Going on job interviews? Giving a business presentation? Leading a meeting? Need confidence? Toastmasters is the answer!

The ability to speak well is crucial to success, but have you ever evaluated your speaking skills? Many people, if they were to seek feedback, would learn that they talk too much, or perhaps too softly, that they fill their sentences with “ums” and “uhs,” or that they are hard to follow. You might say that it’s the message that matters; but if you can’t put your ideas across in a way that makes people want to listen, that promotion or that leadership position could be a long time coming.

Toastmasters offers a formal, self-paced program that will help you learn to speak better. The two keys to this are practice and feedback. Toastmasters clubs provide a friendly and supportive setting where you can practice your public speaking, and receive constructive feedback. Darlene Burrill says, “Toastmasters has given me the courage to speak in front of a group in spite of my speech impediment.”

To learn more about Toastmasters attend an Open House at Burien Breakfast Toastmasters, Thursday, September 9, 2010. Arrive at 6:45am to receive your guest packet and get your coffee or juice. There will be a light breakfast served at break time.

Burien Breakfast Toastmasters Open House
4 Lessons on Speaking from “The Karate Kid”
Highline Public Schools ERAC Building
15675 Ambaum Blvd SW, Burien
Across the street from Azteca, next to Hi-Line Lanes
7:00am – 8:15am
Arrive at 6:45am for Guest Packets, Coffee and Juice
For more info contact Theresa 206-588-5088 or burienbreakfast.com@gmail.com

There will be three parts to the meeting, the prepared speeches, the evaluations, and “Table Topics”. The prepared speeches are usually of five to seven minutes long. Each member is given in a manual that sets out ten speech projects. Each of these has a specific goal, such as speech structure, using gestures, pauses and vocal inflection. These will help you learn how to express your ideas clearly and with confidence. Bang Parkinson, the President of Burien Breakfast Toastmasters, says that using the speech projects helped her gain confidence and feel comfortable presenting at board meetings at work. “Even though I still have my Chinese accent, people understand me better. Giving speeches at Toastmasters helped me to articulate well and to speak slower, clearer and smoother.”

After each speech an evaluator, usually a Toastmaster more experienced than the speaker, provides feedback. This takes the form of an impromptu speech and the objective is to give suggestions on how to improve future speeches because feedback is essential to learning.

For many people the “Table Topics” part of a meeting is the most frightening, yet this is also of the greatest benefit for those wanting to improve how they speak at work. In Table Topics each person is called upon to speak impromptu on a subject. If you’ve never done it before, delivering an interesting and well-structured talk to a group of attentive listeners without any preparation can be extremely difficult. Yes, the first time is hard, but it gets easier with practice, and that’s precisely the point. As Jean Schmidt says, “I used to be legally blind. Science gave me back my eyesight. Toastmasters opened my eyes. Now they can’t keep my mouth shut!”

Attend a meeting and you’ll find Toastmasters are more than willing to share stories of how Table Topics practice helped them at work. From explaining a project to a group of unexpected visitors to persuading colleagues to consider a crazy idea, being able to express thoughts clearly is essential to being viewed as both confident and competent. Roger Wells will tell you how Table Topics saved his dad’s life when with no preparation he had to convince medical authorities to hospitalize his dad at once.

You can learn these skills and more in a supportive, self paced, fun atmosphere at Burien Breakfast Toastmasters. Join us at our Open House September 9, 2010 at 6:45am or at any of our regularly scheduled meetings.

Burien Breakfast Toastmasters
Highline Public Schools ERAC Building
15675 Ambaum Blvd. SW
Burien, WA 98166
2nd and 4th Thursday of every month
7:00am – 8:15am

by Ralph Nichols

An international spotlight will focus on Des Moines during the 1st World Emerging Industries Summit 2010 in China, which Mayor Bob Sheckler will attend Aug. 31-Sept. 3.

“I just got confirmation that I will be allowed, as requested, to make a speech on behalf of the city promoting local development,” Sheckler told The Waterland Blog in an Aug. 19 interview.

“This excites me and challenges me. Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime, if ever. These are people who represent Fortune 500 companies,” Sheckler said.

“Des Moines, with a population of 30,000, has the opportunity to be promoted before all these international investors and developers in China.”

He added that “a lot of my ability to even go there is due to the city council’s support and help in paying for my trip.” The Des Moines Rotary Club also donated $500 to help with his airfare.

Referring to his successful China trip last November – which he paid for himself and which landed a multi-million-dollar hotel for Des Moines on Pacific Highway S. – Sheckler noted, “If it wasn’t for that trip I wouldn’t have been invited [to this summit].

“This trip is based on relationships I built with government officials and investors I made then. Otherwise this invitation wouldn’t have come my way.”

That invitation came from Wang Rulin, governor, Jilin Province of China, Dominique de Villepin, global chairman of the Asia-Pacific CEO Association Worldwide, and Zheng Xiongwei, global executive chairman of the association.

Sponsored by the Chinese government, the summit – “New Industrial Revolution & Green Economy” – will feature business talks on investment, cooperation and technology exchanges, and promotion of international economic cooperation in emerging industries.

International political leaders, ministers and elected representatives of federal, state, provincial and local governments, CEOs, representatives of industry and related international organizations, and top economists will attend.

“There won’t be a lot of time for one-on-one discussions, which makes my talk all the more significant,” Sheckler said.

Topping his list as he promotes the city will be the planned 89-acre Des Moines Creek Business Park just west of Pacific Highway north of S. 216th St. Des Moines will regulate land use planning and zoning since the business park is within its city limits.

The property is owned by the Port of Seattle, which supports Sheckler’s upcoming efforts in China to attract businesses to this planned development.

He will also highlight opportunities for commercial and residential development in the downtown Marina District, especially along Marine View Drive and 7th Ave. S.

“And there remain a lot of places for development along Pacific Highway in addition to the planned Waterview Crossing project and the 300-room hotel with a four- or five-star true Chinese restaurant.”

Sheckler recalled that the hotel originally was going to be built in Tacoma until he developed an international business relationship with its Chinese investor.

Earlier, he said the city’s efforts to attract international developers and investors have “to be a two-way street. We can’t just take and not give. They are looking for good opportunities for investments in Des Moines that will give them a good return for their dollar. Their interest is in profitable investments.

