(Photos courtesy Urban Homestead Foundation)
“We need a hero to save this land and legacy before it’s lost forever.”
That’s what it’s come down to for the West Seattle volunteers who founded the Urban Homestead Foundation, as they now have less than 8 weeks left to finish raising the money needed for a rare remaining open-space site in West Seattle, right across the street from the area’s most-populous elementary school.
The grass-roots group won a $281,000 matching grant from the King County Conservation Futures Fund, as reported here last June. That was a major achievement. But the key word there is “matching.”
The land at stake, dubbed the Dakota Homestead, is at 50th SW and SW Dakota [map], to purchase the lot, on the corner of SW Dakota and 50th Avenue SW. It’s city-owned – a decommissioned substation – and holds 20 mature trees, six of them with “exceptional” status. The foundation has been working for more than a year and a half to manage the land as a neighborhood preserve and gathering space, a hub for urban gardening and environmental education.
But they have to have the money to buy it by the end of the year. That’s where the hero, or heroes, come in, says foundation board member Phoebe Ingraham: “We are confident a visionary family, an energized community member or local businesses will respond to this call and save the day with a major gift. We need a hero to save this land and legacy before it’s lost forever. It’s the 11th hour on this unique opportunity. This green space represents West Seattle’s past, present, and future.”
The Urban Homestead Foundation has raised money and awareness, and along with securing the grant, they’ve pulled together $30,000 from neighbors. On the same June day that foundation supporters celebrated the big matching-fund grant, for example, a Girl Scout troop stopped by to donate $350:
(Photo courtesy UHF president Katie Stemp)
And now, they need major gifts totaling at least $300,000 before the end-of-year deadline.
The community supporters include Gerrit Kischner, principal of Genesee Hill Elementary across the street. He sees the site as “a natural classroom. Right now, much of the space is closed up and cut off from the community. Urban Homestead Foundation wants to do better for students and neighbors. I urge local families, individuals and businesses to consider their deep ties to this area, learn about the vision, and to step forward. It would be an incredible legacy to capture this moment in time and preserve the Homestead for future generations.” He’s one of the people you’ll hear from in this video about the site:
Donations are tax-deductible; information about how to give is here. December 31st is the deadline.
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