Contractor Named... Station Not

Sound Transit’s board of directors have selected a contractor to expand Link light rail south from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to the intersection of South 200th St and 28th Avenue South, the agency announced Thursday.

PCL Civil Constructors, Inc. has been awarded a contract to bring Link’s southern terminus into the southern part of SeaTac, with service to begin just four years from now, in September of 2016. PCL’s bid came in at $169 million, which is less than the $170 to $190 million cost Sound Transit had projected.

Over the next four years, PCL will design and build the guideway for the 1.6 mile extension (which I’m going to call Angle Lake Link for the sake of brevity and clarity) as well as the station, which does not yet have a final name. (It will either be South SeaTac, S. 200th Street, or Angle Lake; I personally prefer Angle Lake).

The Sound Transit press release included in their statement “The important work PCL and Sound Transit will accomplish together will enable the agency to deliver the South 200th Link Extension project on an accelerated schedule.” The words accelerated schedule is an understatement, if you ask me. What Sound Transit has accomplished over the last year is really significant. They’ve moved up the completion date for this component of Link’s expansion from 2020 to 2016. For real. That’s huge. It means that in 2016, Link will be expanding in two directions simultaneously – north (to the University of Washington) and south (to Angle Lake in SeaTac) – adding a total of three new stations.

Plans for the Angle Lake station call for a parking garage with seven hundred stalls, though that will be built separately under a different contract than the agreement approved today. Sound Transit is also looking at adding several hundred additional parking spaces to accommodate people who want to park and ride.  

So for now, the design / build contractor has been named – we’ll just have to wait a bit longer for the official station name to be announced.

Tour the WSCJTC Learning Center

Less than two miles to the west of Angle Lake is the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission Learning Center. The WSCJTC provides training for law enforcement, corrections and other public safety professionals in Washington State.

To be eligible to attend the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) students must be hired by one of the 272 recognized law enforcement agencies in the State of Washington.  However you, as a local resident, will have an opportunity to visit the campus on select days to discover the varied law enforcement training operations that are offered at this location.  

The Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission will hold one, full campus tour each month through the end of the year for legislators, Commissioners, stakeholders, and the public. The tours will be conducted by Executive Director Sue Rahr, Facility Manager Wes Anderson and Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) Commander John Suessman. 

WSCJTC Campus Tour dates:

• September 27
• October 25
• November 19
• December 20

All tours will begin at 1 PM in the Olympic Building Lobby.

Tours will consist of a campus overview; visiting student classrooms, Mock City, the Firing Range, the Dormitories, and other parts of the campus; viewing training occurring on campus; and a hands on experience in the driving simulator.

If you would like to attend one of the tours, please RSVP to Sonja Hirsch at shirsch@cjtc.state.wa.us or (206) 835-7372. Your RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary.

Open Water Swim Competition

Saturday, September 22nd, 2012.  The Gregorian calendar indicates that this will be the first day of autumn; Weather predictions proclaim that it will be yet another splendid spring like morning and according to the Blue Wave Aquatics web site this day is recognized as the official “Last Gasp of Summer!” 

The 2012 Last Gasp of Summer is an open water swimming event hosted by Blue Wave Aquatics and Valley Aquatics Swim Team and sanctioned by the Pacific Northwest Association of Master Swimmers, Inc for USMS (Sanction No. 362-W002). For those like me who may not be all that familiar with the sport of open water swimming, this all means that it’s going to be a pretty big darn deal!

Angle Lake has been chosen as the location for this event. The course will run nearly the entire length of the east-west leg and will be marked with large buoys. Motor boats, kayaks and lifeguards will be strategically located around the course to monitor race operations and lend assistance if necessary. Nearly 150 Master Swimmers are expected to compete in one of four events: 1 mile wetsuit, 1 mile non-wetsuit, 2 mile wetsuit, 2 mile non-wetsuit.  There will also be an additional 3 events offered for youth swimmers to compete in: 1 mile, 2 mile, and 500 meters for 9 - 12 year old swimmers. 