Chinese investors like the Des Moines area because they can’t get its views of Puget Sound anywhere else “without paying premium dollars for them,” Sheckler added. “And the marina is a huge attraction to them.”

Story and photos by Michael Brunk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click to Play Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

The Hospitality Services and Women’s Programs at Highline Community College are sponsoring a “Clothing Closet” for graduating students. The event will be held in the student union on May 28th and will go all day or until the clothing is gone.

Project coordinator Donna Longwell says, “I saw a need for some of my students to acquire clothing for a job interview. Because I ran a clothing closet of such in Bremerton, it was easy to put on a one day event for our students. We have a huge need on this campus and all are very generous. We collect the clothing for a few weeks and then display them like a small store. Folks come in and shop and go out with one or two nice outfits, shoes, jewelry etc and feel better about themselves. This helps them have more confidence as they look for work.”

This is a great opportunity to do a little spring cleaning and free up room in your closet! The college is collecting clothing appropriate for professional wear for both men and women.

If you have clothing to donate or would like more information, please contact Donna Longwell at 206-870-3777 or dlongwell@highline.edu.

On Thursday (Mar. 4), Highline Community College’s Center of Excellence for International Trade, Transportation and Logistics (ITTL) announced that it had received $250,000 to provide additional job training opportunities for positions in the international trade sector.

“As our economy continues to change and adjust so too must our workforce,” said U.S. Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA). “This funding will help do just that by training Washington state workers for a career in a growing sector of our local economy – international trade.”

The project — part of the final version of the 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act signed by President Obama on Dec. 16, 2009 — will lead to a 20 percent increase in the number of trained ITTL workers in Washington state.

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Smith secured funding for the project that will also improve the image of international trade throughout Washington state and create awareness of career and training opportunities that lead to family wage jobs.

“In these tough economic times, it is more important than ever to ensure that our workers have the skills they need to compete in the 21st century economy,” Murray said.

Positions in the ITTL sector include managers, logisticians, cargo and freight agents, shipping and receiving clerks, locomotive engineers, drivers and warehouse workers. Washington state will need nearly 77,000 new employees in ITTL by 2018, according to estimates based on data from the state’s Employment Security Department.

For more information about the Center of Excellence for International Trade, Transportation and Logistics, visit www.ittlwa.com.

Highline Community College was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County. With approximately 18,300 students and 350,000 alumni, it is one of the state’s largest institutions of higher education. The college offers a wide range of academic transfer and professional-technical education programs, with day, evening and weekend classes. Alumni include:

• Former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice
• Entrepreneur Junki Yoshida
• Washington state poet laureate Sam Green
• And yes, even WLB Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer

On Monday (March 1st) we received an email from Janel Stoneback, announcing that her Emerald City Smoothie store located at the Normandy Park Towne Center had shut its doors.

This store, located at 19803 First Ave South, may have been affected by a number of elements, including recent ongoing construction on First Ave South, the economic recession, as well as a relatively troubled location where other businesses have also faltered.

According to the Normandy Park city newsletter, this ECS location opened in August of 2008.

Far as we know, Janel’s other ECS location near the Burien Safeway, is still open and in business.

While we don’t have the exact details yet (we’re hoping to get more info from Janel soon, which we’ll publish as soon as we receive it), according to Janel’s Facebook Page:

To all my Excellent very supportive customers, friends and business associates, it is with great disappointment we have had to make a decision to close Normandy Park Emerald City Smoothie.

If you read The Waterland Blog regularly, you’re probably aware that, aside from providing a much-needed and timely service to the Des Moines area, we’re growing very quickly in both traffic, content and Advertisers (more info on us here).

And growth can be good, except of course when it starts to overwhelm a very small staff.

Hence, this posting – we’re looking for at least two capable folks to come join our Burien-based team:

1. JOURNALIST/EDITOR with WordPress knowledge (or you’re at least not afraid to learn it). Yes, we need another Editor to collect content, format it, copy edit, add graphics (and do appropriate FTPing if necessary), then push the “Publish” button to update some of our up-and-coming blogs (we currently have 6 total, with more coming soon…).
2. SALES REP who can call on local businesses to let them know about us. We have nice Rate Cards, excellent traffic, our websites’ content speaks for itself, and we’re finding that selling Ads is easy – we just need more feet on the ground!

Here’s some more info:

• We prefer to find local folks who live in the general area.
• We like people who are involved in their communities (we’re active in ours).
• We like to find people who either read the blog already, or know of us.
• You can work part or full-time (some folks working here now have other gigs).
• You can set your own hours.
• This is a “ground-floor opportunity” and you will be part of a small, growing team.
• These are Contractor (1099) positions, meaning that you’ll be paid on an either per-job/hourly basis or pure Commission. And believe it or not, we also accept Volunteers! There are no benefits other than working with a fun, local, talented team who like to make a difference in their community.
• Your work will be seen on not just here on The Waterland Blog, but our five other area sister sites as well, including:
  • The B-Town (Burien) Blog
  • The White Center Blog
  • The Normandy Park Blog
  • The Tukwila Blog
  • The SeaTac Blog

Requirements:

• Please have a computer and internet access (we’ll set you up with an email account).
• Please have a reliable car & valid driver’s license.
• For Sales Reps – please have the ability to manage your clients throughout their entire Ad run on the sites (this includes staying in contact with them, renewing them when their contracts expire, etc.).
• You will work as an Independent Contractor, meaning you’ll be responsible for your own taxes, insurance, etc. and there are no additional benefits).
• You dig the internet and are excited about its future possibilities, including new technologies like the upcoming iPad.
• You like Local News, Events, Arts, Entertainment and more, as well as helping out your community(we hold our own Fundraiser Blog Parties about once per quarter, and over our 2+ year lifespan have raised over $13,000 for local charities).

To apply for one of these positions, please email us your resume, links to your online stuff (ie: Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs, etc.), and your interests and availability!

State Representatives Dave Upthegrove and Tina Orwall, both Democrats from Des Moines, along with Senator Karen Keiser (D-Kent), will host a Community Jobs Forum on Saturday, Feb. 20th from 10am to Noon at the Kent City Hall.

