West Seattle, Washington
29 Saturday
ANA president David Hancock and membership co-chair Susan Staples, Lynell Ray of Counterforce West, and ANA secretary Delores Kannas.
Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Admiral neighbors and community leaders came together Tuesday night for a meeting of the Admiral Neighborhood Association, to discuss music, regional transit, neighborhood improvement, business community support and a variety of topics.
The ANA meeting, held at The Sanctuary at Admiral, was the second meeting as president for David Hancock, the group’s new leader.
Toplines from the meeting are below:
SUMMER CONCERTS: Stephanie Jordan, ANA’s coordinator for the popular Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series (happening Thursday nights from July 18 through August 22 on the east lawn of Hiawatha Community Center), shared the names of the 4 musical acts currently scheduled to appear, with a couple of dates to be announced soon:
Jordan also gave an update on the positive collaboration with the community center (which provides the stage for the event, and a portion of the publicity) and reiterated the need for volunteers — she said that she would finalize the list of needed volunteer roles in time for ANA’s May meeting.
Toplines from last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association board meeting:
CULVERT REPLACEMENT: As noted here last weekend, the Seattle Public Utilities project to replace century-old culverts that take Fauntleroy Creek under 45th SW and California SW is approaching the design phase, and the FCA board meeting was the first of three stops in less than two weeks for project manager Cody Nelson. Construction is likely in multiple phases between 2021 and 2024, each several weeks long, since it has to take into account the windows with least effect on the creek’s fish as well as neighborhood impacts.
Nelson showed images from a video survey of the existing culverts, showing damage and wear. New laws require the culverts to be much wider than the current ones so that fish have fewer barriers to passage. The replacements will still be 30 to 40 feet underground, as are the current ones, but they’ll be at least 11 feet wide as required. SPU is also talking with Fauntleroy Church, as part of the California culvert is on church-owned property, so the work would affect the church/YMCA parking lot as well as the road.
The design process isn’t expected to start before the end of this year, so there’s plenty of time to ask questions and voice concerns, starting with two events next week: SPU will have an informational table at the FCA’s annual Food Fest membership meeting (6-8 pm Tuesday, March 19th, The Hall at Fauntleroy) and then a project-specific open house the next night, also at The Hall, 5-7 pm Wednesday, March 20th.
CRIME/SAFETY UPDATE: Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand was in attendance. He said SDCI has taken action against the “problem house” across from the main Lincoln Park parking lot, unsafe for occupancy because of a fire a while back, and said those in the house were supposed to be out by last Friday. No reports of trespassers since then. He also mentioned Westwood Village, saying it’s had signs of improvement, with shoplifting starting to drop, but they’re keeping up the pressure, including another attempt at an observation tower/platform on the grounds.
FOOD FEST NEXT WEEK: The FCA’s annual all-community meeting, famous for food samples from local businesses, is next Tuesday (March 19th) at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW). No list yet of participants – the FCA board member organizing that is out of town. This is a night for renewing FCA membership ($25 a year for residents) and for a bit of official business like board elections, which are planned at 7 pm.
(Southwestern side of Roxhill Bog, 2014 WSB photo)
From Roxhill Park to the Delridge Triangle, public spaces are part of our toplines from last night’s Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition meeting:
BOG PROGRESS: WWRHAH and other community advocates have worked for many years to get action for Roxhill Bog in Roxhill Park, which is compromised by hydrology problems (as outlined in a report we published in 2014). Now there’s word of progress toward getting a study funded, with the first step being outlining the scope of work.
ARTS IN THE PARKS: WWRHAH’s Kim Barnes said a grant from this program will help make the recently announced World Music Day happen this summer. She’s hoping it will be a multicultural celebration as well as a music festival.
DELRIDGE TRIANGLE: The next step in improving this public space is a community workshop on March 23rd, as announced last month. Details of the Saturday morning event at Highland Park Improvement Club are expected before week’s end; other events will follow this spring as community participants plan the space’s future.
POLICE UPDATE: Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand says crime in the area is down so far this year; police are continuing their emphasis patrols at Westwood Village. Strong-arm robbery is the current focus, because – as precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis mentioned at the recent West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting – teens are getting targeted for their phones. The suspects also are juveniles, he said, adding that some arrests have been made.
