by Ralph Nichols

Burien Town Square’s only privately developed property – the nearly vacant condominium/retail complex built by Urban Partners, which opened in June 2009 – is now expected to be sold this Friday, Oct. 29th.

Urban Partners has been negotiating with ST Residential, which holds its construction loan, to retain ownership of the complex and for new repayment terms that reflect the current housing market.

In early October, Paul Keller, managing partner of Urban Partners, the private developer of Town Square, again said that an agreement, which would avoid a trustee’s sale, was under final review.

At that time, Keller still expected a settlement to be signed by all parties involved and the pending foreclosure action to be avoided.

But, Peter Marino, spokesman for ST Residential, informed The B-Town Blog on Oct. 27th,

“The Burien Town Square property is scheduled to be sold pursuant to a trustee’s sale on Friday.”

“We are working with Urban Partners and, in the event an ST Residential affiliate is the successful bidder at the foreclosure sale, we expect to retain Urban Partners to manage the property to ensure a smooth ownership transition for the project and the existing unit-owners.

“ST Residential will provide further comment after the foreclosure sale,” Marino added.

The B-Town Blog is attempting to reach Keller for comment.

Burien Town Square will be put up in a foreclosure sale Friday, Oct. 29th.

Urban Partners financed construction of the six-story Town Square complex with a $38.5 million construction loan from Corus Bank of Chicago.

But the bank, a major construction lender, was closed and its assets seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) on Sept. 11, 2009 – just three months after the building opened.

The nation’s housing market collapsed about a year before Corus Bank failed and only eight months before the complex opened at the same time as the new Burien Library/City Hall building and Town Square Park.

ST Residential – an investment group formed by the FDIC, which retained a 60 percent interest in the Corus construction-loan portfolio, Starwood Capital Group and four other private investors – acquired Urban Partners’ Town Square project loan.

With negotiations between Urban Partners and ST Residential – initiated shortly after the failure of Corus Bank – moving slowly, a legal notice of foreclosure was filed on July 26.

If Urban Partners did not make a past-due payment of $3.5 million by Sept. 1, according to that notice, the Town Square complex would go into foreclosure.

Urban Partners still owes approximately $34.8 million on its loan from Corus Bank. Foreclosure will affect the 118 unoccupied condos that have not been sold, as well as ground-floor retail space and parking.

Six condos sold last year will not be impacted.

Urban Partners' Paul Keller.

In an August interview, Keller told the B-Town Blog that “Urban Partners anticipates [a settlement] will happen.

“Very simply put, Urban Partners anticipates its continuing participation in this project through the sale of condominiums and the leasing of ground-floor retail space.”

The B-Town Blog will update this story as it unfolds.

Read our previous coverage of Town Square here.

by Nicholas Johnson

Jim Todd, 71, and his wife Karen, 63, sit side-by-side in computer chairs, each roaming the Internet on their respective computers. Karen sits back as she picks up a lit Swisher Sweets cigar from the ashtray on her desk and takes a drag – it’s the third one she’s had today. Jim lights up as well and the 10-foot by 10-foot room fills with smoke, illuminated by dim sun rays pouring in from between the blinds that cover the room’s only window.

The grey-haired couple spends most days right here – in a cluttered, cramped, ground-floor apartment on the south end of White Center, Wash. They call it home, smoke-stained walls and all. And, for the past month, Jim’s nephew Vern and his wife Melissa have called the living room home. They moved in after losing their fifth-wheel trailer.

Two small dogs and a parrot named “Patty Bird” also call the apartment home. Patty Bird sits perched in a cage in the corner of the room, bird seed spilling out onto the floor. Boxes, clothes, pairs of shoes and other odds and ends fill about half the room, leaving little space to walk. When Jim married Karen 30 years ago, the two put their combined belongings into storage. But, with fewer dollars to dedicate toward storage rent, those belongings found their way into the apartment they’ve shared for the past 12 years.

Wearing dirt-smudged jeans and a blue T-shirt that reads “D.A.R.E. DASH” in bold, red letters, Jim fidgets with the hearing aid in his right ear. He touches his chin for a moment – covered in white stubbles of hair – and as he does, his wedding band catches the light. He wears it proudly, and says it was long in God’s plans that he and Karen would be together. Before Karen, Jim had been married for more than 17 years until his wife suffered a heart attack while grocery shopping.

