Tukwila Reporter, April 15, 2015

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ALLENTOWN:HISTORY, RIVER

RUN THROUGH IT

coverstory | page 6

SCHOOL CONNECTIONS: Tukwila School District update, pages 14-15

2 APRIL 2015 « www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com

BY PAT BRODINT U K W I L A H I S T O R I C A L

S O C I E T Y

Mentioning Rome in the same breath as Tukwila sounds like a backyard par-ody on the “Tale of Two Cit-ies” but with a Puget Sound adaptation. Sounds like an interesting read if it is ever written. However for the time being, let us consider some fascinating parallels between Tukwila, Wash-ington, and one of the most ancient yet continuously oc-cupied cities in the world. Using this contrast we may better understand how Tuk-wila is positioned locally, regionally and globally. Historically, Tukwila has been identifi ed as a regional crossroads and not unlike Rome, all roads lead to it!

Now if you’ve ever won-dered where the phrase “All roads lead to Rome” origi-nated, it is an axiom deeply seated in the record of the

great Roman Empire. In 20 B.C. Emperor Caesar Au-gustus erected the Golden Milestone in an area of Rome known as “Th e Fo-rum.” Th e gilded stone then became a symbol of the ori-gin for all roads leading to all parts of Italy and to each of the imperial possessions.

For Western Washington and Puget Sound country, all roads lead to Tukwila. Consider its locale between Tacoma and Seattle, very close to Sea-Tac Interna-tional Airport. If you care-fully examine a Washington state map of major trans-portation corridors, one of the most signifi cant is the Interstate 5 and I-405 in-terchange with SR 518 con-necting the airport. I-405 is a vital connecting link to Renton, Bellevue and the east side of Lake Washing-ton. In terms of travel, many celebrated and prominent people who have ever vis-ited Seattle probably arrived via Tukwila. U.S. Presidents have arrived on Air Force One at Boeing Field, while their motorcades depart from Tukwila.

Because of Tukwila’s stra-tegic South King County lo-cale, being a regional cross-roads naturally occurred during the settlement pe-riod along the Duwamish Valley in the late 1800s. Th e railroads including the Interurban passed through Tukwila with connections at Renton Junction. Before roads, Native Americans traveled the rivers, where the major confl uence in Tukwila connected Lake Washington to Elliot Bay via the Black River with the

White River and the Du-wamish River. Th at strategic mindset is evident today with the internet farms in the Tukwila Manufactur-ing Industrial Corridor (MIC) and the network of fi ber optic cable that began a regional web in Tukwila’s right-of-ways. Tukwila is and always will be a regional crossroads in a multitude of ways.

Tukwila has one other thing in common with Rome. Th e fi rst-ever shop-ping mall was built by Em-peror Trajan and had 150 outlets selling everything from food to spices. South-center was not the fi rst mall built but is certainly the larg-est in the state, with a whop-

ping 1.6 million square feet of retail space.

Tukwila may never be considered as a place that is off the grid – Being off the grid is commonly called Timbuktu, not Tukwila. Many folks from around the world have gone through Tukwila and probably never knew it. Some of them may stop to shop or have a bite to eat which is something that any “Crossroads” commu-nity is proud to off er. Who knows, maybe someday, Tukwila will install a gold-en milestone for visitors to ponder . . . just like Rome.

Th e Tukwila Historical Society operates the Tukwila Heritage and Cultural Cen-ter, 14475 59th Ave. S.

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2 tukwila’sstoryTukwila’s past, present and future is tied to its strategic location in the Puget Sound region, near to major freeways and rail lines and an airport.

4 citypoliticsTwo Tukwila City Council members, Kathy Hougardy and Kate Kruller, have announced they will seek re-election in this year’s elections.

5 schoolbondA broad spectrum of community members and educators are working on a critical Tukwila School District bond issue on the ballot in 2016.

6 coverstoryAllentown isn’t on the beaten path, but it’s home to the community center, historic homes, a beautiful river and, yes, some challenges.

10 foster100In a magical celebration the Foster High School community celebrated the school’s Centennial, with cultural presentations, food and good times.

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Remember Mother on

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May 10

A group of teen volunteers at the Foster Library will be reading to raise money for a 2,000-square-foot addition to the new Tukwila Library.

Members of the Tukwila Li-brary Council will collect pledg-es for every hour read, up to 24 hours, April 20-May 1. During their first read-a-thon in Octo-ber, the teens raised $1,310 for the addition, called the Commu-nity Mosaic. The council hopes to raise $5,000 of the $1 million needed to make the addition a re-ality. Funds collected during the read-a-thon will go to the KCLS Foundation Tukwila Library Mo-saic capital campaign.

The Community Mosaic will be a gathering place, perfor-mance space and learning hub in the new library. The addition will

be used for multiple purposes: as a community living room, a stage for cultural programs, as well as a

site for technology training, civic gatherings, festivals, and numer-ous other activities. The Commu-

nity Mosaic will reflect Tukwila: one of the most diverse cities in the United States and known as the Ellis Island of the Northwest.

Teen Services Librarian Rachel McDonald said the idea for the fundraiser came directly from the members of the Tukwila Library Council themselves.

“These teens use the pub-lic library on a regular basis, so they see how well-used our cur-rent library is,” said McDonald. “They’ve been involved with ev-ery step of planning, organizing, and promoting both fundraisers, which is a substantial amount of work on top of school and extra-curricular activities.”

“I’m excited about participat-ing in the read-a-thon because it’s about more than just us teens,” said Cierra Ghafari, Tukwila Li-

brary Council president. “It’s about the community that we live in and how we want to see the library evolve for coming genera-tions.”

Most of the costs for the new li-brary will be covered by the $172 million capital bond passed by King County voters in 2004. The KCLS Foundation Board agreed to raise additional funds in or-der to build a 10,000-square-foot facility rather than the proposed 8,000-square-foot library.

Anyone interested in helping out or sponsoring a teen volun-teer during the read-a-thon can contact Rachel McDonald at [email protected]. To learn more about the Community Mo-saic, visit http://kclsfoundation.org/your-impact/projects/.

Teen read-a-thon to raise money for Mosaic

Ada Arquiza, left, and Maria Ibanez participated in the October Read-a-thon at the Foster Library. KCLS

For the first time, the Tukwila School District is hosting a job and career fair for parents.

The Parent Job and Career Fair is 4:30-7:30 p.m. Thurs-day, April 23, at Showalter Middle School, 4628 S. 144th St., Tukwila. For more information, call 206-901-7822. Childcare and interpreters will be available.

School district officials stress the importance of a living-wage job to provide a stable environment for their chil-dren’s learning.

Regional employers with immediate living-wage job opportunities will accept resumes and meet applicants. Organizations offering training programs for in-demand skills and services will help attendees get more informa-tion and sign up.

Job, career fair set for parents


Council to hold pot hearing

Th e Tukwila City Coun-cil will hold a public hear-ing April 27 on renewing a six-month moratorium on medical marijuana collec-tive gardens or dispensa-ries.

Th e hearing is at 7 p.m. at council chambers, 6200 Southcenter Boulevard,.

Broken pipe closes retailer

Seafood City at Westfi eld Southcenter was closed for about a week in March because of water damage from a broken waterline above the store.

Restoration crews cleaned up the store’s inte-rior and repaired any dam-age. Th e store reopened on

March 27.

Link extension ready to review

Sound Transit and the Federal Transit Admin-istration will hold public hearings on the Draft En-vironmental Impact State-

ment (DEIS) for extending Link light rail to Kent/Des Moines and, when funding is available, to Federal Way.

Th e public can now re-view and comment on the DEIS at upcoming public hearings, through interac-tive web tools and by email or regular mail through

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Des MoinesUsers can go to federal-

waylink.org for informa-tion online.

