West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
Following up on the School Board agenda items for tonight that were previewed here this morning:
BELL TIMES: The vote’s been postponed until November 18th, because the state Environmental Policy Act requires a 7-day waiting period between the release of the environmental-impact statement – posted on the district website Tuesday – and any final vote. The board still got an earful from parents upset about the Tier 3 times which will have some schools starting after 9:30 am.
STUDENT ASSIGNMENT PLAN: This too has been delayed, no date announced. As one furious parent pointed out in the public-comment period, what had been described earlier this fall as “minor revisions” turned into a giant stack of changes when the agenda was published last Friday – changes that parent declared would “gut” the current assignment plan in myriad ways. She called for more notice and feedback opportunities. The proposed changes will be discussed at an upcoming board committee meeting.
BOUNDARY CHANGES: Changes including the move of some West Seattle Elementary territory to Roxhill Elementary‘s zone next year, instead of Arbor Heights, were approved. Following up on concerns expressed during a hastily added meeting at EC Hughes on October 19th – following the revelation that Roxhill is expected to move to Hughes in 2018 – West Seattle board rep Marty McLaren said she had talked to WSE and Roxhill principals today and both “are comfortable” with the move. Also brought up: What about Roxhill community members’ request to have their school renovated so they could move back eventually? The district indicated that’s not likely to happen – that Roxhill would really only merit demolition and rebuilding, though it was stressed that’s not currently planned, and would cost up to $25 million. Its future after the Hughes move isn’t clear, but the district says it would hold onto the site regardless, as it expects to eventually need all its properties as enrollment grows.
BUYING PORTABLES, PLAY AREA AT HUGHES FOR $525K: As of this writing (9:01 pm), the board is in a break and hasn’t gotten there yet. We’re continuing to monitor the meeting live via cable video and will update when they do. (9:18 pm update – Passed unanimously without discussion.)
More expansion-joint trouble on southbound I-5 just north of the West Seattle Bridge, so WSDOT has just issued this alert:
ALERT: 2 right lanes of SB I-5 before West Seattle Bridge will be closed from 9:30p to 4:30a for emergency expansion joint repairs.
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) November 5, 2015
If you’ll be heading this way from points north during those hours, you’ll probably want to use another route, such as SB 99.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 4:43 PM: King County Elections‘ second vote count is out, and it’s not the last one of the day – the KCE website says they’re also planning an update at 7 pm. The City Council District 1 race has tightened a bit since last night, with Shannon Braddock still ahead of Lisa Herbold:
Braddock – 7,416 – 52.43%
Herbold – 6,656 – 47.06%
The full list of results is here.
7 PM UPDATE: Tonight’s second and final update is in. The percentage gap has tightened yet again:
Braddock – 7581 – 52.25%
Herbold – 6,852 – 47.23%
Next vote count will be out Thursday afternoon.
THURSDAY 4:53 PM NOTE: KC Elections just announced it’s NOT going to have an afternoon update today – just 7 pm. (ish)
Our newest WSB sponsor has been providing quality dance enrichment for West Seattleites of all ages since 1983!
For more than 30 years, West Seattle has been home to one of the region’s best schools for dance instruction and art enrichment. Dance! West Seattle (formerly Seattle Civic Dance Theatre) has exposed hundreds of children and their families to the joy of dance through classes, pre-professional company experience and community performance. With classical ballet at its core, Dance! West Seattle has expanded its class offerings over the years to include *Tap, *Jazz, *Hip Hop, and *Contemporary.
“We’re one of West Seattle’s best-kept secrets,” says Artistic Director Kim Dinsmoor.
This might be because of our off-the-beaten-path location! Dance! West Seattle is located in the lower level of Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California Ave SW), with the main entrance facing SW Director. Walk by any weekday evening or Saturday morning to hear music drifting out of the tall studio windows. Then, stop in and say hello! We are happy to offer a FREE CLASS to any student (ages 3-Adult) new to our studio.
Unlike other schools, Dance! West Seattle doesn’t focus on competition. Professional instructors lead students in a supportive and creative environment so they develop strong minds, bodies and spirits and a love for artistic expression through movement! We look forward to serving the West Seattle community for another 30 years.
