ORIGINAL TUESDAY NIGHT REPORT: After five years as a city-supported tiny-house encampment, Camp Second Chance in southeast West Seattle is still trying to get water and sewer connections.

That was the hottest topic at tonight’s monthly online meeting of the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee. The longrunning utility-line effort reportedly had cold water thrown on it by Seattle Public Utilities. Camp manager Scott Harris said SPU reps did a survey that showed the nearest hookups are on the Seattle Fire Department Joint Training Facility site to the north, and said that running the lines to CSC would be too costly. Harris said that didn’t seem like the final word on the matter, though. Committee members are going to contact West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold to see if she can help them get the utilities at the camp, since she had pursued funding in the city budget last year. In the meantime, water will continue to be delivered to the camp.

Harris said January was busy at CSC, with 14 people moving out into housing. The camp’s currently down to 38 people (about two-thirds of its capacity). They’re doing maintenance right now on some of the tiny houses.

The camp had one person who tested positive for COVID in the past month; that person was one of the 14 who have since left CSC for housing.

Camp operator LIHI is looking to hire a fulltime organizer, and has similar job openings at other tiny-house encampments. Anyone interested can check out the listing here.

The Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee meets online at 6 pm on second Tuesdays; next meeting will be March 8th.

ADDED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON: A clarification from SPU spokesperson Sabrina Register:

The property falls within Water District 20 (for water) and Valley View Sewer District (for sewer), so Seattle Public Utilities does not have the legal right to serve that property. We’ve talked with the General Manager of Water District 20 who indicates they want to serve the parcel with water and are working with Camp Second Chance on what it would take to make the connection to their system.

One of the hygiene (shower) trailers that SPU manages for people experiencing homelessness will soon be deployed to Camp Second Chance, through 2022 funding approved by the City Council.

Aside from which utility serves it, the encampment is on city-owned land (known as the Myers Way Parcels).