DISTRICT 1 COMMUNITY NETWORK: Light-rail planning process + lots of community info
Lots of West Seattle/South Park info was shared at this month’s meeting of the District 1 Community Network. This month, D1CN met at The Kenney, with Cindi Barker from West Seattle Be Prepared/Emergency Communication Hubs as facilitator.
SPOTLIGHT TOPIC – LIGHT RAIL PLANNING: Jason Hampton from Sound Transit recapped the process to this point. Then the city’s Radcliffe Dacanay explained the “different roles” of the city and ST. They’re “co-planning stations,” for one. The city’s accountable for planning housing and businesses around stations, and issuing permits. The city’s working right now to identify early issues, among other things. So after Dacanay ran through city priorities from equity to climate action a, there was time for a few questions/comments.
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WEDNESDAY: Light rail and more @ District 1 Community Network
What is the city doing to help Sound Transit inform residents about light-rail planning? That’s a spotlight topic at tomorrow’s monthly meeting of the District 1 Community Network, open to everyone interested in working on/hearing about key issues in West Seattle and South Park. This month’s meeting is in the lower-level community area at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW), starting at 7 pm Wednesday (February 5th). You can see the full agenda in our calendar listing. (Our coverage of January’s D1CN meeting is here.)
YOUR COMMUNITY: New date for weather-postponed Admiral Neighborhood Association
The new date for the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s next meeting – postponed last month becauese of weather worries – has just been announced. So set your calendar for the new date, same agenda as originally planed:
The Admiral Neighborhood Association’s next meeting is coming up on Tuesday, February 11th from 6:30-8:30pm.
Location: Admiral Congregational UCC, 4320 SW Hill St.
At this month’s meeting:
1. 2020 Census Information and Recruitment; and
2. Admiral Neighborhood 2019 Survey Results.
Come and meet your neighbors and discuss issues and events in our area!
12 toplines from Morgan Community Association’s first meeting of 2020
Live, work, shop, and/or play in the Morgan Junction area? Check out what the Morgan Community Association talked about on Wednesday night:
FIGHTING CRIME: Though package-deiivery lockers are a potential solution to porch thefts, Cindi Barker discovered they are in short supply in West Seattle. So they’re asking Amazon for one in the Morgan area, for starters.
MORGAN JUNCTION PARK EXPANSION: A Parks rep for this project will be at the April MoCA meeting. A focus right now is the soil-remediation plan for the site, which should be ready by month’s end.
(Bubbleman at 2019 Morgan Junction Community Festival)
MORGAN JUNCTION COMMUNITY FESTIVAL: “It’s a go!” This year’s festival is set for June 20, 2020, and MoCA’s looking for volunteers to help make it happen.
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: Like Admiral, Morgan Junction is joining the WS Art Walk. MoCA’s Tamsen Spengler announced that a coordinator’s been found and they’re signing up businesses to participate, starting in the second quarter.
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NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS: Admiral NA postponed; Delridge District Council canceled
As we head into midweek, it’s usually the busy time for community meetings, but we have word this afternoon of two changes due to the potential for snow tonight:
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: The every-other-month meeting scheduled for tonight is postponed, according to ANA president David Hancock. No new date yet – we’ll publish a revised announcement when that happens.
DELRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL: This meeting planned for Wednesday night is canceled, according to chair Mat McBride, to avoid the possible need for a last-minute cancellation. Next meeting is expected to happen February 19th.
TUESDAY: Live, work, study, shop/dine in Admiral? This is for you
Tuesday night, you’re invited to the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s next meeting. The announcement (which you might already have seen in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar):
The Admiral Neighborhood Association’s next meeting is coming up on Tuesday, January 14th from 6:30-8:30pm.
Location: Admiral Congregational UCC, 4320 SW Hill St.
At this month’s meeting:
1. 2020 Census Information and Recruitment; and
2. Admiral Neighborhood 2019 Survey Results.
Come and meet your neighbors and discuss issues and events in our area!
Here’s how the District 1 Community Network started 2020
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We made it to a new decade,” declared David Hancock, opening this year’s first meeting of the District 1 Community Network.
