by Scott Schaefer
Publisher/Editor
As 2009 (and the first decade of the 21st century) winds to a close, we’re taking a few moments to reflect on a very interesting year, full of new beginnings, tragic endings, a drunk city manager, record-setting temps, an innovative art installation, a fake news issue, an expanding city and much much more.
Not only was 2009 a very exciting year for the area, it was also an outstanding year for The B-Town Blog, as our Readership rocketed from around 10,000 per month to nearly 50,000 in November (THANKS EVERYONE!).
Herewith, we proudly present what we consider to be the Top 11 Burien Stories of 2009 (Top 10 lists are soooo 2008), in reverse order:
11. The B-Town Blog’s Fake April Fool’s Day Issue: You can blame this idea entirely on me – as a former comedy Writer who has loved “fake news” since the 1980s (anyone out there remember HBO’s “Not Necessarily the News“?), I thought it might be kinda fun to do our own hyperlocal version on April Fool’s Day.
Who knew that it’d really fool people into believing that a new nightclub with Strippers on Segways was moving into the old Office Depot space?
Oops.
The most rewarding aspect of this online prank was the slew of Comments, emails and yes, even a couple of inquisitive voicemails – one from a local businessperson asking for more info on the “new strip club,” another from a man whose business monitors the internet for “terrorist news” (he was very interested in the interview with the laser pointing culprit, and he found the story through searching the keywords “laser” and “airport”).
Here’s a short collection of some of the best gags & comments:
BREAKING: Ex-Office Depot Space To House Strip Club
Dona Forrester: “I hope this is an April Fools Joke also? This would be terrible for Burien!”
Christine: “Gosh I hope this is an April Fools joke too…yikes….empty space beats a strip joint any day.”
BREAKING: King County To Fence In North Highline Area
too embarassed 2 say: “I didn’t fall for Google’s, or UW Daily’s, but then I saw this title in the RSS feeds, and for a second I was totally wondering…”
Several blogs linked to our “Strippers on Segways” story, including Nerve.com out of New York City:
10. Is The New Nude Female Sculpture At B/IAS Too Explicit? Take Our Poll…: After reading a Comment left in one of our Forums about a new, “naked female statue” at Burien’s Interim Art Space, we took some pics, posted a story and a poll, then sat back and watched as 140 people Commented (read ‘em here) on this “controversial” sculpture called “Paradigm Shift” by artist Mike Magrath. Soon, even mainstream media picked this story up, including a blog at the LA Times and a right-wing “news” source called Breitbart.
Soon, our own Mark Neuman and Bart Bryan were out interviewing people, asking “Whaddaya Think?” Of Burien’s Controversial Nude Female Sculpture? in this video that was viewed by nearly 2,400 people:
9. Burien’s Interim Art Space’s Fiery One-Year Life: The innovative Burien Interim Art Space, conjured up and co-curated by residents Kathy Justin and Dane Johnson, brought a taste of “Burning Man” to the city, with unique art pieces ranging from Dan Das Mann’s iconic “The Passage” to a way-cool (or rather, hot) computer-controlled “Fire Pod” sculpture that shot fire out to techno music, and sadly, was only lit up once (on opening night) due to fire regulations.
Like many residents, we were sad to see B/ IAS dismantled, but luckily we have lots of media to re-live its short but interesting and inspiring life in B-Town:
Here’s Photographer Francis Zera’s time-lapse of the installation of “The Passage”:
Here’s our photo slideshow recap of that opening night (w/pics by Maureen Hoffmann and Scott Schaefer):
And here’s a video of opening night shot by Steven Bradford:
And finally, here’s Photographer Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow of the B/ IAS “de-installations”:
8. HOTPOCALYPSE ‘09: Burien Has Its “Hottest Day” In Recorded History: the mercury hit 104-degrees in Burien on July 29th, and it was all anyone could talk about. The city turned on sprinklers to help people cool off, while some creative residents like Carrie Rasmussen baked cookies (yes, cookies) in the back window of her Nanny Gloria’s car:
That's right...on Burien's hottest day, chocolate chip cookies were baked in the rear window of a car.
