August 2010

Months after failure to negotiate a contract with Burien/Normandy Park's Fire District 2 left the North Highline Fire District without an administrator, the North Highline District's board of commissioners has voted to appoint Steven Marstrom interim fire chief.

"We had four very strong candidates," commissioner Rob Spreier said, but "we've made a choice, and we feel comfortable with that."

The three commissioners agreed that the decision had been a difficult one, and Ray Austin said that the board selected Marstrom primarily because his solid record in fire district administration made him a good fit for the task.

Marstrom has served with the Lakewood Fire District and as interim chief administrator in Black Diamond. He will hold the same job title in North Highline.

"We really want the chief to hit the ground running," Spreier said. The position's tentative start date is Aug. 9th. While Marstrom will tackle some typical administrative duties, his primary task involves negotiating a contract with a nearby fire district to consolidate administrative functions. The commissioners finalized a job description to this effect early last month.

"One thing that should not be taxed is a walk in the park," said state Sen. Karen Keiser of the 33rd Legislative District. "I've learned in Olympia that nothing's ever over - it's just another chapter."

The year was 2003 when I wrote that column and a new $5 park entrance charge was on the legislative table.

"I have presented an argument against implementing a park fee before the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and suggested a new classification for close-in parks near cities such as Saltwater and Dash Point. I refuse to give up," Keiser said.

And now, here we are in 2010 during an economic almost-depression that makes parks and recreational areas even more people-used and important.

The temporary $5 state park entrance fee has been removed. Now, a fee is added to vehicle license renewals but car owners can opt-out of paying it.

For the moment, let's visit 2003 in Saltwater State Park. Five dollars isn't much to some - to others it's lots. In a time of "economic crunch," outdoors recreation becomes a main stay for quality family time. The proposed 2003 five-dollar a day fee was for everyone, rather you stayed one hour or all day.

After an impassioned discussion about Des Moines' future and how best to utilize what little extra money the city has, a split City Council voted 4-2 to create a temporary full-time economic development manager position.

Marion Yoshino, who has been volunteering on a downtown business survey and other economic development projects, will become Des Moines economic development director.

During the nine-month contract period, the position will cost the city $70,512.

The funding will come from Business and Occupation taxes (B&O), which are bringing in more than was expected. If trends continue, excess B&O tax could bring in an additional $190,000 in funding.

Mayor Pro-Tem Dave Kaplan and Councilwoman Melissa Musser voted against creating the new position, saying while they felt an economic development manager was important, other priorities took a higher priority.

"I think this is a luxury we wish we could have," Musser said. "Not a priority."

Kaplan told the council that he reluctantly could not support it, saying there are a lot of competing needs for the city's resources.

Let's play a math game - okay? What's the difference between $99 and $25? How about $118.95 and $25?

So, do you want to know what in the blue blazes I'm talking about? I'm talking about the price differences of having a key made at different dealerships. The same, exact key, mind you! But we'll get back to that.

Let me back up a tad. A few weeks ago, I finally decided it was time to find a different vehicle - something that I could use to haul straw bails for "my girls" (remember my chickens, in past articles?) and whatever other oddities I might want to toss in the back and drag home.

Now, I'm not a fan of the boxy look, but I'm going for utilitarian, rather than va-va-voom! I decided on a used Element. Yes, I know - they look like a deep freeze on wheels, but let's face it; there isn't one new car on the road that can compare to the class and chrome of the early cars, so why not go for pure ugly?

I did my research and checked the Internet to see who had what.

Puppy stolen from Burien pet store
Patrolling deputies heard the alarm at A Place for Pets in Burien sounding and discovered that a female Scottish terrier was missing. The suspect probably gained entry by removing an air conditioner. The dog was recovered safely on Aug. 1.

Hair crime
A Bartell's security employee reported that he had seen a person walk into the hair care section of the store and pick up a Conair hair straightener. The suspect removed the item from its box, placed it in a purse, and walked out. The police officer booked the suspect into jail.

Execution of Burien murderer to proceed
The Washington state Supreme Court ruled that the state's lethal injection execution procedure is constitutional, asserting that the legal challenge is no longer valid. Instead of the previous lethal three-drug combination used at the time of the lawsuit, the state now uses a single drug. The execution of Cal Coburn Brown, who was convicted of torturing and killing a Burien woman in a SeaTac motel room, may now proceed.

House fire

SeaTac voters will not vote on changing to an elected mayor form of government this year.

