March 2010

The Burien Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night to send the Shoreline Master Program (SMP) to the City Council for their approval.

While many changes asked for by shoreline residents were made to the proposed SMP many homeowners are still not happy with the document.

Michael Noakes, president of the Burien Homeowners Association, said despite assurances from the City Staff having their shoreline homes become non-conforming should have no real impact on the owners he is still concerned it could affect loans, property values and the ability to resell the property. There is a lot of unclear language in the SMP and homeowners just do not know how this could affect them, Noakes said, there is a lot about it that is still left uknown.

Burien Senior Planner David Johanson said, after a quick and dirty analysis, out of over 300 residential homes on the Marine Shore, approximately 130 to 135 will become non-conforming if the 50-foot buffer and 15-foot setback for marine properties is approved. There is currently a 20-foot setback for marine properties.

Seattle Department of Transportation crews plan to work on Northwest 80th Street between 21st Avenue Northwest and 22nd Avenue Northwest April 1, while bus volume is lower due to spring break for public schools.

Crews will replace two concrete panels, working from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The street will remain open to westbound traffic, assisted past the construction area by traffic flaggers.

Eastbound traffic will be detoured at 24th Avenue Northwest to Northwest 85th Street.

Drivers should expect congestion and are advised to select alternate routes.

Sidewalks will remain open.

This work will be rescheduled if weather is unfavorable.

Shana Gray got her pure bred Pomeranian Fifi (Foxy Lady Fifi her full name) from a breeder in Kirkland 2 years ago. Even though Fifi is only about 5 lbs in weight she has an extremely protective attitude.

"She doesn't let anybody get close to me," explained Gray, " I can't have a boyfriend."

"She doesn't like toys, she just likes to be in my business. She sleeps in the bed and watches movies, She watches the animal channel and barks at all the dogs on TV," said Gray.

Fifi likes chicken and greens and cornbread, "She doesn't like dog food," said Gray. Fifi is truly a one woman dog and doesn't even have any canine friends. "She loves me, I can't get rid of her," Gray offered, "She follows me into the bathroom, up to the bathtub and peeks over the edge to see if I'm still alive. She's my little baby."

Gray originally wanted to get a Pomeranian "Since they're so cute," she said, "but now that I've gotten her she's not so cute. She's more like a pit bull. When the other dogs come around I have to hold her. When we come to the park everybody else leaves once we'll get here."

The City of Burien has not done any asphalt overlay to its streets for the last couple of years, a situation which Burien City Manager Mike Martin said is not sustainable.

City staff presented a plan to the Burien City Council to spend $8.6 million to bring their roads up to high standards over the next couple of years, and spend $600,000 each year after for 20 years for overlay on the City streets.

The initial $8.6 million would be raised through bonds, which would be paid back over 20 years. To pay back the bond and overlay the streets each year the City would have to pay $1.25 million dollars a year.

Martin described this as a legacy project, something that would go on for a very long time. As soon as the City gets Council approval they plan on moving forward with the bonds and beginning work on roads late summer or early fall.

Public Works Director Larry Blanchard showed the council if they keep the City roads at an 80+ on the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) it would cost them $19.4 million by 2029. If the City maintained their streets to PCI of 70 it would end up costing the City approximately $231 million by 2029.

Have you ever sat in church, on a bus or in a theatre and just looked around at people? I particularly look at seniors and wonder what they looked like, when they were kids or in their 20s.

However, my real curiosity is beyond how they look, but I wonder about their story?

Ann Boutwell (87) and I both happen to attend Christ's Church in Federal Way. I'd heard a lot about her and finally had to meet her.

The first thing I noticed was that she had the cutest eyebrows that danced above her bright hazel eyes. But, for the most part, she appeared to be just the average, run-of-the-mill senior citizen. What's that old saying - never judge a book by its cover?

When I asked Ann about her history, I thought she's just tell me a bit about her folks. However, I found that she has a memory a lot sharper than mine. Ann grew up in Yakima on a 40-acre apple orchard and was the youngest of 45 grandkids.

"My great grandmother, Mary Richardson Walker, was the third white woman to cross the Rockies and my grandmother, Abigail Boutwell Karr, was the first white woman born in American Columbia. I'm a seventh generation Washingtonian," she said, with a sense of pride.

The White Center Chamber of Commerce, partnering with the White Center Community Development Association (CDA), will host a forum for White Center restaurant, tavern and store business owners to consider how to restrict the sale of alcohol to the chronic alcoholic population residing in White Center.

