Year 2003 in Review

The year 2003 saw a little bit of everything, including war in Iraq. Here are a few excerpts from the pages of The Enterprise as a look back at the happenings of the year.

January

Anti-war activists

They have started showing up on street corners all over the area – anti-war demonstrators, holding signs that read: “No War with Iraq.”

SMA takes court action

Shoreline Merchants Association files appeal in King County Superior Court to challenge the city’s approved design to widen Aurora Avenue North.

The Shoreline Merchants Association is suing the city of Shoreline over the city’s controversial Aurora Corridor Project. In the lawsuit filed Dec. 30 in King County Superior Court, the SMA appeals the city council’s Dec. 9, 2002 approval of a plan to widen one mile of Aurora Avenue N. from N. 145th Street to N. 165th Street.

An initial hearing is set for Feb. 21 with a trial date of June 2 in King County Superior Court.

Teachers march

An estimated 30,000 educators rallied in Olympia Jan 13 to support public education funding.

Court overturns variance

King County Superior Court overturns a variance the city of Shoreline granted in a case that made Shoreline residents Tim and Patty Crawford become environmental activists against the city.

King County Superior Court Judge Sharon Armstrong ruled on Jan. 10 that a variance the city granted to Gaston Enterprises to build a house on a 6,942 square foot lot at 2330 N. 156th Place in the Parkwood neighborhood within buffer to Thornton Creek was improper on several grounds, including that the applicant created the need for the variance in the first place.

Crosswalk lights installed

In-pavement flashing lights are been installed in three crosswalks in Shoreline, including the crosswalk where 11-year-old Tia Townsend was hit in March 2002 and later died.

Schools are over budget

The Shoreline School District is looking to make mid-year budget adjustments after discovering they are about $149,000 over their allotted $24 million for the months of September through December, officials said.

Shoreline superintendent Dr. Jim Welsh said he is not concerned about the overexpenditures, and that he feels the loss can easily be made up. “What I am really concerned about,” Welsh said, “is that our enrollment is dropping, and it’s the lost revenues from there that is the issue.”

Senior Housing in LFP

A controversial proposal to build senior housing on property owned by The Elks in Lake Forest Park goes to the City Council for debate and discussion. Neighbors oppose the project saying it will change the character of their neighborhood. The city’s comprehensive pla, however, calls for more senior housing in the city.

Aegis hearing begins

King County Superior Court Judge John Erlick began hearing arguments Jan. 30 in the case involving an assisted-living facility built on a site near wetlands and Shoreline environmentalists. Erlick continued the hearing for Feb. 14.

Twin Pond Fish Friends, led by Shoreline residents Tim and Patty Crawford, who are neighbors of Aegis Assisted Living of Shoreline being built at 155th and 1st Avenue, are contesting the building permit the city of Shoreline issued for this north site building because it allows for “buffer averaging.”

February

Feb 4 special election fails

A $158 million King County library capital projects bond fails due to low voter turn out and a super majority requirement.

Brightwater drilling spill

Brightwater test drilling in Lake Forest Park causes a slurry spill into a tributary that feeds into Lyon Creek on Feb. 8. The Department of Ecology is investigating the matter.

School layoffs could hit 43

District officials release a “worst-case scenario” draft of the 2003-2004 budget. The draft includes the possibility of cutting 43 teaching positions, 31 non-certificated positions, and up to 2.7 administrative positions.

School Board seats open

Shoreline School Board members Judy Parsons and Steve Robinson announce they will not seek reelection, leaving two seats on the board open for the Nov. 4 elections.

Parsons served on the board for 12 years, Robinson, eight years

City files SMA motion

The city of Shoreline files a motion Feb. 13 to have the Shoreline Merchants Association appeal dismissed.

The preliminary hearing for the appeal the Shoreline Merchants Association filed against the city,is changed to on March 7 in King County Superior Court in Seattle.

The SMA is appealing the Shoreline City Council’s approval of a design concept for the first mile of a three-mile project to widen and redevelop Aurora Avenue in Shoreline.

Bill may close Fircrest

State Sen. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park, sponsors a bill to close Fircrest School in the 2003-2005 biennium in order to consolidate costs efficiency of care at RHCs. Over the past 30 years, populations at RHCs have declined from 4,145 in 1967 to about 1,200 today, and at Fircrest from 1,000 to 250. But costs have increased due to significant fixed costs at the institutions, the bill states.

