Thursday (July 2nd), we received the following email from a BTB Reader named Jessica, inquiring about the 1972 George Tsutakawa fountain at the new library, which has been recently removed:

Hello,

Yesterday I visited the beautiful new Burien library and noticed the fountain in front was missing. I know it made it in the move as I had previously saw it at the new location.

When I asked one of the librarians what had happened to the sculpture she said it is currently in storage but was unsure as to why.

With the community so boisterous about one particular bronze sculpture I can’t imagine why they are not up in arms to protect the lovely G rated George Tsutakawa Fountain.

Is there not enough room in Burien for more than one sculpture?

Or perhaps someone complained about the environmental impact of the base of the sculpture being too small and thus causing a small amount of water to be wasted.

I thought if anyone could get to the bottom of this it would be the B-Town Blog.

Thank you,
Jessica

So we contacted our “Empress Of Information,” Marilee Cogswell, Manager of the Burien branch, who said:

Yes, it has been removed temporarily – we are looking at alternative sites for it as it was getting a bit too much attention (trash, coins, and climbing) in that space.

It was decided to pull it out and store it before any real damage happened.

We are looking at a couple of alternatives..one inside the building and one outside.

I don’t have a timeline, but will keep you posted.

The original installation of this fountain was in an inner courtyard of the old library, which was protected from human interaction.

The new location was not, hence the concerns and subsequent removal.

When we took the photos early Thursday evening three young boys were playing around in the fountain’s base, empty of everything but rocks.

“I think they moved it ‘cuz kids were playing on it,” said one young man who was literally inside the base when asked what happened. Moments later, he found a coin from under some rocks.

Here’s some info on Tsutakawa from the website Art Market Online:

George Tsutakawa dedicated his life to art and the freedom of expression that it granted him. Tsutakawa worked in a number of media, including paint, bronze, and clay. Born in Seattle in 1910, Tsutakawa went to live with his maternal grandmother in Japan from 1917 to 1927. Upon Tsutakawa’s return to Seattle, he began to study art and help with the family import/export business. His time spent in Japan as a child – especially the traditional tea ceremonies performed by his uncle – inform his work, as did the beauty of the Pacific Northwest region and the art of the Northwest Masters. Tsutakawa attended the University of Washington, and received his MFA in 1950.

In 1960 the City of Seattle commissioned George Tsutakawa to create Fountain of Wisdom, for the Seattle Library; this project was the first art commission by the city of Seattle since 1908. Between 1960 and 1990, the artist designed and created over 60 fountains throughout the United States, Canada, and Japan. He exhibited extensively throughout Japan, the United States and Canada beginning in the 1950’s. Tsutakawa was awarded many honors throughout his career including the Order of Rising Sun Award, fourth class, from the Emperor of Japan.

In 1972, “Rain Fountain No.2,” made of stainless steel, 6′, was installed at the (old) Burien Library on 4th Ave SW.

We’ll keep you posted as this story develops, so check back often. You can also subscribe to our free RSS Feed here, or get the blog via email here.

Last fall, a hardy band of volunteers ventured down into the ravine beneath the Sylvester Road bridge in Normandy Park, where they worked to clear hundreds of pounds of garbage around Fox Creek, a tributary stream to Miller Creek. While these folks removed most of the trash, some remains, and more hardy souls are requested to help haul the rest of this garbage out this Saturday, May 16th between 9am and 11am.

There is also an abundance of invasive English ivy that has grown up many of the trees. If left unchecked, this invasive weed will kill the trees and deprive the stream of the benefits they provide. Volunteers will girdle the ivy at the base of the trees, greatly extending their lives.

So, once again the call goes out to watershed citizens who will brave the steep slopes of Fox Creek ravine to care for this ecological resource and improve water quality downstream:

WHAT: Fox Creek volunteer garbage/ivy removal in the ravine below Sylvester Bridge

WHEN: Saturday, May 16th from 9am to 11am

WHERE: Meet at the hairpin turn on 11th Place SW just down the hill from the intersection with Sylvester Road, Normandy Park.

