Again, shots around 26th and Yesler this morning just after 6:50AM.

IF YOU GUYS HEAR GUN SHOTS PLEASE CALL 911, SO THEY CAN GET A GOOD IDEA WHERE IT IS COMING FROM.

The following information was in a Petition was signed by CD residents and submitted to Mayor M. McGinn and Councilor Richard Conlin. Neither have responded to it.

Re: 200 Martin Luther King Way. Seattle 98122

We, who are constituents of Seattle, object to the manner in which the Department of Financial and Administrative Services (FAS) has dealt and disposed of this piece of Public Property.

Required procedure is a notification and request for input from constituents living 1000′ radius of this land was not made regards ‘future’ use of it in 2013. FAS proceeded without constituent input to sell the land through a Realtor, and did not ensure a fair and transparent bidding process was used, either through Sealed Bids or an Open Auction. lnstead there appears to have been free communication about bids, the price dropped from $121,000 to $40,000 at the request of a developer bidder,  but the price drop was not placed in public view for ALL possible interested parties – either on the site’s Sale Board or on the Realtor’s website. Only a few interested parties were communicated with.

Constituents bordering this land objected to the manner of the bidding as they felt strongly unfair practice was/is evident at the end stage of the bidding.

The constituents living on the border of this land communicated with FAS concerned about the above facts. However FAS chose to proceed to complete the sale before responding. There has beeb strong objection to this exclusion of constituents in this process and the manner in which this City Department has sold public property without adhering to its duty to ensure due process which is fair and transparent to all.

This has served to betray the people’s confidence in it’s Administration of public property which the City is entrusted with.

Since the City has made the above omissions and errors we strongly believe that this sale is null and void, and the process should be recommenced, starting first with the Notification of all residents 1000′ of the property, This Notification is required by the City’s legislation of any public land in Seattle by the City.

The only response this community in the CD has had to the petition to the Mayor and to Councilor Michael McGinn is Silence. There has been responses to emails sent to Fred Podesta Director of the Dept of Finance and Administrative Services which manages Seattle’s public real estate, to Richard Conlin and to Hilary Hamilton Manager of Public Real estate. The Seattle City’s Customer Complaints Department have left a message on the phone that if we were not happy then we could take legal action. Similarly Fred Podesta and Councillor Richard Conlin has advised likewise. They are fully aware that most constituents are not in a position to do so. The Mayor has made no response to the Petition or any of the communications forwarded to him about the concerns.

People all over the city in all localities should be aware that similar pieces of publicly owned land can be disposed of by the city leaders without due regard to procedures and policy.

A person involved in looking out for the City’s Open Spaces writes:

“By selling this land, I believe that the City is not accounting for the benefits of keeping it in public ownership —  namely, the forested steep slope provides much stormwater retention and carbon sequestation, as well as aesthetic enhancement for Martin Luther King Way, a major community arterial.”

This case is egregious on both counts.  The impact of the sale of the property to a speculator for the neighborhood is substantial.  Currently, the band of steeply sloped, wooded land provides substantial stormwater retention, reduction of air pollution along a busy arterial, and carbon sequestration.  And, the band of green enhances the aesthetics of MLK Way as well as the neighborhood.  The sale to a speculator and the eventual development does not bode well, because the property is covered by Critical Areas regulations.  Building on a steep slope involves the cost of much mitigation and concrete to stabilize the site and process stormwater.  All the positive attributes of the current conditions will be eliminated by development.”

Filming at 26th and Jackson of this TV show is taking place, this may attract you but if you want to get home, go around the area.  Tuesday 7 PM

Although technology start-ups are nothing new in Seattle, local resident and entrepreneur, Paul McTaggart had something different in mind when he founded Dental Departures.  Although it is an internet company, it’s product and services are not entirely tech based as the company pairs users with dentists around the globe.

Paul was a manager at Expedia when he found out that one of his relatives needed some serious dental care.  Unfortunately, in spite of being in his home country of Canada, the normal cost of the dental work would far exceed this relative’s retirement budget.

This in not an unusual story in America as dental spending has remained flat since the economic crash in 2008.  However , according to a study published in Dental Economics:

according to our research, is being driven by a decline in utilization of dental care among adults. Other factors include improvements in oral health which could be causing a shift in procedure mix away from (more costly) restorative procedures toward (less costly) preventive procedures.

Other speculation suggests that people have been forced to choose other options, such as seeking dentistry in countries where dental care is equivalent but more affordable.  Otherwise known as dental tourism.

This may also explain why, according to the American Dental Association, visits to the ER for dental care have spiked:

 

The number of ED visits also has grown. According to one study, between 1997 and 2007, the increase inper-capita ED visit rates was almost double of what would be expected from population growth. This increase in ED visits has coincided with a decrease in the number of Emergency Departments nationwide.

 

 

Thus, EDs nationwide are under pressure to provide care for more patients. Inappropriate and continuous use of EDs for non-traumatic dental visits strain the health care system, contribute to overcrowding, increased care costs and longer wait times for patientswith urgent health conditions.

This dental economic crisis is exactly why Paul sprung into action.

Over the next month Paul exhausted every avenue to help his family, and realized that dental tourism existed across the globe.  The only problem was the ability to make educated decisions with a great deal of certainty did not.

Since 2010, Dental Departures has been the sole leader in helping book appointments and make informed decisions when selecting a a global dentist.  They provide photos, videos, and reviews for each dentist that is within their network, which is at 1400 and growing rapidly.

Paul’s dedication to his company has no bounds.  In 2012 he rented out his Central District home in order to visit the country’s that he sends his users.  For the past year he has been visiting networked clinics and dentists.  Beginning in the the dental hotspot of Los Algodones, Mexico, and arriving in Thailand last month.

During the planning stages for this trip, PBS featured a telling documentary on the unaffordable cost of dental care in Dollars and Dentists.  This only reinforced what he already knew was wrong with the current system.
He feels it is vital that he make sure that the users of Dental Departures receive the same quality, affordable, and safe experience that his relative did.

This is not to say there cannot be issues as dental procedures have been known to fail irregardless of who or where the work is performed.  Paul made sure his company made affordable options available to cover return trips for follow up care.  To this point, however, less than 1% of the 5000+ appointments made have needed any secondary intervention.

That is how Dental Departures created the largest network of global dentists anywhere, and why Paul believes the future of affordable dental care is just a short trip away.