About 250 developmentally disabled residents, averaging 47 years old, live at Fircrest, and many of them are the state’s most medically fragile, multiple disabled citizens. The bill includes a transition plan that ensures Fircrest residents be offered a choice of continuing services at another RHC — Rainier School in Buckley, moving into the community, or, if appropriate, into a skilled nursing facility.

County ends court services

King County Executive Ron Sims announced Feb. 14 that the county will terminate contracts for district court services for 16 cities, including Shoreline, as of Jan. 1, 2005. Under state law, King County is not required to provide court services for municipal citations, misdemeanor crimes and lower level cases like traffic and speeding infractions, and many cities around the county have set up their own municipal courts to handle these cases.

Aegis open house

More than 1,000 people turned out for an open house at Aegis Assisted Living in Shoreline on Feb. 23, said marketing director Kyle Treat. The guest speaker was legendary actor Mickey Rooney.

The facility still awaits its state license to operate.

The 54-unit facility specializes in Alzheimers and dementia care and senior assisted living.

North City plan OK’d

The Shoreline City Council gave the go-ahead Feb. 24 for the city to move forward with finalizing design and beginning construction for the North City project.

The $6.45 million project will narrow 15th Avenue NE to three lanes from 150th to 182nd. It will also widen the sidewalks from six to 10 feet and add amenities in the business district like benches. A traffic signal will be placed at 150th and 15th and a pedestrian-activated signal at NE 147th; and a new sidewalk will extend along the east side of 15th along Hamlin Park. The city will provide mitigation for additional traffic that would be dispersing into the neighborhoods, and a reserve for future traffic mitigation.

March

Looming war

With the possibility of war with Iraq looming on the horizon, and families saying goodbye as their loved ones are deployed, local clergy in the Shoreline and Lake Forest Park area respond to an elevated level of anxiety in their congregations.

Police shoot man

A 51-year-old Seattle man was shot and killed in what is being termed “suicide by cop” at the Shoreline Police Station early on March 16.

April

District Court judge dies

Shoreline District Court Judge Robert Wacker dies April 1. He was 69. Wacker was one of the longest-seated judges in King County, having served 28 years on the district court bench. He also had a private practice for several years and was a prosecuting attorney for two years, both with former State Supreme Court Justice Barbara Durham, before being elected judge.

Towne Centre may expand

The Lake Forest Park Planning Commission wants the city council to put $22,000 toward studying several land-use and economic development alternatives that would promote residential and commercial growth at Lake Forest Park Towne Centre.

Shoreline Youth Summit

About 200 Einstein and Kellogg middle school students and Shorewood and Shorecrest high school students attended the Shoreline Youth Summit Tuesday, April 1.

Hosted by the Shoreline YMCA and the Shoreline/ Lake Forest Park Youth Council, students gathered to discuss issues in their communities, including how to get involved in the community, sexuality, transportation and teen suicide. The discussions were lead by members of the Youth Council.

Channel is salmon stream

Officials with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife say the water channel that runs between I-5 and a 54-unit assisted living facility that has been built at First Avenue and NE 150th Street in Shoreline is a stream that could be rearing habitat for juvenile coho salmon.

The letter was a response to the city’s draft Stream Basin Characterization Report released in March, which classifies the waterway as a drainage ditch.

Ex-SCC head fined

The state Executive Ethics Board fines former Shoreline Community College President Gary Oertli $40,000 for violating state ethics laws when he led the college to award a $350,000 contract to a friend. In lieu of going to court in May, Oertli has agreed to pay of $20,000 of the $40,000 civil penalty fee for breaking state ethic laws — the other $20,000 the board suspended unless Oertli commits an ethics violation again. Oertli will also pay an additional $10,000 for investigation costs associated with the case. Oertli served as president of Shoreline Community College (SCC) from 1995 to 2000.

Tent City in Shoreline

On Saturday, April 19, Tent City, a transient camp for the homeless, moves onto Shoreline Free Methodist Church grounds, on 175th across from the Shoreline Library, for the next two months.

Tent City is a tent camp of 47 tents, five portable toilets and wash stations and it provides temporary emergency shelter for up to 100 homeless men, women and children who have no place to stay.