“It was like God said, ‘I’ve given you this woman for so many years, but this woman is sitting over here waiting to come in’,” he says slowly and quietly. “It was all made before we ever got here. It was all set up.”

Although these two have their problems – especially since Jim has been out of work – they’ve never stopped looking for ways to pick themselves up. Jim has a plan, but first he needs $6,000 in start-up money. He dreams of owning and operating a cotton candy machine – in fact, he’s got it all picked out. Someday, he’d like to sell cotton candy to children at Seahurst Park; but for now, he’s just concerned about getting on his feet.

“I’m just trying to get ahead,” Jim says. “I don’t want to be a burden on society. I want to be my own support.”

Karen agrees.

“We’d all like something better than what we have,” she says. “Some people are satisfied just to be somewhere and stay there. If you have any drive at all you want to better yourself, you want to do something else. You want to progress a little bit; you don’t want to just stay where you’re at. You don’t want to get into a rut and stay there.”

Food stamps and stinky ears
Currently living off of monthly Social Security checks and food stamps, the Todd’s struggle to afford food and rarely leave their room. The two receive $92 in food stamps each month from the state’s Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).

“At $92, we can go ten days between us spending $9 a day for us to eat on,” Jim says, indicating that he’s done the math. “And the rest of the month we’re going to starve.”

Social Security pays Jim $881 a month, half of which goes toward rent, which is reduced with the help of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Choice Voucher Program, otherwise known as Section 8. With Karen’s $403 Social Security check and what remains of his, Jim pays the utility bill and other expenses throughout each month.

Income, however, is not their only problem.

At 58, Jim was working in security. That’s when he began to develop an ear infection. He eventually lost 93 percent of his hearing in the left ear and 86 percent in the right. As a result he lost his job, and his ear infection remained.

“They’re always running and draining and stinking and whatever,” he says.

Jim’s doctor recommended hearing aids for both ears, but DSHS would only cover the cost of one hearing aid – for his better ear.

More recently, Jim says he has a cataract in his eye that will need operation soon.

Getting older and getting rejected
For the next few years Jim worked as a Union Pacific Railroad crew hauler between Seattle and Portland. He’d drive out to Chehalis or Cosmopolis or any other city along the tracks to pick up Union Pacific Railroad crews when their shifts ended. Labor laws stipulate that railroad crews work an eight-hour shift – no shorter, no longer – and often these crews’ shifts end miles away from home.

When he lost that job, finding another became harder than he could’ve imagined.

“I have worked and supported my family,” he says in his deep, scratchy voice. “But in the past couple of years it has all been on a downhill slide. As I get older I am finding it harder to find a job. People don’t tell me they won’t hire me because I’m old, but that’s how it is.”

He knows his hearing makes job interviews a hassle, and he doesn’t blame the interviewer when he never receives a call back. He says, “It’s not their fault.”

For nearly ten years Jim has been out of work, and he absolutely hates it.

“I want to get up and do something,” he says as his voice breaks and a tear forms in the corner of his eye. “I’m tired of not being out working and supporting my family and bringing stuff in. I’m tired of my wife having to sit around 24 hours a day and not being able to go out and do anything or spend any money or have any freedom. And I want to do it myself. I don’t know where else to go.”

Trying something new
Over the last few years, Jim has sat at Seahurst Park in Burien selling photos he takes while at the beach. Jim and Karen collaborate on greeting cards – self-written, self-printed, self-folded and self-sold – which they call “off the wall” because of their quirky humor. Jim has even sought small grants, but he gave up when he realized most are aimed at women and minority groups.

With a room full of stuff and a keyboard at his fingertips, Jim has tried selling such things as a pair of CB radios on Craigslist. He wasn’t having much luck, so he figured if no one was interested in paying for what he had to offer, he might try a new route.

After seeing a video on ABC’s news website about a 26-year-old Canadian man who traded one red paper clip for a house in Kipling, Saskatchewan about four years earlier, Jim decided he may as well try “trading up,” too.

