White Center Now: The blog about White Center

By Kathy Mulady
Reporting for White Center Now

The votes are in; the southern portion of North Highline says it wants to annex to Burien (56 percent yes, as of the latest count).

Now the work begins.

Myriad details have to be sorted out in the next few months before the Burien City Council officially adopts an ordinance annexing the new area to the city.

It might be early spring before the council is ready to officially approve the annexation.

In the meantime, nothing changes as far as public safety, sewer or water service.

During a special meeting of the city council Monday night, there were already hints of just how complicated working out all the details will be.

For example, as vacancies arise on boards and commissions, should citizens of the soon-to be annexed area be eligible for appointment? Or do they have to wait until annexation is official to apply for a seat?

City Manager Mike Martin said he is already working on the steps leading up to the annexation, including modifying contracts with police and fire.

“We need a little bit of time, then we will name the date that we plan to bring the new area into the city,” said Martin.

But Martin already had some good news for residents of the unincorporated area, it looks like the county parks, threatened with closure because of King County budget cuts, will remain open and maintained while the annexation is made official.

Annexation will be a topic on the city council agenda throughout the next few months, giving incoming citizens a chance to comments as the process moves along. Council members encouraged citizens to be active.

We still need to get a handle on costs and revenue, put it all into the hopper and see what comes out the other end,” said Councilmember Gordon Shaw.

“Burien already has a vision; we have to see how to accommodate the new ideas into this vision and bring them all together,” said Shaw. He reminded the crowd gathered for the special meeting that about 40 percent of the voters opposed the annexation.

“We don’t want them to be disgruntled citizens of Burien,” he said.

Mayor Joan McGilton encouraged residents to stay involved as details including sewer and water are worked out.

Citizens like North Highline Unincorporated Area Council member Ray Helms, who will be annexed into the city, said councilmembers can count on seeing him.

“Welcome to Burien,” said Ed Dacy (above), a Burien resident, active on the Parks and Recreation Commission.

You can find out more about Burien city government at burienwa.gov.

We’ve received this City of Burien notice from two people, via People for Burien (peopleforburien.org), asking that we share it:

On behalf of the Burien City Council we welcome you to Burien! The early election results show that voters in the southern portion of North Highline have approved the measure to annex to Burien. Many of you supported this measure and we thank you for your efforts. If you did not support the annexation measure we still thank you for your interest and hope that you will continue to engage with us. We intend to serve the entire community to the best of our abilities.

The Burien City Council has scheduled a Special Meeting on Monday, August 24 at 7:00 p.m. to take a moment to congratulate ourselves and welcome our new residents to Burien. The meeting will be held at Burien City Hall located at 400 SW 152nd St. in Burien [map]. We invite you to attend the meeting or you can view the meeting online at http://www.burienmedia.org. You can also learn more about the City of Burien by visiting our website at www.burienwa.gov.

One segment of our plan moving forward will be to conduct a community visioning process sometime in 2010. You can play a role in uniting North Highline with Burien by thinking about what you would like to see in your neighborhood and community. If you have any questions or suggestions before that time please feel free to contact me at 206-439-3165 or jenniferr@burienwa.gov.

10 am tomorrow in Burien, the King County Police Chiefs’ Association is sponsoring a King County Executive candidates’ forum focused on public safety issues. The 5 top KCE candidates have confirmed, according to organizers; here’s the latest. (P.S. If you are on the Seattle side of White Center, you may be interested in tonight’s 34th District Democrats candidates forum – KC Exec is *not* included, though, because of the forum a week ago in Fauntleroy.)

Greg Duff of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council wanted to share this story, including the photos you see above and below:

On Sunday May 24 the Burien Evangelical Church held a picnic at Chelsea Park on 136th and Ambaum.

The purpose of this picnic was to honor our war heroes who have given so much that we might have freedom.

So often we gloss over the true meaning of Memorial Day thinking it is just about picnics, barbeques and working around the house. I thought it would be fun for the kids to invite the Burien Fire Department so the kids could be thrilled when the truck arrived. Three of Burien’s finest arrived on their truck and just as predicted, the kids were thrilled. The firemen went beyond the call of duty. They let the kids climb on the truck, touch the gear and gave out some neat souvenirs. They then played in our softball game and joined us for lunch. It was more than the kids who got a thrill out of having these wonderful fire fighters among us.

