White Center Heights resident Jerry Foley still prefers that North Highline remain unincorporated but he grudgingly accepts the inevitability of having to join either Seattle or Burien, and he's leaning toward Burien.

Foley was among the people who attended an annexation open house May 17 sponsored by King County at White Center Heights Elementary School. There were many handout materials comparing services, tax rates, governmental representation and other pertinent issues in Seattle and Burien.

One reason Foley thinks Burien would be a better choice is road maintenance. King County, which has been providing North Highline with basic government services for many years, does a much better job taking care of streets than the city of Seattle, he said. King County is the contractor that maintains Burien's streets.

The county attacks maintenance by replacing entire sections of bad roads, while the city of Seattle sends pothole rangers to do spot repairs, Foley said, and the county recently did a great job on Fourth Avenue Southwest.

Foley is satisfied with the service provided by both the North Highline Fire Department and the King County Sheriff's Office. Both agencies have protected White Center and Boulevard Park for many years.

Foley moved to White Center 30 years ago, partly because his children could walk to White Center Heights Elementary School. He also loves White Center's ambiance and admitted to owning a few Rat City T-shirts.

"I want to protect the pristine tackiness of the place," Foley said with a grin.

Mayone Woodbury, another open house attendee, also favors joining Burien.

"Seattle is getting so big we'd get lost in the shuffle," she said. If North Highline joined the much smaller city of Burien, people would have a better chance to know their neighbors, she said.

David Link agreed.

"Let's go small and see what happens," he said.

He, too, is concerned about street maintenance and doesn't like what he's seen on Seattle streets.

"Delridge Way has been in need of paving for years," Link said, stretching the last word for emphasis. Meanwhile King County repaved the same section of Southwest 102nd Street three times in four years, he said.

At the open house, King County presented four possible scenarios for North Highline.

Scenario A would be if Seattle annexed the entire North Highline area. Scenario B is if Burien annexed all of it.

Scenario C would divide North Highline at Southwest 116th Street, with everything north joining Seattle and everything south annexed to Burien.

Scenario D also would divide North Highline but with part of North Shorewood going to Burien. Starting at Puget Sound, the division in Scenario D would run eastward along Southwest 112th Street to 12th Avenue Southwest. There the dividing line would drop south to 116th Street, where it would turn east again.

King County will sponsor another North Highline annexation open house from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 23 in the cafeteria at Hilltop Elementary School, 12250 24th Ave. S. in Burien.

Tim St. Clair can be reached at 932-0300 or tstclair@robinsonnews.com