From Reader Candice Packer came this pic of a truly-retro Honeywell thermostat showing that the day’s temp was totally off the chart:
Our own Mini Cooper Blogmobile recorded the following 104-degree temp whilst overheating in downtown Burien:
BTB Photographer Francis Zera won the “hottest place” contest with this shot of his thermometer hitting 106.2!:
7. Burien Man Stabbed To Death Outside Good Time Ernie’s: Tragedy struck Burien when Mark. K. Ebinger (25, pictured left) was stabbed to death outside Good Time Ernie’s in an “ambush” that also injured his brother Peter, 24.
The incident occurred around 1:40am on Nov. 12th. Sheriff’s detectives interviewed bar patrons and witnesses, but no one has yet been arrested, the investigation is ongoing, and a $5,000 reward has been offered.
If anyone has any information on this case, they should call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-274-6313.
Here’s a Photo Slideshow of the crime scene taken the morning after the incident:
6. King County’s Stealth Attempts To Sell Puget Sound Park May Postpone Official Annexation: King County stealthily attempted to sell Puget Sound Park to the King County Library System out from under Burien.
Puget Sound Park is located in the unincorporated area of North Highline that is to be annexed by Burien early next year.
This is an ongoing story, and we’re proud to have been the ones to break this news, including publishing numerous letters from new King County Exec Dow Constantine showing his support for keeping the park, to our upcoming coverage of Burien City Councilmember Lucy Krakowiak’s role in the issue (she serves on our city council as well as the board of the King County Library System, and our records show she never informed the council on this possible deal nor recused herself – more to come on this soon).
5. Burien City Manager Mike Martin Arrested For DUI: City Manager Mike Martin was arrested for a DUI on April 19th after his vehicle left the road and struck a ceramic pot in the yard of a house.
According to King County Sheriff’s records, Martin was found outside his car, “leaning forward and swaying side to side.” His breath allegedly smelled strongly of alcohol, his speech was slurred and he admitted to drinking a couple glasses of wine and two beers.
This was not Martin’s first run-in with the law – previously he resigned as Chief Administrative Officer for the city of Kent after a 2005 hit-and-run incident. Martin has been city manager since November 2006, and his yearly salary is $135,180.
We took a poll of our Readers, and of 223 responses, 53% thought Martin should “Resign immediately, get treatment and move on.“
However, Martin entered a “Not Guilty” plea, and remains in his position, with an amended contract:
(click to view PDF of entire contract)
4. Over 1,000 Witness Burien Town Square Grand Opening: On June 13th, Burien’s brand-spankin’ new Town Square opened, including a new City Hall, Library and Condos which, sadly, sits mostly empty some six months later.
The Highline High School Pirates marching band kicked off the grand opening ceremonies by marching (and boisterously playing) down SW 152nd to the main podium at the Town Square where numerous local and state dignitaries spoke to a crowd estimated by local police as “well over 1,000.”
The day’s celebration served as the culmination of over 12 years of the city’s planning for the $193 million “town square as the central focal point for the downtown core” as first approved in 1997, then developed and built beginning in 1999 until construction began in 2004 to Saturday’s festive ribbon cutting ceremony.
3. Sound Transit Opens Light Link Rail Line July 18th: Although the nearest stations are located in Tukwila and SeaTac, the fact that South King County is now part of the northwest’s first mass transit system is huge news.
For just $2.50, riders can get to downtown Seattle from this area in around 35 minutes and not have to worry about parking or traffic.
Reporter Ralph Nichols wrote I Rode Link Light Rail & Lived To Write About It. Have You?
2. Burien Nissan Loses Entire Inventory, Closes: Over a few nights in March, several large 18-wheeler haulers pulled up and took away all of Burien Nissan’s new car inventory.
After the business’s “flooring” (financing) fell through, at least 100 new cars were removed, with an estimated value between $2 and $3 million, leaving the once-bustling car lot looking like a ghost town:
At the time, Sales Manager John Antonelli said:
“it’s business as usual – we’re still open for business in service, parts and sales. When we get our new financing we’ll re-open in a couple of weeks.”
Because the flooring could not be re-established, at least 35 employees were laid off, and in May, the business closed for good despite a recent $5 million remodel.
After one false attempt to re-open the dealership by a new owner, nothing materialized and the lot still stands empty, a beacon to 2009’s weak economy.
Because auto dealers account for a significant portion of tax revenue for Burien, Dick Loman, Economic Development Director for the city, said:
“This sorry economic downturn is just hurting everybody.”
1. Voters Decide To Approve Burien’s Annexation of Southern North Highline: On Aug. 18th, voters in the southern portion of North Highline voted by a 56% to 44% margin to approve Burien’s annexation of that area.