Stepping out of the traditional “town hall” format, the three lawmakers put together a Community Jobs Forum to give constituents an opportunity to connect with state and nonprofit agencies that do job placement, training, counseling, and similar services.

Legislators will speak briefly about state efforts to spur job creation and get the economy back on track. The rest of the event will be free time for attendees to visit tables from the participating agencies and speak one-on-one with the legislators.

Here are the details:

WHAT: 33rd District Community Jobs Forum

WHEN: Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to Noon.

WHERE: Kent City Hall – Council Chambers, located at 220 Fourth Avenue South, Kent

WHO: 33rd District legislators: Rep. Dave Upthegrove, Rep. Tina Orwall and Sen. Karen Keiser.

Confirmed participating agencies include:

• WorkSource
• Port Jobs
  
• Highline CC
  
• Green River CC
  
• Renton Technical College
  
• The Veterans Conservation Corps
  
• US Census Bureau

This Community Jobs Forum is a free event, and all South King County job seekers are encouraged to attend.

The 33rd Legislative District includes SeaTac, Des Moines, Normandy Park, and parts of Kent and Tukwila.

For more information, please contact Jennifer Waldref at (360) 786-7201 or Waldref.Jennifer@leg.wa.gov.

The Des Moines Farmers Market is seeking Artists to submit artwork for the 2010 Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market poster, which will be displayed from May to Mid-October of this year.

This is a great opportunity to have your artwork showcased on a widely-distributed poster that will advertise this great weekly event.

Please note that the deadline for entries is 5pm March 26th.

Entries must include elements of:

• Farmer’s Market
• Agricultural
• Des Moines
• Marina
• Or other related theme to the Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market

Here are the details:

WHAT: Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market seeking Artists to submit art for their 2010 poster

WHEN: Deadline for submission is 5pm March 26th.

WHERE: Submit artwork, along with completed form (download & complete Word .doc here) to:

Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market
P.O. Box 98843
Des Moines, WA 98198

INFO: From a flier:

Be part of the Waterland community and see your artwork represented on our poster that advertises the successful marina-located Farmers Market!

Open to those that live or go to school in the Des Moines area.

Posters will be displayed from mid May-October 2010.

Class project or individual entries accepted.

Multiple entries can be picked up at one location by contacting Debra at 2010dmfmposter@earthlink.net 24 hours prior to deadline.

For more information, check out the Des Moines Farmers Market website here.

A preliminary state audit questions the Port of Seattle’s contract with the nonprofit “Port Jobs” program, and Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D – Des Moines) is sponsoring a bill that will make sure the program continues.

Since 1993, the private, nonprofit “Port Jobs” program has successfully matched job seekers with employers, as well as provided continuing education and job training opportunities.

“In the past decade, over 14,000 job seekers in South King County have turned to the services of Port Jobs,” Upthegrove said. “And employers know that when a candidate is referred to them through Port Jobs, that person’s qualifications have been thoroughly vetted.”

Upthegrove is sponsoring House Bill 2651, which specifically authorizes ports to support job placement and training programs that are operated by nonprofit entities. State law already authorizes port districts to contract with nonprofits for economic development. At issue is whether economic development encompasses workforce development.

“Port Jobs has connected thousands of job seekers with employers at Sea-Tac Airport, and to apprenticeships in the skilled construction trades. In this economy, we are doing everything we can to get people to work, and to help them stay employed once they get there,” said Heather Worthley, Executive Director of Port Jobs. “Representative Upthegrove’s bill, if passed, will make it crystal clear that the Port of Seattle has the Legislature’s backing to continue to fund this important work.”

The bill passed out of committee in the House and is awaiting possible action on the House floor. Upthegrove is pushing to ensure that the measure passes the House before the February 16 cutoff deadline for House bills.

“Our focus this year in Olympia is to create jobs and improve our economy, and this bill is all about jobs,” Upthegrove said.

Under the proposed legislation, Port Jobs would be required to submit an annual report to the Port of Seattle detailing the number of successful job placements. In 2009, Port Jobs placed more than 500 people through its Airport Jobs office.

From the Port Jobs website:

Port Jobs is not-for-profit action tank that develops practical programs and supports public policies that increase access to living wage jobs, fostering a more vibrant and equitable economy for residents of and businesses in Seattle and King County. We make good jobs easier to get and good employees easier to find, primarily in the port-related economy.

A 501(c)(3) organization, Port Jobs: engages in innovative research to increase shared knowledge; creates powerful partnerships in key action areas; and develops practical programs that provide important services to jobseekers, employers and our local community.

The Waterland Blog stopped by All-Star Sports bar last Friday for an update on their countdown to opening. Operations Manager Joe Potts told us they’re “still targeting the Winter Olympics for the grand opening, but it may not be for the opening ceremonies.”

The dark hardwood floors have been laid. The walls are painted a dark blue and deep red. The tables, chairs and barstools have arrived and are stacked all over the place. This week the large screen TV’s will arrive and will be installed.

“Once the bar is finished, we can move the furniture around and take delivery of the pool tables and golf games,” Potts said.

And for those readers asking about employment know that the first team of 14 employees have been hired. Potts is still accepting applications for future employment – you can email your resume to potts2000@hotmail.com or call him at 206-212-6740.

In case you missed the various Des Moines City Council Candidates Forums, we here at The Waterland Blog have gone to the trouble of creating our own online forum which consists of answers to five relevant questions we emailed to each candidate.

Here are the answers from the candidates for Position #1 – Anne Farmer and Matt Pina. Please note that we have made no alterations to their text, so the words used is purely theirs, including any typos or other errors.

Each candidate is identified by their names and headshots, then initials:

1. What is the primary objective you hope to accomplish for Des Moines if you are elected to the council?  What qualifies you to lead this effort?

ANNE FARMER: The primary objective I have for Des Moines is to return cash flow to the community in the form of tax revenue.  This means becoming business friendly as quickly as possible while maintaining funding for essential public services such as police and parks/recreation.  Increased tax revenue will give the city the support it needs to pay for essentials such as parks/recreation as well as pay for upgrades to the marina and other areas that attract visitors to our community.  The whole idea is to make Des Moines a safe and attractive place for businesses, residents, and visitors.