Th e public can email comments to [email protected], or mail them to Federal Way Link Extension, Draft EIS Com-ments, Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104.

CERT trainingA group of teens at Fos-

ter High School is now prepared to make Tukwila a safer place in an emer-gency.

Th e teens graduated on March 28 from the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) volunteer program. Th is national model trains participants to prepare for a disaster — such as assisting injured people and communicating with city offi cials — and to help with typical household hazards, such as using a fi re extinguisher.

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Hougardy seeks third termTukwila City Council President Kate

Kruller will seek re-election to Position 6 on the City Council.

She’s completing her fi rst four-year term on the council this year. She also serves as the president of the Tukwila Pool Metro-politan Park District Commission

Kruller has lived and worked in Tukwila for many years and became a homeowner in the community in 1992. Her 30-plus-year professional career features broad

experience in project management and infor-mation technology. She’s working at the Washing-ton State Administrative Offi ce of the Courts.

“My goal is to encour-age responsible city bud-gets, continue to support reliable public safety

and aid services, fi nd ways to provide af-fordable housing and safe neighborhoods, and to work toward improved transporta-tion options for Tukwila residents through good government,” Kruller said.

“During my time on the council, key ac-complishments include getting the Tukwi-la Village project under way, reinstituting reserve funds in the city budget, moving swift ly to initiate the Tukwila International Boulevard clean up, making more invest-ments in sidewalk construction and path-ways to our schools, improving the Tukwila Sound Transit rail station, and supporting

the startup of a new Metro RapidRide F Line connecting Tukwila to Burien, Rent-on and SeaTac, just to name a few.”

Kruller serves on the Sound Cities As-sociation Public Issues Committee), is vice chair of Regional Law, Safety and Justice Committee and was selected to the National League of Cities Transportation, Infrastruc-ture and Services Steering Committee.

She works with groups such as the Tukwila International Boulevard Action Committee, Tukwila Pantry Food Bank, Tukwila Historical Society, Tukwila Emer-gency Communications Team, Commu-nity Emergency Response team, Friends of Duwamish working at the Duwamish Pre-serve, Rotary Club of Duwamish South-side, and any eff ort that helps the Tukwila Pool be a sustainable and effi cient aquatic center for the community.

“I try to volunteer as much as possible, stay in touch with what’s happening in our neighborhoods, listen to people from all walks of life and improve things in the community whenever I get the opportu-nity,” said Kruller.

Being in touch and having a servant leader spirit is fundamental to what Krul-ler said she believes qualifi es her to run for offi ce again.

“I am devoted to representing what the people who live here in Tukwila want, and what makes sense for Tukwila,” she said.

Information on Kruller’s campaign will appear at www.Kate4Tukwila.com.

Kruller seeks second term

tukwilapolitics

Kate Kruller

Tukwila City Council member Kathy Hougardy will run for re-election for Tuk-wila City Council Position 2.

She was originally elected to offi ce in 2007 and has served on the council for seven years.

Hougardy said she wants to continue her work on the council because “the Com-munity Livability emphasis that is cur-rently under way in the city is especially important and needs continued time and

increased resources de-voted to it. I’ve been a sig-nifi cant player the eff ort and would like to contin-ue the good work on this and other projects. I’ve got the experience and the relationships with other key stakeholders to get things done.”

Th e City Council is emphasizing “Community Livability” in Tukwila, which centers around reducing crime and increasing safety in the city’s residential areas; pro-active code enforce-ment; neighborhood infrastructure such as sidewalks and improved roads; and a resi-dential focus to enhance pride and owner-ship in Tukwila neighborhoods.

Hougardy has provided oversight of the Tukwila Village Plan, the new King County Library, and growth and development in the Southcenter area, now referred to by the city as the “Tukwila Urban Center.”

She is a key advocate as a member of the King County Regional Transportation Committee, which reviews and makes rec-ommendations to the King County Coun-cil on countywide policies for public trans-portation services operated by the county.

Hougardy is chair of the Soundside Al-liance for Economic Development Board and is a member of Tukwila Equity and Diversity Commission, the Highline Fo-rum, and the Metropolitan King County Regional Transit Committee. She is also a member of the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce and the Tukwila Historical Society.

In 2009 Hougardy re-started a Parent Group at Showalter Middle School which she continues to facilitate. She organizes the annual National Night Out Against Crime for her street, and oversees a block watch for her immediate neighborhood.

Kathy and her husband Ed moved from South Seattle to Tukwila in 1993. Th ey have three sons: Andrew, who is in Run-ning Start at Highline College; Dan, a Showalter Middle School student; and their eldest son, Timothy, currently an at-torney in Georgia.

Hougardy graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Visual Communications. She has worked as a marketing support representative and owned a small business. She taught graphic arts at Seattle Central Community College for 12 years.

Kathy Hougardy

newsbriefs


April showers bring . . . a whole lot of sunshine for the years ahead (forget fl owers!). In the Tukwila School District, we have some exciting initiatives beginning in the next few days that are going to pave the way for a brighter future for many students and community members.

First, the district’s bond committee will start meeting Th ursday, April 16. Th is diverse group will look at how our student population is expected to grow and how our program needs are projected to expand in the decades to come. With signifi cant consideration given to your overall tax rate, the com-mittee will come up with a recommendation for me and the school board about what should be included in a bond measure that will go to voters in February 2016.

What we are really talking about in this committee is nothing less than the future of all of our schools — that’s exciting and important work! One of the main questions we will wrestle with is how to accommodate our quickly growing student population. We are stuff ed to the gills in many schools, meaning we have to make hard choices such as potentially turning down

state-funded, preschool programs because we simply don’t have the space. Th at hurts us all in our eff orts to foster a vibrant, stable, prosperous community. Because the public school system truly belongs to the residents of Tukwila, we have made it a priority to have many stakeholders on the committee: Parents, students, busi-ness and civic leaders, cultural representatives, senior citizens, and more.

If you would like to participate, please come and observe a meeting (5:30-7:30 p.m. April 16 and 23 and May 7, 21, and 28, at the Administration Building); follow along at www.tukwila.wednet.edu, where we will post materials and minutes; connect with your representative on the committee; and/or stay tuned for much more information when the ballot measure is formed—we will outreach with all the specifi c details.

Beyond the bond committee, this month we are looking toward the future with economic opportunities for both students and parents. For the second year, all of our juniors will participate in SAT Day at the high school on April 15. Paid for by a Road Map Region Race to the Top grant, this event allows upperclassmen to take the college-entrance exam during the regular school day with no fee—a huge step toward closing the opportunity gap for college enrollment. Not only does it eliminate a barrier, but it gets students to experience success and envision themselves as college bound. Th rough a similar event in October, more than 90 percent of our seniors took the SAT — a huge accomplishment! Th e spring SAT Day will be closely fol-lowed by Foster High’s second-annual Career Day, where a wide variety of professionals from across the region will come to the school to inspire and educate students about their careers (and some even come with job and in-ternship opportunities). It’s amazing to see students resonate with job tracks they didn’t even know were available or possible before!

But wait, I also mentioned parents — and this is something really unique. For the fi rst time ever, we as a district are hosting a Parent Job and Ca-reer Fair just for family members! It is 4:30-7:30 p.m. Th ursday, April 23, at Showalter Middle School. Th ere will be many employers there ready to hire adults for immediate job openings as well as organizations that provide

viewpoint

writestaff

regional publisherpolly shepherd

publisherellen morrison

[email protected]

editordean radford

[email protected]

425.255.3484, ext. 5150

circulationjay krause

253.872.6610

The Tukwila Reporter encourages reader

participation in your community newspaper.Share your thoughts in a letter to the editor (200 words or less) including your full name, address

and phone number.

