Currently, the field is covered with water for several months in the fall and spring. The grant will fund regrading of the field and installation of a drainage system that will make it playable all year.

The project was initiated by Highline School District Director of Athletics Terri McMahan, modeled after similar partnerships she brokered as Director of Athletics in Edmonds School District.

“When I realized the level of district use on Moshier’s practice field, specifically Highline High School’s football and soccer programs, coupled with the fact that the field was down for many months of the year and unavailable for community use, this project became my immediate mission,” McMahan said.

The improvements will turn what is now open space at Moshier Park into an ongoing practice field for school and community teams, as well as a competition field for younger athletes. The work will begin in late May 2012 and will take several weeks to complete.

McMahan plans to look for other opportunities for joint projects in the community.

“It is my hope that the partners can use this success as a springboard for larger projects in the years to come.”

Here’s some history of the park from the city’s website:

King County Parks Department superintendent George Wyse at Moshier Park dedication, circa 1955. Photo courtesy King County Archives.

The “Highline Project” at Highline High School was promoted by Associated Clubs of South King County. Bill Moshier of Shorewood was active in this group and influential in developing the plan for the extensive array of ball fields. When Bill died suddenly, Moshier Field was named in his memory. Moshier served as a King County Commissioner in 1958, and was one of the initial members of Metro’s 15-member governing Council.

In 1962 King County established the first county arts center and year-round arts program at William Moshier Memorial Park. Between 1962 and 1972 the Center was redesigned to accommodate pottery and jewelry programs.

In 1968 King County voters approved Proposition 6, a Forward Thrust Parks and Recreation bond, which included $39,400 for facilities improvements at Moshier Park. The Moshier complex included three lighted softball/baseball fields, one lighted 90-foot softball/baseball field, two lighted football/soccer fields and public restroom.

Moshier Park was one of nine King County Parks in Burien that was transferred to the City in 1994.

To see some great historic photos of Moshier Field in action, click here.

Burien non-profit Para Los Niños has been selected as a 2011 Grant Award Finalist by the Latino Community Fund, and they’re asking our Readers to help them by voting for them.

Only one vote is allowed per e-mail account, and you’ll automatically be added to a newsletter. However, you can opt out by choosing “unsubscribe” in the first newsletter you receive.

The link to vote is included in the note below:

Dear Friend of Para Los Niños,

We are happy to announce that Para Los Niños has been selected as a 2011 Grant Award Finalist by the Latino Community Fund!

As a finalist, Para Los Niños needs your vote to be selected as a 2011 Grant Award winner. Please consider taking the time to login and vote for Para Los Niños through the LCF website with the following link:

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5832/signup_page/grant2011

We thank you for your continued support of Para Los Niños and its programs here in our community!

If you’re not familiar with this organization, here’s some info from their website:

Para Los Niños is a grassroots community organization founded by members of the community it serves—the growing immigrant, Spanish-speaking population in South King County.

In 2003, a group of Latino parents gathered to talk about education. As a result of this meeting, Para Los Niños was born with the following priorities: to support the education of Latino children, with a focus on early childhood development; to maintain and promote their culture and language; and to teach English as a second language in order to develop leadership and civic engagement for parents in the community.

To support these priorities, the founding group of parents knew they needed to address the particular barriers they faced as immigrants. The barriers are many. They include economic challenges, language and cultural barriers, and discrimination.

In addition, school systems function differently in our parents’ home countries than in the United States. Therefore, a lack of information and understanding of how the educational system works in the United States presents an additional challenge as well as creates isolation from the broader community. In response to these particular challenges, Para Los Niños was organized.

With input from the community, it developed programs that met the needs of the community. These programs range from providing school readiness and ESL education to helping parents develop the skills and motivation for community involvement. In all its work, Para los Niños and its programs represent the desire of a community change that can support all immigrant families in their complex journey through the educational system in the United States.

Through a grueling elimination process, Dynamic Partners, emerged as one of the top two nonprofit finalists competing in the first annual Social Innovation Fast Pitch presented by Social Venture Partners on October 3, 2011 at Fisher Pavilion in Seattle. Dynamic Partners was awarded the $20,000 Zino Society Award for Social Innovation for their Dynamic Labs project.

“We feel privileged to have been a part of this inaugural event and incredibly honored to receive such an award,” Jon Botten, the CEO of Dynamic Partners.