Race Day Schedule
7:30 AM           Registration Set Up, Course Set Up.
8:00 AM           Picnic Set Up / Volunteer Check In ***
8:30 – 9:30      Athlete Check In
8:45 AM           Officials Briefing – Officials, Kayaks, Lifeguards
9:30 AM           Athletes Mandatory Safety Briefing
10:00 AM          Start of 2 Mile Race
10:15 AM          Start of 1 Mile Race
10:45 AM          Start of 500 Meter Race (USA Swimming)
11:45 AM          Awards / Picnic Lunch

As you can imagine, it takes a lot of volunteer effort to pull off an event of this magnitude and the organizers could always use additional help.  ***If interested lending a hand simply show up no later than 8:30 AM and ask Wendy Neely for assignment otherwise ask for Jennifer Mesler if you’d like to help patrol the course from your kayak. All volunteers will be welcome to join the athletes enjoying a free picnic lunch.

The course will be cleared by noon and the event is expected to conclude no later than 1:00 PM.

2012 ALSC Classic Horse-N-Around Race

The three person teams, or ‘horses’, competing in the 2012 ALSC Classic are gathering up and preparing for the big race this Saturday! If you plan to join us as wagering spectators, be sure to obtain your own FREE copy of the race program HERE.

ALSC Classic Horse-N-Around Race

Where: Jones Beach (Post 40)

When: Saturday, September 15th

Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

I Love a Parade
The post parade and warm-up can provide valuable insight about a “horse's” readiness

Who doesn't love a parade? The post parade can be a confusing term to a newbie (at least it was to this newbie)… I wondered “what value is there in parading the horses after the race?” not realizing that the “post” was the start of the race, as in “post time”. So, in fact, it’s a parade TO the post.

When you hear the call to the post, it’s a signal for the horses (in our case, teams) to make their way to the post parade where the announcer introduces each horse as they “parade” in front of the grandstand. I always used to put my wagers in prior to the parade and warm-up to avoid lines at the window. Being someone who didn’t grow up around horses and generally couldn’t tell a claimer from a stakes horse, I never felt like I would be able to derive any usable information from looking at the horses. The first time it became apparent to me that I needed to start paying attention to their appearance and demeanor was the 2011 ALSC Classic. As the teams paraded in front of us, a particular unknown was trotting, snorting and raised up with a plaintive “I’m here to do business” whinny. I should have immediately run to the window and put my $50 to win on her. In short, she looked ready to rock, and rock she did, while my pick was among the first off the board.  So you might consider showing up early so that you can observe all the competitors before placing your final bets!

To keep things simple, WIN, PLACE or SHOW bets only will be accepted, no exotic betting is permitted.  Spectators will receive $50 in play money to place wagers however they feel will generate the greatest payout.  At the end of the day, all bets will be tallied and the top four wagers will be awarded the following CASH prizes: 

• WIN - $200
• PLACE - $100
• SHOW - $50
• IN THE MONEY - $25. 

 In the event of any ties, winners will be randomly drawn for prize money.

A Day At The Races!

Volunteers are finalizing plans and race preparations, teams have begun to form while co-conspirators Jim and Judy are busy concocting new games of skill for race participants to compete in. Just as last year, these games are going to be as much fun to watch as they are to compete in! (Click HERE to view photos from the 2011 race)

ALSC Classic Horse-N-Around Race

Where: Jones Beach (Post 40)

When: Saturday, September 15th

Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

A maximum of 12 teams will be competing for a total prize purse of $1,125.00!  Payout will be $600 for 1st (win); $300 for 2nd (place), $150 for 3rd (show) and $75 for 4th place finishers. To competed in the race, you must hold active ALSC member status or be sponsored by an active member. At the time of this writing only two team entries are remain available. 

Even if you should choose not to compete in the race, you are invited to participate in the ALSC Classic Horse ‘N’ Around Race by partaking in a scrumptious all-you-can-eat $5 Barbecue Lunch, or enjoying a refreshing beverage from the no host bar stock full of options, or take part in wagering by placing bets on your favorite ‘horse’ (team) in their quest for victory! Even though we’ll be playing with Monopoly money, spectators and competitors alike will be eligible for some nice prize payouts depending on how wisely the odds are played.  See the FLYER for additional information on cash rewards.

It is going to be another amazing day at the races on Jones beach, a day full of fun that you won’t want to miss!