October 2006

Last night I attended the musical "Tick, Tick... Boom!" at West Seattle's ArtsWest theater. It was an amazing performance. Ninety minutes of non-stop action. Written by Jonathan Larson, the writer of the Broadway sensation "Rent," the play has great dialogue and music. It is a slice of life that in some way everyone can relate to.

It is easy to forget that we have one of the city's best theaters right here in our backyard. The quality of the plays produced is outstanding and very affordable.

It seems that yard care noise gets a by in spite of the fact it is far louder more frequent and proximate than the noise sources typically vilified such as aircraft, poorly muffled vehicles, or boom cars. In addition to the noise, yard care also stirs up a lot of dirt and allergens especially when the final assault on the yard is with a screaming, 200 mile per hour blower.

On Oct. 9 I'm having a crew (Tree Cycle, Peter Gruenwoldt, Arborist) remove a 40 foot tall, 20 inch diameter, Douglas fir that is threatening the foundation of my home.

We all enjoy reading Megan Sheppard's column each week in the White Center News.

A coworker's son has a paper route and always seems to have one or two extras that our coworker brings in to work for us to enjoy.

We particularly like the way she adds color to otherwise drab subject matter.

Because Megan alerted us in her column, we are all now on the lookout for the two-foot high White Center mascot that went missing from a front porch in White Center.

Thanks again for a very informative and entertaining column.

Jonathan C. Hengesteg

Two West Seattle K-8 schools have steadfastly rejected the Seattle Schools superintendents recommendation that alternative Pathfinder program be merged with the more traditional programs at Cooper school.

In reaction, Superintendent Raj Manhas issued a statement that said the two schools were to "collaborate to create a strong alternative K-8 program that will integrate and serve the needs of students from both programs."

Manhas said that after a hearing Tuesday night (6:30 p.m., Oct.

"Skateboarding is not crazy" was painted on the boy's well used skateboard as over 100 people crowded into the Delridge Community Center last week to talk about the 30 proposed sites around the city where youth could practice the relatively new sport.

No one opposed the idea of skateboard parks the city is proposing to build in West Seattle and elsewhere, but some wanted locations a bit farther from their homes.

Several residents of the area around the soon to be lidded Myrtle Reservoir were interested in moving the proposed large site across the street to High Point "whe

An effort is underway to create a trail system for pedestrians and bicyclists that would link up West Seattle's most popular destinations.

The Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association with help from the National Park Service is advancing the Dells and Ridges Trail System. The project would create a "ribbon of connection" among West Seattle businesses, schools, parks and existing pathways.

Any plan to tear down the Alaskan Way Viaduct to make way for a tunnel or a new viaduct will be a big undertaking, as Washington State's construction projects go.

In terms of costs, the completion of the I-90 floating bridge linking Mercer Island to Seattle was similar in size to a potential viaduct replacement, said Ron Paananen, the project director for the Washington State Department of Transportation.

But Paananen points out that there are other factors to consider besides costs and concrete.

"It isn't the sheer size of the project, it's where its located,

This school year West Seattle is home to five high schools, including South Lake High School, which will occupy the old E. C.

The Seattle City Council has placed a series of amendments to the City Charter on the November ballot.

A key amendment will allow the council to reconfirm the appointments of city department heads every four years, including Parks and Recreation, Finance, and Personnel, each of which were created in the City Charter.

The City Council also approved reconfirmation for five department heads created in the Seattle Municipal Code, including Fleets and Facilities, Human Services, Information Technology, Seattle Center, and Executive Administration.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission approved its first general fee increase for camping, overnight facilities and watercraft launch services since 2003.

The increases, intended to catch the agency up to market rates and to help close the gap between costs and rising inflation, will become effective immediately for services visitors use beginning Jan. 1, 2007. The new fees will remain in place through 2009.