On Thursday night, Jan. 10, 2019, an Open House was held by Noble Healthcare for their proposed new long-term care facility for individuals with mental health needs in Seahurst.

This event – which was to be held in an office at 2108 SW 152nd Street – was moved across the street to St. Francis Unity Place after the turnout exceeded organizer’s expectations (there were at least 250-300 people there).

Noble Healthcare owners (and brothers) Cale, Josh and Zach Wester explained their proposed “long-term care home for individuals whose mental health needs,” along with representatives from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services and others, who helped clarify laws and regulations.

The facility – pending sale/approval/permitting – is projected to open in late 2019/early 2020 – and would be located at 2108 SW 152nd Street in the CRI office building next to the Seahurst Post Office, kitty-corner from St. Francis of Assisi School and near two Montessori schools.

The room was packed with concerned – and sometimes very emotional – residents.

Also in attendance were Burien City Councilmembers Austin Bell, Bob Edgar, Krystal Marx and Nancy Tosta, along with City Manager Brian Wilson (none of whom spoke).

At times some attendees acted hostile to the owners, sometimes shouting “shame!” as well as interrupting them or each other.

“I attended the meeting concerning Noble Healthcare’s proposed ESF in the Seahurst area,” attendee Pam Nomura told The B-Town Blog afterwards. “My main goal was to get information on the proposal. Because of the tenor of the meeting and the disrespectful manner in which questions were being asked, I chose to leave before having my concerns addressed. I regret that an occasion that should have been constructive devolved into a shouting match.”

Here’s full raw video of the event – with an approximate running time of 2 hours and 9+ minutes, as shot by Scott Schaefer (NOTE: questions from the audience begin at around the 40:00 mark):

Read our previous coverage of this issue here.

Thousands of residents decided to take one last cruise on the old elevated concrete passageway that first opened in 1953, and the King County Sheriff’s Office Guardian One helicopter flew by and used its FLIR infrared camera – usually used to track suspects – to record folks partying and playing around.

Watch – as people hang out, party and play on the viaduct!

And check it out – parts of the old relic are already being demolished:

Railroad Way S closed from S Jackson St to 1st Ave S. Use Alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/cUFNDiKALV

— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) January 12, 2019

Demolition today of the northbound SR 99 ramp up onto the viaduct. This will open space to build S. Dearborn St, connecting First Ave S to the tunnel’s on- and off-ramps. #Realign99 pic.twitter.com/fLuTfTX7TF

— SR 99 (@BerthaDigsSR99) January 12, 2019

WSDOT says that for years, travelers could only access Des Moines Memorial Drive through city streets and a westbound SR 518 off-ramp. Drivers headed eastbound on SR 518 had to exit the highway and use local streets to access Des Moines Memorial Drive – streets that weren’t designed for the heavy vehicle and truck traffic.
WSDOT adds:

“This new ramp will channel traffic away from those local streets and provide a more direct route for vehicles and trucks moving goods between the city of Burien’s Northeast Redevelopment Area (NERA), the Port of Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region.
“This is one of the first Connecting Washington projects to be completed in western Washington. Connecting Washington is a 16-year, $16 billion program designed to enhance and maintain the state’s transportation system. Projects are scheduled through 2031.”

This year’s event splashed down in a new location due to high tides – at the intersection of Maplewild Ave SW & SW 172nd.

The winner of the coveted Polar Bear Plunge spirit trophy was Jeanninne Bassinger, a B-Town resident since 2015, who was dared to plunge by her roommate Rick (who did NOT participate himself, but was there cheering her on):

Here’s raw video from our Facebook live stream (be sure to “Like” our page here to see future live videos):

Jana works at a San Francisco based startup, Chairman Mom, as a User Experience Designer. Chairman Mom is a subscription-based community platform for working mothers. For $5 a month, women can ask and answer the tough questions about life, work and motherhood without judgment, guilt or fear of being called a “bad mom” (a phrase that is banned from the site). The community is designed to create an environment free of bullying and negativity, encouraging real connection and honest discussions, with the goal of ultimately setting more working moms up for success.