He’s the president of the Admiral Neighborhood Association and served as this meeting’s facilitator – D1CN rotates who leads each meeting. The group is a relatively new coalition of reps from groups and organizations throughout West Seattle and South Park, open to unaffiliated community members too; more than two dozen people showed up for this meeting, held at the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center.
Participants were asked, in around-the-table intros, to mention a New Year’s goal. Hancock started with “Increase participation to bring in more voices.” D1CN is working on that, as evidenced by two agenda items:
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COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: D1CN would love to see you in 2020
Here’s one of your first chances for community involvement in the new year! The announcement:
The District 1 Community Network is a meeting open to all community groups and interested individuals who would like to work together on topics of interest within District 1.
Date: Wednesday, January 8
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Location: Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center (4705 W Marginal Way SW)
Featured topics:
Transportation Electrification discussion with Seattle City Light
Review results of D1CN’s community survey
Sneak peek of D1CN website
And more!
District 1 encompasses West Seattle and South Park.
DAKOTA HOMESTEAD: Community campaign to buy ex-substation rekindling
(Photos courtesy Urban Homestead Foundation)
We haven’t heard much about the Dakota Homestead campaign, raising money to buy the ex-substation at 50th/Dakota (across from Genesee Hill Elementary), but it’s still alive, supporters say, and they’re inviting you to an informational event next week. It’s been three and a half years since the campaign launched; along the way, organizers have amassed some donations as well as grant money, but they have further to go to achieve their dream of buying the site to turn it into a neighborhood preserve and gathering space, a hub for urban gardening and environmental education. Board members of the Urban Homestead Foundation will host an informal meeting and Q&A session 6-7 pm Wednesday (December 18th) at West Seattle (Admiral) Library, 2306 42nd SW. Board member Rich Sheibley tells WSB, “We are also using this time to ask for volunteers to help us on this project, and provide an overview of where we plan to go from here.”
Ever wish someone would listen to you? District 1 Community Network is on it!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It’s a big peninsula. So who’s looking at the big picture?
That’s one thing the all-volunteer District 1 Community Network thinks it can help with.
But most important, D1CN still wants to know where you think its energies would be best applied.
So its nine-question survey will stay open until year’s end. (Answer it by going here!) That’s one thing decided when D1CN met Tuesday night at South Park Neighborhood Center, a last-minute substitute for the regular Duwamish Longhouse due to a scheduling mixup.
So far, more than 100 have responded. The nine questions are meant to help the group shape its work in supporting the community – perhaps educating people about interacting with the city, keeping a focus on accountability between the city and its commitments to the district (grants, projects, etc.), amplifying the work of nonprofits and other organizations. After more responses come in, they’ll discuss both the next round of findings as well as community concerns that have percolated in the meantime.
Other topics at the meeting focused on operational matters, as well as city issues that are bubbling up:
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Choices, crime, church @ Admiral Neighborhood Association
The Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s every-other-month meeting last night at Admiral Congregational Church was one of the best-attended neighborhood-council meetings we’ve seen in a while. Maybe that was because of its marquee topic – the church’s potential redevelopment – but that wasn’t the only interesting part of the agenda. Here’s how it went:
SURVEY-RESULTS SNEAK PEEK: The ANA’s community survey brought in 269 responses and the results are being analyzed. President David Hancock offered a sneak peek: In response to a question about what services/improvements people would like to see in Admiral, “improved transit” topped the list. What would people contribute time/expertise to? Top answer: Greenspace maintenance/improvement. What topics would people like to learn about at a community meeting? Top answer: Local history. What would encourage people to come to a meeting? The chance to speak with local elected officials. Look for the full results early next year.
SOUTHWEST PRECINCT: A four-person delegation was there – Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner, Community Police Team Officers Will Kohn and Nic Plemel, and Seattle University intern Taylor Lowery.
