By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Admiral Neighborhood Association president Joanie Jacobs announced tonight’s gathering as “the last meeting before summer craziness begins.” That’s a reference to the intense slate of summer events that ANA presents. Here are the meeting’s main points:
SEATTLE POLICE: Crime-prevention coordinator Matt Brown and Community Service Officer Jamie (both civilian employees of SPD) were at the meeting. Brown had the latest stats – first urging people to report incidents, since otherwise it won’t appear in the data at all – SW Precinct (West Seattle and South Park) area crimeis down 9 percent year to year, Admiral is down 21 percent. Confirmed gunfire calls are down 12 percent, 30 total, precinct-wide, and none of those were in Admiral; four of the incidents resulted in injury, no deaths. Brown was asked how SPD is preparing for the FIFA World Cup matches and related events; every precinct will be involved in deployment.
EX-CHURCH SITE REDEVELOPMENT: Two Admiral Church> congregants gave an update on the church’s Homestead Community Land Trust partnership – the church is donating its site for an affordable-homeownership project that also will include a new home for the church. Current plan is for 21 units, 13 will be townhomes, 8 will be single=floor ADA-compliant flats in a building over the church’s new space. They just met with the architects today. For the last couple years, Homestead has been working to secure added public funding needed even though the church had donated the land. “They’re at a point in this process that our current expectation is that they’ll be able to start construction in September of this year.” Laura added, “The affordable-housing piece will allow folks to be able to buy and own the townhouses.” Mike elaborate, “For folks who make less than 80 percent of the area median income. … The people we depend on in this neighborhood can’t afford to live in this neighborhood,” and this project will address that. He also recapped that the units will have to “stay affordable.” Once construction starts, it’ll likely take about a year and a half. Laura noted that this also will allow Admiral Church to stay in the neighborhood – they voted to do this rather than selling the land for “a lot” to whomever wanted to do whatever. – and, they noted, the site is zoned for much-denser redevelopment than this will be.
HIAWATHA PLAY AREA: ANA’s main communicator Dan Jacobs said the Parks Department just hasn’t been able to send anyone to the ANA meetings but has given him some info on the play-area project. Construction is supposed to start “by late summer/early fall” this year; bids were opened two months ago. The long-pending play area project has kept ANA from bringing even one of the summer concerts back to Hiawatha, but maybe next year. He also noted that ANA would like to meet at newly remodeled hiawatha Community Center but it’s not staffed evenings so they’d have to pay – for staff, for the space, etc. They’re also looking for community suggestions on programming.
SUMMER EVENTS: Joanie Jacobs talked about what they have to do to cover the costs of the neighborhood cleanup (9 am June 6, starting location TBA, just show up) West Seattle 4th of July Kids’ Parade, the Admiral Music in the Parks three-concert series (July 16-23-30), and the Admiral Block Party (August 22). Monetary donations – no matter how small – help them pay for the events, and they are staffed with volunteer power. Next Tuesday (May 19) at 7 pm prospective volunteers are invited to a gathering at the West Seattle Realty event space (2715 California SW; WSBs sponsor).She exhorted the ~20 people in the room to come and bring a friend/neighborhood. On July 2, a screening of the Earl Robinson documentary by local filmmaker BJ Bullert will raise money for the summer concert series, ANA’s Meagan Loftin announced. She also said Admiral history walking tours will be back this summer.
HELP ANA COVER THE COSTS … of all those events, by donating here.
NEW BUSINESS MEMBER: The owner of a new record label The Big Dark Records> spoke briefly – they’re new ANA business members. If your business would like to join, find info on the ANA website!
BE A HOUSEHOLD MEMBER: ANA would love to have more of those too! Go here to find out how.
EMERGENCY HUB: Admiral still needs a volunteer to lead theirs – a place people would go for information in case o catastrophe.
NEXT MEETING – isn’t until September, so in the meantime, find your community group out at all the aforementioned events (details on connecttoadmiral.org).
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