HERE’S HOWTo submit a letter

to the editor, E-MAIL:editor@

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Residents want their tax dol-lars put to good use where they live – their neighborhoods.

It’s where they likely have made their biggest investment–buying a house or condo or pay-ing rent.

A family oft en chooses to live in a particular neighborhood because of the reputation of the

local school district.

Th e City of Tukwila has made neigh-borhood en-richment a hallmark of

its strategic planning for years to come.

May 7 is when the rubber hits the road to begin making that vision a reality. Th e city has chosen Allentown as the fi rst neighborhood to go through an extensive process that includes a survey of what’s good or bad about the neighborhood.

Th is month’s Tukwila Reporter cover story is about Allentown. Th is community in north Tuk-

wila is interesting and historic. Its residents live off the beaten path, and they like that.

Th ere’s plenty of “good” in Al-lentown, home to the Tukwila Community Center, with easy access to one of the city’s natural beauties, the Duwamish River, and to Seattle and even Tacoma. Maybe bad is a bad word. Let’s try challenges. Th ere’s noise: jets using Boeing Field take off and land over Allentown; big trucks rumble on a main street to a rail yard. Th ere’s traffi c: Allentown is a way to bypass congestion else-where, which also brings speed-ers. And there’s Allentown’s “look,” which is always a judg-ment call.

Every distinct Tukwila neigh-borhood will go through this process in the next few years. It’s certainly worth the time to give residents a chance to drill down into their neighborhoods with elected leaders and city staff .

Once done, maybe there’ll be a chance for neighborhood leaders to come together to share what they learned and accomplished.

Forming a bondthat helps students

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It’s time to talk about own commission for pool

I would like to start a community conversation regarding electing our Tukwila Pool Metropoli-tan Park District commissioners. Because the MPD is its own separate taxing district, I believe Tukwila residents should be given the opportu-nity to elect their board of commissioners. That is not the case currently with the City Council acting in ex-offico capacity as the MPD board.

Here is a copy of a short speech I gave during public comment at the last MPD board meeting.

I’m here to speak on change of governance. This subject has come up many times over the past few years.

For whatever reason or excuse it fails to be ad-dressed.

Mistakes have been made and change is need-ed. Now is the time to start that process.

First we really did not have a choice in accept-ing the ex-officio model of governance in the beginning due to city budget circumstances and

election dates for creating the MPD. We also didn’t have a choice in operators but

have since resolved that issue. I was hoping that elected City Council mem-

bers could change hats acting as a board and leaving the politics in the council chamber. That just hasn’t happened.

One thing is true though. There is no room for politics in the administration of our pool MPD.

Second, the board needs to be made up of concerned knowledgeable members that have a

tukwilacommentary

Letter to the editor

Tukwila’s future is in its neighborhoods

[ more COOGAN page 12 ]

[ more LETTER page 12 ]

EDIT

OR’S

NOTE

Dea

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BY DEAN A. RADFORDD R A D F O R D @ T U K W I L A R E P O R T E R . C O M

Th e clang, clang, clang of the heavy chain on Ma Miller’s dairy cow rang out on a gravel-covered South 122nd Street as she led her to pasture.

Ma Miller, as longtime Allen-town resident Roger Baker called her as a kid in the 1920s and later, lived a couple blocks off 42nd Av-enue, then known as Riverside Drive.

“Her cow had a big chain, must have been 50 feet long, big thing, links about this big around,” says Baker, using his hands to estimate their size.

Baker is 91, born in 1923 in a little house just a couple houses down from South 124th Street that today bears no resemblance to the original. Baker has spent nearly all his years living in Al-lentown or its twin next door, Duwamish.

Baker is living history. In his nine decades Allentown has changed and he has experienced and witnessed it all.

Th e roads are paved and pas-tures have given way to houses with multigenerational families and a few businesses. Jets over-head that stop conversations and semitrucks rumbling down 124th Street to the Burlington North-ern Santa Fe rail yard provide the neighborhood’s soundtrack.

Th e City of Tukwila has cho-sen Allentown as the fi rst of the city’s distinct neighborhoods it

will survey over the next two or three years to fi nd out how it can partner with its residents to make their neighborhoods better places to live.

Th e Allentown survey was done last fall and now the city will present the results to the commu-nity at a public meeting May 7 at the Tukwila Community Center, right on South 124th Street and beloved by the Allentown com-munity.

For Allentown there are three big issues:

1. Th e look of the neighbor-hood, from poorly maintained properties to illegally parked ve-hicles to a mish-mash of housing styles.

2. Noise, mostly associated with air traffi c using Boeing Field just to the north; but residents also cited the Burlington North-ern Santa Fe Railroad rail yard.

3. Traffi c, mostly speeders on

some streets (44th Place South and 42nd Avenue South) but also the heavy semi traffi c on South 124th Street.

City administrators and elected offi cials will off er their ideas for solutions but they want to hear residents’ ideas to tackle these issues and others, said Rachel Bi-

anchi, the City of Tukwila’s com-munications director.

“What we really want is for this to be a partnership,” said Bianchi. “So it’s not going to be the city coming in and saying, ‘We’re go-ing to do this, this and this.’ It’s the city coming in and saying, ‘Here’s an idea that we have. Do

you like the idea? Do you want to be involved in the idea?’,” she said.

Based on residents’ feedback, city traffi c engineers have already determined Allentown has a cou-ple places that need stop signs, an example of something “concrete” that can happen relatively quickly.

“It’s not going to be a big pana-cea of fi xes for a neighborhood,” said Bianchi of the survey. (In a sidebar to this story, she talks more about the survey.)

One of the “big fi xes” is fi nd-ing a new entrance to BNSF’s rail yard along side Interstate 5 on the neighborhood’s eastern border. About 900 trucks daily pass by the community center on 124th Street to that entrance.

In a separate initiative, the City of Tukwila and BNSF will spend up to $300,000, split evenly, on a consultant who will present to the Tukwila City Council sometime

Mary Fertakis and her husband Jon own one of Tukwila’s historic homes in the Allentown neighborhood. Their house with a deep backyard is on 42nd Avenue South, right across from the Duwamish River. Dean A. Radford/Tukwila Reporter

A Tukwila Police officer keeps watch for speeders on 42nd Avenue South as children walk home from the school bus. Dean A. Radford/Tukwila Reporter

Here’s a friendly reminder on 44th Place S. that kids are at play, so slow down. Dean A. Radford/Tukwila Reporter

coverstory

LivableAllentown

The City of Tukwila is working with the residents of this neighborhood tucked away by the Duwamish River to find ways to improve their quality of life. During the next two or three years, the city will do the same for all its neighborhoods.

[ more ALLENTOWN page 7 ]


in 2016 a preferred alternative to the 124th Street entrance.The entrance options include extending Gateway Drive

over the Duwamish River, extending 48th Avenue South over the river, South 112th Street or Airport Way South. The consultant will also study 124th Street, but that’s the “do-nothing” option, which is typically considered in such reviews.

“Unfortunately, there’s not an easy way in,” said Bianchi, adding that someone is going to be affected.

Residents will say they understand the rail yard was there before many of them arrived, but the impacts from the operation – light, noise and traffic – have worsened over the years.

On a walking tour of Allentown, Brooke Alford, who lives on South 122nd Street and is a member of the Tuk-wila Planning Commission, talked about how she and her husband Bill Wollaston found their first house, in Allen-town nearly 15 years ago.

Certain neighborhoods popped up in their price range; even before they met, the couple had “kind of dis-covered this little neighbor-hood off the beaten track.” She loves the Duwamish River, which to her is “the heart of the area.”

