Holiday Baskets Food, Toys and Teen Gifts Drive

Thursday, November 27, 2014


The Shoreline PTA Council, along with community partners the Shoreline Fire Department, Hopelink, Rotary Club of Lake Forest Park, Rotary Club of Shoreline (Lunch), Shoreline Breakfast Rotary, the City of Shoreline, and Dale Turner Family YMCA are joining together to support families with children in the Shoreline School District who need assistance during the holiday season. 

The 2014 Shoreline PTA Council Holiday Baskets Food, Toys and Teen Gifts Drive will run December 1–12, 2014. Donations of non-perishable food and new unwrapped toys or teen gifts may be dropped off at any Shoreline School District school including the district office during regular school hours. 

Monetary donations may be made payable to the Shoreline PTA Council, note Holiday Baskets -Food or Holiday Baskets -Teen Gifts, and mailed to Shoreline PTA Council, PO Box 55832, Shoreline, WA 98155-5784. Toy donations may also be dropped off at any Shoreline Fire Station. 

The Shoreline Fire Department will be sponsoring a toy donation drive at the Fred Meyer in Shoreline on Saturday, December 6th. 

For more information, or to donate using PayPal, go to this link. To volunteer go to this link or email the PTA coordinator.

If this year finds you and your family in need, contact your Shoreline School District school nurse, Family Advocate or Hopelink (206-440-7300).





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Shoreline Office of Emergency Management offers these safety tips for Secured Shopping


Last month marked the 11th Annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to raise awareness about cyber risks and online safety. 

As the holiday season approaches, many customers who want to avoid long lines and crowds in stores may prefer online shopping to complete their gift lists. While the Internet offers convenience, it also provides opportunities for hackers to access personal and financial information of unsuspecting shoppers. Hackers use three common techniques to take advantage of online shoppers. These methods are:
  1. Targeting vulnerable computers;
  2. Creating fraudulent sites and email messages; and
  3.  Intercepting insecure transactions.
Don’t let holiday hackers ruin your Cyber Monday activities. Here are a few tips to stay safe while shopping online:
  1. Keep personal information private and passwords secure; 
  2. Use secure websites for purchases. Look for the locked padlock icon at the bottom of the screen or “https” in the URL address;
  3. Shop with companies you know; and
  4. Use anti-virus software, a firewall, and anti-spyware software.
Cyber security is a shared responsibility. Visit the DHS Stop.Think.Connect. website for more ideas on how to make using the Internet a safer experience this gift-giving season and throughout the year!


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Shoreline athletes named Northern Region VB All-Stars

Monica Postor
Photo by Wilson Tsoi
SCC Sophomores Monica Postor and M’Kailah Redden have been named to the Northern Region All-Star volleyball team. The ladies represented the North over the weekend at the All-Star games during the NWAC’s Championship Sunday this past weekend.  The North split their matches, first losing to the East 25-18, 20-25, 15-6 before topping the West 20-25, 25-20, 15-4.

Postor finished the season with 166 digs and 13 service aces. “Monica is a great kid.  She’s dedicated and works hard.  Last season she played every position for us. This year she focused on the libero and outside hitter positions and has been a great asset for our team,” says Head Coach Raquel West.

M'Kailah Redden
Photo by Wilson Tsoi
Redden is part of a great blocking front with freshman Anya Golubitskikh. The pair combined for 26 solo and 27 assisted blocks over the season. Redden hit .243 over the season with 143 kills, averaging 2.80 kills a game. “M’Kailah is a quiet kid with a big heart. She’s a strong player who blocks well. She’s also incredibly smart with a 3.9 GPA,” shares West.


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LFP Mayor vetoes Property Tax and Budget Ordinances


From the City of Lake Forest Park

Mayor Mary Jane Goss has vetoed the 2015 property tax ordinance and the 2015-16 biennial budget ordinance. On November 26, 2014, Mayor Goss gave notice to the City Council regarding both vetoes.

With regard to the property tax ordinance, it was recently discovered that the City had inadvertently received some of its “banked” or saved levy capacity by the way a levy reporting form had been filled out. This resulted in more property tax being levied and collected in recent years than the City had approved to levy. Mayor Goss prepared an alternate ordinance that would have lowered the tax levy and “re-banked” the levy capacity, but the Council passed the original levy ordinance, which retained it. In the veto statement, Mayor Goss urged the Council to pass the alternate ordinance, which would leave the City no better or worse off in property tax revenue than it had originally planned to be when passing those previous levies.

