October 2012

Duo's, the restaurant taking over the space 2940 Avalon Way (formerly occupied by Avalon restaurant), is getting closer to opening say the owners with remodeling nearly complete. The West Seattle Herald was the first to tell you about the business when they first moved in, in late August. They say a mid-November launch is now likely.

A new sign for the restaurant is now up outside.

The business model made sense for the company which has been specializing in catering because that business will sustain them and make the restaurant an expansion of what they are already doing.

This week they are finishing work on the floors, and furniture that has been delivered will get unwrapped and put in place. "Next Tuesday we're planning a friends and family only 'mini-tasting' to figure out what we want to serve," said Josh Cooper, "so within two weeks we will be completely done and ready."

Capping a six-year drive to move its mental health care facilities out of an old elementary school, under the third-runway flight path, Navos Mental Health Solutions celebrated the grand opening of its 52,450 square foot campus in Burien Oct. 25.

The facilities are located at Ambaum Boulevard Southwest and Southwest 136th St.

Navos CEO David Johnson said the new facility provides a “21st Century model of care.”

He noted officials at Navos, a private nonprofit agency that operates the center, learned in 2006 they would have move out of the old Sunny Terrace Elementary site at 1010 S. 146th St. The center had been there for 30 years.

“I would advise that you don’t fundraise during a great recession,” Johnson joked. He added Navos had no choice in the timing. He pointed to some of the donated furniture given by the Gates Foundation, and quipped that second-hand furniture from Bill Gates is nicer than most people's first-hand furniture.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray told the crowd gathered in Revelle Hall, the facility’s community meeting space, “I am very proud of being a partner in this on the federal level and share the passion with everyone in this room."

It was 2005. Ron Sims was the King County Executive, Dow Constantine was a member of the county council, and a new business directive had been sent out to the parks department: try to find figure out partnerships to help build park facilities with less public money.

Jessie Israel, a King Couty Parks employee at the time (she now works in the wastewater treatment division), registered the idea and went about her day. She picked up a newspaper and read a story about the Technology Access Foundation (TAF) and their Executive Director Trish Millines Dziko’s mission of preparing Puget Sound youth – particularly low-income youth of color – for success in college through science, technology, math and engineering programs.

One City Council member really wants SeaTac to live up to its motto as the “Hospitality City.”

Rick Forschler proposed Oct. 23 that city residents share their homes with airline employees that are laid over in SeaTac during the holidays.

Forschler even gave out his cell phone number, 206-419-5170, for residents interested in his project.

He said pilots, flight attendants and other airline employees are often staying in SeaTac hotels away from their families during holiday periods. He noted residents could be become better neighbors and friends by inviting the employees to spend the holiday with them.

He said the idea came to him as he pondered requests to the council for city funds to put on Angle Lake fireworks displays on Independence Day. The council has appropriated $10,000 annually for several years to help fund the display.

Forschler said he is opposed to using city money for the display but would organize voluntary fundraising efforts. He noted no one has taken him up on his offer.

He said that got him thinking g about the city’s “core competency,” which he described as the airport and related businesses.

By Brian LeBlanc

There are some races in the upcoming election on November 6th that no one seems to be talking about. The 7th Congressional District race between 11-term incumbent Congressman Jim McDermott (D) and his challenger, Republican Ron Bemis (http://www.ronbemisforcongress.org/), is one of them.

McDermott refuses to have a formal debate with Bemis. Why are the citizens of the 7th Congressional District (CD) not being given a chance to hear their candidates debate? More importantly, why are we letting our Representative in Congress get away with this?

The 7th CD is considered to be one of the safest Democratic districts in the entire country. Jim McDermott has been elected to Congress 11 times, and in each election since 1988 has received no less than 70 percent of the vote. It is widely assumed that this pattern will continue to hold and that McDermott will be re-elected, so most media outlets are not giving this race the attention it deserves.