About 76 percent of the homes are owner-occupied and English is the predomi-nant language, according to the survey.

The walk goes along 44th Place South, where there have been reports of street racing on this relatively isolated road. BNSF has purchased some properties along the eastern edge of Allentown, possibly to expand the rail yard in the future. But for now, they act as a buffer, although there are new homes that back up to the tracks.

There are a handful of businesses in Allentown, in-cluding the Allentown Superette store. The Allentown/Duwamish area is considered a “food desert,” meaning residents have to travel more than one mile to a super-market. But, according to the survey, residents generally

don’t mind the trip because they have cars. There is limited public transportation serving the area.

Each summer, Allentown gathers for National Night Out at Duwamish Park on 42nd Avenue South. On a sun-ny day students from Aviation High School near Boeing Field were practicing Goaltimate frisbee, a variation of ultimate frisbee. Three days a week the team rents space at the community center and on Tuesdays and Thursdays does makeup at the park.

The park isn’t big enough for games but it certainly works for practices, said volunteer coach Paul Illian. He’s worked for Boeing and has lived in the general area for years.

“My life in general finds just about everything it needs right in this area,” he said.

Mid-afternoon, a Tukwila Police car backs into the park’s parking lot. A school bus stops along 42nd and neighbor-hood youngsters from Tukwila Elementary School get off to walk home. One driver didn’t heed the 25 mph speed limit and was stopped by a motorcycle officer.

Along with 124th Street, 42nd Avenue gets the most traffic complaints, which worsen when drivers decide to cut through Allentown from Skyway or I-5 is particularly

[ more ALLENTOWN page 13 ]

Brooke Alford, a longtime Allentown resident and commu-nity activist, says the Duwamish River is the heart of the com-munity. Dean A. Radford/Tukwila Reporter


Growing up in Allentown, Roger Baker had it all.A river to swim in and dive in, a covered bridge to search

out baby pigeons to raise and “Cucaracha Hill,” where he and his buddies would play war close to the rail tracks.

He was born 91 years ago in Allentown, not to be con-fused with Duwamish – although they often are. They’ve been described as twins with a hyphenated name, Du-wamish-Allentown.

Joseph Allen platted Allentown and C.D. Hill-man platted Duwamish and other parts of Tuk-wila in the early 1900s. Baker knows the divid-ing line between the two, South 122nd Street.

But the really impor-tant line on a map is the curvy Duwamish River, which defines the natural beauty of Allentown.

“We lived in the river when we were kids,” said Baker. You hear about pollution today, he says, “but I don’t think I ever heard about anyone getting sick from swimming in the river.”

The bridge is gone and so perhaps is the large sandbar but at low tide Baker and his friends put out a large plank, anchored by big rocks. They would dive off into a deep pool, get on an innertube or log and float with the current.

For nearly 60 years, a covered bridge in Allentown car-ried traffic to and from Skyway over the railroad tracks,

Roger Baker calls Allentown home entire life

Aviation High School students play Goaltimate frisbee at Duwamish Park. Dean A. Radford/Tukwila Reporter

“It’s a very kid-friendly neighborhood, except when there are a lot of semi-trucks driving through.”

Brooke AlfordTukwila

[ more BAKER page 13 ]

[ ALLENTOWN from page 6]

Allentown is ‘food desert,’ meaning big grocers a mile away

Brooke Alford stands on 44th Place South; in the distance the BNSF intermodal yard is partially visible. Allentown has just a handful of businesses, including some that were grandfathered into this largely residential neighborhood. Dean A. Radford/ Tukwila Reporter

ON THE COVERRoger and Marge Baker sit in their comfortable Allentown home. Behind them are drawings of the Duwamish School and the covered bridge now long gone.

Dean A. Radford/ Tukwila Reporter

8 APRIL 2015 « www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com » APRIL 2015 9

TUKWILA CITY PAGESMAYOR: Jim Haggerton COUNCIL PRESIDENT: Kate Kruller

COUNCIL MEMBERS: Joe Duffie • Dennis Robertson • Allan Ekberg Verna Seal • Kathy Hougardy • De’Sean Quinn City of Tukwila • 6200 Southcenter Boulevard • Tukwila, WA 98188 • 206-433-1800 • Online: TukwilaWA.gov

Help feed your community with the Earth Day Every Day Recycling Challenge: Take the “recycling pledge” by April 30 to help earn a $5,000 grant for the Tukwila pantry!

Take the pledge today! Go online to RecycleOftenRecycleRight.com/Tukwila

CouncilChat

Next Chat: May 9

Meeting agendas, City programs, recreation activities, publications and more… get the most current information at TukwilaWA.gov!

by Kate Kruller,2015 Council President

Volunteers are extraordinary public servants; collectively they are a pow-erful source of strength in our com-munity. April is when we celebrate Na-tional Volunteer Appreciation Month and it’s a great opportunity to honor the hundreds of volunteers who do-nate thousands of hours of their time and talents to our community every year.

If you know someone who is making a difference in Tukwila, please thank them for their efforts.

This idea got started when President Richard Nixon first established Na-tional Volunteer Appreciation Month with an executive order in 1974, and every sitting U.S. president since has issued a similar proclamation urging Americans to give their time to their community.

Tukwila’s longest-term employee retiresCaptain Loren McFarland has decided to end his 42 years of service to the residents and businesses of the City of Tukwila to begin a new chapter in his life called retirement! Loren’s 42 years with the City gives him the distinction of serving longer than any previous employee… ever. His years of service are full of examples of his dedication and loyalty, not only to the Tukwila Fire Department, but also to the City and neighboring departments!

Loren hired on in February of 1973. His colleagues joke that he has been a firefighter longer than the lifespan of nearly half of the Department. He was quickly pro-moted to Lieutenant in 1978. In 2008, when our company officers were reclassified to Captain, Loren assumed that rank. His last day on shift was March 30, 2015. Loren started when there were only seven firefighters in the City of Tukwila. During his career, he witnessed the Department grow from one station and 13 firefighters to four stations and 71 employees

Loren served on the Department’s Hazardous Materials Team, where one of his many duties was testing Level A suits. He also led the Depart-ment in apparatus pump testing and hose and ladder testing. He served on several committees, including the Equipment Committee, (which he chaired for the past few years), Apparatus Spec and Safety Committees. While he never officially served in the Training Division, every firefighter in the Tukwila Fire Department agrees that Loren was the “go-to guy” if you wanted to learn something. He trained and mentored just about everyone in the Department at one time or another!

At an informal City farewell held in Loren’s honor, many testimonials were shared from firefighters and City officials who expressed gratitude and respect for his service and dedication to the Department. No one can serve 42 years without some good stories surfacing when you re-tire, and Loren may have topped the heap for the Tukwila Fire Depart-ment. It is clear from the stories that he had a great sense of humor as well. At orientation, new recruits were always told, “just be like Captain McFarland and you will do fine.”

