March 2010

Pet Food Drive for White Center Food Bank
Now through March 13, 2010
White Center Kiwanis is collecting dog and cat food. Pet food can be dropped off in Burien at A Place For Pets (431 S.W. 152nd St.) or the Law Offices of Gerald Robison (648 S. 152nd St. #7), or in West Seattle at Hotwire Coffee House (4410 California Ave S.W.) by March 13. On March 13, pet food can be dropped off at the White Center Food Bank (10829 8th Ave S.W.) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On-line donations can be made at www.whitecenterfoodbank.org.

Open House
Blue Skies Montessori
2808 S.W. Holden St
206-938-9663
Saturday, March 6, 11:30-1 p.m.
Accepting applications for 2009/2010.
Toddlers 12 mths-6 years. Full time and part time private Kindergarten.

Spanish language class.
Extended care hours.
Practical life exercises, sensorial activities, language activities, math-thinking and problem solving exercises.
Friends of Lincoln Park Work Party
Saturday, March 6,
9 a.m. to noon.

(Editor's Note: St. Francis School sixth-grader Wyatt DeMulling earned enough points in local tournaments to receive a national ranking and be invited to a national tournament last month in Claremont, California.)

Wow, what an experience, from my first ball being hit to my last ball being hit it was awesome.

The tournament site was incredible-19 acres of beautiful grounds and 28 outdoor tennis courts. They were the best outdoor courts I have ever played on. It was 75-85 degrees every day so it was hot on the tennis courts. I had to drink lots of water and sports drinks.

I played three matches and all of them were good matches. I did not win, but learned a lot. I ended the tournament in 54th place nationally.

It's always great when you have the best players playing in a tournament because it builds rivalries and it makes you play harder and better.

In March 2010, every household across the nation will receive a census form. Required once every 10 years by the U.S. constitution, the 2010 Census will count every person living in the United States.

Local Funding

A lack of participation can result in our community receiving less federal funding and less access to services and resources than we might otherwise have received. $400 billion per year in federal funding translates to $1,400 per person, per year in the form of services and improvements.

Local Representation

An accurate count helps to ensure that the people in this community are fairly represented in all levels of government. Census information is used to determine how many representatives there are at the federal and state levels.

Personal Privacy

Many people express concern about the safety and confidentiality of information they put on the form. Federal law protects your identity and the information you give the Census Bureau. Your cooperation and trust is fundamental to a complete count.

Development of the Des Moines Creek Business Park is rapidly moving forward, Des Moines Planning Director Grant Fredericks told the city council on Feb. 25.

The DMBP is 89 acres of land currently owned by the Port of Seattle sitting between South 216th Street to South 208th Street, from 20th Avenue South to 24th Avenue South.

The city and the Port have been working together to develop the land. On the northern end of the property, the Port plans to build warehouses.

As part of an agreement to purchase the road right-of-ways from Des Moines, the Port is offering the city a five year assignable option to acquire 27 acres of land facing 216th for a retail store.

The city will do a feasibility study to determine if retail will work in the location. If it is determined retail could work in the location, the city would solicit plans from developers and assign their option to buy the land.

As part of the agreement, the Port is asking for a new appraisal to be done on the property. The last assessment was done in 2006.

Early Tuesday, officers went to the intersection of 42nd and Fauntleroy where they found a man lying in the middle of the street, eating a bowl of soup. The 42-year-old had told a 911 operator of his intention to do this, stating that he was trying to figure out why he was still alive after having been hit by a car at this location in the 1980s. He told officers that he would like to go to Harborview to “get some things figured out,” so an ambulance was called to provide transport.

Up on SW 107th, someone siphoned over 24 gallons of gas from three parked cars.

At the Alaska Junction, a woman made $500 worth of transactions at one store using counterfeit bills.

A resident of Fauntleroy Way called 911 to report ongoing harassment from a neighbor. The latest? She had been accused of stealing chicken from a grill. Though the accuser wouldn't answer the door, her boyfriend admitted that his partner is an alcoholic and might have other substance issues. (A records check showed that she's also a registered sex offender who is wanted on a $10,000 misdemeanor warrant.)

Residents along Burien's shoreline have shown up in force to the last couple of Planning Commission meetings, discussing issues with the proposed Shoreline Master Program update (SMP), including public access and how proposed regulations could affect the ability to rebuild homes along the shore and impacts to property values.

Burien is currently using King County's Shoreline Master Program, which Senior Planner David Johanson said has not been amended or updated since the city began using it.

In the proposed SMP, it says any nonconforming building or structure along the shoreline damaged over 50 percent of the assessed value can be rebuilt if they comply with new regulations.

Many people who have gotten up to speak at the commission meetings have asked for the number to be raised to the 75 percent maximum allowed by the state.

However, the state's rule says that if 75 percent of a non-conforming use structure is destroyed it cannot be rebuilt to non-conforming standards.

Do you know someone interested in serving as a legislative page in Olympia? The experience is eye opening and rewarding. Participants gain a much deeper understanding of how bills are created and shared.

Any student (aged 14-17) is eligible to serve as a legislative page in the state House or Senate, where for one week, they deliver messages for lawmakers and learn first-hand about the democratic process. If you know a student interested in serving as a page, they should contact their local lawmakers.

An early morning fire caused by a ceiling fan drew a large response from the Seattle Fire Department. 14 units, some engines, some fire marshals and others responded to 911 call at 5:26 AM to 8824 37th S.W.
The incident commander said, "It was a ceiling fan. It had been smoking yesterday and when they went to turn it on this morning it caught fire."
The fire was put out within a few minutes but for a time it produced a lot of smoke.