10:14 AM: In the hallway at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, the Gathering of Neighbors is under way, starting with a resource fair – tablers include:

*SWYFS
*West Seattle Food Bank
*Dept. of Education & Early Learning
*HALA
*West Seattle Time Bank
*SDOT
*DPCI
*West Seattle Helpline
*Seattle Subway

Opening ceremony is at 10:30. More to come.

11 AM: First panel is under way in the theater.

11:37 AM: The theme today is ‘growing pains’ and this discussion with Councilmember Lorena González and the Junction Association‘s Susan Melrose, plus Ben Crowther from The Urbanist and the city’s HALA project manager Michelle Chen, has touched on many challenges and opportunities. We have it on video and will add later when the clip’s ready. West Seattle-residing broadcaster Brian Callanan moderated. (Added – here’s the video:)

12 PM: Breakout sessions now, from business development to light rail. Still time to get here for the concluding panel on homelessness, to be moderated by Councilmember Lisa Herbold, scheduled as an encore of the panel we covered at the 34th District Democrats in January.

ADDED SATURDAY EVENING … a few more photos. From the organizing group VieWS (Visualizing Increased Engagement in West Seattle), Pete Spalding showed off his T-shirt from the first GoN back in 2004:

The group that launched the GoN was Megawatt, which disbanded in 2007 but not before having a lasting effect on the local community, not just via this event but also by creating West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day in 2005 (after MW’s closure, we took it over in 2008 and beyond; we’ll be opening registration in early April for this year’s WSCGSD, which is nine weeks from today – Saturday, May 14th).

Take a break from the keyboard and come talk about West Seattle’s “growing pains” face to face with people from around the peninsula. Whatever time you can spare to be part of this Saturday’s annual Gathering of Neighbors, that’s what it’s all about. This update includes the full lineup of topics and panel participants:

This coming Saturday, March 12th, at 9:00 am at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, VieWS (Visualizing Increased Engagement West Seattle) and the Delridge Neighborhood Development Association will present the 2016 edition of the Gathering of Neighbors. This gathering of West Seattleites will focus on the theme of “Growing Pains” and the challenges facing West Seattle as we see rapid growth in populations, jobs, and housing and the benefits and drawbacks that growth brings to our neighborhoods. What “pains” might that growth bring; what can we do to ease the “pain”?

This year’s event will feature opportunities to learn about the recommendations by the Mayor’s Housing Affordability & Living Agenda (HALA) Committee, plans to renew and double the Housing Levy, what increased density might mean for our peninsula, what a Sound Transit 3 package might look like for your vote in November, and the recent declaration of a Homeless State of Emergency by Mayor Ed Murray and County Executive Dow Constantine.

Hear from invited experts about what is happening with housing, zoning, community centers, parking, transportation, and much, much more and how all this change is both creating new opportunities for us and our loved ones while also stirring up fears of increased inequality, ongoing historical inequities, and permanent damage to the character of our neighborhoods.

As always, we will also offer breakout sessions where you can learn more about how you can get be part of shaping the impact all of these changes will have on our community and meet local leaders and organizations already involved in these issues. The heart of this event is “showing up.” When you show up to help move your community a little further along, you make a difference.

The morning’s agenda will be packed:

· 9:00 am – Social/Refreshments provided by Nucor and a proud West Seattle small business

· 9:30 am – Open House & Informational Tables: What are the Challenges Facing West Seattle?