Here’s a great, fun way to brrrrrring in the New Year – at Noon on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019, dive into Puget Sound at the fun-filled annual Polar Bear Plunge in the 3500 block of 172nd SW Street (map below) in Burien’s Three Tree Point neighborhood!

This annual New Year’s Day tradition will continue with crisp and refreshing saltwater, along with all the usual craziness (costumes!) that make this the perfect way to start the New Year (and perhaps cure a hangover).
One of the more festive parts of this community event is the awarding of the Polar Bear Plunge champion trophy – which consists of a Polar Bear figure on a piece of driftwood – chosen during the event by regulars and previous award-winners.

TIP: usually, the “most exuberant” plunger wins, but recently some very creative, fully costumed plungers have taken home the prize.

Last year’s winner was Katarzyna Patora, who wore an amazing mermaid costume that she made herself:

Here are some video highlights from our live Facebook feed:

Here’s GoPro POV cam footage shot by Shawn Anderson:

Here’s a great video of the 2017 plunge, shot and edited by Cameron Johnson, a proud grad of Highline High School and freelance videographer from Burien:

The 2017 Three Tree Point Polar Bear Plunge from Cameron Johnson Video on Vimeo.
Here are some Hints and Safety Tips:

• Dress Up in costume to add whimsy (and perhaps win the big prize!)
• Come early, as parking is limited. Carpool or come by boat!
• Anyone with heart problems should consult your health care provider before participating. If you don’t participate, you’re still welcome to join and watch.
• Do Not Drink. Alcohol – it does not warm you up; it accelerates hypothermia.
• Do Not Stay In The Water Longer Than 15 Minutes. Body heat is lost 30 times faster in the water than in air.
• Keep Your Outer Clothing On until swim time and remove any wet clothing before getting back into dry clothes. Bring big dry towels to warm up after you plunge!
• Have Fun!

Check out our extensive prior Polar Bear Plunge coverage hre.

Remember that amazing David Bowie Tribute Band that played at the Burien UFO Festival? Then you won’t want to miss them when they play at their Stardust New Year’s Eve Bash – classic Bowie hits will transport you to Mars and back, just in time for the 2019 countdown.

Here’s a reminder of them at BUFO:

Glitter, ice-blue suits and lightening bolt make-up strongly encouraged.

S.O.S – a Police tribute band – opens.

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

• Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stardust-nye-bash-featuring-bowievision-tickets-49872632386
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/233406007327465/

BOWIEVISION
Website
Combining world-class vocals, deft musicianship, Bowie-inspired costumes, and masterful stage presence, the BowieVision experience is simultaneously epic and intimate. The seven-piece musical juggernaut draws sell-out crowds to premiere venues in the Northwest and beyond by bringing passion and precision to songs from nearly every phase of Bowie’s eclectic career: rock anthems like Rebel Rebel, All the Young Dudes, and Suffragette City; the wide-screen balladry of Life on Mars?, Space Oddity, The Man Who Sold the World, and Changes; mid-70s “plastic soul” (Golden Years, Young Americans, Fame;) art-pop statements like Fashion, Heroes, Sound and Vision, Ashes to Ashes, and I’m Afraid of Americans; and the high-sheen 80s classics Under Pressure, Let’s Dance, China Girl, Modern Love, and Blue Jean. Accept no substitutes: BowieVision is the real deal.

S.O.S.
Facebook

Born out of a shared love of the incredible studio sound and otherworldly live performance of this band, Mitch Wilson, Anthony Medici and Cory West come together to form S.O.S., A Tribute to the Police. Portland based S.O.S. brings the high-energy performance, unique lead vocals, guitar tones, evocative vocal harmonies and intense rhythms that catapulted Sting, Andy and Stewart to rock royalty! A show not to be missed!

