December 2012

I live in the Angle Lake Manor neighborhood in SeaTac. One of my pet peeves (other than the owners not picking up their dog’s poop; remember: dogs don’t have hands) is pet owners who blatantly ignore leash laws that, apparently, apply to everyone but themselves.

I have witnessed several dog owners, a few who live in Angle Lake Manor, walking their dogs off lead. When confronted, I hear myriad excuses ranging from “This is a private neighborhood, so city leash laws don’t apply to me” or “but he’s walking with me” and “but we don’t live here.” I always stand gaping at these remarks.

Cat owners can also be ticketed for allowing their cats to trespass uninvited in yards that aren’t the owner’s and for using neighbors’ yards as their bathrooms, so please keep your cats inside.

Two new items of business were passed at the final Des Moines City Council meeting for the 2012 year.

Updating appeal procedures and licensing requirements for dangerous dogs was passed 5-2, and an ordinance defining one-time revenue and creating a phased in expenditure requirement was passed 6-1.

Master Animal Control Officer Jan Magnuson gave a presentation to the council recommending the changes to increase public safety as well as to limit costs.

Some of the changes include requiring potentially dangerous or dangerous dogs to be neutered or spayed and requiring all vet bills to be paid prior to issuance of a certificate of registration.

It also allows for a microchip to be used rather than a tattoo and allows vet discretion as to the placement, according to Draft Ordinance 11-021.

Dangerous dogs are already required to wear a bright orange collar with the words danger written in bold black. Now potentially dangerous dogs will have to wear the collar as well.

“I think that’s a marvelous tool,” said Councilmember Carmen Scott.

By Gwen Davis
SPECIAL TO THE HIGHLINE TIMES

Rebecca Dare and Bill Opfermann know that being proactive can pay off in life-saving ways. Especially when it comes to preparing for a possible natural disaster.

On Saturday morning, Dec. 8, the Burien couple hosted a neighborhood meeting at their home on disaster preparedness. More than one-dozen neighbors showed up. The last time this disaster preparedness meeting took place was two years ago.

“Our purpose, what we’re trying to do is get the word out [about disaster and also get other neighborhoods interested,” Opfermann said. “When that earthquake comes, when that disaster comes, you can never be prepared enough. So it’s really important we get the word out.”

The two-hour meeting was based largely on an interactive film, Building and Strengthening Disaster Readiness Among Neighbors, courtesy of Washington State’s Emergency Management Public Education program. The film took participants through the nine steps of disaster preparedness:
Take care of loved ones
Protect your head, feet and hands
Check the natural gas or propane at your home
Shut off water at the main house

We reported on a letter exchange Monday, Dec. 16 where members of the Ballard District Council felt that Seattle Public Utilities was not doing all they could to collaborate and consult with the community.

Representatives of Seattle Public Utilities followed up with the Ballard News-tribune to say they want to make every effort of working with the community. However, as they have been gathering data, they did say they have yet to engage the community as they should be.

On Saturday, Dec. 22, a piece of their community engagement will begin as a new survey will be hitting resident's mailboxes asking questions on how SPU should go forward. We will have a separate report on what that will look like sometime today.

In yesterday's report, we missed another follow-up letter sent by Andrew Lee, CSO Reduction Program Manager, on Wednesday, Dec. 12, at 3:14 p.m. -- just 14 minutes after Catherine Weatbrook, Chair of the Ballard District Council, sent hers.

In it, Lee said they are open to a more formal committee.

Five-year-old Nehemiah Cornelius, a Midway Elementary kindergarten student, gives a double thumbs-up for his new winter coat at the annual Des Moines Rotary coat give-away event.

Rotary member Scott Logan, Highline Public Schools Security and Safety director, helps Nehemiah try on the coat.

Helping the Rotary with the coat give-away program were Midway Covenant, Highline 7th Day Adventist, Southminster Presbyterian, QFC and Washington Reading Corps.

