June 2010

Three car washes will be held this Friday, June 25, to benefit the West Seattle Food Bank and Haiti.
The event will run from 10 AM to 4 PM.
You have three choices to get your car spanking clean, for a very reasonable $10.
State Farm Insurance at 47727 44th Ave S.W. ,
John L. Scott Realty at 5242 California Ave. S.W. or
Keller Williams Realty at 4452 California Ave. S.W.
Funds will help the food bank and go to Haiti through World Vision for victims there still suffering from the effects of the devastating earthquake.

Sponsors:
Windermere Real Estate (Junction Office)
Keller Williams Realty
John L. Scott Realty
Windermere Real Estate (Fauntleroy Office)
West Seattle Realty
Husky Deli
Coldwell Banker Danforth & Associates
West Seattle True Value Hardware
Prudential Northwest Realty
Liberty Bell Printing
TILA Real Estate
West Seattle Desert Sun
Menashe & Sons Jewelers
Bakery Noveau
Capers
J.F. Henry
Terry Gagnon- State Farm Insurance
West Seattle Chamber
West Seattle Rotary Club
West Seattle Kiwanis

I spotted this 60 year old 1968 graduate of Franklin High school who has lived in West Seattle since 1973 . He was shopping in Burien because he had just come from celebrating the graduation of his grand daughter, Ruby, from pre-school into the first grade at Gregory Heights Elementary.

He had on a Husky cap but his jacket told me that he was a bowler at West Seattle and when I asked how good he was he told me his most recent score for three games was 209,208 and 205.This guy is very good.

His best ever for one game was 256. Wow!

When I asked if there was any talk of tearing down or moving the West Seattle bowl now that all the neighboring businesses were gone, he was emphatic that it was not likely to happen because the place was very popular. Bill is a backhoe driver for City Light .

When I asked if his job was dangerous he laughed and said no. It was a great job and not too hazardous but then admitted that he once dug up a 26,000 volt electric line that was buried about a foot deep and no one was injured. I was shocked.

A 65-year-old mountain climbing and sea kayak guide from Ballard was the lead bicycle rider June 21 at the start of the Big Ride Across America, a 3,300-mile, 12-state trek from Seattle to Washington, D.C.

Noel Gilbrough was the first in the group of 25 on this bike ride of a lifetime to help prevent lung disease and promote clean air.

The riders, ranging in age from 17 to 65, each raised at least $6,000 to participate. At the opening ceremony, a check was presented for $175,000 for the total funds raised for the American Lung Association.

“My wife Cindy and her community of fellow quilters raised most of the money,” said Gilbrough, the fundraising leader at $12,000.

The riders come from 15 states, and will be traveling through Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland before reaching Washington D.C. on Aug. 7.

From Press Release:

Update: King County Executive Dow Constantine and Metropolitan King County Councilmember Jan Drago today thanked the state Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) for its motion at this morning’s board meeting approving a $10 million contribution toward replacement of the South Park Bridge.

“I am delighted with this latest piece of good news,” said Executive Constantine. “This brings us another step closer to replacing the South Park Bridge. This award acknowledges the impressive partnership we have assembled, which includes community leaders, local businesses, King County, the state of Washington, the City of Seattle, the Port of Seattle and the Puget Sound Regional Council.”

“I thank Governor Gregoire, Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond and the TIB for their continued support of this vital transportation lifeline,” added Constantine. “This latest investment gives us an even stronger hand as we make the final push to secure all funding needed to build a new South Park Bridge.”

Photographer Kurt Howard captured these images at the Little League Majors, Juniors Divisions Tournament of Champions at Rainier June 18. CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO PLAY SLIDESHOW.

Five Bonney Lake/Sumner pitchers combined on a six-inning no hitter as BLS edged out Federal Way National Little League, 3-1, in the loser-out consolation final to eliminate the Nationals from further District 10 baseball 9-10 age All Star tournament play at the Federal Way National Little League Complex on Monday, June 21.

In a tournament rematch nearly devoid of hitting, the same characteristics that emerged in a previous 8-7 loss to BLS were again evident.

"This was a lower scoring game than the last time we played them, but the keys were similar," said National manager Kevin Fitzpatrick. "We hit the ball hard and they just made more plays than us. Our team played hard and I'm proud that we finished third out of 10 teams."

National loaded the bases on a walk and two misplayed fielder's choice ground balls with two outs in the first inning before failing to score.

Going, going and gone...
Federal Way National's 9-10 year old Little League All-Stars team is going to have to do it the hard way now, having to energize themselves to play with constant energy going through the loser bracket for a chance to represent District 10 at state coming up in mid-July -- and so far so good as they beat Soundview, 10-4, in a loser-out game Friday.

"Good job by the pitching," said National manager Kevin Fitzpatrick, talking to a huddled mass of blue and red uniformed and capped little ballplayers on the Federal Way National Complex Field No. 2 outfield grass following the win over SV. "You scored runs early and that put them on their heels. We need to keep swinging the bats well. Let's come out and play hard, with no regrets."

National was set to play Bonney Lake/Sumner in the loser bracket final Monday for the right to play last year's 9-10 district -- not to mention state champion -- Kent, in the championship. National or BL/S would need to beat the winner's bracket team, Kent, twice in order to represent District 10 at state.

Swedish Medical Center's new five-story, 90,000-square-foot Medical Office Building on its Ballard campus is taking shape and headed for an early-November grand opening.

Construction started on the Medical Office Building in September 2009. The building, located at the intersection of Market Street and Tallman Avenue Northwest, will house an expanded emergency department and medical imaging center, primary-care clinic and specialty physicians.

The Medical Office Building is part of a movement by Swedish/Ballard to revitalize its campus and meet the healthcare needs of the growing Ballard community into the future.

"The community now has visible evidence of a long-term commitment to Ballard, which was not the case before," said Dr. Rayburn Lewis, executive director and senior medical director of Swedish/Ballard during a June 23 tour of the half-completed Medical Office Building.

Highlights of the tour included:

• A wall of windows that will light the main entry off Tallman Avenue.

Kimberly-Clark, makers of Huggies brand diapers made an enormous delivery of 200,000 diapers today, June 23 to WestSide Baby 10032 15th Avenue Southwest in White Center. WestSide Baby is a non profit organization that collects and coordinates the distribution of used clothing, toys and diapers, lots of diapers to thousands of families throughout West Seattle and White Center every year.

The diapers were brought in by a semi truck, backing into the tiny parking lot outside their location.

The diapers WestSide Baby got will be distributed throughout the year by their distribution partners, established social service agencies such as food banks, DSHS or the Public Health Department.

Arriving promptly at 11AM the delivery truck was opened and Executive Director of WestSide Baby Nancy Woodland jumped in and began unloading with the help of her own children, board members, and other volunteers.

Habitat for Humanity and the Homestead Community Land Trust no-profit organizations collaborated to make a 1,670 square-feet duplex townhome affordable to a family of six. A ceremony was held in front of the unit, one of 30 in the Valtera Complex, on the corner of 24th Avenue SW and Southwest Holden St., west of Delridge.

While the one unit was a joint effort, about seven more unsold units fall under the Community Land Trust program. The remaining six unsold units will be sold at market value, although still at a discount.

In the Land Trust program, the buyer pays a no-profit, no-interest mortgage, the home's actual cost to the builder. The family earns a "shared equity" on the home, and the land is held in trust, and will remain affordable "forever." Meanwhile the family can lease the land for 99 years then renew for another 99 years, or sell it at any time to another low or moderate-income family.

The family is required to put in at least 500 hours of sweat equity collectively on other like homes, perhaps some Habitat models in the West Seattle's High Point development.