I am qualified to lead this effort due to my experience in sales, marketing, and business development.  I also have a Master Degree in Business Administration.  In the past I worked as a Director of Corporate Development where I was responsible for making failing businesses either profitable or marketable to be sold to large corporations.  Currently, I work in a sales capacity for a large pharmaceutical company. This translates well to running a city because I am highly accustomed to dealing with government regulations.  I also have major responsibility for generating revenue and managing a budget for which I must account for every penny spent.  These skills are essential for handling Des Moines current budgeting crisis.  I feel that my background has prepared me well for this and will also help lead the effort to promote Des Moines as a destination.

MATT PINA: My main objective as a Des Moines Councilman is to focus on the city’s revitalization and redevelopment. This doesn’t mean that we should overlook the primary responsibilities of public safety, transportation and public services. What it does mean is that the council needs to work together with the community to develop a vision for the future that we can work toward. Once the vision is established, plans will need to be made, issues identified and efforts prioritized. To ensure accountability, the council will need to identify a project manager or Economic Development Manager that will oversee the effort and provide frequent community/council progress reports.

My background in finance, business, quality assurance and project management will help as the council provides direction, feedback and leadership oversight with this process. My experience and relationships in government will help as we address the many challenges that are likely to arise during this process and look for ways to solve each issue.

2. Des Moines tax revenue is down sharply, as reflected in the budget-cutting process for 2010. What will you do to increase revenue for the city without negatively impacting city residents and businesses?

AF: Not only is tax revenue down, Des Moines ranks lowest in the State of Washington for cities with populations over 20,000.  Des Moines is not business friendly, and the city needs to take action to attract investors, builders, and business owners.  To make this happen we need buy in from the council members as well as a strategic marketing plan to promote the city as business friendly.

First of all it starts with the City Council as a whole making the tough decisions that need to be made rather than spend 4 more years arguing about how to do it.  Secondly, we need to remove the roadblocks in the permitting process as well as reduce permitting costs.  Even though permits generate revenue, the city is going to have to give up something to get something.  Third, I would like to work directly with developers and current building owners to make adjustments to zoning and height restrictions.  As it stands right now, Des Moines is incredibly expensive for both commercial and residential developers to build in.   We need to make the process easy and affordable as well as provide incentives such as the option to build an extra 10ft in height on certain parcels.

All of these adjustments if done correctly can be made with little impact to residents and businesses.  Minor adjustments to height restrictions downtown will make it easier for developers to build attractive residential/commercial buildings near the water.   Also,  updated buildings will attract more local businesses to move here.  With regards to the other commercial areas of Des Moines, expediting improvements to zoning and permitting will also make it easier for large retailers such as Costco or Home Depot to move into Des Moines rather than continue to locate themselves just outside city limits.

MP: The long term solution to resolving the city’s budget challenges rests on the development of the city’s business base. In the short term the city must partner with its existing businesses and help to promote them along with the other assets Des Moines has to offer.  I will consider opportunities from corporate sponsors as a way to generate revenue and help with park maintenance and facility support.

I will also explore partnerships with fellow cities and government entities to see if there are other opportunities that make sense and help ease the cost of certain operations. Additionally, I will look for ways to increase efficiencies through automation and process improvements. Sample ideas might include an automated building permit process that will minimize the staff and effort required to process each request. Another idea is to look for and incorporate the  use of workforce multipliers like internet ready police vehicles, providing instant access to offender records and in-car remote visibility of high-crime hot spots. Finally, I will look for opportunities with Stimulus Funds and other pro development initiatives that may help to address capital infrastructure

3. Business activity downtown remains sluggish.  What will you do to position the city to encourage increased business activity and development downtown?

AF: As I mentioned in the question above, this all starts with making our commercial areas attractive to investors, builders, and business owners.  We need a strategic marketing plan as well as definable goals to accomplish these improvements.  Downtown Des Moines, can not be properly marketed until the council removes all of the roadblocks to development as well as clean up criminal activity in the area.  No matter what direction you drive in to our city, you are greeted with an unsafe feeling.  This is not only disconcerting for people who live here but also people who shop and visit here.  Des Moines is a prime location for retail businesses if we market it properly and make it easy to build here.  We are next to the water, 8 minutes from the airport, 20 minutes from Seattle or Tacoma, and easily accessible from the freeway.  Each day, thousands of cars pass through town on Marine View Dr and Pacific Hwy.  We need to give people a reason to stop, get out of the car, and open their wallets.

If the council can move forward from this mess and start working together, we can take action now and start attracting new businesses right away.

MP: Community celebrations, activities and events help to attract people to the town and create the buzz “that something’s happening in Des Moines”.  When the city sanctions a local event, the council needs to do so stating a “Des Moines first” mandate. This means that if there are food and beverage opportunities at an event, preference will be given to bids from local merchants.

I see partnership opportunities with the Highline College media and marketing programs to promote Des Moines businesses both within the community and in the surrounding areas. This will create both business and learning opportunities.

An initiative to communicate to local community about how much their sales tax contributes to the finances of the town will help to create awareness and encourage a “shop in Des Moines” attitude.

We need to engage in dialogue with the local merchants to make sure we understand what it is about business in Des Moines that is working and what isn’t. The council needs to understand their issues and make necessary changes to ensuring that we are both business friendly and competitive with the other cities in this area.

Finally, we need to reach out to successful businesses in surrounding areas and ask them to consider expanding into our city. This will help to decrease vacancies while increasing both community draw and revenue.

4. Should Des Moines promote itself as a tourist destination? If yes, what should the city do (e.g., encourage development of bed-and-breakfasts, Puget Sound tour boat cruises from the Marina, summer salmon bakes)?  If no, why not?

AF: The city should absolutely promote itself as a tourist destination.  However, that likely won’t be able to happen until the business community is brought back.  The combination of a run down city with little retail shopping coupled with crime ridden streets lacks any desirability to tourists.  If we can get the city back on track, bring back tax revenue and clean up the crime there will be plenty of money for promotion of Des Moines as a destination.  As I mentioned above, Des Moines is located in a prime location for all of this.