INFO: Please RSVP via email to Dennis Clark so he can plan accordingly and to guarantee your doughnut!

WHAT TO WEAR/BRING:

• Shoes with gripping soles and good ankle support – we’ll be on steep slopes
• Clothes that can get dirty if you slip
• Layers of clothing – you’ll warm up quickly moving up and down the slope or gathering trash along the creek
• Hard hat if you have one – I have plenty if you don’t
• Sun glasses or safety glasses if you wish to use them (primarily due to bushes)
• A water bottle

PARKING:

• Parking is limited. If you can carpool, walk, or bike, that would be great. We will meet at the hairpin turn at the top of 11th Place S.W., just below the intersection with Sylvester Road. If you aren’t familiar with this location and need to MapQuest or Google it, use the following as your destination address: 16856 11th Pl. S.W., Normandy Park, 98166.
• If you drive, proceed down 11th Place S.W. past the hairpin and park as far off the road as you can. Take care to avoid blocking driveways or damaging the neighbors’ vegetation.

STUDENT PARTICIPATION:

• Students 16 and older are welcome.
• Those under age 18 should download and complete this form with a parent or guardian’s signature to allow their participation. Those over 18 do not need to fill out the form; they can sign in on Saturday.

According to a story on KOMO News, a Burien woman got so frustrated with Comcast’s lack of response to their graffiti-covered fence that they called the TV station’s “problem solver” hotline.

Marilyn Grinols tried to get a nearby graffiti-covered fence repainted by Comcast, which owns it.

Grinols tried calling the cable giant, only to get the brush-off, telling her they’d “get in touch with a supervisor” which of course they never did, leaving the tagged eyesore untouched.

So she did what every good American would do – she called the “problem solver” at a local TV station, and guess what?

The graffiti was removed within one hour!

And, despite having employees like Ken Schram and John Carlson (a former high school buddy), we tip our hat to KOMO for scaring the bejesus outta Comcast.

Read the full story here.

From local resident and YouTube User (and frequent nature videographer) 98166n comes this rather provocative video rant about graffiti and its effect on Burien:

“I support the City’s efforts to clean up graffiti, and the revised graffiti ordinance could be a useful tool.

The City of Burien could show leadership in this effort by cleaning up City properties.

The City has spent millions of dollars to improve our quality of life and also the perception of Burien in the minds of others living around the Puget Sound region.

Graffiti covering our public parks, the public face of the City most often seen by citizens and visitors, undermines all our efforts to improve our city.

This video inventory of graffiti in Burien Parks gives City managers and their contractors a place to start.

Some of it has remained for many years.

I look forward to revisiting these locations 10 days from now and finding all this graffiti removed.

When City leaders ensure that the City follows its own laws, they set an example for the citizens and speed the attainment of our collective goals.”

[WARNING: SOME NON-FAMILY FRIENDLY LANGUAGE WITHIN THIS VIDEO:]

It’ll be interesting to see what happens next – will the City respond?

Or will we see another video record and rant soon?

Hey Cityfolk…you still reading this here Blog?

Recently, some graffiti tagging took place in the usually-pristine Three Tree Point neighborhood. Two taggings were found in the 16500 block of Maplewild Ave SW – one on the recently-completed retaining wall built after the Nisqually quake damage, and another about a block south.

This morning, Ray Helms of Racy’s Property Services was out scrubbing away with his industrial-strength graffiti remover, as seen in the photos below.

According to Helms, these tags are not gang-related: “I clean up a lot of graffiti for the City of Burien, and these tags don’t look gang-related to me. Gangs usually use numbers to mark their turf. This stuff looks like some kids just got bored.”

If you happen to discover some graffiti, the best thing to do is to immediately contact Burien’s Code Enforcement Officer Jim Bibby at (206) 248-5507, or via email at jimb@burienwa.gov.

Keep in mind that the longer the graffiti sits untouched, the tougher it is to remove, so acting fast is the best bet.