· 10:30 am – Welcoming Ceremonies

· 10:45 am – Expert Panel: What is Being Done About Growth in West Seattle?
Moderated by Brian Callanan, Seattle Channel
*Michelle Chen, Senior Project Manager, Housing Affordability Livability Agenda
*Lorena Gonzalez, Seattle City Councilmember, At-Large
*Susan Melrose, Executive Director, West Seattle Junction Association
*Roger Valdez, Director, Smart Growth Seattle -invited
*Sharon Lee, Low Income Housing Institute -invited

· 11:40 am – Breakout Sessions: How Do I Get Involved in Shaping Our Community?
*North Delridge Action Plan update – David Goldberg (OPCD) & ACT Team members
*ST3 Planning – West Seattle Transportation Coalition + Rob Johnson, Seattle City Councilmember, District 4
*Land Use/Urban Village Growth – Cindi Barker and Deb Barker
*West Seattle Chamber conversation about business development

· 12:30 pm – Facilitated Discussion: Are We In a Homelessness State of Emergency?
Moderated by: Lisa Herbold, Seattle City Councilmember, District 1
*Michael Maddux, community advocate, and current Chair of the King County Young Democrats
*Hanna Brooks Olsen, founding editor of Seattlish; her work on the subject has appeared in the Atlantic and Salon.
*Mercedes Elizalde, Policy & Engagement Strategist for Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez, District 5

· 1:00 pm – Wrap-Up

Youngstown is at 4408 Delridge Way SW.

(WSB photo from previous Gathering of Neighbors, November 2014)

Just two weeks until the next edition of the Gathering of Neighbors. After months of mentions at local community meetings, the full lineup/schedule for the March 12th event is out tonight. Here’s the announcement:

On Saturday, March 12th, at 9:00 am at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, VieWS (Visualizing Increased Engagement West Seattle), Southwest Youth & Family Services, and the Delridge Neighborhood Development Association will present the 2016 edition of the Gathering of Neighbors.

Our theme is “Growing Pains” and will focus on the challenges facing West Seattle as we see rapid growth in populations, jobs, and housing and the benefits and drawbacks that growth brings to our neighborhoods.

This year’s event will feature opportunities to learn about the recommendations by the Mayor’s Housing Affordability & Living Agenda (HALA) Committee, recent updates proposed for the 2035 Comprehensive Plan, plans to renew and double the Housing Levy, what a Sound Transit 3 package might look like for your vote in November, and the recent declaration of a Homeless State of Emergency by Mayor Ed Murray and County Executive Dow Constantine.

Learn from invited experts about what is happening with housing, zoning, community centers, parking, transportation, and much, much more and how all this change is both creating new opportunities for us and our loved ones while also stirring up fears of increased inequality, ongoing historical inequities, and permanent damage to the character of our neighborhoods.

As always, we will also offer breakout sessions where you can learn more about how you can get be part of shaping the impact all of these changes will have on our community and meet local leaders and organizations already involved in these issues.

The morning’s agenda will be packed:

· 9:00 am – Social/Refreshments

· 9:30 am – Open House & Informational Tables: What are the Challenges Facing West Seattle?

· 10:30 am – Welcoming Ceremonies

· 10:45 am – Expert Panel: What is Being Done about Growth in West Seattle?
Moderated by Brian Callanan, Seattle Channel
Featuring a City Staffer, Urbanist, Elected Official, West Seattle Organization Leader, and Homeless Advocate

· 11:40 am – Breakout Sessions: How Do I Get Involved in Shaping Our Community?

Ø North Delridge Action Plan update – David Goldberg (OPCD) & ACT Team members
Ø ST3 Planning – West Seattle Transportation Coalition + Rob Johnson, Seattle City Councilmember, District 4
Ø Land Use/Urban Village Growth – Cindi Barker and Deb Barker
Ø West Seattle Chamber conversation about business development

· 12:30 pm – Facilitated Discussion: Are We In a Homelessness State of Emergency?

Moderated by Lisa Herbold, Seattle City Councilmember, District 1

Ø Michael Maddux, 43rd District Democrats and former City Council candidate
Ø Hanna Brooks Olsen, Seattlish writer, Project Manager for Civic Ventures
Ø Mercedes Elizalde, Policy & Engagement Strategist for City Councilmember Debora Juarez

Youngstown is at 4408 Delridge Way SW.