The forum will be held at the Triangle Tavern, 9454 16th Ave., SW, on Wednesday, March 31, at 6:30 pm.

The forum, entitled “Options for Managing Homeless, Chronic Alcoholics in White Center”, will include information from the King County Sheriffs, the Seattle Police Department, and the Washington State Liquor Control Board. It will address options for White Center, including; 1.) an Alcohol Impact Area designation where sales of specific brands most often used by chronic alcoholics are restricted by law; 2.) an alternative Good Neighbor Policy, where businesses collectively sign, and agree to follow a voluntary restriction on the sale of these same products to the chronic alcoholic population, 3.) other options identified by participants. The forum is open to the public.

Mom invited her adult daughter to move in. Daughter assumed that her cats—several dozen of them— were welcome too. A year has passed, and mom is ready for the daughter and her feline family (now 30 cats strong) to move back out. Frustrated by the stench and destruction, Mom allegedly took a swing at daughter with a chair. She was booked into King Count Jail for investigation of domestic violence assault. She was also provided with information on how to properly seek an eviction through the King County Sheriff.

Around 4:30 on Monday afternoon, a woman was waiting for the bus at 43rd and Alaska when a stranger asked her the time, yanked her phone from her hand, and ran off westbound.

While speeding down SW Alaska St, a 66-year-old caught sight of an officer. In response, he slammed on his brakes, ended up going into a skid, and nearly slid into the patrol car. He had the required driver's license and proof of insurance, but he also had a “wanted” status in Pierce County for failing to register as a sex offender. He was arrested and booked into King County Jail for this no-bail offense.

Become A Volunteer Beach Naturalist This Summer
The Seattle Aquarium
206-245-0143
beachnaturalist@seattle.gov
Training: April 13 and 27, May 11 and 25, weekday evenings; April 17, May 1 and 15, weekend days. Care about beaches and good with people? Sign up to receive training. Once trained, volunteers spend three summer weekend days educating visitors about beach ecology and beach etiquette at Richmond Beach, Carkeek Park, Golden Gardens, Olympic Sculpture Park Beach, Constellation Park (Alki), Lincoln Park, Seahurst Park, Des Moines Beach Park, and Redondo Beach. Register by April 7 to save your spot!

YMCA Events and Classes
West Seattle YMCA
4515 36th Ave S.W., Seattle 98126
www.westseattleymca.org

Friday, April 2, Family Night, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Play together as a family in the Kids Gym and Swim in the pool. Members Free / non-members bring canned food for the West Seattle food bank or Diapers for West Side Baby.

The Seattle Municipal Community Court engages misdemeanor offenders with community service throughout Seattle, many right here in West Seattle. The program just celebrated its five-year anniversary, and was just named as one of three Mentor Courts nationwide, along with Hartford and South Dallas by the United States Department of Justice. There are 35 such courts in America, and only one in Washington State, in room 1002 of the Seattle Municipal Courthouse. Judge Fred Bonner presides.

Those offenders who choose to participate in the Community Court program work for 16 hours over two days in landscape clearing, pea patch gardening, garbage clean-up, and other chores in the community in which they were caught committing their crime. In West Seattle most work is outdoors, and so clients here will be starting up again this spring.

They are also required to contact public service workers if they are chemically dependant, unemployed, homeless, or have other issues the court feels they need to address to help them avoid reoffending. The program is voluntary, but is usually opted for in place of spending a month or more in jail and paying costly fines.

When the administrative assistant to the SeaTac Police Department and police Capt. Annette Louie arrived for work at city hall the morning of March 15, they did their part toward keeping the city clean while helping out a fellow citizen.

They spotted an empty recyclable canvas grocery bag in the parking lot and set it by the front door for its rightful owner to pick up.
'We were being good little stewards," Capt. Louie said.

By the time they left the police precinct station, located in back of city hall, the bag had not been claimed.

But in the wee hours of the next morning, a man called police from inside the Motel 6 on International Boulevard and South 160th Street threatening to blow up the motel and police precincts in SeaTac.

Police evacuated the motel and arrested the man without incident when he stepped out of his room. No bombs were found at the motel.

Meanwhile, police swept the area around the precinct, spotted a "suspicious" bag next to city hall's front door and summoned the bomb squad.

A bomb robot disabled the bag with a water cannon.