ENROLLING NOW! Find us online @ dancewestseattle.com and facebook.com/dancewestseattle | info@dancewestseattle.com | 206-938-3063
We thank Dance! West Seattle for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
Seattle Parks is getting ready to fix up the north play area at Lincoln Park, and has two requests:
#1 – Answer this survey
#2 – Come to the open house on November 19th (two weeks from tomorrow), 5:30 pm-6:30 pm at Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle), to see design options and offer your ideas
Parks explains:
This project will replace play equipment, provide access improvements, and improve other features at the park. The scope of these projects provides improvements to bring the play area into compliance with current play area safety standards and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access.
The estimated $600,000 cost of the project is coming from the Seattle Park District levy, and the work is expected to be done next year.
As photographed from Jack Block Park, that’s the Aiviq, one of three ships from Shell‘s Arctic-drilling fleet now docked at West Seattle’s Terminal 5. (Thanks to Ted for the three-ship tip.) Out of view to the right is the canary-yellow-hulled Tor Viking, and to the left is Harvey Explorer:
So what are they doing here, you ask, considering Shell shelved its drilling plans, and sent the largest member of the fleet, the platform Polar Pioneer, to Port Angeles? there are still some loose ends to tie up, as T-5 tenant Foss Maritime‘s spokesperson Paul Queary had mentioned back in September. And that’s what’s happening now, Queary tells WSB today: “Foss has a lease with the Port of Seattle through January 2017, with options to renew. We are actively pursuing business for the terminal. For now, we continue to serve our current customer as they wind down their project.”
SIDE NOTE: Looking further into Terminal 5’s future, you’ll recall that the port has launched the Environmental Impact Statement process for its “modernization” project – while you can get information and comment via the “online open house” that continues until Nov. 23, also remember that the in-person “scoping meeting” is now eight days away, at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW) on Thursday, November 12th, 5:30-8:30 pm. (A rep of the neighborhood group that campaigned for the environmental review is also on tonight’s Southwest District Council agenda, as mentioned in our daily preview.)
Thanks to Joanne Murray from West Seattle Hi-Yu for sharing the photo of the organization’s first-ever Teen Ambassadors, a new way for prospective young leaders ages 13-16 – between Junior Court and Senior Court age – to represent Hi-Yu in the community. From left, Louis Quantrille, Alyssa White, Callie McFadden, and Lily Trinneer were installed at this past Monday’s Hi-Yu meeting. As Joanne explains, “Their duties will be to accompany the West Seattle Hi-Yu float and carry the banners or flags in all of the parades that the West Seattle Hi-Yu float will appear in throughout the year in Western Washington.” West Seattle is the city’s last neighborhood with a community float. If you’re new around here and not sure what Hi-Yu is or does, Joanne explains that too:
West Seattle Hi-Yu is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization celebrating its 82nd year, with community festival activities throughout the year. Volunteers are welcome to join in the fun, help design and build the traveling float, and assist in fundraising activities. More information is available on the website: westseattlehiyu.com or contact Hi-Yu at info@westseattlehiyu.com.
Business and corporate as well as service-club memberships help to fund the scholarships and operating costs to keep West Seattle Hi-Yu going. Individual memberships are just $20 per year. Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 pm at Admiral Congregational Church, 4320 SW Hill St.
Callie, by the way, has held a high-profile Hi-Yu role before – she was a member of the 2014 Junior Court. Speaking of which – girls and boys 8-12 interested in applying to be on the 2016 Hi-Yu Junior Court should do it now; the application deadline is just a few weeks away – go here to find out more.