“Dynamic Labs exemplifies the core values of the Social Innovation Fast Pitch program through exceptional societal impact, innovation, sustainability and leadership,” said Will Poole, SVP Lead Partner and Social Innovation Fast Pitch organizer.  “The ZINO Society Award for Social Innovation represents our community’s enthusiastic support of Dynamic Lab’s vision and work in developing breakthrough solutions for individuals with special needs.”

The 2011 Social Innovation Fast Pitch competition began in August with over 120 applicants. Forty organizations were chosen to compete in the quarter finals with twenty advancing to the semi finals. Of those semi-finalists, Dynamic Partners was chosen as one of seven nonprofits to pitch their projects onstage to an audience of 700 at Monday’s Fast Pitch final event at Fisher Pavilion in Seattle.

Jon explains the purpose behind Dynamic Labs:

“By creating Dynamic Labs, we are making an organizational commitment to innovation. We recently went through an intense organizational review as part of a marketing and branding project with an outside consultant. This project brought to light the fact that innovation is a key characteristic of our organization and staff. This drive stems from our commitment to do whatever it takes to help children with special needs reach their full potential. Until now, we did not have a dedicated space for staff, families, and community members to test, vet, and trial innovative products, services and funding models. Consequently, we missed opportunities. We’ve now made a commitment to make innovation a priority via Dynamic Labs.”

“Through a process of systematic innovation, we will gather ideas from a wide variety of constituents including staff, families, referral sources and community members. Then, we will vet those ideas for impact and sustainability. Once something has proven itself inside the lab, we will spin it off into its own social enterprise. Like all of our products and services, Lab ventures are intended to help children with special needs reach their full potential.”

Dynamic Partners is consortium of organizations empowering children with special needs through innovation and collaboration headquartered in Kent, Washington. Our Dynamic Partners include Children’s Therapy Center, South King Early Intervention Program, Dynamic Orthotic Systems, SPIO Compression Garments, Dynamic Labs, and Dynamic Family Services. Member organizations have been providing therapy services for children with special needs in South King and Pierce County since 1979. We currently have locations in Kent, SeaTac and Tacoma.

To learn more about our Dynamic Labs project, make an investment, volunteer your expertise, or present an idea, please contact Jon Botten, CEO at jon@dynamicpartners.org. To learn more about SVP’s Social Innovation Fast Pitch, visit www.sifp.net.

The City of Burien announced Wednesday (June 29) that it has around $25,000 available for its 2012 Arts & Culture grants funding, and with a Aug. 19th deadline for applications.

Arts & Culture grant funding is available to individuals, groups or organizations that ” provide arts and/or cultural enrichment to the Burien community.” This includes non-profits.

Proposed program and/or event must be held in Burien, or serve a majority of Burien residents. Only one application per individual or organization will be accepted per year.

Applications are available on the city’s website here.

The deadline to apply is 4:30 p.m., Friday, August 19th to:

Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
14700 6th Ave SW
Burien, WA 98166

According to the city’s website:

Arts & Culture funding is on an annual application cycle and is available to individuals, groups and organizations that provide arts and cultural enrichment to the residents of Burien.

The City is looking for Arts & Culture programs and events:

• Applicants may be individuals or non-profit organizations. Evidence of non-profit status for organizations will be required.
• The proposed program and /or event must be held in Burien or serve a majority of Burien residents.
• Only one application per individual or organization will be accepted per year.

For more information, contact Gina Kallman, City of Burien Cultural Arts Supervisor at ginak@burienwa.gov or 206-391-6605.

1. An overarching scheme/ethos that can help define and articulate the identity of this unique amenity;
2. Along-term and synergistic approach to public art programming within the RTS, including the formation of concrete recommendations for the inclusion of artworks in multiple media and in specific locations.

This is not an opportunity for the planning artist to develop their own artwork.

This call for artists is open to professional artists living in Washington, Oregon, and Vancouver, BC.

According to their website:

4Culture is the cultural services agency for King County, Washington providing programs, financial support and services in the arts, public art, heritage and historic preservation for all residents and visitors in King County.

As an example, Public Art like that seen at the Burien Transit Center is from a 4Culture grant:

Here are the grant details:

WHAT: Year-long Artist’s residency focused on the Regional Trail System (RTS).

DEADLINE: Monday, Feb. 7th by 5:00 pm (PST).

BUDGET: $50,000.

INFO: Visit www.4culture.org or email Jordan.Howland@4Culture.org, or call 206.296.4137.