Mayor Goss also vetoed the 2015-16 biennial budget ordinance. The main reasons were to give the City a chance to install and get some history in new traffic camera revenue before spending it. Additionally, the Council was urged to save some money for City stability and budget sustainability rather than spending the new revenue on certain added Council priorities.

In the Mayor/Council form of government, the mayor has veto power over certain types of ordinances, including Property Tax Ordinance 1086 and Biennial Budget Ordinance 1089. The City Council may meet to consider the veto and potential override or changes in the ordinances. There is a time limit on the property tax ordinance approval.

The mayor is the executive branch of the city government. The mayor is elected directly by the voters of Lake Forest Park for a four year term. The City of Lake Forest Park has a strong-mayor form of municipal government in which the mayor has the administrative authority to prepare and administer the budget, appoint a City Administrator, and appoint and dismiss department heads. The City Administrator supervises department heads, assists in the preparation and administration of the budget, and coordinates department operations.


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Schools Foundation benefits when you shop Amazon Smile




The holidays are here and 'tis the season of giving.  This season, your shopping can promote learning and support students in the Shoreline Public Schools. It's simple you shop, Amazon gives. All you have to do is shop at smile.amazon.com
  • AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know, same products, same prices, same service.
Support the Shoreline Public Schools Foundation today by shopping from this link  
Shopping on AmazonSmile is an easy way to support the Shoreline Public Schools Foundation during the holidays and throughout 2015. Let's make Friday more than the start of the holiday shopping season; let's have Amazon help support our students and their education while we are shopping.
Thank you and happy holidays,
The Shoreline Public Schools Foundation


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Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council launches new membership program



In Celebration of 25 years of doing good in our community, the nonprofit Arts Council is launching a new membership program!

Join as a member, and you can share the pride that together we have invested over $3 million in the arts and arts education.

"As a member, you’ll help build a strong foundation for the next 25 years, you’ll help define the best ways to enrich our community’s life, and you’ll receive some great benefits too (not to mention our unbridled adoration)." 

“We believe that for all people, creating/making/doing are essential to help us feel happy, healthy, and connected to who we are.”
    - Bob Pfeiffer, Arts Council President and Fred Wong, Arts Council Executive Director
See anyone you know?
Photo by Wylie

3 Ways to Join

1. Online
Join now online and you’ll receive your membership card in the mail in just a few days.

2. In Person

Come in to the Arts Council office or The Gallery at Town Center and become a member in person. (If you sign up at the Gallery you can use your member benefits right then and receive 10% off your purchases!)

    Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council Main Office

    (In the South end of the Shoreline Center)

    18560 1st Ave NE
    Shoreline, WA 98155

    Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 10am-5pm

    The Gallery at Town Center

    (In the Lake Forest Park Town Center, Lower Level)

    17171 Bothell Way NE

    Lake Forest Park, WA 98155

    Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, Noon-5pm / Sundays, 11am - 4pm

3. Mail

If you’re already on the Arts Council Mailing list you will be receiving a flyer in the mail soon with an enclosed membership and donation envelope. Simply fill it out, enclose payment, and mail it back. Not on the Arts Council mailing list? Sign up by sending an email

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture and support the arts in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park


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WeatherWatcher: The S Word is back, and this time is a significant threat

Photo by Carl Dinse January 18th, 2012
Shoreline, Washington
The S word, snow is in the forecast for Friday and this weekend. Some very interesting things are happening and going to happen over the next two days.

First, Friday morning we are starting off with temperatures in the 50's. A cold front in the morning to around noon is going to move south out of British Columbia with heavy rain and strong winds. Much colder air is behind the front and a convergence zone is expected to develop. The target area of this convergence zone is right at the King County/Snohomish County line. The air will be cold enough that this could turn into a pretty significant convergence zone snow event. We could see a trace to 6 inches from this depending on intensity and persistence. Timing will probably be a change to a rain snow mix to even full-on snow in the late afternoon to early evening.

Saturday, a second surge of arctic air (this is the really cold stuff) is going to flow into our area head on. This will likely bring temperatures during the day down into the 30's with night time temperatures into the teens and low 20's. More snow showers are possible as well with this second surge. Additional accumulations could be a trace - 3 inches. Also more strong winds will be accompanied with each surge of cold air. Some Northerly gusts could exceed 40MPH.

This series of systems is still greatly uncertain in forecasts as no one agrees on what specifically it may do, so bottom line is there will be cold air moving in, and precipitation. The huge variable will be how much the cold and precipitation overlap with these two systems. We could see a dusting to a total of 6 or more inches by Saturday evening. Be prepared for the worst and expect winter driving conditions. This is our first significant threat of snow this season and I don't think it will be our last.