With this annexation (once set for March 2, 2010, but now delayed pending to the above-mentioned Puget Sound Park issue with King County), Burien will become the 21st largest city in Washington – just above Olympia – with a population of about 45,000.
Currently Burien ranks 31st in the state, but look out Richland – you’re next!
So…what do YOU think the Top Story of 2009 was? Please take our Poll, or leave a Comment below…
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by Mark Neuman
All of us at The B-Town and White Center Blogs would like to offer a huge Turkey Day “thank you” to everyone who donated this past weekend at our 2nd Annual Turkey ‘N’ Diapers Drive at Albertsons in White Center.
Over $800 in donations was collected!
The food items will be distributed to those in need by the White Center Food Bank.
Baby related items will go to WestSide Baby, located in White Center.
Team leader Bart Bryan, who often hosts “Whaddaya Think?” on our six neighborhood blogs said “It was very, very cold weatherwise, but the hearts of our neighbors were warm.”
Example: two men, both fighting cancer, arrived three hours apart and, not knowing each other, donated food. Each did so with giving smiles.
One of the most touching moments of the day was when an elderly man donated all he could – 24 cents.
A Sarah Palin look-alike stopped by and contributed food.
A casino dealer set his 52 cards down and gave away a box of 168 diapers.
A grandmother waved and left a grocery bag of pasta and sauce.
A man named “Joe,” who did not want his picture taken, gave four bags of Top Ramen for “starving college students.”
Darla Green, of Skinperfect Aesthetics, was the first donor of the day.
Darla Green, from Skin Perfect Aesthetics in Burien, was the first donor of the day, bringing in a paper bag full of canned goods.
Mike, from an up and coming spot in White Center called Proletariat Pizza, donated three pizzas for the volunteers.
We’d also like to give a big shout out to the good folks at the White Center Albertsons!
Thanks, everyone!
WestSide Baby is a nonprofit organization that collects previously-owned items for children and babies and distributes them free of charge to South King County families in need.
In 2008 WestSide Baby served more than 12,000 children.
In any given month the White Center Food Bank serves over 1,500 families.
Here’s contact information:
White Center Food Bank
10829 8th Ave SW
Seattle WA 98146
www.whitecenterfoodbank.org
Phone: 206-762-2848
And:
WestSide Baby
10032 15th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98146
(206) 767-1662
www.westsidebaby.org
Here’s a Photo Slideshow shot by Mark Neuman and Scott Schaefer of the day:
| Nov ’09 |
| 14 |
| 10:00 am |
The B-Town Blog, along with our sister site The White Center Blog, look forward to seeing as many of our Readers and Neighbors as possible this coming Saturday, Nov. 14th, at the White Center Albertsons for a special Thanksgiving-related food drive: our 2nd Annual Turkeys N’ Diapers Fundraiser!
It’ll run from 10am to 4pm, and all donations will go to the White Center Food Bank (food) and WestSide Baby (diapers & baby stuff).
Albertsons is located at 16th Avenue SW and SW 106th Street in White Center.
We’ll be collecting turkeys and diapers (yes, that’s correct: turkeys and diapers!).
Important note about the diapers – says Nancy Woodland, Executive Director of WestSide Baby:
“We only need diapers in large sizes, Size 5 or 6 or Pull-ups in size 4T. Thanks!”
Stuffing and canned vegetables and other Thanksgiving-related food items would be greatly appreciated.
Donations in the form of cash and checks (made out to “White Center Food Bank”) will also be gratefully accepted.
The crew will be lead again this year by the blog’s own Bart Bryan, host of the recurring interview segments “Whaddaya Think?”
“We raised over $1,100 last year. Let’s double that this year!” said Bart. “Folks around here can really use the help!”
The White Center Food Bank will make available the food, as they do year-round, to nearby families in need.
The Food Bank works hand-in-hand with WestSide Baby, a nonprofit organization that collects previously-owned items for children and babies and distributes them free of charge to South King County families in need.
In 2008 WestSide Baby served more than 12,000 children.
“See you all Saturday at the White Center Albertsons!” says Bart.
Here’s year-round contact information:
White Center Food Bank
10829 8th Ave SW
Seattle WA 98146
www.whitecenterfoodbank.org
Phone: 206-762-2848
And:
WestSide Baby
10032 15th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98146
(206) 767-1662
www.westsidebaby.org
Click image (or here) to download a printable PDF poster (feel free to print & post!)