Council members defeated July 27 a motion that would have placed a resolution on the November ballot that would have changed SeaTac from a city manager/city council form of government to one headed by an elected mayor.

No lawmakers had changed their mind on the motion since it was first offered at the July 13 council meeting. Deputy Mayor Gene Fisher, Councilman Rick Forschler and Councilwoman Pam Fernald voted in favor. Mayor Terry Anderson, Councilman Ralph Shape, Councilman Tony Anderson and Councilwoman Mia Gregerson opposed it.

In answer to a question from Gregerson, City Clerk Kristina Gregg reported that placing the resolution on the November ballot would cost the city about $30,000. Since City Council races would already be on the November 2011 ballot, it would not cost the city any extra money to add the resolution on to the ballot at that time.

Fisher said at the July 13 meeting that the city would have to pay $30,000 whether it was on this November's ballot or the 2011 ballot.

I am spending my summer doing performance art. I call it "Fat Man on a Bicycle."

I was hoping for a grant. No luck. Instead I am doing it to raise funds for Burien Little Theatre.

Please, if you see me around Burien wave! And send a donation to Burien Little Theatre to help them get ready for their 30th season, in honor of "Fat Man on a Bicycle!"

Besides "Fat Man on a Bicycle," what else is going on at Burien Little Theatre this summer as it prepares for its 30th season? (That's right, 30 continuous seasons, all at what is now the Burien Community Center Annex.)

First, Burien Little Theatre was awarded an advertising grant from KUOW for BLT's winter show - "A Clean House." Listen for BLT ads in February of 2011.

Burien Little Theatre was also awarded a grant from 4Culture to help upgrade BLT's sound system. BLT has already updated the software for its sound system. Look forward to new hardware soon.

Thanks to the Burien and Normandy Park Fire Department BLT received a grant of a public defibrillator to be put in its performance space.

It is the one grant BLT hopes never gets used. But what a great feeling to know its there, if ever needed.

SeaTac-based Alaska Airlines credits long-term customer service reforms for vaulting it into the number one spot among international large carriers in Aviation Week magazine's annual rankings.

Alaska and Horizon Air, owned by Alaska, operate almost 50 percent of the flights in and out of Sea-Tac International Airport.

The magazine praised the city of SeaTac-headquartered airline for dominating routes along the west coast, practicing financial discipline and leveraging Horizon Air for additional flexibility. Its headquarters building is located at 19300 International Boulevard, just north of Angle Lake Park.

Alaska spokesperson Bobbie Egan described "a significant effort" on the part of the company to improve on-time service, which she said has also brought the company several J.D. Powers customer service awards.

"They've been very supportive of the projects the airport's done," said Perry Cooper, Sea-Tac airport spokesperson.

Many construction efforts at the airport, including runway rebuilds, are funded by landing fees paid by the airlines, who must vote to approve them. Alaska and Horizon comprise a large voting block.

Recent news reports about the six-figure salaries of part-time city officials and administrators in medium-sized, largely working-class Bell, California, have raised questions about the salaries of local officials.

Doug Schultze, Normandy Park city manager, described the situation as highly unusual. While Schultze makes $113,400 per year according to the Normandy Park Human Resources department, his counterpart in Bell brought home a salary of $787,637.

"It reflects poorly on everyone in local government," Schultze said of the situation. He added that citizens would likely be unable to find local city staff with similarly stratospheric salaries.

Normandy Park council members and the mayor serve voluntarily. Normandy Park has a population of approximately 6,400 residents.

According to the Des Moines annual budget, the city manager's salary may range from $120,396 to $146,352. The 2000 census listed its population at 29,267 residents. City council members are paid $250 per meeting, and the mayor is paid $350 per meeting.

Ask a silly question, get a silly answer. I should have known better than to expect straight answers from a man who painted his van chartreuse with slogans for a nonexistent business. Then again, is the business real and the slogans fake, or is the business fake and the slogans real?

The van color is the exact shade of a bicyclist’s most visible jacket, fluorescent green. When applied in metallic paint on a big vehicle, the sight tends to stop people in their tracks.

Once stopped, they look for clues in the lettering: Desultory Logistics, one side reads, “We’ll get it there…whenever.” Adjustable Belief Systems reads the driver’s side, “Serving Ballard and this universe since 2029.” What the?

The owner of the van is a man who prefers to be known by just one name, like Madonna or Cher. His one name is Jim. Allowing only that he had a previous science career and has “morphed” into computer geek, Jim is computing director for a department at the University of Washington.