April

Public comment cut

The Shoreline city council changes the number of public comment opportunities at meetings and workshops.

At its April 28 meeting the council adopted a resolution by a vote of 4-3 that gives the public three minutes per person at the beginning of the meeting to speak on any item, including action items on the agenda. The resolution eliminates the public comment time that occurs at each action item, and at the end of the meetings.

Teachers get notices

Officials in the Shoreline School District announce it is very likely that 26 teaching positions and 28 non-teaching positions will be cut due to falling enrollment numbers and a flailing economy.

Mobile home park closing

Tenants in Shoreline’s only mobile home community, Holiday Resorts, at NE 192nd St. and Aurora Avenue N., are given notice the park will be closing. They have until April 2004 to move out because the property is being developed.

Shoreline developer Harley O’Neil owns the just over eight acres on Aurora Avenue North where the Holiday Resorts mobile home park stands by Echo Lake. He says he has been approached by the Shoreline/South County YMCA as a possible site for a new regional Y. Also, he said the land is one of the sites being considered by the City of Shoreline for a new city hall, but would not elaborate on either proposal.

Shooting brings lock down

Shorewood High School was locked down May 13 for about an hour after police were notified that a shooting occurred at 1 p.m. at an apartment located at N. 167th St. and Linden Avenue N in Shoreline.

Parks levy passes

King County voters say maintaining the county’s regional and rural parks with a 4.9 cent levy is a good thing, and voted to approve the levy in a special election Tuesday, May 20.

Teachers consider ‘no confidence’ vote in board

Politics and budget issues cause union representatives from the Shoreline Education Association to consider taking a vote of no confidence in the school board.

A meeting was scheduled for Thursday, May 29, to determine if there is enough support to take the vote.

No teacher layoffs

After months of considering worst-case scenarios, the Shoreline School District’s 2003-2004 preliminary budget is released June 18.

The result: No teaching staff will be laid off; 2.9 full time equivalent (FTE) administrative positions will be eliminated; 19.5 FTE non-teaching positions would be eliminated; School nurse’s hours will be reduced by 45 minutes a day.

Schools keep nurses

After receiving lots of public comments on budget cutbacks, Shoreline School District officials find a way to fully fund school nurse positions and family advocate positions in the 2003-2004 budget.

Brightwater portals cut

Officials with Brightwater say the city of Lake Forest Park has a strong chance of being spared some of the impact of a new $1.3 billion waste water treatment system to be built in the next 10 years to serve North King and South Snohomish counties.

In Shoreline and Edmonds that impact could be lessened as well, officials said.

Aegis opens

Aegis Assisted Living of Shoreline received its state license to operate May 30 and began moving residents in over the past week.

The 54-unit assisted living facility for seniors, located at 15100 First Ave. NE, received a certificate of occupancy from the city in February, held an open house Feb. 23, but could not move residents in until it got the state license to operate.

Fircrest to be downsized

State lawmakers approve a $23 billion two-year state budget June 5 that bridges a $2.6 billion gap by making lots of cuts and raising no new taxes.

The budget also downsizes Fircrest, and sets the institution on the course toward closing. It sets money aside for the relocation of Fircrest residents.

July

Jury deadlock

A Snohomish County jury admitted defeat Monday in trying to decide whether a Shoreline man was guilty of vehicular homicide for allegedly surrendering control of his car to reckless rage while feuding with another driver.

A mistrial was declared in the case of Lukasz Pawel Kutek, 22. He is the second person to be tried for the April 27, 2002 prom-night traffic death of Georgia Pemberton, 16, of Lake Stevens.

Police chase, fatal crash

A two-mile police chase that began in Lake Forest Park in the early morning hours of June 28 ended in the car being wrapped around a tree, killing an 18 year-old Lynnwood man.

The 16-year-old driver, also from Lynnwood, was arrested.

Police believe alcohol may have been a factor.

Fires at Richmond Beach

Two fires that officials believe may have been caused by fireworks burned approximately 1.5 acres of brush between the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks and the beach at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park in the early hours of July 5 and threatened to consume the pedestrian bridge there.

SMA case

Shoreline officials have appealed part of a court ruling ordering the release of documents related to the city’s Aurora Corridor Project.

The Shoreline Merchants Association (SMA) won in King County Superior Court on June 26 when Judge James Doerty ordered Shoreline officials to produce all the public records requested by the SMA, including documents the city claims are exempt by the Public Disclosure Act.

‘Roving eyes’ don’t help

A Shoreline woman is in critical condition after being hit by a car while crossing Aurora Avenue N. at a pedestrian crosswalk July 10.

State transportation officials say a seven-month evaluation of the city’s two “roving eyes” crosswalks has determined that they are effective.

Senior housing overlay

The Lake Forest Park City Council unanimously approved an ordinance July 10 that will allow Lake City Elks to build senior housing on land they own at NE 145th Street and Bothell Way.

The Council worked for the past seven months on the wording of the ordinance to appease neighbors who worried the facility would change the character of their neighborhood.

Aurora right-of-way set

The Shoreline City Council takes action to set maximum boundaries to the space the city may need for future projects in the central Shoreline area along Aurora Avenue N.

Shoreline passes plan

Funding for a new City Hall, the widening of Aurora Avenue N. and building of the Interurban Trail were all a part of the $130.1 million six-year capital improvement plan the Shoreline City Council approved at its July 21 meeting.

SCC plan gets review

Shoreline Community College this month released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) regarding its proposed plan for campus improvements to be made during the next 10 years.

The draft includes several proposals officials believe would relieve the two most prominent community concerns: traffic congestions and adequate parking.

August

Cocaine seizure in LFP

In the largest cocaine seizure in Lake Forest Park police history, a 33-year-old Yakima man is indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of cocaine possession and trafficking. He pleads guilty Aug. 1 in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Lake Forest Park.

Sen. Clinton in LFP

Former First Lady and current U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton came to Lake Forest Park Aug. 6 to sign her new book, “Living History” at Third Place Books.

Feds OK Aurora project

The controversial Aurora Corridor project passes a key federal review this month.

According to Shoreline officials, the federal Highway Administration has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for the first phase of project, from N. 145th to 165th streets.

Parachutist rescued

Minnesota professor and parachutist Jim Wade was arrested Aug. 4 for unlawful trespass and reckless endangerment after he jumped from a 400 foot radio antenna from Crista Ministries in Shoreline. Wade got his parachute tangled on some guidelines causing him to dangle some 140 feet up for several hours.

Interurban Trail starts

The city of Shoreline breaks ground for building a 12-foot paved trail on the path of the former Interurban Trail. Construction will begin this month on the south section of the trail that runs from 145th to 155th streets and the north section from N. 192nd to 205th streets will begin later this autumn. These two portions plus the pedestrian bridge is expected to cost $8.8 million, said Kirk McKinley, the project manager with the city. The city has received $6.7 million in federal, state and county grants.

School budget passes

It was a rare site at the Shoreline School Board meeting Aug. 18. During talk of the 2003-04 budget, board members were smiling.

The $72.9 million budget was approved unanimously.

The 2003-04 budget includes: No teaching staff will be laid off, District sports C-teams, overload coaching positions, nursing and family advocate positions will be fully funded

Dad donates vests

Dave Townsend distributes 20 LED lighted vests to Shoreline elementary schools, to be used by adult crossing guards. It has been nearly one-and-a-half years since Tia Townsend, 11, died after being struck by a car in a crosswalk at 170th and 15th Avenue NE.

September

WASL scores released

Students in the Shoreline School District continue to score above the state average on WASL tests, but with this year’s scores, the district was labeled as “not making adequate yearly progress (AYP).”

SCC grant

Shoreline Community College recently receives state funding totaling $489,000 to provide skill upgrade training for the manufacturing and health services industries.

LFP staffer goes to Iraq

Lake Forest Park Financial Director John Hawley is going to Iraq for six months to help set up better representative government through the U.S. government’s assistance program.

He was selected by the International City/County Management Association to work for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Research Triangle Institute (RTI) helping Iraqi citizens strengthen local governance.

Aegis cited

Aegis Assisted Living of Shoreline violated city development code when it cleared land and laid gravel illegally on property close to a wetlands at 15100 First Ave. NE, city officials said this week. The work was done to prepare for a ground breaking ceremony planned for Sunday, Sept. 28, Aegis officials said.

