January 2008

The spirit of Christmas is alive and well in West Seattle.

Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of YMCA and community members, this Christmas was a bit more merry for many here in our neighborhoods. Through our Giving Tree program at the West Seattle and Fauntleroy YMCA, more than 1000 gifts and gift cards were collected and given to 285 youth, teens, and adults from 75 low-income families.

For working families struggling to keep food on the table and a roof over the heads of their children, Christmas gifts are luxuries that can seem far out of reach.

The owner of West Seattle's only existing motel plans to renovate its 50 guest rooms and then seek a neighborhood zoning change from the city to allow taller buildings so that 50 additional rooms could be built on the upper floors.

Motel owner Elaine Rho also is considering adding a restaurant to the planned development.

Rho will have to apply to the city for a change in the neighborhood's zoning designation to allow structures taller than the current 65-foot height limit around the motel.

The Seattle School Board decided last week it would mull other options to the co-location of Denny Middle School and Sealth High, including sticking with separate campuses, which would delay completion by two years and go supremely over budget.

Under the current plan, Denny would be demolished and rebuilt next to nearby Sealth.

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department is soliciting community input for the development of its "strategic business plan," which will guide department actions for the next five years.

At a recent community meeting, several residents said they were most concerned about the future of teen and community programs funded through the Pro Parks Levy, which expires at the end of the year.

King County Councilmember Dow Constantine and 34th District state legislators called the Washington Supreme Court decision to allow the issuance of permits for a massive gravel mining operation on Maury Island a major setback for Puget Sound.

King County originally denied the permit to multinational mining corporation Glacier Northwest, but its decision was reversed by the state Court of Appeals.

As the saying goes, boys will be boys. Yelling and screaming, kicking and fighting have long seemed to be a part of childhood.

The State Department of Licenses has replaced vehicle and boat renewal notice postcards with new, letter-size vehicle and boat renewal notices. The new notices are more readable, more understandable and contain expanded information about renewal fees.

Licenses began sending the new style renewal notices to vehicle owners with tabs that expired in January.

Over the past few years, the size of the type on the postcard notices was reduced as more required information was added. This made the postcards increasingly difficult to read.

The Seattle Statue of Liberty Plaza Project committee has succeeded -- just days before deadline -- in raising the funds to cover construction costs for a new pedestal and plaza for the Alki statue.

"From what we can tell, it looks like we will definitely be meeting our goal," wrote Libby Carr, co-chair for the committee, in an e-mail to the West Seattle Blog www.westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=5155#more-5155 .

The final total will be announced here Wednesday.

A week ago, Carr was looking for the l

A 12-year-old was taken into protective custody after she ran away from squalid conditions in a South Park ?home? where she had been sent to live by her mother. Investigating officers found that the girl had been living in a filthy, smelly garage that had three mattresses on the floor, an electric burner for cooking, and a closet toilet/shower.

Multiple citizens called in reports of gunshots in the Charlestown area on Saturday. A resident in the 3800 block of 45th SW found several bullet holes in his car and a hole in his house.

Rezoning opposed

By Richard Conlin

On Dec. 17, the City Council approved legislation reducing the size of commercial and retail uses that can be constructed in areas zoned industrial.