(Photo by Mark Dale)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
COWORKING/HOME WORKING/SOLOPRENEUR/ETC. MEETUP: Bring your lunch and take an inspirational break from the solo grind at this weekly West Seattle Office Junction (WSB sponsor) meetup, starting at noon. (6040 California SW)
SCHOOL BOARD: 4:15 pm meeting, 5 pm public comment, 6 pm votes, items of interest previewed here earlier this morning. The meeting is at Seattle Public Schools‘ SODO headquarters. (3rd & Lander)
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: Reps from western West Seattle’s community councils and other major organizations meet at 6:30 pm at the Sisson Building (home of the Senior Center of West Seattle). Agenda includes the Terminal 5 Environmental Impact Statement process, Emergency Communication Hubs, and SWDC officer elections. (SW Oregon and California SW)
LIVE MUSIC: 7 pm, C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) is where you’ll find Jim Page. (5612 California SW)
Though the election results will soon change the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors to a new-member-majority board, the current board has some big decisions to make tonight, including two issues that have been hot topics here – bell times (schedules) and boundaries – plus a few others of special interest. Here’s the agenda, and here’s where things stand:
BELL TIMES: These district-wide changes were born from advocacy for starting middle and high schools later, after years of research showing tweens and teens do much better if they’re not in school so early. The final schedule proposals, school by school, were in our coverage here. Then, as we reported after the subsequent board meeting, concerns over “Tier 3” schools starting at 9:40 am – in West Seattle, those would be Louisa Boren K-8 STEM and Lafayette Elementary – led to a question of whether that time could at least be moved back. In the final version of the plan, scheduled for a vote after 6 pm at tonight’s meeting, two things have changed:
*Tier 3 is scheduled to shift back five minutes from the final proposal, to 9:35 am starts
*The superintendent is authorized to look at whether Tier 3 schools that don’t want to be so late might be able to move into Tier 2 later this school year, voluntarily
BOUNDARY CHANGES: After a series of meetings looking at other changes to the boundaries the board approved in 2013 to take effect next school year, you’ll recall, the district revealed that it’s expecting to move the Roxhill Elementary program to now-empty EC Hughes after remodeling and expansion – likely in 2018 – so an area that was supposed to move from West Seattle Elementary to Arbor Heights next year is instead now planned to be moved into the Roxhill zone next year. The district belatedly added an October 19th meeting to explain this; concerns voiced there included potential effects of WSE losing more students (another section of its area already was scheduled to be moved as of next year). Details and maps for tonight’s scheduled vote are here.
SPEAKING OF HUGHES – PORTABLE PURCHASE: Also on tonight’s agenda, the district is proposing to pay the Hughes building’s former tenant, Westside School (WSB sponsor), $525,000 for improvements it made to the site – primarily the four portables that contain nine classrooms, which the district says must be kept so that Hughes could hold up to 550 students when reopened, but also other items including playground equipment. The agenda document says Westside invested $1.1 million in the improvements but with depreciation they’re worth less than half that.
WHAT’S NOT LIKELY TO HAPPEN TONIGHT: When the mentioned-earlier boundary changes were discussed at the EC Hughes building two weeks ago (WSB coverage here), the district rep also mentioned a big proposed change in the works regarding the district’s Student Assignment Plan – no more post-summer waitlists for students whose families hoped to get them into something other than their neighborhood school. That, and a change in tiebreakers, hadn’t gotten much daylight. The updated agenda says Superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland is asking to delay the vote on that and other changes – detailed here – two weeks, to the November 18th meeting.
The board meeting at SPS HQ in SODO (3rd and Lander) starts at 4:15 pm; public comment starts at 5 pm (the speaker list and waitlist are already finalized, per district policy); action items start at 6 pm.
(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:20 AM: No outbound incidents but if you are headed southbound toward West Seattle – don’t take I-5 – WSDOT is doing emergency joint repairs right by the WS Bridge, and that’s led to a mega-backup. WSDOT tells us the work is north of the eastbound bridge exit to southbound I-5, so it should NOT affect people exiting from the eastbound bridge.
8:57 AM: The repairs are complete, according to WSDOT. But it’ll take some time for the double-digit-mile backup to clear out, so travel in this direction from downtown northward is still a better bet on alternate routes.
(WSB photo: Braddock supporters, including County Councilmember Joe McDermott at right, awaiting results)
It’s the marquee race of the night in West Seattle and South Park: Results for the first-ever City Council District 1 seat after the first count (the second one is Wednesday afternoon):
Shannon Braddock 53%
Lisa Herbold 46%
8:33 PM: Herbold has spoken to supporters and told them it’s not over yet, with many votes left to be counted, pointing out that she came from behind to be the primary-vote leader. She also reiterated the issues behind her run:
Her party was at the Highland Park Improvement Club.
9:04 PM: Braddock said it’s too soon to take anything for granted but it’s been a great campaign:
Video from our crew at her party at Talarico’s Pizza is coming up now added.