The officers answered questions, including what to do if someone is sleeping in your business’s doorway:
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Updates on park-expansion and Lowman Beach projects @ Morgan Community Association:
From tonight’s quarterly Morgan Community Association meeting, concluded about an hour ago at The Kenney (WSB sponsor):
MORGAN JUNCTION PARK EXPANSION UPDATE: Ed Pottharst from Seattle Parks and Zack Thomas from Board & Vellum led this briefing about the site north of the current park. Site remediation is required because of the former dry cleaners at the site; some drilling has been done to gauge the extent of the contamination. They’re sampling and testing groundwater too, as well as soil-vapor analysis before year’s end. Pacific Groundwater Group is working on all this. They hope to have a cleanup plan by January.
On to the design – all the input has been narrowed down to one unified final schematic design that was delivered yesterday to Parks, and will likely go through a few more tweaks. The project team said the idea of a stage and promenade went over well during feedback, as did a “loop trail.” SDOT wants alley updating to jibe with the site’s underlying mixed-use zoning; Parks hopes to “grade it out and gravel it.” A turnaround was requested. They’ll remove the vegetation at the original park site so that there’s a line of sight there. There’ll be a 20-foot-tall net climber, for all ages, in the park.
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In search of ‘sustainability,’ Admiral Congregational Church shows early concepts of its site’s potential future
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Five years after becoming pastor of Admiral Congregational Church, Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom has to shepherd it through a process with much at stake: The church and its neighborhood’s future.
That’s happening not through sermons, but through conversations like the one he led last week, standing before dozens of people in the church’s living-room-esque gathering space, wearing not a collar but a beanie.
“You’re here on the ground floor,” he explained, as a preface to the presentation on Tuesday night (October 8th).
If that was the ground floor, then you could say the foundation for the conversation was laid last December, when the church hosted an Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, and the pastor told ANA the same thing: Not changing is not an option.
He began last week by putting it all in context, for those not familiar with the church’s operations and the role in the community. “Our goal is to be the neighborhood church of North Admiral.” And with the Jehovah’s Witnesses moving out, he said, “we kinda are.”
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Community concerns aired as Seattle Planning Commission visits North Delridge
The Seattle Planning Commission‘s meeting this past week in North Delridge was its first outside City Hall.
Commission members are appointed volunteers, comprising an advisory group that keeps watch on the big picture, including the city’s Comprehensive Plan.
But it’s currently devoid of West Seattleites, as attendees observed after chair Michael Austin – a Pioneer Square resident – led the round of introductions. He explained that along with being “stewards of the Comprehensive Plan” – with work starting next year on a major update planned for 2023 – the commission’s other current focuses include light-rail-extension planning and Neighborhoods for All, which proposes zoning changes including an end to single-family zoning.
Neighborhood/organization reps from east West Seattle were invited to introduce themselves and talk about their concern:
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Fauntleroy Community Association: Dock talk
Two ferry-dock issues are atop our toplines from tonight’s Fauntleroy Community Association board meeting.
DOCK POLICING CHANGE: Law enforcement at the Fauntleroy dock is transitioning from a contract with Seattle Police back to the Washington State Patrol. This came up in discussion with Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand. We had heard about it from Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who was inquiring with SPD on behalf of a constituent concerned about ferry-line-rage incidents like this one. SPD’s executive director of strategic initiatives Dr. Christopher Fisher told her, “SPD is turning the contract we hold with WSDOT back to Washington State Patrol for providing sworn officers at the terminal. With the current staffing challenges we have, and since it is a state system, it no longer made sense for SPD to contract for that workload.” At tonight’s FCA meeting, concern was voiced that WSP had in the past used cadets for those positions. Lt. Strand said he’d talked to the dock manager after the recent incident but didn’t have anything further about the transition. Dr. Fisher’s response to Councilmember Herbold had also noted, “Seattle Police Officers will still be responsible for behavior on the city roads/property leading up to the terminal, but the officers who are stationed at the terminal will transition to State Troopers.”
TERMINAL’S FUTURE: This remains a major point of concern for FCA; the board’s ferry subcommittee is hoping to hear more about the terminal project when WSF meets with stakeholders in the next few months. FCA’s WSF point person Frank Immel said he talked with a WSF rep recently and was told that talks with an engineering firm about the potential scope of the project are running behind. Those talks should have concluded by now, but haven’t. Also awaited, results of a UW study about the docks, including Fauntleroy, that WSF wants to upgrade.
