March 2010

Going to the hospital emergency room will be kind of fun on Saturday, April 10 when Burien's Highline Medical Center will celebrate the grand opening of its new ER and Patient Care Unit.

Activities will be going on from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the main campus, located at 16251 Sylvester Road Southwest.

Behind the scenes tours will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. of the ER and patent unit, which is three times larger than the previous facility.

An activities and health fair will also run during those hours. Seattle's Pacific Science Center will present an interactive exhibit called "Blood & Guts."

The fair will also have booths that cover everything from child safety to senior health.

And participants can receive free health screenings and take a health and wellness assessment. Free child's bicycle helmets will be professionally fitted while supplies last. Kids can also tour a fire truck and ambulance and meet the people who staff them.

Participants can also meet the healthcare professionals who may be treating them in the future at the new ER.

At 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., a "SENSE-ational" show will feature performers from the Pacific Science Center.

King County Executive Dow Constantine today welcomed the letter he received today from the Seattle City Council pledging assistance in finding funding options for new South Park Bridge:

“I want to thank the Seattle City Council for its strong support of our regional efforts to fund a replacement for the deteriorating South Park Bridge. Their support will aid us in King County’s upcoming application for a federal stimulus grant.

“I also welcome their partnership in the effort to maintain access to this hard-working neighborhood.

“I know the many residents and businesses that depend on the South Park Bridge every day join me in recognizing the City Council members for their leadership.”

See the Herald's previous coverage of the South Park Bridge here:

Industry concerned about loss of South Park Bridge

Duwamish River Cleanup challenged without South Park Bridge

On March 29 and March 30, there will be lane closures on the Ballard Bridge in order for the Seattle Department of Transportation to install conduit under the structure.

From 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day, department crews will first close the right lane northbound and then re-open the lane before closing the southbound right lane, if necessary.

Due to budget constraints and for safety reasons, this work must be performed during these hours, according to a Department of Transportation press release.

Motorists should plan on possible traffic delays and use extra caution when traveling through the work zone, according to the press release.

On Friday, a long journey for State Senator Tracey Eide, D-Federal Way, ends in victory.

For years, the Senator has pushed to enhance safety on Washington's roads by limiting cell phone use while driving. In July 2008, Eide succeeded in passing legislation that made talking while driving - without the use of approved hands-free devices - a secondary offense. The bill got the no-talking-while-driving movement's foot in the door in Olympia, but the bill had little strength.

Law enforcement could not issue a citation for using cell phones unless they pulled the driver over for another infraction, like speeding.

SB 6345 succeeds in adding more bite to the law, giving law enforcement the authority to issue tickets for talking-while-driving as a primary offense.

The ticket will cost drivers caught in the act $124.

Author's note: This is the first in a series of articles derived from conversations, which I had the great fortune and pleasure to have, with longtime Fauntleroy resident Morey Skaret. Much has already been written about Mr. Skaret’s life. Although out of print, his 2003 book, Morey’s Bench: Stories From the Life and Times of Morest L. Skaret, can be read on-line. Several related HistoryLink.org essays are also available.

I will treasure you as my companion
I will celebrate the joys of life with you
I promise to support your dreams
Stay with me forever

—Handwritten inscription on the back of the calling card of Captain Morest L. Skaret, Retired–U.S. Coast Guard.

Morest L. “Morey” Skaret casts a weather eye across the gently rising, rain-dimpled waters of Puget Sound.

From his “Captain’s perch” atop Fauntleroy Cove, Morey’s steady gaze takes in not only this morning’s mist-shrouded horizon; it reaches back much farther, fathoming the eddies and ripples still swirling from waters plied long ago.

The Vision Greenwood Park Steering Committee has been meeting over the
winter to move the plan to develop and expand Greenwood Park forward.

The steering committee applied for and was awarded a second Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Small and Simple Grant for $17,500.

The grant will be used to fund the detailed drawings for the two vacant lots along Fremont Avenue and the additional facilities that will be added to the current park area.

The grant means construction on the park should be able to get underway soon, according to a Vision Greenwood Park Steering Committee press release.

The committee has also sent letters of intent to the Seattle Parks Levy Opportunity Fund (minimum $250,000 grant award) and the Seattle Neighborhood Matching Fund Large Project (up to $100,000 award).

The committee is working on the grant applications now for submission in
April.

The committee plans to apply to King County for the County Youth Sports Facility Grants totaling $75,000 to help create the basketball area as well as
exercise stations around the perimeter of the park.

Diana Shyue tied for first place March 24 at Wayne Golf Course, but the Ballard High School girls golf team came up 29 strokes short of Woodinville.

The Beavers finished with a team score of 300 to Woodinville's 271.

Shyue hit a 48, tying with Woodinville's Taylor Wong.

Kristina Graef placed fifth for Ballard with a score of 58.

The Beavers are 0-2 on the season.

Ballard doesn't compete again until April 13, when they face Bothell at 3 p.m. at the West Seattle Golf Course.

You need not twist Mike LaFranchi’s arm to get him to talk about his West Seattle Kiwanis membership, where he is a past-president, or his weekly volunteering at the Friends of the Library Book Sale sorting facility in Magnuson Park. He is loud and proud about those accomplishments.

More challenging is getting the mild-mannered Junction-area resident to spill about his 26 years in the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, formerly the Office of Security until 1985, when he guarded the likes of Nelson Mandela, Princess Anne, Yasser Arafat, President Clinton, and rode herd over the security of countless embassies and consulates from Cape Verde to Mongolia. He was first assigned in 1974.

“The whole secret of being a good special agent is having a serious set of shades, dude,” declared LaFranchi, who was born near Duvall and raised in the Admiral District. If you met him you might say he blends in with the public, but in his profession he certainly stood out in the crowd, literally.

The Ballard High School girls tennis team opened its 2010 season with a 7-0 loss to Issaquah March 23.

"Yesterday was a big learning experience for our girls – a big wake up to the level of play they will see for at least half the season," coach Charles Brenner said.

Brenner said he was proud of how his team, which includes many players new to competitive tennis, conducted itself despite the loss. The players held their heads high and were ready to learn how to improve for the next match, he said.

"They are learning some valuable lessons that are going to be very important later in life," he said. "They are learning never to give up on themselves."

The Beavers take on Garfield at 3:45 p.m. on March 25 at Garfield High School.

Complete March 23 Results:

In # 1 Singles: Dayna Bennett from Issaquah High School beat Stephanie Loo from Ballard High School 6-0, 6-0.

In #2 Singles: Alyssa Wilson from Issaquah High School beat Susanna Bowers from Ballard High School 6-0, 6-0.

In #3 Singles: Sam Garrard from Issaquah High School beat Maya Voelk from Ballard High School 6-0, 6-0.

There is a new Japanese cultural exchange program coming to West Seattle.
Homestay programs allow international teens to experience American culture firsthand, while also providing a unique and up-close cultural experience for American families and broadening children’s perspectives on the world.

American kids get to experience everyday things through the eyes of a foreign student, plus learn new skills (such as origami and Japanese cooking).

There will be 15 Japanese girls (ages 15 to 17) here from July 21st to August 10th. The girls will be in classes and on field trips most weekdays. Families aren’t required to entertain—just share their lives. The girls don’t even require their own room if there is a daughter who is willing to share hers.

For more information visit www.westseattlehomestay.weebly.com or call Amy at (425) 737-4342