• Buy only a freshly cut tree
• Shake tree to see if too many needles fall off (bad sign)
• Recut bottom of trunk to allow better water absorption
• Water tree daily, keeping base of tree submerged
• Keep tree away from all heat sources
• Never use burning candles on or near tree
• Keep pets and kids away from trees
• Dispose of tree properly by recycling

Vehicle accident into a power pole South 124 St and 5 Ave S. Please avoid the area.

— Burien Police (@BurienPD) December 12, 2018

Burien’s Poet-in-Residence Raúl Sánchez read ‘Bountiful Burien,’ his new, original poem about Burien to the City Council at Monday night’s regular meeting.

Managed by former Burien Arts Association Executive Director Erin Williamson, this effort was part of the city’s 25th anniversary celebration. Raúl received $1,300 plus meals and lodging from an Arts Commission grant, and also hosted a reading and poetry workshop for residents.

His collection of poetry “All Our Brown-Skinned Angels” was nominated for the Washington State Book Award in Poetry. Raúl is a Washington State Associations of Poets board member, a Jack Straw Fellow, judge for the Poetry on Buses, and TEDx participant. An active mentor and teacher, Mr. Sanchez has led numerous writing workshops.

Here’s the video, which includes an introduction by Erin Williamson:

Here’s text of Raúl’s ‘Bountiful Burien‘:

Bountiful Burien
Raúl Sánchez December 3rd, 2018

Wholesome winds blow across the Salish Sea,
the city stands unsullied, while anxious waves
crash against the rocks untamed shore
as seen from Poet’s Nest.
The Lushootseed people knew their natural treasures,
revered and protected the old-growth forest and their
hunting grounds. Along the Duwamish, tended
cranberry bogs in the riparian waters.
Nestled in briny air, old trails and winding roads
spread this city from the magnificent valley
Michael Kelly viewed,
Sunnydale still its name.
Jacob Ambaum hacked the early roads in 1909,
now First Avenue cuts through the city
north to south, like an arrow in flight.
West of the Boulevard, there is a glacial spring
that feeds Burien Lake, pristine—
beyond the shadow of the Needle, glass towers,
loading cranes and jungle to the north
where ferries cruise from Vashon to the mainland.
Olde Burien shows vestiges of the early days
made old by time, we still adore that rusty,
rusty old sign for Tin Shop plumbing supplies
and Hayes Feed Country Store still open for
urban farmers. Ambaum Boulevard,
a testament between modest and affluent homesteads.
Winding roads lead to the shore where luxury homes
watch the sun set across Puget Sound.
In Burien, people speak the language of food
Thailand’s curry, Vietnamese Pho, Oaxacan mole,
Italian meatballs, Tortas Locas, Australian meat pies,
Greek lamb and Nepalese Thukpa soup.
“Go ahead Smarty Pants,
I will see you at 909 for coffee and wine!”
From Three Tree Point to Manhattan
across Five Corners up to Boulevard Park
we revel in Duane’s Garden patch to watch
the colors bloom beneath the Flight Path.
From all points, Shorewood, then south to
Seahurst Park, Burien; this land of dreams,
watches the world fly in and out.
Just west of ninety nine, Burien’s indelible
history shines like sunlight through
the center of Helios Pavilion, it’s green spears
point to Tahoma and The Mother of Waters
waits, while the clouds evaporate.
Seola beach gushes with light, and Seahurst Park
a destination at the very end of Shorewood Drive.
Burien is a place of destiny—
awaiting all with open arms.

“We are on our way to creating a significantly better experience for our arriving international visitors and residents here at Sea-Tac and providing a much more welcoming facility reflective of our region’s quality,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Courtney Gregoire. “We appreciate the effort from all of our partners to come together and get this done for the benefit of passengers. This is another step in making it all a reality soon!”

