April 2011

The City of Burien is hoping for a good turnout at the upcoming community forums on the future of Burien. The first of three forums is Saturday, April 16, at Seahurst Elementary, 14603 14th Ave. S.W.

"Through this visioning process, the city is creating a road map that we'll follow in making important decisions," said Burien Mayor Joan McGilton. "We need to know what people want their community to be like 20 - 30 years from now and we encourage them to take part in this process."

What can participants expect at the forums? At the open house that begins at 10 a.m., visioning exercises will encourage residents to "think big" in response to questions related to their hopes and dreams for the future. Six stations will be designed for individual participation, each attended by city staff and volunteers from the project steering committee.

The guided program that follows at 11 a.m. will feature a large-group presentation and discussion that will give participants an opportunity to learn about the visioning process, discuss issues in a community setting, and express their personal preferences through individual scoring of priorities.

Jettsetters joins more than 12,500 Toastmasters clubs from around the world participating in the 2011 Toastmasters International Speech Contest this month. It is the world's largest speech contest, with more than 30,000 presenters in 113 countries vying to become the next World Champion of Public Speaking. The contest is free and open to the public.

"Speech contests are a unique and exciting part of the Toastmasters program," says Pat Johnson, Toastmasters 2010-2011 International President. "These competitions challenge members to push beyond their clubs and fine-tune their skills. In a club, members are evaluated; in a contest, members are judged."

The International Speech Contest begins at the local club level and proceeds through the area, division, district and final levels. Eighty-two district semifinalists compete during the four-day 2011 Toastmasters International Convention held Aug. 17-20, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Bally's Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. Nine contenders make it to the final round on Aug. 20, where the winner is crowned the Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking.

Transient sleeping in new car
Deputies responded to Burien Toyota, in regards to a man sleeping in a new car. The subject was contacted, who was asleep in the back seat of a new unlocked vehicle. He said he was homeless and it was a matter of survival. Employees asked that the man be trespassed. There was no damage to the car. He was issued a Trespass Warning Letter and was told he would be arrested if he returned. The man understood and apologized for sleeping. On his way out, the man said, "I love your cars."

Mailman being harassed

In recognition of National Volunteer Month, Highline Medical Center rewarded nearly 300 volunteers with a recognition luncheon on April 6th at The Cove in Normandy Park. This luncheon was just one of the many benefits that we receive as volunteers.

I speak for myself, but I think that most of the volunteers at Highline Medical Center would agree that we receive more than we give.

As volunteers, we owe so much gratitude to our Volunteer Staff, which is directed by Mara Burke, and her capable staff of Kimberly Couret, Carol Hervin, Peg Forney and Marcy Sulenes.

Sam Fenner
Des Moines

Des Moines has been working hard to renovate its marina and prepare the downtown for new development.

The City Council is now in the early stages of discussing new design guidelines and policy for the marina district.

Later in the year the city will vote on an ordinance that will completely change the development guidelines in downtown as part of many projects the city hopes will revitalize the marina district.
Among the possible changes being discussed is raising the building height along the west side of Marine View Drive and 7th Avenue South.

Council members are discussing raising the building height from 35 feet to 45 feet, with the possibility of a height bonus allowing buildings to go to 65 feet. Some buildings along Marine View Drive could go to 45 feet with height bonuses.

Many council members spoke out against the proposal.

"It is a question of whether we are continuing the character of the town," Councilwoman Carmen Scott said. "I don't feel comfortable with what is being proposed."

Staff said because of the grade change, buildings along the avenue are on average 20 feet lower than the buildings on the drive.

On the afternoon of April 6 a King County jury found Myron Wynn guilty of killing Bob Wykel, a Burien man who was 66 when he disappeared in February 1996.

Although Wykel's body was never discovered, a mountain of circumstantial evidence was enough to convince the jury of Wynn's guilt. This was the second trial for Wynn after a hung jury failed to come to a decision in December 2010.

Wykel, who was declared deceased in 2003 by the King County Medical Examiner, lived in Burien and spent most of his time purchasing, restoring and reselling classic cars after retiring as a sheet-metal worker, according to charging documents. He was known for always wearing a large diamond ring and never taking it off.

