February 2011

From the SPD blotter:
On February 10th from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. the SPD Traffic Unit’s Aggressive Driver Response Team conducted a speed enforcement emphasis in the 3300 block of SW Admiral Way. Emphasis patrols are regularly conducted in accordance with the Traffic Unit’s mission to promote traffic safety through the vigorous enforcement of city and state traffic laws. The posted speed limit on this stretch of road is 30 mph.

In the one hour-long emphasis, five officers issued a total of 42 citations. Among those citations included some notable excessive speeds: Two violators at 50 mph, one at 51 mph, one at 52 mph, and one at 64 mph (who also had no proof of insurance).

If you're heading north from SODO, take note that as of today, construction to SR 99 ramps start today.

Since the Alaskan Way Viaduct opened in 1953 drivers have used the ramps at First Avenue S. to get on and off the double deck highway. That will change forever over the course of the next two weekends as WSDOT takes two giant steps toward replacing the viaduct.

A new ways to get on and off SR 99 to be expected in the coming weeks.

Here’s what to expect:

Friday, Feb. 11 to Monday, Feb. 14: First on the docket is the southbound off-ramp. This Friday at 7 p.m. crews will close the ramp and re-route it from First Avenue S. to the intersection of S. Royal Brougham Way and a new street called East Frontage Road S. The re-routed off-ramp and the new East Frontage Road S. will open by 5 a.m., Monday, Feb. 14.

By Kate Ganiron, Web Intern

7:18 p.m. on February 3. 92nd block of Greenwood Avenue N.

On Thursday evening, police responded to a call concerning an assault.
Police spoke with the man, who reported that he had been sprayed with a substance by an unknown female.
The man reported that he was crossing the street on his way to catch the bus, when a woman sprayed a substance on his forehead and in his eyes.
The man said that he heard a yell seconds before the assault, assuming it was from the woman.
The man did not get a good look at the woman because he was walking with headphones on and his head down. He also said that he attempted to clean his head off as she fled, so he couldn’t identify her.
The man said that the spray burned for several minutes, but was washed off with water. He believes it may have been body spray.

4:22 a.m. on February 5. 52nd block of Leary Avenue N.W.

In the early morning hours of Saturday, police responded to a call concerning an unconscious person.
Police found a substantial amount of blood next to the victim’s head.

14 year Alex Storm has come home. She ran away from her West Seattle home on the evening of Sunday, Feb. 6 at about 10:00 pm. Her mother Kristin Storm sent the West Seattle Herald this message at 9:27 pm Friday night:

"Alex is home safe thanks to the help of the West Seattle community. We still have a tough road to go down but I remain hopeful and positive we can get through this together."

The reason for her leaving home involved another runaway. "She got involved with another girl who is a runaway and has a warrant out for her arrest and I called the police to report her and she jumped out the window and yelled for Alex to follow her. I honestly thought that she would be back the next day."

Kristin discovered that her daughter was harboring the other girl in her room on Sunday evening. "The girl was under her covers," said Storm, who said that Alex has never done anything like this before.

NOTE: The West Seattle Herald thanks the entire community for their support and cooperation in helping to spread the word about this case.

The Highline School District will not seek federal school improvement grants for two small schools on SeaTac's Tyee High campus, but instead develop internal program changes.
The district was informed in January that Odyssey: The Essential School and the Academy of Citizenship & Empowerment (ACE) were eligible to apply for the federal grants because they are among the lowest achieving schools in the state.
Highline applied for and received two similar federal grants last year to transform SeaTac's Chinook Middle, located next door to Tyee, and White Center's Cascade Middle.
Board members unanimously approved Superintendent John Welch's recommendation after listening to teachers, students and former students at Odyssey, who voiced concerns about the school and the proposed changes.
Board president Sili Savusa remarked the comment session was more like a community meeting than a staid school board meeting. In reaction, board member Michael Spear declared the district should organize "an authentic listening session post haste."

The Woodland Park Zoo invites people to take their dates over to the zoo this Valetine's weekend as the animals will celebrate Valentine’s Day the wild way.

While we eat chocolates, the otters, red pandas, gorillas, snow leopards, and more will enjoy heart-shaped fruit juice ice pops, herbal bouquets, or heart-shaped steaks.