Stay safe out there, and for
current weather conditions and updates,
check out my weather station website at http://www.shorelineweather.com


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Happy Thanksgiving

Wednesday, November 26, 2014


An account of the first Thanksgiving by William Bradford, first governor of Plymouth Plantation.

“They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. 
For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. 
All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which is place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. 
Besides, they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports. 
William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation: S.E. Morison, ed. Knopf. N.Y., 1952. p 90





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Open and closed for Thanksgiving


Here are a few things that are open or closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Garbage and recycling services - in this industry, workers can count on only two holidays - Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If Thursday is your regular pick up day, put your bins out on Friday. If Friday is your day, put your bins out on Saturday.

Grocery stores - I checked with a couple.

Loreen at Village Market Thiftway (Ballinger Thriftway) says normal hours on Wednesday, then open Thanksgiving Day from 6am to 5pm. The only day they are closed is Christmas Day. They have a nice espresso café which will be open on Thanksgiving Day from 6am to noon. Their cheese counter is amazing - love the

Joel at Central Market (Shoreline) says they will close at 4pm Thanksgiving instead of their usual 11pm closing. They have wonderful fresh made goods - love the chicken pot pies, quiche, and pizza. It's also a very good place to go Christmas shopping.

Lake Forest Park's favorite home town store, Albertson's, is closing at 4pm Thanksgiving Day but returning to its usual midnight closing the next day.

City Hall
Both Shoreline and Lake Forest Park City Halls will be closed on Thanksgiving and I wouldn't plan on doing any business at the County level either. LFP will continue the closure on Friday after Thanksgiving. Can't tell about Shoreline but call first.

Transportation
On Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, Metro Transit will operate a Sunday schedule. On Friday, Nov. 28, Metro will operate reduced weekday service.

WSDOT's list of things to do / things to avoid (depending on your point of view!)


Eating turkey isn’t the only thing many of us will be doing this Thanksgiving weekend. Expect thousands to pack Seattle streets for a number of events, including a few that require road and ramp closures:


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Library Advisory Committee meets Dec 3

The Lake Forest Park Library Advisory Committee serves as a liaison between the Lake Forest Park Library, the Lake Forest Park City Council, the Lake Forest Park Mayor, the community of Lake Forest Park, and the King County Library System. City residents are welcome to sit in on Committee meetings.

Meetings are held quarterly on the 4th Wednesday of the month; in December on the 1st Wednesday.

The next meeting is December 3, 2014 in the Lake Forest Park Library meeting room at 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA.
Library is on the lower level of Town Center
behind the escalator
Current Members
Chair - Jennifer Larsen 
Secretary - Julie Smith 
Members - Colleen Weum, Jennifer Larsen, Nancy Messenger, Rita Requa, Julie Smith , Kathleen Fernandes, Joyce Woodbury 

How to Join
Committees are mayoral appointments. Members of the Library Advisory Committee serve for three years. If you are interested in serving on the committee, contact the Mayor at City Hall, 206-368-5440.


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SCC student voted Baden Women’s Soccer Athlete of the Year

Hayley Warren
Photo by Wilson Tsoi
Hayley Warren was recently voted Baden Women’s Soccer Athlete of the Year by the NWAC coaches.  Warren had recently been named Northern Region MVP for her conference-leading 26 goals. She also had 8 assists while leading the Shoreline Phins to a second round playoff appearance. The Phins lost to Lane 1-2 in that round with Warren scoring the lone Phin goal.

The Phin sophomore was the leading scorer in the conference this season and last, totaling 49 goals while adding 20 assists. She was named Northern Region MVP in both seasons while also playing in the conference all-star game both seasons. Her goal total puts her on the top-10 all-time NWAC scorers list.

Head Coach Aaron Howe says, “Hayley is one of the best finishers in the league. She plays with a lot of heart and leads her team well as a co-captain.”

Warren was the primary forward for the Lady Phins. However, she played defense or outside-mid in high school and club ball, making her accomplishments at the forward position all the more impressive.

“It’s a huge honor. I’m still in shock and don’t think it’s really hit me yet. It proves to me that I can do anything I set my mind to. This award is a culmination of a lot of hours of hard work,” shares Warren.

The Phins finished second in the North, earning the right to host the first round of the NWAC playoffs. The ladies won that round over North Idaho 1-0. Along with teammate Melissa Schuetze, Warren represented Shoreline on the combined North-West All-Star team.

Warren plans on earning her general transfer degree from Shoreline and transferring to a university to continue playing soccer. She plans on pursuing a degree in the health sciences in order to explore a career in physical therapy.