Loren leaves a legacy of true dedication and loyalty to the fire service in his distinguished and unprecedented career. He will missed, and the entire Department is grateful for the opportunity to have served next to, and be taught by him. Tukwila’s firefighting family celebrates with him, and wishes him well as he moves into this new chapter in life where he can spend more time with his lovely wife and family!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY CONTACT

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

[email protected]

• Duwamish Alive Shoreline Challenge• Friends of the Hill (Duwamish Preserve)

[email protected]

King County Meals on Wheels [email protected]

Sustain Tukwila Pool [email protected]

Tukwila Historical Society 206-244-HIST (4478)

Tukwila International Boulevard Action Committee (TIBAC)

[email protected]

Tukwila Pantry (local food bank) [email protected]

Tukwila School District 206-901-8000

Tukwila Weekend Snack Pack Program [email protected]

United Way of King County 206-461-3655 [email protected]

Volunteer Tukwila (City of Tukwila) [email protected]

Websites identifying volunteer opportunities within a geographic area

www.JustServe.org, orwww.VolunteerMatch.org

Good people are responding. Federal labor statistics show more than 62.8 million people volunteer at least once a year, providing nearly 7.7 billion hours of time. The estimated value of this volunteer service is nearly $173 billion. The top volun-teer activities included:

• Fundraising/selling items to raise money for good cause – 25.4%• Collecting, preparing, distributing, or serving food – 24.2%• Providing transportation and general labor support – 19.6%• Tutoring and teaching youth – 18%• Mentoring youth – 17.3%• Lending professional and management expertise – 15%No matter how you slice it, these are all great ways to help out!

While volunteering provides a broad source of expertise, tal-ent, and people power that flows toward making a difference in our community, it also provides an avenue for individuals to become a part of something much bigger than themselves. What we can’t do alone, we can do together!

As a result, we all collectively enjoy improved parks and open spaces, enhanced compassion for our neighbors, experience diverse and culturally-rich public arts and activities, thrive in improved neighborhoods and have pride in the place we call “home.”

If you haven’t yet found a way to get involved here in Tukwila, it’s time to start! There are many volunteer opportunities that exist in our community. (See box at right.) I encourage you to get out and engage in new challenges, and enjoy all that Tukwila has to offer. I guarantee that you will reap far more in spirit than you will ever thought possible, by giving of yourself!

Council Chat is a monthly opportunity to discuss

what’s on your mind with a Tukwila City Councilmember at the Tukwila Community Center.

Many good citizens explore ways they can take part in the workings of their local government. And now, the time for ultimate participation in government grows near. For those interested in serving the com-munity by running for office, several opportunities are available this year in Tukwila.

2015 Election Dates: Primary election – August 4, 2015 General election – November 3, 2015

This year the position of Tukwila Mayor (currently held by Jim Haggerton) and three Council positions (#2, #4 and #6, currently held by Kathy Hougardy, Dennis Robertson and Kate Kruller, respectively) will be open for election. Candidates are elected at large from among Tukwila’s registered voters.

The Mayor is elected to a four-year term and serves as the City’s chief executive and administrative of-ficer, in charge of all departments and employees, with authority to designate assistants and depart-ment heads. The Mayor is responsible for seeing that the City’s laws and ordinances are faithfully enforced, and has general supervision of the ad-ministration of all City government and all City in-terests. He/she prepares and submits to the Council a proposed budget, and serves as the official and ceremonial head of the City. The Mayor attends and presides over City Council meetings. The Mayor is assisted by the City Administrator. The Mayor may also serve on various regional committees.

A Councilmember serves a four-year term and at-tends four regularly scheduled City Council meetings per month. Councilmembers also serve on two sub-committees, each of which meets twice monthly to

deal with specific issues like transportation, utilities, parks and recreation, community affairs, financial matters, personnel policy issues, matters related to police and fire protection and emergency services. In addition, most Councilmembers serve on regional committees as well. Tukwila City Councilmembers also serve as Commissioners for the Metropolitan Park District (MPD) for the Tukwila Pool.

To compensate for the time and effort required of effective government officials, the Mayor’s annual salary for 2016 is $103,368. Councilmembers are paid $1,250 (2016) per month. Elected officials also receive medical benefits.

Would you like to serve?

Candidate filing will be the week of May 11–15, in person from 8:30AM until 4:30PM at the King County Administration Building, located at 500 - 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle. In addition, online candidate filing will be available May 11 beginning at 9:00AM and will close at 4:00PM on May 15.

Candidates must be verified registered voters in the City of Tukwila. All candidates are required to file a Declaration and Affidavit of Candidacy form, and to pay the filing fee, equivalent to 1% of the office’s salary ($126.00 for Council, $1,013.40 for Mayor) at the time of filing.

For those interested in filing, King County Elections has a detailed Candidates Manual, available online or at their offices. Tukwila election information is also available. You can find both on the City’s website:

TukwilaWA.gov/CandidateManual.pdfTukwilaWA.gov/ElectionInfo.pdf

As part of the City’s on-going commitment to restoring the Duwamish River, Tukwila’s Parks and Recreation Depart-ment applied for and was awarded a $10,000 grant from King Conser-vation District (KCD) in 2013. The purpose and scope of the grant was to

perform restoration work of a 9,000-square foot area along the shoreline of the Duwamish River at Codiga Park. Tukwila Parks and Recreation used the funding to contract with EarthCorps for the removal and con-trol of invasive species, as well as for planting a va-riety of native species plants during 2013 and 2014.

Crews removed invasive blackberry, butterfly bush and knotweed plants along the steeply sloped north/east side of the riverbank. The first year of work

Tukwila’s Comprehensive Plan update continuesTake part in the vision to guide Tukwila’s future growth. Tukwila’s Com-prehensive Plan is being updated for the next 20 years. You are invited to come learn more about these changes and to provide your opinions on these topics during May and June.

Public Open House

Weds, May 20 4:30 to 6:30PM

Sewer and Water District Building 3460 S 148th Street #110, Tukwila

There’s no formal agenda; drop by when it’s convenient for you. Meet staff and learn about proposed policies for the Tukwila Interna-tional Boulevard District, and issues to be addressed in the Housing and Residential Neighborhoods elements.

Planning Commission

Thurs, May 28 Starts at 6:30PM

City Hall Council Chambers 6200 Southcenter Blvd, Tukwila

At this Public Hearing, you are invited to voice your opinions regard-ing the draft Tukwila International Boulevard element.

Tukwila’s Planning Commission will hold a work session on June 18.

Planning Commission

Thurs, June 25 Starts at 6:30PM

City Hall Council Chambers 6200 Southcenter Blvd, Tukwila

At this Public Hearing, you are invited to voice your opinions regard-ing the draft Housing and Residential Neighborhood elements.

After the meetings, the Planning Commission’s recommendations for the Tukwila International Boulevard, Housing and Residential Neigh-borhoods elements will be forwarded to the City Council for review and public hearing, with final action expected during fall 2015.

Review materials will be available. For more information, call Rebecca Fox at 206-431-3683, or email [email protected].

Ready to take an active roll in your City’s government? Filing for Mayor, three Council positions opens in May

County-wide emergency radio ballot measure this monthOn April 28, 2015, King County will have a special election to replace the current aging emergency radio communications network. The current network is approaching 20 years old and is in danger of failing if it isn’t replaced in a timely man-ner. Registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail, which must be postmarked by April 28 in order to be counted.

The King County Council authorized a 7.0 cents per $1,000 of assessed value levy lid lift for nine years to pay for this effort. If passed, the measure will raise the $273 million needed to fund the full cost of replacing the radios and cor-responding equipment, and will cost $26.46 per household per year in a median-valued home of $378,000.

Tukwila’s Police and Fire Departments are a part of the re-gional consortium known as Valley Communications (Val-leyCom), which provides a central dispatch for emergency services in the south County area. All emergency respond-ers rely heavily on the radio system for dispatch, coordina-tion at emergencies, and communication with managerial staff directing the incident response. The new radio system will last for at least 20 years, and project costs include main-tenance and upgrades for the life of the radios.

Grant funds restoration work on Codiga Park shorelinemade a significant impact on the area by removing a majority of the invasive species. After that initial effort, only about 30% of the blackberry grew back in patches, which crews were able to remove with hand tools. There was also very little regrowth of butterfly bush in the second year, and by the end of 2014 the knotweed has been reduced to a few returning stems.