As I talk about the heroes of our wars who gave their lives for us, I am proud to be among these heroes who face the dangers of fire on a daily basis to protect. My hat’s off to these fine gentlemen.
Thank you to Barb Peters, North Highline Fire Commissioner for making this possible.

Greg Duff
Burien Evangelical Church Volunteer and Member of the NHUAC

The annexation vote for part of North Highline is now less than three months away, and the open house that the City of Burien is presenting at Salmon Creek School tonight is the first one since the question was officially placed on the ballot. It’s from 6:30-8 pm; here are full details from the Burien website.

The vote is on, as noted in this item from this morning’s city of Burien newsletter – the final action by the Boundary Review Board was a followup to the public hearing in Tukwila that we covered March 30th:

North Highline Annexation Headed for Ballot

The City of Burien’s proposed annexation of a southern portion of North Highline is headed toward a vote of residents who live in the proposed annexation area. The proposed annexation cleared a major hurdle April 16 when it was approved by the Boundary Review Board of King County. Next, the City of Burien will work with King County to place it on the August 18 ballot. The measure requires a simple majority for passage. If approved, the annexation will take effect in early 2010. To see a map or to determine if you live in the proposed annexation area, visit the City of Burien website at www.burienwa.gov/annexation, or call 206-241-4647.

(below, our notes on the meeting as it happened, start to finish)

7:06 PM: We’re at the Riverside Residences in Tukwila, where the King County Boundary Review Board is about to start its public hearing on Burien’s proposed annexation of part of North Highline. This is a key step along the path to the proposed August 18 public vote. We’ll be posting live updates here as it happens. Vice chair Robert Cook has recused himself from consideration of this matter; member Lynn Guttmann is ill. The hearing starts with various explanations of how the process works. Special assistant attorney general Robert Kaufman has just reminded those in attendance that they need to sign up if they want to speak when this finally gets to the public comment portion, likely no sooner than 8 pm. The city of Burien gets to make its presentation first. Kaufman explains that the board will conclude this hearing with a “preliminary recommendation” on the proposal, which then would be considered for final action when board members have their next formal meeting on April 16th.

7:13 PM: Looks like fewer than a dozen people plan to testify – there has just been a mass swearing-in of those who were signed up. Now Burien city manager Mike Martin is starting his presentation. He says this is a “historic” occasion and notes that at least three councilmembers are in the audience. He is also mentioning the hearing back in September that came to an abrupt end because the proposal had been withdrawn at that time.

His presentation says the proposed annexation area includes: 1679 acres, 14,100 people, assessed value $1,159,030,100. He recaps the negotiations that resulted in the Memorandum of Understanding with parties including the county, Seattle, Burien, and fire districts, including pointing out that everyone ratified that agreement except the Seattle City Council. Now a timeline – if the annexation vote happens in August 18 and it’s approved, the council could formalize the annexation in March 2010. Martin says the city is trying very hard to reach out to residents of the area. He says that while the county thinks that the area has $13 million in capital needs, Burien thinks there’s more like $59 million and isn’t sure how it’ll handle that, but they’ll do their best to try.

FOR THE REST OF OUR NOTES ON THE HEARING, WRITTEN AS IT HAPPENED, CLICK AHEAD: Read the rest of this entry »

The city of Burien has sent out a list with both reminders and announcements of upcoming meetings regarding whether part of North Highline will be annexed, with a vote coming up later this year – read on for details: Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, so I have been a bit deliquent on my lunch reviews as of late. To be honest, I have not been eatin lunch out much. I get a bahn mi from next door, or eat the pizza, that we are now serving.  This past Monday I got out of the shop though. I went down to Han’s in Burien. Yeah, not White Center, but it isn’t that far, and for you folks in West Seattle, really, Burien is not that far, and if you have never been to Han’s it is worth the trip.

Han’s is a deli, the way delis are supposed to be. The have a big case, full of cured meats, wursts, potato salads, and krauts. One wall is devoted to breads, the other to beer. Right in the middle is the dry goods. Spices and canned foods. Candies and chocolates. Even newspapers from the mother land. When you go here though, your focus should first be on that meat case. Most everything is made in house. I asked the woman how long they had been there, and she told me in a thick German accent, “We are new. Only about 35 years.” Yeah, 35 years, and you have never heard of this place.

