Community Renewal Area - Aurora Square

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Sears was cutting edge when it was built
Photo courtesy City of Shoreline
By Jack Malek

Shoreline’s office of Economic Development hopes to see the Aurora Square commercial district, home to the Central Market and the old Sears building among many other stores, revived and redeveloped. 

Forty-five years ago the Sears Building was a national example of a cutting edges quality, a higher standard of living, and a symbol for progress and prosperity. As time marched on, it has become outdated and obsolete with very little value and suboptimal tax revenues for the city.

Presently, Aurora Square generates $6,000 Sales Tax Dollars per acre each year while Aurora Village at 205th Street and Aurora generates $39,000 Sales Tax Dollars per acre per year. If the site and stores were improved even modestly so that they bring in $21,000 Sales Tax Dollars per acre per year, then Aurora Square would add $500,000 Total Sales Tax dollars “every year” to the Shoreline City budget.

Ten different owners are involved
Orange lines show boundaries of each land parcel
King County iMaps

Redevelopment plans have been stymied due to the obsolete buildings, inadequate street layout, excessive land coverage, and diversity of ownership. There are ten different ownership groups who have a stake in the 70+ acre property. According to the CRA - FAQs, “this many owners has resulted in an inability to make changes at the speed necessary to respond to opportunities.”

State law prohibits the city from devoting public resources towards an economic redevelopment project such as Aurora Square unless the area is designated as a Community Renewal Area. With the CRA designation, the city establishes that economic renewal is in the public interest. 
Together with a Community Renewal Plan, the city can assist the ownership groups by getting them to a redevelopment table and assisting with architectural drawings, storm water and energy system designs, tailoring zoning incorporating the Interurban Trail and other transit routes, and financing major infrastructure improvements.

This project accomplishes all three elements of the city’s sustainability goals (Economic, Social, and Environmental) in that it will increase revenues for services, strengthens community by adding a state of the art venue hosting integrated trails, transit and shopping, and is environmentally friendly. Two recent examples can be found at Bremerton’s Waterfront Park redevelopment and Vancouver’s Fourth Plain Renewal.

The location along the Aurora corridor is ideal. This type of cooperative effort with the city, and together with land and business owners, and community members has a “signaling effect” that attracts and welcomes large-scale developers, along with quality retail stores, services and dining.

With the help of QBL Real Estate Consulting and Foster Pepper Law Firm, the head of Shoreline’s Economic Development, Dan Eernissee, presented the idea for this project to the city council August 13. The council was very receptive to the idea and following a public hearing, they return to the council September 4 for approval.


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Beach at Saltwater Park closed during arson investigation

Most of the burn was on Burlington Northern property
Shoreline Area News photo


The upper portion of Richmond Beach Saltwater Park is now open for regular park use. The bridge and beach area will remain closed for the Shoreline Fire Department's arson investigation and monitoring of the burned area.

Once the investigation is complete and the Fire Department feels the area is safe the beach area of the park will be reopened.

Arson fire at Saltwater Park is being investigated by Shoreline Fire
Shoreline Area News photo

The fire on Monday, Aug. 27 at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park burned approximately 2 acres of scotch broom and blackberry with no damage to any park facilities although the fire came very close to the restroom on the beach and the picnic shelter at the beach. There was no damage to the pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks.

The majority of the burned area was on Burlington Northern property with less than an acre of park property affected. The fire is being investigated as an arson by fire investigators.

The fire broke out around 7:30pm and was brought under control by 9:30pm. All available Shoreline Fire Department crews were at the scene and neighboring fire departments assisted with other emergency calls throughout the evening. 


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YMCA to give free books to Youth Summer Camp participants

On Friday, August 31, 2012, over 100 smiling Y summer campers will be the recipient of a new hard bound copy of the children’s book “Free To Be Me,” by Rev. Dr. Dale Turner (1917 - 2006).

Rev. Dr. Dale Turner was passionate about youth development and community building, two values the YMCA also holds in high esteem. The Y is proud to present his book, a collection of short stories and life lessons, to the summer campers as part of the Y’s efforts to emphasize reading as a way to combat summer learning loss that many students experience during their extended summer months away from school.

The books will be given to participants at 10:00am in the Dale Turner Family YMCA’s Outdoor Day Camp program at Shoreview Park, located at 912 Innis Arden Way, in Shoreline. Summer campers will read their stories then reconvene at 12:30pm to do reflection activities such as role-playing, artwork, and group discussion.

Reflection activities give campers the opportunities to express their “voice and choice.” When campers use their own voice and choice it creates more ownership of their personal camp experience causing participants to be more engaged, energetic, and active. In addition, group reflection activities have the ability to impact important life attributes in a positive way such as improving reading comprehension, self-esteem, decision making, leadership skills, teamwork, and critical thinking.

