Here’s the rest from Ecology’s press release:

The revised master program combines local plans for future shoreline development and preservation with new shoreline development ordinances and related permitting requirements.  Tukwila has shoreline along the Duwamish, Green and Black rivers.

“Tukwila’s shoreline master program helps protect the economic and environmental health of our waterways.  It addresses existing and future uses as well as protecting the shoreline ecology in the city.  People representing many interests worked on this, showing that we can protect treasured shoreline resources now and for the future,” said Geoff Tallent, who oversees Ecology’s shoreline management activities in northwest Washington.

Tukwila’s process brought diverse local interests to the table to work collaboratively. The shoreline master program process began with a thorough inventory of existing land-use patterns and environmental conditions, and was completed with consultant support. These groups included waterfront property owners, scientists, non-profit organizations, tribal government representatives, commercial interests, and state and local resource agency staffs.

Tukwila Mayor Jim Haggerton stated, “After a lengthy public review process, the city is pleased to receive approval of its shoreline master program and appreciates the involvement of local citizens, businesses and interested parties in helping shape the program.  We believe the new master program supports the efforts to restore shoreline habitat while allowing local businesses and property owners to continue their uses along the City’s highly urbanized shoreline.”

Tukwila’s shoreline master program:

• Provides an easily referenced listing of land uses the city will allow, conditionally allow or prohibit along shorelines.
• Includes aquatic environment standards for in-water development.
• Clarifies building height standards and establishes criteria for buildings that exceed 35 feet.
• Guides the size and location of signs needed in the shoreline area.

Shoreline master programs are a cornerstone to state’s 1972 voter-approved Shoreline Management Act. The law requires cities and counties with regulated shorelines to develop and periodically update locally tailored programs to help minimize environmental damage to shoreline areas, reserve appropriate areas for water-oriented uses, and protect access to public lands and waters.

The law requires Ecology review of each city and county shoreline program.  On approval by Ecology’s director, Ted Sturdevant, these become part of the state shoreline master program. The department will help defend approved local shoreline programs against legal challenges.

Washington’s cities and counties with regulated shorelines – about 220 in total – must update their programs by December 2014. They are following regulations adopted by Ecology in 2003. The regulations carry out a negotiated settlement among 58 different parties including business interests, ports, environmental groups, shoreline user groups, cities and counties, Ecology, and the courts.

However, as this Reporter experienced first-hand, there have been some changes that Drivers should be aware of:

• When turning right (south) from Klickitat Drive onto Southcenter Parkway, you will be funneled straight ahead. You cannot turn left onto Strander Blvd. as you could prior to the construction.
• This “funneling” may confuse and upset some Drivers trying to get to the mall. This Reporter ended up turning left into the parking lot of Outback Steakhouse, then heading north and turning east on Strander.
• Many Drivers have been seen performing u-turns in this area to access Strander Blvd. and the mall.

We don’t yet know the reason for this change in traffic control, but we do know this – it’s confusing and can upset some. Drive carefully in that area until people get used to it, or the powers that be change it back to the “old way.”

Here are some pics of the re-opened interchange:

As you turn right, the new interchange looks nice and smooth...

...until you realize you're being funneled straight ahead. Be aware of a u-turn frenzy ahead!

Here’s more on the re-opening from the city’s website:

After the roads open, the contractor will continue to wrap up some of the final construction elements of the project. Please expect some temporary lane closures within the project limits as these final elements are completed. These temporary lane closures will occur on up to ten days spread over the next month, with as much work being completed at night as possible. During this time, depending on weather, some of the work that will continue after the roadway opening may include:

• Paving of the final layer of asphalt.
• Turning on the new traffic signal just south of Strander Boulevard.
• Construction of concrete crosswalks in the Doubletree Hotel vicinity. The crosswalks will require a minimum of 24 hours of cure time before vehicular traffic can cross them. Consequently, both directions of traffic will be routed to one side of the parkway while the first half of the crosswalk is curing, followed by the reverse process to complete the second half. These lane shifts may occur on up to four days spread over the next month.
• Installation of a large sign structure across southbound Southcenter Parkway near the new tunnel. This work will most likely occur at night during late October. The new sign structure will have signs with arrows indicating which lane to be in for accessing I-5/SR 518, Strander Boulevard and Southcenter Park way.
• Continued landscape maintenance throughout October. The contractor will provide this service to ensure the plants are established throughout the coming year. Some slopes may be temporarily protected against erosion using plastic or special matting.
• Replacing all temporary wood pedestrian railings with new steel railings.
• Continued monitoring and optimizing of the new traffic signal timing.
• Installation of permanent striping. Some striping materials require a minimum cure time on asphalt pavements before they are installed. Permanent striping is also weather dependent.
• Painting of concrete retaining walls. This will be completed as weather permits.

