White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Dick Thurnau from Friends of Hicklin Lake invites everyone to come talk about the use of “floating islands to help clean Hicklin Lake waters,” during a meeting this Thursday, 7 pm, North Highline Fire District HQ, 1243 SW 112th. Dick explains, “We were told that a floating Island measuring 16 feet by 16 feet, 256 square feet, is equal to one acre of wetland that encompasses 43,000 square feet.” He adds, “King County’s Managing Engineer and two other engineers of surface water will update us on the White Center Regional Stormwater project started in 2008.”

Dick Thurnau from Friends of Hicklin Lake says there’s a new chance at grant funding to “clean up Hicklin Lake’s water condition.” He’s announced a February 28th meeting, 7 pm at North Highline Fire Department HQ, featuring “a discussion on a potential grant opportunity from Puget Soundkeepers Alliance. … This grant, if awarded, may help us in our efforts to clean up Hicklin Lake’s water condition.” Whether you can go or not, he’s also asking community members to fill out this survey by the 23rd.

You don’t even have to set out (on foot) to find one – it might turn up on your doorstep! The announcement:

Look out, White Center! On February 11th, 2012, Feet First will be distributing 1000 free Neighborhoods on Foot White Center walking maps door-to-door throughout the community. The maps have been known to increase foot traffic in business districts, build understanding of walking and transit routes, bolster neighborhood identity, and raise awareness of vital community resources.

White Center Free Map Distribution
Saturday, February 11th, 2012
12:00 pm to 2:00 pm

If you do not receive a map and would like one, please contact Feet First by calling 206-652-2310 ext. 5 to have one mailed directly to you. This distribution is made possible by community partners Seattle Works, King County Parks and Recreation, and the White Center Community Development Association.

If you had a one-use tree this holiday season – here’s how to recycle it.

If you have Waste Management pickup service, you can put it out with your yard waste this week, as long as you follow these rules:

Waste Management collects Christmas trees from its residential customers. Be sure the tree is cut into three-foot sections and remove any tree stands, nails, tinsel and decorations.

If you are within Seattle city limits, you can take your tree to the South Transfer Station in South Park, as long as it’s not taller than eight feet (rules here).

Wherever you live, you are welcome to help out local nonprofits with these two tree-cycling events coming up next weekend:

SATURDAY & SUNDAY: Boy Scout Troop 375 Christmas Tree Recycle
January 7 – 8, 2012 (9 to 4)
Five Corners (160th and 1st Avenue in Burien)
$5 per tree
“Good Karma” Christmas Tree Mulch available for $25 donation per yard

SATURDAY, TWO LOCATIONS: The West Seattle Rainbow Girls will hold their fifth annual Christmas tree recycle fundraiser January 7 at the Alki Masonic Hall 4736 40th Ave. SW. and also at the Southgate Masonic Hall located at 1004 SW 152nd in Burien from 10:00 – 2:00. Suggested donation $5.00. No flocked trees please. For more information please contact Jan Hunter at 206-849-7906. Check out the Rainbow Girls by going to www.gorainbow.org.

Sustainable Seattle’s “Sustainable Rain” project will be in White Center this Wednesday night with information about how to build a rain garden as part of a “sustainable landscape” – and they’d love to meet you. According to the official announcement, the workshop “will include coffee, food, information about rain garden scholarships, pictures and stories from our rain garden projects, training on how to build a rain garden and Sustainable West Seattle’s presentation on polluted runoff and Puget Sound.” Just RSVP by going here. It’s at Big Al Brewing at 6:30 pm. Find out more here.

The biggest threat to the Puget Sound ecosystem isn’t oil spills or other one-time catastrophes … it’s ongoing toxic runoff from homes, streets, drains, and more. But that means we can do something about it – if you know what to do, and what not to do. As a project of Sustainable West Seattle, presentations have been made around West Seattle to explain how to fight the Tox-Ick Monster – and the next one will happen in the White Center area, in Spanish – Saturday, November 12th, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., White Center Community Cultural Center (aka St. James Annex), 9421 18th SW. $500 in prizes available to participants!

