June 2010

The Highline School District took a major step June 9 in seeking a grant that could transform a White Center neighborhood with services "cradle through college to career."

The Promise Neighborhoods concept is patterned after the successful Harlem Children's Zone model.

Highline board members approved partnering with other local service agencies to apply for a planning grant to develop a Promise Neighborhood project in the White Center area.

If the planning grant is accepted, the local agencies would receive $500,000. So far, 941 entities have applied for the grant with 20 expected to receive funding.

If the local agencies move on to the next step, they could receive a long-term implementation grant. That grant would funnel $2 million annually for five to ten years, allowing the agencies to target the White Center neighborhood.

The project emphasizes zeroing in on one area with service "cradle through college to career," according to Highline Superintendent John Welch.

The designated area is roughly between Southwest 116th Street to Southwest Roxbury Street and 16th Avenue Southwest east to First Avenue South/Myers Way South.

PacWest Little League President Mitch Stone,left, accepts a check from Ed Donovan of Burien Chevrolet. Stone received the check in front of a Malibu, one of two new cars to be given away nationally by Chevrolet in a raffle. The local Chevy dealer also donated some raffle tickets to PacWest.

By Tom Watson
King County Solid Waste

While most people in King County say they recycle, the fact is that more than half of what ends up in the regional landfill could have been recycled.

In the 1970s, curbside recycling was all but unheard of. Our recycling programs, more progressive than most others in the country, began in the late 1980s and have evolved over time.

Today, more than 9,000 cities in the U.S. offer curbside recycling programs, and the range of materials that are recyclable has grown.

Today's recycling markets include not only paper, aluminum and glass, but also an ever-growing range of plastics, yard debris and even food scraps and food-soiled paper.

Around King County, gone are the days where you have to separate each can, bottle and newspaper into individual bins. Today, we simply have three places to put things-- the recycling cart for basic recyclables; the yard waste cart for yard trimmings, food scraps and food-soiled paper; and as a last resort, the garbage can for materials which cannot be recycled.

Don Peter, a Highline Times/Des Moines News reader and Des Moines resident, wrote a letter to the editor saying my column is delightful, yet I'm wrong writing about immigration on June 4th.

Now most savvy guys know from experience that you just don't tell a lady she's wrong - unless you're up for a healthy debate. Not me. I agree totally with Don Peter - I am not perfect. No debate there.

In the midst of my 80th year of experiencing civilization, and plenty of uncivilization, it is clear that perfection escaped me--- and time is running out to expect much improvement.

Still, I hope sharing my thoughts in writing have left a smile, stirred a pleasant memory, questioned politics, treasured love, and stirred readers to become more aware and involved in local community's management.

Hearing from readers is often like flowers on a snowy day, both cool and beautiful. Letters to the editor are welcome; especially those that make writers scratch their head and reach for their computer or old-fashioned dictionary.

Come join artist Talese Heckler as she takes your imagination on a journey through creativity with weekly Art Camp at the Alki Bathhouse. Enjoy a week of drawing, painting, fashion design, watercolor, writing journals, or urban art. Classes run from 9 a.m. – Noon.

Ages groups are from 6 – 9 years old or 9 -12 years old. To register for any of the classes listed below, please go online at www.seattle.gov/parks. For more detailed information, please call Alki Community Center at (206) 684-7430.

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) paving crews have been resurfacing SW Genesee Street from 47th Avenue SW to 49th Avenue SW. They recently completed grinding the old asphalt surface on these two blocks.

Today the crews have been given the “go ahead” to add two additional blocks of Genesee Street to the project, from 49th Avenue SW to 51st Avenue SW. The crews now plan to grind the old surface off of the additional blocks Wednesday (tomorrow), Thursday, and possibly also on Friday. They plan to lay the new asphalt, weather permitting, on Monday and Tuesday, June 21 and 22. One lane of traffic in each direction will remain open.

Genesee Street was not on SDOT’s original list of paving for 2010, but cost savings by the department from other paving projects have enabled SDOT to pave the street this year.

The election for members to the Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board will be held from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on June 17 at Lagerquest & Morris, located at 5135 Ballard Ave. N.W.

Absentee voting is available through June 17 at noon at the Ballard Neighborhood Service Center, located at 5604 22nd Ave. N.W. Ballots are available there.

To vote in the election, either by absentee ballot or in person, you must be registered to vote in the district election.

Two seats on the seven-member Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board are currently up for election. Both open positions are two-year terms ending June 30, 2012.

There are two candidates for Position #1, which is reserved for district property owners:

• Richard Hiner, Hiner Architects, 5337 Ballard Ave. N.W.
• Robert Whaley, New York Fashion Academy, 5201 Ballard Ave. N.W.

There is one candidate for Position #2, which is reserved for district property owners or businesspersons:

• James Riggle, 5301 Leary Ave. N.W. (Olympic Athletic Club)

Every July, SeafoodFest, Ballard's biggest event of the year, needs approximately 150 volunteers to keep it running smoothly. In 2010, with the addition of the KidsZone, an additional 100 helpers are being recruited.

The SeafoodFest Committee is looking for help with set-up and tear-down, selling raffle tickets, being part of the “green team” for recycling and trash, ice wrangling, music stage volunteers and working with children in the KidsZone.

With expanded hours, there will also be a need for a couple new “Team Shifts” for the Information Booth and Salmon BBQ.

Individuals, organizations and businesses are welcome to volunteer or provide four or eight volunteers for the available shifts.

Groups are encouraged to show their team spirit by wearing T-shirts or other items promoting their individual organizations.

Anyone interested in volunteering can email seafoodfestvolunteer@hotmail.com or visit www.seafoodfest.org/volunteers and fill out the volunteer questionnaire.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and US Army Corps of Engineers are beginning the environmental review to replace the Elliott Bay seawall. A public meeting will be held June 16 at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, 2211 Alaskan Way, Seattle, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The meeting will include an open house from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., followed by a presentation and public hearing beginning at 5:30 p.m. A court reporter will be available for public testimony during the open house.

The seawall protects Seattle’s waterfront from wind driven storm waves and the erosive tidal forces of Elliott Bay for a distance of approximately 7,166 feet between South Washington Street and Broad Street. Major utilities, Alaskan Way and SR 99, the ferry terminal, and rail lines also are supported by the seawall. Since its construction between 1916 and 1934, the seawall has deteriorated significantly; it does not meet current earthquake standards.

A friend used to stick a sign on the door of her shop: “Gone to Post Office. Will be right back.”

Sometimes she was gone for hours. It was a small town without mail delivery; everyone had to visit the post office, therefore Judi had to visit with everyone.

That’s how I feel when I leave my house in Ballard. I have to visit with everyone.

Every Friday morning starts with tea and then a walk with my friend Jo-Ann on her day off. These Fridays date back to school bus days; my daughter was so fearful she cried every time the bus appeared, and I had to strong-arm her up the steps. After the bus disappeared, I was the one who cried.

Ten years later, the school buses are long gone from our lives. Jo-Ann's freshman son is one of those kids loping home from Ballard High School on suddenly long legs.

After tea there is a book to drop with Mary, who wants us to circle back so she can walk with us. We decide to visit Jo-Ann’s block, my old block, to make plans with another neighbor for the 15th annual Fourth of July party and talent show.