It will be held at Billy Baroo’s Restaurant, located at Foster Golf Links, 13500 Interurban Avenue South in Tukwila.

Former Seattle mayor Greg Nickels will moderate.

Races featured include Tukwila City Council, Mayor and School Board.

This event is organized by various residents of Tukwila.

There is no cost to attend.

Donations of non-perishable food will be taken at the door.

South King Fire & Rescue and the Cities of Federal Way and Des Moines, WA hosted a dawn 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at Celebration Park in Federal Way on Sunday Morning, September 11.

Visit our sister site The Waterland Blog to view the photo feature from today’s event.

The Mayors of Burien, SeaTac, and Tukwila will address members of the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce (we’re members) at the May Membership Luncheon at the Puget Sound Skills Center in Burien, on Friday, May 13th.

The Mayors present will be Jim Haggerton of Tukwila, Joan McGilton of Burien, and Terry Anderson of SeaTac. The Mayors will address specific issues within each of their cities, focusing on economic development: current and future successes, challenges and opportunities. There will be time for audience members to ask questions.

Here are the details:

WHAT: SW King County Chamber of Commerce’s Mayors Panel.

WHEN: Friday, May 13, 2011, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm.

WHERE: Puget Sound Skills Center, 18010 8th Ave. South, Burien.

COST: Lunch is $20 pre-paid by noon on May 12th or $35 at the door.

INFO: Sponsored by Domestic Abuse Women’s Network (DAWN).

Register by contacting the Chamber at (206) 575-1633, email staff@swkcc.org, or register online here.

by Janet Grella

We’ve known it for quite some time – Nancy Hinthorne is retiring as President/CEO of the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce (we’re members) on Friday, April 15th.

Well, finally that end date is upon us.

And so is the retirement party to honor Nancy – it will be held at Rainier Golf and Country Club this Thursday, April 14th starting at 5pm. To RSVP, click here.

We sat down with Nancy to give her an “exit interview,” but she chose not to say what she’s done in her 12 years at the chamber, but to speak about the accomplishments of the communities the Chamber serves:

• “Both SeaTac and Burien have new city halls;
• Sea-Tac Airport has been renovated, and has a third runway;
• Light Rail and Sound Transit now serve the communities;
• Brought the Des Moines business community into SWKCC
• Burien has a new Town Square and Library and;
• Tukwila has seen the expansion of Westfield Southcenter.”

Plus there’s a few things you don’t see in our communities because of the opposition by the Chamber. They actively campaigned against locating a sex offender facility in the area, opposed the Southwest Airline relocation to Boeing Field and opposed the Link Light Rail on International Blvd.

Nancy was not without accomplishments of her own during her tenure at the Chamber. A few that she pointed out to us were

• “Working with Tukwila and created the highly successfully Seattle Southside Visitors Center;
• Joined the South Sound Chamber of Commerce Legislative Coalition;
• SWKCC became accredited by the US Chamber of Commerce.”

She has also personally participated in visionary organizations, where she was a Founding Director of both the Highline Schools Foundation and Discover Burien.

Of her 40+ year career, 25 have been spent in non-profit, community-based organizations that include the SWKCC, East King County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Bellevue Downtown Association where she left after 11 years, and was by then the Executive Vice President.

So what’s the ‘back story?” Why is Nancy leaving all this? Let’s say L-O-V-E. A few years ago, when Nancy’s husband proposed to her, he asked if she would retire from her post at the Chamber so they could travel and to change her name to Hinthorne (from Damon)…and she did! Nancy’s family grew from two grown children and one grandchild to four grown children and five grandkids, plus spouses, of course.

Her husband Dick will retire the end of the year. As for the travel she and her husband plan, the first is a trip to Hawaii for a family friend’s wedding. Then they’re off to Washington D.C. And the really big, just to die for trip is a sailing cruise around the Greek Islands.

On her retirement from SWKCC Nancy said “I’m going to miss the people and being in the thick of things”. I’m looking forward to being a housewife, which is an opportunity I never thought I’d have.”

Well Nancy won’t be “quite” retiring on April 15th. She has taken the position of Interim Executive Director of Discover Burien.

Nancy has promised the Board at least a year of her “retirement” time to serve DB. “I’m here as long as they need me,” she said. “Whatever it takes to devote the equivalent of 40 hours per month to the DB cause!” Nancy will spend much of her time to developing and managing new and streamlined operations and procedures for DB.

Of course Nancy will work on growing the membership, will be active in the business community and just hang with the Burien community that she has served so long and well as both our Chamber President/CEO and DB Board member.