OTHER RECENT MEETINGS: Recapped were the Southwest Design Review Board meeting for the 9201 Delridge Way SW self-storage project (WSB coverage here), attended by Barnes, and the February D-1 Community Network meeting (WSB coverage here), attended by WWRHAH’s Eric Iwamoto.
The Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition meets first Tuesdays most months, 6:15 pm at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW).
(WSB photo, Tuesday night)
City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda was the spotlight guest at this month’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting. Before the Q&A with her, WSBWCN heard the local crime/safety update:
CAPTAIN’S UPDATE: Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis said they’re working on strategy for the warmer months and also planning a variety of “emphasis” enforcement focuses. Crime dropped during the recent snow, he noted. “Rogue street robberies” centered on cell-phone thefts continue to be an issue but they’ve identified suspects and are “developing the probable cause” to make arrests.
This past week, the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council met for the first time this year. It was a chance to look ahead, in multiple ways.
POLICING PLANS: Taylor Lowery, this year’s Seattle University public-safety intern at the Southwest Precinct, said they’re now crunching the data and comments from the recent citywide Public Safety Survey. Related to that work the precinct’s operations commander Lt. Steve Strand said the precinct’s Microcommunity Policing Plan priorities for the year – three for each microneighborhood – is due March 6th, so starting next week they’ll be circulating drafts to the neighborhood groups with which police have partnered on those plans. Police capacity – response time, for example – so far is shaping up as a top concern.
We know, it might seem a little confusing – while the city is asking for your help prioritizing Neighborhood Street Fund proposals (as we reported back on Monday), it’s also launching a separate yet similar process, asking for your ideas for street and park projects. This process is for the funding program that’s now known as Your Voice, Your Choice: Parks and Streets, and it’s a chance to propose projects every year, while the one we mentioned on Monday is a every-three-year process. So now, the YVYC announcement:
Idea collection is officially open for the 2019 Your Voice, Your Choice (YVYC): Parks & Streets program.
From now to February 22, you can submit your project ideas online or in-person at any Seattle Public Library branch.
Project ideas can include park benches, trail improvements, flashing beacons, or curb ramps … just to name a few. Check out our list of project examples for a better understanding. The only criteria are that ideas be physical improvements for Seattle’s parks or streets, benefit the public, and cost $90,000 or less.
Once ideas are submitted, volunteers will be recruited to turn the ideas into 8 – 10 proposals per Council District. Then this summer, everyone will have the opportunity to vote for the top projects within their district.
You can learn more about the YVYC process and how to get involved on our webpage, and for questions, email amy.nguyen@seattle.gov.
Here are the nine District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) projects that won the voting last year.
Toplines from this past week’s Alki Community Council meeting:
SR3 UPDATE: SR3‘s Casey Mclean brought the ACC up to speed on her plans for a fulltime space off Harbor Avenue SW, not just for marine-wildlife rehab, but also for research. She said the space is on the Merlino industrial property east/south of Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), with permits in progress but no firm timeline so far. Nothing will go in until the permits are in hand, but she has two tanks on order and plans to add a modular building.
P.S. For a view of Mclean in action, Mark Jaroslaw shares this video from a harbor-seal-pup rescue at Don Armeni:
NEIGHBORHOOD STREET FUND: Ideas vying for a share of this city fund are about to go into what SDOT is now calling the Community Prioritization phase, starting on January 28th. That includes meetings in West Seattle and South Park in early February, as listed here. At the ACC meeting, safety advocate Don Brubeck asked the ACC to support the proposal for safety improvements on West Marginal Way SW between the parks on the east side of the street and the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse on the west side. (Here’s the clickable map showing what’s proposed around the city.)
HALA MANDATORY HOUSING AFFORDABILITY: As noted here earlier this week, the upzoning proposal is now up for council consideration of amendments. HALA MHA would upzone multifamily and commercial property around the city, so Alki would be affected though it’s not an “urban village.” One amendment is specifically within the ACC’s area of interest, asking that the commercial node near Beach Drive/Carroll not be upzoned.
The Alki Community Council meets third Thursdays, 7 pm at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds).
