All air traffic will be directed to the other two runways during this reconstruction (including the new third runway), which is expected to last through September.

Portions of Sea-Tac’s longest and oldest runway date back to the airport’s original creation in 1947.

According to the Port:

“Major overhaul is required due to age and deterioration. The result will provide a safer surface and infrastructure expected to last at least 40 years.”

In addition, a new Runway Status Lights System, which signals to pilots when it is safe to cross or take off on a runway, will be installed.

The closure will not affect airline flight schedules or passengers.

However, the increased use of the third runway will likely result in more noise complaints.

Popularity: 48% [?]

Congressman Adam Smith invites all residents of the 9th District to attend a town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 7th from 7pm to 8:30pm at SeaTac City Hall Chambers, 4800 S 188th Street (map below).

The purpose of the town hall meeting is for Smith to meet with constituents to listen to concerns, answer questions, and discuss issues facing Congress.

Space is limited so please RSVP if you are able to attend by calling (253) 896-3775 or 1-888-SMITH09.

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Popularity: 47% [?]

If you live or work near Sea-Tac Airport, you may have noticed an increase in large air cargo jet traffic recently.

With the Anchorage airport intermittently closed due to ash fall from the Mt. Redoubt volcano, international cargo carriers are diverting their refueling stops to Sea-Tac, in some cases with three times more arrivals than normal, with more diversions expected if conditions persist.

During the first four days of the eruption, 45 cargo aircraft have diverted here, primarily large widebody 747 aircraft from three major Asian cargo carriers (Korean Air Cargo, EVA Air Cargo, and China Airlines Cargo). Normal operations for these carriers at Sea-Tac would see two to three air cargo arrivals per day or about 15 per week. However, the first four days of diversions (Mon.-Thursday, 3/23/26), brought 10 -15 arrivals per day, or nearly the equivalent of an entire week’s schedule for these international carriers. Sea-Tac staff is expecting another 30 or more diversions from these carriers in the next two days.

“Our staff is rising to the challenge to accommodate our cargo customers in this unusual situation,” said Sea-Tac Airport Director of Airport Operations Mike Ehl. “We are making every inch of our facilities available to keep the economic engine of goods flowing without an impact on regular passenger traffic.”

Anchorage is a major refueling stop for aircraft in an out of Asia. The volcano eruption has made it extremely hazardous for aircraft to arrive in Anchorage, thus, Sea-Tac has become the next closest refueling spot for these aircraft. These trans-Pacific cargo flights must refuel along the west coast to reach inland locations such as Chicago, New York, and Atlanta. The same is true in the opposite direction returning to Asia.

Overall, Sea-Tac receives 85-90 air cargo flights per week including domestic traffic. Sea-Tac Airport is ranked as the 19th largest airport in the U.S. in terms of cargo volume, with more than 290,000 metric tons shipped by air in 2008.

Popularity: 49% [?]

The Port of Seattle announced Wednesday that Icelandair will begin serving Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on July 22nd.

The airline will provide connecting flights to 18 European cities, via its hub in Reykjavik, Iceland.

“It’s my great pleasure to announce this new service,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Bill Bryant. “Sea-Tac generates more than 160,000 jobs in King and Pierce counties, and this new service strengthens our airport and helps us to keep these jobs.”

Icelandair will be the only Nordic carrier serving the West Coast and it will provide a strong connecting gateway to Europe. The airline touts an all-Boeing fleet and will serve Sea-Tac Airport with a 183-seat Boeing 757.

“We look forward to partnering with the Port of Seattle to serve its passengers, especially the large Scandinavian population in this region,” said Thorsteinn Egilsson, Icelandair’s General Manager – The Americas.

Icelandair will provide four flights a week, departing on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 3:30 p.m., and arriving in Reykjavik at 6:45 a.m. Nonstop connections through the Reykjavik hub will include flights to Copenhagen, Oslo, Stavanger, Stockholm, Paris, London, Manchester, Amsterdam, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, and more. For more information about Icelandair, fares, and packages go to www.icelandair.com.