From a press release:

OPPORTUNITY
4Culture and King County’s Parks and Recreation Division seek a skilled and highly-motivated planning artist to participate in a year-long residency focused on the Regional Trail System (RTS) in which they will develop an arts master plan that includes: (1) an overarching scheme/ethos that can help define and articulate the identity of this unique amenity; and (2) a long?term and synergistic approach to public art programming within the RTS, including the formation of concrete recommendations for the inclusion of artworks in multiple media and in specific locations. This is not an opportunity for the planning artist to develop their own artwork.

This holistic process should align with the Division’s strategic goals, enhance awareness and understanding of the RTS, respect and reflect local values and character, and increase a sense of ownership and connection to the RTS for the public at large. Instead of commissioning unrelated and isolated artworks and amenities, a comprehensive vision for the system and a conceptual framework – that brings both broad artistic thinking and solid understanding of the physical, social, economic and environmental context – will ensure continuity over a multi-year implementation process. Special attention should be paid to junctions between the RTS and other County properties including parks and natural areas. The selected artist will also be expected to coordinate with graphic and web design professionals to develop the master plan documentation.

In summary, the artist in residence will develop a conceptual framework and art plan for the subsequent development of public artwork that will be created as part of long-term RTS expansion. It is the intent of 4Culture to use the art plan as the foundation for County-owned public artwork implementation on the RTS for a period of approximately ten years. The plan must be broad enough to allow for other artists to generate ideas, approaches and projects, but specific enough to give strong conceptual guidelines for the artwork development and document stakeholder’s expectations and agreements regarding the art. The plan must also address the unique nature of the RTS and the role that art can play in the context of a regional network of trails. Sustainability and environmental stewardship should be considered both in process and product.

BACKGROUND
The King County Regional Trail System (RTS) is one of the nation’s most extensive multi-use off-road systems with over 175 miles of trails for bicycling, hiking, walking, and horseback riding. The RTS extends from Bothell to Auburn and Seattle to the Cascades and provides opportunities for recreation, non-motorized mobility, and commuting throughout the County. Trails like the Burke-Gilman and Sammamish River are used by thousands daily for recreation and commuting to and from Seattle and suburban cities.

We believe that artists have the ability to creatively interpret the RTS program and its impact on the region. Not only can they enhance the physical environment through the creation of site-specific artworks, but have the potential to help increase environmental awareness and stewardship efforts, uncover natural and cultural histories, attract visitors, and inspire citizens to re-imagine their relationship with the systemic network.

RESEARCH THE CLIENT
http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks.aspx

The artist’s contract will be organized into phases that correspond to project milestones. Research, concepts, and component parts should ultimately be woven together into a unified art plan. The scope of work is expected to run from April 1, 2011 through May 1, 2012. It is the intent of 4Culture that the artist is given maximum creative freedom to develop the content and final documentation of this plan, so this scope does not specify in detail the product that they are expected to deliver.

However, specific responsibilities/deliverables will include:

• 1 year, part-time (10 hours per week) residency with Parks staff + field and studio work
• Familiarity with Parks mission and existing RTS planning documents
• Collaboration with Parks staff
• Research, informational interviews, and site visits
• Outreach and attendance at relevant community meetings
• Documentation of process and experience on Blog 4Culture
• Development of overarching scheme/ethos that articulates the identity of the RTS
• Art plan in any media or means of conveyance that the artist (in consult with 4Culture) finds appropriate

Moreover, the art plan should:

• Identify a conceptual framework and strategic opportunities as well as priorities for artwork development in multiple mediums
• Make obvious how and where artwork can be implemented
• Include recommendations for system-wide elements (i.e. user amenities, way finding, etc.)
• Clearly demonstrate ideas and be innovative in content and presentation
• Use environmentally sustainable practices in its production and dissemination
• Be flexible enough to accommodate the dynamic nature of the RTS

ARTIST SELECTION PROCESS
We will look for a strong planning artist who can think outside of the box; inspire Parks and Recreation Division staff and the community to reach for the best and most creative solutions; and one who is sensitive to the unique qualities of the RTS and its intersections in both rural and urban environments throughout the County.

A five-person panel comprised of art and design professionals, community representatives, and Division staff will review application materials received by the deadline. Based on the selection criteria listed below, the panel will select three artists for interview. Finalists will be invited to discuss past approaches and working methods with the panel, as well as answer questions relating to working on this type of project. The selection panel will identify one artist for this opportunity.