BACKSTORY: Braddock is an Admiral resident and chief of staff for County Councilmember Joe McDermott. Herbold is a Highland Park resident and legislative assistant to City Councilmember Nick Licata. They were two of three candidates who entered the race on February 11th; when all the votes were counted in August’s primary, Herbold led Braddock by 2.4 percentage points, with 42 percent of the primary votes split between the seven candidates who didn’t make the cut.
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For the full list of results around Seattle and the rest of King County, go here; for the full list of state-measure results, go here.
Tonight’s most-watched ballot measure is Seattle Proposition 1, the $930 million transportation levy known as “Move Seattle.” Find results here – it’s passing (corrected) 57 percent to 43 percent after the first count.
Other ballot measures of note:
Seattle Initiative 122, “Honest Elections,” regarding campaign funding – results here – passing with 60 percent approval
ADDED 10:17 PM: In a statement sent to media, Honest Elections backers say, “”Seattle voters won big tonight. Seattle leads the nation, first on $15/hour and now on campaign finance reform. We look forward to seeing more cities and states implementing their own local solutions to the problem of big money in politics. … This is what democracy looks like, and we expect to see more grassroots campaigns like this one in Seattle. More than 32,000 voters put Honest Elections on the ballot, and hundreds of people who’d never helped with a political campaign before made small dollar contributions, knocked on thousands of doors and made thousands of phone calls to pass Honest Elections. People around the country are tired of waiting for Congress to get big money out of politics. We may not be able to change Citizens United, but we’re doing everything we can by passing our own citizen initiatives to limit big money and give ordinary voters a stronger voice in government.”
Back to results:
King County Proposition 1, “Best Starts for Kids” – results here – passing with 53 percent approval
ADDED 10:17 PM: We talked with King County Executive Dow Constantine, who pushed to get “Best Starts” onto the ballot:
While our camera continued rolling, we asked what else he thought was noteworthy this Election Night. See his full response here; in short – passage of “Move Seattle” (he had been at its victory party earlier); the prevalence of what he described as “level-headed” candidates in the City Council race; and the results in an Eastside County Council race, Bellevue Mayor Claudia Balducci defeating longtime incumbent Councilmember Jane Hague – Constantine observed that the Eastside is increasingly Democratic.
Back to results:
State Initiative 1366, state taxes/fees – results here – passing with 54 percent approval
State Initiative 1401, animal trafficking – results here – passing with 71 percent approval
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For the full list of results around Seattle and the rest of King County, go here; for the full list of state-issue results, go here.
West Seattle and South Park residents also voted, as did the rest of the city, for two at-large positions – Positions 8 and 9 – in the new composition of the City Council. The results:
District 8 – Tim Burgess* vs. Jon Grant
Results here – Burgess 59%, Grant 42%
District 9 – Bill Bradburd vs. Lorena González
Results here – González (a West Seattleite) 76%, Bradburd 24%
For the results in Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, go here – leaders in those districts, respectively, are Harrell, Sawant, Johnson, Juarez, O’Brien, Bagshaw
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For the full list of results around Seattle and the rest of King County, go here; for the full list of state-measure results, go here.
Four Seattle School Board seats are on the ballot, only one with an incumbent – District 6, which includes West Seattle and South Park. While only the residents of a board district vote in the primary, school board seats are citywide votes in the general election.
District 6 (West Seattle/South Park) Leslie Harris vs. Marty McLaren*
Results here – Harris 75%, McLaren (the only incumbent on the ballot tonight) 25%
9:17 PM NOTE: Harris was at Herbold’s party (see photo above – she was cheering for Herbold, more demure about her victory, noting it’s not over until it’s over).
District 1 – Michael Christophersen vs. Scott Pinkham
Results here – Pinkham leading with 66%
District 2 – Rick Burke vs. Laura Obara Gramer
Results here – Burke leading with 79%
District 3 – Jill Geary vs. Lauren McGuire
Results here – Geary leading with 59%
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For the full list of results around Seattle and the rest of King County, go here; for the full list of state-measure results, go here.
For the first time since word of E. coli illnesses led to the voluntary closure of Chipotle restaurants in Washington and Oregon, the state has identified which locations are linked to confirmed cases.