In October 2014, the riverbank was planted with na-tive vegetation in the form of 70 trees, 140 shrubs and 20 groundcover plants, plus 150 linear feet of live willow fascines and stakes. Follow-up restoration maintenance will be performed in 2015.

Tukwila’s Parks and Recreation Department recog-nizes and thanks KCD for their generous funding for the Codiga Park Shoreline Restoration Project, and EarthCorps for their dedicated work on improving the site. Grant funding from KCD was critical in mak-ing this restoration project happen.

ORCA LIFT Reduced Fare ProgramORCA LIFT is King County Metro’s new, re-duced transit fare program, now available for Tukwila residents to help you get more out of your public transportation system.

Once you qualify for the program, you’ll receive an ORCA LIFT card registered to your name, with the same features every ORCA card has. You can load an E-purse value on your card to pay for trips one at a time, or load a discounted monthly pass that lets you take unlimited trips for an entire month. With the ORCA LIFT card, income-qualified riders will save by paying only $1.50 per trip, any time of day, for one-or two-zone travel on Metro Transit buses, and $1.00 for Sound Transit Link light rail.

See if you qualify by visiting:

Metro.KingCounty.gov/ programs-projects/orca-lift

Thanks for lending a hand!

10:00AM to 12:00NOON


2015 EVENT SCHEDULE9:00am-3:00pm Arts and Crafts Marketplace, Educational Exhibitor Booths, and Native Plant Sales

9:30am-3:00pm Kids Garden Party: Arts, Crafts, and Garden Planting

9:30am Guided Bird Tour along the Duwamish River

10:30am Marianne Binetti, “Saving the World: Bee Happy! Projects and Plantings for Bee and Bird Pollinators”

11:00am Bubbleman Show

11:30am Sue Goetz, “Top Ten Multi-Purpose Herbs”

12:30pm Marianne Binetti, “Landscape Planning for the Birds and the Bees”

1:30pm Stacy Davison, “Incredible Edibles: Fantastic Flowers for Pollinators and People”

May 9, 2015Saturday 9am–3pm

Festival!

Tukwila Community Center12424 42nd Ave, Tukwila 98168

www.BackyardWildlifeFestival.org

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Sue GoetzMarianne BinettiStacy Davison

Guided Bird TourNative Plant SalesKids Garden PartyMusic & FoodArt Show

Held at the


Foster High School’s Centennial celebra-tion March 20 was a huge success, with hugs and tears and Bulldogs of all ages tell-ing their school’s story in dance, song and words.

Before the formal program, hundreds of Foster graduates and friends caught up

with each other, ate cake, looked at a col-lection of Growlers and Klahowyahs and bought Centennial t-shirts.

Th e trip through Foster’s history was narrated by longtime Foster coach and teacher, Mike Shannon.

Erin Bader (class of 1979) sang the icon-ic “Over the Rainbow” to the crowd and to Dorothy (Daley) Sivertsen, who gradu-ated from Foster in 1937 and was the oldest

graduate at the Centennial.Jim Harding (class of 1977) sang the clas-

sic 1960s anthem, “Unchained Melody.”Foster’s diversity was showcased by to-

day’s students who performed traditional dances from around the world.

Th e Centennial marked the awarding of Foster’s fi rst diploma to Ava Sophia Ad-ams. In a reenactment, Ava played by 2014 Foster graduate Olivia Th ompson, was

presented the diploma by Superintendent L.M. Dimmitt, played by Pat Brodin.

Th e diploma, a copy of Ava’s now held by her family, was then presented to Foster Principal Pat Larson for the school.

Hundreds attended and at the end of the formal program, stood arm in arm to sing Foster’s alma mater.

Dean A. Radford can be reached at 425-255-3484, ext. 5150.

Foster Centennial success; hundreds attend

Here are photos from the celebration



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Foster catcher David Em leaps for a throw as a Hazen High School runner heads for home. Em made the catch and then tagged the runner, below, for an out. Dean A. Radford/Tukwila Reporter

Four returners help Bulldogs get better with every game

tukwilacalendarApril Pool’s DayApril Pool’s Day is 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at the Tukwila Pool, 4414 S. 144th St., Tukwila. There will be kayak rides, life-vest fittings, a rescue boat and a water-safety storytime. It’s all free and a chance to learn about water safety. There will be food, punch, music and raffles. The event is a partnership of the King County Library System, the Tukwila Fire Department and the Tukwila Pool Metropolitan Park District.

Restore the DuwamishThe Restore the Duwamish Shoreline Challenge has its big event 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 18, on the Green River Trail at the BECU campus, 12770 Gateway Dr., Tukwila. Volunteers will perform a number of restoration jobs, including removing blackberries. To register and learn more, go to www.restoretheduwamish.org.

Healthy run, walkThe Healthy Earth Healthy You 5K Run and Walk is Saturday, April 25. Start time is 9 a.m. at the Tukwila Community Center; the run goes along the Duwamish-Green River Trail. Registration is $15 in advance or $20 on event day. Children under 10 are free. Participants can plant a tree as part of a restoration project. For more information contact Shannon Fisher at [email protected].

The recycling challengeThe Waste Management Recycling Challenge is April 1-30 throughout the City of Tukwila. Residents will take the Recycle Often, Recycle Right recycling pledge. To do so and learn more, go to recycleoftenrecycleright.com/tukwila. If 25 percent of Tukwila’s households sign up, there will be a $2,500 donation to the Tukwila Pantry.

Backyard Wildlife FestivalThe Backyard Wildlife Festival is 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at the Tukwila Community Center, 12424 42nd Ave. S., Tukwila. There will be exhibitors, guided bird tour, art show, vendors and food, native plant sales and music. For more information go to www.backyardwildlifefestival.org.

Online calendarThe Tukwila Reporter has an online calendar at tukwilareporter.com where you can post events and see what’s going on.

deeply connected interest in the success and future of the pool.

People that realize just how big a part of their lives the pool really is.

People who have the time to devote to administrating as well as assisting pool employees in growing the pool within our community.

It truly takes a total team effort with everyone work-ing as one to: Do the right things, for the right reasons, that benefits the whole community

Third, those people exist in our community and need to be given the chance bring their skills, talent and ex-pertise to the MPD. But they need to be empowered to come forward and serve. Only you can give them that chance.

This MPD can do much better. This MPD must do much better to be successful.

It’s time to vote to change governance to an indepen-dently elected board.

David PukiTukwila

programs for hands-on, in-demand skills and services. Our school social workers and counselors teamed with the city and local service providers to plan this event, and I give them big kudos. We are in the businesses of educating students, but we also must recognize that our families’ basic

needs have to be met before children can thrive. Th at includes a stable, living-wage job for parents. If you are on the hunt for such a job or want the skills to get one, please come to the Parent Job and Career Fair.

Stay dry out there as we plant the seeds for some truly exciting oppor-tunities during these blustery spring

days! I hope to see you at some of our upcoming events.

In service, Dr. Nancy CooganTukwila School Superintendent Dr.

Nancy Coogan can be reached at ncoogan@tukwila.

wednet.edu.

[ LETTER from page 5]

[ COOGAN from page 5]


Th e Foster High boys baseball team is returning four All-Seamount League players from last season as it makes a run for the playoff s.

Th is year’s captains are Tyler Solem-saas and Mitchell Forhan.

Coach Eric Hall says Tyler Amin has been a leader through his attitude and hustle, along with David Em.

“Solemsaas has been playing great for us at shortstop, a key position for us,” said Hall. “Em is returning and has been outstanding at catcher and is starting to heat up at the plate.”

Forhan is the team’s leader in the outfi eld and has been solid at the plate, said Hall. And, Drew Jorgensen

has been “hitting well and is our ace this year.”

