It was a night for farewells when the Alki Community Council met this past Thursday night.

Three longtime officers said goodbye. So did our area’s city councilmember.

But with endings came beginnings – a new president and vice president. We’ll start there.

OFFICER TRANSITION: Months ago, longtime ACC leaders announced their intention to step down before this year was out, and the resulting need for new leadership – or else, they warned, like so many other West Seattle neighborhood groups in recent years, this one too would go dormant.

Departing:
President Tony Fragada
Vice President Randie Stone
Secretary/Treasurer Kathy Olson

Succeeding them:
President Charlotte Starck
Vice President Lindsey Pearsall
Secretary – vacant
Treasurer – vacant

Staying on are trustees Greg Showalter, Peter Stekel, and Will Winter; now-past president Fragada – who’s been involved with the group since the ’90s – becomes a trustee too. If you are interested in either of the vacant positions, contact info is at alkicommunitycouncil.org. Starck said she’s “excited” about the ACC’s potential and hopes to launch a membership drive. Pearsall added that she’s “super-passionate about building community.”

COUNCILMEMBER LISA HERBOLD: Our area’s city councilmember, about to leave office after eight years, made a brief visit in the meeting’s early going. She promised to help, in her waning weeks, with the issue Starck nand neighbors brought to the ACC last month – the need for traffic calming on 56th Avenue SW, a gateway from Admiral Way down to the beach. Herbold also suggested that the neighbors get it on her successor’s radar; she and Councilmember-elect Rob Saka were scheduled to meet the next day, and Herbold said she’d bring it up. Meantime, the neighbors are continuing to circulate an online petition, which asks for speed bumps, for starters. The group recalled a walking tour with SDOT director Greg Spotts suggesting there’d be a wider planning effort for the Alki area, but nothing had happened yet. Meantime, the ACC thanked Herbold for her assistance with various issues over the years and wished her well.

POLICE: Community-emphasis Officer German Bareto participated in the meeting online (this was a hybrid meeting, both online and at Alki UCC). He gave a quick update on crime trends – mentioning that aggravated assaults and robberies are up. The talk turned to the pervasive problem of dogs on the beach; he was asked how to reach Animal Control officers, and suggested surfacing the issue to Parks employees if they’re on hand.

FOLLOWUP ON DEFACED ART: Stekel reported that since his push to get utilities to clean up the paint markings with which they defaced the Constellation Park artwork – including artist Lezlie Jane‘s sidewalk octopus – they’ve done just that.

DONATIONS: The ACC will be sending $200 each to the West Seattle and White Center food banks.

NEXT MEETING: The ACC meets third Thursdays most months, in person at Alki UCC and online – watch alkicommunitycouncil.org for updates.