“We’re excited to welcome new and returning travelers from Iceland and Europe,” said Tom Norwalk, President & CEO of Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We look forward to working in partnership with Icelandair to jointly market Seattle and Washington State for many years to come.”

Within the United States, Icelandair provides service from Boston, New York-JFK, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Orlando. The airline offers travelers personal entertainment centers and three service cabins (including new Economy Comfort Class).

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is the 18th busiest airport in the U.S., serving more than 32 million passengers in 2008. In the past few years, the Port of Seattle has celebrated the addition of several new international carriers, including Air France, AeroMexico, Lufthansa, and Hainan airlines.

For more information about airlines serving Sea-Tac Airport go to www.portseattle.org/seatac.

For more info on Icelandair, click here.

Popularity: 56% [?]

According to various sources, someone aimed a laser beam Tuesday night (March 24th) around 8pm at an Alaska Airlines flight making its landing approach in to Sea-Tac Airport.

Previously we reported about a 24-year old Burien man who was arrested and then released on March 11th; he is considered a “person of interest” in this incident, according to airport spokeswoman Terri-Ann Betancourt.

In Tuesday night’s incident, a laser was pointed at Alaska Airlines flight number 487 from San Diego about two miles northwest of the airport, in the same area where other planes had been targeted previously.

The targeted aircraft landed without incident, as had all previously-targeted airplanes.

Police are currently investigating this incident.

Shining a laser at an aircraft is considered a felony, and is punishable under the Patriot Act.

Popularity: 59% [?]

Aviation High School, currently housed at the former Olympic Elementary School building in Des Moines, has received a private donation of $4 million, moving it well on its path to landing at the Museum of Flight in south Seattle.

The identity of the donor will be revealed at a press conference this Thursday (March 26th) and here’s more info from a press release:

Local officials, students, parents, school administrators, and general aviation advocates will join Highline Superintendent John Welch and Aviation High School Principal and CEO Reba Gilman as they announce the first major private donor investment in the relocation of Aviation High School to The Museum of Flight in South Seattle.

Aviation High School has adopted an ambitious plan to relocate to the Museum of Flight by 2012. Construction costs for the new facility are $43.5 million, of which about $20 million has been raised from public and private sources.

This announcement of a major anchor private donor is the first of what is expected to be several other major contributions from individuals and businesses prominent in the aviation, engineering, and technology sectors of the Pacific Northwest.

The major donor will be in attendance to be acknowledged for his sizable gift, and to accept the naming rights to this unique high school.

Aviation High School’s mission and vision is:

To prepare all students for college, career and citizenship through a personalized, rigorous and relevant learning experience that is facilitated in the context of aviation and aerospace.

To be the premier public high school of choice for students in King County and the region who wish to pursue their passion for aviation and aerospace in a learning environment that prepares them for higher education, citizenship, and work.

The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 East Marginal Way South in Seattle, near Boeing Field, and Aviation High School is currently located at 615 South 200th Street in Des Moines – an 11.6 mile flight:

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Popularity: 66% [?]

King County’s “Wastemobile” will be making a major pickup stop in the area this coming weekend of March 27th through 29th, and here are the details:

WHAT: Spring Hazardous Waste Recycling Event

WHEN: March 27-29 from 10am – 5pm

WHERE: Des Moines Marina, 22307 Dock Street in Des Moines (map below)

INFO: The Wastemobile is a free service to residents of King County. It travels to many communities to provide household hazardous waste disposal services for King County residents. Bring your household hazardous waste to the Wastemobile collection event in your area.