Burien’s recently-installed, controversial nude female sculpture has become a local media sensation (which we first covered on Monday), and Thursday (June 25th) our B-Town Blog video production crew of Mark Neuman and Bart Bryan dared to actually go near “Paradigm Shift,” the lifelike bronze Mike Magrath statue located at the Interim Art Space, where they shot this video:
If you haven’t yet read our original story, it’s worth a peek since the Comments are quite interesting – click here to read ‘em.
Here’s our first video from Day #1 from the 2009 Burien Strawberry & Arts Festival, produced by our video production crew of Mark Neuman and Bart Bryan, in a segment we call “Whaddaya Think?”:
Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow
Saturday morning (June 13th) at 10am sharp, the Highline High School Pirates marching band kicked off the grand opening ceremonies by marching (and boisterously playing) down SW 152nd to the main podium at Burien’s new Town Square where numerous local and state dignitaries spoke to a crowd estimated by local police as “well over 1,000.”
Here’s a video segment we call “Whaddaya Think?” shot by your B-Town Blog video production crew of Mark Neuman and Bart Bryan:
The day’s celebration served as the culmination of over 12 years of the city’s planning for the $193 million “town square as the central focal point for the downtown core” as first approved in 1997, then developed and built beginning in 1999 until construction began in 2004 to Saturday’s festive ribbon cutting ceremony.
Temps were in the lower 70s with a slight hazy cloud cover that made for good lighting for the politicians, developers and library folk who spoke, including:
- Burien Mayor Joan McGilton
- King County Library Director Bill Ptacek
- Congressman Jim McDermott
- State Rep. (and Burien native) Dave Upthegrove
- Dan Rosenfeld of Urban Partners (another Burien son)
- King County Council Chair Dow Constantine
- City Councilmember Lucy Krakowiak
- Judge Richard Eadie
Free tours of the new Library building, Town Square condos and city hall were provided all day, and foot traffic was busy throughout. As children explored the new kids section of the library or bounced in the bouncy houses outside, parents enjoyed free refreshments and giveaways from local Burien businesses.
We’ll have more videos and photos soon, so be sure to come back to your most up-to-date local news source right here!
From our friends at Burien Parks comes this video and information on a very impressive sculpture coming soon to Burien Town Square:
Here’s more info on this project:
The Burien/ Interim Art Space is a year-long experiment, combining and transforming the concepts of art, temporary green spaces, and community gathering. The Interim Art Space at Burien’s Town Square will be kicked off by displaying Buriens first major temporary art piece, The Passage, a sculpture depicting a mother and child walking together to share and explore life.
This artwork was first created by Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito for the 2005 Burning Man Arts Festival in the Nevada desert. The figures stand a dramatic 30 and 20 feet tall and are fabricated out of recycled and scrap metal. The interim art space will occupy a temporarily vacant one-acre parcel of Buriens Town Square project. This exciting space will not only showcase art but will be an energetic gathering place for Buriens citizens.
B/IAS will be a working canvas that will be transformed by the efforts of both artists and the community throughout the year. The art space will celebrate its opening in December of 2008 with the installation of The Passage. The project will conclude when the sculpture is removed and construction begins at the site on a future phase of Town Square.
B/IAS is a collaboration between the City of Burien Arts Commission, Urban Partners, GGLO and Ignition NW. For more information please contact Gina Kallman, City of Burien Cultural Arts Supervisor, (206) 988-3713, ginak@burienwa.gov.
So…whaddaya think of this sculpture?
And do you have any ideas for what else should go in the “Interim Art Space” at Burien Town Square?
Email us or post a Comment below…
From Burien Parks comes this handy-dandy Flash file showcasing proposed art work for the Burien Town Square:
[click on the art to go to the next page]
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.
So…whaddaya think?
Leave your comments below…
Link to large Flash file here.
The City of Seattle might abandon a long-running effort to stretch Seattle’s southern borders to include White Center and surrounding residential communities.
The City Council plans to vote on whether to pull the plug on Mayor Greg Nickels’ hopes for the city to annex an unincorporated area dubbed North Highline. Nickels acknowledges that the move would drain city coffers. But he has insisted it is the “right thing to do.”
If the council reverses its 2006 endorsement of the concept, the city of Burien will be free to pursue its efforts to annex the area.