The company has been at the center of several lawsuits in King County Superior Court involving local environmentalists who are concerned about the company building too close to an adjacent wetland and channel of water that may be salmon habitat.

October

Judge dismisses case

King County Superior Court Judge Jim Doerty dismissed the Shoreline Merchants Association’s claims against the city’s plan to widen and renovate the first mile of Aurora Avenue North in Shoreline in a written finding Sept. 23.

SMA spokesman Rick Stephens said the group plans to appeal the decision in state Court of Appeals.

Aegis breaks ground

Mickey Rooney was the guest performer at the ground-breaking ceremony for Aegis Assisted Living in Shoreline Sept 28. About 300 people attended the event. The company has plans to build a 102-unit building for independent living beside the already-open 54-unit assisted living facility for seniors.

Delegation to South Korea

A contingent of city, school, college and business officials are heading to Shoreline’s “sister city” Boryeong, South Korea on Monday to formalize the relationship.

November

Fimia wins

On Nov. 4 Shoreline voters chose former King County Council member Maggie Fimia to unseat first term City Council member Kevin Grossman. They also sent incumbents Rich Gustafson and Bob Ransom back to the City Council, who were challenged by Cindy Ryu and Janet Way, respectively. About 30 percent of registered voters in Shoreline cast ballots.

Lake Forest Park voters re-elected Dave Hutchinson as their mayor Nov. 4. City Council incumbents Roger Olstad, Dwight Thompson and Ed Sterner also won re-election. About 31 percent of registered Lake Forest Park voters cast ballots.

Hutchinson beat out challenger and current City Council member Carolyn Armanini by garnering 54 percent of the vote to her 46 percent.

Voters chose to keep incumbent Mike Jacobs and put candidates Dan Mann and Jim Leigh on the Shoreline School Board roster.

Montgomery quits

Linda Montgomery will resign from the Shoreline City Council by the end of the year. Montgomery said in a Nov. 11 phone interview that she sent a letter to the City Council this week saying she will quit effective no later than Dec. 31.

Montgomery got married in August, and her husband lives in Dallas, Texas, where she plans to move.

Schools fall short

The Shoreline School District’s savings account has come up short by $925,000.

This past school year, district officials set their sights on attaining a $2.2 million ending fund balance for the 2004-2005 budget. The actual figure for the year, as presented to the school board Nov. 17, is $1.275 million, about half of the recommended 5 percent of the total budget, officials said.

Officials estimate they will be able to make up the remaining $925,000 within six months to a year.

December

Sims picks Highway 9

Standing in a building that won’t be there in a few years, King County Executive Ron Sims announced Dec. 1 that the $1.4 billion Brightwater sewage treatment plant will be built on 114 acres along Highway 9, just north of Highway 522.

Sims named the site his preferred alternative more than a year ago. Monday, it became official.

Council gets applicants

Forty-six Shoreline residents apply for the Shoreline City Council vacancy left by Montgomery, including Shoreline’s first mayor, Connie King, several Planning commission members, a fire commissioner and a former state Legislator.

Shoreline man goes to prison

A Shoreline man was sentenced to 35 years in prison Dec. 5 for fatally shooting his wife a year ago in their Richmond Beach townhome.

King County Superior Court Judge Stephen Gonzalez ordered the exceptionally long sentence one month after Jeffrey Duane Moses, 38, was convicted of second degree murder. The jury rejected the defense’s argument that Jennifer Moses, 34, shot herself, given the location of the bullet wound.

Dam at Aegis site untouched

Charges that a developer illegally removed a concrete dam to drain wetland are untrue, according to state and city officials.

Shoreline city workers went Dec. 2 to the site downstream from Peverly Pond near the Aegis Assisted Living project to investigate the charges made at the Dec. 1 City Council meeting by local environmentalist Janet Way. The workers took photos that show the dam, which is in the Interstate 5 right of way and owned by the state Department of Transportation, still in place.

Way says despite the dam’s presence, the hydrology of the wetlands has been altered and urges an investigation.

Judge Wacker honored

Shoreline District Court was renamed in honor of the late Judge Robert Wacker, who passed away April 1 and served on the district court bench for 28 years.

Grace to Council

Paul Grace was appointed to the Shoreline City Council after Council members interviewed six finalists from among 46 applicants for the seat left open by the resignation of Linda Montgomery.