Rev. Dr. Dale Turner
The author of “Free To Be Me,” Rev. Dr. Dale Turner, supported the YMCA for several years in addition to being a regular contributor to the Seattle Times for twenty-one years. He had such an important role in the Y that his name is now part of the YMCA branch located in Shoreline, off of North 192nd Street and Aurora Ave North.
For more information about Y Summer Camps, please call the Dale Turner Family YMCA at 206 363 0446 or visit Y Summer.


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Sustainability, Culture and Integrated Economic Development Strategies

Matthew Kwatinetz
Matthew Kwatinetz will be the last in a series of speakers related to the City of Shoreline 2012 Comprehensive Plan Update.

He will make a presentation on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, 6:30-8:30pm on the topic of "Sustainability, Culture and Integrated Economic Development Strategies".

The presentation will be held at Shoreline City Hall in the Council Chambers. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Back in January, the City kicked off a speaker series on themes related to the City's Comprehensive Plan Update. Each month, a speaker presented a topic relating to a Comprehensive Plan component. 

Matthew Kwatinetz is the Managing Partner at QBL Real Estate. Matthew advises clients on projects and policy surrounding public/private finance and the development and ongoing operations of cultural real estate.

From 2002-2008, he was the developer and then Producing Artistic Director of Capitol Hill Arts Center in Seattle, and prior to that, he worked for a variety of arts, entertainment and festival organizations in producing, management and strategy. From 1999-2001, Matthew worked for the Microsoft Corporation. He has been a featured speaker for NAIOP, Great Cities Initiative, Americans for the Arts, Simon Fraser University, Net Impact, and the Centre for Policy Studies on Culture and Communities.

Matthew was also the founding Vice President of the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce (WA). He co-founded and sat on the Seattle Cultural Overlay District Advisory Committee, served on King County's Cultural Real Estate Task Force and on the Advisory Board of the University of Washington Commercial Real Estate Development Program. He is a Consulting Researcher at the Institute for Urban Research, working with Dr. Susan Wachter, former deputy secretary of HUD. He is Executive Director of the Center for Real Estate Policy, a NYC-based non-partisan think-tank.

Matthew received his MBA with Honors in Real Estate at The Wharton School, where he was a Martin Bucksbaum Fellow. He is a graduate of Deep Springs College and Harvard University, where he graduated with honors.

Following the presentation, attendees will be invited to mingle and share ideas with staff and other participants. These ideas will be transformed into new goals and policies for the Comprehensive Plan that will guide future decisions made by City officials and staff. The Comprehensive Plan is the primary tool used by local governments to guide decisions regarding the use of land, housing, transportation, community design, economic development, infrastructure and natural resources.

For more information, visit the 2012 Comprehensive Plan Update web page.


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Lake Forest Park City Hall closed on Friday, August 31, 2012 due to Furlough Day


City Hall will be closed on Friday, August 31, 2012 due to the fourth furlough day in 2012 for managerial, professional and exempt City Hall employees. The Police Department, Municipal Court and the Public Works Department will remain open on Friday.

Furloughs were first instituted in 2011 for City employees as a budget balancing measure and have been continued in 2012. City employees take five additional days without pay which results in a 2% pay reduction overall. Staff furloughs were expected to be a temporary cost-saving measure to help the City balance the budget during the economic downturn.


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Saltwater Park brush fire makes spectacular burn as neighbors watch

Five acres of brush burned at Saltwater Park Monday evening
Shoreline Area News photo
As of 9:30pm Monday evening, August 27, 2012, Shoreline firefighters had almost full control of a brush fire that broke out around 7:30pm this evening at Saltwater Park in Richmond Beach.

The fire burned approximately five acres near the pedestrian overpass bridge which crosses the railroad tracks at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park.

Wind conditions changed several times during the fire, but fire crews were able to quickly strategize and prevent the fire from damaging the bridge, and from threatening any homes or private property in the area of the beach park.

Shoreline Fire called out all available crews
Shoreline Area News photo

No one was hurt fighting the blaze, which involved all available Shoreline crews. Neighboring fire departments were assisting with other emergency calls throughout the evening.

Flames could be seen in surrounding neighborhoods, as far away as Greenwood in Seattle, and people gathered to watch firefighters work at controlling the blaze and minimizing damage.

All available emergency services personnel were on hand
Shoreline Area News photo
The cause of the blaze is unknown tonight. Fire department spokesperson Melanie Granfors said that a damage estimate would not be available until tomorrow when officials from City of Shoreline Parks will be able to assess the damage.


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Jews will make their own Ram Horns to prepare for the High Holidays

Monday, August 27, 2012


On Sunday, September 9, 2012 in Lynnwood, adults, and children of all ages will get the unique opportunity to participate in a hands-on workshop, crafting their own Shofars, or ram's horn, for the upcoming holiday of Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year.

