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Our friends at Cove to Clover (we’re a Sponsor) would like our Readers to know about the first-ever Cove to Clover Art Contest, open to students from elementary through high school.

The winning design will be used in creating the 2013 logo, and the winner will be announced on race day at 3 p.m. (Sunday, March 11th).

The deadline to enter is March 3rd.

Here are the guidelines:

• 11×17 format
• Must use the title “Cove to Clover 2013″ and an image of snake
• Please include name, age, school, phone and email

For all you Photoshop whizes out there, digital submissions can be sent to artcontest@covetoclover.com (send .jpg file, min. resolution of 3300×5100). To send via snailmail,, submit your entries to:

Cove to Clover
Attn: Art Contest
17837 1st Ave South, #568
Normandy Park, WA 98148

For more information about the art contest, email artcontest@covetoclover.com.

For more info on Cove to Clover, or to register for the run, click here.

The new Sylvester Road bridge is an example of poor engineering in regards to pedestrian safety and use considerations.

The new bridge design has the bridge sidewalk on the west side instead of the current east side or downstream side of the bridge.

It would be safer and aesthetically pleasing to place the bridge sidewalk on the east side for the new bridge as it is on the old bridge.

The safety facts: The prominent  north / south pedestrian routes to the current bridge are on the east side of Sylvester Road,  The road shoulder is much wider on the east side from SW 160 to Three Tree Point. The shoulder on the west side of Sylvester can’t be more than 12 inches in areas and brush comes close to the fog line in places. This will cause the majority of pedestrians to cross Sylvester at least twice to properly cross the bridge. Placement of the Bridge sidewalk on the bridge’s west side will increase the risk of pedestrian/automobile collisions at the approaches to the bridge.

This KCDOT Chart shows differences between current & proposed bridge.

The aesthetic facts: When crossing a bridge in a location such as a gorge or ravine people would rather look out over the downstream side taking in the view of the ravine and out toward expanding vistas instead of directly into the ravine up the side of the hill. This make sense unless there is a waterfall on the upstream side.

A lot of people; walkers, runners,  joggers, children walking to school use Sylvester Road on a daily basis. The west side bridge sidewalk will cause many to disregard the bridge sidewalk and continue their route on the bridge roadway for the most efficient  route and for the view.

If you or your children will be using the new Sylvester Road Bridge when completed and agree with my concerns please, as I did, contact the following by December 14th:

• Jesse Jose, Project Manager 206-296-1916  jesse.jose@kingcounty.gov
• Erick Thompson, Environmental Engineer  206-269-8747 erick.thompson@kingcounty.gov

The Responsible Official is Paulette Norman , Interim Director  and County Road Engineer,  (no phone no email)
Address:

King County Road Services Division
King Street Center Mail Stop: KSC-TR-0313
201 South Jackson Street

- Brian Carey
Normandy Park

(Photos/Images courtesy King County Dept. of Transportation)

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Tucked away in Olde Burien, new BTB Advertiser Statements Home Decor held their grand opening on May 1st, offering distinctive furnishing and fine gifts.

As we do with all our Advertisers, we’re providing them a place to introduce themselves to our Readers:

Teresa White and her friends Mary and Lee Ann offer their unique collection of home decor and provide friendly professional assistance that is sure to help you find that special accent for your home.

Statements Home Decor has obtained the exclusive right to market Sid Dicken’s Memory Block Tiles in the Burien area.

These tiles are unique and collectible pieces of art, and are sure to be a cherished and elegant addition to your home stylings!

Teresa and her team are also now offering Napa Firelights. The craftsmanship, color and materials are stunning and their beauty will amaze and turn heads!

Lee Ann points out some not-so-hidden treasures at Statements.

Place your firepots indoors or out and be amazed at how they light up a space. The fuel gel for these firepots and fireplaces burn very clean so it is completely safe for indoors!

Statements Home Decor provides customers with a casual yet elegant feel, and with their rotating inventory you will be sure to find that special something for your home every time you visit the shop.

And with the holidays coming up, you can also find that perfect gift for that special someone right here in Olde Burien.

Statements Home Decor
917 SW 152nd Street
Burien, WA 98166

Phone: 206-653-4562

Email: StatementsHome@gmail.com

Website: http://statementshomedecor.com/

Lee Ann and Theresa near the fireplace at Statements Home Decor.

by Rachel M. Lusby

Burien resident Roger Patten, of Roger Patten AIA, says he has come up with the best way to replace bridge structures such as the 520 floating bridge by way of his invention, the “buoyancy stabilized pier.”