What makes West Seattle livable and healthy? Facilitator Maketa Wilborn asked the question toward the start of today’s Gathering of Neighbors at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. And he gathered a group of attendees into a circle to offer one word about what they were expecting from the day’s event:

Expectations for this year would have differed from the past; some years, the community-building event included a resource fair – many local organizations and agencies holding court at tables/booths so attendees could roam to at will – but this time, it was a deeper dive into four topics and two projects. If you wanted to talk about transportation problems and solutions, you could have huddled with West Seattle Transportation Coalition leaders:

Land use, development, growth interest you more? The recently launched West Seattle Land Use Committee was recruited to head up that topic:

Public safety and crime prevention were on the docket in another room, organized by the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network and including Southwest Precinct Community Police Team Officer Jonathan Kiehn:

And in a fourth room, your editor here accepted the invitation to present information about getting connected and staying informed:

We created a sort of mini-directory of West Seattle organizations and places for the occasion, as well as a one-pager about best practices when trying to get the word out about something, and will publish it here on WSB within a few days (after we add links for everything on the list!). That also was a suggestion of Gathering of Neighbors organizers – local community leaders under the umbrella VIEWS (Visualizing Increased Engagement in West Seattle) – asking presenters to make resources available, so once there are links, we’ll help get the word out about them here too.

Back to what people were saying about that sense of West Seattle pride – some samples of the written record:

(Thanks to whomever gave us the shoutout on this one!)

Before the final sessions – focusing on two city projects now in the planning stages, Fauntleroy Boulevard and the North Delridge Action Plan – facilitator Wilborn climbed a ladder in the Youngstown hallway to put up the “graphic chart” that he’d created from what had been said so far:

(He promised that’ll eventually be available via his website, too.) At the heart of all this was “showing up,” as one of the participants in our discussion put it. Whenever, however, you can show up to help move your community a little further along, you make a big difference.

You see the announcements and stories go by – this project, that community council, this meeting, that survey – but you’re still not quite sure how to get fully community-connected. Here’s an excellent opportunity: This year’s Gathering of Neighbors, organized by local community advocates and volunteers, just announced for 9 am-1 pm Saturday, November 15th. If you’ve been in the past – this one’s different; instead of another resource fair where you can circulate between tables and booths, it’s a chance to talk and listen. After a one-hour opening program at 9 am, here’s what’s scheduled:

10:00-11:00 AM – 4 BREAKOUT SESSIONS

*Land Use (led by Delridge & Southwest District Councils’ Joint Land Use Committee)

*Transportation (led by West Seattle Transportation Coalition)

*Public Safety (led by West Seattle Blockwatch Captains and Seattle Neighborhood Group)

*Staying Informed & Getting Connected (led by Tracy Record, West Seattle Blog)

About that last one … along with info on where to find and share info, we’ll also share the best ways (not just WSB) for you to get maximum exposure for what YOU need to announce, including the best way to write a “news release” (hint, sometimes you don’t need one at all) and the top things you DON’T need to do (but might think you do) to get media coverage/attention. Back to the schedule:

11:15 AM-1:00 PM – 2 MODERATED DISCUSSIONS
After choosing one of the breakout sessions to learn more about how you can stay informed and get involved, join in one of two discussions about major projects underway in West Seattle:


*North Delridge Action Plan (led by DPD/DON staff)
*Fauntleroy Way SW Boulevard Project (led by SDOT staff)

The Gathering of Neighbors will happen this year at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). See you there!

This year’s Gathering of Neighbors is an indoor-and-outdoor event – right outside the Chief Sealth International High School Galleria, on the walkway/plaza leading from the school parking lot to its south-side doors, you can find out all about RainWise.