The Shofar is perhaps the oldest wind instrument known to mankind. Consisting of a simple horn taken from a ram or similar animal (such as a kudu) and hollowed of its internal cartilage, the instrument produces a haunting, almost mystical tone. 

"The Shofar generates an otherworldly sound. It's very soulful, very stirring, and open to much interpretation," said Rabbi Berel Paltiel, director of Chabad Jewish Center and sponsor of the Shofar Factory. "Each individual hears something else in the Shofar's voice. Thus it’s most fitting and quite uplifting for the Shofar to be blown during the High Holidays, the holiest Jewish season of the year."

According to Jewish history, the sound of a Shofar accompanied G-d's giving of the Torah (the Bible) to the ancient Hebrews, the ancestors of Jews today, as they stood at the foot of Mount Sinai in the Middle Eastern wilderness. In addition, Jewish tradition has it that the Messianic Era, a time of world peace, will be ushered in with the sounding of the great Shofar.

The Shofar is sounded in Jewish houses of worship on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and at the end of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, for several reasons, not least among them its unique sound. 

"Chassidism teaches that the call of the Shofar is reminiscent of the pure voice of the soul," explained Rabbi Paltiel. "At Rosh Hashanah, the soul strives to touch the Divine. Also the various notes sounded with the Shofar remind one of weeping, which stirs people to better their ways, which is among the central themes of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur."

Visitors to the Shofar Factory will learn just what criteria an animal's horn must meet in order to qualify as a genuine Shofar, after which they will saw, drill, sand, shellac and polish their very own horns and then learn how to sound the traditional notes. 

The Shofar Factory is open to the general public on Sunday, September 9, at 11am at the Chabad Jewish Center of Snohomish County, 19626 76th Avenue West Suite B, Lynnwood, WA 98036-5877. Admission is free. For $10 participants take home their own Shofar. For more information, contact Rabbi Berel Paltiel of Jewish Snohomish, 425-640-2811.


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Two Scoops Moore plays the last painted piano concert on Wednesday at City Hall

Eric "Two Scoops" Moore and his blues combo play the last concert on the painted pianos, on Wednesday, August 29, 2012 fro 6-7:30 pm, free to the public, Shoreline City Hall, 17500 Midvale Ave N., courtyard.


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Follow-up: Vandals had started to trash Sunset School when police arrived

Volunteers at a work party
Photo by Suzanne Gugger
As previously reported, three males of legal age and one juvenile male were caught after they forced entry to Sunset Elementary School and damaged the interior. We now have more details to report both about the males involved and the damage they caused.

Friday night, August 24th around 9pm a security officer responded to an alarm at the Sunset Elementary School. Once there he heard people inside and saw that there was damage to the school.  Shoreline Police and a King County K-9 Unit arrived. They searched the inside and the K-9 found three of the suspects inside a janitor's room and one of the suspects was found hiding in the attic.

Three of the suspects were adults- a 23 year old man from Edmonds, and two 18 year old men from Shoreline. The fourth was a 16 year old juvenile from Shoreline.  

The adults were booked into the KCJ for Investigation of Burglary and Malicious Mischief. Youth Services declined booking of the juvenile. He was released to a grandparent and the case will be submitted to Juvenile Prosecutors Office for the filing of charges.

The following is damage noted by deputies on the scene.

  • Broken two-pane wire center windows: 18
  • Broken one-pane windows: 4
  • Holes in the drywall: 5
  • Wall tack boards: 1
  • Broken fire extinguisher covers: 2
  • Broken mirrors: 1
  • Broken music records: 3
  • Chalkboards damaged: 2
  • Broken hanging exit signs: 3
  • Broken TV's: 7
  • Broken flower vases: 5



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Tomato Fest at Sky on Saturday - bring your own

Skylight tomatoes
Photo courtesy Sky Nursery
Saturday September 1, 2012 
10am – 5pm

Tomato Fest

Join Sky’s tomato-growing staff for a day of tomato tasting, tomato competitions, and the sharing of tomato lore.  
  • What’s the best way to ripen tomatoes once the fall rains start?  
  • What’s the best recipe for fried green tomatoes and green tomato chutney?  

We’ll be sharing information on these questions and more.  

Sky staff will be bringing in our favorite varieties; bring yours for taste-testing for bragging rights, and to enter in our competitions:
  • biggest tomato (girth) 
  • heaviest tomato
  • funniest-looking tomato 

Sky Nursery 18528 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133 206-548-4851  

   

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Photo: Threw some seeds on the ground and look what happened

From seeds on the ground
Photo by Sis Polin

Sis Polin reports that she threw a couple of seeds on the ground and ended up with this beauty.

