September 2012

The Seattle Department of Transportation shared an updated look at the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project and announced that most work is expected to be complete by early to mid October.

"The eastbound off-ramp at First Avenue S will reopen Wednesday morning, September 19. The same morning, First Avenue S between S Spokane and S Horton Streets will be returned to two travel lanes in each direction, and the eastbound stretch of surface S Spokane Street from East Marginal Way to First Avenue S will reopen.

The only project-related street closure over the coming week will be a modest one—the Tuesday, September 18, overnight closure of First Avenue S, from the on/off-ramp to the north side of the intersection of First Avenue and S Spokane for both north and southbound traffic. The First Avenue on-ramp to West Seattle will remain open.

These and other project related traffic impacts are outlined below.

Monday, September 17

Students in Miss Butler's 4th grade class and Miss Le's 1st grade class were treated to a special guest Friday, Sept. 14. "Betsy Ross" came in from Philadelphia to remind the children that Sept. 17 through Sept. 23 is officially Constitution Week, celebrated nationally. She spoke of George Washington, the Revolutionary War, and of course her flag.

Burien City Manager Mike Martin assured Beverly Park and Glendale residents that there would be no abrupt changes if their neighborhoods annexed into Burien.

Martin made his remarks Sept. 13 at the latest in a series of annexation information meetings at Beverly Park Elementary School. White Center and North Highline residents will vote on annexation at the Nov. 6 election.

“The general theme is we will do as little as possible the first year,” Martin said. “We will talk to the neighbors, be very attentive, and try to accommodate everyone.”

On zoning, Martin said the city would try to match as closely as possible the current King County zoning.

The city manager said Burien is not proactive in looking for code violations and relies on citizen complaints.

“One guy’s rusty automobile is another father’s project with his 16-year-old son,” Martin noted. “We want people to solve their own problems without too much government regulations.”

He added the special districts such as sewer and water will stay the same with annexation.

By Cassandra Baker

3:00 p.m., September 11. NW 61st St and 15th Ave NW

Police are searching for the masked man who robbed the US Bank in Ballard on the afternoon of September 11th. The suspect entered the bank and ordered everyone to get on the ground, implying that he had a gun. He demanded money from bank employees and then fled the scene in a 2-door black Porsche 944 Turbo hatchback. The suspect is described as a white or Asian male about 30 years of age, between 5’8” and 5’10” with a medium build. He was wearing a black jacket, jeans, a face covering, and sunglasses. A picture of the suspect is on the SPD Blotter at http://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2012/09/11/masked-man-robs-ballard-bank-f….

2:27 a.m., September 9. 70th block of 23rd Ave NW

Monday, Sept. 9
Volleyball
SCS 3, Cedar Park Chr. 2
The Warriors won a five-game match in Nisqually League action Monday.
Boys tennis
Evergreen 3, Renton 3
The Wolverines played Renton to a tie in a short-handed match Monday.

Tuesday, Sept. 11
Volleyball
Evergreen 3, Renton 0
Evergreen put Renton away in three games this past Tuesday.
Hazen 3, Highline 1
Highline took a loss against the Highlanders on Tuesday.
Kennedy 3, Lindbergh 0
The Lancers blanked the Eagles this past Tuesday.
Foster 3, Tyee 0
The Bulldogs downed their nearby rivals last Tuesday.
Ev. Luth. 3, NW Yeshiva 1
Evergreen Lutheran emerged victorious against Northwest Yeshiva this past Tuesday.
Girls soccer
Kennedy 4, Highline 2
The Lancers defeated the Pirates in a Seamount League match Tuesday.
Tahoma 6, Mt. Rainier 0
Mount Rainier lost in South Puget Sound League action Tuesday.
Renton 8, Tyee 1
Renton's Indians topped Tyee Tuesday.
SCS 8, Chimacum 0
The Warriors won convincingly this past Tuesday.
Boys golf
Kentridge 81, Mt. Rainier 31
The Rams fell to the Chargers last Tuesday.
Girls golf
Kentridge 94, Mt. Rainier 9

Construction of a replacement fence along Fauntleroy Way s.w. at Fairmount Park will take place from September 17 – 21.