Kyle MacDonald traveled the country, checking his e-mail and making trades as he went. After 14 trades, MacDonald had a house – and an adventure to share with the world. Of course he wrote a book, and now appears on talk shows and gives motivational speeches.

In July of this year a 17-year-old California high school student managed to trade his old cell phone for a 2000 Porsche Boxster S, a process that took two years and 14 trades. When questioned by his friends, he said such successful bartering takes time and patience.

Surely, stories of successful Craigslist bartering have prompted many to take the first step: posting a paperclip, an old cell phone or, in Jim’s case, four paper binders:

But when Jim took that first step on Sept. 24, it didn’t take long for an unknown person to flag his post and send a hate-filled e-mail saying, “just because one guy did it with a paper clip, you think you can do it?”

“I wasn’t trying to defraud anybody,” he says. “It’s not like I was offering nothing. I don’t know what appeals to you and you don’t know what appeals to me, so how do I know what might appeal to somebody else?”

Eventually he stopped reposting the paper binders, mostly due to continued harassment from the unknown flagger. But on Oct. 19, Jim posted a new item: a Mini Maglite flashlight (click here to see the ad):

Independent all his life
Although the same person flagged it once again, Jim reposted the flashlight and his post has remained untouched since. Jim says he feels the anonymous flagger thinks he is looking for a free ride, an easy way out.

“If there’s one thing I hate it’s somebody thinking I’m going to have to be dependent on them,” he says. “I don’t want to be dependent. I’ve been independent pretty much all my life.”

Jim grew up in Alexandria, Va. His father died when Jim was eight years old, leaving him to care for his three-year-old sister. By the time Jim was 13 years old he had moved to Burien and joined the 1954 inaugural class at Sylvester Middle School.

“We used to ride on drags behind a tractor weighting down on the pallets moving up the rocks and leveling out the field,” Jim says with pride. “All those little trees around Sylvester, we planted all those, our science class did.”

He attended Highline High School during the 1950s, and by 1958 he left to finish his schooling with the U.S. Navy. Now, after years of working security and managing convenience stores, Jim has found himself asking for help from others – something he’s managed to avoid most of his life.

“All I want to do is get ahead myself, and maybe someday I can help somebody else get ahead too,” he says, with eyes wide. “You can rest assured in turn I’d be helping someone else down the line; it wouldn’t stop with me.

“I don’t want anybody to give me something for nothing. If I can get it, I’m willing to pay it back. I don’t want a hand out; I just want a hand up.”

If you have something you’d trade for Jim’s Mini Maglite, please click here to email us – we’ll not only connect you with Jim, but we’ll post progress reports as he attempts to “trade up.”

Come on Burien – let’s give this couple a helping hand!

Dr. Leslie Kasper, Burien Animal Care & Control Manager, with friend, at Companion Animal Medical Center. The center will close Oct. 15th.

by Ralph Nichols

The continuing recession is forcing Dr. Leslie Kasper to close her Companion Animal Medical Center in Normandy Park effective Friday, Oct. 15.

But, Kasper told The B-Town Blog on Friday (Oct. 7), she will continue to manage Burien’s new Animal Care and Control program.

Kasper took the reins of Animal Care and Control on July 1 when Burien opted out of a King County partnership with cities for animal control to start its own program.

Her contract to provide all animal control services for the city – except pet licensing – for $120,000 a year runs through June 30, 2013.

Primary services include round-the-clock emergency response for vicious animals, animals with life-threatening injuries, and cases of hardship or law enforcement assistance, and the maintenance of an animal shelter with 24/7 emergency access.

Companion Animal Medical Center will close Oct. 15th.

Kasper, who wants to continue working with the city, said the program is “working out very well” after its first three months.

“I’m optimistic that this is going to work out just fine,” she added about providing Animal Care and Control services while ending her private veterinary practice.

And, said city Management Analyst Jenn Ramirez Robson, “We’re very happy with the job she’s doing” – an endorsement also made by City Manager Mike Martin.

“We want to keep doing business with her,” Ramirez Robson stressed. “Burien’s local program will continue.”

The telephone number for Burien Animal Care and Control will remain the same – 206-870-8471.

Kasper is subcontracting for kennel space for dogs as well as some cats with PJ’s Pet Ranch in SeaTac, where owner P.J. Seidenstricker has been “gracious enough to work with us.”

