January 2013

Compiled by Shara Wallace

Deadline for receiving items for Community Calendar is 5 p.m. Wednesday for the following week’s Times/News. Events are published based on timeliness and space availability. Email submissions to: hteditor@robinsonnews.com Items can be accepted from nonprofit groups and government agencies only. Others may call Dona Ozier at 206-708-1378 for inclusion in our “Out & About” advertising section.

Art Exhibits

Burien Community Center ---“Extraordinary Women of Highline," an exhibit that showcases the accomplishments of eleven pioneering women from the Highline area. Through Jan. 31. Hours are Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Burien Press --Artist Scott Grigg, presents American Spring Art show a visual critique of modern American politics. 423 S.W. 152nd St.

When the Town Square was in the planning stage, I was assured the money had been set aside to use the old library for a senior center.

Renton, Kent and Des Moines are great examples. Subsidized lunch programs, dance floors, rooms for folk to use for their "get-togethers,” exercise equipment, you name it.

Health experts for the aging stress the importance of seniors getting to mingle with their generation and not be housebound.

Exercise is important for seniors for their health--mental and otherwise.

Where are they in Burien? Perhaps readers of this plea will write to the city fathers to let them know we exist.

Everyone will one day be a senior, if they are lucky.

Right now is the time to plan for the rest of the development of Town Square with a much-needed great senior center.

Walter McGowan
Burien

By Steve Whitaker
SPECIAL TO THE HIGHLINE TIMES

Love of family and passion for their work are what Hal and Maxi Okanovic bring to the Wesley Homes Des Moines campus every day.

Hal and Maxi go out of their way to provide exceptional customer service to all residents and staff members. Hal is head of Security and Maintenance, and Maxi is Laundry/Housekeeping coordinator.

The Okanovics’ path to Wesley Homes has had its fair number of tragedies, victories and blessings. They have persevered through it all.

Hal and Maxi are native to Bosnia. Before the break-up of the Soviet states, Bosnia made up what was northern Yugoslavia. Hal lived in Germany for a while but moved back to Yugoslavia to finish high school.

After Hal graduated, he performed his required military service of 15 months by serving in the Yugoslavian Navy. Maxi also lived in Yugoslavia (Bosnia). These two have known each other for 50 years.

As a matter of fact, they have been happily married for over 30 years.

The final piece of the puzzle for the long dormant Alki Homestead may be up to the public. If you've got at least $10,000 and want to be a part owner (not to mention get an 8% return) you might be part of it.

Owner Tom Lin has gone through a lengthy process to evaluate, offer designs, and plans, and has been through the gauntlet of seeking city approval set forth by the building's status as a landmark. The building has sat closed and deteriorating since a fire swept through it in January of 2009.

Recently though the potential for reconstruction/restoration of the building has taken a far more positive turn. It has been reviewed by the Washington State Department of Archaeology (WSDA) and The RAFN Company, well known for its restoration work has done its inspections, been in touch with log building experts and worked up an estimate.

Press release:

Seattle Christian Schools will host an Open House for future families, Kindergarten through 12th grade, on Thursday, January 17, At 7:00 p.m.

The school wide meeting will take place for students enrolling for the 2013-2014 school year. The format will include opportunities to meet faculty, staff and SCS Superintendent, Gloria Hunter. Seattle Christian offers top-rated academics, a strong Biblical worldview, excellent athletics, fine and performing arts, co-curricular programs, as well as before and after school care.

The school has approximately 550 students on a beautiful 13.5 acre campus, just off Interstate-5 in SeaTac. For more information, contact Fran Hubeek, Admissions Coordinator, at 206.246.8241 or visit www.seattlechristian.org

Update: The meeting time has been switched from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The Port of Seattle Commission’s January 22nd regular meeting will include an update on Sea-Tac Airport’s Part 150 Noise Study.

The update will include information on the draft recommended options for reducing aircraft noise in the new proposed noise remedy area around the airport.

The Part 150 Study will be available for public review sometime after the January 22nd Commission meeting.

The dates of the Part 150 public comment period, along with the date of the final public outreach event, will be announced in the near future.

For your convenience, please visit the dedicated Part 150 Study website for all documentation connected to the study.

King County is looking for more Earth Heroes like Sandy Zimmermann, a student at Highline Big Picture High School in Burien, who initiated a trash audit that led to her role in expanding the school’s recycling program.
She also organized a pep rally to motivate students to properly recycle, and coordinated the necessary support from the school district, facility staff and teachers.
For those efforts, Sandy was named an Earth Hero in School last year.

King County wants to honor the very best students, teachers, staff, school volunteers, programs and even entire schools that are contributing to student environmental education and environmental protection, through the County’s Earth Heroes at School awards program.

Nominations for the 2013 Earth Heroes at School are due Feb. 23. Winners will be honored at an event featuring King County Executive Dow Constantine on April 25, during the County’s annual Earth Week celebration.

Recycling, restoring habitat, composting lunchroom waste and growing pesticide-free gardens are among the many types of award-winning projects carried out by students, teachers and staff in King County schools.

Dear SeaTac City Council,

In last night's Council comments at the end of the meeting un-elected Mayor Tony Anderson stated that just because a lawsuit is filed does not mean the city has done anything wrong.

Wrong in whose eyes? There is a difference between LAWFUL and ETHICAL. If your actions are ethical you are most likely 99.9 percent lawful, however if you are lawful you may not be necessarily ethical. I hope you get that and it has nothing to do with religion (if you're asking) though some may need those guidelines more than others.

Secondly, the summary judgment you spoke of has been appealed so "the slightly overweight lady" has not sung just yet.

Deputy Mayor Gregerson's comment that the council heard no negative comments about the Study Sessions/Council format is farcical.

First of all comments are not allowed in the Study Sessions where this issue was discussed. It is easy to say there were no negative comments when comments are not allowed altogether in those meetings, not to mention Ms Gregerson ignored the fact I have made negative comments, in writing, to the council and the press.

We sent photographer Jerry Gay to Burien’s Three Tree Point on New Year’s Day to document this year’s Polar Bear Plunge.

In the first photo, the kids look like they are having fun while the adults look a little more skeptical.

In the second photo, everybody else is heading back to shore but these girls are hanging on to each other for support as they are are determined to win the prize for staying in the water the longest.

Dee Woodbery, left, Elda Behm’s daughter, and Natalie Ross, Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden board member, help dedicate an interpretive sign for the Elda Behm Paradise Garden.

Ross designed the sign and led the implementation. Behm’s lovely home garden was transplanted from under the third runway flight zone to the botanical garden several years ago.