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Pain and beyond

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Pain and Beyond

This class teaches coping techniques for people with pain-limiting conditions.

Topics include an overview of the anatomy and physiology of pain, stress management, pacing, goal setting and logging, home therapies, nutrition and supplements, and hope, happiness and healing.

Guided imagery, relaxation and gentle exercise are also covered. Pre-registration is required.

Swedish Edmonds, 21601 76th Ave W, Edmonds, WA 98026
Fridays, Dec. 5, 12, and 19 from 3-5 p.m.
$10 per class
For more information and to register call 425-640-4140.


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Holiday DUI emphasis patrols begin Nov 26

Beginning on Wednesday, November 26, law enforcement agencies statewide will be participating in extra DUI patrols.

These patrols will take place through the holiday season until January 1, 2015.

All of these extra patrols are part of Target Zero — striving to end traffic deaths and serious injuries in Washington by 2030. 

Additional information at the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

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SCC students hear from American Idol musical director

Students listening to Dave Kochanski
Photo courtesy SCC

Funk / Groove hosted Dave Kochanski, musical director for the American Idol Live tour, via Skype as part of its guest lecture series on Monday, November 24 on the SCC campus.

Kochanski shared his experience working with aspiring performers, working on a demanding national live tour, learning new material quickly, industry experience and more. He also answered questions from the students and shared his thoughts on working in the field.


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Blood supplies low - blood drive on campus Wednesday

Blood drive at SCC Wednesday, November 26

Currently, the Puget Sound Blood Center’s blood inventory is really low and they are trying everything they can to collect as much volunteered blood as possible before the Thanksgiving weekend.

Stop by the Blood Drive in the PUB quiet dining room on Wednesday, Nov. 26 from 9-3 p.m. (closed from 11-noon). Campus 16161 Greenwood Ave N. Maps. Small fee for parking on campus.

Your generosity is greatly appreciated and needed! Photo ID is required to donate. Schedule an appointment online or just show up!


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Spree Trees, wreaths, and greenery coming soon

Volunteers selling trees 2013

Spree Trees, wreaths, and greenery coming soon!!

Please consider buying your holiday greenery and supporting Shorecrest Senior Spree, the drug and alcohol free senior class graduation celebration sponsored by the Shorecrest PTSA.

A good selection of Doug, Noble and Grand Firs available starting Friday, December 5 at Scott Sherman Auto Care, 1211 NE 175th St. in Shoreline:

  • Friday, December 5th – 1 p.m. – 9 p.m.
  • Saturday, December 6th – 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
  • Sunday, December 7th – 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

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Rat City Rollergirls Season 11 changes and schedule boasts more activity in Shoreline

The jammers try to break through the defenders
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg
March 2014

The Rat City Rollergirls have changed their approach to roller derby, and with it, their league structure, to create a better fan experience.

Just in time for Season 11, the Rat City home teams — Grave Danger, Sockit Wenches, Derby Liberation Front and Throttle Rockets—will rekindle old rivalries and bring fresh faces to the track for home team season while All-Star players prepare for their own separate season this summer. The home team season will run from Jan. to April, and fans can start purchasing season tickets on Black Friday and individual tickets on Dec. 15.

Rat City also revamped bout production, ultimately deciding to host mid-season bouts at The Rat’s Nest, which is located at 19022 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133. At The Rat’s Nest, fans can get closer to the action while enjoying local bands, food trucks, a fan zone, and new opportunities to interact with some of their favorite skaters in the stands.

For fans who love their derby at KeyArena, a “Three at the Key” package will be available starting Dec. 1, which includes tickets to the home team opener, home team championships, as well as the July 11 All-Star bout where the Rat City All-Stars will play the second best team in the world, the Rose City Wheels of Justice.

The home team season will begin Jan. 10 at the KeyArena with a double header—Sockit Wenches vs. Grave Danger and Derby Liberation Front vs. Throttle Rockets.

The mid-season bouts at The Rat’s Nest will be held on Feb. 7, Feb. 21, March 7, March 28 and April 11, with the final championship bout on April 25 at the KeyArena.

Derby Liberation Front, the winner of Season 10 home team championships, will battle all season long to maintain their title.

The Rat City Rollergirls (RCRG) is Seattle’s premiere all-female, flat-track roller derby league. RCRG is composed of about 80 active skaters and many more retired skaters who are still involved. The skaters are divided among four home teams, the All-Stars and Rat Lab. It is Rat City’s mission to maintain a competitive athletic program, promote the sport of roller derby, provide quality sports entertainment for our fans, and make a positive impact in our community.


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Evan Smith: 2014: The year the election skipped us

By Evan Smith

November 4 was the mid-term election, generally second only to the presidential election in voter interest. Not here – at least not this year.

All seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, a third of the spots in the U.S. Senate, all positions in the State House and half the seats in the State Senate were on the ballot. That got little attention here, with local congressional and legislative districts firmly in Democratic hands and U.S. Senate seats on the Washington ballot.

National Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate in an election that had Senate contests in more than two-thirds of the states. Washington was one of the other states.

Most states elected governors and other statewide officials. That included Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Texas, but not Washington.

This kind of election comes to Washington every 12 years. It happened in 2002. It will happen again in 2026.

In 2004 and 2012, we voted for president, governor and U.S. senator. In 2006 and 2010, we had contests for Washington’s U.S. Senate positions. In 2008, races for president and governor topped the ballot.

In 2016 and 2024, we again will vote for president, governor and U.S. Senate positions. In 2018 and 2022, we’ll fill U.S Senate positions. In 2020, races for president and governor will top our ballots.

We had no statewide positions this year. Only some statewide initiatives got some interest.

The recent election gave Republicans firm control of the Washington state Senate, but control depended on results of a few “swing” districts. Our area got no attention because incumbent Democrats had only token opposition in both the 32nd and 46th legislative districts. Incumbent State Sen. Maralyn Chase won by a 71 percent to 28 percent margin over Republican Robert Reedy in Shoreline and rest of the 32nd District, and incumbent Democrat David Frockt had an 80 percent to 20 percent victory over Republican Van Sperry in Lake Forest Park and the rest of the 46th District.

The 32nd District includes Shoreline, part of northwest Seattle, Woodway and nearby unincorporated areas of south Snohomish County, south Edmonds, all of Lynnwood and part of Mountlake Terrace. The 46th District includes Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and northwest Seattle.

Republicans narrowed the Democrats’ lead in the state House of Representatives, but there was no competition here with 32nd District Democratic incumbent State Rep. Ruth Kagi leading Republican Alvin Rutledge 71 percent to 28 percent and incumbent 46th District Democrat Jessyn Farrell leading Republican Branden Curtis 82 percent to 18 percent, while 32nd District incumbent Democratic State Rep. Cindy Ryu and incumbent Democratic 46th District State Rep. Gerry Pollet both ran unopposed.

We didn’t have much to excite us at the Congressional level, with Democratic incumbent 7th District U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott defeating Republican Craig Keller 81 percent to 19 percent. The district includes Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Edmonds, Woodway and nearby unincorporated areas of southwest Snohomish County, most of Seattle, and some of Seattle’s southwest suburbs.

McDermott was one of six incumbent Washington congressional Democrats winning with at least 55 percent of the vote, while each of three Washington incumbent Republicans has at least 60 percent.

The only exception was the vote to replace retiring Central Washington Republican U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings. There the top-two primary gave voters a choice between two Republicans, with establishment Republican Dan Newhouse defeating tea-party favorite Clint Didier by a 51-49 percent margin.

There was little at the county level. Washington decided eighty or ninety years ago to hold elections for state executive positions in presidential election years and for county positions in mid-term elections. That changed when King County and some other counties adopted home-rule charters and moved most county elections to odd-numbered years.

So, our area had little role in the 2014 mid-term election.

Our state and county could make the mid-term election more important.

One possible change could come from an amendment to the state constitution to move the elections for governor and other statewide positions from the presidential year to the mid-term year. Illinois made that change in the 1970s. That meant that after decades of electing governors in presidential years, the state elected a governor for a two-year term to allow a transition to four-year terms in mid-term years. Such a change in Washington would come the same way.

A similar amendment to the King County charter would move elections for some county offices from odd-numbered years to mid-term years.

Those are example of moves we could make to add balance among election years.

Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.


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KCLS Board of Trustees names new Library Director

Gary Wasdin
Director, King County Library System

After a nationwide executive search and selection process, the King County Library System Board of Trustees has selected Gary Wasdin to be the new Director. Wasdin currently serves as Director of the Omaha Public Library in Nebraska. Wasdin will begin his KCLS leadership role January 26, 2015.

According to Interim Director Julie Acteson, 

“The Library System is an essential community asset, with 48 libraries, online and mobile outreach to 1.3 million area residents. Leading KCLS is an important job—and one that opens rarely: the previous Director came to KCLS more than 25 years ago. 
“We’re delighted that Gary has accepted the Board’s offer, and we look forward to welcoming him to KCLS,” Acteson concluded.

The new Director brings substantial experience to the job, with more than 20 years in management positions, including retail, academic and public libraries. His broad and diverse experience gives him an in-depth understanding of leadership, organizational performance, and talent management.