FAUNTLEROY FALL FESTIVAL: FCA doesn’t organize the festival but supports it; the festival is now less than 3 weeks away, 2-5 pm Sunday, October 27th, at the venues in the 9100 block of California SW.
The Fauntleroy Community Association‘s business meetings are on secnnd Tuesdays, 7 pm at the schoolhouse, all welcome; watch fauntleroy.net for updates.
Seattle Planning Commission to visit Delridge for its next meeting
The Seattle Planning Commission is the most influential advisory group you’ve (probably) never heard of. Its discussions look at policies and proposals long before they hit centerstage. One example: The commission’s Neighborhoods For All report, which suggests an end to single-family zoning. The commission’s next meeting will be held in North Delridge, 4 pm October 10th at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, centered on a discussion with east West Seattle community groups. From the draft agenda:
Discussion with Community and Neighborhood Organizations 4:30 – 5:20 PM
Representatives of community and neighborhood organizations will introduce themselves and share their organization’s respective mission, issues, projects, and concerns. Organizations include:
• Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association
• Delridge Neighborhoods District Council
• Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council
• Puget Ridge Neighborhood Council
• High Point Community
• LD Arch Design
That’ll be followed by a public-comment period. The meeting will be held in the Movement Studio at Youngstown (4408 Delridge Way SW) and is open to all.
RENTERS’ RIGHTS: West Seattle briefing at JuNO on Monday
If you’re a renter, you should know about your rights. The Junction Neighborhood Organization, JuNO, is offering you an easy chance to learn, at the next JuNO meeting Monday night. Here’s the preview:
Helena Benedict with the Tenants Union of Washington State will give an overview of tenants’ rights and responsibilities. It will cover both the state and city laws and touch on all stages of renting. A short question and answer session will follow the presentation.
Also:
Cecilia Gunn with Sound Transit will give an update about light-rail route alternatives that are being studied in the Draft EIS, timeline and how the community can be involved in this process.
And:
JuNO needs new officers starting in 2020! Amanda Sawyer will discuss officer elections and how to run!
We hope to see you Monday, October 7, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at the West Seattle Senior Center. (4217 SW Oregon St, upstairs)
Transportation dominates discussion @ HPAC
This past week’s HPAC meeting – for the group that now includes South Delridge and Riverview as well as Highland Park but is keeping the acronym – was something of a small-group discussion, no guests, just updates, with transportation dominating the discussion:
HIGHLAND PARK WAY IMPROVEMENTS: Following up on the mayoral budget announcement earlier in the week, Michele Witzki – who has long worked on advocacy for Highland Park Way/Holden – provided some backstory. She and HPAC chair Gunner Scott had met with SDOT and mayoral reps.
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What you probably haven’t heard about how 911 works, as told to West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Just concluded this past hour at the Southwest Precinct, the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network‘s first post-summer-hiatus meeting, with a featured presentation delving deeper into how 911 works.
WSBWCN co-founder Karen Berge led the meeting, with some new participants among the ~20 attendees.
POLICE BRIEFING: “Our summer wasn’t as problematic as anticipated,” began precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis. He talked about trying to track serial offenders “post-arrest,” and ongoing strategies including “area saturation … targeted enforcement … (and) public awareness.” They also use data to “track repeated call locations” which often help them find the aforementioned “serial offenders.” Crime in the area is down overall about 10 percent from a year earlier; he stressed the importance of “report, report, report,” even if it’s something small and simple. That helps police know where in the area – the SW Precinct covers West Seattle and South Park – to focus the types of strategies he mentioned.
In Q&A, he was first asked if LEAD had been implemented yet.
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Ferries, festival, more @ Fauntleroy Community Association
Toplines from the Fauntleroy Community Association meeting Tuesday night, led by treasurer Alexis Zolner because of several other board members’ absence:
FAUNTLEROY FALL FESTIVAL: October 27th is this year’s date (which is the same date as the West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival), 2-5 pm. FCA doesn’t present the festival but supports it so it’s a big topic. Organizer Chantille Henry (from WSB sponsor John L. Scott-Westwood Real Estate) said the plan is coming together; the FCA Board voted to approve their usual financial support for the festival, and FCA will staff an info table at the festival, too. P.S. The quarterly FCA newsletter includes the news that Caspar Babypants will perform at 1 pm, right before the festival!