Around Feb. 21, 1996, Wykel told friends he was excited to check out a vintage Thunderbird an acquaintance had told him about. That acquaintance was Myron Wynn, who had "inserted himself into Wykel's social group" who met at a Burien McDonald's for morning coffee and conversation. Wykel told a friend that Wynn had a line on a Thunderbird was being sold by a soldier near Ft. Lewis.

They may not be famous (yet), but these Seattle-area playwrights are worth checking out. And their award-winning plays definitely make the trip out to Burien Little Theatre this weekend worth your while.

As second place recipients in BLT's Bill & Peggy Hunt Playwrights Festival, Suzanne Bailie and Jesse Putnam have many reasons to be pleased. A local theatre company has recognized their work. BLT's productions of their scripts are finely crafted pieces of theatre. And the near-capacity crowd on opening night last Friday heartily showed their approval with enthusiastic comments and lively applause.

Two by Suzanne Bailie is a crisp one-act story about a fictional society where cloning makes childhood unnecessary and one's life can start over again from scratch if you so choose.

Unlike other futuristic stories that can paint a grim picture of a soul-less future, "Two" asks this "what if" story with wit and humanity. A simple set and a cast of three actors explore this question with surprising ease. Adam Hegg portrays a cloned man, Jet Alvarez, but deftly creates the stereotype of the tortured soul with humor and an alarming sense of normal-ness.

Of all skills of leadership, listening is the most valuable -- and the one least understood," wrote Heath Herber of the Herber Company.

Two world leaders captured this truth when President Woodrow Wilson said, "The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people."

England's World War II Prime Minister Winston Churchill defined leadership saying, "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak and courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

Regardless of whether it's Burien's bustling business district improvements or Des Moines Marina construction facelift, expansion of Tukwila's South Center Shopping, or City of Sea Tac's enhancement of nature's Angle Lake Park, or an average family struggling with today's poor economy, one truth remains, it takes a whole bunch of listening and team work to make good things happen.

As precocious generations established the frame of our communities and today's leaders paint that artwork canvas of details to pull a community together, so will our children and grandchildren provide either a healthy, or unhealthy, environment in their time to come, based largely upon the foundation we build.

Why do we favor some golfers over others? Or baseball players? We all root, root, root for the home team; but why golfers, prizefighters or the boys of summer who carry the single burden of winning your love along with the paycheck?

With many sports fans, the fan loyalty depends on betting on a winning ticket. Pure greed -- nothing personal.

Sometimes it is Pete Homer* attachment. It is with me mostly.(* one who favors the home team in spite of poor play)

I love rooting for Freddy Couples, Jefferson Park boy who made mighty good on the golf course.
I got emotional rooting for Portland great Peter Jacobson because his dad Erling was a star center on the Jeff High football team when I was delivering the Oregonian. I often stopped to watch the team practice.

My high school loyalty lasted years and extended to buying a leather carry bag from Peter's company. I used it for many years when I played at Burien's Rainier golf course.

I rooted for Tiger Woods. He was so thrilling. Now I find myself cheering for young golfers from Northern Ireland (Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington).

Coach Donnie Moore and the Kennedy Catholic baseball team were more than glad to return to action when the sun came out Friday.

"It's been two weeks since our last game," Moore said. "It's nice to smell the grass and feel some heat come off your face."

Of course enjoying the return to the Lancers' home field behind their campus was helped along by the results -- a 10-3 thrashing of Renton.

The Lancers jumped out to a 5-0 lead with the help of two home runs and never looked back.

Kennedy scored its first two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Joe Greaney led off with a single and Jon Culver followed with an infield hit. Greaney scored as the pair of runners pulled off a double steal.

Jensen Merrell walked ahead of another double steal that put runners on second and third. Culver tagged and scored on a fly ball by Anthony McCluskey to make it 2-0.

Two more runs were tacked on in the fourth, when Merrell homered to right and McCluskey walked, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a base hit by Dominic Peretti.