MoCA President Deb Barker, SW District Council Representative Tamsen Spengler, volunteer Jim Guenther
Story and photo by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Neighbors gathered Wednesday night at The Kenney (WSB sponsor) for the quarterly meeting of the Morgan Community Association (MoCA), to discuss a variety of issues as part of a jam-packed agenda.
Board members present included President Deb Barker, Treasurer Michael Brunner, Secretary Natalie Williams, SW District Council Representative Tamsen Spengler, and Public Information officer Marianne Holsman. (Vice President Phil Tavel submitted notes before the meeting, according to Barker.)
First on the agenda, quick “Morgan Minute” updates:
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
Maybe you’ve noticed that distinctive vehicle in and around West Seattle. Find out more about the organization behind it at tomorrow’s Alki Community Council meeting. Here’s the announcement:
The next regular monthly meeting of the Alki Community Council will be held Thursday (1/17) at the Alki UCC Church, 6115 SW Hinds, 7–8:30 pm.
Included on the evening’s agenda will be a presentation by Casey Mclean, Executive Director and Veterinary Nurse of SR3 (SEALIFE Response, Rehab and Research). The group’s mission is to improve the health and welfare of marine wildlife in the Pacific NW, and one of the ways they are doing that is by building the first rehab center dedicated exclusively to marine animals in this region. Current plans are for the facility to be located on Harbor Avenue south of Salty’s.
Casey assisted with and performed necropsies on a number of the shot California sea lions that washed ashore in West Seattle late last year.
SR3 is online at sealifer3.org. Also on tomorrow’s ACC agenda: Two HALA Mandatory Housing Affordability items affecting Alki.
Planning to spend more time on the peninsula because of the looming transportation crunch? You might consider checking out your nearest community group. We cover many of them. Here are toplines from the Fauntleroy Community Association meeting this past week:
POLICE UPDATE: Auto thefts dropped off significantly about two weeks ago, said Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Steve Strand in a quick briefing, possibly thanks to a recent arrest. He also mentioned, as he did at another recent meeting, that Automated License Plate Reader technology is being used aggressively – including some stakeouts.
By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Neighbors gathered Tuesday night for a meeting of the Admiral Neighborhood Association, to discuss topics ranging from affordable housing to “Viadoom.”
The meeting, held at The Sanctuary at Admiral, was the first ANA meeting with David Hancock at the helm as the group’s president. The current slate of ANA officers includes:
Board members provided some brief updates, including the news that the likely dates for this summer’s Thursday night Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series would be July 18 through August 22.
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
With more than a century of history, Admiral Congregational UCC Church is looking to the future with talk of redevelopment.
Exactly how the church will redevelop, its congregation has yet to decide, but its pastor briefed the Admiral Neighborhood Association last night in hopes of getting community dialogue going early.
The ANA also heard from Department of Neighborhoods director Andrés Mantilla in his ongoing mission to visit every neighborhood group in the city.
First – the church. Admiral UCC happened to be the ANA’s meeting site last night – as it was years ago, though the group has met for a while at a former church instead, The Sanctuary at Admiral. Pastor Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom said the ANA’s presence is just one more example of how Admiral UCC’s facilities are used as a community hub; he ticked off a long list of groups that meet there regularly, as well as describing its philanthropy and “community education/enrichment programming,” not to mention its longtime status as home to A Child Becomes Preschool (WSB sponsor). Plus, he said, the church provides space for “values-based” organizations, from community theater to political advocacy. It even serves as a comfort station for bus drivers taking breaks, “a safe, warm place to use a bathroom that’s clean.”
With all that in mind, he said, the church also realized that “we’re sitting on about $4 million worth of property” on a 27,000-square-foot site that is seriously underutilized. Some of the ideas they’re considering so far:
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
One year into her term, Mayor Jenny Durkan hasn’t clarified what kind of relationship she wants to have with neighborhood groups – particularly what remains of the neighborhood-district-council system the previous elected mayor tried to dismantle.
So some have decided to not waste any more time waiting to see what Durkan might decide to do.
Members of West Seattle’s two neighborhood-district councils, Southwest and Delridge – which have remained active despite the loss of city support – are joining forces with community leaders from South Park to form the District 1 Community Network.
That working title emerged at a recent gathering that explored that idea of “getting together on issues that affect the whole peninsula,” not just specific-neighborhood-based, as described by Amanda Sawyer of the Junction Neighborhood Organization, co-chair of the SW District Council.