Th e Bulldogs are a “little thin at pitching,” Hall said, and he’s asked some players to pitch who wouldn’t normally do so.

“We have played some good teams so far this year and are off to a rough start record-wise, but each game we are getting better,” Hall said. “Every year, we expect to be in the playoff s and make a run.”

Th e team is competing well when it does its job: Th row strikes, get on base, and be mentally sound on the bases and in the fi eld, Hall said.

Dean A. Radford can be reached at 425-255-3484, ext. 5150.Left fielder Xavier Cruz heads for first

base against Hazen. Dean A. Radford/Tukwila Reporter


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packed.“It’s a very kid-friendly neigh-

borhood, except when there are a lot of semi-trucks driving through,” Alford said.

Allentown is in one of the Tuk-wila Police Department’s five pa-trol districts. The residents largely feel safe in Allentown, according to the survey.

Allentown doesn’t have a Block Watch program, something Al-ford says in needed. Generally, folks watch out for each other, she said, but “it’s something we need to work on, better neighborhood networking.”

Roger Baker lives just a couple doors down from Duwamish Park, where the Duwamish School once stood. He attended grade school there.

The Bakers’ house in Allentown is one of several that qualified for a federal soundproofing program that blocks out the noise of air-planes overhead; the insulated windows help keep the home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

And just down from him lives Mary Fertakis, a Tukwila School Board member who has lived in Allentown since 1990 with her husband Jon. A year earlier, Al-lentown annexed to Tukwila.

The Fertakises live in one of

42nd Avenue’s historic homes; theirs was built in 1904.

Mary Fertakis has literally dug up the house’s history, find-ing the remains of a blacksmith shop while gardening. They have a deep backyard, with a swale, likely a much earlier path of the Duwamish River and favored by wetland plants.

Allentown presents a chal-lenge to the Tukwila School Dis-trict because with its multifamily and multigenerational homes, it doesn’t fit the 2.2-children-per-household standard used to de-termine how many children will attend school in the fall, she said.

The youngest children are bused to Tukwila Elementary School and the older ones attend Showalter and Foster.

Fertakis is concerned about the dangers to children, and adults, from the BNSF truck traffic and, potentially, railcars carrying coal.

Kids being kids, they’ll walk to the play fields at the commu-nity center without using a cross-walk or sidewalk on South 124th Street. “The street is also not very well lighted. And so when you are talking about evening things, I get concerned about that issue, too, being able to see our kids.”

Communities across the coun-

try are raising red flags about coal cars, she said, that could possibly use the BNSF tracks.

“If they start doing a lot of coal coming through here, the whole neighborhood is going to be im-pacted negatively by coal dust,” she said.

The Fertakises found their three-story farmhouse in Allen-town while trying to make their commute to their jobs in Seattle a little shorter.

“I, of course, looked at this house and fell in love with it,” she said, with its beautiful woodwork and old-growth beams in the basement. It has lived through multiple earthquakes and floods.

The backyard is still pastoral, evoking its role as a farm and or-chard. An original pear tree re-mains.

And then there’s Duwamish out the front window.

The salmon run in the river and the osprey fly in the skies, teach-ing their young to dive and fish. Their twittering sounds like, “I am scared. I am scared,” Fertakis says.

Usually it’s about April 1 when the osprey come back to roost, a signal.

“Spring has arrived,” says Fer-takis.

Dean A. Radford can be reached at 425-255-3484. ext. 5150.

until it burned down in 1956 and was replaced. It’s where Baker hunted at night for baby pi-geons that he would raise.

“I used to crawl up in the rafters of that thing,” he said. “We would get dirtier than hell off that dirt and dust up there.”

There were a number of stores, big and small, including one in a house, that served Allentown. Bill Goldsmith was prominent among the grocers and generous during the Depression. He carried customers “on the books” and Baker doesn’t know whether he ever got paid back.

Hanging in the house where Baker lives with his wife Marge are two drawings, one of that wooden bridge and one of the Duwamish School, where three generations of his family went to school – his mother, Baker and his children.

He walked past that house to school in the 1930s, when it was just framed up. For years it sat unfinished until the owners got a loan to complete the work. He bought the house for $12,000 in 1960; the school grounds are now

Duwamish Park almost next door.Baker’s grandmother, Delia Finucan Merkle,

went door to door with other parents in 1908 or 1909, collecting signatures to form a school district. They succeeded; the school was built for $10,000 in 1911.

A bell would ring to call children to school and then back again after lunch. The “good kids” would get to ring the bell. “I didn’t get to pull it many times,” he says, smiling.

The bell graced Baker’s front yard on 42nd Street for many years after the school was torn down. It’s now in the Tukwila Community Center.

Baker served for six years in the U.S. Navy during World War II, on a ship escorting con-voys to Europe. He was in the Normandy inva-sion in 1944 at Omaha Beach.

Back at home, he worked in construction as a lather, who built interior walls of lath and plaster, a technique mostly replaced in the 1950s by drywall. “As we always said, ‘If you’re a lather, we could do anything,’” he said. And he always answered “yes” when asked whether he could do a particular job, even if he wasn’t experienced.

After the war, Allentown changed – “consid-erably,” he says. More people moved in, other roads were developed and more land platted. Hundreds and hundreds of truckloads of dirt and slag from steel plants were hauled in to where the rail yard is today, he said.

He and his first wife raised their family in Allentown. He and Marge married in a big wedding at the VFW Hall in Skyway in Janu-ary this year.

Growing up, Allentown was a “great place. Still is. Still is,” he says. It’s quiet, except for the planes. It’s convenient. Seattle is 10 min-utes away, Tacoma maybe 20 minutes. He still doesn’t like all the traffic and he’s trying to get the city to build a guardrail along 42nd Avenue and the river.

Baker served on the Tukwila Parks Com-mission. He’s glad Allentown is in Tukwila. “It’s a good little city. At least you can go up to the City Council and they listen to you,” he said.

“Why would I go someplace else?” he says, when asked why he has stayed in Allentown all his life. “As long as I am able to do what I want to do, I am happy right here.”

BY DEAN A. RADFORDD R A D F O R D @

T U K W I L A R E P O R T E R . C O M

The community meeting May 7 will offer Allentown residents a chance to talk in small groups among them-selves and with city leaders about how they want to im-prove their community.

A survey last fall identified three key issues: the look of the neighborhood, noise and traffic.

The evening begins with a social hour and snacks at 6 p.m. at the Tukwila Commu-nity Center, 12424 42nd Ave. S. Tukwila.

The formal program starts at 6:30 p.m. with a quick overview of the survey re-sults, which were based on 124 completed question-naires.

Those attending, including residents and city political leaders and administrators, will break into three groups that will tackle one of the three key issues.

The city has already held interdepartmental meetings about the issues, and possible solutions, but the intent is to not “sweep in” with anything final, said Rachel Bianchi, the City of Tukwila’s com-munications director.

“We are trying to find ways that we work together and that we as a city can catalyze the neighborhood,” she said.

Conversations and plan-ning will continue on ideas that “rise to the top,” she said.

The city will set up tables with information about city services and programs.

May 7 meeting chance to talk issues

[ BAKER from page 7]

BNSF Railway Intermodal Facility handles tens of thousands of truckloads of freight every year. Dean A. Radford/Tukwila Reporter

[ ALLENTOWN from page 7]


school connectionAPRIL 2015Tukwila School District #406

Transportation department gets top effi ciency rating in the state

100 percent—the top in the state!—that’s the effi ciency rating given to our Tukwila School District Transportation Department by the Superintendent of Public Instruction in March. Every district in Washington is evaluated annually using an effi ciency formula that takes into account miles travelled, number of students transported, route and stop locations, fuel usage, and equipment expenditures to

determine an expected cost for transportation operations.