It’s a program to get more homes off the rainwater/runoff grid, and more areas of West Seattle are eligible for rebates to cover at least part of the cost of installing “green stormwater infrastructure” such as cisterns. Inside the Galleria, get “wise” in another way – meet local volunteers such as Eldon Olson from the Morgan Community Association and Cindi Barker from West Seattle Be Prepared/Emergency Communication Hubs

There’s a preparedness drill next Saturday, in fact, and they’re still signing up prospective “actors.” Others you might meet at the Gathering of Neighbors include Yun Pitre and Ed Pottharst:

They’re neighborhood coordinators for the city’s Department of Neighborhoods, and work with many of the groups that keep things clicking around here. Plus – how often do you get to have a say in the future of a major local arterial? You can share your vision for the north half of Delridge Way – look for the map spanning a table, with neighborhood advocate Pete Spalding (below right) behind it:

There’s also entertainment and refreshments; as first published here last night, here’s the official program listing more of whom you might meet and see if you get on over to Sealth by 3.

Going to Saturday’s Gathering of Neighbors community-building event at Chief Sealth International High School? We just received the program that’s being printed for the event – see it in its entirety (PDF) here. One set of highlights: Here’s who’s participating in the noon-3 pm resource fair:

34th District Democrats
Alki Art Fair
Amerigroup
Delridge Grocery/Delridge Produce Cooperative
Delridge Neighborhood Development Association
King County Community & Technical Colleges
Morgan Community Association
North Delridge Neighborhood Council
Seattle Department of Neighborhoods/PACE LEadership
Seattle Foundation Neighbor to Neighbor Fund
Seattle Neighborhood Matching Fund Program
Seattle Public Library
South Seattle Community College
Southwest Seattle Historical Society / Log House Museum
Southwest Youth & Family Services
West Seattle Be Prepared! – Emergency Communication Hub
West Seattle Democratic Women
White Center Chamber of Commerce
White Center Development Association

The morning starts at 9 am with refreshments, 9:30 am with welcoming ceremonies, and then a slate of workshops that will be held simultaneously at 10:20 am and again at 11:05 am – all detailed in the program. It’s all free; just head into the Galleria at Sealth, between the gym and the main school building, north of the parking lot at 2600 SW Thistle.

East to west, north to south, people from all over West Seattle are at the Gathering of Neighbors right now, till 3, in the Chief Sealth International High School Galleria, and the place is abuzz with conversation. Above, that’s Ariana Rose Taylor-Stanley and Galena White from Delridge Produce Cooperative. On the north side of the Galleria, till 1, special presentations on preparedness:

That’s Debbie Goetz from the city’s Office of Emergency Management. Every speaker’s been announced by West Seattle Be Prepared‘s Cindi Barker, hollering from the staircase over the Galleria:

No, no one called 911, but police have stopped by too – chatting here with award-winning Pete Spalding, who’s on the Southwest Precinct Advisory Council:

(added) Admiral Neighborhood Association president Katy Walum came to answer questions about some of the group’s high-profile projects, such as Summer Concerts at Hiawatha (this year’s performers to be announced soon!)

West Seattle’s own South Seattle Community College, represented too:

Lots more to see and do. We’re by the door, so say hi (as many already have done) on your way out! Entertainment starts at 1 pm, and the day began with a special leadership summit, including an hour we have on video that we’ll add – along with more photos! – later. Admission’s free; parking’s right out front off SW Thistle, and once you’ve parked, look for the path to the Galleria, to the left (west) of the gym.

1:24 PM UPDATE: The tables are breaking up – and the event’s moving on to food (pizza and bake sale) and entertainment – look for all that toward the north side of the Galleria!

ADDED SATURDAY NIGHT: Video from one of the performances – members of Twelfth Night Productions sang several songs, in this clip, a comic Monty Python song from “Spam-A-Lot”:

One other performance clip – student marching-band musicians – is at the end of this story. We also recorded two events earlier in the day, during the invitation-only leadership summit – here’s “Neighbor Power” guru Jim Diers:

Second, the Leadership Panel moderated by Ron Angeles, featuring Sili Savusa of the White Center Community Development Association, Aileen Sison of White Center B.O.S.S., Tony Fragada of the Alki Community Council, and Kirk Mead of the Admiral District Business Association and West Seattle Chamber of Commerce:

Gathering of Neighbors was organized and coordinated by a volunteer group this year – VIEWS.

