July 2010

Would your group like too earn up to $300 simply by volunteering?

You can make it happen by helping out at the U.S. Women’s Triathlon held in Federal Way July 11.

This is the fifth time Federal Way has hosted the swim-bike-run competition at Steel Lake Park. The event is usually held in September but it’s being held in July this year. There won’t be a September event.

You can volunteer solo or bring a group of friends, family, coworkers or an entire club.

You could qualify for monetary incentives, depending on the size of the group. And it’s also a great opportunity to complete community service hours for school.

About 200 volunteers are needed on race day, July 11, from 5:30 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will assist as course marshals, at the finish line, in the transition area, as swim buddies, or in post-race activities.

A portion of all entry fees for the event support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Additional donations to the OCRF will be made for each volunteer who signs up.

To date, the US Women’s Triathlon Series has raised more than $1 million for this cause.

Photographer Kurt Howard captured these images of the Rainier vs. South Highline Little League All-Star game on July 5. CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO PLAY SLIDESHOW.

Federal Way’s Fish Friendly Car Wash Program has long served as a model for other local communities. But earlier this year, the City was surprised to learn that the program’s reach had extended several states away.

With help from the City’s water quality specialist Hollie Shilley, fourth-graders at Indian Ridge Elementary in Aurora, Colo., are poised to receive national attention for their efforts to educate people on the negative impact that car washing can have on natural waterways.

The students knew that residential car washing—and charity car wash events in particular—often sends large volumes of waste wash water down storm drains, creating one of the biggest sources of surface water pollution. In April, they took these ideas and developed them into an entry for Project Citizen, an education program sponsored by the Center for Civic Education and the
National Conference of State Legislatures.

An Internet search for background information brought up Federal Way’s program and Shilley’s name.

Are you or your group looking for a volunteer activity?

Join us this Saturday, July 10, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. to clean up the BPA trail and the Panther Lake open space park.

The City’s Surface Water Management staff is coordinating with the Parks Department and members of Trout Unlimited to host this fun event.

Volunteers will focus on picking up garbage and removing invasive plants like scotch broom from the park and trail. Volunteers should park and meet at the southern end of the King County Aquatic Center parking lot.

Bring your own water bottle and gloves if you have them. Volunteers of all ages are welcome.

To sign up for any volunteer events contact the City of Federal Way Volunteer Coordinator at 253 835-2652 or vnp@cityoffederalway.com. For more information on the July cleanup event contact Hollie Shilley at 253 835-2752 or hollie.shilley@cityoffederalway.com.

Steel Lake/Soundview and Chinook/Kent took turns pounding the daylights out of each other in last Wednesday's District 10 Senior Little League championship double-header, but it will be Chinook/Kent only that advances into the state tournament that opens Saturday, July 17 at Hartmann Park in Redmond.

The Steel Lake/Soundview team that draws from east of Federal Way and Northeast Tacoma, respectively, scored a 15-1 over the Chinook/Kent team of Enumclaw and Kent in the opener.

But the second game went to Chinook/Kent by an 8-1 score, giving the District 10 title and the trips to state that go with it to that team.

Chinook/Kent came into championship games undefeated and needed to be defeated twice to be bumped off. One loss in either game was enough to knock out the Steel Lake/Soundview team that came in with one loss.

The Steel Lake/Soundview's dominance of the first game started early. The scored 13 runs in the second inning on the way to the 15-1 final margin. Steel Lake/Soundview benefitted from four doubles and six weeks in the big inning. Bryce Donyea blasted two of the doubles.

July 8
Free E-Verify information--USCIS Seattle Field Office, 9 a.m. 12500 Tukwila International Blvd. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will host a two-and-a-half-hour session. E-Verify is a web-based system that lets employers check the work eligibility of newly hired workers within three days after they're hired.

July 9
JIMMY BUFFET TRIBUTE SHOW AT BURIEN'S NEWEST RESTAURANT, PIRANHA JOE'S.
Performed live by Dave Calhoun, July 9th from 7 - 10 P.M.
180 SW 148th St in Burien Plaza, 206-244-4000.

July 29

Seattle Parks has released an online guide (but you can print it) for fun in the parks around the city this summer.
While not many of the events included are West Seattle specific (though they do mention the Alki Community Picnic on August 31) , it's a great guide for planning to attend a wide range of things from outdoor movies at Hing Hay Park in the International District to free events for the arts, culture and as they say, "just plain fun," all around Seattle. Get out there and enjoy our city.

The 16 page guide can be downloaded and printed at this link.

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/Publications/summer_guide.pdf

Seattle Parks and Recration will re-name the High Point Playfield located at 6920 34th Avenue SW, after Walter R. Hundley the first African-American superintendent for Seattle Parks.

Seattle Parks and Recreation acquired the playfield at High Point from the Seattle Housing Authority in 1977. The 11-acre playfield was developed in 1980, and features two baseball fields and a lighted sand soccer field.

Hundley held the position of superintendent from 1977 to 1988. Mr. Hundley was the prime mover in acquiring the High Point site for the community center and playfield. During his tenure the park was named to reflect the proximity to the High Point Public Housing Development.

A graduate of Yale University, he came to Seattle as a minister, but switched to a career in public service. He was a member of the Civil Rights movement in Seattle, and was the former administrator of the Central Area Motivation Project. He was director of the Model Cities Program and Director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Management and Budget.

Mr. Hundley died in 2002.

Seattle Public Schools made several announcements today regarding personnel, but the most significant for West Seattle was the naming of the new principal at West Seattle High School, to succeed the departing Bruce Bivins. They also named new principals for Alki Elementary and Madison Middle School.

Here's the SPS press release:
Ruth Medsker has been appointed interim principal at West Seattle High School.

For the past five years, Ms. Medsker has served as an education director for Seattle Public Schools, during which time she directly supervised nine middle schools and 10 K-8 schools in the district.

Prior to that time, she was principal and assistant principal at Seattle’s Mercer Middle School. In 2004, Medsker received the Alliance for Education’s Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence for outstanding leadership. She also received two awards from the Association from Washington School Principals: as a Seattle Regional Distinguished Principal in 2004 and as a Seattle Regional Distinguished Assistant Principal in 2003.

The Seattle Department of Transportation is holding a public meeting to discuss the "rechannelization" of Admiral Way on July 13. A similar plan is being implemented on Nickerson Street as part of the City of Seattle's Walk-Bike-Ride initiative and part of the Bicycle Master Plan.

Here's the SDOT Press Release:
To reduce vehicle speeds and enhance safety for all roadway users, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is proposing to alter the lane configuration on SW Admiral Way between SW Olga St and the West Seattle Bridge on- and off-ramps at SW Manning St. To brief the community on the rechannelization concept and receive public feedback, SDOT will hold an open house on Tuesday, July 13, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the West Seattle Library, located at 2306 42nd Ave. S.W.

The improvements are designed to reduce speeds and benefit everyone who uses the street, including commuters, truck drivers, bus passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists. SDOT is proposing the following for SW Admiral Way:
· Providing two travel lanes uphill that are wider than current lanes