“Basically, this rating says that we are using our resources to obtain the maximum benefi t for students,” said Kathy Breault, Tukwila’s proud Transportation Supervisor. “It determined that we are 100 percent effi cient and confi rmed what we already know—the Tukwila School District rocks!”

2015-16 school year:Mark your calendar!

The Tukwila School District has scheduled the start, end, and break dates for next school year—please mark them down in your own calendar so you can plan for 2015-16. The finer details, such as grading periods and conference dates, will be avail-able soon.

Sept. 3: First day of school

Sept. 7: Labor Day (no school)

Oct. 9: No school (cert-staff TRI optional)

Nov. 11: Veterans Day (no school)

Nov. 25: Early release

Nov. 26-27: Thanksgiving break (no school)

Dec. 21-Jan. 1: Winter break (no school)

Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (no school)

Jan. 25: No school (teacher prep day)

Feb. 15-16: Presidents Day/mid-winter break (no school)

Feb. 17: No school OR snow make-up day if needed

April 4-8: Spring break

May 27: No school OR snow make-up day if needed

May 30: Memorial Day (no school)

June 17: Last day of school (early release)

June 20-24: Snow make-up days if needed

Smarter Balanced Assessments:

New agreement with colleges lets students bypass placement tests

Our state has adopted new Washington Learning Standards in language arts and math, which are focused on real-world problem solving and critical thinking. They provide grade-level expectations of what students need to know, culminating in gradua-tion when a student leaves prepared for career and college success. To assess these new rigorous learn-ing standards, the state has replaced its language-arts and math standardized tests (formerly the MSP and HSPE) with new Smarter Balanced Assessments, which all students in grades 3-8 and 11 have already begun taking this spring.

The Tukwila School District has a Smarter Balanced resource page (www.tukwila.wednet.edu under “Teaching and Learning” then “Assessment and Achievement”) to help you understand the new tests and what they mean. Resources there include video overviews, grade-level practice tests, tips for student test takers, infographics, and FAQs.

New for upperclassmen: Because the Smarter Balanced Assessments are well aligned with post-graduation expectations, the state just formed an agreement that will significantly benefit high-schoolers who perform at Achievement Levels 3 or 4 on the test. They will be able to move directly into credit-bearing, college-level courses at all public and the majority of independent colleges/universities in Washington. This means students will be able to bypass the traditional math and English placement tests given upon enrollment and the accompanying remedial classes.

Ever wonder what happens at schools on late-start SMART Wednesdays? Here is just one example: Showalter Middle School’s Intervention Professional Learning Community (PLC) hard at work in April (from left: Dean of Students Aaron Draganov, para-educator Lisa Welch, and teacher Jennifer Olsen). A PLC is a group of educators who come together to collaborate and problem solve around specific issues. In this case, the Intervention PLC team was looking at achievement data for individual students who are performing below grade level in reading. Each team member was able to offer unique insights about the students—what motivates them, what is happening in their home life, where they excel, where they have challenges—which allowed the team to develop tailored supports based on the particular needs of each child.


Tukwila School District #406 APRIL 2015

Teen Read-A-Thon will support new

KCLS Foster libraryKing County Library’s Foster branch is an

incredibly valuable resource for Tukwila youth, and now they are paying it forward by raising funds for an addition—called the Community Mosaic—to the new library building that is currently under construction. Spearheaded by the teens on the Tukwila Library Council, a read-a-thon will run from April 20 through May 1, and all participants will collect pledges for every hour that they spend reading at the current library (up to 24 hours).

This is similar to a read-a-thon the Council held in October, which raised $1,310 for the Community Mosaic. They hope to collect another $5,000 this go round, which will contribute to the $1 million being raised by the King County Library System Foundation to make the addition a reality. The first read-a-thon involved the teens on the Council; the second is open to all local youth who want to participate.

The Community Mosaic will be a gathering place, performance space and learning hub in the new library. Most of the costs for the new library will be covered by the $172 million capital bond passed by King County voters in 2004. The KCLS Foundation Board agreed to raise additional funds for the Mosaic.

The idea for the read-a-thon fundraiser came directly from the members of the Tukwila Library Council themselves.

“I’m excited about participating in the read-a-thon because it’s about more than just us,” said Cierra Ghafari, Tukwila Library Council President. “It’s about the community that we live in and how we want to see the library evolve for coming generations.”

Any teen interested in participating or community member who wants to sponsor a participant can contact Rachel McDonald at [email protected].

Come drive for the Tukwila School District: Now hiring bus drivers

Fun and fl exible with pay starting at $19.05 an hourIf you need a fl exible job schedule with good pay, driving a Tukwila School District bus might be for

you! Drivers get summers off and paid training, not to mention control of all that yellow horse power. Salary and route options increase steadily with seniority. Sound good? Call now to get on the road: (206) 901-8050.

Parent Job and Career FairFind a living-wage job and/or get training on April 23

For the first time, the Tukwila School District is hosting a job and career fair for parents. It’s only through strong family partnerships and a stable home life that our schools can best educate students; that includes living-wage employment for parents to support their children.

Please come if you need training to get a better job or if you need to change jobs to earn a living wage.

The Parent Job and Career Fair is 4:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, 2015, at Showalter Middle School, 4628 S. 144th St., Tukwila. For more information, call 206-901-7822. Childcare and interpreters will be available.

Regional employers with immediate living-wage job opportunities will be there to accept resumes and meet applicants. Organizations offering training programs for in-demand skills and services will be available to help attendees get more information and enroll.

Interpreters needed:Make money and help your school

community with your language skillsIncreased rate of $30 an hour

Are you fl uent in English and another language spoken by Tukwila families? Then we invite YOU to become a part of the Tukwila School District interpreter pool. Our schools have a signifi cant need to com-municate with families in their home languages, and they want to use local interpreters—who best under-stand this community—as much as possible.

Interpreters in the pool are employed on an on-call hourly basis; when help is needed, an interpreter is free to sign up for the job or not, depending on his/her schedule. Interpretation jobs frequently include things like community meetings, student conferences, school events, and home phone calls. Translation work is also be available. All interpreters in the pool will be required to undergo a training before begin-ning work.

To apply, go to the employment tab on the district’s homepage (look under classifi ed jobs). If you have questions or fi nd it diffi cult to apply, call (206) 901-8028.

These are some of the most-needed languages for interpretation: Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Burmese, Cambodian, Chin, Chinese, Karen, Laotian, Nepali, Punjabi, Russian, Samoan, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

Tukwila Elementary held a Special People barbecue in late March, and even the sunshine agreed to honor the VIP attendees! In this annual tradition across all district elementary schools, students invite parents, caregivers, mentors, family—anyone who is important in their lives and supports their success—to have hamburgers and connect with the school. The lunch is just a small way of saying thank you and recognizing that strong school/home partnerships are fundamental to children thriving academically, socially, and emotionally.

The entire community—with alumni spanning the decades from the 1930s to present—came together to celebrate Foster High’s centennial on March 21. The official program kicked off with a reenactment of the school’s first graduation ceremony in 1915; Pat Brodin portrayed the superintendent at the time and student Tahnie Johnson portrayed Foster’s first graduate, Ava Sophia Adams. They used the actual first diploma ever issued, which is now framed and on display at the school.

Potatoes and lemons—a (sour!) recipe for science success: On a Saturday in March, Showalter sixth-graders learned how these common pantry staples can produce energy during a MESA event at North Seattle Community College. MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) is a program that works with minority students to break down barriers to their college/career success in scientific and technical fields. During the March MESA Day events, students got hands-on lessons and learned team management, communication, and leadership skills.

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