Just before WSB became a full-time news service, we learned a LOT about neighborhood organizations – nonprofits, community councils, and more – by attending the first Gathering of Neighbors events years ago. The GoN idea was the brainchild of Megawatt, the now-defunct nonprofit that also dreamed up West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day. When they closed up shop in 2007, we took over WSCGSD (coming up May 12th this year!), and others took on the Gathering of Neighbors. This year, a new group of volunteers, VIEWS, is putting it together, and you can enjoy the result of their work – and lots of community groups’ ongoing efforts – this Saturday at the Chief Sealth International High School Galleria, first GoN in a year and a half. From the draft program for the day, here’s who you’ll find there:

Performances between 1 and 3 pm are scheduled to include Aikido of West Seattle, an ensemble from Twelfth Night Productions, Wise Orchid Martial Arts, and Denny/Sealth music students. But first, an area with a special focus on preparedness, 11 am-1 pm, featuring:

WEST SEATTLE BE PREPARED! HUB DEMO
plus Preparedness speaker sessions every 15 mins.
City of Seattle Office of Emergency Management
King County Public Health Reserve Corps
West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network
West Seattle Amateur Radio Club
Seattle Auxiliary Communication Service
Washington State Animal Response Team
City of Seattle Home Retrofit Program
Red Cross

Other organizations who’ll be represented at tables/booths during the overall resource fair 11 am-3 pm, with lots of info and people happy to chat with you, include:

34th District Democrats
Admiral Neighborhood Association
Artisan Electric
Cascadia Solar Project
City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
Delridge Produce Cooperative
Highland Park Action Committee/Highland Park Improvement Club
North Delridge Neighborhood Council
Roxbury Spine and Wellness Center
Seattle Neighborhood Group
Seattle Fire Department
Seattle Police Department
Seattle Public Library
South Seattle Community College
Southwest Seattle Historical Society / Log House Museum
Sustainable West Seattle
West Seattle Blog (hey! that’s us!)
West Seattle Community Orchestras
West Seattle Democratic Women
White Center Chamber of Commerce

If you’ve never been to Sealth, the parking-lot entrance is off SW Thistle, and the Galleria entrance is the central building with the angled roof, set back and to the north of the lot. No admission charge, but there will be food for sale, scheduled to include Giannoni’s Pizza and a dessert fundraiser put on by Sealth students. See you there!

The Gathering of Neighbors returns this year, with a new group of community volunteers leading the way, and, as Michael Taylor-Judd told the Southwest District Council night before last, they can use your help to make it happen! Here’s the official announcement:

Come be a part of the Gathering of Neighbors: Businesses and Community organizations from across the West Seattle Peninsula, all together, one day, one place, as “one community”.

April 21st, 2012 marks the return of the Gathering of Neighbors, this year sponsored by Visualizing Increased Engagement West Seattle(VIEWS) and SW Youth and Family Services. The combination of both community and businesses participants promises to have Chief Sealth High School bursting at the seams with booths full of information.

Attendees will experience, in one place and time, the tremendous wealth of services and goods available to them in their own neighborhoods right here in West Seattle. Entertainment and refreshments will be part of the celebration.

Part of our celebration will be appreciation for the artistic side of West Seattle, and we will be featuring a photo, logo, and essay contest. There were will be suggested topics and submission categories on the website, with prizes presented to the top selections the day of the event.

Are you part of a group or business who would want to participate? Download applications and more info at viewswestseattle.org or contact Rafael Garcia, rafa.les.gar@gmail.com , (206) 380-2066

Gathering Of Neighbors:
Date: Saturday, April 21st, 2012
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Chief Sealth International High School,
2600 SW Thistle St

The banner’s been hung by the Chief Sealth International High School Galleria front doors with care – in hopes that you and many other West Seattleites soon will be there! (Apologies to the original author!) The 2010 Gathering of Neighbors is under way, till 4 pm today. Workshops and even a keynote speaker for the first time – plus a food truck available at lunchtime – just c’mon over and wander through. (Workshops, including our social-media primer, are in the classrooms on the west side of the Galleria, at 11:30 and again at 1:30.) More soon!