The list just made public does NOT include the West Seattle location (which opened at 4730 California SW in The Junction less than two months ago). The 25 patients confirmed so far in this state reported eating at five Chipotle restaurants identified by the state as:
Hazel Dell, 7715 NE 5th Avenue, Suite 109, in Vancouver
1404 Broadway Avenue and 4229 University Way NE in Seattle
512 Ramsey Way 101 in Kent
1753 S. Burlington Blvd. in Burlington
Earlier this afternoon, the state hosted a media briefing from its laboratory facility in Shoreline; a little far for us to go today, so we were among several organizations who participated via a phone/Web hookup.
They confirmed it’s Shige toxin E. coli, which can “cause kidney damage among other serious problems.”
Our state has 25 patients “associated with this outbreak” – nine of whom have been hospitalized, though none with the illness that can lead to kidney damage – and Oregon has 12.
The Washington patients all live in the western part of the state – 11 in Clark County, 2 in Cowlitz, 2 in Island, 6 in King County, and 4 in Skagit County.
“The exact source of illness is still unknown,” but 23 of the 25 WA patients reported eating at a Chipotle. They are still trying to identify “a common food item” – more likely, they say, to be produce than meat. They’re testing samples from multiple restaurants and hope to have results later in the week. They also are awaiting tests on 20 people who reported getting sick after eating at a Chipotle but have not been confirmed as E. coli patients.
Health authorities still don’t know when the Chipotle stores, closed voluntarily, will reopen, but they are working with the chain to “identify criteria” for reopening. They still want people who became ill after eating at a Chipotle recently to consult their health-care provider.
Seattle Parks wants you to have two weeks notice of this – many of its facilities will be closed November 17th for an “all-staff in-service day.” Read on for the citywide announcement of what WILL be in operation that day:
By Randall Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Who doesn’t love a dumpling? There’s a reason why nearly every world cuisine has its own version of flavorful food creations delivered inside a neat pastry package. While the arrival of world-renowned Din Tai Fung two years ago may have marked a peak moment in the comfort-food trend for Seattle, we westsiders know the true peak of any local comfort-food trend is when we can indulge without leaving the peninsula.
After finding themselves dining on dumplings with increasing frequency, the team behind Shadowland was presented with the opportunity to take over the former Quadrato space (4302 SW Oregon) nearby, and soon the idea for Dumplings of Fury was born. Back in August, we reported briefly that this eatery was on the way – and now we finally have a full serving of details.
“I think it was definitely our love of dumplings that somehow sprung us into thinking of doing this,” says Ben Jenkins, Shadowland co-owner. “There’s nothing like that here, and we wanted to do something different for West Seattle.”
If you could see through those clouds, you’d see snow-frosted Olympic Mountains – finally! That’s the view we caught from Alki Beach around 8 this morning. Here’s a quick look ahead at the rest of today/tonight:
ELECTION DAY! Yet another reminder, get your ballot in ASAP! If you’re mailing it, you MUST be sure it’ll be postmarked with today’s date, or it won’t count. Safer bet is to take it to a King County Elections dropbox or dropvan, which also saves you 49 cents postage:
*West Seattle Stadium, until 8 pm
*Greenbridge Library in White Center, until 8 pm
*List of other drop spots around the county, also until 8 pm
*Or vote at an accessible voting center (Seattle, Renton, Bellevue, until 8 pm)
And after you vote, here’s how to track your ballot (since counting doesn’t wrap up for two weeks).
District 1 City Council candidates’ Election Night parties in West Seattle: Lisa Herbold @ Highland Park Improvement Club (12th SW & SW Holden), Shannon Braddock @ Talarico’s Pizza (4718 California SW).
And on the non-election side of things:
WESTSIDE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: School-shopping for next year’s 5th-through-8th grader(s)? Tonight, 6-7:30 pm, Westside School (WSB sponsor) welcomes your family to a Middle School open house at its new permanent campus. (10404 34th SW)
TOASTMASTERS ‘TALES FROM THE HEARTH’: 6:30 pm at Brookdale West Seattle, you’re invited to come hear Toastmasters 832 members/speakers’ “Tales from the Hearth.” (4611 35th SW)
HOPE LUTHERAN SCHOOL KINDERGARTEN INFO NIGHT: 6:30 pm at Hope Lutheran School, families of prospective kindergarteners are welcome to come find out more about the school. (42nd SW & SW Oregon)
SEATTLE LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 7-8:30 pm, prospective students and families are welcome to come visit Seattle Lutheran High School (WSB sponsor) – info here. (4100 SW Genesee)
SEE MORE … on our complete calendar!