The final structural roof beam was raised by a crane and safely put in place Tuesday, marking the latest construction milestone of the new IAF at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. From left to right: Port of Seattle Commissioner Fred Felleman; POS Commission President Courtney Gregoire; Monte Anderson, Executive Secretary, Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council; Steve Metruck, Port of Seattle Executive Director; POS Commissioner Peter Steinbrueck; POS Commissioner Ryan Calkins; Sea-Tac Airport Managing Director Lance Lyttle; Delta Air Lines Vice President-Seattle Tony Gonchar; Clark Construction VP and Project Director Brian Ahern; All Nippon Airways VP and General Manager Gary Weiss; POS Commissioner Stephanie Bowman; and Alaska Airlines Vice President of External Relations Diana Birkett Rakow.

Sea-Tac continues to see significant growth in the number of international airlines. In 2018, three new airlines began service, with three more scheduled for 2019. Over the last decade, the number of passengers requiring U.S. Customs clearance at Sea-Tac doubled. Passenger volume during peak periods climbs well above the levels the current facility was meant to hold. As a result, passengers often must wait in airplanes at the gate, or in current hallways, before going through customs or picking up luggage.
“Like the other stakeholders of this region, Delta long ago saw the potential for Sea-Tac to expand its reach and become a truly world-class international gateway,” said Tony Gonchar, Delta’s Vice President-Seattle. “Today’s milestone brings us closer to that vision. As Seattle’s largest global airline and the largest future user of this facility, we know our customers and this region are ready for the benefits to come.”
“We look forward to the successful and timely completion of the new International Arrivals Facility to serve this dynamic region. We are proud to work with Sea-Tac Airport and Alaska Global Partners to offer our Mileage Plan members more opportunities for international travel than ever before,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska Airlines Vice President of external relations. “By next summer, our partners will offer upwards of 80 flights per week out of Sea-Tac – more than any other airline or alliance group.”
“As Chair of the International Station Managers here at Sea-Tac, and on behalf of the international carriers serving the airport, we are very excited to reach this construction milestone. We can’t wait to share this facility with our incoming guests,” said All Nippon Airways VP and General Manager, Gary Weiss.
The International Arrivals Facility Program is expected to support approximately 10,600 jobs, including 500 jobs a day during a months-long peak construction period.

Tradesmen shake hands after guiding the final beam into place on the International Arrivals Facility at Sea-Tac Airport Tuesday.

“With this incredible economic boom the Seattle region is experiencing, we hear a lot about the historic records being broken on jobs and the number of construction cranes in the sky. But what we don’t hear enough about is the human upside: beneath all of the hardhats are real, local people who are working hard day in and day out for this economy,” said Monty Anderson, Executive Secretary, Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council. “The investments here at the airport are creating thousands of good, family-wage jobs from our local communities and will help build the next generation of construction workers, opening new doors through apprenticeships for women, people of color, veterans, and others who are disadvantaged.”
The IAF is the most complex capital development program in the history of the 69-year-old airport that includes the main IAF facility for baggage claim and customs processing, an 85-foot high aerial walkway that will connect passengers from the South Satellite, and a new security corridor that will allow dual use of gates on Concourse A for both international and domestic arriving flights.
“The Topping Off Ceremony is a time to reflect on the progress we’ve made on this project – and we are incredibly proud of what our collective team has accomplished to date. It is also an opportunity to look ahead at what we have yet to achieve and reaffirm our commitment to delivering a project of which all stakeholders can be proud,” said Brian Ahern, Clark Construction Vice President and Project Director in charge of construction of the IAF. “We look forward to continuing the spirit of collaboration that has been established on site and working side-by-side with Port of Seattle and airline representatives to deliver the IAF safely, swiftly, and successfully.”
Construction is scheduled to be complete by May 31, 2020 with facility activation and testing to follow for public use opening in the fall of 2020.
You can find more information on the IAF project online as well as a time-lapse video of the current construction on the Port of Seattle’s YouTube channel.

Here’s a live Facebook feed courtesy the Port: