City Government

Press release:

Join the Burien Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and staff for a dog park planning meeting.

Come discuss a proposal for an off-leash dog play area.

Sites to be discussed include Hazel Valley Park and Salmon Creek Park.

This project also supported by the B-Town dog owners group.

When: March 13, 2013 @ 7 pm
Where: Saint Bernadette Parish Hall
1028 SW 128th ST, 98146

For more information call 206-988-3700

Press release:

Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) has been chosen as one of just fifty animal organizations in the nation to compete in the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge. The organizations will be vying for more than $600,000 in grant funds, including a grand prize of $100,000 to the shelter with the greatest increase in lives saved through pet adoptions and returning strays to their owners.

RASKC handles animal services for SeaTac and Tukwila.

“Regional Animal Services is committed to improving animal welfare in King County, and participating in the ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge will help us further that commitment,” said RASKC manager Dr. Gene Mueller. “Our staff and volunteers are excited about taking part in this competition, but broad community support will also be crucial. So, we hope to engage the residents and businesses of King County to help us connect cats and dogs at the Pet Adoption Center with loving homes.”

The stalled Burien Town Square saga continues as the Burien City Council voted unanimously Monday, Feb. 25, to direct Harbor Urban, owner of the still undeveloped parcels at Town Square, to sell those parcels to another real estate developer, Legacy Partners, as permitted under the city agreements with Harbor Urban.

Legacy wants to complete the multi-family housing-retail project in Burien’s city center and has submitted to the city a redevelopment proposal that calls for a mix of upper-scale multi-family housing and retail.

The remaining undeveloped Town Square property is just north of the current Town Square condominiums and Library/City Hall between Southwest 152nd and Southwest 150th streets.

In agreeing to the switch in developers, Councilmember Gerald Robison commented, “Harbor Urban hasn’t come up with anything.”

Councilmember Jack Block Jr. also agreed but urged Legacy Partners to “keep the city’s vision within current market conditions.”

The council and city staff originally envisioned the remaining parcels would be contain condominiums and retail space much like in the first phase.

Press release:

The City of SeaTac announces Joe Scorcio as Director of Community and Economic Development.

“We’re excited to have Joe join our team as the new Community and Economic Development Director,” said Todd Cutts, city manager. “He brings with him a wealth of experience that we believe will translate into solid leadership in the department and great customer service in the business community for years to come.”

Scorcio has 29 years of experience in public service positions for Pierce County including leadership of the award-winning 930-acre Chambers Creek Property Master Site Plan with Chambers Bay Golf Course as its centerpiece.

He has served on a variety of regional boards and commissions including the Puget Sound Air Quality Authority and the Tacoma - Pierce County Chamber of Commerce.

In 2010, the Tacoma Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau awarded Scorcio the Community Unity Award. He is a member of the American Institute for Certified Planners and he is active in the community supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs, Humane Society and the Chambers Creek Foundation.

A Des Moines couple whose dog, Rosie, was Tasered, then shot four times and killed by Des Moines police in 2010, was offered $51,000 by the department. Legal and other costs will be additional.

Charles and Dierdre Wright had filed a federal lawsuit against Des Moines police, claiming their civil rights were violated when officers shot Rosie, a 3 year-old Newfoundland, November 7, 2010.

This offer of judgement was reached last month according to the Wrights' Bellingham-based attorney, Adam Karp.

The couple is still seeking some $90,000 in investigative and attorney fees from the city.

Karp, who received his law and graduate degrees at UW, told the Highline TImes he wanted to clarify some points in the case that he said some media got wrong or did not include in their stories about Rosie. He also discussed his love for animals.

"The city submitted an offer of judgement," Karp said. "It wasn't really a 'settlement'. Typically, settlement agreements don't result in judgements. The offer of judgement was for $51,000 plus reasonable attorney fees and costs, and that would be decided by the court.

Press release:

The City of Des Moines is pleased to announce that permit applications have now been received from Yareton Investment Fund for the luxury Artemis Hotel project to be built on Pacific Highway South.

The development is the result of a trip by former Mayor Bob Sheckler, who met investor contacts while on an outreach effort to China.

The project was slowed during this last year due to additional processing time taken by the federal agency USCIS to approve the Chinese investors’ application for EB-5 foreign investor visa designation.

The investor group has decided to move forward with the permitting process in anticipation of approval. The building will be almost 300,000 square feet and have 235 hotel rooms.

Plans include an authentic four-star Chinese restaurant of a quality and authenticity currently unavailable in the Puget Sound region, as well as an upscale spa and other high-end amenities.

Further details and renderings are available at the Artemis Hotel website http://www.yareton.com/.

Press release:

The City of SeaTac is pleased to announce the opening of SeaTac Market, a multicultural grocery store and bakery. The 10,500 square foot grocery opened to a crowd of 500 people on January 24.

“This is the only grocery store of this size to serve the nearby community,” said Jeff Robinson, economic development manager for the City. “Not only does this market allow the neighborhood to have access to fresh produce and a large selection of grocery items, but it creates a more walkable community where people don’t have to get in the car or on the bus to shop.”

Located in the SeaTac Center on 152nd and International Boulevard, the store is dedicated to a mix of food and grocery options including American, African, Asian and Mexican food, a bakery and coffee shop. The second floor includes a growing collection of furniture from around the world that is for sale.

Press release:

The City Council will celebrate the City of Burien's 20th birthday at its Monday, March 4 meeting, 7 p.m., at City Hall first floor Council Chambers.

Past Councilmembers in attendance will be recognized and Mayor Brian Bennett will speak.

The public is invited to come and enjoy some birthday cake and help celebrate the city's birthday.

Burien officially became a city on Feb. 28, 1993.

The 2013 Citizen of the Year also will be honored at the meeting.

Press release:

The City of Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services is pleased to present the works of artist Richard Jahn.

Mr. Jahn writes:
Most of my paintings are fairly straight-forward scenes that are part of my life. I tend to paint the most obvious things in the most obvious ways. I do however try to infuse my own personality into each painting which is something that has no specific formula… but somehow it happens.

My earliest love of art came from looking at psychedelic posters and album covers back in the ‘60s. I also love the early Dutch artists and their depictions of everyday life. I hope that you see at least a little bit of these influences in my paintings.

I am self-taught; I have no desire to copy or paint like any other artist. Ultimately I want my paintings to be reflections of who I am.
I see painting as somewhat of a "Calling" that comes from somewhere higher than myself and I’ve made it a point to heed this call. It's more than a hobby….but it is still a hobby....and I'm having a good time with it!

In addition to painting I am a 21-year veteran, full-time, professional fire fighter.

How did the corruption in the Bell, California government happen? How did the North Highline Fire Station financial problems happen a few years ago?

Both of these were forms of governing that did not allow sufficient citizen involvement and didn’t have a system of checks and balances.

Control is taken from citizens by constantly rewriting ordinances until citizens virtually lose their voice over how things are handled.

Recently, the Burien city staff, at the direction of Mike Martin, has rewritten how often citizens could request a change to the Burien Comprehensive Plan.

In most Washington state cities, citizens can apply for a change once a year. However, the Burien Department of Growth and Development felt they were overworked so they changed the ordinance. Now citizens are allowed to put in for a change and be put on the docket once every four years.

Also, if Mike Martin feels that it would cost too much to consider a citizen request to be put on the docket, he can ask the council to turn down a citizen request indefinitely.