Press Release:

November 8th Multiple Art Openings Downtown Burien
A Fall celebration of Art and Craft featuring:
Crimson Park Design and Shelli Park
Mariachi
Scott Grigg

When: November 8th, 2012 from 6 – 9 PM.

Who/what/where:
Venue 1: Town Square Retail Space at SW 151st St and 5th Pl. The empty retail space at the Northeast corner will house Crimson Park Design’s Fall Furniture Line, Series 1, Back from Nature as a part of an art installation by Shelli Park called Love Letters, An Installation. Love Letters includes Park’s recent works.

“This installation is an opportunity to celebrate the interplay of art and craft, space and light, hubris vs. specific, community and the individual, and cause and effect in relationships.

Venue 2: Burien Press , 423 Southwest 152nd Street Burien, WA 98166
Artist Scott Grigg, presents American Spring Art show is a visual critique of modern American politics.

The Schmitz family sold over seven acres of land east of Schmitz Park to Seattle Public Schools for $1 over 50 years ago, and today family members are lobbying the school board to reconsider plans to move Schmitz Park Elementary (on that land) to a new facility at the Genessee Hill site (5012 S.W. Genessee St.) in 2015.

SPS has not detailed what would happen with the current Schmitz Park building at 5000 S.W. Spokane St.

As the Seattle Public School board nears their final decision on the project list for BEX IV and Operations Levies on Nov. 7, the public was given a chance to voice their opinions at SPS SODO Headquarters on Oct. 24, and Vicki Schmitz Block gave testimony as a family representative.

“I’m sure it came as a quite a shock to many of the school district staff to realize there are actually living Schmitz family members still residing in West Seattle and I don’t fault you for that because many of you were probably not born in 1962 … when Schmitz Park School opened,” she said.

Tonight's the night for civic engagement -- it's just a shame that we can't all clone ourselves and be everywhere at once. Sustainable Ballard, the Ballard Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger, and the East Ballard Community Association are all meeting tonight. See below for details:

Sustainable Ballard Potluck at Hilliard's Beers

Sustainable Ballard is hosting their first quarterly potluck tonight at Hilliard's on 1550 NW 49th St from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. What better place to have a potluck, right? Between the food, music and Ballard-made beer, it's sure to be a night of fun and good conversation. Guests are asked to bring a dish to share.

East Ballard Community Association

"What are them Ballard Greenway-things all about, anyway?"

Is that the question you find yourself asking? Then tonight is the night to inform yourself, as the East Ballard Community Association will be having a discussion about Ballard Greenways, and they'll have with them Seattle Department of Transportation's Doug Cox. Cox is the guru on the subject and can explain the whole plan with ease and eloquence -- so don't miss out.

by Carol Smith

My husband went to war when
“Thanks for serving” was not said
In those days “draft” not “volunteer”
Filled up the ranks instead

Then “hero” was the farthest thing
From these young soldier’s ears
Though for the many lives cut short
We cried no different tears

And all the while the TV played
In place of Bach or Brahms
The war’s most deadly rhapsody
Composed by falling bombs

Although from Nam he would return
War made quite sure that first
The innocence of youth was used
In vain to quench its thirst

For three quarters of the game the Blanchet players weaved their way around and through the Seahawk defenders. The Braves were sleeker and quicker. Their passing was crisper and they attacked on defense using their speed and agility. However at the end of the first half the Braves had nothing to show for their efforts. Every time Blanchet got inside the twenty, either shots went wide or they were well defended.
The Seahawks didn’t fare any better crossing mid field only twice in the first half and had no shots on goal. Despite the Braves ability to move the ball the Seahawks stiffened when they needed to… score at the half 0-0.

Sealth coach Ron Johnson gathered his team at halftime and told them they “were still in this game”, to keep fighting like they’ve been doing and good things will happen.

In the second half things weren’t looking any different. Blanchet moved the ball at will and cut off any Seahawk advances beyond mid field. But by the midpoint of the second half the score was still 0-0. The bend don’t break Seahawks were hanging on. If you follow sports you know that if you don’t put your opponent away and you let them hang around that opponent could beat you.