So many in our Chamber and communities wish you well Nancy! Happy trails, wherever they may lead you.

The only way the Tukwila Pool will remain open past September 14, 2011 is if the citizens vote for the creation of the Metropolitan Pool District (MPD) and the associated tax to fund it.

We are looking for a substantial commitment by a large number of people to do what it takes to get the word out to the voters. Things that will need to be done include leadership, organizing work parties, fundraisers, door belling, phone calling, sign making, printing, community outreach and probably a lot more. If you are sincerely committed to Saving the Tukwila Pool please email: savetukwilapool@gmail.com Include your name, contact info, how many hours and / or $ you are willing to commit and how you can help.

For interested parties who do not have access to email (not sure how you are reading this, but OK), you may phone 206-241-6064 and leave your information on voice mail.

- Ellen

Thousands of MLK Day celebrants strolled through Seattle’s streets Monday afternoon. Following a route from Garfield High School down to the Federal Building at 2nd Avenue and Madison Street, marchers carried signs and chanted for equality and justice.

Prior to the march, a rally was held in Garfield’s gymnasium. The rally featured performances by the Leschi Elementary Choir, El Centro Children’s Choir and the PNW Drum line. Keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Robert Jeffrey Sr. delivered a powerful speech, bringing the audience to their feet and motivating them for the long march.

Below are scenes from both the rally and march, accompanied by an audio compilation from the day. Enjoy, and be sure to turn up your speakers.

Click to Play the Slideshow

Professional actress and Chautauqua scholar Joan Wolfberg will take audience members on Eleanor’s transformative journey from a shy, awkward childhood, to the White House, and later to the United Nations. Roosevelt emerged as one of the most influential civil rights advocates of the 20th century.

Wolfberg’s presentation includes discussions of evolving attitudes toward the equality of women, civil rights, human rights, politics and freedom. This program is suitable for middle school students and up. It is made possible with the sponsorship of Humanities Washington and its Inquiring Mind program.

The presentation takes place at SeaTac City Hall, 4800 S 188th Street, in SeaTac. Free admission and free parking. (Donations always welcome.)

Visit www.highlinehistory.org for more information about the Highline Historical Society.

On Wednesday, July 14, workers and local dignitaries joined together to celebrate the “topping out” of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s new consolidated rental car facility. When the new structure opens in spring of 2012, it will house all rental car related operations for the airport.

The ceremony, which by most accounts dates back to ancient Europe, marks the completion of the building’s basic structure. After the mandatory speeches, the dignitaries and labor representatives each signed the large steel beam that acted as a back drop for the day’s ceremony.

Bedecked with a banner representing the Iron Workers Local 86, an American flag on one end and an evergreen tree on the other, the beam was lifted by one of the large tower cranes and “flown” around the job site before being maneuvered into place on top of the structure.

With the final piece of structural steel in place, the construction project is around the half way point with a lot of work remaining in order to meet the scheduled opening date in early 2012.

Speakers at the event included Dave Soike, the Deputy Managing Director of Sea-Tac Airport, Port of Seattle Commissioner John Creighton, SeaTac Mayor Terry Anderson, rental car industry spokeswoman Lorie Tallarico, King County Labor Council AFL-CIO board member Lee Newgent, and Jack Beaudoin, Vice President and General Manager for Turner Construction.

All of the speakers emphasized the degree of cooperation and coordination required across multiple agencies, including the Port of Seattle, City of SeaTac, and the construction company and labor unions, for the project to move ahead and be successful despite roadblocks along the way.

The project was paused in December 2008 when economic conditions deteriorated. Construction resumed in July 2009 after the Port approved the sale of $317 million in revenue bonds to help fund the $419 million project. Almost the entire cost of the project will be paid back by fees paid by rental customers.

In the meantime, over 3,000 family-wage jobs will be generated over the life of the project and the City of SeaTac will collect nearly $2 million in tax revenue.

Much was made of the focus on minimizing the environmental impact. Turner Construction General Manager Jack Beaudoin stated that 95% of the materials used in constructing the facility were recycled, and that nearly 99% of construction waste leaving the site is being recycled. Beaudoin also declared the structure will be “salmon safe” with 85% of the car wash water reclaimed, filtered and reused. LEED certification is also being pursued for the facility

Once the new rental car facility opens, it will bring together operations that today are located at the airport and scattered across several off-site locations. In the process it will increase the number of companies providing cars from the five available at the airport today to a total of eleven. It will also free up more than 3,200 parking spaces in the main terminal garage.

Photographer Michael Brunk attended today’s ceremony and assembled the following slideshow. Click on the images to advance.

Click to Play Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow