May 2010

On April 30 Café Revò unveiled its new spring menu which includes fresh fish, and risottos and other items to go with fresh vegetables in season. The restaurant, just south of the West Seattle Bridge on Avalon Way, has been open for 14 months.

“We still have all of our old favorites specific to Revò, in Northern Italy where my family is from,” said owner Sofia Zadra Goff. “And my husband, Sean, who opened the restaurant, all of his recipes are still on the menu, too. Half the menu has new items on it. The fresh halibut is in season now and is very Italian.”

As many Revò fans and other area residents know, Sofia’s husband Sean Goff passed away last September 17 at age 43. He was stricken with a fatal cerebral hemorrhage. There was an enormous outpouring of warmth for the beloved chef from the community.

"We are definitely carrying on with what my husband and I originally wanted for the restaurant,” Sofia said. “He got very sick just three months after we opened. He realized his dream before he died, the legacy of what we created together. The tables, drywall we laid, everything in this space we did together so I will always have that, and my children will too.”

The Seattle Public Schools board in their meeting Wednesday, May 5, voted to approve the lease of E.C. Hughes Elementary by Westside School. Operating at 10015 28th Ave. S.W. since 1993 and sharing space with Explorer West, Westside has been in need of more space for some time.

Hughes, at 7740 34th Ave. S.W. has been in the Seattle Public Schools inventory since last December when the Seattle School Board announced its availability. Testimony at the meeting was given as to the cost of maintaining the building as a vacant structure. The cost is close to $50,000 per year to run the boiler on cold days, and perform other maintenance on the building. All ongoing maintenance costs for the school will be covered by the lease.

The school's growth is the primary reason for the move. Head of Westside School Jo Ann Yockey said, " We have had a strategic plan which we began in 2006 to add one section at each grade level, before that we were one section at each grade, preschool through 5th grade. We started by adding another kindergarten class and then another 1st (grade) and so this year we have two 3rds."

Evergreen swimming pool has reopened and that is great. Now kids can stop sneaking into Lake Hicks which is headquarters for swimmers itch in White Center where my kids grew up. That rash which put little red blisters on the boys that came from waterfowl who love the place and we had to rub them( the kids, not the ducks) with some pink stuff we got at the drug store.

There was no other swimming hole except Coleman pool at Lincoln Park and that was a real hike. The famed West Seattle icon Maury Skaret, who still lives only a few hundred feet from it was its' first life guard.

So our five boys who had to make do with a Saturday night rub in the tub. Sometimes they in Salmon Creek below our house near Shadel
Hospital on Ambaum..
I grew up in Portland and we had a choice of Renne's Lake about a mile away or the Columbia Slough, a sluggish side channel of the Columbia River which had a lot of logs and a bunch of sewer outfalls serving the hog ranch and the slaughterhouse . Great fishing spot for carp and crappies.

Jantzen Beach, about three miles away had a huge outside pool but only rich kids had the money to swim there. It cost ten cents.

Adam Burden, the former assistant chief of police in Miami and one of 10 semifinalists to become Seattle Police Chief, has withdrawn from consideration.

Burden informed Mayor Mike McGinn's Police Chief Search Committee today that due to recent surgery he is unable to give full effort to the interview process.

The remaining nine candidates for Seattle chief will be interviewed by the Search Committee on Saturday, May 8, with the committee expected to select three finalists for Mayor McGinn's consideration on Tuesday, May 11.

Saturday's interviews, to be conducted in executive session and not open to the public, begin at 7 a.m. at Talaris Conference Center, 4000 NE 41st St., Seattle.

For more information about the search process, see the committee's website, http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/spdChiefSearch/

Erik Bedard, Doug Fister, Ryan Langerhans, Jason Vargas, coaches Rick Adair & Alan Cockrell of the Seattle Mariners brought a message to the kids to D.R.E.A.M., or: Drug-free, Respect for yourself and others, Education through reading, Attitude, and Motivation to achieve your dreams.

This was the 13th Annual Seattle Mariners D.R.E.A.M. Team Day, Wednesday, May 5, 2010., an one of six schools in Seattle to be visited by Mariners players. Each school met a different group as the event was simultaneous.

More than 1,000 volunteers clocked nearly 18,000 hours on behalf of the City of Federal Way last year in either a one-time activity or ongoing support services.

According to the Independent Sector, volunteer time in Washington is worth $21.18 per hour, meaning the City’s actual 17,993 hours are worth more than $381,000.

The City honored its 1,087 volunteers by proclaiming the week of April 19, 2010, “Volunteer Appreciation Week.

The City will also hold a dinner on April 23 for volunteers who put in more than 30 hours of service last year. At the dinner, the City will give its traditional recognition to volunteers who have reached milestone service levels with the City:

5 Years of Service
• Dwight Becker
• Tom Lookabaugh
• Dauna Perry
• Cheryl Triplett
• Russ Williams
• Bob Wroblewski

10 Years of Service
• Susan Hemmer

500 Hours of Service
• Lottie Kinney
• Micheal Lotto
• Char Monuzsko
• Marben Sanchez

The City also established a new recognition category this year, Outstanding Volunteer Contribution.

On Saturday, June 5, kids from all over Federal Way will have the chance to hook up with a trout at the Steel Lake Park fishing dock.

Preregistration and $3.50 fee per child is required for the event. To register, call 253.835.6900 or logging on to www.itallhappenshere.org.

Fishing begins at 7 a.m., and each session lasts 20 minutes. The event ends at noon.

The Hooked on Fishing event is suitable for ages 2-12. All fishing equipment provided.

Steel Lake Park is located at 2410 S. 312th Street in Federal Way.

Weyerhaeuser Company’s Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection will reopen temporarily May 7 – 12 in conjunction with the City of Federal Way’s Buds & Blooms Festival.

“After more than one year of being closed to the public, due to the current economic downturn, the opportunity to once again share our bonsai collection with the community is enormously gratifying” said David De Groot, bonsai curator. “I deeply appreciate the support of the City of Federal Way and our Weyerhaeuser leadership in making this opportunity available. Our staff and volunteers have been working for weeks to ensure that the bonsai and the display site will provide a beautiful and memorable experience for our visitors.”

During the temporary reopening, the Collection will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will remain open until 5 p.m. on May 8-9.

This outdoor museum features 60 world-class bonsai from six Pacific Rim nations displayed in a beautiful woodland setting. During the festival weekend, visitors can enjoy free guided or self-guided tours of the collection and special lecture demonstrations. Schedule:

Saturday & Sunday

Founded in 2004, The Federal Way Farmers Market new season opens May 8, 2010 and is located at The Common’s at Federal Way shopping mall’s north parking lot.
Come and experience the freshest fruits and vegetables direct from the farmer. Karla, the Farmers Market Manager says “we have the season’s fresh cut flowers, bakery products and local crafts.

A Master Gardener is always on site to give you tips, or help you with questions you might have about planting, weeding and lawn care. Special event days such as kid’s health and safety day, Zucchini races, and Hawaiian day provides great entertainment for the whole family. Come meet your friends or make new ones.

Enjoy snacks like kettlekorn, cookies or have lunch in our covered eating area, while enjoying live music.

The Ballard High School girls golf team's season ended with a 264-302 loss to Bellevue May 4.

The Beavers finished the season with a 3-5 record.

Coach Casey McMullin said the Ballard golfers had a good final match and played great all season. The golfers' games improved with every match this year, he said.