Patten has patented this new idea and wants to formally present it to the Seattle City Council soon.

The concept of the buoyancy stabilized pier is that the pier structure itself would have a chamber which is filled with either air or some other buoyant substance. This would create, as the patent states, a “buoyant force.” The pier structure would be able to absorb the shock of an earthquake or a tsunami, as it would move along with the earthquake and would not break apart during the tsunami.

“It doesn’t depend on Earth’s stability,” Patten says.

Roger Patten in his Burien office.

To build such a structure, says Patten based on research of the cost of materials and labor, “would cost about $2 billion dollars less” than what is being proposed to the city of Seattle currently regarding the 520 floating bridge.

The buoyancy stabilized bridge is different in comparison to a floating bridge in that it is embedded in the sea floor, and held by the sea pressure which forces the bottom into the soil. The buoyancy actually stabilizes the load.

In regard to the 520 bridge replacement, Patten’s idea gives thought not only to the structure itself, but also to accessibility to recreational facilities for residents and tourists. This new bridge concept would cross Lake Washington, Lake Union and Portage Bay. Traffic on the upper level of the bridge would be uninterrupted the entire way until reaching 1-5, while the lower level would be designed for metro, light rail, biking and pedestrians, allowing them easy access to places such as the Arboretum.

“This is much less expensive than what they’re proposing to do,” says Patten, “and there would be no traffic interruptions while in construction.”

Illustration from Roger Patten's patent.

The part under the patent is the stabilizing structure itself. The actual bridge structure could be designed in any manner. However, the design Patten has come up with for the bridge allows for light rail access, metro, pedestrians and bicyclists. It gives thought to development of other areas, such as the usage of Portage Bay and the north shore of the Arboretum.

Patten wants to apply this idea for a buoyancy stabilized pier to many other bridge structures, not only including local projects such as the Viaduct and Elliot Bay Bridge, but also for projects in other parts of the world; places such as Sicily or the Mediterranean.

The patent for the buoyancy stabilized structure will stand for 17 years.

Patten's patented design “would cost about $2 billion dollars less” than what is being proposed to the city of Seattle currently regarding the 520 floating bridge.

Here’s a video released by the Washington State Department of Transportation showing their “preferred alternative” version of the proposed 520 bridge:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Interior home design should be affordable, timeless and sustainable – authentic, but reflective of the owner’s personality and what appeals to them aesthetically,” said B-town Blog’s newest advertiser, Michael O’Neill of Michael O’Neill Interiors.

Michael has had careers in theatre, retail, real estate, and commercial interiors that have given him the opportunities to grow both creatively and in business acumen, however residential design has always been a part of the mix and his true passion.  His custom designs range from furniture to fashion, the latter seen at his former upscale ladies’ boutique in downtown Seattle.

Michael O'Neill

After going out and winning a few awards over the years, Michael has opened up shop as an interior designer right here in the Burien/Normandy Park area where he and his family have lived for over 25 years. The awards include “Best Kitchen Design” from the Master Builders Association and Winning Designer on HGTV’s Designer Challenge.

Michael feels that now more than ever interior designers and decorators must respond to the economic and environmental challenges of the times.

“The green movement is not just a trend, it is here to stay.  Michael O’Neill Interiors takes on the responsibility to educate and encourage clients to make design choices that not only beautify but also make the best use of both existing and new materials and resources”, explained Michael of his residential planning. “It’s all about enjoying where you live.”

“I get to know my clients on a personal level and then interpret their vision of how they’d like their homes to look and feel”, he said. “For the investment people make in their homes—be it a house or condo–there should be a WOW factor. Good design also means avoiding costly mistakes that can stay with you for a long time!”

From a simple consult, to project management, click here to see the services that Michael O’Neill Interiors offers his clients.

If you or someone you know are looking for a lot or a little WOW! in your home, be sure and give Michael O’Neill Interiors a call at 206-290-3303, or check out his website here.

[Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story, Ad and/or Event Listing like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by over 51,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

Burien’s Highline Heritage Museum building, which is planned to be built at 819 SW 152nd Street, has been nominated for an AIA “What Makes It Green” award for sustainable design.