She is also talking with A Place for Pets in Burien about kenneling kittens and possibly some cats.

“We’re trying to get as many cats and kittens as possible adopted during the next week. We are lowering our adoption prices for cats and kittens to $25 without spaying or neutering,” Kasper noted.

Most of the adult cats now sheltered have been spayed or neutered; most kittens have not.

“I am hoping in the coming months to find a place for a shelter again where the public can come and adopt pets in one convenient, centralized location,” she continued.

Kasper’s financial problems at her veterinary clinic are unrelated to the services she now provides Burien. They stem mostly from unforeseeable bad timing – she opened Companion Animal Medical Center shortly before the recession hit.

Then, if a slumping economy wasn’t enough, along came Normandy Park’s 1st Ave. S. renovation project, which has been plagued by contractor and other management problems. Now in its second year, the project has made access to the clinic difficult.

Earlier she notified both city staff and the owners of her patients of the clinic’s imminent closure, and “the bank and I have decided that the best course of action is to find another veterinarian to purchase the practice.

“What what is best for me at this time is to focus on Burien animal control. It’s the best utilization of my time and energy. The city is very gracious to continue to work with me as we get through some bumps.”

Kasper also voiced appreciation for a positive public response with the start of the new program.

Ramirez Robson agreed that the problem is clinic finances, not with animal control services. “She was letting us know as soon as she could that there would be an issue with her facility,” she said.

“We have a contract with her to provide sheltering and field services, and as long as she is willing to fill that commitment we’re willing to have some patience even if the logistics are a bit messy for a short time.”

Burien police dispatch can contact Kasper regardless of where she locates so she can respond to calls about injured or vicious animals.

The city took over pet licensing services from King County and reduced license fees on July 1. Licenses issued in July were free to boost public interest and participation in Burien’s Animal Care and Control program.

Since Aug. 1, fees have been $20 for spayed and neutered pets and $50 for unaltered pets. Pet licenses can be obtained at:

• Burien City Hall, 400 SW 152nd St., Suite 300: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday
• Burien Community Center, 14700 6th Ave. SW: 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday
• Burien City Hall North, 1218 46 Des Moines Memorial Drive: 10 a.m.-noon, Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Online at www.burienwa.gov/animalcontrol

In the local program’s first three months, a total of 1,157 licenses were issued in July, 189 in August, and 121 in September.

Animal Care and Control received 154 calls in July, including 33 calls for service, 28 about lost or found animals, and six dispatches by police.

In August, 107 calls were received, including 30 for service, 40 about lost or found animals, and four dispatches. In September, 71 calls, including 26 for service, 15 about lost or found animals, and three dispatches.

by Ralph Nichols

“The city is in good, stable financial condition” as work begins on Burien’s 2011-12 biennial budget, interim Finance Director Gary Coleman recently reported to council members.

“We’re holding our own. We’re doing just fine,” City Manager Mike Martin added. Past council policies have the city “standing in good stead” despite the current recession.

“Things could change,” Martin allowed. “But we have ways of dealing with things if they do.”

Burien switched from annual to biennial budgeting for 2009-10 and, after the impact of the recession became apparent in mid-2009, the city council made budget reductions and for the remainder of last year. Additional adjustments for 2010 were made later.

Anticipated revenues for the two-year period that begins Jan. 1 total $57.1 million, Coleman said.

Sources of income:

• Taxes – $42.9 million, 75 percent
• Fees for services – $7 million, 12 percent
• Licenses, permits and franchise – $2.9 million, 5 percent
• Intergovernmental agreements – $2.9 million, 5 percent
• Special assessments – $2.3 million, 1 percent
• Miscellaneous revenue – $1.3 million, 2 percent

Estimated property tax receipts account for the largest share of tax revenue – $14.3 million, 33 percent – followed by sales taxes – $13.1 million, 31 percent.

Additional estimated tax revenue:

• Utility taxes – $7.2 million, 17 percent
• B&O (business and occupancy) taxes – $1.7 million, 4 percent
• Motor Vehicle Excise Tax – $2.2 million, 5 percent
• Real Estate Excise Tax – $1.3 million, 3 percent
• Gambling taxes – $1.2 million, 3 percent
• Transportation Benefit District – $600,000, 1 percent
• Other taxes – $1.3 million, 3 percent

The first draft of the 2011-12 Burien budget for city council discussion projects general fund expenditures of $52.7 million, not including reserve funds.