At Omaha Public Library, Wasdin focused on building stronger relationships with communities, elected officials, business leaders, and philanthropic foundations. His approach is based on a strategic vision and deep connections between the libraries and the communities they serve.

Wasdin is enthusiastic about his new job: “I’d like to thank you for choosing me to be your new Library Director. KCLS has a nationwide reputation for excellence, and I’m excited by the opportunity to build upon this great success. I’m looking forward to getting started, and getting to know the people, libraries, and staff of KCLS. Together we will ensure that our libraries anticipate and respond to the needs of all our communities.”


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Jazz Ensemble concert at Tula's Restaurant and Jazz Club Tuesday

Monday, November 24, 2014

SCC Jazz Band will perform at Belltown jazz club
Photo courtesy SCC

The Shoreline Community College Jazz Band, under the direction of Paul Harshman, will be performing at Tula's Night Club and Restaurant in Belltown Tuesday evening. The SCC Jazz Band will be opening for the pH Factor Big Band, with the first set starting at 7:30pm. There is a cover charge of $8 for this event. 

Tula's Restaurant and Jazz Club on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at 7:30pm. Tula's is in downtown Seattle at 2214 Second Ave. Cover charge $8.

The ensemble is comprised of SCC music students who perform works from the libraries of the classic big bands, as well as contemporary arrangements and student compositions.

The ensemble records, tours and performs frequently throughout the Northwest. The Jazz Band has at least one concert per quarter. This quarter they are scheduled to perform at Tula's today, Tuesday, November 25, 2014 as the culminating event of the quarter. There are approximately 22 students involved in the concert. 

The pH Factor Big Band was formed in January of 2008 and was formerly known as the Musicworks Jazz Orchestra. Paul Harshman is the musical director and leads the group. His focus on exciting and challenging repertoire has drawn a highly talented ensemble of musicians that enjoy performing great big band compositions at the highest level. The players are some of the finest in the area and the band has a nice mixture of established and younger musicians that gives the group great chemistry. 

Together, the band strives to entertain the audience and itself by exploring a wide range of music from composers and arrangers such as Bill Holman, Fred Sturm, Maria Schneider, Astor Piazzolla, Peter Herbolzheimer, Chico O'Farrill, Jim McNeely, Tommy Newsom, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Carter and Stan Kenton.

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WeatherWatcher: Weekly report, hope you like rain

Forecast
Cold Snap and Graphs
Last week's data

Forecast: Like clockwork, the week we celebrate Thanksgiving brings us some of the stormiest and wettest weather we typically see. It's either rain, wind, or cold/snow. This year, rain and wind, and a lot of it. Tuesday looks like it will start the day with heavy rain, totals may amount up to an inch. In the afternoon the rain should ease up however and temperatures will be mild, above normal in the 50's. Wednesday afternoon the rain returns and early indications are pointing to a possible wind event as well for the evening. Thursday more rain is expected, with cooler air moving in and a transition to showers Friday. The weekend looks mostly dry, but the dryness is due to the cold and dry arctic air returning nearby, bringing at least the night time temperatures back down to below freezing.

Cold Snap and Graphs: Last two weeks we had our first cold snap of the season. Arctic air centered over the Rockies and Plains was also partially slipping into Western Washington bringing us the cold and dry weather. For 4 days in a row we had a low temperature below 25°F, and dew points down into the single digits. This was giving us a very low relative humidity for the majority of the sunny weather period. 

I decided to show this dry weather with my usual graphs for the month so far. First is the daily average temperature and daily high and low temperatures. You can see the huge dip in the dark blue line, it also shows how we are back up to a little above the average now. Some of this however is because we've had a habit over the past several years to get our first cold air around the second to the last week of November so the average has been brought down by those semi-annually repeated events. This year the cold was two weeks in, instead of three.

Graphs by Carl Dinse

Graphs by Carl Dinse
The next two graphs show the daily average dew point and the daily rainfall totals for November. Remember that dew point is the temperature at which the current moisture content in the air condenses or saturates. Some of the dew points were down to near 0°F, which means you'll never see fog develop until the actual temperature got to about that temperature. Relative humidities were around the 12-15% range outside.
Graphs by Carl Dinse

Graphs by Carl Dinse
Last week's data:
High temperature: 50.2°F (Thursday)
Low temperature: 23.9°F (Saturday)
Rainiest day: 0.51 inches (Friday)
Total rainfall: 0.55 inches
Warmest day: 47.4°F (Friday)
Coldest day: 31.3°F (Saturday)
Average temperature: 39.3°F
4 year average: 42.8°F



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Home for the Holidays: Stocking Stuffer Sale


Home for the Holidays: Stocking Stuffer Sale

The Gallery at Town Center
lower level, Lake Forest Park Town Center
November 18 - January 3


Show Santa just how nice you are: shop local! Stay in Shoreline-Lake Forest Park to buy your holiday gifts and support your local arts organization at the same time. The Gallery at Town Center has a large selection of local artist-made items including jewelry, ceramics, glass, fiber, and wood. Stop by and discover our most recent additions.