She says, "I had to stand on a ladder to take this photo."

Guess summer is not completely over.



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ICHS Breaks Ground on Shoreline Medical and Dental Clinic

Demolished, a building which has housed many different restaurants
most recently and briefly the Hong Kong Buffet and Grill,
will make way for a medical dental clinic
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Seattle-based International Community Health Services (ICHS) launched the start of its Shoreline health clinic on Monday, August 6 with construction crews knocking down a vacant restaurant to make way for a 20,000-square-foot medical and dental building.

The Shoreline clinic marks a regional expansion for ICHS, which started in Seattle in 1973. The estimated $12 million project, scheduled to open in 2014, will be the first community health center in that city. The $12 million estimate includes purchase of the site.

The full-service clinic will open on one acre at 16549 Aurora Ave N., a central location in Shoreline. It will offer medical, dental, behavioral health, language interpretation, financial screening and insurance enrollment help to residents in Shoreline and the Puget Sound region.

“We have been planning this project for five years but the economy slowed things down. The timing is now right,” Teresita Batayola, ICHS chief executive officer said. “As a health center open to everyone, ICHS is committed to providing quality, affordable and multilingual health services where people need them.”


ICHS Chief Executive Teresita Batayola (left, holding sign) and ICHS Foundation Executive Director Ron Chew (right, holding sign) stand with Shoreline city officials, Dan Eernissee (back, behind Teresita), Julie Underwood (center), Mayor Keith McGlashan (back with dark glasses), and ICHS board and staff members at the site of the new Shoreline clinic.
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Based on studies, ICHS has identified North King County as an area with a high need for affordable health care and timely access to services.

Mayor Keith McGlashan shakes hands with ICHS Chief Executive Teresita Batayola
while Shoreline City Manager Julie Underwood,
and ICHS Foundation Executive Director Ron Chew look on.
Photo by Steven H. Robinson 

ICHS has been briefing Shoreline city officials about the new clinic. On Monday, Shoreline Mayor Keith McGlashan, City Manager Julie Underwood and other senior city officials visited the site to observe the demolition.

“We’re excited that ICHS is coming to Shoreline,” McGlashan said, adding that some Shoreline residents have had to leave the city for medical help. “We’re excited they will be able to stay in Shoreline to get those services.”

The Shoreline clinic will have 16 medical exam rooms, two procedure rooms, a laboratory, waiting areas and support space. The clinic’s dental area will start with 10 dental chairs to treat patients, as well as waiting areas and work space.

In addition to in-clinic services provided by health care teams, ICHS uses a unique approach as a community health center. It has bilingual outreach and education staff members who attend community events to answer health questions and raise awareness. Also, each year, ICHS provides health care in more than 50 languages and dialects.

ICHS leaders are working with Miller Hayashi Architects, LLC to design the Shoreline building. ICHS already operates four clinics in Seattle.

With the Shoreline clinic, ICHS is positioning itself to meet the needs of newly-insured patients who will receive coverage in 2014 because of the Affordable Care Act. ICHS also is working on opening a clinic in Bellevue.

In 2010, the city of Shoreline had 53,007 residents. Of that population, 15.5 percent are Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Many of the city’s Asian Pacific Islander population live off Aurora Avenue North, which is also known as Highway 99.

The Shoreline clinic project also started in a timely way – during National Health Center Week, which ran through Saturday, August 11.

About ICHS
Started in 1973 as a free community clinic, Seattle-based ICHS provides medical, dental and health education services to more than 18,500 patients yearly. It remains the main health care safety net for Asian Pacific Islanders in Washington state and assists everyone, especially those in need, immigrants, refugees, low income residents and limited English speakers. It has four clinics, located in the International District and Holly Park neighborhoods of Seattle, at Asian Counseling and Referral Service and at the Seattle World School. ICHS provides care in over 50 languages and dialects annually. ICHS is committed to improving the health of medically-underserved communities by providing quality, affordable and in-language health care. 



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Frank Workman on Sports: the nip of fall in the air means that football is coming

Tom Baumann and Frank invite you to join them this Friday night when the Shorecrest Scots host Lynnwood in the season opener. Shoreline Stadium, 18560 1st Avenue NE, Shoreline 98155.

By Frank Workman

The two men met at the local High School stadium this past Friday night.

7pm sharp, exactly one week before the first football game of the new season.

They love High School sports, and they couldn’t wait for the new year to begin.

Between the two of them, they’ve been to the stadium hundreds of time for games.

A few of the games involved their own sons playing, but most of them have involved watching other parents’ sons and daughters compete.

The two --- both in their sixties --- one retired, the other still a working stiff --- were as full of hope and anticipation for the new season as a couple of kids gathered by the tree a few nights before Christmas.