SELECTION CRITERIA
The planning artist will be selected based on the following qualifications/criteria:

• Artistic excellence and strong conceptual skills: One of the most valuable aspects of the artist’s participation is his or her ability to create a conceptual framework for system-wide development.
• Strong verbal, written and graphic communication skills: This is both a residency and a planning project. Good people and planning skills are required. The artist will also be expected to participate in the translation of their final recommendations into plan materials.
• Previous experience: This is a multifaceted project. The artist should demonstrate experience in one or more of the following: master plan development, art plan development, urban design, or the analysis of complex systems.
• Accessibility and availability: An integral part of this project is the face-to-face time the artist will spend engaging with the Parks and Recreation Division staff. As such, it is imperative that the artist is available to begin work as of April 1, 2011 and be present in the King Street Center offices (Seattle, WA) and in the field (King County, WA) for the entirety of the year long, 10 hour per week residency.

ELIGIBILITY
This project is open to artists residing in Washington, Oregon and Vancouver, BC. 4Culture staff and its Public Art Advisory Committee members, selection panel members, King County Parks and Recreation Division personnel, and immediate family members of all of the above are not eligible to apply.

APPLICATION MATERIALS

• Statement of interest
• Current professional resume
• Visual materials & corresponding annotations
• Sample project, planning or communication document
• Two written references

Apply online by Monday, Feb. 7th at: http://www.4culture.org/publicart/calls/index.aspx, or via mail to:

4Culture
Attn: Public Art, RTS Residency & Arts Master Planning Project
101 Prefontaine Place South
Seattle, WA 98104

QUESTIONS?
Please contact Jordan Howland: Jordan.Howland@4Culture.org, or call 206.296.4137.

Janette Yee at Parkside Elementary receives an oversized grant check from the Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence for a special class project. Photo courtesy Highline Schools Foundation.

On Friday morning (Dec. 17th), the Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence awarded 48 Excel and MAD Grants totaling $26,211 to Highline District teachers.

Each year the Foundation asks teachers to submit applications for special class projects or needs not covered by school funds.

Special funding was provided this year for STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Mathmatics) projects by the Manning Family and Art related projects by the Fred Meyer Foundation.

For the past several years, Nanci Tangeman and her husband, Chris Blumenthal, have joined with the Highline Schools Foundation in selecting and funding their MAD Grants. These grants totaled $5,138 this year.

The Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence sincerely appreciates the support of these individuals and foundations!

A complete list of all grant recipiants will be available soon on the Foundation’s website here.

Here’s more on the foundation from their website:

The Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence was established in 1999 with the purpose of providing community resources to help Highline Public Schools succeed. We believe that by helping to enrich the classroom and school experience, we can engage students to reach a higher level of learning, and the entire community will benefit. The Foundation is governed by a dedicated group of volunteer Trustees and is the only 501(c)(3) organization supporting all Highline Public Schools. The Foundation strives to be the single point of contact for community members, local and national business, service organizations and other foundations to connect their philanthropic efforts with a single school or the entire district.

On Saturday (Nov. 6th), we received an email from Margie Thirlby, Director of Rebuilding Together Seattle (RTS), a non-profit organization that “provides donated repair services to low-income homeowners, including the elderly, disabled, families with children, and veterans in need” in the area.

On Saturday, Margie tells us that several volunteers helped John and Verna, an elderly veteran couple who live in North Burien, and who applied to their free home repair program that is made possible by Lowes, the Project Sponsor.

By Monday (Nov. 8th), the RTS team will provide them with new flooring, new insulation, a new back door, and window improvements.

If you’re interested in applying for one of these grants, please contact the RTS office at 206.682.1231 to request an application. RTS also serves non-profit facilities.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt was on hand to award the Voluntary Airport Low Emissions (VALE) Grant to fund construction of a pre-conditioned air project that will make Sea-Tac one of the nation’s few airports with a centralized system that covers the entire facility.

Once installed, the project is expected to reduce emissions by more than 50,000 metric tons of CO2, save airlines up to five million gallons of fuel and $10 million in fuel costs per year. The CO2 savings are the equivalent of taking 8,700 cars off the road. The project is expected to create 120 jobs.

“This program is helping airports around the country make needed technological investments so they can be more environmentally friendly,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The project will allow aircraft to hookup to pre-conditioned air provided by the airport at each gate. This allows planes to shutdown their auxiliary power units, which emit CO2 gases and other emissions, and cost the airlines fuel to operate. The cooled or heated air would be piped into the aircraft from a central utility plant at the airport. An estimated ten miles of piping will be used to complete the project.

