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Morgan Community Association: Sewer project update; RapidRide; trees…
July 20, 2012 4:05 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Can you imagine yourself gazing at Puget Sound views and potentially “sub-alpine meadow” landscaping from atop the sewer-overflow-reduction facility to be built across from Lowman Beach? A county rep brought the newest design plans to Wednesday night’s Morgan Community Association meeting, which also included a RapidRide update – read on:

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Admiral Neighborhood Association: Concerts ahead; celeb emcees
July 11, 2012 2:41 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

(ANA’s Dave Weitzel and president Katy Walum at the post-4th of July Parade concession stand)
We covered another community-council meeting last night – the Admiral Neighborhood Association. Summer events were at the heart of the discussion. For one, the ANA-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha (co-sponsored by WSB) series starts July 26th, and while the music lineup (see it here) has been final for a while – and the poster’s now out:

And the emcee lineup has just been announced: Mayor Mike McGinn will be MC for the Caspar Babypants show on August 23, and (acting) Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams will MC The Braxmatics‘ show on Alki Beach on August 16th. The other four concerts will be emceed by West Seattle broadcast personalities – each one by either Marty Riemer or Jim Dever. ANA also plans to be in the West Seattle American Legion Post 160 Grand Parade on July 21st (and president Katy Walum mentioned that the Admiral merchants would be, too). And they’re pleased with how their concession sales went after the West Seattle 4th of July Kids’ Parade a week ago – bringing in about $900 for the group (which is nonprofit and all-volunteer), including sales of 20 of their distinctive Admiral-logo T-shirts. P.S. ANA is taking August off, as many community councils do – keep an eye on their website for word of the September meeting.

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Admiral Neighborhood Association: Ready for summer
June 14, 2012 6:51 pm
|    Comments Off on Admiral Neighborhood Association: Ready for summer
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Gearing up for a busy summer was the primary order of business at Tuesday night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, led by president Katy Walum.  From the 4th of July Kids Parade to the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha, there will be no shortage of activity during the summer months, and ANA is ready to help make it happen.

As usual, the meeting was held in the lower level of Admiral Congregational Church (California/Hill) but was preceded by something new: A pre-meeting potluck to give neighbors a chance to get to know each other in light of recent violence citywide and community concern in West Seattle. Attendees brought a dish to share and deemed the event a success, and Walum said ANA will likely make it a regular prelude to their future meetings. “No pressure to stay for the meeting,” Walum added, “just a chance for neighbors to meet and talk.”

Highlights from the meeting itself:Read More

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West Seattle scene: Different kind of ‘neighborhood watch’ sign
April 29, 2012 3:08 pm
|      87 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Some streets have prefab “Neighborhood Watch” signs. Some are homemade. Then, there’s this:

Alicia shared that photo from 30th/Henderson in Westwood last night, saying it had just “popped up.” (We went over to verify – it’s still there.) Wondering if any specific recent incident had inspired the sign, we checked the city’s “incident response” map; nearest notable crime shown on the map is a burglary attempt early last Tuesday one block east, in which, according to the police report, the victim tried to scare off the suspect, who was reportedly trying to kick their door in, “by yelling for his wife to call the police and get his gun.” The report also says police arrested a suspect nearby.

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Morgan Community Association: Updates on Murray CSO, RapidRide, festival…
April 20, 2012 12:57 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Salvage work has started at the residential properties that will be demolished to make way for the million-gallon underground tank anchoring the Murray Basin Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Project. An update on the CSO project was one of several major items at Wednesday night’s Morgan Community Association meeting:Read More

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Time-travel with the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council
April 19, 2012 2:52 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Genesee Hill | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Well, in lieu of actual time-traveling, envisioning the future is the next best thing. And that’s what the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council – which hasn’t had a general meeting in a while – is getting ready to do, with the help of as many interested neighbors as they can find! One week from tonight, the journey begins:

What would make our neighborhood a great place to live in 2020?