11:22 AM UPDATE: There’s a Galleria overview from about 10 minutes ago. Among the organizations in our line of sight – West Seattle Chamber of Commerce (here’s Patti Mullen):

Also, Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor), Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, Sustainable West Seattle, West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network (here’s Karen Berge):

Plus: West Seattle Be Prepared, 34th District Democrats, Morgan Community Association, WestSide Baby, Highland Park Action Committee, Lafayette Elementary Play It Forward Project – to name just a few. Also the West Seattle Community Orchestras, West Seattle Food Bank, Alaska USA, Chief Sealth PTSA … and the Nature Consortium and DNDA (whose executive director Derek Birnie is on the right in this next photo):

We’re told the Pai’s Thai/Hawaiian food truck is already set up here, too.

12:58 PM UPDATE: We’re done with our first social-media-primer workshop (and the three workshops including food-growing, solar energy, and “kid zone”) – another round of all four is coming up in half an hour – we’re in the classroom at the far southwestern corner of the Sealth Galleria (through the front door, extreme left turn. Principal John Boyd is now speaking – talking about what it really means to be an international school, teaching “global perspectives” and world languages, among many other things – and will be introducing former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice shortly.

1:04 PM UPDATE: Former Mayor Rice is talking about the community-building work he now does with the Seattle Foundation, after remarking on the strength of the West Seattle community, and the aspects of a strong community that he’s seen around the Galleria here at the Gathering of Neighbors.

He urges everyone to stay focused on “what’s good for the community” – the same way that in our families we focus on “what’s good for the family.” He concludes – “Keep on doing the work that you’re doing … everyone has a role to play and a place to stand” to strengthening a community. “We’ll say at the end, ‘all is well, all is well’.”

3:06 PM UPDATE: Update – the event’s ending now – rather than going till 4. So if you haven’t been here yet, we’ll see you next year! Thanks to everybody who joined us for the social-media discussion/workshops – they were a blast.

One week from Saturday, Gathering of Neighbors 2010 brings dozens of West Seattle organizations and businesses to Chief Sealth International High School so that you can find out more about who’s doing what to help strengthen and energize our community – and meet more of our peninsula’s amazing people – with just one visit to one place. If you have a business, organization, or service, and aren’t signed up for a table yet – why not? Our reports from Gathering of Neighbors 2009 are here, here, and here, if you need to know more about what to expect – but this year, as organizers have explained, it’ll be even livelier, with workshops plus the keynote talk by former Mayor Norm Rice, who’ll be introduced by Sealth principal John Boyd. Today’s the deadline to register; the form’s online here (PDF). See you at GON, 11 am-3 pm Saturday (November 6)!

Just got word today from Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association executive director Derek Birnie that former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice (right) has confirmed as keynote for this year’s Gathering of Neighbors in West Seattle, coming up November 6th at Chief Sealth International High School. It’s a chance for community organizations and West Seattle businesses to gather in one place so that they and community members can learn more about each other. And tonight, the Gathering of Neighbors registration form is online, for prospective participants. This will be the first GON since spring 2009; Birnie told WSB in a phone conversation that it’s expanding to be more than just a gathering of community exhibitors with a smattering of entertainment. For example, you’ll see more workshops – Birnie describes them as “learning exchanges.” GON will also be a kickoff of sorts for DNDA, he explains, as it grows into a role of not just making projects happen, but also helping sow and nurture “Seeds of Innovative Leadership” (SOIL for short) – which will be a “peninsula-wide leadership program” that you’ll hear more about at Gathering of Neighbors. Click here to download the registration form – you can e-mail it to phillippiag@dnda.org or send via postal mail to Phillippia Goldsmith, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW, Seattle 98106.