Local law enforcement, with Burien police services provided through a contract with the King County Sheriff’s Office, accounts for $18.9 million, or 36 percent, of the draft budget – the city’s single largest anticipated expenditure for next two years.

Additional projected expenditures:

• City salaries and benefits – $12.7 million, 24 percent
• City services (combined total) – $12.2 million, 23 percent
• Debt service – $4.3 million, 8 percent
• Jail/District Court services – $2 million, 4 percent
• Intergovernmental agreements – $1.6 million, 3 percent
• Supplies – $500,000, 1 percent
• Equipment – $400,000, 1 percent

A city council discussion of the preliminary 2011-12 budget is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 11, with public hearings on the budget and 2011 property tax levy on Nov. 8.

Adoption of the new budget and property tax levy are planned for Nov. 22. Under state law, local governments must adopt their budgets for the following year by Dec. 31.

“The forecasts assume current service levels updated for the effects of the recent annexation,” Coleman told city council members. They “generally err on the side of conservatism,” and are expected to change as new information comes in.

He added that while “the city is in stable financial condition for the 2011 through 2016 period … current national and regional economic conditions underscore the need to pay close attention to the general fund in particular.”

The reopening of the casino in Burien is expected to increase gambling tax revenues. And while Real Estate Excise Tax revenues, which go to the Public Works Reserve Fund, “are continuing at a slow pace … the real estate market is expected to recover in future years plus the added revenue from the recent annexation.”

In addition to an expected recovery in sales tax revenues, the city will receive an additional 0.1 percent sales tax credit from the state for the annexation of North Burien, Coleman said.

“The most important items for us to monitor closely for the rest of 2010 and into 2011 and 12 are sales tax revenues, [Real Estate Excise Tax], annexation’s financial impact, and the contract for police services with King County.

“Each of these items has the potential to have a significant impact on the city’s general and other funds,” he noted.

[Images excerpted from Burien City Council Agenda for Aug. 2, 2010 (PDF file)]

Highline Public Schools announced Thursday (April 1) that it will be cutting its budget by a projected $4.5 million for the 2010-11 school year due to a second consecutive year of declining state revenues.

The district has already cut $10 million from programs and operations over the past two years, including an $8 million reduction to the current year budget (see our previous coverage here).

The state legislature is still in session working on a plan to fill the budget gap for next fiscal year, and until lawmakers adjourn, the precise impact to Highline’s 2010-11 budget will not be known. However, based on the latest information available, the district says that “it looks like Highline will have to cut more than $4.5 million in programs, services, and staff.”

Over the past several weeks, the school board and school district leaders have developed funding priorities that will help staff identify areas to cut and areas to preserve. The school board has identified three guiding principles:

• Support bold and innovative action to improve student achievement;
• Align district initiatives with new federal mandates and guidelines while maintaining the district vision of college and career readiness for all students;
• Ensure that equity drives practices and policies, leading to increased achievement for students from all backgrounds.

Superintendent John Welch

Superintendent John Welch is compiling a list of potential cuts with the help of principals and other administrators. As he did last year, the superintendent will name a number of administrative cuts in an effort to reduce the impact on teachers and students in the classroom.

Parents, community members, and students will have an opportunity to prioritize additional budget cuts at two community budget forums. The forums are scheduled for:

• Saturday, May 1: 9:00 a.m. Hazel Valley Elementary School
• Tuesday, May 4: 6:00 p.m. Mount Rainier High School

In addition, budget cut options will be posted on the district website, and the public will be invited to give their input online at www.hsd401.org.

The superintendent will present a budget recommendation to the school board at its May 26 meeting.

A public hearing will be held June 23, and final adoption by the school board is scheduled for August 11.

by Ralph Nichols

If you want to buy a new Ford in Burien, you’re out of luck. Instead, you’ll have to drive to Horizon Ford in Tukwila or Sound Ford in Renton.

No, Millennium Ford at 14500 1st Ave. S. hasn’t closed its doors. But it’s no longer a new car dealership.