The GSNC is embarking on a neighborhood Vision 2020 planning process, and we want YOUR input and involvement! Please come to our next meeting and share your ideas with us:
• What do you like about our neighborhood now?
• What short- and long-term changes would you like to see?*

Thursday, April 26, 2012
6:30-7 p.m. Social Time (refreshments will be served)
7-8:30 p.m. Meeting (with lots of time for input and perhaps a speaker or two)
Howell Auditorium, West Side Presbyterian Church, 3601 California Avenue SW

* Some areas to think about:
Social events, parks, communication, traffic improvements, beautification projects, education and support, crime prevention, emergency preparedness, gardening, policy, shared interests/resources, volunteer opportunities

For more information (including a map), please visit our website at www.genesee-schmitz.org. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please send your name and email address to gsncouncil@gmail.com

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Admiral Neighborhood Association: Crime; concerts; Clothesline…
April 11, 2012 1:32 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

“Not only do we dream the ideas, we do the ideas,” said vice president Karl de Jong, toward the start of last night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting. And with that, the toplines, including updates on some of the ANA ideas that have become reality – first, though, the crime-trends update:Read More

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Early warning: Search/rescue drill may be visible from West Seattle
March 19, 2012 11:20 am
|    Comments Off on Early warning: Search/rescue drill may be visible from West Seattle
 |   Neighborhoods | Seen at sea

From the “very early warning department,” we have an alert about a “multi-agency open-water search-and-rescue drill” next Monday that might be visible from here. We’ll file it into the calendar, but if that’s your field of interest, you might want to know even sooner, so read on:Read More

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Beach Drive murder: Neighbors invite you to vigil, walk tonight
March 18, 2012 10:30 am
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Beach Drive murder | Crime | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Three days after police announced that 51-year-old Greggette Guy had been murdered (WSB coverage here), likely hours before her body was discovered in the water off north Beach Drive, neighbors are planning a vigil and walk. Just received from Judy Bentley:

Neighbors of Emma Schmitz Park and Me-Kwa-Mooks Park will gather at 7 p.m. tonight, Sunday, March 18, for a walk and vigil to remember Greggette Guy and to claim the park as a safe public space. Please join us at the north end of the park, on the waterfront side of Beach Drive at 7 p.m. Bring flashlights and candles although it will still be light at the beginning of the walk. We’ll walk the length of the park together. We’ll anyone who needs company walking home. Please join us.

We have been following up with police, but so far they have no new information to report, and continue to request any and all tips that might help them solve the mystery of who killed Ms. Guy, who is believed to have come to the area for a waterfront walk last Sunday evening. On Thursday, they published this photo of her car, found Monday at Emma Schmitz Overlook:

That’s close to where the vigil/walk will start tonight (here’s a map). In a report published Saturday, Beach Drive Blog shows why there have long been concerns in the area.

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Neighborhood meeting updates: Admiral x 2, Delridge
March 12, 2012 10:49 am
|    Comments Off on Neighborhood meeting updates: Admiral x 2, Delridge
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

No daily preview today because of the morning’s breaking news, but there are two meetings to note: Admiral District merchants meet today at 4 pm at the Benbow Room (agenda here); North Delridge Neighborhood Council meets tonight at 6:30, Delridge Library (agenda here). Meantime, the Admiral Neighborhood Association has a CHANGE OF PLAN for tomorrow night. Instead of its regular meeting, ANA is tabling at 5:30 pm tomorrow before Mayor McGinn‘s 6:30 pm Town Hall at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (agenda here).

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@ Admiral Neighborhood Assoc.: July 4th parade future; more
February 16, 2012 11:57 pm
|    Comments Off on @ Admiral Neighborhood Assoc.: July 4th parade future; more
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

(WSB photo of Sherri Chun speaking to participants before last year’s 4th of July parade)
The longtime coordinator of the 4th of July Kids’ Parade, which has grown far beyond its origins as a fun little North Admiral event, is asking the Admiral Neighborhood Association to consider taking it over. At Wednesday night’s ANA meeting (a day later than usual, to avoid a Valentine-night conflict), Sherri Chun came to talk about the parade’s past, present and future. That, and other toplines from the meeting, ahead:Read More

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2 community groups move meetings to avoid Valentine conflict
February 7, 2012 10:52 am
|    Comments Off on 2 community groups move meetings to avoid Valentine conflict
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

One was already on the calendar – one, we just found out about. The Admiral Neighborhood Association and Fauntleroy Community Association both usually meet the second Tuesday of the month, but since this year, that falls on Valentine’s Day, both have moved their meetings. ANA will meet at 7 pm Wednesday, February 15th (same place as usual, basement meeting room at Admiral Congregational Church); FCA will meet at 7 pm tonight (same place as usual, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse). The public’s always welcome at both.