MP: We need to promote Des Moines as a local destination (shopping, dining, view walks, etc). However, I don’t know if all the examples given are reasonable considerations.  I believe the community supports events like car shows, salmon bakes and summer concerts. I don’t know if they will support Puget Sound tour boats. This option requires much more thought and consideration. Is our marina equipped to support these vessels without costly infrastructure development?  Additionally, (other than going to Anthony’s) what do we have at the marina for tourists (without land transportation) to do when they arrive? It’s a possibility, but it will take some discussion.  We need to work through the ideas and identify those that are a best fit for the city. We definitely need to improve the connection from the marina to downtown.

Des Moines is really a diamond in the rough, we just need to work together to help it shine.

5.  Do you support development of Waterview Crossing and Des Moines Creek Business Park? If yes, what will you do to position the city to help these projects move forward?  If no, why not?

AF: I support development of all commercial areas in Des Moines.  However, the projects must be prioritized and the council must agree on a vision for each area.  These projects have been debated and talked about for too long and it should be the council’s responsibility to set a realistic goal for development.  I would like to see Des Moines resemble Edmonds or Kirkland. These are smaller cities that have several different commercial areas.  Each city has a quaint waterfront filled with local businesses, restaurants and bars, followed by larger commercial areas near the freeway that cater to big box stores like Costco as well as office parks.  I think we need to look at what these two cities have done grow their commercial areas and model our vision after them.  It is absolutely possible for small towns to have a successful business community no matter how bad the economy is.

MP: It is clear that Des Moines needs to develop a business park in the 90 acre Port of Seattle buyout area. It will create jobs and the help to provide necessary, long-term contributions to the city’s budget. There have been many discussions and plans for how to do this. I believe the process even got to the point of developer selection before the downturn in the economy. I will use my position on the council to partner with others to get this effort restarted and moving forward again.

Hopefully this little Q&A will help you to decide on whom to vote for in the Nov. 3rd election.

Coming up next, the candidates for Position #3: Carmen Scott vs Melissa Ponder.

City Manager Tony Piasecki Thursday (Oct. 8th) responded to concerns that one of his proposals to offset an anticipated $2 million revenue shortfall in 2010 includes elimination of the Parks and Recreation Division of the Des Moines Parks, Recreation and Senior Services Department.

“Cutting the Parks and Recreation Department is one of many options included on a list of potential ways to balance the 2010 budget,” Piasecki said. “But I can only make suggestions. Ultimately the City Council will decide what programs and services to cut to balance the budget.”

He stressed, “It’s important to note that senior services is not on the list of possible cuts.”

Piasecki noted that the general fund budget first proposed for 2009 was based on anticipated revenue of $18 million. In early 2009, given the economic downturn, staff reduced revenue estimates for 2009 by $1 million and the City Council reduced expenditures accordingly, including cutting a total of 10 positions from the Planning, Building, Finance, City Clerk, Legal, and Human Resources departments.

Now the 2010 budget will be based on total revenues of only $15.1 million—a reduction in revenue of almost $3 million in less than two years. Revenue from sales taxes, property taxes, B&O (business) taxes, utility taxes, and building fees are all projected to be less than 2009 and 2008 levels.

In order to balance the 2010 budget, he said the City will have to slash another $2 million from programs and services.

If the City Council accepts every proposal that the city manager has submitted to them—a list of proposals that includes cuts in the Police budget—the balance in the City’s General and Street Funds combined will equal $1.3 million.

“Maintaining a reasonable fund balance is a financially prudent thing to do,” Piasecki noted. “Given the uneven way revenues come in during the year, these funds allow us to pay our bills, particularly at the beginning of the year. Right now we’re using emergency reserve funds to create our general fund balance, and that’s not good financial management.”

Deciding where to cut the 2010 budget “is definitely a process,” Piasecki said. “My initial recommendations are just a starting point for discussion. Staff is looking for additional reductions to suggest to Council, including in the Police Department, since it comprises 50 percent of our budget.

“We welcome and encourage our citizens to attend council meetings and participate by giving their input to staff and the council. Making additional cuts in the Police budget can be difficult,’ he added, “given the restrictions the levy lid lift places on us.”

Piasecki said if the City Council adopts the proposal to cut parks and recreation programs, “all options will be explored to find ways to keep programs open, especially programs like before- and after-school programs.”

He added, “This particular proposal includes keeping a recreation coordinator position and a park maintenance position, with the intent that they will work to keep and create programs that can pay for themselves. We will also look at public/private partnerships and concession agreements.”

The problem is that recreation fees, generally, do not cover the full cost of providing the programs because they don’t recoup the costs of maintaining fields and facilities – nor do they cover the cost of necessary overhead and administrative functions such as payroll, accounting, advertising , human resources, and related functions.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a Guest Editorial by Des Moines resident Leslie Newman:]

Des Moines Citizens, Residents, Business Owners, Neighbors, Voters, Tax Payers, and City Council Members;

It is my understanding that tonight (Thursday, Oct. 8th) at 7:00 PM in council chambers the Des Moines City Council will be meeting to discuss budget cuts. It is my understanding that the proposed budget cut is the ELIMINATION OF THE CITY OF DES MOINES PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.

I am encouraging all of you to either please show up for this meeting on Thursday to let your voice be heard or, to email, call, or stop by city hall to express your concerns over this proposed cut.

What this budget cut means:

• Closing of City Parks and Recreation Department
• Closing of the Des Moines Field House
• Elimination of all Parks and Rec Employees
• Elimination of all programs that our children and seniors participate in
• Elimination of after school programs
• Elimination of Camp Khaos

If this comes to fruition, this will have a huge impact on our Senior Citizens. Where will the seniors take their exercise classes with a closed field house? Where will our Senior Citizen softball league practice and play their games with closed ball fields? This means closing of Underwood Memorial Park, and closing of our ballfields.  The City of Des Moines recently received a $100,000 grant for upgrading of our grandstand (the original King County Park No. 1) at the field house.  The city has in place plans for the renovation of that much used field and has spent a portion of those grant funds.  If the city is to close the grandstands and ballpark at the field house, the city has to pay that grant back.

Do you really want this to happen?  This would mean that all of our parks would be closed, shut down, fences put around them.  (If you were not aware, this was proposed last year and in a last ditch effort, the parks and rec employees along with a few citizens begged and pleaded for this not to happen).  There were major cuts made to parks, rec, and senior services and several parks and rec employees lost their jobs or had their hours cut.