The special treats are part of the zookeepers’ ongoing enrichment program to help enrich the lives of the zoo’s animals, promote natural animal behavior, keep animals mentally stimulated and engage zoo visitors.

Animals will be receiving their treats at different times on Saturday, Feb 12, starting at 10:00 a.m. and
the Valentine's Day schedule is as follows:

Golden lion tamarins 10:00
Snow leopards 10:30
Otters 10:30
Jaguar 11:00
Orangutans 11:00
Lemurs 11:15
Willawong Station 11:30
Sloth bear 11:30
Anoa 11:45
Penguins 1:00
Goats 1:15
Gorillas 1:20
Meerkats 1:30
Pigs 1:30
Keas 1:30
Lions 2:00
Elephants 2:00
Red pandas 3:00

For more information visit www.zoo.org/events or call 206.548.2500.
.

Federal Way Mayor Skip Priest recently welcomed 250 new guests to City Hall – an aquarium full of baby Coho salmon. The recently hatched fish are being raised by staff and are on display as part of an educational program on stormwater and healthy creeks.

“These 250 little fry are ambassadors to the public, reminding us of the importance of protecting our environment,” said Mayor Skip Priest. “Salmon are an important part of Federal Way. They live in our local streams like Hylebos Creek and are an indicator of the health of our environment.”

The Salmon in City Hall project is being nurtured by Water Quality Specialist Hollie Shilley, who acquired the tank and equipment through Department of Ecology grant funding intended to support the City’s stormwater permit. The eggs were obtained from the Soos Creek Hatchery January 13th and hatched two weeks later. The juvenile salmon are on display in the Community Development department public area and will be released to Hylebos Creek this spring.

Last week, a gathering of regulars, family, and friends came together at The Reading Gaol in Ballard to say goodbye to Paul Winters, who opened the bar in 1997. He died on Sunday, January 30, 2011, after a long battle with cancer.

Over 200 longstanding bar patrons attended the wake, some standing outside to hear the eulogies from inside the crowded pub.

"We had an amazing wake," said his wife Sandra Meigs. "It was an historic night."

Patrons said goodbye to both Paul Winters and the pub as it was sold to new owners.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska on July 6, 1948, Winters moved to Seattle in 1974 after four years in the army and graduating from the University of Maryland. He worked as a social worker for the State of Washington until the late 1980s when Winters opened his first pub, La Boheme, in Phinney Ridge.

Winters was one of the first pubs in Seattle to serve micro brews and La Boheme quickly developed a comfortable neighborhood place with a steady clientele.

In 1996, he lost the lease to La Boheme and the following year, Winters opened The Reading Gaol, named after the Oscar Wilde ballad.

Do you have a vision for public improvements and zoning changes to make the business area around 21st Avenue SW and SW Campus Drive healthier? The City of Federal Way is looking for neighbors, business owners and citizens who’d like to participate in shaping the new Twin Lakes “sub-area” plan.

“Public participation is critical to developing a plan that reflects the community’s values, and the real day-to-day needs of businesses, residents and other users of the neighborhood,” said project planner Matt Herrera. “The sub-area plan provides the tools to turn that community vision into reality.”

The Community and Economic Development Department is preparing the sub-area plan during 2011 and early 2012. If adopted by the City Council, the sub-area plan will become a component of the Federal Way Comprehensive Plan – a planning document that shapes the city’s growth for the next twenty years.

Normandy Park’s Manhattan Village sub area planning process will begin with the first of several community workshops on Thursday, March 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Normandy Park Recreation Center, 801 S.W. 174th Street.
All city residents and especially those living or working near the Manhattan Village shopping area are encouraged to attend.
The meeting, called a "Vision Workshop," will introduce the sub area project-- a long-range plan for Manhattan Village and adjacent properties –- and ask
participants to discuss and compare city expectations for the site with their own.
Facilitators will lead group exercises to explore a wide range of topics, including future uses, the scale and density of development, and how growth might improve facilities and conditions for neighboring properties.
The evening will begin with presentations by consultant Bill Grimes of Studio
Cascade, a Spokane-based planning firm and Mark Hinshaw of Seattle’s LMN
Architects.
At least one other community meeting will take place this spring, with additional events anticipated for the fall. The draft plan is expected to be complete by December.