According to one of the building’s designers, Tim Rohleder of Rohleder Borges Architecture:

“We have submitted the Highline Heritage Museum project as representative of our efforts in the world of sustainable design. The jury has already selected the “Top Eleven” projects from a pool of entries from all over the region including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia, Hawaii, Japan and Guam. The “Top Ten” (or in this case eleven) are supposed to be announced the week of May 5th in coordination with juried interviews at Seattle City Hall.

Per the AIA: “2010 WMIG? program recognizes projects that demonstrate the highest accomplishment in environmentally sustainable architecture, combining inspired design, systems analysis, and performance evaluation.”

Readers can vote on the entries here – so click on over there and vote for your soon-to-be-built, innovative and sustainably-designed new museum!

Here’s more info on the museum from the Highline Historical Society’s website:

The Highline Heritage Museum (HHM) has been designed to represent the Community of Highline, the stories of their past, the legacy of their people and their responsibility to the environment. From the start of the programming process, the Board of Trustees has been engaged and committed to creating a symbol representative of their community. It is a broad stroke representing the people from five different communities. The project is proposed as a redevelopment of an existing decaying building on an urban site in the heart of the City of Burien with a promising future for pedestrian vitality. The property lies along a primary pedestrian path with bus routes as connections to all its major constituents. The site is within a few blocks of the new regional county library and the Burien City Hall. The neighborhood also includes restaurants, retail shops, a post office, a regional transit center and a recently completed multi-family, moderate density residential development. The Board of Trustees warmly embraced the opportunity to create a “green” museum. While LEED was initially not accepted as a reasonable tool to gage the success, it was later recognized as an important element. One of the goals is LEED Silver with design strategies that include multiple mechanical zones utilizing ground source heat pumps, managed day lighting, specialty glazing integrating art and energy performance, a super insulated building envelope, transparency to the neighborhood using full height glazing, articulated building forms, and strategic use of site and roof areas integrating exhibits, landscape and pedestrian gathering areas. While there is much excitement at the uniqueness of the “geothermal” systems and the associated 300 foot deep pits, the design is a total package that investigates green opportunities for a building type where there are currently few recognized built examples.

Burien’s Highline Medical Center is holding a children’s “Kidz Tipz for Safety” billboard contest in association with Highline Public Schools, in an effort to engage kids in childhood safety.

Each year one in three people in the U.S. visit an emergency room – 40 percent as a result of injury-related accidents and a third under the age of 21.  Highline Medical Center, which serves nearly 50,000 ER patients annually, in concert with Highline Schools, is inviting students to design their own safety billboard.

Elementary school students in the Highline School District are encouraged to design their own billboard featuring an up-to- eight-word safety tip, with three winning entries to be featured on billboards in the surrounding community. Finalists’ artwork will be also featured at the Grand Opening Celebration of Highline Medical Center’s new Emergency Room on April 10. And every child who enters will be eligible to win a party at Family Fun Center in Tukwila.

A panel of representatives from Highline Medical Center and the community will review the entries and select 20 finalists from which final winners will be chosen. Finalists will have their artwork on display at the opening of the new ER from 10 am to 3 pm on April 10.

The deadline for entries is Friday, March 19, and more information and contest rules are available by emailing commrelations@highlinemedical.org.

Please welcome our latest Advertiser: Three-Tree Custom Carpentry Services! Proprietor Matthew Feeney tells us that he’s “local, specialized, and service-oriented.”

“As a twelve-year Burien resident, I’ve come to appreciate how friendly and close-knit B-Town is, and how that’s pretty special and rare,” Matt said. “That’s why I’ve made Burien and its surrounding communities the focus of my business. I aim to continue to make my living doing hands-on carpentry, working locally whenever possible, and to help people realize their ‘dream projects’ at a reasonable price — and to make friends and build relationships in my community along the way.”

Matt described “dream projects” as the ones that you cannot simply go out and buy at a store: A new window seat with storage, a cabinet custom designed to fit a unique space or match something you already have, entertainment centers with multi-media storage. “You know something you’ve always wanted in ‘that space,’ but didn’t know who to turn to for help”, he added.

Carpentry, Cabinetry, Woodworking, Remodeling...Matthew Feeney of Three-Tree Carpentry Services does it all!

“My specialty is small jobs that require a bit of design savvy, an assortment of skills, and a focus on detail for which a homeowner or contractor would want to hire a specialist. I offer excellent carpentry at a reasonable price and am working to build a reputation for integrity, reliability, friendliness and professionalism.”