Many – but not all – community councils take a break from meetings in December. The Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s every-other-month meeting, however, is ON for next Tuesday (December 11th), 6:30 pm at a different location – Admiral Congregational Church. From ANA president Larry Wymer, here are the agenda highlights:
1) Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
Director Andrés Mantilla will provide an update and overview of Seattle’s ‘Department of Neighborhoods’, including recent changes under our new mayor, with an opportunity for Q&A with the neighborhood to discuss how best to work with their department.2) Admiral Congregational U.C.C. Property
Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom will present information on the various services the church provides for our neighborhood beyond inclusive worship, as well as informing us of some near-term changes the church is planning to make. Admiral UCC is considering re-purposing some of its property, and wants to keep the neighborhood connected to and informed about the possibilities.3) ANA Officer Elections (& 2019 Priorities)
We will be holding elections for all ANA officer positions including:
● President
● Vice President
● Secretary
● Treasurer
We will also be discussing YOUR priorities for ANA for 2019, and offering opportunities for you to volunteer in whatever capacity suits your time and interests.
Admiral UCC is at 4320 SW Hill.
Our area’s two biggest transportation topics were at centerstage as the Junction Neighborhood Organization met last night. First, light rail:
SOUND TRANSIT UPDATE: Stephen Mak, the project’s West Seattle lead, provided background, including where on the timeline the project is – with planning continuing until 2022. But the most distinctive part of the briefing he led with Andrea Burnett was the Q&A, with a heavy focus on questions from people wondering if they would lose their homes to light-rail construction.
Mak also recapped how the process got to where it stands. We recorded this on video but the house lights weren’t brought down, so the graphics aren’t all that visible, so it’s mostly usable as audio – the slide deck is above.
The presentation included a quick look at the three “end-to-end alternatives” with which the third round of route review has begun (unveiled at the Stakeholder Advisory Group meeting we covered two weeks ago).
There are variables within each of these options, as Mak recapped; for example, the one that would tunnel to The Junction includes three potential tunnel locations.
And there’s the possibility of crossing the Duwamish River north of the West Seattle Bridge instead of south of it; that would include the rail bridge crossing over the West Seattle Bridge’s Delridge ramps, Mak said in response to a question.
The third end-to-end alternative, which would be elevated going into The Junction, envisions an elevated station at 41st. “I think it would be helpful for you to give (people) the elevation,” an attendee said. “Isn’t it true that it would be 140 feet?” Mak said he didn’t have that information. Does an elevated track go over houses? No, the houses would be demolished “to clear a path,” someone else responded. Another person said, “Is there a Ballard tunnel option? If Ballard gets a tunnel, West Seattle is going to want a tunnel.” Other questions included, what does ST mean by “exploring tradeoffs” in certain locations?
Also: Is there any option that would mean no one would lose their homes?
Right now, Harbor Avenue SW is a street without a stop sign or stoplight, from its south end at the bridge, all the way until its end where the street becomes Alki SW (which continues stop-less until 63rd).
The Alki Community Council wonders if a three-way stop might enhance safety at the intersection with California Way. That was one topic at the ACC’s November meeting.
Big topics tomorrow at one of the last community-group meetings before many go on hiatus for the holidays. The official announcement from Junction Neighborhood Organization director Amanda Sawyer:
Do you know how your bus will access downtown Seattle after the January 11, 2019 Alaskan Way Viaduct closure? Or maybe you have questions about the transition from viaduct to tunnel? SDOT, WSDOT & King County Metro will discuss how this transition will affect West Seattle at the next JuNO meeting. In other exciting transit news, Sound Transit will present the latest level 3 Light Rail recommendations that have moved forward in the process! Please join us for JuNO’s next meeting on Monday, November 19th in Hatten Hall at the West Seattle Senior Center (4217 SW Oregon St) from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. We hope you can spare some time before the holidays to learn about these very important issues!
Agenda
6:30 – 6:40 pm – JuNO Updates about RPZ parking moving forward, HALA/MHA and more
6:40pm – 7:20 pm – Sound Transit will discuss Level 3 Route & Station Alternatives
7:20pm – 8:00 pm – SDOT, WSDOT & King County Metro will discuss January access to downtown during 99 tunnel transitionJuNO meetings are open to the public and all are welcome. Working together to make our West Seattle Junction and Triangle Neighborhoods a better place to work, live, and play!