ART WALK: Lora Radford and Reeve Washburn talked about the revival of the West Seattle Art Walk, with venues hosting artists and food/beverage venues offering specials to support it. It’s still mostly in The Junction, though, said Radford, so they are now presenting it to “key neighborhood groups” to explore whether other areas want to get involved. Washburn talked about its growth and promotion. And: “So much energy happening in The Junction, what can we do to share that energy in other areas?” Radford said there are “pockets of small businesses” outside The Junction already participating but there needs to be leadership in other areas to take it beyond that. They’re offering “Art Walk in a Box” tools to help others become part of it. In Q&A, Radford explained that the more you get into it, the more you get back. It’s been a boon to local businesses, with increased foot traffic. This is their first presentation; they were headed next to talk to the Admiral Neighborhood Association (as reported here), and planning to talk with the Morgan Community Association in October. Also: many different types of art can be part of the Art Walk. No decision by FCA this meeting.
FERRY LINE-CUTTING: The recent incident we reported generated some discussion among the board. One board member said he would like to see Washington State Ferries take more responsibility for fully managing “the line and what it does to this neighborhood.” They agreed that line cutting “is getting worse, no doubt,” another board member said, and noted that SPD and WSF seem to be pointing fingers at each other regarding who is accountable for enforcement. There was also discussion of the status of WSF’s contract with SPD at the dock. Education and signage about line etiquette would be helpful too, it was suggested. This also veered into a discussion of people’s general disregard for the rules/laws (as noted in this Seattle Times story). A community member in attendance is considering making signs to let people know how to report line cutters.
FERRY DOCK: FCA is keeping close watch on the future Fauntleroy dock replacement project. The next public meeting won’t be before next month, said FCA’s ferry point person Frank Immel. It’ll be several years before WSF even comes up with a design of what they’re going to build – they have an expert adviser who warns it’s going to be “a long process.”
The Fauntleroy Community Association board meets second Tuesdays most months at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, 7 pm; watch fauntleroy.net for updates.
Music, park, art, more @ Admiral Neighborhood Association
We covered two community groups’ meetings last night. First report – toplines from the Admiral Neighborhood Association, by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand:
SURVEY: More than 240 responses are in but more would be awesome, per the ANA, so another pitch – if you aren’t among those respondents yet, go here to answer it (you don’t have to be an Admiral resident – if you shop, dine, work, study, even visit the area, your opinions are welcome)! ANA president David Hancock said they will close the survey soon and discuss the findings at the November meeting.
CONCERTS: Another successful ANA-presented series of concerts at Hiawatha has concluded since the group last met; Caspar Babypants (August 22nd, WSB coverage here) was the finale. Everyone agreed this was one of the best years for the decade-old series. Stephanie Jordan will continue coordinating the series; she’ll start the 2020 band search in February. Dave Weitzel plans to continue as the series’ business manager/sponsorship coordinator.
NANTES PARK: Two months ago, we mentioned a plan to improve west Admiral’s Nantes Park. Volunteer Susan Kegel spoke to ANA about work being done at the park, including a cleanup this Friday. She said volunteers have applied for small city grants to improve the park, possibly with artwork and ADA improvements. She said they would also like to add something to make Nantes Park more kid-friendly. She showed examples of what’s been done in other sister-city parks around town and said she’s made contact with an artist in Nantes who had done several art installations for the Nantes botanical gardens. She also said a delegation from Nantes will be visiting Seattle about this time next year.
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: ANA was one of two community councils that heard last night from Lora Radford and Reeve Washburn on behalf of the West Seattle Art Walk‘s initiative to get more involvement around the peninsula. They are pitching neighborhood groups to get local businesses to participate in the second-Thursday event. ANA has long sought to connect more deeply with local businesses and agreed this might be a way. No commitments yet -this was just a preliminary discussion.
NEXT MEETING: On the second Tuesday in November, ANA expects State Sen. Joe Nguyen as a guest speaker. Watch for more info as it gets closer.
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