Sitting in the bleachers near the fifty-yard line, they saw that the field below was covered in the grandstand’s long shadow. Other than a jogger and two couples getting their evening walk in around the track, they had the place to themselves.

They could feel fall’s first nip in the air. The calendar said August 24, but in a way it felt like October.

They began to talk about the football season ahead.

What are the team’s chances this season? Who might replace the star quarterback of the last three seasons? Will the youngest of three brothers who have played for the school perform as valiantly in this, his senior year, as his older brothers did?

The conversation shifted to the Girls Soccer team, coached by a dear friend to both of them. The infusion of four talented freshmen, coupled with a talented core group of older veterans, and a lanky athletic goal-keeper with the wingspan of a pterodactyl, could make for a special season for a program that always has lofty aspirations. Given the fact that the area has produced two of the greatest women soccer players in history, it’s obvious that even the loftiest dreams can come true for these young players.

The two reminisced about their own youthful days at play, and their very modest athletic ‘careers’. Most of their playing was done on the school grounds, at recess, and in front yards and vacant lots in their home towns. Football plays drawn up in the dirt (“everybody go long”); Wiffle-Ball contests (where the players doubled as play-by-play men); hauling a neighbor’s extra sawdust into a pile to serve as a high-jump pit (when the scissors-kick was the standard jumping style, and landing on one’s feet was always the goal – sawdust having a way of finding its way into terrible places should one fall in it).

One of them men recalled an early practice in high school when, as a freshman, his older teammates suggested he turn down his effort a notch, that he was making the rest of the guys look bad.

They talked about how teams take on certain personalities, and how they had observed instances where the best player on a team was the hardest worker, leaving his teammates to have to match him in their efforts. Those teams almost always over-achieved. Conversely, they had seen teams where a star player may have taken his/her talent for granted, set a bad example, and the team suffered for it. They agreed that while the coach can have an influence on a team, especially during the season, it’s on the players to put in the necessary work in the off-season.

A few more topics followed – their Bucket List of HS stadiums they’ve not yet been to - a couple early-season big games they’re looking forward to – the inspiring performances from the recent Olympic Games by America’s women athletes – and how much better off our world is, and will continue to be, because women are now able to participate in sports (unlike the girls we grew up with, in the pre-Title IX days).

Too soon it was getting late. Long past dark, the stadium’s lights a week away from being turned on, the two made their way to the parking lot.

They didn’t watch a game, hear the band, see old friends, or eat the stadium’s great popcorn.

But they could still feel the excitement in the air. It’s coming.

Next Friday will be different.


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Quick-Start Shoreline business seminar Tuesday, August 28th

The Tuesday Quick-Start Shoreline Business Workshop for start-up, existing or potential business owners will be held on August 28th, 2012 from 12 noon to 1:30pm at Shoreline City Hall, 17500 Midvale Avenue N. The workshop is free; feel free to bring a snack or a brown bag lunch.



Introduce your business to a wider audience through video.

How to tell your story and look great on camera.

You may have figured it out by now that video is the new medium of choice for reaching new clients and keeping the ones you already have. Your search results will be better and your company's image will be enhanced by a video presence online.

So why haven't you done it yet?

Join us for an in depth look at the elements of a good video and take some time to plan your own video campaign.

Camera shy? Learn some tips and tricks for looking great and presenting your story with confidence in front of the camera.

Adelaide El Zein
Adelaide El Zein, regional director of Fourth Power Video works closely with her clients to create effective video commercials for online marketing.

Fourth Power Video specializes in creating short high-definition video commercials for small and medium sized businesses. Adelaide has a Masters in Business Administration and understands the entrepreneur's need to optimize advertising budgets. Each video begins with an in depth look at your business and your goals. Who are you hoping to reach and what action would you like them to take after viewing your video? Pre-planning makes the whole process smooth and effective.


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Troop 853: A week-long expedition on Lake Ozette

Swimming in Lake Ozette
Photo by Kurt Herzog
By Scoutmaster Kurt Herzog

Just like any group of boys today, these boys played their games of search, capture and defend all day long. The only difference is these boys weren't just moving their thumbs on a video game controller -- they spent sunrise to sundown running, hiding and crawling through the wilderness playing Capture the Flag, swimming, paddling and sailing.

Map of Lake Ozette
In July, Shoreline Boy Scout Troop 853 went on a week-long canoeing expedition on Lake Ozette in the northwest corner of Washington. Ozette is the largest natural lake in the state, eight miles long, three miles across and 330 feet deep.

Ready to ship out
Photo by Paul Stoebe
The scouts had trained for months for this trip, practicing getting back into swamped canoes, perfecting their paddling skills on several shorter trips and learning how to survive (and even have fun) on a week-long wilderness expedition -- something most people never get the chance to experience. The scouts even made their own dehydrated chili for camping food.

