March 2010

West Seattle Hi-Yu seeks applicants for its Court, and the deadline is March 31. The organization is encouraging girls to apply, even last minute. Contact candidate coordinator, Shirley Enebrad at (206) 935-5224.

2010 Miss West Seattle Hi-Yu Candidate Information:

Scholarships have increased to $2,000 for Miss West Seattle, and $1,000 for each princess. Professional mentoring by local businesswomen, and personal appearance training.
Hi-Yu is a non-profit organization, established in 1934 by West Seattle's service clubs to produce a summer festival to promote the West Seattle Community.

The annual Hi-Yu Summer Festival is held throughout the month of July. Dozens of events occur all around West Seattle during this time. The kick-off event is the Seattle Seafair Pirates Landing at Alki Beach, and it finishes at the end of the month with the Miss West Seattle Hi-Yu Scholarship Program and the Seafair Torchlight Parade. Named in 1934 (16 years prior to Seafair), in a community contest, Hi-Yu means "much, plenty, abundance" in native Chinook jargon.

WSDOT crews will close the Alaskan Way Viaduct on March 27 and 28 to complete the semiannual inspection of the structure. This closure will also allow WSDOT to perform routine maintenance such as repairing expansion joints and bridge rails; and checking drainage systems and traffic cameras. They will also inspect and conduct maintenance on the Battery Street Tunnel.

Both directions of SR 99 between the Battery Street Tunnel and S. Spokane Street will be closed from:

6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 27.
6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 28.

Drivers should expect increased congestion on all major north-south routes and plan accordingly. They recommend leaving early, carpooling, vanpooling or taking transit. Drivers can check traffic conditions before they leave at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic. Up-to-the-minute traffic information is also available via the 511 driver information line.

This Friday the public is invited to join the Nature Consortium for a free public guided hike in the West Duwamish Greenbelt, Seattle’s largest remaining forest Friday Mar. 26 (fourth Friday instead of third, this month). We will explore the hidden treasures of this amazing natural wonder, and hear about the history and the future of the forest from Nancy Whitlock, Executive Director of the Nature Consortium.

Inexperienced hikers, seniors, and babies in backpacks are welcome. Special note to Parents of toddlers and preschoolers: please be warned that this hike can be challenging for you if you are with a preschooler or two who can walk down hills but want to be carried up!

Please bring your own water bottle. Granola bars provided. Dress in layers for weather. Wear appropriate footwear (some parts of the trail may be muddy.)

Extreme rain cancels. Be ready for inspiration!
Meet at the trailhead at 14th Ave SW and SW Holly.

RSVP today!
Call 206- 923-0853 or email Lisa@naturec.org to reserve your spot.

I'm inviting you to join our efforts to reduce underage drinking and youth substance abuse in the West Seattle community. A current strategy we would like to work on is a partnership between the coalition and area businesses in the 98116 zip code.

We would like the business sector to support a Community Covenant and each business will receive a window decal stating, “This business is participating to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors”.

What follows is the Grant Proposal that explains what the Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership is and what the grant being applied for would accomplish.

Drug Free Communities
Grant Proposal Summary

What is Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership?

ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery announces the panel discussion “The Value of Nothingness”, a free event open to the public on Thursday, April 8th at 7:30pm.

Gallery Director, Nichole Dement, explains that “the discussion will explore the current trends in art making, buying and collecting.” In the current economy funding for the arts has decreased dramatically, as have art sales. Conversely, this past February brought the highest art purchase on record at an auction for Alberto Giacometti’s , The Walking Man I. The sculpture sold for a cool $104 million, barely beating the 2004 record of $104.2 million for a 39” x 40” Picasso. “This panel discussion is for artists and art-lovers alike, who are interested in learning about new art market trends and how they relate to this tricky economic climate,” Dement states.

Deborah Paine, City of Seattle curator, and Michael Alhadeff, art advocate and avid collector, will be among the panelist speakers. Both Paine and Alhadeff will discuss current buying trends and various motivations for purchases and acquisitions.

