@ Morgan Community Association: Park expansion; festival update; Lowman’s future; more…

Now the rest of the story from last night’s Morgan Community Association meeting:

FUTURE PARK-EXPANSION SITE: We reported last month on the last business leaving the Parks-owned commercial building at 6311 California SW that will be demolished to expand adjacent Morgan Junction Park. MoCA president Deb Barker said Parks sent word that they will soon be boarding up the building and ringing it with a chain-link fence and “no trespassing” signs, since they’re already having trouble with squatters who apparently have gotten in by breaking through the building’s “rotten” roof. The fencing will be removed for a mural project during the Morgan Junction Community Festival on June 18th; demolition of the building is expected soon after the festival, Barker said.

ABOUT THAT MURAL: MoCA is looking for someone to lead the project, which will guide local kids in creating a vision of the future park expansion. Interested? Contact MoCA ASAP – contact info’s on the group’s website.

AND SPEAKING OF THE FESTIVAL: MoCA’s been making progress signing up vendors and bands – nothing to announce just yet. The “Bite of Morgan” food samples, donated by local restaurants in recent years, will not be back this year. Food trucks, a popular feature the past few years, will be.

LOWMAN BEACH SEAWALL: David Graves from Seattle Parks brought an update on the shifting seawall at Lowman Beach Park. The city is looking for a grant to study it, but even before that, there’s one big concern: Addressing the problem could require taking out the little park’s tennis court. Parks doesn’t know much about its usage before the Murray CSO storage-tank project took over much of the park but nonetheless promises to bring this issue and others regarding Lowman to the community, with public meetings expected.

SDOT GRANT: MoCA is proposing another use for $24,000 available from SDOT to buy “street furniture” – spending it instead on repairs for the gravel alley behind businesses on the east side of California SW north of Fauntleroy. This is something that’s been a thorn in the area’s side for a long time and has even been proposed for city grant funding before – most recently in 2013, when this WSB story explained the problem. The street furniture money had a caveat anyway – maintenance and liability insurance. MoCA leaders say in other neighborhoods, that’s a responsibility placed on business owners rather than a community council.

HALA FOCUS GROUP MEMBERS: The meeting also included a brief chat with locals who had been chosen for the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda “focus group” neighborhood spots. As you can see on page 4 of this list, five people from the Morgan Junction Urban Village area were chosen, including MoCA board member Cindi Barker, who was on the original HALA advisory committee. In general, local reps hope to provide the focus group a perspective on what life south of downtown is like for people struggling to get by.

The Morgan Community Association meets quarterly on third Wednesdays, 7 pm, at The Kenney – keep up to date between meetings by checking in at morganjunction.org.

chemist April 21, 2016 (11:47 am)

The street furniture money had a caveat anyway – maintenance and liability insurance. MoCA leaders say in other neighborhoods, that’s a responsibility placed on business owners rather than a community council.

Sure, but if you ask SDOT about improving your unpaved alley you are usually told by SDOT

Unpaved Alleys – Alleys which are not paved to City standards (e.g. dirt and gravel alleys) are not funded for any maintenance, repair, or improvements by the City. Adjacent property owners can maintain or make improvements to the alleys at their expense. All work requires a Street Use Permit.

chemist April 21, 2016 (12:05 pm)

I would prefer the funds used to remove the bus bulb created for the rapid ride. If the parking on the West side of California opposite the RR stop were removed, I think the lane configuration could be maintained as is.

d April 21, 2016 (12:51 pm)

Just a thought maybe we could use the money to take care of the parks that already exist there’s a real big one less than a mile away that needs a lot of maintenance

Kim April 21, 2016 (1:06 pm)

I really, really, really wish that the Morgan Junction Park expansion could include a space for food trucks!

The Truth April 21, 2016 (4:18 pm)

Though food trucks would be cool I am not a fan of using public paid space (especially parks) for private commerce. Granted they could pay rent but then you have to hire a city official to handle that aspect and all of the sudden it loses money due to bidding process, legal issues on what trucks can use it, so on. Support the local restaurants in the Morgan area and West Seattle in general. Those cats are getting hit with rent increases left and right and could use the help! Most of them are your neighbors.

John April 21, 2016 (6:43 pm)

SDOT grant should be used for the community good.

Here the process is reversed, businesses that benefit from the foot traffic of pedestrian improvements should open their purses for maintenance and liability insurance.

Instead they are requesting designated public funds for deferred maintenance and neglect of “their” alley.

West Seattle is loaded with alley’s that are unpaved ruddy messes. Here in Seattle it is the defined responsibility of property owners to maintain the alleys. Why should these businesses and residences get the public’s “street furniture” funds?

I would rather enjoy some newly added street furniture.

chemist April 21, 2016 (11:16 pm)

IIRC, MoCA got a similar project award that was used to re-do the sidewalk nearby in front of starbucks/alki mail/etc. That was damage done by SDOT tree roots and it’s in the heart of the junction, so I kind of understood using SDOT awards for that (and I learned a lot about sidewalk responsibilities) but an alley not leading to public property doesn’t seem right and is probably why this project was rejected in 2013 (WSB’s earlier coverage links to the application).

The MoCA meeting minutes from Jan 20th didn’t even solicit placement ideas for furniture.
Old Business
Morgan Neighborhood Parks Street Fund (NPSF) award status
- Morgan Junction has been awarded $24,000 for installation of street furniture. Collaboration is currently underway with SDOT, so stay tuned for more information.

Lez April 21, 2016 (8:47 pm)

Gee vagrants and druggies broke into the shortstop? Who do you think hangs out at that park? Thanks Seattle Parks for expanding thleir domain at the expense of two viable and convient businesses

cj April 22, 2016 (12:48 am)

I remember when they built that park, people were happy about it. Then they built the bars right next to it as if it were for them. It would be nice if we did not do that with city money. There should be a law forbidding building bars right next to city parks.

WSB April 22, 2016 (1:01 am)

The bars were all there before the park. One more bar, in fact … you might recall that where Zeeks Pizza [wsb sponsor] is now, was the Corner Bar, in addition to the former Feedback (etc.) and current Beveridge spaces. The current Beveridge, of course, was previously a video store. But its current incarnation opened before the park – backstory: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/proparks/projects/MyrtleMorganPublicDevOverview011508.pdf –
WSGirl April 22, 2016 (4:30 pm)

One of those bar owners spends her free time maintaining and keeping clean that park. So don’t be so quick to talk badly about bars or what they bring to a neighborhood or park.