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Morgan Community Association: Park concerns; CSO design
January 26, 2012 11:24 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | Utilities | West Seattle news

After last Saturday’s shooting by Morgan Junction Park, some discussion centered on safety concerns in the park itself. Some of those concerns came up at last night’s quarterly meeting of the Morgan Community Association (a week later than originally scheduled, because of last week’s snow/ice).

Other major agenda items included an update on design of the Murray CSO-control project across from Lowman Beach Park, and upcoming electrical-cable work in Gatewood. Read on for details:Read More

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Know the perfect band for Summer Concerts at Hiawatha 2012?
January 8, 2012 5:26 pm
|      36 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(Star Anna & The Laughing Dogs at 2011 Summer Concerts @ Hiawatha finale)
We’re proud to have been a sponsor of the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha each year since the series began – and tonight, we have word that ANA is tuning up for the fourth season of free outdoor performances on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center! ANA president Katy Walum has just put out the call for interested bands:

The Admiral Neighborhood Association is putting out the call for bands to apply to perform for our 2012 Summer Concert Series at Hiawatha Park! The series will again run Thursday evenings, 6:30-8pm, on the park’s east lawn. This summer’s dates will be July 26th, August 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th.

Interested bands may e-mail us at info@admiralneighborhood.org. Please include with your message (1) a website or other means by which we may listen to samples of your music, (2) dates you are available, (3) your band’s price for a 90-minute set (please take into consideration that we are a community organization with a fairly limited budget, and that there is value in the great exposure your band could receive as a part of our series – last year’s series drew crowds of up to 1500 people per show), and (4) stage size and/or sound requirements for your group.

Our series last year included performances from The Gothard Sisters, Massy Ferguson, Caspar Babypants, LeRoy Bell, Star Anna & The Laughing Dogs, and Yogoman Burning Band. Highlights of prior seasons included Pearl Django with Greta Matassa, Camille Bloom, Swamp Soul (zydeco), and Alma Villegas (Latin jazz). We strive in our series to provide a range of musical genres that can appeal to all members of our community.

We welcome band recommendations from WS Blog readers, though it is helpful if readers can include as much of the above requested information as possible with their notes.

We also invite local businesses and others to sponsor our 2012 Summer Concert Series. This is an opportunity for folks to support a fantastic community event and to gain substantial exposure for their business! Please e-mail us (again at info@admiralneighborhood.org) to find out more about sponsorship levels and benefits available this year.

Thanks so much, and we look forward to bringing more fabulous music to Admiral/West Seattle in 2012!

Katy Walum
President, Admiral Neighborhood Association

(The association does a lot more than sponsor concerts, of course, and if you’re an Admiral resident/businessperson interested in seeing what ANA is up to, check out its next monthly meeting this Tuesday, 7 pm, lower-level meeting room at Admiral Church, California/Hill.)

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Metro changing its proposed changes, planner tells Admiral Neighborhood Association
December 13, 2011 10:38 pm
|      41 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | Transportation | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Admiral won’t lose as much Metro bus service as the first draft of the transit service’s “restructuring” plan proposed.

That’s what lead planner Jack Lattemann told the Admiral Neighborhood Association tonight, in the first public update on what’s happening since the public-comment period for that draft plan closed. The “restructuring” is planned in connection with next fall’s debut of RapidRide service in West Seattle (which will replace the 54).

And they got plenty of public comments, he said: 3,000 people took the online questionnaire; another 1,000 people provided non-online written comments. As an Admiral-specific result, he said, “I can assure you that we are going to submit a revised proposal that will include some level of bus service on California 7 days a week all the way as far north as Atlantic Street … it looks like that is going to be feasible,” said Lattemann. “We’ll have a second round of proposals out in about a month.”

That round will include another series of community meetings, he said, likely in the first two weeks of February. He says other “concepts” from the draft circulated online and at public open houses (including two in West Seattle) are being revised in response to public comments, too.

One option for that could be extending Route 128, Lattemann said, and that route already is up for an extension with service at least until midnight – California and Admiral both will be served at least that late, he said. (It also, he said, is up for the addition of two afternoon trips to help with the student load at those times.)

