According to a notice sent out Wednesday morning, Feb. 1:

Amendments to Burien Zoning Code to revise definitions relating to impervious surface and schools; change review process for quasi-judicial land use decisions from Type 3 to Type 2; change review process for certain park and recreation facilities from Type 2 to Type 1; eliminate Type 1 review for auto repair in the CC zone; add minimum floor area requirement for mixed use in the CI zone; eliminate outdated and redundant references; establishing a process and requirements for legalization of non-conforming accessory dwelling units; eliminating requirement to maintain a database of significant trees; changing “wetland” to “stream” in a stream regulation; clarifying the location of stream buffers on property; establishing standards for increasing impervious surface coverage on sites where impervious surface coverage is already non-conforming; revising road capacity levels of service; establishing standards for community gardens; and, allowing options to preparing a parking study to determine parking requirements.

The specific proposed 2012 Zoning Code Amendments and project file is available for viewing at Burien City Hall during regular business hours.

Any person may submit written or oral comments or testimony at the public hearing, or may submit written comments prior to the hearing. Written comments may be submitted in person, via mail, e-mail or by facsimile. All documents submitted or requested as part of this application, including the City staff report are available for review at City Hall during regular business hours.

Scott Greenberg, AICP
Community Development Director
City of Burien
400 SW 152nd St, Suite 300
Burien, WA 98166

Phone: (206) 248-5519
E-Mail: scottg@burienwa.gov

Call Mr. Plow,
That’s my name,
That name again
Is Mr. Plow.

Boom-chi-cha-boom-chi-cha-boom-chi-boom
I’m Mr. Plow, and I’m here to say,
I’m the plowin’est guy in the USA.
I got a big plow and I’ll move a lot of things,
Like your cow if you have one…

Senor Plow no es macho,
Es solamente un borracho…

Every city needs its own ‘Mr. Plow’ (or 3), and the City of Burien is no exception.

Cityfolk have released an updated Snow Removal Route Map, and states on its website that:

“Road Crews are working 24-hour shifts and have extra sand stockpiled to keep roads clear and drivable during the snowstorms hitting our area. Primary arterials are plowed and sanded first, then secondary streets.”

We’re huge fans of “Mr. Plow” so we hope we see him out and about Wednesday morning during the potentially-snowy commute (even if he’s been working for 24 hours straight…).

Here’s the Snow Route Mr. Plow’s map (click image to see larger version, or download a PDF here):

So…have YOU seen an efficient response from the city’s road crews Mr. Plow? Please leave a Comment below…

WOW who writes this stuff for the City of Burien website. Currently on the website under annexation of north Highline this statement is made in the last paragraph, “…Financially feasible, and even provide additional resources to the City above the costs of annexation, since Burien would receive up to $5 million a year for ten years …”.

Amazing how wrong our City staff can be! Let me quote Washington state law RCW 82.14.415(6), “All revenues collected under this section SHALL be used SOLELY to provide, maintain, and operate municipal services FOR THE ANNEXATION AREA.”

How does the above quoted state law allow Burien (or any other City) to “provide additional resources to the City ABOVE the costs of annexation”? If the City writer cared to learn more he/she might try reading RCW 82.14.415(7) which further details what the annexing City MUST do with these Sales Tax Credits and what to do if the Credits actually exceed the costs of providing services in the area.

Okay now to give the City staffer a math lesson. It is NOT POSSIBLE for the City of Burien to receive anything near $5 million. Not even possible to receive near $1 million. Why? Because the above state law specifically details the formula upon which any City receives this Tax credit. The credit is based upon the state’s Sales Tax collected in the annexing City not as reported in the BERK Report based upon the City Sales tax.

Manager Mike Martin has already stated that Burien, “has received a total of $584,000 to date to help the city provide services in the NORTH Burien annexed area” referring to the Area X north highline. That amount is nowhere near $5 million as referred to in the website. Even if Burien annexes Area Y and again based upon sales tax formula the City MIGHT be able to get an additional $200,000 since the sales tax would then include those collected in Burien to INCLUDE Area Y (White Center business area). Burien does not have a snowballs chance to collected “up to $5 million” EVER. Note the City of Auburn received its first annexation check in 2008 for $1.25 million. Auburn has a enormous retail and commercial sales tax base compared to Burien. How could anyone speak of getting “up to $5 million” when it not even a remote possibility? Unless it is written to purposefully deceive, such a statement is grossly incompetent.