We cannot be apathetic.  It is no secret that the communities surrounding our city including the cities of Federal Way, Normandy Park, Burien, Seatac, Tukwila, Kent, continue to grow and thrive and make needed and necessary changes to growth, development, and community centers in their downtown cores.  If you have had opportunity to visit any of these surrounding cities you will see continued growth in spite of economic downturns, you will see new businesses opening, parks being maintained, added, community centers being built.  Have you seen the new YMCA in Seatac?  Have you seen the growth and development in downtown Burien?  Have you seen the activity in both Seatac and Tukwila along with the new proposed community center with new residential condominiums in Tukwila?  Have you seen or been stopped behind the new construction on 1st Avenue in Normandy Park? Have you seen the new ShoWare Center in Kent?

The City of Des Moines Police Budget is 65% of the cities overall budget.  The surrounding communities in the region have police budgets at 48% of their city budget.  Do we really want to be a police state?  Do you really want to have no services, fields, parks, rec programs available to our residents?  Police services are important but if we have no places or activities for our citizens to participate in, can you imagine how crime will rise?  Cities that do not have active rec programs for their citizens and do not have places for people to go and places for young people to hang out have higher crime rates than those cities whose focus is community activities and centers.

Studies and statistics show that those neighborhoods with focus on parks, recreation, strong schools, strong senior programs are the communities that people look to when choosing a place to move.  If you have had a chance to travel or visit other thriving cities in our area – Kirkland, Redmond, Renton, Kent, Edmonds, Bellevue, Bainbridge Island, Mercer Island, West Seattle, Tukwila, Seatac, Burien, Normandy Park you will see a huge community and city council focus on schools, parks, recreation, economic development, and growth and change.

There will be no growth in our city if we do not speak up and vote for change in the upcoming city council elections.  As a resident for the past 10 years in the City of Des Moines, I have seen little change in the downtown core.  I have seen many businesses open their doors only to have to close them due to lack of foot traffic.  The city needs to make major changes and have a whole new focus, vision, and plan if Des Moines is going to survive.  Many cities have faced budget cuts but those cities whose focus has remained on providing places and activities for people have been the cities that have thrived the most.

What will happen to your property values when the parks have fences put up around them?  We have seen problems with our property values because of increased air traffic from the airport and the third runway.  We have difficulty selling our homes because purchasers are more interested in the communities surrounding ours that seem to have more progressive minded leaders looking for ways to increase growth, economic development, and activities for the residents.

Please make your voice heard.  The candidates and incumbents for city council are speaking at different venues in the next several weeks. I would encourage you to attend and listen to their positions on growth, economic development, and change, or, if you prefer, the North Hill Community Club will be hosting the candidates on Tuesday October 13, 2009 at 7:00 pm.

- Leslie Newman
Owner/Managing Broker
RE/MAX All City (Burien, WA)
Des Moines Resident

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The Waterland Blog strives to serve the community of Des Moines by posting frequently-updated, relevant news stories, events and other information, as well as serve as a Forum for civil discussion amongst its residents. It is in this spirit that we encourage our Readers to email us their own stories or "guest editorials," and as long as they meet our standards and are not libelous, we'll post them. Readers are also encouraged to leave Comments below each story. Thanks for your continued support!]

Incumbent Des Moines council members jousted with challengers at a candidates’ forum Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 7th) at the city’s Senior Activity Center.

Despite their stated differences, however, all voiced a common theme on one point: the city needs to attract more businesses, both downtown and along Pacific Highway, to minimize the burden to the taxpayers of Des Moines.

Councilman Dave Kaplan, who is running for a third term – this year for Position 7 against Councilwoman Susan White, who also is seeking election to a third term – began the discussion with a question:

“Is the city better off now than it was four years ago?” His answer was “Yes!” But, Kaplan added, “The city is at a crossroads. We need to build the business base.” To solve the 2010 budget crisis facing Des Moines, Kaplan called for “prioritizing how we spend money.”

His priorities include public safety, transportation and the “living community” (parks and the Mt. Rainier Pool).

White acknowledged the $2 million budget shortfall facing Des Moines in 2010, but said she is “not in favor of cutting parks and rec” to balance the budget. White has been a long-time advocate of senior services and the senior community. She also took a leadership role in getting funding for the city to preserve historic Beach Park.

During “these tough economic times,” White advocates “pulling together for the good of the community, both council and volunteers.”

In another contested race, newcomer Melissa Ponder is running against incumbent Carmen Scott for Position 3.

Ponder told the more-than 100 people in attendance, “Community as a whole can make a difference,” and that “Council needs to make a sense of community.”

Scott told the audience “I thought Tony was using ‘Shock & Awe’ (tactics) just to be certain that no one failed to understand the seriousness of the additional $2 million dollar shortfall.”

She recommended that Des Moines “re-opens discussion on the business park (south of the airport), see that downtown is healthy,” and “overcome reasons that downtown isn’t working.”

Former Highline School Board member Matt Pina and Anne Farmer are running in the city’s other contested council race for Position 1.

Pina said he stands on his record from two terms on the school board, where he represented 100,000 people and helped oversee a $500 million dollar budget, and the appropriate responsibilities that came with this charge.

Pina voiced his “commitment to and passion for the community of Des Moines.” He wants to make “Des Moines business friendly to minimize the burden to the taxpayer. Our current business base is not sufficient to support the need of the community.”

Farmer stated her campaign slogan as “Out with the old (Des Moines) and in with the new (Des Moines).”  She advocates more police, and in some cases, more aggressive police, and cited the drug and gang problems that are moving off Pacific Highway South and into the neighborhoods.

She also ”supports an aggressive approach in attracting business to Des Moines, including incentives for new businesses and changing the height restrictions downtown.”  With a masters degree in business, Farmer would like to “run the city more like a business than a charity.”

Melissa Musser, running unopposed for Position 5, said, “My heart sank over the news of Parks and Rec. We need to find a solution to keep parks open for everyone.” She stated that there is a “lack of common vision on the (current) city council.”

One audience member later questioned Kaplan’s “collegiality towards White” in his last-minute move from running against Musser to running against White.

Kaplan responded that he’d “rather serve with Melissa than Susan.”