Replacing our seawall is a given: everyone agrees it is in poor condition and a public safety issue. The questions that loom before us are when, and who will pay?

Mayor McGinn has accelerated the timetable for seawall replacement from 2016 to 2014. This is an administrative decision that could affect what funding source is used to pay the nearly $300 million replacement cost. To meet the 2014 timetable, only $16 million will be needed in 2011, for design work. Since the funds are for design work only, the 2016 start date could still be used.

Mayor McGinn has proposed that Seattle property owners pay $243 million for a general obligation bond measure. This would entail a public vote; a 60% yes vote would be required to pass the bond. The Mayor had asked for a vote in May but the Council turned him down. The Council may consider a November ballot measure, but there's been little public discussion so far.

According to a new press release:

The Seattle City Council and City Attorney Pete Holmes took a united stand today opposing Attorney General Rob McKenna’s participation in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the historic national legislation that will dramatically reform health care in the United States.

Seattle’s elected officials oppose McKenna’s involvement as contrary to the interest of the people of Washington State and the City of Seattle.

This afternoon the Seattle City Council passed Resolution 31196 supporting enactment of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for health care reform.

The City’s resolution also urges the State Legislature to restrict the Attorney General’s budget authority to prevent any state funds from being spent opposing federal health care reform.

The united front in Seattle supports the strong stance taken by Governor Christine Gregoire, who has made it clear that she will actively oppose the lawsuit filed in Florida.

Written from notes after a visit in Burien on July 2nd 2009 on the occasion of my father Thomas Sieverts speaking in Burien.

I remember the unbelievable story of an invisible lake in the center of a town called Burien. There was no public access to the lake, but my father and I were introduced to one of the "owners" of the lake and she invited us to take a bath. She was talking about the good quality of the water that is due to the common not use of motorboats of the neighbouring properties and the renouncement of fertilizer in the gardens, which I found really impressive. She then said that when the lake would get a public access, all this would be gone. I wondered about that argument, because, apart from the bewildering strong conviction of a lack of responsibility of her common citizens that it showed, there are, of course, ways of controlling water pollution at public accesses, be it by neighbourhood control, by closing hours at night, by park wardens, by the arrangement of a public bath with attendants or other solutions, which she obviously had not ever even thought about.

(Editor's Note: This letter was sent to Burien City Councilwoman Kathy Keene with a copy to the Times/News.)

Dear Ms. Keene,
This is a first for me, writing to a city council member. But I cannot sit by passively and watch the city council make a foolish move toward annexing North Highline, including White Center.

I speak for myself and I speak for many Burien neighbors when I say DO NOT DO IT! I have lived in Burien for 57 years. Mostly I've been proud of Burien and it's small town feel and also the growth exemplified by the revitalization of Olde Burien and Burien Town Square project.

I was in favor of annexing the Southern section of North Highline. I am in favor of utilizing the area by Sea-Tac airport along Des Moines Memorial Parkway for warehouse and light industry. I was in total agreement with Burien City officials about the Lora Lake Apartment complex and it's dismantlement.

But to annex White Center is a huge mistake and one that is not wanted and will not be tolerated by the Burien constituency. I have talked with many neighbors and the feeling is unanimous, we the citizens of Burien do not want to annex White Center.

A valued retired member of the Burien/Normandy Park Fire Department, who is suffering from terminal cancer, will be honored at a reception April 15.
Reicher was specially trained by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as an accelerant canine.
The black dog worked numerous fire and arson scenes from June 13, 2001 through June 10, 2008.

After retirement, he worked an important job as fire station greeter.
He was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Firefighters are honoring Reicher and handler Bill Harm with the 2 p.m. reception at fire district headquarters, 15100 8th Ave. S.W. Refreshments will be served.

More information is available by calling Colleen Nash, Extension 101, or Lt. Guerreiro, Extension 105, at 206-242-2040. They can also be contacted at cnash@burienfire.org or mguerreiro@burienfire.org.