Two areas of West Seattle, two notes from WSB’ers, and two concerns about possible info theft – read on:Read More

(WSB photo from March 16)
In March, the first organizing meeting was held for a brand-new West Seattle neighborhood association, the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council (WSB coverage here). Now organizers have scheduled the first official, general meeting and want to make sure people who live in the area know it’s coming up, one week from tomorrow! Click ahead for full details on the 7 pm June 10th meeting at West Side Presbyterian Church:Read More

(Clip added Wednesday morning – Pearl Django, part of the just-announced Admiral concert lineup)
We’re at the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s monthly meeting at Admiral Congregational Church – busy meeting, headlined by the announcement of the lineup for the second Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series. So for starters, as announced by ANA president Katy Walum tonight, here it is:

July 29 – The Starlings

August 5 – Back Burner

August 12 – Pearl Django with special guest vocalist Greta Matassa

August 19 – Caspar Babypants and The Board of Education

August 26 – Camille Bloom

September 2 – West Seattle Big Band

The series has more than a dozen businesses signed on as co-sponsors (including WSB), and there’s room for more – e-mail dave@weitzelconstruction.com if you’re interested. Meantime, lots more discussed tonight, and there were guest appearances including two candidates. ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: The rest of the ANA meeting’s toplines – click ahead, including a sneak peek at the forthcoming Admiral T-shirts:Read More

Toplines from Tuesday night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting: Planning marches on for the second annual Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series. Aside from the West Seattle Big Band, the acts haven’t been chosen yet – more than 60 have applied – but right now the focus is on sponsorships to raise the money to stage the series. Some local businesses have signed on (WSB is a co-sponsor again this year), but they’re looking for more business sponsors and also inviting individual/family donations – the six-show series is free to attend but last year some individuals as well as businesses lent their support. If you’re interested in sponsoring or donating, contact Dave Weitzel at dave@weitzelconstruction.com. Also last night, the hardworking volunteers behind West Seattle Be Prepared and the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network explained those efforts to the ANA attendees (the crowd peaked around 20) – Deb Greer, Karen Berge and Cindi Barker. We’ve talked about those sites and campaigns multiple times here before, so we’ll just point you to the online spots – West Seattle Be Prepared is here (if you’re in Admiral, your hub is Hiawatha); the Blockwatch Captains Network is on Facebook here. One vote taken at the meeting: As some unfinished business from last fall’s officer elections, the group voted to drop proxy voting – if members want to vote, they have to be present.

Admiral Neighborhood Association meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7 pm at Admiral UCC Church.

At the front of the room, that’s Chas Redmond, co-chair of the Southwest District Council, with more than two dozen people who answered the council’s call to organize. They came to PCC West Seattle (WSB sponsor) tonight to form what they decided to call the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council. The SWDC’s goals for the year included helping West Seattle residents organize in areas that don’t currently have community councils – and this is the first. In addition to discussing procedural points – the need for regular meetings, boundary-drawing, and officer elections – they talked about hot issues in their area, with the fate of the former Genesee Hill Elementary School atop the list. The school housed Pathfinder K-8 for more than a decade till the Pathfinder move to the former Cooper Elementary in Pigeon Point. Genesee resident and realtor Alan Krell said that if the site were ever turned into a housing development, up to 60 homes could be built. So the new council hopes to have a Seattle Public Schools rep come to a meeting to talk about the building and the district’s longterm plans. Other concerns: The Genesee-Schmitz area’s lack of public meeting spaces and playgrounds. Before this kickoff meeting concluded, Dick Miller volunteered to serve as temporary chair, and a smaller group organized to work on nuts-and-bolts tasks such as mailing lists, meeting times, organizational structure, and publicity. If you’re interested in getting involved but couldn’t attend tonight’s meeting – e-mail carol.vincent@comcast.net to get on hte list.

This may well be coincidental, as the person who e-mailed us acknowledges, but given the recent reports of apparent mail theft in Arbor Heights (here and here), she wanted to share this information:

Tonight, around 11:30 pm, I saw a white pickup truck stopped in front of mailboxes on 40th Ave SW between 100 St SW and 98th St SW [map] heading North. The truck has loud exhaust and looked clean. Seattle Police have been notified, but also count on West Seattle Blog for a lot of important information.

Police have said repeatedly that if you see something suspicious happening NOW – even if you’re not sure it’s an emergency – go ahead and call 911, and leave it to the operator to properly route.

Just in from the Department of Neighborhoods: The list of citywide winners for art commemorating Neighbor Appreciation Day this Saturday includes West Seattle High School ninth-grader Delaney Ballard and Madison Middle School sixth-graders Rahel Yohannes and Marie Ong. You can see their winning work here.