If you want a refresher first – here’s our most-recent coverage on the three transportation topics:
–Viaduct-to-tunnel (8-week countdown briefing at south portal last Thursday)
–Light rail (announcement of three “end to end alternatives” for final review phase, two weeks ago)
–RPZ (SDOT’s October announcement that they’re moving forward in developing a proposal)
Toplines from tonight’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting:
POLICE: Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand presented updates. Person-to-person crimes such as assaults and robberies are dow in the Fauntleroy area, while auto theft is up. Squatters were cleared from a vacant house. Some reports have come in about camping in Lincoln Park but police haven’t found anyone yet. One board member mentioned an uptick in car camping near the park and Lt. Strand said they’d investigate, as it was a problem toward the north end of the park a few months back. Though it’s not in the Fauntleroy area, he mentioned that Myers Way, where campers were cleared earlier this fall, will be revisited as there are reports that campfires are being seen in the area.
And a reminder: The Public Safety Survey conducted by Seattle University to assess attitudes on crime, safety, and policing, is still open – go here to answer it before November 30th.
(WSB photo, Fauntleroy ferry dock, last month)
FERRIES: With Gary Dawson‘s retirement from the board, Frank Immel is now the point person on Washington State Ferries issues. WSF is working toward its next Long-Range Plan, with a comment period on the draft version earlier this fall. Immel suggested FCA should work on its talking points regarding the ferry system’s future. He’ll summarize the major issues and suggested positions the board can discuss at its next meeting.
(WSB photo, Fauntleroy Fall Festival, last month)
FAUNTLEROY FALL FESTIVAL: Though FCA doesn’t organize this, it provides major support, and the board heard tonight that the October 21st festival (WSB coverage here) was a big hit. Attendance was estimated at 2,000 people. The supplies of 800 pumpkins for decorating and 200 kits for birdhouse-making were both fully utilized. New features – “Elvis” (Bret Wiggins) and a pie-eating contest – were hits too. And $800 was donated to help with future festivals.
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, January 8, 2019, at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse conference room (9131 California SW).
Multiple quick updates at the Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly meeting this past week.
MORGAN JUNCTION PARK EXPANSION: It’s now been more than four years since the city bought and “landbanked” the site north of Morgan Junction Park to expand that park. Planning of the expansion is expected to continue into next year; soil testing is under way too, to see what remediation might be needed considering its past, including the years a dry cleaner was on the site. About 200 people commented on the park’s future when feedback was collected at the Morgan Junction Community Festival in June.
LOWMAN BEACH PARK SEAWALL: The next step in this project determining the future of the park’s failing seawall is to get to the 60 percent design phase; a county grant for $150,000 is helping fund the work. Seattle Parks expects to hold a public meeting in January about what happens next.
LITTER LEAGUE: Speaking of grants, Jill Boone, who’s been organizing volunteer community cleanups in Morgan Junction, is applying for a Seattle Public Utilities grant. She told MoCA that cigarette butts comprise a large part of the litter that volunteers have picked up in the past year.
AFTER THE VIADUCT: Chris Arkills from King County briefed MoCA about bus-route changes, both right after the Alaskan Way Viaduct is permanently closed January 11th and beyond. (We published the information here.) He also reiterated plans for the Water Taxi to add boat and shuttle service as well as Pier 2 parking during the three-or-so-week Highway 99 closure post-viaduct/pre-shuttle.
ABANDONED BUILDINGS: MoCA president Deb Barker talked with City Councilmember Lisa Herbold about beefing up the city’s monitoring and enforcement of rules regarding vacant buildings. (Herbold focused on the program in this online update.) MoCA’s Tamsen Spengler pointed out that there’s an e-mail campaign now to let the council know about support for funding that increased monitoring and enforcement.
The Morgan Community Association meets quarterly, third Wednesdays in January, April, July, and October, 7 pm at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW).