Who writes this stuff for the City? How could these significant errors get past the City Manager and the Council?

- Chuck Rangel
Burien

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The City of Burien and Burien Arts Commission want someone to paint the side of the Dollar Tree Store on 4th Ave SW – and they’re willing to pay $12,000 bucks for it.

But put that extra thick Sharpie away Mr. Tagger – this is not an open call for random graffiti – this is a legitimate call for an Artist(s) to paint a real mural.

The Dollar Tree is officially located at 250 SW 152nd Street, but the mural is on 4th Ave SW, just across from the city hall garage.

The deadline to apply is Friday, Feb. 24th.

Here’s more from a press release:

CALL TO ARTISTS City of Burien Arts Commission Mural Project

Eligibility: This project is open to all Northwest artists.

Deadline: Friday, February 24th. This is not a postmark deadline.

Project Budget: $12,000, to be inclusive of materials

The City of Burien and the Burien Arts Commission is seeking an artist or artist team to create a dynamic, innovative mural on the exterior surface on the side of a downtown Burien building. The building is on 4th SW between 150th and 152nd Street and is currently leased by The Dollar Store. The building wall is on a busy pedestrian friendly arterial and is across the street from the new Burien Town Square, which is the community’s central gathering point. The new Burien Library and City Hall are also located in this area.

The wall is painted concrete and is 18 feet high by 160 feet wide. It is required that the artist cover at least 50% of the wall with the mural. The artist will be required to include some type of community aspect in the design and/or creation process. This opportunity is intended as a community-building opportunity that can also create a sense of wonder and pride in the Burien downtown. The artwork will transform this large white wall into an interesting and exciting focal point and graffiti deterrent.

Artwork Opportunity:
The City of Burien is seeking an artist or artist team to develop, design and create a mural project that involves the Burien community in some way, to be determined by the artist. The project should reflect a thematic aspect of the community, such as growth, change, history, diversity, etc. The commissioned artwork should be created in media that is suitable for an exterior application directly on the concrete wall. The design will be presented to the Burien Arts Commission, Burien City Council and Dollar Store stakeholders prior to the final approval.

The $12,000 project budget includes the artist’s design fees, compensation and travel expenses, all materials and fabrication costs, shipping and transportation of materials to the site, preparation of mural site, installation of the artwork, application of protective coating if needed, and any applicable taxes and/or insurance.

About Burien:
Burien is a 100-year-old waterfront community with six miles of Puget Sound shoreline and mountain views. Burien is 16 miles south of Downtown Seattle. Burien is a diverse community with over 50 languages spoken in the homes of Burien area students. Over the last several years Burien has been busy rebuilding and reinventing itself. The downtown’s major arterial received a makeover and the new Burien Town Square opened its first buildings and park in 2009. Town Square has reshaped the downtown area into a central gathering point for the community. The city is also proud to be the home for many not-for profit arts organizations including an orchestra, live theatre, and choral and dance groups. The city has become an art pocket of the Northwest with unique arts projects such as B/ IAS (Burien Interim Art Space) and the yearly lantern festival “Arts A Glow”.

Application Materials:
Written application materials will be photocopied for the panelists. Please do not staple or bind application materials. Please submit written materials on plain white 8 1?2 x 11 paper.

• A letter of interest and broad project description which should explain how the artists work is appropriate for this particular place and project, what interests the artist about working on this project, past experience relevant to the project, experience working with community in some capacity, and a short description of the type of project you would like to create in the space.
• 10 digital images maximum submitted on a CD (jpg or tiff files). No bulky materials or original works of art should be submitted.
• Annotated image list. A printed sheet of information with artist’s name, contact information, artwork titles, mediums, date of artworks, sizes and the corresponding image numbers. Artists are encouraged to include a brief description (2-3 sentences) of each image, design team collaborative work or installations.
• A current professional resume (2 pages maximum). For artist team applications please include resumes for all team members.

