C/O AmeriCorps

Crown Hill's Thai Siam served more than 150 meals to people in need Feb. 23 at Seattle's Union Gospel Mission.

"At this time, and at other times when the economy is not so good, people need some help," said Nancy Bhokayasupatt, owner of Thai Siam.

It was the second time Thai Siam, located at 8305 15th Ave. N.W., has served food at the mission. The menu was rice, vegetables with peanut sauce and chick en with plum sauce.

"(Having Thai Siam come) was a blessing," said Ryan, a member of the mission's recovery program. "It touches my heart to have people from the community give their time and do something. It shows that they care and it's a reason for me to not give up."

Bhokayasupatt said Thai Siam has been serving food to those in need on the streets for about 20 years. But, they recently started serving inside Seattle's Union Gospel Mission because the mission treats people with dignity and serving food on the street could be a mess, she said.

The mission is only one of a number of beneficiaries of Thai Siam's annual fundraising efforts, said Sharon Thomas-Hearns, public relations manager for the mission.

On Feb. 25, a Seattle Department of Transportation crew will make emergency repairs to an expansion joint on the Ballard Bridge.

The north bound right lane will be closed at the north end of the bridge where the roadway crosses over Northwest Leary Avenue. The left lane northbound will remain open to traffic.

The work will begin at 9 a.m. and wrap up by 2:30 p.m. If necessary, the crew will return and do additional work in the same location on Feb. 26 between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Motorists should expect slowing at the north end of the bridge and use added caution when passing the work zone.

The movement to revitalize of Federal Way's city center has a new mascot.

Standing over 500 feet tall, and boasting 400 condominiums, 120 hotel rooms and 36,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, the SKY Hotel and Residences building promises to kick-start the city's economic growth and serve as a beacon for a new era of urbanization in Federal Way.

The new structure carries a price tag of roughly $225 million and developers should break ground in early 2011 with a completion date of 2014.

The project converts the 1.89-acre site of the old Azteca restaurant on 23rd Avenue South into the largest standing structure for miles.

Federal Way: The perfect site

For the past eight years, Federal Way has worked to attract high-density development to its downtown core in an effort to transform the 320th corridor from existing one-to-two-story retail to mixed-use residential and commercial structures.

The long term goal proposes to reshape the city from a bedroom community of 88,000 residents to a major economic epicenter of the South Sound.

By Chris Leman

The 2010 Priorities document that the Seattle City Council released at its Feb. 22 meeting was developed without public notice or input and in violation of the spirit and letter of Washington's Open Public Meetings Act.

While it’s difficult to fault some of these priorities, they certainly would have been better and different it the city council had not left the public entirely out of the process.

The 2010 Priorities document was not released until 2 p.m. when the council meeting began. As a consequence, most Seattle citizens had no access and were entirely unaware of it until after it had been drafted, revised and released.

Even those who were present at today's public comment period had barely an hour to review it before their comments, which came too late to have any influence on the document's drafting.

Apparently, no one outside city government had timely notice of what the city council was doing nor the opportunity to comment on the council's 2010 priorities before they were finalized.