The first day alone, scouts saw 5 bald eagles and by the end of the trip had seen several more. They also heard a trio of owls meet up in the middle of the night and coyotes calling to each other.

Lashing canoes together to try sailing
Photo by Paul Stoebe
But the big event for the boys was an extended version of the age-old Capture the Flag. One day we awoke to strong winds that kept us in camp for the day. After a service project to rebuild fire pits, the scouts decided to explore the surrounding forested hills and found that it was the perfect area for hiding, running and searching for the opposing team's flag. Left alone from adult interference, the troop eventually created elaborate camouflage suits and strategies and practiced stalking and stealth.

Since the lake is close to the Pacific Ocean in the Olympic National Park, we spent one day hiking to the coast. Scouts were fascinated by the refuse from the Japanese tsunami that is already piling up here.

On Lake Ozeette
Photo by Kurt Herzog
The next day we paddled six miles to Tivoli Island, one of three islands on the lake, stopping on the way to explore an old graveyard that was part of several settlements that have since disappeared.

Always time to lie in the sun
Photo by Paul Stoebe
Tivoli turned out to be one of the most beautiful campsites most of us have ever been to… sandy beaches, relatively warm water, plenty of wood for campfires and huckleberries.

Though not as ideal for Capture the Flag, scouts always need to keep themselves busy so they soon came up with other schemes, including building sails on lashed-together canoes.

Joe cooking breakfast for the troop
Photo by Kurt Herzog
Apparently others had also found Tivoli to be the paradise we did. A local outdoorsman arrived and wanted to get set up on the island for his honeymoon which was to be in a couple days. Joe was one of the friendliest fellow explorers we have met.

He explained that he and his fiancé had fallen in love on the island and he planned to surprise her with a luxury campsite including an elaborate tent, wood stove and camp kitchen he would use to pamper her with. Fortunately, we had planned to be gone by then and the bride and groom didn't have to share their romantic paradise with a troop of loud boy scouts.

Joe even volunteered to return early the next morning and made the troop bacon and eggs… a welcome treat after a week of oatmeal and cold cereal for breakfast.

Cheeseburgers in paradise
Photo by Kurt Herzog
With the wind at our backs, we paddled the eight miles back to our vehicles and had a celebratory cheeseburger dinner that the scouts shopped for and cooked themselves. Nothing will probably ever taste so good to them again.

For more information, visit the Troop 853 website.


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WeatherWatcher: Showers then more summer


-Week ahead
-Last two weeks data

You may have noticed Sunday afternoon and evening that some clouds started to move through.  We have a weakening weather system moving through that may give us a few rain showers for the next couple of days. Tuesday - Thursday may have the bulk of the showers. However, after that we will return to our regularly scheduled marine influenced summer weather with highs around the 70ºF mark and sunny skies.

Weather data:

August  11th - 17th:
High temperature: 90.9ºF (Friday the 17th)
Low temperature: 54.7ºF (Saturday the 11th)
Total rainfall: 0.00 inches
Warmest day: 74.6ºF (Thursday the 16th)
Coldest day: 66.0ºF (Saturday the 11th)
Average temperature: 69.4ºF

August 18th -  24th:
High temperature: 80.8ºF (Monday the 20th)
Low temperature: 47.1ºF (Friday the 24th)
Total rainfall: 0.00 inches
Warmest day: 64.3ºF (Monday the 20th)
Coldest day: 57.6ºF (Friday the 24th)
Average temperature: 61.3ºF

Warmest and coldest days are based on average temperature of the entire day, starting at midnight.  All other averages are based on the whole week, starting Saturday morning at midnight. All weather data unless otherwise noted is sourced from Carl's Shoreline Weather Station.

Twitter: @SWeatherWatcher


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Friends of the Shoreline Library Book Sale in September

Annual Friends of the Shoreline Library Book Sale


One of the biggest and best used book sales in the area will be held at the Shoreline Library, 345 NE 175th, Shoreline, 98155 in late September:

Friday, September 21, 2012, 5:00-7:00 PM.
Members Only Preview Sale, Memberships available in the front lobby.
Huge selection of books, CDs, videotapes and DVDs for all ages!

Saturday, September 22, 2012, 10:00 AM -4:00 PM
Huge selection of books, CDs, videotapes and DVDs at unbeatable prices!

Sunday, September 23, 2012, 12:00-2:00 PM
Everyone welcome! Bag sale on Sunday - $3!


Sponsored by the Friends of the Shoreline Library, there will be books for Adults, Teens, Children and Families, so save the date now.  

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McDermott, Bemis to meet in November general election after leading in final certified primary results

By Evan Smith

Incumbent Democratic 7th District Congressman Jim McDermott will face Republican Ron Bemis in the Nov. 8 general election, after McDermott led the polling in final results that State officials certified Friday, with McDermott getting nearly 71 percent of votes cast in the King and Snohomish County parts of the District to 15 percent for Bemis.