Some parking on Fauntleroy Way s.w. will be blocked during construction with some marked as “No Parking from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday – Friday

The cost for this project is being met by the The Parks and Green Spaces Levy which established an inflation adjustment for development projects intended to ensure that, should there be inflation in the construction industry, projects built in the later years of the levy would have sufficient funding.

To date, levy projects have not experienced inflation and have benefited from a competitive bid climate.

Based upon the absence of construction industry inflation, the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee recommended re-allocating these funds to a specific list of high priority major maintenance projects at Seattle Parks and Recreation. The Fairmount Playfield Fence Replacement is one of
these projects.

Seattle Parks contracted with MOCON Fencing Company to replace the worn fabric and posts along Fauntleroy Way SW.

For additional information please visit

WestFest, the fall festival staged on the grounds of Holy Rosary School in West Seattle is back on Sept. 14 and 15 and promises to be better than ever. And you can help!

There's so much going on in fact they need more volunteer help, with kids games and food booths. If you'd like to assist visit the Holy Rosary website and click on the volunteer button.

Holy Rosary is located at 4142 42nd Ave s.w.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: 10AM-10PM

Blow Up Rides Galore, featuring, the “Excalibur Castle” (for little ones only!), a dual slide, an obstacle course, and “Bungee Basketball” for older kids
Tubs ‘O’ Fun Spin Ride
Carnival-style Booth Games in the gym
Climbing Wall
Live Stage Entertainment and Beer Garden
Food A’Plenty
Raffle tickets, more food & drink, cake walk & candy on sale in the gym
Bingo will be in the School Hall, starting at 12pm
Tattoos/Face Painting/Kids’ Craft table
Used Books/Media Sale will be in the hallway south of the School Hall

Here's the entertainment schedule:

SATURDAY

Editor's note: Last week, Boys and Girls Club of King County President/CEO Calvin Lyons gave the order to transfer longtime Ballard B&GC director Mark Hendricks to Federal Way. The decision spurred confusion, frustration and sadness in the community. After being out of office for a few days, Calvin Lyons sent out a letter apologizing for missteps in communication and clarifying why he made the decision. Below are a few responses to that letter, from three community members who have been heavily involved in the Ballard Boys and Girls Club and who have been organizing the community reaction, including a rally and a petition.

Dear editor,

The controversial topic of public employees compensation was the focus of the Sept. 11 SeaTac City Council meeting as lawmakers voted on a 4-3 vote to approve new contracts for city workers.

Employees will receive a 2.6 percent raise, which is 95 percent of the regional Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), plus qualify for longevity bonuses. In turn, the employees will pay 1 percent more on their medical insurance premiums.

The contract covers 2012 through 2014.

The previous contract with the city’s labor union expired in December. SeaTac reached a tentative agreement on Aug. 14, which union members have ratified.

Non-union employees will receive a similar deal.

Councilmember Rick Forschler said the city faces an unusual situation where the cost of living is going up but the economy remains down. He said it is unfair to others whose wages are not increasing or who are out of work.

He also noted lawmakers had anticipated a 2 percent employee pay increase when approving the 2012 budget. The almost 3 percent increase meant lawmakers also needed to amend the budget to account for the increases.

Press release:
The Puget Sound Regional Council is recommending $10.1 million in funding for projects serving SeaTac, Burien and Des Moines, part of more than $440 million in federal funds proposed by PSRC to improve transportation around the region.
Projects in Des Moines include:
• Barnes Creek Trail - $380,000
• Connecting 28th/24th Avenue South (S. 208th St to S 216th St) - $3,000,000

Projects in SeaTac and Burien include:

• South 188th Street Overlay, International Boulevard to 46th Avenue South - $585,000
• Lake to Sound Trail – Segment B - $1,000,000 South Corridor Transit Expansion Project (Sound Transit) - $1,000,000
• South Link (Sound Transit) - $4,264,839

“These projects were selected on their merits and support the region’s economic development and growth,” said Bellevue Councilmember Claudia Balducci, chair of PSRC’s Transportation Policy Board. “When Congress approved these funds earlier this year, their focus was on growing and sustaining jobs. These projects, large and small, will put people to work and shore up the foundations of our economy for the future.”