(Added 2:36 pm, photos by Gary Jones @ Alki Point)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 10:05 AM: Once again this morning, heads-up that orcas might be passing our shores soon. They didn’t make it this far south on Monday but they apparently did some traveling overnight, because Orca Network commenters (thanks again to Trileigh for the tip) are seeing them off Burien’s Three Tree Point – northbound this time – as of just before 10 am.
10:57 AM: Per Jen‘s comment, and also what we’re seeing from Orca Network commenters, they’re still headed northbound along Vashon; Jen notes that they are closer to the Vashon side, so if you’re looking from here, you’ll most likely need binoculars.
NOON: They are visible off north Vashon! We are now with Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail at Constellation Park.
12:30 PM: One group is past north Blake Island now; another one is off north Vashon. Still visible with binoculars. Donna says they’ve been confirmed as Southern Resident Killer Whales (the ones seen in the area earlier in the year were “transients” – one big difference is that SRKWs eat salmon, transients also eat marine mammals).
12:48 PM: We’ve left Constellation Park but Donna just called to say researcher Mark Sears, who is out with the whales, reports that one group is “headed right for Alki.”
While we work on the calendar-highlights preview for the rest of today/tonight, a quick note: This year, we’re launching the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide 
earlier than usual, since the season begins in just a few days with the first round of bazaars/art shows/sales. So we’re inviting you to send us information on YOUR holiday event as soon as you have it. No need to wait for your logo, poster, graphic to be ready – we can’t use most of those anyway; what we really want (as with our regular Event Calendar) is just the basic information on the event, including who/what/when/where, and a website link if you have one (not mandatory). Please include all that info in plain text in the body of your e-mail – NOT a Word doc, PDF, etc. – and send it to editor@westseattleblog.com. Our Holiday Guide spans the season from now through New Year’s Day. We also welcome information on restaurants/coffee shops/business hours for Thanksgiving/Christmas Eve/Christmas Day/New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day once you know. We’ll be updating the guide at least once a day throughout the season, so no worries if you don’t have the info now, but please bookmark this and get us the info soon as you do. Thank you!
P.S. Our guide also features a list of holiday-season charity drives – so if you’re collecting food, socks, blankets, toys, whatever, please let us know about that too!
(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
No incidents in/from West Seattle so far this morning.
ELECTION DAY: You’re likely to see signwaving along your commute route – today’s Election Day, aka voting-deadline day; get your ballot in by tonight (best way to guarantee it’ll count is to get it to a drop spot by 8 pm).
7:48 AM: Very localized showers out there – we went through one that lasted about four blocks.
8:17 AM: As commenters point out, slow going everywhere. Also, for the second day in a row, a texter reports a jackknifed bus in the Brace Point/Endolyne intersection.
9:08 AM: Just went by; bus cleared.
11:00 AM: Still showery weather. Here’s the Instagram video we mentioned in comments, from around 8:20 this morning:
(Mouse over the image to bring up the “play” button so you can click it. Instagram clips are :15 max, and in most cases loop, so you’ll have to click the image again to stop it.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Homelessness is an emergency, Mayor Ed Murray and County Executive Dow Constantine proclaimed today. This excerpt from their announcement spells out why:
Last winter’s One Night Count found 3,772 men, women, and children without shelter in King County, including more than 2,800 in Seattle – a 21 percent increase over 2014. In 2015, 66 homeless people have died in King County, including 47 on the streets and in unpermitted encampments in Seattle. The state now reports that 35,000 people in King County become newly homeless at some point during the year.
Part of the declaration includes a city plan to spend $5 million more on getting people off the streets and, for those who are on the streets, covering some basic needs, like sanitation. The plan will be discussed at a special City Council meeting tomorrow, and is to be funded through the sale of city property in West Seattle, according to the city documents related to today’s announcement. From the Frequently Asked Questions document:
How is the City paying for this new investment?
The $5 million investment is funded from the proceeds of the sale of excess property located on Myers Way South.
We’ve reported in recent years about the city process of figuring out what to do with that land, the “Myers Parcels“ in southeast West Seattle, next to the Joint Training Facility. Some community advocates have lobbied for preserving some of it as greenspace, as reported here most recently back in February.
