June 2012

The threat of rain didn't keep the exhibitors away from the Morgan Junction Festival on June 23 as booth after booth dutifully set up and got ready for the annual neighborhood celebration. At first it was pretty smooth sailing with people arriving to visit with folks from the West Seattle Food Bank, Animal Aid and Rescue Foundation, and many others.

The Bubbleman got off to a great start and the crowd formed at Morgan Junction Park, with toddlers and youngsters all chasing his amazing soapy displays. But the first few drops of rain began to fall shortly after 11:30 am and the light sprinkle was tolerable. Umbrellas and hooded coats appeared and people ducked into doorways and under exhibitor tents to stay dry. But by 12:30 it was clear this was not a passing rain squall and most people sought better shelter. By 1:30 booths began to come down and it was obvious the Morgan Junction Festival was a victim of the rain.

press release
On June 23, 2012, the Kiwanis of West Seattle will host its third annual Charity Motorcycle Poker Run & Classic Car Show. Proceeds from this event support the PNW District Kiwanis Project, the Kiwanis Children’s Cancer Program (KCCP), which will fund cancer research fellowships at Children’s Hospital in Seattle.

Sign-in for this event starts at 8:30am at the lot on 40th Ave SW and SW Alaska St in West Seattle. Following the Poker Run, riders, passengers, and the general public are welcome to enjoy a BBQ and to view the Classic Cars on display. Prizes will be presented to riders for the Best Hand, the Worst Hand, and other categories as determined.

Pre-registration is $25 per rider and $5 for a passenger (if there is a passenger).
Day of registration is $30 per rider, plus $5 per passenger.
The cost of the BBQ for the general public is $10.

Seattle’s City Council voted unanimously in December to ban plastic grocery bags, and the plan takes effect on July 1.

Seattle retailers and grocers will be required to stop offering single-use plastic bags on that date, and the city is encouraging citizens to either purchase reusable bags or plan on paying at least five cents for paper bags.

While the ban will likely cause uproar from some and an inconvenience for many, City Councilmember Mike O’Brien justifies the ban thusly on his website: “Washingtonians use more than 2 billion single-use plastic bags each year. Seattle alone uses approximately 292 million … and only 13 percent are recycled. Too many plastic bags end up in Puget Sound where they do not biodegrade.”

With the five cent disincentive charge for paper, the City is clearly recommending reusable bags, generally made of either cloth or polypropylene.

A new women's organization has formed in West Seattle called West Seattle Women in Charge. The idea for the group began at Alki Arts with Diane Venti. After discussing with numerous women business owners in the area, she decided to host a group of local women business owners.

Mind Unwind owner Krystal Kelley said, "We are trying to share ideas that can help all of us grow our businesses while also supporting our community." The group will also work to promote the arts however "Promoting the arts is not the main focus, but supporting the arts is important to most of the women in our group from what we have heard," said Kelley.

Women who have expressed interest in the group "encompass brick and mortar as well as internet and home-based business women," said Kelley. "WSWIC promotes businesses owned and run by women, addressing financial, marketing, creative and other issues while supporting arts and the community at large."

"We don't know exactly where this organization will go, but it starts with these conversations and having such a positive response after publishing the facebook page just a week ago, we are very excited about the possibilities."

It may not be the Olympics, but Sarah Edwards feels proud to be wearing the Team USA jersey as she prepares to take on Ultimate Frisbee teams from around the world come August.

After two sets of tryouts, Edwards, a Ballard High School Ultimate alum, was one of 18 girls nation-wide to be selected for the US National Junior Ultimate team. This team will represent the United States in the 2012 World Junior Ultimate Frisbee Championships held in Dublin, Ireland from August 12 through 18.

"I feel a sense of pride but also a lot of responsibility to be representing the US in an international tournament," Edwards said. "I have not played in an international tournament before and there will be lots of media coverage and more spectators than I am used to playing in front of."

King County press release ahead of an open house this weekend for Sunrise Heights and Westwood residents (details here)

Fast Facts about Barton
An occasional message to provide project updates and clarify information about King County’s clean-water agency

June 22, 2012

The Barton CSO project has a lot of people talking about rain gardens and bioswales in West Seattle. You may have seen or heard about other projects in the area -- some that went well, and some that didn’t. But comparisons to the Barton proposal seem to be creating confusion among neighbors.

We’ll be in the neighborhood this weekend to meet directly with residents. This will be a great opportunity to ask questions, share concerns and give us input on design for your block.

The 24-foot-long crew compartment of the space shuttle full-fuselage trainer, positioned inside a special cradle for travel, was loaded onto a NASA Super Guppy aircraft at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center in Houston on this morning. The space shuttle trainer was used to train astronauts for the past three decades.

The Super Guppy is scheduled to arrive at Seattle’s Museum of Flight with the Crew Compartment on Saturday, June 30. The museum signed a Space Act Agreement during a brief January ceremony at the Houston Space Center, which transferred ownership of the trainer over to the Seattle facility.

The Guppy will land at Boeing Field at 11:00 a.m. It will then taxi to the Museum of Flight parking lot, where it will be parked. The crew will then begin preparing it to be unloaded.

UPDATE, SAT. 9am: Museum of flight says to expect one hour delay

The 24-foot-long crew compartment of the space shuttle full-fuselage trainer, positioned inside a special cradle for travel, was loaded onto a NASA Super Guppy aircraft at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center in Houston on this morning. The space shuttle trainer was used to train astronauts for the past three decades.

The Super Guppy is scheduled to arrive at Seattle’s Museum of Flight with the Crew Compartment on Saturday, June 30. The museum signed a Space Act Agreement during a brief January ceremony at the Houston Space Center, which transferred ownership of the trainer over to the Seattle facility.

The Guppy will land at Boeing Field at 11:00 a.m. It will then taxi to the Museum of Flight parking lot, where it will be parked. The crew will then begin preparing it to be unloaded.

Around 25 North Highline residents out of a potential 18,000 voters attended the City of Burien’s first informational session about annexation on June 21 in White Center, leading up to a November vote on the issue.

After a brief introduction by Burien City Manager Mike Martin and Management Analyst Nhan Nguyen, the floor of 3.14 Bakery was turned over for questions from the audience.

Here are some highlights from the meeting:

Medical marijuana dispensaries are a no-go
A Top Hat medical marijuana dispensary owner asked if his business would be protected if North Highline becomes part of Burien.

“Medical marijuana (dispensaries or co-ops) are not a licensed business by the state, and would not be allowed in Burien,” Martin said in no uncertain terms. To contrast, Martin said while Burien currently has no “adult shops,” those already established in North Highline would be grandfathered in since they are allowed by the state.

The topic came back up at certain points in the hour-long meeting, including a White Center business owner’s perspective.

Around 25 North Highline residents out of a potential 18,000 voters attended the City of Burien’s first informational session about annexation on June 21 in White Center, leading up to a November vote on the issue.

After a brief introduction by Burien City Manager Mike Martin and Management Analyst Nhan Nguyen, the floor of 3.14 Bakery was turned over for questions from the audience.

Here are some highlights from the meeting:

Medical marijuana dispensaries are a no-go
A Top Hat medical marijuana dispensary owner asked if his business would be protected if North Highline becomes part of Burien.

“Medical marijuana (dispensaries or co-ops) are not a licensed business by the state, and would not be allowed in Burien,” Martin said in no uncertain terms. To contrast, Martin said while Burien currently has no “adult shops,” those already established in North Highline would be grandfathered in since they are allowed by the state.

The topic came back up at certain points in the hour-long meeting, including a White Center business owner’s perspective.