More than 32,000 people live in North Highline, which is bordered by Seattle to the north, Burien to the south, and SeaTac and Tukwila to the east. It’s a relatively impoverished and ethnically diverse area.
Except for White Center, it is largely residential.
Nickels’ office says serving that community would cost Seattle $5 million a year, plus $6 million in one-time transitional costs.
Other municipalities get a tax break from the state when they annex unincorporated urban areas. But the Legislature specifically excluded cities as large as Seattle. City lobbyists have unsuccessfully pushed lawmakers to broaden the tax break.
Some on the council do not think the city should take on another community to serve, especially without that tax break. Some say Seattle still is not adequately serving neighborhoods it annexed decades ago, such as North Seattle communities that lack sidewalks and other infrastructure.
“Just look at South Park and Georgetown, who were annexed exactly 100 years ago, and by and large ignored until quite recently,” said Councilwoman Jan Drago at a recent council committee meeting.
Today, “this administration is paying attention to South Park and Georgetown. But I have no hope that if we were to annex North Highline that we would meet their expectations of service.
“We need to fulfill our promises and commitment to the current residents of Seattle before we consider taking on new citizens.”
Earlier this month, a council committee recommended that the full council remove annexation consideration from Seattle’s official long-term land-use strategy, known as the comprehensive plan.
In terms of annexation negotiations with Burien and the county, such a move would mean “we don’t have a seat at the table,” said Kenny Pittman, a senior policy analyst for Nickels.
Both Burien and Seattle designated the 6-square-mile area a “potential annexation area” about one year ago. (Tukwila and SeaTac have also designated small portions of the area.)
Last year, Burien and Seattle officials agreed to mediation over their dueling designations, but it has not happened.
Any final annexation decision will be made by North Highline voters.
Meanwhile, the Mayor’s Office has not given up on persuading the Legislature to amend the tax break to include Seattle. But that would be a much more difficult pitch to sell should the council remove potential annexation from the city’s comprehensive plan, said Pittman, who has been working on the annexation proposal since 2003.
“It just basically undermines that effort,” Pittman said. “The ‘potential annexation area’ designation shows the Legislature that we’re serious.”
Monday’s council meeting is the last of the year for Seattle — and the agenda is packed.sc
Council members are expected to pass measures that aim to block office and retail development in Seattle’s industrial neighborhoods.
The council also plans to vote to approve the sale of a block across from City Hall to a private developer that plans to build condos, office space, as well as city-owned retail and civic square facilities.
The annexation question is among a number of proposed changes to the comprehensive plan, which the council updates annually.
The Urban Planning and Development Committee recommended that the council endorse specific goals for the city’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nickels’ office had objected, saying one of the targets was based on politics, not science.
The committee approved goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2024, compared with 1990 levels, and 80 percent by 2050.
“There is an urgency to this that we are becoming increasingly aware of,” said Councilman Peter Steinbrueck, who chairs the committee. “This is an aggressive, but important, goal to set.”
Nickels’ spokesman Marty McOmber said the 2024 goal is “just basically a guess.”
By contrast, McOmber said, the 2050 long-term target reflects a threshold accepted by the climate science community as the amount “we need to get to in order to avoid the most damaging impact” of global warming.
SO…WHADDAYA THINK? PLEASE TAKE A SECOND TO ANSWER OUR POLL ON THE RIGHT –>
SOURCE:
From an email received today:
The City of Burien is now surveying the public about financing options for the proposed community recreation center. It is very important that we hear from the public, so we’ve made it easy for our random sample to complete the survey. About 3,000 households in the community received the survey in the mail. If you received one, we’d like to remind you to return it as soon as possible or complete it online.
If you received a survey in the mail, go to www.rrcinfo.com/rec-burien today to complete your survey.
If you did not receive a survey in the mail, you can also take part in the survey. Your survey is at www.rrcinfo.com/burien.
Oh yeah…by filling out this survey you’ll be entered in a drawing to win one of the following:
- One of two $25 gift certificates, good for any Burien recreation program, class or activity
- Tickets (up to 4) to the annual “Daddy-Daughter Dance” – February 2, 2008
- Two Tickets to “Enchanted Evening” – March 14, 2008
- Tickets for Family (up to 4) to the annual “Bunny Breakfast” – March 22, 2008
So then…whaddaya think?