The city Finance and Administrative Services Department clarified, when we inquired, that the property hasn’t been sold yet. More on that later.
First, what today’s announcement means for helping homeless people:
Both Murray and Constantine signed emergency proclamations. Murray was quoted in the city announcement as saying, “The City is prepared to do more as the number of people in crisis continue to rise, but our federal and state partners must also do more. Cities cannot do this alone.” Constantine was quoted as saying, “Emergency declarations are associated with natural disasters, but the persistent and growing phenomenon of homelessness – here and nationwide – is a human-made crisis just as devastating to thousands as a flood or fire. We call on the federal and state governments to take action, including shouldering more responsibility for affordable housing, mental health treatment, and addiction services.”
Go here to see what the city is proposing, or read the details below:
On the county side, Constantine is proposing $2 million in spending, some of it “already pending before the King County Council, to address immediate human needs and the root causes of homelessness,” according to the news release, which adds that both entities already invest heavily: “The City of Seattle already invests more than $40 million annually to assist people at-risk of or experiencing homelessness, including single adults, youth, families, domestic violence survivors, older adults, and veterans. King County invests $36 million a year to assist individuals and families at-risk of or experiencing homelessness.”
That represents a bigger share of those services than ever, says the city announcement: “A decade ago, City resources represented less than 40 percent of the total funding for homelessness services. The City is now responsible for over 60 percent of homelessness investments.”
Thousands of those who need help are children, the city says:
There are 32,000 homeless children in Washington state, with nearly 3,000 homeless children currently attending Seattle Public Schools. On average, that’s more than 1 student per Seattle classroom.
The city announcement says they’re trying to be strategic with the spending:
The City is currently analyzing all homelessness investments and expanding data collection to ensure resources are targeted at the most effective strategies. Seattle is also launching a new effort to reduce administrative burden on agencies by allowing non-profit partners to provide a range of services under portfolio contracts, rather than separate contracts for each type of service.
We don’t know yet what share of the new funding might be spent in this area. We checked with one local agency that offers emergency help to people in crisis, West Seattle Helpline, whose executive director Chris Langeler told us it’s good news in general:
We are excited by Mayor Murray and Executive Constantine’s announcements today declaring a “State of Emergency” and new resources dedicated to alleviating, preventing, and ending homelessness in Seattle and King County. The West Seattle Helpline has served hundreds of members of our community this year who are homeless or at-risk of experiencing homelessness by providing rent & utility assistance, transportation assistance, or clothing. With rents continuing to rise and utility costs increasing as winter approaches, we are seeing heightened demand for assistance and more of our neighbors facing the threat of eviction.
We have initiated a dialogue with the City of Seattle’s Department of Human Services and are exploring ways that we can work with the City to be a part of the solution to homelessness. We’re hopeful that the heightened focus and additional resources will help more of our West Seattle neighbors-in-need stay safe in their homes.
Now, back to the $5 million in city funding for extra services, described as coming from Myers Way sale proceeds. A document late in the day looking ahead to tomorrow’s meeting clarified that the $5 million will for starters come from an “interfund loan” out of the city’s “Cash Pool,” to be repaid from sale proceeds of some of the “Myers Parcels” land. That sale is still in the future, we found out from Cyndi Wilder in the city Finance and Administrative Services Department:
The Myers Way excess property has not yet been sold. The Myers Way property is still under active property review, meaning the City is working on strategies for the reuse and disposition of the property. We anticipate selling a portion of the site for commercial development, but a larger portion of the property, including certain wetlands and much of the tree canopy, would be retained for environmental protection. In 2016, the City Council will review legislation to authorize land to be retained and land to be sold. We understand that proceeds from the sale of any portion of the property not needed for identified future City purposes or retained for environmental protection would be directed toward the emergency response to homelessness. Information about the property is available here, and we’ll be updating that page with information about the property disposition as it becomes available.
Tomorrow’s meeting to finalize the emergency-response plan is at 2 pm at City Hall.
This year’s Community Art Showcase at Southwest Library featured 112 creations by 57 artists and musicians – and librarian Jane Gibson says that if you’re among them, tonight and tomorrow are your last chances to go get your work and bring it home! She shared the photo collage of participants; click the image for a larger version. The library at 35th SW & SW Henderson is open until 8 tonight and 10 am-8 pm tomorrow.
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