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Update: Neighborhood meetings tonight in Pigeon Point, N. Delridge
December 12, 2011 1:31 pm
|    Comments Off on Update: Neighborhood meetings tonight in Pigeon Point, N. Delridge
 |   Delridge | Neighborhoods | Pigeon Point | West Seattle news

Two updates on tonight’s roster of neighborhood meetings: First, thanks to Pete for pointing out that we had omitted a mention of the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council‘s meeting tonight; it’s their holiday potluck, Pathfinder K-8 (1901 SW Genesee), 6:30 pm. On the agenda is an update from Seattle Police on the rash of burglaries lately in that area (several of which have been included in West Seattle Crime Watch reports). Also – if you are going to tonight’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting (agenda here), thanks to Diane for reminding us that the location has changed; it’s not at the usual spot, but instead at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).

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West Seattle weekend scene: Neighborhood’s pre-holiday giving
November 19, 2011 6:03 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Generosity abounds all over! Today we met these folks, who live along 45th SW between Edmunds and Erskine, just west of the south end of The Junction, after finding out that they have a tradition of cleaning up the neighborhood this time of year. Marilyn Wolf explained, “Whomever is available comes out and sweeps up the leaves on the whole block. The city donates the bags and some supplies and come and pick up all the bags for free when we are done. We also check all the drains in a 4-block radius and make sure they are cleaned by the city to cut down on run off. This is part of the city’s fall clean-up and adopt-a-drain program.” And after those blasts of wind earlier this week – clearing the storm drain is a big help in any neighborhood. (You can find out more about Adopt-A-Drain here.)

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Admiral Neighborhood Association: Bus beef; Nakata tribute; elections; possible tree lighting
November 9, 2011 2:38 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | Transportation | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“We’re an urban village. Urban villages are supposed to have bus service.”

So said one attendee at Tuesday night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, voicing opposition to the Metro restructuring proposal that could end Route 55 service in North Admiral.

Though there wasn’t a formal topic or presentation, the proposed Metro restructuring for next year, to be launched in conjunction with the debut of RapidRide, was a hot topic. Attendees were urged to speak up at Metro’s two West Seattle meetings about “restructuring” – the first of which is tonight (6:30 pm, Chief Sealth International High School). And ANA will draft a letter objecting to the prospective elimination of North Admiral service, while also extending an invitation for a Metro rep to speak at its December meeting.

“Can we make a trade for light rail?” somebody quipped.

“I’m a big fan of mass transit and I want to see it succeed,” said outgoing ANA secretary Jim Cavin. He, by the way, was the lone group leader not to be running in the election that also happened during last night’s meeting, along with a discussion of two potentially big events the group is planning before the year’s out – a tribute, and a tree lighting:Read More

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Alki Community Council: Landslide prevention, community-center cuts, Art Fair’s future
October 23, 2011 4:24 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Three major items from this past Thursday night’s Alki Community Council meeting:

(WSB photo of November 2009 slide behind Alki Avenue building)
LANDSLIDE COMMITTEE UPDATE: Jerry Smith told the ACC that Mayor McGinn‘s office has acknowledged the letter sent by the council’s Landslide Committee, asking to form a “joint task force” to help tackle the recurring slide problem. (We reported on the request, and an accompanying petition drive, here.) They expect to hear from Council President Richard Conlin once he’s back from traveling. Smith emphasized that they know nothing can be done to stop slides, but they are hoping to find ways to reduce the threat – such as “drains at the bottom of hillsides.” The committee also is interested in a city vegetation survey they found out about (the city owns much of the land on the slopes behind Alki Avenue residential parcels); Smith pointed out that the trees on the Harbor Avenue slope now are not “natural vegetation,” describing them as “basically weeds” that “fall over when the ground gets wet” and “don’t hold the soil.” They expect this to be a “very, very long-term project,” but are encouraged by the acknowledgment. ACC vice president Randie Stone, leading the meeting, noted that her famous “flower houses” on Alki had been hit by slides this year, back in March. Property owners are not “asking for money,” the ACC summarized – they just want to “be vigilant and proactive so we can minimize the damage.”

Ahead – toplines from the Alki Art Fair and Alki Community Center discussions:Read More

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Alki Community Council tonight: Slopes, shoreline, more
September 15, 2011 11:19 am
|    Comments Off on Alki Community Council tonight: Slopes, shoreline, more
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Sorry, no full-size West Seattle Thursday preview today – you can always check the Events calendar page – but there is one community meeting you might want a heads-up about: Alki Community Council meets tonight, 7 pm at Alki UCC Church (62nd/Hinds). A sure sign of fall is on the agenda – city reps talking about landslide mitigation. Also on the agenda, the “street end improvements” for the shoreline at Bronson (east of Salty’s; seattle.gov photo at left) and emergency preparedness. Full agenda here; all welcome.

