This weekend’s Cove to Clover features 4 cities, 4 races, 2 pub crawls, 1 carb-loading dinner and lots of snakes
David Watkins of Realty West Properties in Burien got his race face on last year as he volunteered to help at several events. This year’s event will feature two pub crawls on Friday, a carbo-loading Italian dinner and snake pit on Saturday and four races on Sunday. Photo by Steve Shay.
The following article was published in partnership with the Highline Times and was written by Eric Mathison.
Every year, Highline’s Cove to Clover event gets larger.
This year’s extravaganza, with events spread from two pub crawls starting it all on Friday, April 26 to a snake pit dinner on Saturday to four different big races on Sunday, is no exception.
The cities of Des Moines and SeaTac are also joining Burien and Normandy Park in the fun.
Centerpieces of the activities are the fundraising runs on Sunday, April 28.
The 5K run starts at noon at the Normandy Park Swim Club (The Cove) at noon and finishes up at Burien Town Square. The 10K run also starts at noon and ends up at Town Square. The 10K takes off from the Normandy Park Towne Center at First Avenue South and South 200th Street.
Race organizers say there are no other races like these with suffering the name of the game as runners climb and climb up the ominously named “Snake Hill.”
At the top of the hill, runners are rewarded with great views of Puget Sound and music from a Highland piper. All the races will feature an obstacle called “The Uprising,” a Celtic battle reenactment.
Children and families can participate in the nearly one-mile Wee Race, beginning at noon. It starts and ends at Town Square. Organizers promise a “mini-snake hill” on the course. (more…)
Surviving school Sycamore being removed after chainsaw vandalism
Photo by Eric Mathison.
The following article was published in partnership with the Highline Times and was written by Eric Mathison.
A giant Sycamore tree that anchored the northwest corner of Cedarhurst Elementary School in Burien is being removed after vandals severely damaged it with a chainsaw.
Several other Sycamores along the west side of the school had been removed when a new school was built in 2007. Namesake Cedar trees were left on the school’s north side.
But the new school was designed around this survivor Sycamore, which stood guard at the front of the school.
Neighbors said they heard noises Thursday night but the vandalism was not detected until daylight on Friday. A deep cut was made along one side of the tree with a chainsaw. (more…)
Burien City Council Once Again Rejects Lake Burien Land-use Request
The following article was published in partnership with the Highline Times and was written by Eric Mathison.
The Burien City Council rebuffed Lake Burien residents again April 1 in their efforts to have the city’s land use map changed to show the neighborhood as low-density use.
Mayor Brian Bennett and council members Jack Block, Jr., Rose Clark, Gerald Robison and Joan McGilton opposed placing the request on the 2013 comprehensive plan amendments docket. Deputy Mayor Lucy Krakowiak and Councilmember Bob Edgar voted to place it on the docket. (more…)
Families to Donate 9 Acres to be Added to Burien’s Second Largest Park if City Council Approves New Law
The following article was published in partnership with the Highline Times and was written by Eric Mathison.
Four families are waiting to donate 9.4 acres of wooded land with a stream that will be added to Burien’s second largest park.
But there’s a glitch– the city does not have an ordinance that sets forth the procedure to formally accept donated property and carry out the terms of the donation.
Burien lawmakers plan to remedy that at their Feb. 25 council meeting.
City Attorney Craig Knutson introduced the proposed ordinance at the Feb. 4 meeting. It would authorize City Manager Mike Martin to accept donations or bequests of money or property on the city’s behalf. The city manager would also be delegated to negotiate and accept any conditions for the donation. If the conditions are not met, the property could revert back to the original owners.
If there are no conditions, the city could use the property for any municipal purpose.
The city manager would also designate the appropriate city fund or department to which the donation would be allocated. Knutson noted the city manager could also refuse a donation. (more…)
Security officers, teachers, react to possibility Highline security officers will be disarmed
The following article was published in partnership with the Highline Times and was written by Eric Mathison.
The timing couldn’t have been worse.
Two days before a gunman killed 20 students and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school, the Highline School Board held a work/study session to review a new security plan that could include disarming school security officers.
At the study session and the following regular meeting, security officers say a few board members gave the impression that they discounted the danger that security officers face in Highline schools. Board president Angelica Alvarez implied there is a connection between armed security guards and the number of student suspensions and expulsions.
The officers’ union, Teamsters Local 763, has filed an unfair labor practice claim against the district stemming from a subsequent meeting with assistant superintendent Susan Smith Leland. The union said she threatened security officers over their testimony before the school board. (more…)
Husky West Seattle is on a roll, Burien boom is next: Eric Mathison’s Optimistic Perspective on the Future of Burien
The following article was published in partnership with the Highline Times and was written by Eric Mathison.
I noticed on the Highline Times website that Husky Deli over in the West Seattle Junction is celebrating its 80th Anniversary.
Wow, that’s a long time for a small family business to stick around. It’s going great as it serves up delicious ice cream cones and homemade sandwiches in the yuppie heaven of West Seattle.
It’s so popular, Husky ran the hugely successful nationwide Ben and Jerry’s chain out of town a couple of years ago.
All of West Seattle is on a roll. Its arterials are lined with high-rise condos and chic eateries.
A Whole Foods Market will anchor a six-story 370-apartment mixed-use project. It will sit across the street from “The Hole” project, which is to be filled in with a fitness center and 216 apartments. (more…)
Moshier Park Field Dedicated
The following article was published in partnership with the Highline Times and was written by Eric Mathison and Steve Shay.
Highline students, including football players, joined leaders from Highline Public Schools, the City of Burien and King County Parks and Recreation Division for the dedication of upgrades to Moshier Park Field Thursday, Dec. 6.
Highline School District and the City of Burien partnered to create a safer, more functional practice field at Moshier Park for use by school and community teams. Poor drainage kept the field covered with water and unusable for
several months each year. A new drainage system was designed and installed, and
the field was hydro-seeded.
Half of the cost of the $38,425 project was funded by Highline Public Schools and the City of Burien, and the King County Parks and Recreation Youth Sports Facilities Grant Program awarded a $20,000 matching grant. (more…)
Updated: Normandy Park officials diagnose city’s financial condition– Serious but not fatal
The following article was published in partnership with the Highline Times and was written by Eric Mathison.
Reports of Normandy Park’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, according to city officials.
Normandy Park officials, responding to reports in other media outlets, that the city may disband or seek annexation to Burien or Des Moines, issued a statement on the city’s website Thursday.
The statement emphasized, “Disincorporation is not an option under consideration by the City Council or City management as reported recently by media sources.”
The statement said Normandy Park’s financial problems had first been identified in 1998 by a consulting firm. The consultant recommended about 40 ideas and solutions to address the city’s structural financial problems. (more…)