October 2012

Dakota Place Park, which for the past six years, has been an idea to transform a former power substation into a community gathering place and park was finally realized Oct. 20. The building and grounds at 4304 SW Dakota Street have been transformed and were celebrated with an Open House and community gathering. The gathering was very well attended, so much so that they ran out food early.

The newly renovated space will serve as a satellite facility for Hiawatha Community Center and while work on the exterior was done in 2009 and a dedication held, the interior work was not completed until recently.

Pan American World Airways, or "Pan Am" as most recall it, dominated the skies until 1991. Its first commercial flight carried passengers and mail from Key West to Havana, about 90 miles, Oct. 28, 1927. Lucky passengers has a close-up and personal sea view on a Fairchild FC2 floatplane.

Fifty years later, Pan Am celebrated its inaugural jaunt with another historic flight, circling the world, flying over the North and South Pole, and in record time. It flew 26,230 miles in 48 hours, 3 minutes. The entire flight, including stops, took 54 hours and 7 minutes. The stubby "Junior Jumbo", a Boeing 747SP, was about 47 feet shorter than a standard 747, while equipped with the same engines and wingspan, allowing it to fly longer distances between fueling.

The King County Water Taxi will start its winter service on the West Seattle route Monday, October 29.
The earliest sailing from West Seattle's Seacrest Park is at 6:15 am.

The complete schedule is here.

Departures continue until 8:45 am then resume again at 4:00 pm continuing until 7:00 pm.

The good news is that Marination Ma Kai is now open and will be available as a place to get out of the cold and rain (and grab breakfast and a beverage) before you board.

Sports Roundup
Tuesday, Oct. 16
Volleyball
Kentridge 3, Mt. Rainier 0
Mount Rainier lost in three straight games last Tuesday.
Foster 3, Highline 0
Foster swept Highline aside Tuesday.
Seattle Lutheran 3, Aub. Adv. 1
Seattle Lutheran scored a victory over Auburn Adventist Academy this past Tuesday.
Kennedy 3, Hazen 1
The Lancers lost a rare game Tuesday but still won the match.
Boys soccer
Bear Creek 7, Evergreen Luth. 1
Evergreen Lutheran of Des Moines salvaged one goal while giving up seven in a lopsided loss Tuesday.
Girls soccer
Kennedy 10, Evergreen 0
The Lancers downed Evergreen in Tuesday action.
Hazen 6, Foster 0
The Bulldogs were blanked by the Highlanders his past Tuesday.
Highline 10, Renton 0
Highline routed Renton in a shutout win Tuesday.
SCS 1, Charles Wright 0
Seattle Christian slipped past Charles Wright in a shutout victory Tuesday.

Wednesday, Oct. 17
Golf
South Puget Sound League
The South Puget Sound League golf tournament took place at the Gold Mountain courses near Bremerton last Wednesday, with Mount Rainier coming in eighth as a team with a total score of 720.

Thursday, Oct. 18

On the same day ballots started arriving in mailboxes with the option for North Highline residents to approve or reject annexation to Burien, the city hoping to take them on hosted their final information meeting on Oct. 18 at Cascade Middle School in White Center.

After Burien City Manager Mike Martin and Police Chief Scott Kimerer gave their introductory remarks, noting a raise in taxes for homeowners of around $140 (average) and policing levels remaining the same, the floor was turned over to a mix of pro and anti-annexation questions, with a few undecided’s thrown into the mix.

Martin spent a good portion of the presentation addressing conflicting claims on annexation from Independent White Center, a political action committee against annexation. IWC has claimed, for example, that property taxes will go up, on average, over $400 for North Highline residents instead of the Burien claim of $140.

Press release:
A new, expanded accessible voting center (AVC) opens in Renton today to help ensure that voters with disabilities are able to cast a private and independent ballot. The AVC is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays until the election on Nov. 6.
The expanded AVC is part of a new Elections Service Center (ESC) at Elections’ headquarters, opened in a recently renovated space. The ESC also features a counter for voter registration. The county expanded its services in anticipation of high volumes this presidential election.
Voting by mail is the easiest and most accessible choice for many people. However, some voters have difficulty filling out mail ballots. Accessible voting centers provide voters the opportunity to vote privately and independently using touchscreen accessible voting units (AVUs). Accessible voting units offer lap paddles, audio voting, large and high-contrast text options and more.
Accessible voting units are easy to use, and Elections staff is available to help voters.

On the same day ballots started arriving in mailboxes with the option for North Highline residents to approve or reject annexation to Burien, the city hoping to take them on hosted their final information meeting on Oct. 18 at Cascade Middle School in White Center.

After Burien City Manager Mike Martin and Police Chief Scott Kimerer gave their introductory remarks, noting a raise in taxes for homeowners of around $140 (average) and policing levels remaining the same, the floor was turned over to a mix of pro and anti-annexation questions, with a few undecided’s thrown into the mix.

Martin spent a good portion of the presentation addressing conflicting claims on annexation from Independent White Center, a political action committee against annexation. IWC has claimed, for example, that property taxes will go up, on average, over $400 for North Highline residents instead of the Burien claim of $140.

Alright all you local Scandinavians: This weekend is the 106th (you read that right) Annual Sons of Norway and Leif Erickson Bazaar, which will have all the Nordic food and goods you could possibly dream of. It'll also give you a chance to connect with some of your fellow Scaninavians and learn about Sons of Norway and the Leif Erickson Lodge.

The event encompasses two days -- Saturday, Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

From the organizers:

Update for Dec. 4
Just in from Stacy Sayles, organizer for the 2012 Lafayette Elementary Walk-A-Thon:

Lafayette Elementary's Walk-A-Thon this year raised $84,293 - a number that far surpassed our goal and could not have been reached without our business sponsors support and our FIRED UP students!

Funds raised by students during the Oct. 19 event help support PTA programs at the school. Their goal was $70,000.

Original story on Oct. 19
The kids of Lafayette Elementary in West Seattle absolutely got their daily workout today (Oct. 19) as they walked (and ran and danced) to raise funds for the school.

Their goal has been to raise $70,000 for PTA programs, including their Classroom Tutor Program, computer lab equipment, library books, art and science learning materials, field trips and more.

Kids ran on the track from 9:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m, sometimes stopping for a drink of water and generally having a great time.

SDOT Press release:
After being closed for the last three years due to the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project, the Seattle Department of Transportation has reopened the westbound travel lanes of surface S Spokane Street between Sixth and Fourth Avenues S.

The westbound surface lanes between Fourth Avenue S and East Marginal Way S remain closed, although it is hoped this segment will reopen by the end of October. Once reopened, all streets in the project area will again be available to motorists.

Construction on the Spokane Street Viaduct is nearly complete. The only other construction related activity impacting traffic in the coming week will be the scheduled reduction of eastbound traffic on the Spokane Street Viaduct to a single lane Tuesday, October 23, through Friday, October 26, nightly from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following morning. The eastbound off-ramps at both First and Fourth Avenues S will remain open. There are two days of work, but some of the work is weather dependent, so the closure could be any two of these four days.