“The Port of Seattle has made environmental leadership a priority; we are committed to reducing Sea-Tac Airport’s carbon footprint and this grant will help us do that,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Gael Tarleton.

The entire project is estimated to cost just over $33 million. The $18.3 million grant funding will cover the first phase of the project which will include 53 of Sea-Tac’s 81 gates. Construction is expected to begin in October and be completed by the end of 2011 for phase one. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012.

The largest previous grant award from the VALE program was for $10.3 million to Philadelphia in 2009.

The remaining cost will be paid through Airport Development Funds which come directly from fees charged to airlines.  These fees will be more than offset by decreased airline operating costs estimated to be as much as $10 million per year for airlines at Sea-Tac.

“The size of this project is unusual for an airport in a temperate climate like ours, but we’ve shown this can make a tremendous impact on our environmental footprint, one of our key goals,” said Mark Reis, Sea-Tac Airport Managing Director. “The positive effects also include reduced noise from aircraft while they are parked at the gates.”

“The FAA is encouraging airlines and airports to find creative ways to reduce aviation’s impact on the environment,” said Administrator Babbitt.  “NextGen technology will also help aviation go even greener by significantly reducing the amount of fuel burned during air travel.”

Photographer Francis Zera was on hand to witness the demonstration, and he shot these pics for us:

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt

Gael Tarleton, Port of Seattle Commissioner

Rep. Jim McDermott

A worker begins the unfurling of the VALE hose...

...and unfurls...

...unfurls some more...

...and more...

...hooks it up to the underbelly of the plane...

…then watch as it gets turned on:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Highline Historical Society has received a $3,000 grant from 4Culture for the purpose of housing threatened documents, photographs, negatives and films in the Society’s collections.

The Society owns more than 100,000 items that are subject to this grant.

Curator Nancy McKay working in the photo stacks. Photo courtesy Highline Historical Society.

“Media such as negatives need to be kept in acid free containers, sleeves and folders to prevent deterioration,” said Nancy Salguero McKay, the Society Curator of Collections. “At the present time many of our negatives and photographs are not being correctly stored because of the cost of buying these materials. This grant from 4Culture will be extremely helpful in providing materials to appropriately preserve our communities’ archival treasures.”

Highline Historical Society is a 16-year old non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history and telling the stories of Highline (we’re members – you should consider joining/supporting them – click here to join!).

Collections are in storage pending the construction of the Highline Heritage Museum in Burien (read our previous coverage here). For more information visit the Society’s web site at http://www.highlinehistory.org.

The City of Burien has opened its application cycle for the 2011 Arts & Culture grant funding, with an available total estimated at $20,000.

Arts & Culture grant funding is available to “groups or organizations that provide arts and cultural enrichment to Burien and its residents,” according to a statement.

The deadline to apply is 4:30pm on Friday, July 30th.

Applications are available for download here:

• PDF Application
• Word Application

You can also get an application by going to www.burienparks.net and clicking on “I Want To” on the upper left, then “Apply for a Grant.”

Another option is to contact Gina Kallman at 206-391-6605.

Here’s some language from the official guidelines doc (download here, PDF file):

Funding Priorities Applications that provide one or more of the following services will be prioritized for funding:

• Programs developed for or presented in the Burien community.
• Innovative and/or mixed-genre projects that bring new cultural experiences to Burien.
• Cultural education experiences for underserved and/or low-income youth.

Eligibility:
Applicants may be individuals or non-profit organizations. Evidence of non-profit status for organizations will be required.

The proposed program and/or event must be held in Burien or serve a majority of Burien residents.

Only one application per individual/organization will be accepted per year.

Review Criteria:
There is no priority between each of the elements listed below nor is there a requirement to meet all criteria:

• Artistic and heritage merit and excellence.
• Collaborative programs or initiatives with other cultural organizations.
• Administrative capability and fiscal stability of the applicant’s organization.
• Recruitment of underserved populations through special outreach and/or specialized promotional strategies.
• Participation in the City’s cultural programs and/or events.
• Documented evaluation and measurement of previous year’s program grant objectives.
• Diversity of applicant’s additional funding sources.
• Burien-based artists, heritage professionals, and cultural organizations.
• Prior grant recipients.

The deadline to apply is 4:30pm Friday, July 30th, and applications should be submitted to:

Burien Parks
14700 6th Ave SW
Burien, WA 98166