January 2012

The 7 acre, $6.1 million addition to the Southwest Athletic Complex at 8420 30th Ave. s.w. is now complete and in a walk through on Jan. 6 the former location of Denny International Junior High School, representatives for the builders, architects, and Seattle Public Schools explained the work that was done to remake the site.

The site now includes a new softball diamond, with tall fences, six tennis courts, a large field/play area (not yet open), playground equipment at the corner of 30th Ave. s.w. and Cloverdale Street, plus walkways, fences, cement seat walls, bike racks and a lot of water management features.

CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO SEE MORE

On the walkthrough were Dana Amore of Bassetti Architects who handled the project design, Tim Waters and River Steenson of BN Builders, General Contractor for the project, and Mike Skutack, Capital Projects Supervisor for Seattle Public Schools.

In his monthly briefing for the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, Burien city manager Mike Martin covered the latest in annexation, a group formed to come up with alternatives to library consolidation, and a possible initiative to improve education and reduce crime in Burien.

Annexation
While the Burien City Council congregates at city hall to induct new and old councilmembers, Martin said he will miss that meeting to attend the Washington State Boundary Review Board public meeting on Monday, Jan. 9, 7 p.m. at Cascade Middle School. The board will review Burien’s proposed boundary of North Highline annexation and the public is encouraged to attend and voice their opinions.

“We don’t expect there to be any surprises, we expect this to be very straightforward,” Martin said. “We are confident of a positive outcome.”

Burien is moving forward with plans to annex the remainder of unincorporated North Highline, although the process could be halted if the State nixes tax credits for cities that annex. The tax credit is critical to the economic feasibility of annexation, Martin has said.

Glenn Capeloto believes he has been blessed with what he calls a "paid hobby". Raised in West Seattle and a WSHS Class of '75 grad, his primary job is a radio advertising consultant, sales/creative copywriter. But he also freelances as a sports statistician and play-by-play announcer, his ticket to the best seats and press boxes at many a collegiate and professional baseball, football, basketball, and hockey game.

Another perk comes with 37 years in the business, he is on a first-name basis with such luminaries as Lenny Wilkens, Spencer Haywood, Vin Scully, Ann Meyers Drysdale, and Jerry Colangelo, President, U.S. Olympic Basketball Team in Beijing, and former owner of the Phoenix Suns, WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Diamondbacks and others.

Capeloto just released a self-published book, "You're in the Front Row, How to Kick Off Your Career in Sports Even if You're Not a Star Athlete". He is pictured on his cover with colleague Bob Rondeau, the "voice of the Huskies".

"A lot of people wish they could get to do what I get to do," he said. "The book explains what I get to do, how I got here, how they can prepare."

Update: Wednesday's second pre-design community meeting for new Sunset Hill development has been cancelled due to weather.

Following last week's meeting, developer Bill Parks was going to present his ideas for the redevelopment of the corner building on 32nd Avenue and N.W. 64th Street in Sunset Hill again, and provide answers to questions posed at the previous meeting.

The meeting is rescheduled for January 25 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Sunset Hill Community Club, 3002 NW 66th.

Read about the previous meeting here and here.

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Developer wants public input for redevelopment of popular Sunset Hill corner

Three acts will battle onstage for a chance of being featured as a full production in Ghost Light Theatrical's upcoming season, and it will be the audience who decides the winner.

In Ghost Light's sixth annual Battle of the Bards three ensembles are given 20 minutes to perform a scene from a new adaptation of a classic work and to win over the audience.

The Battle of the Bards is the theater company's annual "fun"-draiser and the audience is given one vote with admission and additional vote scan be bought for $1. All proceeds will benefit the work of Ghost Light Theatricals' next season.

This year's competing acts are:

MACK THE KNIFE
Written by Stephanie Mallard Couch and Stephen Bucheit
Directed by Stephanie Mallard Couch
Mack the Knife is a fast and loose musical adaptation of Macbeth set in a 1920's speakeasy complete with gangsters, molls, dolls, canaries, et al.

PAPER BULLETS
Written by John E. Allis
Directed by Emily Harvey

By Cassandra Baker, Intern

4:00 p.m. on January 1st. 52nd block of Ballard Ave NW

A man was attacked on New Year’s Day while picking up trash in Ballard. The victim was collecting garbage on Ballard Ave NW when a transient male came up to him, swore at him, and threatened him. The suspect then kicked a bucket to which the victim had tied his dogs’ leashes, causing the two terriers to yelp in pain. The suspect grabbed the victim’s collar and shoved him, but the victim shoved him away. The suspect then grabbed the victim by the throat and attempted to force him into the street, but the victim slapped the suspect on the face and the suspect ran away.

The suspect is described as a transient who smelled of alcohol, about 5’10’’ tall and 40 years old with scruffy facial hair. He was wearing a black leather jacket, dark blue jeans, and a dark hat. The victim said that he had seen the suspect once before, about two weeks ago, when the suspect had also sworn at him and threatened him. The responding officer recognized the suspect from his description, but did not find the suspect in an area check.

Duwamish Longhouse press releases:

Saturday, Jan. 14, 6:00pm-7:00pm:

Remembering Medicine Songs of 
Chief Seattle’s Time with Johnny Moses. This is the closing program of the art gallery show “Duwamish Journey with Johnny Moses” which explores the traditional culture and spirituality of the Duwamish. The gallery will be open from 11:00am to 7:00pm.

The West Seattle Herald recently reported on Johnny Moses, here.

Johnny Moses, noted native NW Storyteller, recently introduced 2 new CD’s that preserve NW Salish Cultural for future generations. The CDs: “Samish Songs of the San Juan Islands” and “Snohomish Songs of Puget Sound” were produced by Greg Fields, a professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Johnny is a Tulalip Native American with a multi-tribal ancestry including the Nuu-chah-nulth, Saanich, Snohomish, Duwamish, and Chehamus peoples.

When West Seattle child, adult, family and group psychotherapist Jennifer Harkness works with her clients, you might say she uses art and soul. Her practice, Courageous Heart Healing, LLC, combines traditional talk-therapy techniques with meditation and art, lots of art.

"My studio is full of yummy supplies," enthused Harkness, whose practice is located on Harbor Ave SW in the Activspace building. "Chalk pastels, oil pastels, clay, glitter glue, boxes, canvas. People paint masks. Who do they feel like on the inside? My job is to support people in their own process.

"I teach them how to use the (art) materials, witness what they create, and we reflect," she said. "I practice a more 'strengths-based' style of validation and support to help people find their own answers and empowerment. I help people talk about their own work," she continued. "I'm not going to 'interpret' their art. It's about the process more than the finished piece."

Seattle Parks press release:

Seattle Parks is calling all volunteers! Come to one of two volunteer open houses at Discovery Park, Camp Long

Start the year off right by making a difference in your community - volunteer! Come and discover the many opportunities that await you, including volunteer naturalist, park steward, data entry volunteer, and much, much more.

Seattle Parks and Recreation could not do what they do without the invaluable volunteers – some 43,000 people put in 360,000 hours in 2010 - and will hold two open houses to provide information and answer questions about volunteer opportunities:

Discovery Park Volunteer Open House, Discovery Park Visitor Center, 3801 Discovery Park Blvd. – Wednesday January 11, 2012 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Camp Long Volunteer Open House, Camp Long Lodge, 5200 35th Ave. SW – Saturday January 14, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

About the Seattle Volunteer Naturalist Program

The former Lora Lake Apartments site at 15001 Des Moines Memorial Drive in Burien is currently being tested to reveal the full extent of hazardous contaminants from industrial use, according to Perry Cooper with the Port of Seattle.

Once a cleanup plan is established, Cooper said cleanup will begin in 2013 and, once finished, the land will be open to redevelopment. The Port is considering two main options – develop a cargo center for the airport or selling the land to Burien’s larger auto dealers to create an auto mall.

Cooper said the Port Commission is “having good discussions with the City (of Burien)” over the auto mall concept which would relocate 1st Ave. S. dealerships to Des Moines Memorial Drive. You can read more about the auto mall idea, a longtime project of former Burien Councilmember Gordon Shaw, in the Highline Times story found here.

The Port expects to submit a draft report of their findings to Washington’s Department of Ecology (DOE) sometime in January. Cleaning up the site is required by state law for it to be further developed.