On the walls will be 12”x12” (or smaller) paintings, prints and photography – the perfect gift size. The 2014 show features local artists Kimberlie Brayman, Lynne Greenup, LA Hoffman, Phil Keane, Angie Ketelhut, Jeanine Langerud, Jennifer Munson, Constance Perenyi, Michelle Templeton, Rebecca Tracy, Betty Udesen and Mia Yoshihara-Bradshaw. 

Holiday hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 12pm-5pm and Sundays, Nov 23-Dec 21, 11am-4pm. We provide boxes and bags for most small items helping to make your gift-wrapping a snap. 
While at the gallery you can sign up to become a member of the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council and receive 10% off all of your gallery purchases throughout the year.

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture all of the arts in the community through programs and events, arts education, advocacy, and support for artists and arts organizations. Proceeds from the Gallery at Town Center help fund these programs and events.


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LFP residents invited to participate in Hazard Mitigation Plan survey

To prevent loss of life and protect property from the ten known natural hazards in the region, avalanches, dam failures, earthquakes, floods, landslides, severe weather, winter storms, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and fires, the City of Lake Forest Park updates its Hazard Mitigation Plan every five years.

The public comment period began Friday, November 21, 2014 and ends at 5:00pm on Monday, December 15, 2014. The public is invited to help the City build its next plan by offering comments via an online survey, accessed at the link provided below.

At the conclusion of the comment period, City Planners will put the final touches on the plan, which will be presented to the Planning Commission in January 2015. Thank you in advance for your participation.

Hazard Mitigation Survey

A partnership of local governments and regional stakeholders in King County is working together to update the King County Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. The purpose of this plan is to help local governments reduce the exposure of County residents to risks from natural hazards, such as earthquakes and floods. By writing this plan, local governments are able to apply to Federal programs that may provide money that can be used to reduce risks before and after natural disasters. This plan was first created in 2004 and was updated in 2009.

The City of Lake Forest Park needs your help to plan for the possibility of future disasters. We would like to find projects that will help reduce or avoid impacts from natural hazard events. The following questions will help us measure how much local citizens already know about disaster related issues and will help us identify areas where we need to improve. The information you provide will help us organize activities and prioritize projects to reduce the risk of injury or damage to property from future hazard events.

The survey consists of three questions, and there is an opportunity to provide additional comments at the end. It should take less than 10 minutes to complete the survey. When you have finished the survey, please click "Done" on the final page.

The Lake Forest Park Emergency Management team thanks you for taking the time to participate in this important information gathering process.

The Police Department would like to hear from the community. Please click on the link below to answer a three question survey on the hazard mitigation survey:



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Shoreline City Manager report 11-17-2014

Update for Week of 11/17/2014

Council Meeting Follow-Up
·         November 10 – There were a couple of follow-up questions from the 145th Light Rail Station Sub-Area Zoning Scenario Action:
o   Liquefaction: Here is a map that indicates areas of moderate to high risk of liquefaction around and within portion of the Paramount Open Space. Planning and Community Development Director Rachael Markle has also created a response regarding the City’s Development Code for development in such areas. In very high landslide hazard areas development is prohibited unless a Critical Area Reasonable Use permit can be obtained. The liquefaction areas mapped around Paramount Open Space may or may not meet the definition of the very high landslide hazard area. These areas are also overlain with wetlands and erosion prone soils, which are regulated and place certain restrictions of development upon confirmation.
o   Property Tax Impacts: The City developed a flyer addressing property values and how increases in values affect property taxes. Analysis from more than twenty (20) reputable studies of property values near high capacity transit and TOD generally rise in value, from 0% to 32%, the closer they are to the stations for all land use types.