I have now been in there a few times, and I have to say their sandwhiches, though small, are perfect. Try the Lachsschinken, a smoked ham that seems to be fat free, and full of wonderful smokeyness, or one of the many braunsweiger, or liver wurst. I am not a fan of liver, or pates of any kind but I am a sucker for braunsweiger. My Irish grandfather used to eat the stuff for lunch every day, and he would share chunks of it with his hounds. At Han’s, 4.50 gets you a sandwich with thick slices of braunsweiger, mayo, mustard, German pickles, and Havarti cheese. Try a few things in the case. Make sure you get a side of the German potato salad, and a little bit of the kraut. Skip the mustard/ American version of the potato salad. You can get that at Safeway. The ladies working here are friendly, patient and helpful. They might make fun of you, but only in the most loving way.

After you pick out your sandwich and cured meats, make a left and head over to the beer wall. If you are truly going to have a German lunch, you have to have a beer with that. I counted 43 different beers the last time I was there. Most are German, but there are a few from the newly opened Eastern Bloc. After you have picked out your beer, turn around and pick up a jar of pickles. The have quite a variety. Salt pickles, dills, German style, garlic. It will take me a year to work through the pickle aisle. Now head back to the register to pay and pick up your deli items. This is the time to pick out some chocolate. The have a huge variety of European chocolate, but even though I prefer a dark chocolate, I always end up getting the Kinder Egg. If you have never experienced one of these, think of a Cadbury egg, but instead of sugar goo, the are stuffed with a small choking hazard toy of some sort.

I keep forgetting my camera, but here is the address.:

Han’s German Sausage and Deli

17 SW 148th St # B, Burien, WA‎ –

(206) 244-4978

Quick followup to our Monday coverage of the Seattle City Council vote against accepting the “memorandum of understanding” with Burien and two fire districts: We asked Burien city manager Mike Martin for comment, and he replied:

We’re focused on August 18, 2009, the day we expect to ask North Highline residents in our proposed annexation area whether they want to join the City of Burien. Everything else at this point is just a distraction.

Reminder, the next date in the annexation process is a Burien-sponsored open house tomorrow night (Thursday 2/12), Boulevard Park Library, 6:30-8 pm (more info here).

By David Whelan
Reporting for White Center Now

For last night’s meeting of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, the main event was clearly the prospect of annexation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Part of the North Highline annexation process just moved forward with votes during tonight’s Burien City Council meeting: Burien councilmembers first authorized the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with Seattle and other parties, by a 4-1 vote tonight (the “no” vote was from Councilmember Lucy Krakowiak, who says she thinks the annexation area, with 14,000 people, is too big, and she would rather start with 10,000). Second, they approved a resolution that will send the proposed Burien annexation to residents for them to approve or reject in an upcoming election, by the same vote. Next steps, according to city manager Mike Martin, would be to take the issue, with the proposed boundaries to which the parties agreed, to the county/state-run Boundary Review Board. And Seattle city leaders have to decide their next steps — whether they will pursue annexing the rest of the North Highline area (the Memorandum of Understanding with Burien and the other parties does not require them to). Then, there’s the initiative that former Burien councilmember Stephen Lamphear is pursuing, seeking to cancel the deal between Burien and Seattle – he thinks the North Highline area should be annexed intact, and should be annexed by Burien; initiative petitions will be circulated. Also, as councilmembers were reminded tonight, an annexation open house is planned for February 12th in Boulevard Park.

Annexation’s likely to be a hot topic at both of these meetings: It’s definitely on the agenda (which you can see online) for the Burien City Council, 7 pm tomorrow; North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meets this week too (7 pm Thursday, North Highline Fire District HQ but the agenda’s not online yet as of this writing Sunday night).

We’ve received a copy of an initiative that former Burien City Council member Stephen Lamphear plans to pursue to prevent North Highline from being broken up by two separate annexations, as is the current path Burien and Seattle appear to be pursuing. See it here. More to come. ADDED 9:45 PM: Via e-mail, we asked Lamphear what happens next. He explains, “After getting together with the city attorney to agree on official ballot language, we have 120 days to gather signatures from Burien voters.” Why pursue the initiative? we asked. “I’m doing this because the MOU slicing and dicing North Highline is not in Burien’s best interest, gives away the tax paying business areas of NH, and is not the preference of most NH residents. The MOU was negotiated in secret and did not include the most affected — those in NH.” He wants to see Burien annex the entire area, explaining: “Before Burien incorporated in 1993, the entire area was Highline — one community. I live 4 blocks from NH and these are my neighbors. For Seattle, NH is a land grab; to Burien these are our neighbors.”