That’s right. A third dealership on Burien’s “auto row” – long a major anchor of the city’s economy – is undergoing a major change in less than two years.

In March 2009, Burien Nissan was closed by the company and its inventory was repossessed (read our previous coverage here). Earlier, BBC Dodge closed, only to reopen later as a used car – not new car – dealership.

Now, Millennium Ford sells only used cars.

According to an industry source, an unconfirmed rumor suggests that Millennium Ford’s new car sales have been declining. Ford responded by taking both its new vehicles and parts back from the dealer and transferring them to Horizon Ford, located at 11000 Tukwila International Blvd.

Currently, if you call Millennium Ford and ask for the parts department, you are connected to the parts department at Horizon Ford in Tukwila.

And if you call Millennium and get put on hold, you’ll hear this recording:

“Millennium Ford is your used car superstore.”

Also, if you do a search for “Millennium Ford” the first return is “Millennium Used“; on that website is this graphic:

Also, Millennium’s one-time website www.y2kford.com now automatically re-directs to www.millenniumused.com.

Another industry rumor says Sound Ford may acquire Millennium Ford and rename it Sound Ford West, which would become a Ford parts and service satellite center but would continue to sell only used cars.

Despite signage proclaiming "Millennium Ford," you'll no longer be able to buy a new Ford here.

An economic downside for Burien is that, while this auto row dealership remains open, once again there is no longer a sales tax benefit to the city from new car sales. Those receipts now go to Tukwila and Renton.

The B-Town Blog was unable to reach Ford for comment Monday (March 22). But I did go into Millennium Ford, where it was confirmed that they now sell used cars only. Although I was directed to the manager, he provided no other answers and became impatient as I was leaving my contact information for the owner – who had not called by late afternoon.

When I called Horizon Ford and asked for the general manager, I was connected with someone who identified himself as Frank. He confirmed that Horizon now has Ford’s new car inventory and the parts that had been at Millennium, but did not provide any other information. He also declined to give his last name.

On Monday (March 1st) we received an email from Janel Stoneback, announcing that her Emerald City Smoothie store located at the Normandy Park Towne Center had shut its doors.

This store, located at 19803 First Ave South, may have been affected by a number of elements, including recent ongoing construction on First Ave South, the economic recession, as well as a relatively troubled location where other businesses have also faltered.

According to the Normandy Park city newsletter, this ECS location opened in August of 2008.

Far as we know, Janel’s two other ECS locations – near the Burien Safeway and at Westfield Southcenter, are still open for business.

While we don’t have the exact details yet (we’re hoping to get more info from Janel soon, which we’ll publish as soon as we receive it), according to Janel’s Facebook Page:

To all my Excellent very supportive customers, friends and business associates, it is with great disappointment we have had to make a decision to close Normandy Park Emerald City Smoothie.

Emerald City Smoothie's Normandy Park location now sits empty.

The inside of the store has been completely cleared out and is ready for the next tenant.

Menus are still visible at ECS's drive-thru window, but don't wait too long for that boost...

In a down economy, it’s always reassuring to hear of successful fundraising efforts, and the Greater Seattle YMCA has some great news – their recent $40 million capital campaign has not only hit its goal, but has exceeded it by over $800,000.

Here’s more info from their press release:

The YMCA’s historic $40 million capital campaign has successfully concluded with a total of $40.86 million in contributions. This includes prestigious challenge grants of $950,000 from The Kresge Foundation for facility construction and $1.25 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to grow the YMCA’s endowment for camp scholarships. The campaign’s success is a remarkable achievement in the current economic environment.

The campaign has enabled:

• Construction of three new YMCA facilities in some of the fastest-growing parts of King County
• Remodeling and expansion of the Central District’s Meredith Mathews East Madison YMCA
• Enhancements to the YMCA’s two overnight camps, Camp Orkila and Camp Colman
• Financial aid for 1,300 low-income youth annually to take part in overnight camping and outdoor environmental education programs

According to volunteer Campaign Chair Matt Griffin, “The impact of our investment in three new YMCAs, improvements to existing facilities, and an increased endowment will strengthen our entire community for generations to come.”