Eliminated in the primary were Democrat Andrew Hughes with less than 6 percent, Republican Scott Sutherland with 3 percent, Democrat Charles Allen with more than 3 percent, Democrat Don Rivers with less than 2 percent and independent Goodspaceguy with less than 1 percent.

Here are vote totals for the King County part of the district – Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, most of Seattle and Seattle’s southwest suburbs – and the Snohomish County part of the district – Edmonds, Woodway and nearby unincorporated areas:

Congressional District No. 7

Name                                    King County                     Sno. Co.          Total
*Jim McDermott - D    117,493 – 72.06%         7,199 -  55.02%     124,692
*Ron Bemis – R             23,151 -- 14.20%        3,640 – 27.82%        26,791
Andrew Hughes – D         9,677 ---- 5.94%          663 --- 5.07%        10,340
Scott Sutherland - R         4,751 –-- 2.91%          822 --- 6.28%          5,573
Charles Allen – D             4.052 –-- 2.49%           315 --- 2.41%         4,367
Don Rivers – D                 2,368 –- 1.45%           320 --- 2.45%          2,388
Goodspaceguy – I             1,286 -- 0.79%            101 --- 0.77%          1,387
Write in                               271 --- 0.17%             25 --- 0.19%             296

*Advance to general election

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CORRECTION: Smaller independent expenditures in Cann-Pollet race in 46th Legislative District

Sunday, August 26, 2012

By Evan Smith

In my recent report on the election between incumbent 46th District Democratic State Rep. Gerry Pollet and fellow Democrat Sylvester Cann, I misstated the amounts of independent expenditures spent supporting the candidates.

Cann has support from independent expenditures of $12,173, with none opposing him. I earlier had reported the supporting amount as an opposing amount. The supporting amount that I had reported at $28,119 actually was campaign debt. Cann has reported raising $94,018 and spending $58,787.

Pollet has reported raising $72,206 and spending $51,498, with campaign debt of $685 and no independent expenditures either supporting him or opposing him.

Incumbent Pollet and challenger Cann will run off in the Nov. 6 general election after they were the only candidates on the Aug. 7 primary ballot.

Pollet outpolled Cann in the primary with 59.08 percent of the vote to 39.87 percent for Cann. 

Pollet won appointment to the position last year after David Frockt, who had won election to the seat in 2010, moved to the Senate to replace the late Scott White.

Lake Forest Park and Kenmore have been added to the northeast Seattle part of the District.


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Here comes the parade - here's how we Celebrated Shoreline

Updated and corrected 8-26-2012 11:05pm

Grand Marshall Evan Voltsis (left)
By Diane Hettrick
All photos by Steven H. Robinson

There are parades and then there are parades. Giant regional parades like the SeaFair Torchlight Parade focus on elaborate mechanical and floral floats, so big they can hardly get around the corners.

Community parades like Greenwood seem to recall and celebrate small town America with cub scouts, Sweet Adeline's, and baton twirlers.

Shoreline Council of Neighborhoods representatives
Celebrate Shoreline - the celebration of Shoreline's birthday - certainly has some of these elements. But what it is more than anything is a walking organizational directory of Shoreline and the surrounding area. The parade celebrates Shoreline in a very unique way, by parading most all of the groups that make the City the vibrant place that it is. 

Shorewood High School Cheer and Drill team
No one really cares whether the float is elaborate or beautiful. No one really cares whether there's a float at all, although the floats are appreciated for their community spirit and the involvement of the volunteers who created them. It could just as well be called the Volunteer Shoreline or the Send Your Kids to School in Shoreline parade.

32nd District state reps Ruth Kagi and Cindy Ryu
People care about seeing friends, neighbors, all the groups they belong to, the schools, bands, drill teams, politicians are welcome, both those in office and those running for office. 

CORRECTION: Zander Natallanni.of Shoreline Community College
men's soccer team hands out strawberry candy along the parade route
Many of the youth sports groups were represented - Hillwood Soccer. Northlake Little League. Richmond Jr Football. Shoreline Community College men's soccer team handed out candy.

Cub Pack 850
A couple of scouts troops were there - some of the others were on camp-outs (article to come).


King County Sheriff's Motorcycle Unit


The motorcycle unit from the Sheriff's Office was there, rumbling down the street. Not to be outdone, the Fire Department brought their shiny red trucks, beloved of children everywhere.

Shoreline Fire Engine #63

Northwest Junior Pipe Band
The Northwest Junior Pipe Band showed off their new bagpipes.

The Shoreline Recreation youth programs were well-represented
Drill team (if you know where they are from, let us know)
The Cute Award, if it existed, would surely go to these young drill team members.

