March 2010

The doors will be locked permanently soon at the little blue house at the edge of Dottie Harper Park in Burien.

After 47 years in the same location, the Burien Art Center will be closing its doors March 19 at the conclusion of the current exhibition.

Gallery operators vow to open again at an even better location.

Residing on Southwest 146th St. near 4th Avenue Southwest, the gallery's final hurrah of sorts will be "Page Turner: Contemporary Artist Books," a free exhibition that displays the original works of 22 artists.

An artist's reception will be held on Friday, March 5th from 6-9 p.m. The opening reception will be an excellent time for people to share their views about the future of the art gallery over a glass of wine.

With the new Burien Library relocated to the Town Square complex, gallery operators are looking for a location closer to downtown Burien.

According to Erin Williamson, executive Director for Burien Arts, the final gallery show is a celebration of their years there.

"It's a book art show for mid-career professional artists. They are all from different parts of the country. We attract both local and national artists," said Williamson.

ArtsWest Playhouse announces the National New Play Network World Premiere of Sunlight by Sharr White, an award winning drama about a family dramatically changed by a turn of political events after 9-11.

Sunlight begins with the story of Matthew Gibbon, a liberal lion and president of an East coast university. Matthew finds himself battling against the ultra-conservative dean of the law school - his son-in-law and former protégé. As the drama unfolds, a question of ethics suddenly escalates into a showdown with dire consequences.

Known for supporting and developing outstanding arts programs and new contemporary plays all over the country, the National New Play Network is collaborating with ArtsWest Playhouse on this production. Sunlight was the 2009 winner of both the Sky Cooper New American Play Prize and the Edgerton Foundation Award for Best New Play. After wrapping up at the Marin Theatre Company in San Francisco, audiences and critics are raving that Sunlight is “A powerfully constructed drama…definitley worth a trip across the bridge.”- (KGO Radio).

There are jazz bands. There are classical orchestras. Then, there is the Seattle-based Pontiac Bay Symphony.

While they may not play rock and roll, some of their repertoire includes songs more recognizable than the Beatles.

Each Pontiac Bay performance embraces a theme. One concert focused on movie theme songs, including “Jaws,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Jurassic Park,” “Star Wars,” and “2001: A Space Odyssey,” with its trademark, heart-stopping timpani.

Another concert celebrated the Western movie and TV show genre. That song list included “Rawhide,” and “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”

On March 14, they will perform “The Pontiac Bay Old-Time Radio Show,” which will attempt to duplicate the old radio shows of the 1930s and 40s with a Cole Porter and Duke Ellington big band sound.

The scores will be interspersed with sketch dramas involving sound effects contraptions like the glass “crash box” that simulates windows and lamps braking, and the door and knob box, which often precedes the line, “This is the police. Open up.”

Next week, a contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation will begin installing new electronic messaging signs at several locations to provide improved traffic information to travelers.

Crews will work from approximately 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 8 through March 12 at Holman Road and 14th Avenue Northwest and 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Northwest 61st Street.

Traffic lanes will be reduced at those locations to accommodate the construction. Expect delay and congestion. Motorists are asked to slow down and use caution when passing the work zone.

This work is part of the Seattle Department of Transportation's Intelligent Transportation System improvements that will help manage traffic and keep travelers informed.

Three Puget Sound-area community colleges have earned accreditation as baccalaureate colleges from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the body that accredits all Northwest institutions of higher education, public and private.

Baccalaureate accreditation status means that the three colleges – South Seattle Community College (Seattle), Bellevue College (Bellevue), and Olympic College (Bremerton) – meet the standards for performance, integrity, and quality required of all bachelor’s degree-granting colleges and universities.

The standards are set by the Northwest Commission, whose work is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.

A fourth community college – Peninsula College in Port Angeles – is nearing the end of the application and review process for baccalaureate accreditation.

Following statutory authorization by the state legislature in 2005, the four colleges were selected in 2006 by the Higher Education Coordinating Board and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to be the first two-year colleges in the state to award four-year bachelor’s degrees.

Two of several pairs of bald eagles who make West Seattle their home took advantage of the relatively low tide near Alki point on March 4 to do some fishing. Pausing briefly in the tree across from the Cactus Restaurant, one eagle of a mating pair watched for fish near the surface and then flew out over the water to seek their prey.

Eagles have been living in Seattle, in recent times, since the 1980's and now approximately two dozen pairs live in the area.

To see other photos from the West Seattle Herald visit our Flickr page here http://www.flickr.com/photos/westseattleherald/

The Don Armeni Boat Ramp parking lot located at 1222 Harbor Ave. SW. is being repaved by Statewide Parking Lot services under the supervision of the Seattle Parks Department. The work is expected to be complete today, well ahead of schedule. Last paved in 1984 the project is funded through the Capital Improvement Program.

The job was put up for competitive bid and Statewide won the job, bringing in Icon Materials to do the actual asphalt work. The asphalt was being delivered from Auburn.

Jason Frisk, Sr. Recreation Program Specialist for Seattle Parks and Recreation is the project manager. "The job includes the asphalt, some 'Petromat' used in the real tough areas that get broken up. It's a sub-base that goes down and takes care of the alligatoring or cracking up of the asphalt. When you re-asphalt over the top, the cracks don't come up," said Frisk. "We're re-striping it. repaving it, fixing the handicapped parking that was not quite right before, It's surprising that we were able to get it through in two to three days."

There are jazz bands. There are classical orchestras. Then there is the Seattle-based Pontiac Bay Symphony. While they may not play rock and roll, some of their repertoire includes songs more recognizable than the Beatles. Each Pontiac Bay performance embraces a theme. One concert focused on movie theme songs, including “Lord of the Rings,” “Jurassic Park,” “Star Wars,” and “2001 A Space Odyssey” with its trademark heart-stopping timpani “Boom-boom Boom-boom.” Another celebrated the Western movie and TV show genre, and that song list included “Rawhide,” and “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” a Clint Eastwood cult-classic. The eclectic roster includes players from West Seattle and Highline.

In late January, a tree was cut down. This tree happened to be on somebody’s private property, and the property owner is now in trouble with the city because they didn’t get a permit before they cut it down.

Don’t get me wrong – I thought it was a nice tree. But, judging by how many people were outraged by this, it is a perfect example of “not in my backyard” and an opportunity to reflect on the role of government in our lives.

People are so busy getting upset that they haven’t thought to ask the property owner why they cut it down.

People thought the tree was a neighborhood landmark, but it wasn’t on their property.

Does anyone know whether the tree was sick or not? Was it stable? Did tree branches fall off during windstorms? Were its roots messing with the foundation of the house?

Would you want to live a few feet away from a huge tree that could fall on your house and kill you and your family? What if it fell into the street and killed someone?

Why should a property owner be compelled to keep something on their property that was quite possibly a nuisance and a danger to them merely because it brings enjoyment to others?

Federal Way edged Stanwood 64-44, while Decatur survived Davis 50-47 in the opening round of the 4A State Tournament Wednesday.
Photographer Kurt Howard captured these images from the games. CLICK ON PHOTO TO PLAY SLIDESHOW.