Matt’s services include residential and light commercial finish carpentry ranging from cabinetry, custom built-ins, doors and trim, and smaller scale remodels for homeowners and contractors.

Matt told his story of the birth of Three Tree Custom Carpentry to BTB:

“One afternoon about twelve years ago, as I sat in my cubicle with my eyes glazing over in the glow of my computer, I finally gave in to a long-festering realization: I was not cut out for office work and would never be happy doing it. My real life was out there, somewhere, and the time to find it was now or never.

“I decided then to set aside my tie and a 15-year professional career as an urban planner and within a few months had entered a world of sawdust, saws and sandpaper. It was a tough go coming into the woodworking trade on the bottom wrung, where you have a broom in your hand as much as a saw or a chisel.

“Over the next decade, though, those tools came to fit quite comfortably in my hand, and the years of cabinetry, carpentry, and camaraderie eventually led to a decision two years ago to hang my own shingle.

Many homeowners have enjoyed quality custom cabinetry and finish work with the hanging of the Three-Tree ‘shingle’ two years ago. If you would like to join those happy homeowners, contact Matt at 206-931-8728 to discuss your special project.

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Please support our latest sponsor by clicking on her bright shiny new ad on the right and checking out her special offer!

You’re invited to come check it out, ask questions, and, just maybe, return those really overdue Harry Potter books.

In the meantime, here are some interesting facts about this new structure, courtesy KCLS.org:

The King County Library System (KCLS) is taking steps to ensure that “green” standards are followed when new libraries are built and existing libraries are renovated.

This is especially important as enhancements are planned for all 43 KCLS libraries to meet community needs during the next decade. Although KCLS is not required to adhere to official green building standards, an environmentally friendly building approach is nonetheless a priority. The principle is to build as greenly as possible, while being fiscally responsible.

Adhering to Best Practices
Building green entails designing and constructing buildings that help reduce negative impacts buildings traditionally have on the environment. There are five areas that green building standards target: site planning, water conservation, energy savings, recycled materials and the quality of the indoor environment. To ensure that KCLS libraries are built in accordance with acceptable green guidelines, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards are followed. The standards are well-known in the building industry, although fiscal responsibility prevents most KCLS libraries from gaining official certification.

Building Green from the Start
From the beginning of the planning and site design process for each new or renovated library, KCLS adheres to green practices. The Library System’s site selection policy requires new facilities to be built in urban areas and in close proximity to transit centers. New buildings also are sited to take advantage of natural lighting. Architects who are LEED-certified are hired and contractors are encouraged to use recycled materials to help conserve natural resources. Many green building materials and furnishings are cost-effective, as they last longer or result in lower utility costs, including the following:

• Energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights, which use less electricity for the same level of illumination as incandescent lights.
• Paint, adhesives and sealants with low levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), to improve the quality of air inside libraries.
• Furniture, including workstations, produced with recycled materials.
• Modular carpeting, which does not contain Polyvinyl Chloride (PVCs) and is produced by a company that collects their used carpeting to be restored and resold.
• Low-flow fixtures for toilets, sinks and showers to conserve water.

A Green Work Environment
Supporting environmentally friendly behavior at KCLS libraries is achieved with a variety of approaches. New recycling bins, with half garbage and half recycling, make it easier to recycle. To encourage library staff to bike to work, bicycle racks are provided, as well as showers at larger facilities. For employee transportation, hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, will be provided to conserve fossil fuels. And to encourage carpooling, designated parking spaces are included in site designs.

A Few Unique Projects
Although it is not feasible to certify most library improvement projects, the new Burien Library will be LEED-certified. This is due to planning the new library in conjunction with construction of the new Burien City Hall at Burien Town Center. As a joint development, the city offered to fund one-third of the cost associated with LEED certification, which includes consultant fees required to develop documentation and application fees. The library will be certified when construction is completed in 2009.

The new Sammamish Library also is being designed with some additional green features, although it will not be officially LEED-certified. Preliminary designs for the library, which will be 20,000 square feet of new construction, include a partial green roof as well as radiant heating. As the site is located near a residential area, the vegetation on the green roof will absorb water, therefore reducing storm water runoff. The rooftop garden also will add an extra layer of insulation, saving energy as it keeps the building cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Radiant heating also will help conserve energy as the heating system supplies heat directly to the floor. This keeps the lower part of the room at a consistent temperature and eliminates the need to heat the entire building.

More information here, or call (425) 369-3487.

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