Timeline:

• February 24, 2012: Application deadline
• March 2012: Interviews and Artist selection by late March
• April 2012: Planning meeting with Arts Commission and staff
• April-May 2012: Design and development of project
• Late May 2012: Presentation of design to stakeholders
• June-Sept 2012: Creation and completion of mural

Selection criteria:
Application Deadline Interviews and Artist selection by late March Planning meeting with Arts Commission and staff Design and development of project Presentation of design to stakeholders Creation and completion of mural.

The artists will be selected using the following criteria:

• Quality and strength of past work as demonstrated in the submitted materials
• Experience working with community in some capacity
• Adaptability to the collaborative process of design
• Demonstrated knowledge of the unique consideration of exterior murals
• Ability to work at elevated heights on ladders or scaffolding as needed
• Ability to create a unique and engaging artwork appropriate in concept, materials and scale for this project
• Availability to work April-September 2012 in Burien, Washington
• Availability to complete work by September 2012

Selection Process:

• A selection panel comprised of members of the City of Burien Arts Commission, City of Burien staff, building stakeholders, and community stakeholders will review all application materials received by the deadline. Interviews with top candidates will occur following the selection panel and final selection will be made by the end of March 2012.

Application Deadline
All application materials must be received no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, February 24th, 2012. This is not a postmark deadline. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed.

Submit complete applications to:

Gina Kallman
Cultural Arts Supervisor Re: Mural Project
Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
14700 6th Ave SW
Burien, WA 98166

For more information please contact Gina Kallman at 206-391-6605, ginak@burienwa.gov.

Photo courtesy City of Burien.

The City of Burien says on its website that “construction is now in full swing for the rest of the year,” specifically referirng to the First Ave South Improvement Project Phase II (SW 146th to SW 140th Street).

“DPK, contractor, has installed five large vaults for SCL and done some preparation work for one more large vault in the roadway by the car wash,” reads a post on the website. “They will be working on these next week (Jan. 9). Preparation work includes: potholing and sawcutting. After these, the work moves out of the road way a little to install several smaller vaults. In the next few weeks, trenching work will begin for duct bank installation.”

The city also adds this note:

The construction work zone corridor runs from SW 146th to SW 140th along 1st Avenue South.

In this corridor, the speed limit is now 30 MPH and slower in the immediate work zone area.

Fines are doubled for speeding in the work zone area. So please drive safely, respectfully, and responsibly.

For more project information, see the Project Website.

by Jack Mayne

Trash on Southwest 128th Street ramps to and from the 509 and the questionable panhandler types who leave it has caused nearby resident Mark Zink to get out his broom and rake, but now he wants some cleanup help from the Burien City Council.

At the Dec. 12 council meeting, Zink said ramps are becoming home to a regular crew.

“We now have them setting up couch cushions under the freeway so they can hang out all day, every day,” he had written in a letter to the council, which included photos. “In one photo, you can notice they walk up and down the freeway off ramp panhandling. This is illegal to be on the off-ramp but (it is) not on the sidewalk under current rules.”

He noted what many Burien residents have seen, that panhandlers leave trash and are usually on the Southwest 148th ramps, also.

He said he has asked for something to be done for years, but to no avail.

“Will the council make a no loitering rule near off-ramps?” Zink asked. “My neighbors and I have suffered with these people and the beer cans and garbage they leave throughout the neighborhood for years now,” Zink said.

“I have volunteered in this neighborhood for years trying to clean it up and spent thousands of hours as Public Works and the Parks Department can verify. I need help. I am tired of picking up after them and don’t feel like I should have to. Please take action now.”

Zink has received no response from the City Council or city staff.

So why does he spend this own time cleaning up the mess?

“The reason I do this volunteer work is that it is healthy for me to give back to my community and gives me a sense of accomplishment,” Zink said in an e-mail. “I also like to see nice things even if I have to help make that happen. Public works and the parks departments do not have the money or the manpower to keep up on all the things that need to be done in this area as far as cleaning graffiti, picking up trash etc.”