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Neighborhood power! Two West Seattle block parties tonight
August 14, 2011 8:11 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | Seaview | West Seattle news

You don’t have to wait for Night Out to have a block party … tonight, we got word of two in West Seattle. First note in announced the 2nd annual Seaview Swine-Que – last year’s edition was in September (just as well they didn’t wait this year, at this rate we may have fall snow). Can’t have a Swine-Que without the swine:

Joel Hagman provided the music.

Thanks to Shelly for the tip again this year; she says they procured a Beer Junction sponsorship once again too.

Not long after her note came in, we got word from Patrick in North Admiral that HIS neighborhood had its second annual block party under way:

Neighbors in the Walnut/College area hit the street to celebrate. Like Seaview, they had a bouncy house:

No pig here; the North Admiral party was potluck. P.S. Next organized “block party” type event on the West Seattle calendar is just six days away – Picnic at the Southwest Precinct next Saturday (August 20), 1-4 pm on SW Webster between Delridge and the south Home Depot entrance!

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Coming up in Arbor Heights: Crime meeting and block party
August 12, 2011 6:03 am
|    Comments Off on Coming up in Arbor Heights: Crime meeting and block party
 |   Arbor Heights | Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle news

Arbor Heights Community Church sends word of two upcoming neighborhood events: A crime-prevention meeting with Seattle Police is planned for 7 pm Tuesday, August 30th, at the church (4113 SW 102nd). All AH residents are welcome, as is also the case with the annual block party, happening even sooner – official announcement ahead:Read More

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North Delridge Neighborhood Council: DESC, Stockbox, new logo
August 10, 2011 10:49 am
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | DESC Delridge project | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Highlights from this week’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting included a push for another community forum about the proposed Downtown Emergency Service Center 75-unit apartment building to house homeless people living with mental illness. NDNC leaders said that DESC was suggesting smaller gatherings, but discussion at the meeting solidified a sentiment that a big-group forum was important, as there hadn’t been one yet – given the June 27th meeting (WSB coverage here, with video) from which dozens were turned away given the small size of the venue. No meeting date yet. As reported here two weeks ago, the proposal is now in the city permit system.

NDNC attendees, meeting Monday night outdoors in the Delridge/Genesee park area, also heard a presentation about a new business headed to Delridge:

Stockbox Grocers‘ founders were in attendance to announce they plan to open its first West Seattle prototype on September 1st, in a parking lot at the Westhaven Apartments (24th/Holden).

Presenting the plan to NDNC, Stockbox’s Carrie Ferrence explained it’s a “miniature grocery,” meant to be permanently housed in a recycled cargo container, though the two-month West Seattle experiment will be in a 20 x 8 “portable office” structure. Stockbox is a for-profit startup that hopes to grow to multiple locations with mini-corner-store type operations, but for now, they’re planning to start in the Delridge and Skyway areas. They’re also trying to raise $15,000 more capital via a Kickstarter campaign. They’ll start by being open 3-8 pm (to catch people heading home) weekdays, 8 am-8 pm weekends.

Also at NDNC: A round of voting resulted in a choice for the organization’s new logo:

That was one of nine entries in the council’s open-to-the-public logo contest. Turns out, though, the artist isn’t from Delridge – but rather, from Edmonds, according to NDNC’s Patrick Baer, who spearheaded the contest.

NDNC also discussed plans for upcoming events including the Delridge Day festival, 11 am-3 pm on September 17th, which they’re organizing – vendor booths (still time to apply), food, and more, plus the centerpiece of the day, the skatepark dedication – the festival site will be in the adjacent park area. Asked if there will be live music, project lead Amanda Leonard said Parks is working on that. NDNC needs lots of volunteer help to make Delridge Day a success;

NDNC also reiterated the public invitation for this weekend’s Longfellow Creek walk: Meet at 26th/Brandon (Greg Davis Park) at 1 pm Sunday (August 14th) – kids and pets welcome.

You can find out more about the North Delridge Neighborhood Council at ndnc.org; meetings are first Mondays, 6:30 pm, Delridge Library unless otherwise announced – like this summer’s outdoor versions!

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