With snowfall and dropping temperatures making the case for a real winter at lower elevations, King County Metro has released a few reminders for Metro riders:

Metro Transit ready for winter weather
Rider checklist: Transit alerts, snow routes & new guide

Some snow is in the forecast overnight, Monday, Dec. 17, and into the morning commute Tuesday, Dec. 18, and King County Metro Transit wants to remind riders to plan ahead for getting around during winter weather – especially since many changes were made to bus routes this fall.

While major accumulations aren't expected, riders should plan ahead in the event minor snow and icy conditions delay buses. Metro Transit has online tools to help riders stay informed, which is helpful for minor weather challenges and essential for big storms that might come later in the season. When needed, Metro is ready to reroute buses around closed roads, chain up or switch to snow routes.

Each December, local artist Marge Ellsworth and Highline Times editor Eric Mathison host a Christmas ornament making party in their Burien home.

Burien photographer Maureen Hoffmann describes it as “good clean fun” and an opportunity “for a bunch of adults to get toegether and be creative.” Hoffmann also notes it allows the couple to amass a collection of unique ornaments for their seven-foot tall Christmas tree.

The December event is a companion to their October pumpkin carving party.

Ellsworth’s digital artwork is available at www.margeryellsworth.com.

(Editor’s Note: This is a reprint of a column that first appeared in the Highline Times in 2003.)

Visions of sugarplums or dandy new computers may dance in our head as Santa warms up his trusty reindeer for another gift-giving trip; yet it is the freedom to know that we are safe with our loved ones to celebrate holidays that is priceless.

Firefighters found long overdue appreciation during the 9/11 “Twin Towers Disaster.” Police officers killed in the line of duty have made it very real to us the everyday danger they face. When they are just “doing their job” we tend to forget how important they are to our quality of life.

Police and firefighters have a 24 hours, 7days a week job – including holidays. When we are eating turkey they may be busting a burglar. When we give gifts they may be giving life.

It’s their career choice. Still, for anyone who must leave their family to work on special days, including medical and transportation personnel, family days are gone forever.

Children grow up with or without them. There is no going back to capture lost “family memories.”

From the moment I entered John Newmaster’s home, there was very little to remind me that I was talking to an 87 year old man. John moves as fast as he talks. He’s a bit of a Speedy Gonzales--Philly style

Although John and his wife Sandy now live in Burien, he started out in Philadelphia surrounded by women. He was born in 1925 and grew up under the watchful eye of his mother, her three sisters and his grandmother.

“Grandma ran a boarding house to keep us all going. She had four rooms to rent and charged $5 a week. If she was full up, then she’d bring in $80 a month, but $40 of that went to the mortgage and the other $40 had to feed five women and one little boy, me!” he said.

It was the Depression and times were tough. “My two aunts took up burlesque. When I was five, they had me do a buffalo shuffle across the stage” he beamed and went on. “At Christmas, Grandma would go out and get a bush and we’d make wooden figures and decorate them to hang on it. When I was eight, they got me a carpenter set with a real little saw. After I sawed off the leg of the table, there went the carpenter’s set!” he laughed.

FEDERAL WAY - The EX-3 Ron Sandwith Teen Center provided the locale for a toughly fought Evergreen Lutheran girls SeaTac 1B League basketball loss against home team Christian Faith on Friday, Dec. 14, in the opening half of a girls-boys doubleheader.

Evergreen Lutheran dropped to 0-3 in league and 1-4 overall after its second straight close loss. The Des Moines situated Eagles dropped a home 46-44 verdict to Muckleshoot Tribal on Dec. 11.

"Compared to every other game we played, we took better care of the ball tonight," said EL head coach Nick Trebesch. "We goot good, clean looks, but just had a low shooting percentage. I thought we controlled the glass and limited them to one shot at the basket most of the time. Our press created many opportunities."

Opportunity knocked often and surfaced regularly.

Trailing only 29-27 after Sarah Lee's bank shot with 3:32 left in regulation game time, Evergreen Lutheran forged numerous opportunities to tie or go ahead, but could not convert for a myriad of reasons.