He says Burien Police have been very helpful “but we still have a problem with the transients who tend to bring illegal activities with them. Drugs, alcohol, sleeping in the parks, leaving bottles, cans, hypodermic needles, used condoms or whatever else they don’t want anymore.”

Zink is finishing his associate of arts degree at Highline Community College.

His wife, Colleen, is a web editor at kirotv.com, the web site for KIRO 7 Eyewitness News. She says she is proud of all Zink’s volunteer work and “agrees that changes need to be made with the panhandlers because they make Burien look bad.”

The City of Burien is planning on launching a new program in January aimed at helping provide residents with some relief from the high cost of prescription medications – free prescription discount cards.

“These cards will offer an average of 23 percent savings off the retail price of prescription medications not covered through insurance will be available to City residents,” the city said in its monthly newsletter.

The discount cards can be used at pharmacies in and around Burien.

The city says it will release more info on its website and in city publications soon.

The program is sponsored by the National League of Cities.

“To nominate a person(s), describe how the nominee contributes to the community and how these contributions are unique,” reads a note on the city’s website.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, and can be done online here, or via mail:

Burien City Hall
400 S.W. 152nd St., Ste. 300
Burien WA 98166

Please note that this will be the first year that the city is not giving out awards in conjunction with Discover Burien (we’re members), which will hold its own awards ceremony in March, 2012.

For information call Adriene Buckley at (206) 241-4647.

The City of Burien will be sponsoring a Blood Drive from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16 in the 1st Floor ?Multipurpose Room, of City Hall, located at 400 SW 152nd Street.

Please note that it will be closed for lunch between Noon – 1 p.m.

Donors are asked to reserve a time with Janet Stallman at (206) 248-5508 or email JanetS@burienwa.gov.

“Right now there are people in your community who need the help you can easily provide simply by donating blood,” reads an email. “Why Give Blood? Because your community needs you; trauma injury patients, cancer patients and transplant patients don’t take a day off. They rely on volunteer donors like you. You Can Make a Difference in Your Community!”

Award Recipients (l to r): Janet Peterson, Secretary/Receptionist and Rachel Gilbert, Recreation Specialist Burien Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department.

Two staff members from the City of Burien Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (PaRCS) Department were recently honored with awards – Rachel Gilbert won an ‘Outstanding Professional Award’ and Janet Peterson won a ‘Customer Service Award.’

Members of the Washington Recreation & Parks Association (WRPA) announced the winners at a conference held in Seattle Oct. 19. Two of the three statewide awards went to these two Burien staff members. Several colleagues from Burien PaRCS were on hand to show their support for their co-workers, as the award announcement and presentation came as a complete surprise to the recipients.

“I am so happy for these two individuals,” said Michael LaFreniere, Parks Director. “They’re very deserving of this award and great examples of the kind of public service they and other members of the team here try to provide every day. They are truly great to work with; we and the public are very fortunate to have them at Burien Parks.”

Rachel Gilbert received the 2011 Outstanding Professional Award. The nomination, submitted by colleagues Debbie Zemke and Casey Stanley, highlights Rachel’s professional passion and commitment towards providing the best service possible.

As the Award Committee noted, Rachel:

“… goes ‘above and beyond’ often dealing with high-need customers and staff while continually responding in a calm and logical manner. She has established high standards, clear expectations, and accountability and is committed to providing training and feedback for her staff to be successful.”

Rachel has been an active member of the Facility Services Section of WRPA for five years. She served on last year’s planning team, was a presenter for the Customer Service session, and is co-chair of this year’s WRPA Facility Services Workshop.

Janet Peterson was selected by the Awards Committee to receive the 2011 Customer Service Award. The nomination, submitted by Vivian Casteneda, highlighted Janet’s interest in and passion for health and wellness with customers at the Burien Community Center.

The Committee said Janet was deserving of the Award because of the way she helps customers:

“…feel special and how she genuinely helps match them with the perfect class, and how she wants to hear how they liked the class. Janet’s enthusiasm ‘sells’ Burien Parks & Recreation programs and special events in an exemplary way.”

Janet recently implemented a new marketing program called ‘This Works For Me!’ that allows customers to share their successes with one another.