Rachel just sent a note she wanted to share about someone who came up to her house about an hour ago – read on:Read More

(October 2009 photo courtesy of Greg Whittaker from Mountain to Sound Outfitters [WSB sponsor] and Alki Kayak Tours)
Story and photos by Jonathan Stumpf
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

As promised, the Alki Community Council introduced new webmaster/Alki News Beacon editor Glynnis Vaughan Thursday night in its new meeting location at Alki UCC.

But before the introduction of Vaughan, the council was treated to a presentation by United States Coast Guard Auxiliarist Lyn McClellan (left). The room of about 20 clearly enjoyed the half-hour discussion about the history of the Alki Point Lighthouse.

The USCG is thrilled to have it open to the public during the upcoming summer weekends (Memorial through Labor Day weekends) from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, and although the light is automated now, and the neighborhood side is veiled from it, the established-in-1887 lighthouse and its history are still worth the visit, with visitors from 68 countries stopping by during the last two years. You can read lots more about it here.

Read More

Another West Seattle neighborhood group is starting the New Year with some new features: The Alki Community Council has a new logo (at left) as it gets ready for its next meeting. The meeting at 7 pm Thursday, January 21, also marks the debut of Alki UCC as its permanent meeting spot, instead of Alki Community Center. Its newsletter, the Alki News Beacon, also has a new look, under new editor/webmaster Glynnis Vaughan – see the new edition here; it’s now being published 4 times a year instead of 6, but ACC leaders hope a membership increase and reader interest may enable them to return to a more frequent publishing schedule; ACC members get the Beacon in the mail – membership info is here.

Long, info-packed meeting for the Admiral Neighborhood Association Tuesday night, first one under the new slate of officers elected last fall – president Katy Walum and vice president Jim Cavin (both in the photo above), secretary Catherine Barker, treasurer Ann Limbaugh. (Their predecessors were among the 15+ people on hand.) Some new procedures, some old, and lots of looking ahead as well as looking forward – read on for the toplines:Read More

New Admiral Neighborhood Association president Katy Walum sent this message to the ANA Yahoo! mailing list this morning, looking ahead to not just her tenure but in the short run, next Tuesday’s meeting. We asked if we could republish it here, for any Admiral residents who might not already follow that list (which you can read, and/or subscribe to, by going here):

Hello! My name is Katy Walum, and I am your 2010 Admiral Neighborhood Association President. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead this dynamic and dedicated organization into a new decade. I am joined by a stellar board of individuals; Jim Cavin as Vice President, Catherine Barker as Secretary, and Ann Limbaugh as Treasurer. We have met and begun planning for the coming year; our principal goal is to engage Admiral residents more fully in the life of this neighborhood. This means YOU, and I want you to know what is in the works for your Admiral Neighborhood Association.

As ANA President, I will focus on three main areas: Stewardship and Implementation of the Neighborhood Plan, Coalition-Building, and Community Outreach and Events.

First, it is vital to me that our Neighborhood Plan, thoughtfully and meticulously crafted by long-time Admiral residents for the preservation of the character of our neighborhood, gain teeth in the development planning process. I will draw upon my experience as an attorney and community activist to partner with local government entities and representatives to ensure that our community’s plan for managing growth be honored by key decision-makers.

Second, I will work as President to build and foster coalitions to strengthen this neighborhood and to enable the ANA to become a better community resource. Building upon our valuable existing links to the Southwest District Council and other neighborhood groups, I plan on seeking the input and active participation of Admiral District business owners, of area law enforcement, and of other neighborhood and charity organizations. The more voices and backgrounds we have coming to the table, the more constructive an experience this will be for all!

Finally, I would like the ANA to participate in or put on more community events. Not only do these events, such as the Neighborhood Cleanup days and the Hiawatha Summer Concert Series, serve to bring Admiral neighbors together in honor and celebration of our community, but they also gain greater visibility for our organization and cultivate greater involvement. I am already planning for greater ANA involvement in community events, such as the annual Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade, and I would like to explore your event ideas as well.

Now that I’ve told you about the direction I hope to steer this ship, I need you to come and help plan and execute the trip! I cordially invite you to attend our upcoming meetings to share your hopes and visions for Admiral.

We meet on the second Tuesday of each month, 7 pm to about 9 pm, in the basement of the Admiral Congregational UCC Church, 4320 SW Hill Street (on the corner of Hill and California ). Our meetings are open to the public. I will post past and upcoming meeting agendas, minutes, and other pertinent information on our Yahoo Groups web page. Please contact me with any proposed agenda items or presenters; I will be sending out the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting in the next couple of days.

I very much look forward to working with all of you. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. Together we will shape a stronger Admiral neighborhood!

Best regards,

Katy Walum
President, Admiral Neighborhood Association
katy.walum@gmail.com