Already the three new YMCA facilities – Dale Turner Family YMCA in Shoreline, Matt Griffin YMCA in SeaTac, and Coal Creek Family YMCA in Newcastle – have attracted more than 18,000 new members, many of whom have not previously had access to the range of classes, programs and services the YMCA provides. These include youth enrichment and leadership programs, health and well-being activities, on-site child care, aquatics, gymnasiums, community kitchens, nutrition programs and public meeting spaces. In addition, the new facilities are creating programs specifically geared to the ethnic communities in their neighborhoods and hiring staff who speak the languages of those communities.

Approximately 150 volunteers and 900 contributors took part in the capital campaign. YMCA President and CEO Robert B. Gilbertson, Jr. credits them with its success.  “Our YMCA volunteer leaders and the hundreds of individuals and organizations they engaged as contributors are deeply committed to helping youth and families lead healthy, successful lives and building strong communities. That’s what this campaign was intended to do and the results have exceeded our expectations.”

About the YMCA of Greater Seattle:
The YMCA of Greater Seattle is a charitable, non-profit organization serving King and south Snohomish counties since 1876. Reaching more than 160,000 people annually through 12 branches, two overnight camps and more than 200 program sites, the YMCA provides a wide range of programs and services in child care, youth development, education, foster care, family support, wellness and outdoor experiences. More information may be found at seattleymca.org.

by Ralph Nichols

After more than two months of anticipation, of driving past Burien Nissan at Five Corners and looking for new cars on display there once again, the news this week is disappointing.

Burien Nissan will not reopen after all – at least not anytime soon. The return of the auto dealership with a new owner – Car Pros – had been expected earlier to take place in mid-September.

“We were excited” about reopening Burien Nissan, Ken Phillips, president of Car Pros, told The B-Town Blog recently. “We had everything in line. Our financing package was all done. But the sellers couldn’t provide quick title to the property and we couldn’t close in time.”

He said the problem involved only closing the proposed sale and “had absolutely nothing to do with the national economy.

“If circumstances change, we would be available to relook at the whole process,” Phillips added. “We lived for 30 years in Normandy Park. All our friends are right there. That’s our home. We know a lot of people there.”

The previous dealership owner, Rainier Automotive Group, saw the entire inventory reclaimed by Nissan in a 24-hour period in March after losing its financing. The business closed its doors less than two months later, reportedly when new financing couldn’t be arranged.

Car Pros owns Kia and Suzuki dealerships in Tacoma and a Hyundai dealership in Seattle, and dealerships in Carson, Calif. Phillips said they had planned to sell Nissan models exclusively at Burien Nissan.

by Ralph Nichols

A proposed 8.8 percent rate increase by Seattle City Light, which would begin in January, “will affect most of our residents,” Burien City Manager Mike Martin said last week.

City Light provides electrical service to almost all of Burien and all of the North Highline area. The Seattle City Council will vote on whether to accept or amend the rate increase request later this month.

Included in City Light’s rate analysis supporting the proposed increase are additional increases of 5.4 percent in 2011 and 6.6 percent in 2012.

Because City Light is a publicly owned utility, it is not regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. Oversight comes instead from the Seattle City Council.

Martin said Burien has asked City Light for clarification about the need for a rate hike at this time, “since it will affect so many of our residents,” but has not yet received a reply.

Outgoing Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels called for the increase when he submitted in September his proposed 2010 budget.

In a report to the Burien City Council, Martin noted that reasons given for a higher power rate when Nickels announced his budget proposal were the poor economy, a sharp decline in sales of surplus power and a larger-than-proposed rate decrease in 2007.

Surplus power sales have been driven down by low natural-gas prices, according to Seattle budget director Dwight Dively. While Seattle’s 2009 budget anticipated surplus power sales of $140 million, only about half that amount has been sold – leaving City Light with a $70 million shortfall.

Martin added that City Light also says the increase is needed to maintain its net operating income reserve, although “there is no legal reserve requirement” for that reserve as structured by the utility.

Citing City Light’s reference to cash flow, Martin replied, “The economy is also hurting our residents’ cash flow.”

In a statement to The B-Town Blog, he said, “At this time, it’s still not entirely clear what’s going on.” Burien staff will seek more information from City Light within the next couple of weeks.