Is your group missing from this line-up? Let us know and either send your photo or we will use ours for Parade, Part 2.


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Flags at half-staff August 28, 2012

Saturday, August 25, 2012


Governor Chris Gregoire is deeply saddened with the death of U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Sean Carson and directs Washington State and United States flags at all Washington State government facilities be lowered to half-staff in his memory on Tuesday, August 28, 2012.  He was killed August 16 in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Flags should remain at half-staff until close of business on August 28 or first thing Wednesday morning, August 29.

Other government entities, citizens and businesses are encouraged to join this recognition.


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Police arrest four for break-in at Sunset School

Neighbors in the Sunset hill, Boeing Creek area of southwest Shoreline were treated to circling helicopters and streets full of police cars last Friday night / Saturday morning.

Neighbors who called 911 were told to stay inside and lock the doors.

When it was over, Shoreline police had arrested four males, three 18 year olds and one juvenile, and booked the three adults into King County Jail for investigation of burglary and malicious mischief. The juvenile was released to his grandmother and will be charged via investigation into Juvenile Court.

Three were from Shoreline and one was from Edmonds.

Volunteers tackle weeds at a community work party at Sunset
Photo by Suzanne Gugger
They had apparently broken into the unused Sunset Elementary School and damaged the interior of the building.

Names have not been released, pending the filing of charges by the prosecutor's office.

The school has been unused for several years. Current plans call for the building to be demolished and the site to be used as a public park under an agreement between the City of Shoreline and the Shoreline School District. The District would continue to own the land but the City would have the use until such time as the School District needed it. Similar arrangements are in place for the Paramount School Park.



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Food Lifeline and Shoreline Community College honored for their recycling programs in the work place

King County Executive Dow Constantine applauded 92 local companies for reducing waste and increasing recycling, naming them as the county’s “Best Workplaces for Waste Prevention and Recycling for 2012.”

The sixth-annual list spans a wide array of businesses in King County, including hospitality, medical services, professional services, retail, finance, government, arts and entertainment and others. The list includes an honor roll for companies that have made the list at least five years in a row.

Local organizations on the list:

  • Food Lifeline
  • Shoreline Community College - Honor Roll


Shoreline Community College joins King County’s Best Workplaces for Waste Prevention and Recycling for their fifth consecutive year. Receiving this recognition is a college goal each year. The college continues to increase the number of recycling bins across the campus and to make efforts that increase recycling awareness. In the next year, they are hoping to work with students involved in a service learning project. The project will be focused on better educating the student body on the recycling program and, specifically, how to properly recycle. The college also has a recycling booth in their Student Union Building lobby to assist in educating staff and students. The booth was set up last year and was a collaborative effort with their recycling vendor, CleanScapes.

Food Lifeline joins King County’s Best Workplaces for Waste Prevention and Recycling for the second consecutive year. As Washington’s largest hunger relief organization, Food Lifeline is an inherently green organization simply through the work they do to salvage healthy food and feed hungry people. By gathering food directly from local growers, manufacturers and grocery stores, they provided more than 745,000 people in western Washington with more than 27 million meals last year. Without Food Lifeline, much of the healthy and perishable food they distribute would end up in the waste stream.

This past year, through their Green Team, Food Lifeline has increased their focus on waste reduction by developing quarterly green themes, creating a green recognition program to highlight outstanding staff members, and inviting representatives from environmental organizations such as Cedar Grove to speak at staff meetings. They are looking forward to improving their green business practices this next year and supporting the community, environment, food banks, meal programs and shelters they serve.

Advice to others: “You don’t have to go big to go green. Look around your organization and see where you can implement small changes to make a big difference. Some of the most effective changes they have made were the simplest. Things like reusing paper for printing, installing motion-detection light switches, or going for a quick walk with colleagues to pick up garbage on the street. It’s also easy to make waste reduction fun. This past year, we have had a great time developing quarterly green themes for our staff like green gift giving for the holidays and green spring cleaning. We also created a “green high five” recognition program to thank staff members for the great work they do reducing waste.”



Last year, businesses in King County sent more than 180,000 tons of recyclable materials to the landfill. King County’s Solid Waste Division compiles the “Best Workplaces for Waste Prevention and Recycling” list annually to recognize the top recyclers and waste reducers, and help motivate others in the local business community.

All businesses operating in King County outside the City of Seattle are eligible for the list. To secure their spot, businesses are required to meet the same five basic criteria, as well as 10 additional waste reduction and recycling criteria, such as using reusable or compostable dishware in kitchens, collecting batteries for recycling or sending electronic invoices.

To see the complete list of 2012 Best Workplaces for Waste Prevention and Recycling and to learn more about what these businesses are doing to improve recycling programs, see the website.


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