July 2016

The first week of #SouthKingSlowdown is in the books. On southbound I-5 we saw backups of 2 to 4 miles in the SeaTac/Southcenter area, which took up to about 30 minutes to get through during the first weekend of work.

Southbound I-5 again will be reduced to two lanes for the weekend just south of the I-405/SR518 interchange, starting at 5 p.m. Friday, July 22. Two right lanes will remain open as we repave the three left lanes between South 188th Street and SR 516. These ramps will be closed:

SB I-405 to SB I-5
188th St on-ramp
200th St. on- and -off-ramps
If you’re heading south of Seattle this weekend, plan ahead! Allow extra travel time. Check the Seattle Traffic page a couple of hours before you plan to travel and download WSDOT’s mobile app to get the latest conditions. Also, consider:

Using alternate routes like state routes 99 and167.
Take transit. Link light rail provides a predictable trip to Sea-Tac International Airport.
Travel early or travel late.
Consider putting off your trip.

Overnight lane and ramp closures on I-5 in Seattle starting tonight, July 21

If you want to make a difference in someone’s life and your community we may have the career for you! The King County Sheriff’s Office is accepting applications for 9-1-1 Communication Specialists. This is an excellent opportunity for a career in Law Enforcement, partnering with our men and women in the field.

As a 9-1-1 Communication Specialist you will work in partnership with deputies, and serve as the primary contact for citizens calling our 9-1-1 Center. Communication Specialists answer a high volume of calls. Some are routine calls from citizens of a non-emergency nature and others are of an emergent nature.

The salary for Communications Specialist is $22.02 - 32.55 hourly with excellent benefits.

King County will be accepting applications until August 19, 2016 at 4:30pm. If you have questions about qualifications please call Senior HR Analyst Mei Barker at 206-477-7279. To completed an online application go to www.kingcounty.gov/jobs

The City of Tukwila announced Jay Wittwer as the finalist for the City’s permanent Fire Chief position. His confirmation will be presented to the City Council on Monday, August 1. The meeting will begin at 7:00 in the Tukwila City Council Chambers located at 6200 Southcenter Boulevard, Tukwila, Washington. If confirmed, he will be introduced to the Council and a subsequent meeting on August 8.

“Jay is a great fit for the Tukwila Fire Department, and I am confident that he will provide strong leadership in the department,” commented Tukwila Mayor Allan Ekberg. “Jay was chosen because of his passion for the fire service, his strong educational background and his experience in mentoring young firefighters.”

Additional factors that led to Wittwer’s appointment include his significant experience working in a fire department that consists of more than twice the number of personnel than the City of Tukwila, and his proven fiscal management. Wittwer’s proven leadership and experience enhancing organizational effectiveness were clear assets to the City representatives on the interview panels.

By Gwen Davis

It was a large and charged meeting Wednesday night.

The Delridge Neighborhoods District Council discussed -- among a large forum of other Seattle district councils -- the city's proposed changes to the district councils.

Participants were angry with the changes.

The city announced last week that the district councils would be substantially changed due to lack in diversity.

The meeting was held at the Highland Park Improvement Club.

“The news last week was a surprise to say the least,” the chair of the Delridge district council said. They were expecting a dialogue and conversation in what would happen going forward. “That did not happen,” he said. “We were not brought into the process… The decision that came down made a lot of people mad. I’m mad now,” he said. “But tonight’s not about being mad.”

“The city frequently makes decisions which aren’t the best decisions,” he said.

Usually, the city asks the districts for their feedback, according to him.

“We are more than the narrative we are currently being cast by,” he said. A "bad decision" has been made, he said, and "bad decisions" can and should be reversed.

Seattle Department of Transportation hosted two public meetings last week to gather pubic input for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Burke-Gilman Trail Extension Project. The DEIS evaluates four routes that aim to connect the Missing Link: the gap between the intersection of N.W. 45th Street and 11th Avenue N.W. and the Ballard Locks.

The Missing Link has been the center of controversy dating back to the late 80s, but more specifically since 2003 when the City proposed connecting the link along Shilshole Avenue N.W. Community members with business interests in the freight and maritime industries appealed the resolution, their contention being that the increase of activity through the industrial sector would negatively impact business operations and potentially lead to safety issues because Shilshole Avenue N.W. is a freight route.

There’s high pressure in Seattle’s restaurant scene. Reputation, reviews, big talk can make or break a business. In the world with anonymous screeds on Yelp and secret shoppers, the customer is always right, right? Or are they? The restaurant scene is a consumer-driven industry filled with self-proclaimed “foodies” with high expectations for servers. Servers and bartenders need to be pleasant, fast, knowledgeable, attentive and “on point.” These expectations are of course relative to each establishment, but boiled down to the marrow they are the essential traits of a “good” server.

With huge expectation on one end of the table, it seems unfair to not have just as many expectations for the customer. As a bartender and someone with ample experience on both sides of the bar, I feel it’s time to give the customer a little nudge and not the coffee kind.

Here are some tips for patrons:

Follow Mom’s advice:

information from SWSHS

On Monday morning, July 18, 2016, Alki Homestead owner Dennis Schilling, his son Matt and five-member crew removed the building's iconic neon sign so that it can be restored as part of the landmark building's overall renovation and restoration.

The removal took just shy of two hours.

The sign restoration will cost $25,000 to $30,000, and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which secured city landmark status for the building 20 years ago, helped Schilling in 2015 to obtain a $15,000 grant from 4Culture for the project.

The contractor for the sign restoration will be Western Neon on Fourth Avenue South. The Alki Homestead, originally called Fir Lodge, was built in 1904. It has been closed since a January 2009 fire damaged a portion of the building's interior.

Where can you find Asian dumplings and gyoza on the Westside? That question has been answered with the opening of Dumplings of Fury at 4302 SW Oregon Street. Owned by Shadowland owners Ben Jenkins and Joe Francis and their partner Grant Cho, the tiny 400 square foot space offers Shrimp and Pork Wontons, Shrimp and Chive Wontons, Vegetable Gyoza, Bao in Kalbi and Chicken varieties plus Wonton Soup. Also on the menu is Mochi Ice Cream. Beer, wine and Bubble Tea plus canned soft drinks are available. The name likely comes from kung fu films and of course a signature menu item Soup Dumplings.

It's all designed to be a take-out style spot with meals packaged in recyclable plastic containers with lids.

"This came through conversations about what would be good for the neighborhood and what would possibly work. Dumplings seem to be popular, but you have to take a really long drive from here to get dumplings these days," said Francis.

"We love dumplings," said Jenkins, "and I found myself driving to Bellevue or the International District to get them, because of my own personal need for it."

Highline High School Pirate Football will hold a car wash this Saturday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Rite Aid -110 SW 148TH ST , Burien WA.

information from SDOT

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) advises travelers that the previously announced night closures of the Fauntleroy Expressway for this Wednesday and Thursday, July 20 and July 21, have been canceled. The closures, needed for the installation of epoxy on a small number of the 674 bearing pads replaced on the Expressway, will be rescheduled.

For more information on the Fauntleroy Expressway Bearing Pad Replacement Project, please visit http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/fauntleroyexpressway.htm.