What happens to your hazardous waste:

• Corrosive Liquids: Such as drain cleaner, pool chemicals, etc. are neutralized at a treatment facility.
• Latex paint: Uncontaminated latex paint can be blended and tinted for reuse, then sold as new product. Latex paint that isn’t recyclable into new paint may be used as an additive in the manufacture of certain cement compounds.
• Lead acid batteries: Recycled at smelters in the US, reclaiming the lead.
• Mercury: Processed through retort and prepared for use in commercial applications.
• Oil-base paints, solvents and thinners: Blended into a fuel mixture for use at facilities such as cement kilns.
• Pesticides and poisons: Kept in their original containers or sealed in a bag if the container is rusty or leaking. Each container is nestled one-by-one into layers of absorbent granules inside steel drums. These wastes are incinerated or placed in a hazardous waste landfill.
• Used Motor Oil: Accepted at the Wastemobile or by private sector businesses is re-refined into new lubricating products or reused as fuel for ships and cement kilns.

WHAT TO BRING:

• Aerosols (if not empty), for others see below
• Automotive batteries
• Automotive products (oil, gasoline, antifreeze, brake fluid, etc.)
• Batteries (except alkaline)
• Fluorescent light bulbs
• Gasoline
• Glues and adhesives
• Household Cleaners (Ammonia, bleach)
• Hobby chemicals
• Oil-based paints
• Indoor & outdoor pesticides
• Products that contain mercury (Fluorescent lamps, thermometers, thermostats)
• Pool and Spa Supplies
• Propane tanks (5 gallon max)
• Road flares
• Thinners and solvents

WHAT NOT TO BRING:

• 55 gallon drums of household hazardous waste
• Call the Household Hazards Phone Line for a Waste Clearance: 206-296-4692
• Aerosols (empty): Aerosols include paints, pesticides, solvent cleaners, and oven cleaners. Low toxicity products that are typically used for beauty and hygiene uses (hair sprays, shaving creams, deoderant, etc.), and empty aerosol cans may be disposed of in the garbage.
• Alkaline batteries: Information on household batteries
• Biological wastes: Call the Household Hazards Phone Line at 206-296-4692
• Bullets, munitions, gunpowder, fireworks, etc.: Call your local non-emergency police number (DM: 206-878-3301 • NP: 206-248-7600 • Burien: 206-296-3333)
• Computers: Visit the Take it Back Network website
• Empty containers of any type: Treat as garbage, but see our information on gas cylinders
• Explosives: Call the Bomb Squad, 911
• Latex Paint (including latex paint stains): Dry it out and put it in the garbage with the lid off. Use one (1) part kitty litter to one (1) part latex paint or mix with a commercial paint hardener according to directions. Drying out latex paints and latex paint stains may vary depending on the product and time of year.
• Medical wastes (including sharps): See the Public Health information website
• Medications: Leave in the original container and place the container in a closed heavy duty ziplock bag. Place this bag in another plastic bag (so not conspicuous) and place it in the garbage can.
• Oil-contaminated soil: Call the Household Hazards Phone Line at 206-296-4692
• Paint brushes and empty paint cans: Treat as garbage (see above).
• Smoke detectors, radioactive wastes: Call the Household Hazards phone line at 206-296-4692
• Televisions: See the Public Health information website
• Tires: See the Public Health information website

Questions? Call the Household Hazards Phone Line at 206-296-4692.

For everyone’s safety, please remember these tips:

1. Don’t mix products.
2. Keep products in original containers.
3. Label products not in original containers.
4. Secure products so they won’t tip over or leak.
5. Secure the entire load in your vehicle or trailer. Vehicles arriving with unsecured loads at public or private transfer stations in King County can be charged an unsecured load fee. (King County Solid Waste Division)
6. Store products away from the passenger compartment of your vehicle and keep them separate from items you wish to retain.
7. Stay in your vehicle during unloading at the Wastemobile.
8. Site limits:

• For the Seattle facilities and the King County Wastemobile, there is a 30-gallon gasoline limit, and pre-approval is required for large quantities (over 50 gallons), containers over 5 gallons in size, and any unusual wastes. Contact the Household Hazards Line at (206) 296-4692, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., except holidays, for disposal options and procedures.

DIRECTIONS:

Des Moines Marina is located at (see map below):

22307 Dock Street
Des Moines, WA 98198

From I-5 take the Kent-Des Moines Road exit, follow Hwy signs to Des Moines, west on South 227th Street down to the Marina. Site is located in the north parking lot.

