January 2011

A “Complete Streets” training presented by the Cascade Bicycle Club will be hosted at Burien City Hall on Thursday, Jan. 27.
The event starts at City Hall at 8 a.m. with a presentation and discussion about Complete Streets by David Hiller, Cascade Bicycle Club advocacy director, and Tessa Greegor, the club’s principal planner. The pair will then lead a walking exercise through part of Burien’s downtown.

Complete Streets refer to streets that are "completed" for bicyclists and pedestrians, such as those with sidewalks and bike lanes. This training will help the city develop a policy that considers bicyclists and pedestrians in future street designs within Burien. Burien does not have a Complete Streets policy at this time, but staff has been asked to research and explore such a policy as part of the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) grant recently awarded to Burien. Staff is currently looking into how Complete Streets have worked in other cities such as Seattle and Redmond.

Highline fans will get a chance to cheer Friday afternoon for the Seatte Seahawks as they head to Chicago to face the Bears in the divisional round playoff.
Fans can gather at Valley Ridge Park, 4644 S. 188th St. in SeaTac, at 1 p.m. Friday to enjoy coffee, doughnuts. flags and rally towels provided by the team.
Blitz, the team's furry blue mascot, will be there, too.
At 1:45 p.m., the players and coaches will ride by in team buses on their way to Sea-Tac International Airport to catch the flight to the Midwest.
The buses won't stop, but the players know about the gathering spot and will make their best effort to acknowledge the fans, according to a team spokesman.
For those who want to gather at freeway overpasses to cheer the players as they roll by, the team buses will leave the Seahawks complex in Renton at 1:30 p.m. The Seahawks say key gathering spots in Renton are at Pan Abode near North 44th Street, Northeast 30th Street overpass, Renton Avenue South overpass and Lind Avenue Southwest.
The buses will take I-405 South to the I-5 exit South toward Portland. They will leave I-5 at the South 188th Street exit on their way to Valley Ridge Park.

Dear Editor,
I just wanted to tell you what great feedback I received about Steve Shay’s article on me in Dec. 31 WS Herald.
I’d mentioned a Nonviolent Communication class at my home on Jan. 11, and 2 couples who read it came for the class and really got value for themselves and their relationship from the class.

I really love when newspaper articles are both informative and lead to positive action.

Thank you!

Moreah

Moreah Vestan
Compassionate Communication Trainer, Life Coach, Columnist
http://communicationcoaching.net

moreah@comcast.net
Author: Pleasures and Ponderings: From Nun to Nudist to Now and
Diving Right In: Reflecting on Life's Adventures

After 30 years working in crime prevention with the Seattle Police Department, Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow, 61, announced that he will be leaving his post on March 15.

As crime prevention coordinator, Kinlow worked closely with the West Seattle Blockwatch Captain’s Network to educate the community on how to set up and effectively run blockwatches to make neighborhoods safer. According to SW Precinct Commander Captain Steve Paulsen, the biggest crime challenges in West Seattle are residential burglaries and car prowls – both the kinds of activity that a strong blockwatch network can help reduce.

The Blockwatch Captain’s Network posted a note on their website (http://wsblockwatchnet.wordpress.com) that said, “Benjamin has been of great help to us, especially as we began forming this BlockWatch Captain’s Network. We will miss him, but wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement!”

“I’ve enjoyed working with the community,” Kinlow said. “It’s been a great pleasure to have a job where you see the tangible results of what you do.”