Admiral Neighborhood Assoc.: Candidates, concerts, more

July 13, 2011 6:59 pm
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 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news


(From left, ANA secretary Jim Cavin, president Katy Walum, City Council candidate Brad Meacham, City Councilmember Bruce Harrell)

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Political discussion, local business interests, community safety, and summer entertainment took center stage at the July meeting of the Admiral Neighborhood Association Tuesday night at Admiral Congregational Church.

Meeting highlights included discussions with two candidates for the Seattle City Council, details about the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series (lineup here), a presentation about disaster preparedness, and updates on ANA’s efforts to engage with Admiral-area businesses.

SUMMER SUCCESS:  ANA President Katy Walum reported that the group made $1200 from concessions sold at the July 4th kids’ parade (up from $800 at last year’s parade), and that the “cookies, cupcakes and popsicles all sold like crazy.” ANA also tabled at West Seattle Summer Fest in The Junction last weekend (WSB coverage here), and reported great conversations with festivalgoers.

EMERGENCY READINESS: “If something happens, we want people to be prepared” – that was the message from Cindi Barker from West Seattle Be Prepared (pictured below, explaining the group’s emergency communication process).  She talked about West Seattle’s Neighborhood Emergency Communication Hubs (go here to find your nearest hub), the closest of which for North Admiral is Hiawatha Park near West Seattle High School. (See previous WSB coverage from Disaster Preparedness Month, April 2011).

Barker stressed that in an emergency, the hubs are not stockpiles of food and water (households need to make those plans on their own), but rather are a gathering place with dedicated radio communication service and first aid, where people can offer assistance to others and get help if they need it. The group does drills twice a year in West Seattle, and meets quarterly with other similar groups in the region to talk about coordination plans. The intent is to help neighborhoods deal immediately with emergency events when they happen, and to reduce their dependency on waiting for larger city/county disaster response.  Barker cited examples of major quake disasters in Japan and New Zealand in which “people come together naturally to help each other – we’re just providing the tools and plans to enable that.”

COUNCIL CANDIDATES: Both candidates for Seattle City Council Position #3 were in attendance – incumbent Bruce Harrell, and challenger Brad Meacham.  Both candidates had also attended the recent West Seattle Chamber “networking event” as well as the 34th District Democrats meeting, and spoke Tuesday night about their admiration for West Seattle’s neighborhood groups and community advocacy efforts.

When asked why they’re running for election, Harrell cited his desire to work hard and “make sure people are being listened to,” while Meacham said that he wants to see the city “work better for people like you and me.” Harrell made reference to his career of service and his work with City Light, while Meacham encouraged voters to ask tough questions about “whether our leaders could do better.”

Walum then opened up the floor for Q&A from meeting participants:

  • On the issue of paid sick leave: Meacham is strongly in favor (“healthy workers make healthy companies”), and Harrell said it could be a good policy and that “some kind of legislation will be passed,” but that he “owes it to small biz owners to hear what they have to say” and that it would be “premature to blanket-endorse it.”
  • On how to ensure that neighborhoods like Admiral continue to have a voice: Meacham stressed the importance of engagement between neighborhood groups and their elected officials, while Harrell said voters would “continue to get that leadership from me” and that he isn’t afraid to fight tough battles when it comes to prioritization of goals from the mayor’s office, city and county officials, etc.
  • On the recent closure of West Seattle’s Neighborhood Service Center in The Junction (WSB coverage here): Both candidates indicated that they’d be in favor of reopening the center, because of its importance to the community, but acknowledged that the funding for it would be hard to come by. Both candidates also said that similar tough choices are being made across the city (and indeed, the nation) and it’s up to our leaders to navigate through the tough times.
  • On the downtown bored-tunnel: Harrell said he supports moving forward with the tunnel plan, while Meacham is opposed to it.
  • Related question, in light of this week’s bridge backup because of a disabled truck — how can we improve mobility from West Seattle to the rest of the city:  Harrell said he thinks the tunnel will help mobility, and agreed with the importance of the issue because “West Seattle doesn’t have a hospital, for example.” Harrell pledged to continue working hard to find funding and support to move good projects ahead. Meacham said that although Seattle’s geography and layout make it tough to design infrastructure, we must be committed to strong neighborhoods and better transportation — “we can’t build enough roads for everyone who lives and works here; it’s a financial and physical impossibility.”

ADMIRAL BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE: As we reported earlier today, ANA is working to bring together local business owners by way of a letter they’ve sent to more than 120 Admiral-area businesses, containing a link to an online survey that the group hopes will yield “cohesive information about what is important to all in the Admiral business community.”  Any Admiral business owner who didn’t receive the survey but is interested in participating is encouraged to contact ANA at info@admiralneighborhood.org. President Walum reported that Safeway is very interested in participating, and they have hired a manager for the remodeled facility and have pledged that the manager will be involved with ANA’s efforts.

SUMMER CONCERTS AT HIAWATHA: The popular summer concerts at Hiawatha Park start again on July 28th (all shows are on Thursdays at 6:30pm) and run through September 1st. Board members talked about the strong lineup of bands and the equally strong level of local business sponsorship and support (crediting ANA board member Dave Weitzel with doing great work in securing sponsors).  Walum distributed posters to attendees to hang up around the area, and reminded everyone of the special circumstances for a few of the shows in particular: August 4th is a benefit for WS Food Bank, August 11th will be held at Alki, and August 25th is a benefit for WestSide Baby.

CANDIDATE FORUM: Board members Karl de Jong and Sylvia Rolle talked about the work they’ve been involved with to hold a non-partisan forum” to coincide with the timing of when ballots are mailed to voters. They’re calling their group VIEWS (“visualizing increased engagement in West Seattle”) and the event will be 6:30-9pm at the Brockey Center at South Seattle Community College. As noted previously here on WSB, the event will involve candidates for city/county offices, Port of Seattle, and school board, and will begin with an ice cream social — with ice cream being served by the candidates themselves — followed by entertainment and a moderated debate. Free child care will be provided, along with translation services. DeJong noted that although the night of the event is the same as the first Hiawatha concert of the season, it’s important to make the most of the opportunity to have this forum for voters as soon as their ballots are available to them.

DATES AND TIMES OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

  • Wednesday, July 20th: Joint Southwest District Council and Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting at Neighborhood House – 6400 Sylvan Way SW, 7 pm
  • (TBD): “Concert kickoff” at Mission (week before Hiawatha concerts begin)
  • Thursday nights, July 28th through September 1st: Summer Concerts at Hiawatha
  • Thursday, July 28th: West Seattle candidate forum, 6:30-9pm, Brockey Center @ SSCC
  • Tuesday, August 2nd: Night Out Against Crime block parties
  • Friday, August 12th: Admiral Safeway Re-Opening
  • Saturday, September 17th: Adopt-a-Street Cleanup (9 am starting at Metropolitan Market) — please note, this date may be subject to change because of the Hiawatha Park event
  • Saturday, September 17th: Hiawatha Park Centennial Celebration, currently scheduled for 11am-5pm, featuring events like an organized run, pickleball tournament, and “memories of the park”

The Admiral Neighborhood Association meets the second Tuesday of the month, 7 pm, lower-level meeting room at Admiral Church. No meeting in August; next meeting is Tuesday, September 13, 2011.

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