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Community group meetings are often excellent ways to learn a little about a lot of things – and not just about what’s happening in the group’s home neighborhood. So it went at the October board meeting of the Fauntleroy Community Association on Tuesday night, with 10 topics of note:
BUDGET MEETING WITH COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD: FCA president Mike Dey said City Councilmember Lisa Herbold convened representatives of at least a dozen neighborhoods a night earlier to talk about the budget. They are being invited to sign on to a letter supporting increases in fines/fees to support SDCI monitoring vacant buildings proactively. Also discussed: Funding for paving. SDOT might delay some West Seattle repaving (Roxbury and part of 35th) until 2023 because the Avalon repaving is going to stay on track (Delridge repaving also is in the works); Herbold wants support for pressing to keep all the repaving on track. Dey said they also talked about the need for more police but Herbold felt that would be tough because of the back pay in the new police contract; he said Herbold suggested that they should focus on recruiting now and depending on how that goes, come back in the second half of the year and talk about more staffing.
SCALE HALA MHA EIS APPEAL: The citywide coalition challenging the environmental impact report for Mandatory Housing Affordability upzoning has raised almost $200,000 and needs about $20,000 for the lawyers who are handling the appeal, to which FCA is a party. The Hearing Examiner’s ruling is due before Thanksgiving.
HISTORIC BUILDING? There’s talk of investigating a landmark designation for the commercial building that holds Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor), the Original Bakery, and other businesses. They’ll be talking with Historic Seattle. The 1926-built building is more significant for its history than its architecture. The idea is in a very early stage.
(WSB photos and video by Patrick Sand)
Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s visit to the Highland Park Action Committee finally happened last night – 7 months after she accepted the invitation extended by HPAC’s Gunner Scott during her February “town hall” at the Senior Center of West Seattle. We got it all on video – first, the mayor:
And in our second clip, the department heads who accompanied her, mostly to address homelessness-related issues such as the Myers Way east-side cleanup – interim Human Services Director Jason Johnson (a West Seattle resident), HSD’s Navigation Team manager Fred Podesta, as well as Seattle Parks and Recreation leadership, introduced by HPAC chair Charlie Omana:
Other top city staffers were there too, including new Department of Neighborhoods director Andrés Mantilla – a Highland Park resident – Seattle Public Utilities‘ Mami Hara, Parks interim superintendent Christopher Williams, and deputy SDOT director Elliott Helmbrecht.
If you don’t have time to watch the video and weren’t among the ~50 people at the Highland Park Improvement Club for last night’s event, here are the toplines:
She opened by talking about the budget proposal she unveiled on Monday (here’s our coverage, from attending a media briefing at the mayor’s office) and pitching for the Families/Education/Preschool/Promise Levy that’ll go to city voters in November.
Regarding homelessness, she touted her plan for hundreds of additional shelter beds and the need to close “gaps” in regional behavioral-care services. She said the city-sanctioned Camp Second Chance in southeast West Seattle “is being managed well.” And she said the Myers Way east-side cleanup had finished ahead of schedule.
Regarding police and crimefighting, she promised that she and SPD Chief Carmen Best would figure out how to “do better.”
In Q&A with the mayor, local community advocate Pete Spalding opened by mentioning how former Mayor Murray had cut ties with community groups such as neighborhood-district councils and asked Durkan about renewing a commitment to working with community groups. She declared that her presence last night was a “signal to you” that she has made that commitment, and she added that she believes in “community-based government,” that solutions come from communities. “You’ll see me back here,” she promised.
Another neighborhood advocate, Kay Kirkpatrick, brought up the Highland Park Way/Holden roundabout that neighbors have long been seeking. Is it in the city budget? Can money from other on-hold projects (such as Fauntleroy Boulevard) be diverted to it? The mayor’s answer (about 19 minutes into the video) was that “it’s clear that a roundabout is the best result” for the intersection, and that the city is planning in expectation that it’ll get a state grant to fund it – but if not, the city will find a “Plan B.” In the meantime, the mayor said they’re looking at “other ways to slow traffic down” there.
Another transportation issue brought up: Bus service to Highland Park, particularly Route 131. (While buses are managed by King County, the city has had an increasing role as it’s “bought” additional service hours on some routes, and more of that is proposed in Durkan’s new budget.)