November 24 Council Meeting
Dinner Meeting
·         Draft agenda of the meeting with the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce

Regular Meeting
·         Adoption of the 2015 Property Tax Levy and Adoption of the 2015 Budget: Council will be adopting the 2015 Property Tax Levy and the 2015 City Budget.  Council has been reviewing the budget since October 13..
·         2014 Budget Amendment – Ordinance No. 700: Proposed Ordinance No. 700 totals $407,817, and increases both revenues and expenditures. The increase in expenditures is offset by the increase in grant revenue totaling $118,983 and the use of available fund balance totaling $288,834. This includes an Urban Forestry Grant from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) totaling $10,000; a grant from the King Conservation District totaling $18,004; a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Estuary Grant totaling $42,060; and an Emergency Management Performance (EMP) grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security totaling $48,919. The remaining $288,834 increase in appropriation is for two purposes: 1) to include a transfer of $260,823 to Fund 221 - Limited Tax General Obligation Bond 2013 Debt Service Fund for the principal and interest payments on the debt issued in 2013 for the North Maintenance Facility and 2) to increase the transfer to Fund 211- Limited Tax General Obligation Bond 2009 by $28,011 to provide additional funding for debt service payments as a result of the continued federal government sequestration that lowered the Build America Bonds subsidy payments. These bonds were issued for construction of City Hall.
·         Chronic Nuisance – Ordinance No. 698: On March 3, 2014, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 675 which enacted a new chapter of the Shoreline Municipal Code (SMC), Chapter 9.30 - Chronic Nuisance Properties. Subsequent to this adoption, a clerical error was discovered that results in the establishment of two appeal periods. An amendment is needed to correct this error so as to ensure a single appeal period.
·         Small Vendor Business License Waiver – Ordinance No. 693: The intent of proposed Ordinance No. 692 is to streamline the process for small vendors to participate in City and non-profit sponsored community building activities and functions. This proposed ordinance would add two exemptions to the Shoreline Municipal Code (SMC) Section 5.05.040. The first would be for small businesses that conduct limited retail sales as part of a City-sponsored event or a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization-sponsored event and have annual retail sales in the City of less than $5,000. The second exemption would apply to individuals and/or businesses who provide recreational instruction services as part of a City-sponsored event or a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization-sponsored event and who generate no more than $5,000 in gross receipts per calendar year within the City.

State Biennial Budget
The information regarding the State budget continues to worsen. Based on recent information the City received the State’s general fund budget gap is expected to grow by another $300 million, bringing the total budget gap to $1.2 billion without addressing the educational funding mandate from the McCleary case. The State is still targeting to release the proposed budget around December 15. The City continues to monitor as there may be state program reductions and reductions in state shared revenues to cities.

Sound City Association
·         Annual Meeting, December 3: This is the meeting in which SCA will adopt their 2015 budget, which the Council position is to oppose.
·         December PIC Meeting: Councilmember Roberts has forwarded two issues that the PIC will vote on next month.
o   Countywide Planning Policy PF-19A regarding school siting. The proposed SCA position is similar to the position that Shoreline took a few years ago. 
o   Taxation on E-Cigarettes and Other Vapor Products: SCA supports increased statewide funding for public health through additional revenue streams dedicated to public health. These sources may include but are not limited to taxes on e-cigarettes/vaping devices with funding dedicated to public health.

Financial Update
October 2014 sales tax, real estate excise tax (REET), and development revenue report. Year-to-date sales tax revenues of $5,657,181 are higher than revised projections of $5,401,949, by $255,232 or 4.7%. REET collections continue to be strong. Collections through October total $1,543,045, and are $38,934 or 2.6%, ahead of revised projections. Total development permit revenue through October 2014 is $1,122,047, which is 44.9% ahead projections and 14.8% ahead of the year-ago levels.
Third quarter line-item budget adjustments. This is a summary of the internal budget adjustments approved by the City Manager during the third quarter.

Council of Neighborhoods
Council will host a dinner with the Council of Neighborhoods on Monday, December 8.

Calendar Items
·         11/22        9:00am Holiday Craft Market – Spartan
·         12/9          5:30-7:00 p.m., 2014 Annual Human Services Awards and Membership Meeting, North Urban Human Services Alliance, Shoreline City Hall. King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski will be speaking.

This and That
·         Article from Urbanland regarding denser suburbs drawing homebuyers with walkable town centers.
·         Ebola briefing paper provided by King County Public Health.
·         List of new business licenses issued in October. 57 new businesses in Shoreline.
·         In 2014 the City’s budget included $45,000 in scholarships for eligible recreation participants. Earlier this week we hit this mark for the first time in City history. Next week will start the registration process for the final session of swim lessons in 2014. I anticipate that there may be a need for an additional $2,000 in scholarship funds in 2014. Given that other recreation revenues are exceeding budgeted revenues I have informed staff to proceed with allowing eligible participants to have access to scholarship funds. Staff will monitor this activity in the first half of 2015 to determine if there needs to be any adjustments made to the 2015 budget.



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