White then countered that “Kaplan switched positions to run against me in the last 15 minutes. There was no reason he should have done it. He knew about my husband fighting cancer and my daughter in the hospital for two months (prior to delivering healthy twin boys).”

Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer captured this photo slideshow of the event:

Click to View Scott Schaefer’s Photo Slideshow

On Wednesday(Oct. 7th)  at the Candidate’s Forum at the Des Moines Senior Activity Center, Mayor Bob Sheckler had the following to say with regards to the proposal put forth Tuesday by Tony Piasecki, City Manager of Des Moines:

“It is the city manager’s responsibility to give options, and it is up the council to take action on them.

People need to be cautious about their response.

It was not recommended that any senior services would be cut. But there are numerous other things that can be done. For instance, a Park District can be created. We can sell concessions at the parks to create a revenue stream. We can look to the outside for a third party to run the sports programs.

The council only now is looking at options.”

As Des Moines apparently has a $2 million shortfall, these options will be discussed starting tomorrow and will continue every Thursday in October at city council meetings.

Incumbent candidates speaking at the forum who came out in opposition to cutting Parks services included Carmen Scott and Susan White.

“I am in shock and awe on the parks story,” said Carmen Scott. “I’m in total support of parks, recreation and seniors,” she added.

White said that the option to cut the park and rec budget “is a bit of a reckless decision. Parks and Rec has a budget of $1.1 million, and it brings in $800,000. I will not be in favor of cutting Parks and Rec.”

So…what do YOU think about this issue? Please take our poll or post a Comment below…

Waterland Blog Advertiser BECU is holding a free seminar called “Surviving in Today’s Economy” on Thursday, Sept. 24th from 5pm to 6:30pm at the Woodmont Library in Des Moines.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Free “Surviving in Today’s Economy” seminar

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 24th from 5pm to 6:30pm

WHERE: Woodmont Library, 26809 Pacific Highway S., Des Moines, WA

COST: NO COST. NO OBLIGATION. REGISTER TODAY.

INFO: Space is limited – call 206-439-5910, visit www.becu.org or stop by any BECU Neighborhood Financial Center to register.

Sponsored by BECU Neighborhood Financial Center, whose free seminars are led by experienced financial educators.

Highline Community College’s StartZone is marking its first-year anniversary with a celebration from 5pm – 7pm on Thursday, Oct. 8 in the Highline Student Union (Building 8).

Since opening in October 2008, StartZone has helped more than 120 women, people of color, immigrants and people with disabilities who want to start or expand their small businesses in Southwest King County.

In addition, StartZone members have started 15 new businesses, created dozens of new jobs and obtained nearly $90,000 in financing.

The celebration, which is free and open to the public, will feature speakers who have found success after receiving support from StartZone’s trained business specialists.

Featured speaker Adugna Wubbie, of SeaTac, originally came to StartZone with the hope of building a successful business and helping his family back in his home country of Ethiopia.

He started Rose Super Clean Services, a commercial janitorial service, and is now earning about $3,000 a month in revenue. By the end of his first year in operation, he hopes to generate at least $10,000 a month in revenue.

“Our StartZone business adviser gave us information on what we needed for success,” Wubbie said. “As part of the StartZone community, we have had an opportunity to meet other business owners, network and find support from our peers.”

Ruth Tial Par, of Kent, will also be sharing her success story during the event.

Tial Par, who is wheelchair-bound and came from Burma more than a year ago, wanted to convert her hobby of sewing clothes into a business opportunity.

StartZone helped Tial Par get new sewing machines and her business, Ruthy Tailoring, recently started accepting customers.

StartZone services are free to members and include assessments, referrals, business consulting and planning, loan packaging, workshops, mentoring and opportunities for networking and peer support.

StartZone offers orientations from 6-6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month at the HCC Outreach Center (Building 99), room 132, 23835 Pacific Highway S. in Kent.

For more information about StartZone, call (206) 878-3710, ext. 3388, e-mail startzone@highline.edu or visit http://startzone.highline.edu.

StartZone is funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Highline Community College was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County. With approximately 18,300 students and 350,000 alumni, it is one of the state’s largest institutions of higher education. The college offers a wide range of academic transfer and professional-technical education programs, with day, evening, online and weekend classes.

With the most diverse population of any college in Washington state, Highline takes a multicultural approach to education for the success of all its students and the prosperity of its surrounding communities. Alumni include former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, entrepreneur Junki Yoshida, Washington state poet laureate Sam Green and yes, even Scott Schaefer, the Publisher/Editor of this here blog.

Attachment: Adugna Wubbie, of SeaTac
Ruth Tial Par, of Kent

A brand spankin’ new Goodwill Store will open Thursday, Sept. 17th in Des Moines, and will feature the usual Goodwill great shopping values, a convenient drop-off for tax-deductible, gently used clothes and household goods, as well as provide support for Goodwill’s job-training and placement programs.

A grand opening ceremony will take place that morning, from 8:45am to 9am at the store, which will be located at 23313 Pacific Highway S., in La Plaza shopping center. Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler, along with Goodwill Board of Directors President Bob Bruback and CEO Terry A. Hayes will be on hand.

After the ceremony, at 9am, the store will open to the public, and the Goodwill Hunting shall begin (or perhaps the Goodwill Games?).

During the grand opening weekend (Sept. 17-20th), shoppers will have the opportunity to win a DVD player, iPod nano and $50 gas cards daily throughout the event. Other free giveaways will also be available at the store.

“Our new Des Moines Goodwill Store provides tremendous benefits to the community,” said Bruback. “A Goodwill store not only means a place where families can stretch the value of their dollars, but jobs and even tax revenue for the community.”

About 35 people, from the store manager to supervisors, cashiers and production clerks and donation attendants, were hired for the store. The payroll exceeds a half-million dollars, along with health insurance and other benefits.

Hayes noted Goodwill provides a great opportunity for people seeking that first job or that second chance. Goodwill’s retail stores also are utilized as part of Goodwill’s job training and placement programs, she said.

Hayes thanked architects BCRA, the contractor, Mountain Construction; and Trinity Real Estate, property owners/managers. The Des Moines store is 17,000 square feet and formerly a QFC.