In crime and safety, a neighbor from the 13th SW area shaken by home-invasion burglaries earlier this year said they still feel the response might have been better in a more-affluent area. “We want to feel safe in the area … and more has to be done for people to feel more trust in the Police Department.” The mayor acknowledged that she was aware of the community’s concerns and said she hopes that they are doing better now. “We know we can do better in parts of the city.” She again mentioned that her budget calls for more officers – 10 more citywide next year, 30 more the year after that, above attrition (though where they’ll be assigned isn’t clear, and the budget shows the Southwest Precinct overall staffing level not changing). Assistant Chief Adrian Diaz also addressed the concerns and mentioned safety/self-defense training to “empower” community members.
And one more question before the mayor left was from a South Delridge resident who spoke of the dozens of derelict/abandoned properties in the area, wondering why it takes so long to get them addressed. The mayor mentioned a South Park property that had been handled but invited the resident to get her more specifics so they could “work on (it).” (A p.s. on that, Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s been working on the issue and is scheduled to talk about it at next week’s Southwest District Council meeting, 6:30 pm October 3rd at the Senior Center of West Seattle.)
We will add notes later this afternoon from the conversation with Human Services Department leaders that followed the mayor’s departure; you can watch the 30-minute video above in the meantime.
Toplines from this month’s Alki Community Council meeting, covered by WSB’s Patrick Sand:
NOISE ENFORCEMENT: So now that the city ordinance has changed, what’s the plan? An ACC subcommittee is talking with police about that. Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Steve Strand said traffic and patrol officers had gone through training related to the change, including what a 75-foot distance looks like. How many citations have been issued so far? He didn’t have any numbers. Meantime, the community subcommittee hopes to be able to gather data to quantify the problem, maybe with the help of the entrepreneurs who have long been talking with the ACC about their new technology addressing this issue.
ALKI STATUE OF LIBERTY PLAZA: Shortly after the plaza’s 10th anniversary, the agreement for its upkeep is expiring.
(Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, WSB file photo)
The fundraising campaign for the plaza’s creation still has a legacy of $65,000 in the bank for maintenance. The ACC plans to talk with the Southwest Seattle Historical Society about partnering for the plaza’s future; the next agreement would have to be drawn up before January.
KUDOS: This was the first ACC meeting since thousands of people swarmed Alki on August 11th for Sub Pop Records’ 30th-anniversary megaparty SPF30. The music company had been sending reps to ACC and other community meetings for months. Verdict: It all went very well.
The Alki Community Council meets on second Thursdays most months, 7 pm at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds).
The Admiral Neighborhood Association is looking for a new president and will be formally asking for nominations at its next meeting in October.
That’s part of what was discussed at ANA’s summer meeting Tuesday night, after a tour of the Admiral area’s biggest project since the Safeway rebuild seven years ago – Aegis Living of West Seattle (4700 SW Admiral Way; WSB sponsor), which now has its first residents.
ANA attendees were escorted throughout the property, which already has 20 residents. 50 units are assisted living, 33 – on their own specially designed floor – are memory care. Amenities span the floors from a plush-seated movie theater on a lower level to a rooftop deck with a big movie screen. In a courtyard with a walking path, you’ll find the tugboat we mentioned earlier this month (top photo).
The nautical/seacoast theme is carried throughout the building, from decor to art to the color palette. To the point of hosting the neighborhood group, managers said that if nearby residents have any concerns at any time, they want to hear about it. Aegis bought the site that had previously held Life Care Center until 2013.
After the tour, ANA had a short business meeting. As mentioned above, the next meeting will include a call for candidates for the presidency – Larry Wymer‘s term is almost up – and other positions. Wymer, meantime, said he’s been focusing on increasing membership, including talking to local businesses about getting involved. He’s also still hoping to drum up interest in Admiral District holiday decorations..
He also read an update from Stephanie Jordan, organizer of the ANA-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series. Attendance seems to be up from last year; this week (6:30 pm Thursday on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center) will feature The Service Providers, and next week’s series finale, starring Caspar Babypants, is expected to be massive as always.
Speaking of concerts, one attendee had big kudos for last Saturday’s SPF30 mega-music festival at Alki, presented by Sub Pop Records, which had sent executives to multiple ANA and Alki Community Council meetings with advance info. She lauded SPF30 as a very well-run event.
NEXT ANA MEETING: Tuesday, October 9th, 6:30 pm, back at the usual site, The Sanctuary at Admiral (42nd/Lander).
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