If you have a Thomas Guide map, look on Page 684 J-6.

More information at the Wastemobile website.

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Popularity: 47% [?]

Here’s their statement:

…New snowfall today bumps Sea-Tac into 6th place tie all-time…

The snow year of 2008-9 has tied for 6th place in the top ten snowiest years at Sea-Tac Airport with 23.3 inches. The snowiest year was 67.5 inches back in 1968-9. Unofficially in Seattle… the snow year takes place between around October 15th and April 15th.

There are still 31 days left in the unofficial 2008-9 snow year.

Top ten snow years at Sea-Tac (october 15 – April 15)

Snowfall snow year

67.5 1968-9
63.6 1949-50
27.4 1950-1
26.9 1971-2
24.2 1955-6
23.3 tied 2008-9 (31 days remaining)
23.3 tied 1953-4
22.9 1965-6
21.4 1948-9
20.3 1985-6

The climate average yearly snowfall for Sea-Tac is 11.8 inches.

Weather records have been kept at Sea-Tac since 1945. Previous records in the Seattle area go back to 1890.

Popularity: 46% [?]

In a struggling economy, every piece of positive news counts, and here’s some that’s very relevant to the area:

Tourists spent $615 million last year in the cities of SeaTac, Des Moines, Tukwila and Kent, according to a tourism group that represents the four southwest King County cities.

There were 5,350 tourism-related jobs that generated $181 million in wages last year in the four cities, according to a report prepared by Dean Runyan Associates for the Seattle Southside organization.

There were 2.2 million visitors to the four cities last year that accounted for $51.6 million in tax revenues for the state, the report indicated.

“For every South King County household, tourism provides $400 in taxes that residents don’t have to pay, and over 5,000 jobs that wouldn’t otherwise exist,” said Katherine Kertzman, program director for Seattle Southside, in a statement.

Popularity: 52% [?]

Together with the King County Sheriff’s Office, Burien and SeaTac Police have designed a twice-yearly program to increase the understanding between citizens and their police departments through education – the Citizen’s Police Academy, the next session of which begins Wednesday, March 25th.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Citizen’s Police Academy

WHEN: Starts Wed., March 25th (and goes 13 weeks from 6-9pm Wed. nights)

WHERE: Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center, located at 19010 1st Avenue South in Burien (see map below)

COST: FREE!

INFO: Graduates of the Citizen’s Police Academy will have a better understanding of the law enforcement role in the criminal justice system and an appreciation for the many challanges facing law enforcement in today’s complex society. They will also be better able to assist offices in improving their neighborhoods and communities.

Students will attend Wednesday night classes from 6pm to 9pm for 13 weeks, plus a graduation ceremony including a certificate of completion and pictures with police staff. A light meal will be provided for students. There are presentations by many of the Sheriff’s Office units and several opportunities for hands-on experiences, plus a field trip to the King County Communications Center.

Some of the presenting units will include:

• Community Service Officers
• Field Training Officer Program
• Green River Task Force
• Emergency Vehicle Operatiions
• Firearms Automated Traning System (FATS)
• Major Accident Respose & Reconstruction Unit (MARR Unit)
• Patrol Procedures
• K-9 Unit
• Street Crimes Unit
• Bomb Disposal
• TAC 30 Unit (SWAT)
• Air Support (Guardian One)
• Major Crimes Investigation
• Special Investigations (Fraud)
• Criminal Profiteering
• Firearms Traning
• Automated Fingerprint Identification System
• Special Enforcement Unit

Graduates will also be eligible for the Ride-Along Program where you can spend up to an entire shift riding with an officer.

This course is an unforgettable experience and it’s completely FREE for anyone who lives or works in the cities of SeaTac or Burien.

There are two sessions each year and they fill up fast, so register early – Fill out an application (PDF) and send it to:

CSO Nicki Maraulja
14905 6th Ave. SW
Burien, WA 98166

For more information, please call (206) 296-3333.

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Popularity: 54% [?]