ORIGINAL 7:07 PM REPORT: Annexation matters were scheduled to be on the agenda tonight but it sounds like they may not be able to follow the original plan, as deputy mayor Rose Clark opened the “work session” by announcing two councilmembers are absent because of a “medical emergency” — in all, only three are present (Gordon Shaw and Sally Nelson, along with Clark) so they don’t have quorum. The live stream is up nonetheless; you can watch it here. 7:33 PM UPDATE: Brief discussion of the annexation issue in a review of accomplishments: Burien city manager Mike Martin says he’s focusing on an August election, in hopes the annexation “transition” could be made in March/April of 2010. 7:44 PM UPDATE: They’ve concluded no additional members are showing up, so the agenda – including annexation – is now pushed back till next Monday.

ART EVENT TODAY: Kim sends WCN this reminder of what should be quite the spectacle in Burien this afternoon/evening:

A 30′ sculpture of a mother and child, The Passage will be the first artwork installed in the new Burien/ Interim Art Space (B/ IAS). This impressive scuplture is being transported from its current location on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, and will be installed with a community celebration planned for January 24th – and you are invited!

The Passage was originally created for Burning Man, built from recycled scrap metal, and features a flame between the hands of the mother and child, water falling from their other hands, and footprints also lighted with flames. The sculpture will only have the flames lighted for special events.

The interim art space will temporarily take over the lot just north of the first residential building at Burien Town Square. For the next year, several sculptures are being brought in from national and local artists, thanks to efforts by Ignition Northwest and the Burien Arts Commission, in collaboration with 4Culture, Urban Partners and GGLO. Local arts groups, students and gardeners will also be encouraged to contribute to the space.

The B/ IAS grand opening event starts at 3 p.m. with a pre-event artists’ reception at the Burien Town Square sales center, followed by a processional to the interim arts space, and the lighting of The Passage, which features both flames and water. Other sculptures will be introduced, also featuring interactivity and flame.

Here’s a map to Burien Town Square.

ANNEXATION ON THE AGENDA: Monday night’s Burien City Council work session has North Highline Annexation-related items on the agenda; see that agenda here. If you can’t make it to the meeting in person, you can watch the online stream via the City of Burien’s recently revamped website.

Although most of the details of the proposed agreement between Seattle and Burien for the proposed annexation have been covered in this blog as well as our partner, West Seattle Blog, the Seattle Times has a good article in today’s edition.  Per the article:

North Highline, one of the largest urban parts of King County that isn’t in a city, could be split between Seattle and Burien if the two city councils and voters decide that’s a good idea.

Seattle would become the local government for White Center and neighboring communities in the northern portion of North Highline, and Burien would absorb Boulevard Park and other neighborhoods in the southern part. An estimated 33,400 residents would be affected.

The proposed boundary, tentatively agreed to this month by Seattle and Burien, would run mostly along South and Southwest 112th and 116th streets. The agreement defines how much territory each of the cities could annex through the end of 2011. After that, all bets are off.

Feel free to leave your thoughts, but as always, be civil (and rational).  Thanks.

White Center Now was first to report last night that Burien City Manager Mike Martin announced a mediated agreement with Seattle and two fire districts over the future of annexation proposals – current and potential – in the White Center/North Highline area. Here’s our original report from last night; now, Burien has posted the agreement online – read it here. Also a reminder, the two annexation open houses we reported last month are still on the schedule for January and February; full details here.

With Burien’s proposal to annex part of the North Highline area back on a somewhat fast track, the city has just set dates for two more annexation open houses: One in Shorewood in January, one in Boulevard Park in February.

Here are the details:

ANNEXATION OPEN HOUSE IN SHOREWOOD
6:30-8 pm January 6, 2009
Shorewood Elementary School (map)
More info

ANNEXATION OPEN HOUSE IN BOULEVARD PARK
6:30-8 pm February 12, 2009
Boulevard Park Library (map)

Burien’s annexation-info page is back online too after a recent city website redesign, though some of its information does not appear quite up to date yet.

(Burien Council members, seated tonight in “study session” mode)
From tonight’s Burien City Council meeting: Councilmembers voted to once again proceed with the planned annexation procedure — targeting part of White Center — that ended with the withdrawal of the proposal about a month and a half ago. They described the process as to some degree starting over again from the same point at which they were last spring. Here’s the map of the proposed annexation zone. We’ll be following up tomorrow with Seattle reps and others about what happens next from their standpoint. ADDED LATE MONDAY NIGHT: More details on tonight’s Burien proceedings: Read the rest of this entry »