Robert Glidewell will be the store manager. Glidewell has been with Goodwill since April 2008 and was manager of the agency’s Outlet Store. Before coming to Goodwill, Glidewell was a store manager for Walgreens and has experience as an assistant store manager at Lowe’s in Bellevue.

Jeff Kelly will become the Outlet Store manager.

The store hours will be from 9am to 9pm, Monday through Saturday, and 10am to 7pm on Sunday. More information about Goodwill is available online at www.tacomagoodwill.org.

The store will be the 23rd for the agency, headquartered in Tacoma, and marks the fifth store in King County.

The new Des Moines Goodwill is located at 23313 Pacific Ave. South, which technically is in Kent but we’re still calling it the “Des Moines Goodwill” since this town can always use more of that; phone is (206) 824-1101.

View Larger Map

The controversial new South Correctional Entity (SCORE) jail will conduct groundbreaking ceremonies at 2pm Monday, Aug. 10th on the project site, which is located at 1801 S. 200th Street in Des Moines.

The $80.5 million, one-story SCORE facility is being built to provide a cost-effective misdemeanor corrections facility, and is a cooperative effort between seven sities:

• Auburn
• Burien
• Des Moines
• Federal Way
• Renton
• Seatac
• Tukwila

As we reported previously, the seven south King County cities announced plans to build this 668-bed misdemeanor jail near Des Moines Creek Park on a 14-acre parcel owned by the Port of Seattle, located southwest of where South 208th Street intersects with 18th Avenue South.

According to SCORE, the fenced, heavily wooded location is not practical for other development, and has been overrun by trespassers and is “scattered with their left-behind garbage.”

However, from our research, it appears that a popular mountain biking trail goes through this area.

The facility is expected to begin construction later this year, and the building of it is estimated to take 21 months; under this schedule the jail should be ready to open mid to late 2011.

Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler says:

“SCORE is another example of cities in South King County working together to solve problems we all share. We’ve found that we are able to come up with creative, cost effective solutions to difficult issues and problems when we work together as equal partners.”

The jail is expected to employ around 120 workers, including corrections officers, medical staff and administrative personnel.

Here’s an artist’s rendition of what the front entrance to the jail might look like:

More information is available at the SCORE website.

Laid off?

Job hunting?

Tired of being “between gigs”?

Then pay attention – Highline Community College is offering a series of free job-hunting workshops, with the next two coming up on the next two Tuesdays:

WHAT: Two “Navigating the Future” job-hunting workshops on cover letters, resumes and interview tips.

WHEN:

Cover Letters and Résumés That Get Results
Tues., July 28th from 9:30am – 11:30am
Stand out in the candidate pool! Your cover letter and résumé provide the first impression you make to a potential employer. Learn tips and techniques to put together a cover letter and résumé that will get positive results.

Tips for a Successful Interview
Tues., Aug. 4th from 9:30am -11am
Get valuable tips about how to prepare for a successful interview and find out what to expect during the interview process. Human Resources staff members will provide an overview of various interview questions that will prepare you in making a lasting impression on your potential employer.

WHERE: Highline Community College’s main campus, Building 99, room 132. Highline’s main campus is located midway between Seattle and Tacoma at South 240th Street and Pacific Highway South (Highway 99); address: 2400 S. 240th St., Des Moines, WA 98198.

COST: Free and open to the public

INFO: www.highline.edu/admin/hr/

RSVP: To register, call (206) 878-3710, ext. 3812, or e-mail hrstaff@highline.edu.

Highline Community College was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County. With approximately 10,000 students and 350,000 alumni, it is one of the state’s largest institutions of higher education. The college offers a wide range of academic transfer and professional-technical education programs, with day, evening and weekend classes. Alumni include former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, entrepreneur Junki Yoshida and Washington state poet laureate Sam Green (and yes, even the Publisher/Editor of the BTB…).

EDITOR’S NOTE: To see photos from Des Moines’ 50th Birthday & Waterland Parade (on 7/18/09), click here. To read our firsthand account of being in the parade, then hanging out with the Seafair Pirates, click here.]

HELP WANTED: Pooper Scoopers.

Yes…Pooper Scoopers.

For the big July 18th Waterland 50th Birthday Parade.

This job doesn’t pay, but man, talk about a glamorous gig, huh?

Besides volunteers and more participants, BJ and Anna Bjorneby announced at this week’s parade meeting that someone has entered a horse and buggy into the parade and they need two volunteers to follow the horse, and well scoop the poop.

Interested parties should scoop up the phone and call Anna at 206-575-5568.

That being said, let it be known that your intrepid parade committee needs other volunteers for less messy jobs, like check-in, cars and signage, VIP reception and others.

Still thinking of entering, but haven’t gotten around to it? Well, you have a few more weeks, as the deadline for entry has been extended. Although the earlier you enter the better your placement, they’ll accept applications until a few days before the parade.

Call Anna or Fran Woodward at 253-303-1098 to volunteer or enter.

In our continuing effort to serve the community of Des Moines, The Waterland Blog proudly announces its latest category page: JOB LISTINGS!

You can find it anytime by clicking on “Jobs” listed in the upper navigation menu between “Events” and “Directory.”

We’re still fine-tuning the code, but this page is set up to retrieve live, continuously-updated job listings for the general Des Moines area.

As we find more job listing feeds, we will add them.

Please check it out and let us know your thoughts.

Here’s a taste of what you can expect to find on the Jobs Page – all lists are automatically generated with the most recent jobs posted:

If you’re looking for a job, and happen to have Reporting/Writing or Sales skills…please email us!

Highline Community College is presenting “Tips for a Successful Interview,” another free workshop for job seekers this Tuesday, March 31st from 9:30am to 11am.

This seminar will be repeated on Tuesday, April 28th as well.

Here are the details:

WHAT: “Tips for a Successful Interview” workshop.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 31st from 9:30 am – 11:00 am -OR- Tuesday, April 28th from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

WHERE: Highline Community College Building 99, Room 132, located at 2400 S 240th St., Des Moines

INFO: Get valuable tips for how to prepare for a successful interview and find out what to expect during the interview process. Human Resources staff members will also discuss the laws concerning employment discrimination and what interview questions are illegal for an employer to ask. Individual coaching sessions will be offered as well.

COST: Free and open to the public.

RSVP: (206) 878-3710 x3812 or hrstaff@highline.edu