By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The Alki Community Council is bringing holiday cheer to the beach on Saturday night, a big topic at last night’s monthly meeting.

Vice president Lindsey Pearsall facilitated the meeting in-person at Alki UCC, with president Charlotte Starck co-facilitating online, as it was a hybrid meeting. She opened the meeting by asking attendees to share one word about what they’re grateful for. (With the windstorm still fresh in memories, “electricity” got several mentions.)

Starck mentioned highlights from the budget just approved by the City Council (WSB coverage here) – including the noise-enforcement technology (which had first been brought to the ACC’s attention years ago) and the Duwamish Head parking changes. She then talked about how Alki had dodged windstorm-related problems (though some lost power), but needed to be prepared for the fall and winter ahead, introducing Sean Blackwell from the city’s CARE Department.

Though Blackwell is not affiliated with the Office of Emergency Management, he did acknowledge the important of city services during situations like the storm – CARE 911 call volumes pick up, for example. Starck stressed the role that alert.seattle.gov plays – with a variety of alerts you can sign up for – and Officer German Barreto from SPD urged people to call 911 if they happen onto electric hazards. If you happen onto a live wire, don’t get out of your car – it might be dangerous. And beware of dark/flashing-light intersections; Barreto spoke of responding to a three-vehicle crash the other day. And don’t try to drive over a downed branch, or under a tree that seems in danger of falling – which can be fatal if the tree falls onto your vehicle.

Starck asked him next about crime stats. Barreto said sexual assaults are up year-to-date, but in the past 28 days, thefts and other categories have gone down in the Alki area.

Blackwell then offered CARE Team crisis-responder updates. The team’s been launched for a year now, and Amy (Smith) Barden is now the permanent department (the team plus 911 operations) chief. He urged attendees to sign up for the department’s newsletter (email them at CARE_info@seattle.gov). He also noted the work toward expanding the CARE Response Team since the mayor’s announcement in June, and said the Southwest Precinct (West Seattle/South Park) expansion is expected before the end of the first quarter, with space being evaluated for them in the precinct. New hires are set for training by February so they can start responding in March. Blackwell explained that responders can now refer directly to the Crisis Solution Center. They plan to implement more.

Two SPD Community Service Officers talked to the group about a program meant for kids they help – the Courageous Lions program. (In fact, they said, they just had been to the scene of a crash where they had to help two juveniles.) The program’s in partnership with Harborview, which means there’s trauma counseling available for kids going through tough situations. The Seattle Police Foundation funds it (it’s a nonprofit, so you can donate to support it). The CSO’s also are doing a warm-clothing drive on December 7, 11 am-3 pm, at the precinct (2300 SW Webster). Sweat pants are very helpful, for example, and other clothing, mostly for adults, but they’ll take whatever they receive (and “find good homes” for anything they can’t use). The CSOs will be working later starting in the New Year, they added – up until 10 pm.

ALKI LIGHTS EVENT ON SATURDAY: Rudolph (aka Stacy Bass-Walden) joined ACC for the update on this Saturday’s big event, hoping to bring back the crowds that often attended the Christmas Ship event pre-pandemic. ACC will have an info booth east of the Bathhouse, and more than half a dozen Alki Avenue businesses are participating, as well as the Log House Museum, for the event 7 pm-9 pm. Some freebies will be offered (from candy canes to cocoa to baklava to chowder to free arcade prize tickets), as well as three dropoff spots for a West Seattle Food Bank donation drive (listed on the event page). As Starck noted, the first stop has moved – on the west side of Seacrest (1660 Harbor SW) instead of off Don Armeni or Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor). Wyatt from the ACC said three bonfire pits will be activated by the accessibility ramp, so that’s where to gather. Elizabeth Rudrud from the LHM said they’ll have a bake sale, too, to raise $ for the SWSHS, while also offering free cider and crafts. They plan to set up 50 luminarias along the edge of the beach, added Rudolph (Walden), and an attendee offered to fill the volunteer slot for that.

NEW YEAR’S POLAR BEAR SWIM: Organizer Mark Ufkes spoke to the ACC about the genesis of the swim at Alki Beach, which will happen again on New Year’s Day 2025. It was first announced on WSB, he recalled, in a year with 35 attendees, and “it just kept getting bigger and bigger.” Ufkes noted that he’s tried to keep it a “simple family event … it’s over fast, and you get in the water quick … everybody holds hands …” and Alki’s space has kept it from feeling crowded, even now with many hundreds of people – he counted 1,500 people last year. (One in Norway has 35,000 participants, he noted.)

(1/1/22 photo by Scott Nelson)

Ufkes said his main job is to send out the invitation and show up with a megaphone and lead a countdown. “I’ve had so many people tell me they’ve always wanted to do it.” 10 am sharp again this year. People don’t tend to show up early – they just materialize by swim time. Starck said the ACC would love to support the swim in any way they can. Ufkes said he appreciates that, having been involved with community councils before. Still not sure you want to give it a try? The water’s usually warmer than the air, Ufkes said spiritedly.

BIG GIFT, AND A MEMBERSHIP DRIVE: The ACC recently received a $2,500 donation and Starck said they’re hoping to work on a membership/donation drive, using this as a match, “so we can move into 2025 stronger than ever.” Pearsall urged attendees to tell their friends and family about ACC; you can use its website to sign up for membership.

SAFETY: On this ongoing topic, Starck wondered if neon-bright flags would be a way to discourage unsafe driving that threatsns kids. Two attendees thought “there are enough signs already”; one said it’s more a matter of parents paying attention to their kids. What about cameras? Starck said they’re hoping to have City Councilmember Rob Saka back at a future meeting to talk about where traffic and noise cameras stand post-budget vote. There was some state funding to study noise cameras, Starck noted, but only one eastside municipality took advantage of that. This segued into a discussion of what’s been effective – the speed humps/cushions had some voicing support, for one. Alki’s section of Admiral, and safety on it, came up as a topic too. “Isn’t this a conversation for SDOT and the mayor’s office” – which had a representative at the meeting – asked one person. (The rep, external affairs liaison Catherine Gerlach, volunteered later to do what she could do to be a liaison between the neighborhood group and agencies/departments such as SDOT.) Starck suggested people send their ideas to hello@alkicommunitycouncil.org so they could aggregate trouble spots/ideas – and possibly creation of a safety committee within the ACC so there could be a smaller working group focused on the issue. Overall, Pearsall said, “if you have something you’re passionate about … safety, events …” email hello@alkicommunitycouncil.org to “grow the team” and “figure out the best place to use our time, money, and energy.” Speaking of money, they’ll be working on a budget for next year in a post-Thanksgiving Executive Board meeting.

WHAT’S NEXT: Saturday night’s Holiday Lights, of course – 7 pm November 23, with the Christmas Ship arriving just after 8:30 – and the Polar Bear Swim (Wednesday, January 1, 2025). No general ACC meeting in December, so the next one will be the third Thursday in January (that’s January 16).