(Adapted from an announcement first published earlier this week on partner site West Seattle Blog)
White Center-headquartered WestSide Baby has accepted car seats for recycling before – but usually, just the ones in good enough shape to reuse. Starting tomorrow (Saturday), they will accept ALL used car seats – 10 am-2 pm on Saturday, bring yours to their donation HQ, 10032 15th SW (map) – so if you have one, in any condition, in the basement, the attic, the closet, the garage, bring it over! For the new campaign Re-Ride: Car Seat Reuse and Recycling for Local Children in Need, WS Baby is now partnering with recyclers Total Reclaim to enable acceptance of any and all car seats. If yours can’t be reused, they request a $5 minimum donation to help cover the cost of recycling its materials. WS Baby says they are only able to fill about HALF the requests they currently get for car seats, so widening the recycling program will hopefully help them fill more. P.S. If you can help them dismantle car seats in preparation for recycling, please contact Shana Allen at shana@westsidebaby.org or 206-767-1662.

Story and photos by Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for White Center Now/West Seattle Blog

After three years of successfully operating its production brewery at 9832 14th Ave SW in White Center, Big Al Brewing says it is about to become the first brewery in the state to use solar thermal energy to heat the water for brewing its entire lineup.

(From left, Carl Holzboog, Alejandro Brown, Sean Beattie)

Owners Alejandro (“Al”) and Noelle Brown tell WCN/WSB that Big Al’s will flip the switch today for its new solar thermal heating system to brew the first solar batch (batch #300 overall was brewed Tuesday), which will hit taps in three weeks.

Today also happens to be the rollout of Löwman Bräu, a special summer Kolsch produced in collaboration with West Seattle’s Feedback Lounge, with part of the proceeds benefiting area nonprofits. If all goes well, Big Al’s will continue the seasonal philanthropic offering with a different West Seattle-exclusive brew in the fall. The Löwman Bräu release (with partying venues tonight including Big Al and Company, in WC) is more evidence of what many beer aficionados know about life in West Seattle/White Center and the area at large: Lots of folks enjoy and enthusiastically support well-crafted beers from local microbreweries.

When the Browns made the calculated leap to purchase the former Pacific Rim Brewery Company site in 2008, they did so with great confidence that they could provide local restaurants and pubs with exceptional local beer. But the brewery was built more than a dozen years ago with little consideration of sustainable design or efficiencies in production.

Of the approximate 80-plus breweries in our state and the 30-and-counting in the Seattle area, most rely exclusively on traditional heating sources — either natural gas or electricity — to heat their brewing process. Big Al’s has made the visionary move to reduce the brewery’s depletion of nonrenewable natural gas. The brewery holds sustainability as a part of its mission and responsibility as an artisanal brewer. Big Al’s conversion to solar echoes the innovation in their lineups. They take advantage of unique creative collaborations and do so often and very successfully, whether flavor-matching restaurant menus or participating in community charity tasting events with specials.

The integration of solar thermal heating into the production process with system installer Net Zero Impact is the boldest and most recent innovative collaboration, this time of artful technologies that over time will realize cost savings, reduce the carbon footprint and conserve nonrenewable energy. The system is constantly monitored online and data will be logged to determine the rate of the return on their investment over time.

They are using a 32-year-old solar thermal technology that advocates claim is more efficient than solar photovoltaic cells in capturing energy. The solar energy is captured and the water heats up, whether the ambient temperature is 30 degrees or 70 degrees; it involves a series of tubes and the heating of water, rather than the generating of electricity. (See the explanation on NZI’s website.)

Sean Beattie, chief operating officer and founder of Net Zero Impact, says that the savings from reduced natural gas expenses will allow the brewery to begin double-brewing. “Right now we are producing about 150 barrels a month, with each barrel being 31 gallons, “ Al explains. “Our previous direct-fire natural gas burner had to be left on all night just to get the water temperature up. That part of our process is gone (and the costs with it). We will be able to come in in the morning and the water will still be retaining the heat from the sun from the previous day, up to about 150 degrees. We will use the new boiler to bring up the water the rest of the way in a very short amount of time with very little gas used,” Al says, clearly excited about the new system.

“The beauty of this system for Big Al’s,” Beattie suggested, “is that they will be able to turn two full cycles of brewing in the time it previously took to do one.”

“Double brewing makes sense because it saves on labor. We will be able to brew twice the amount because there are now 500 gallons of water available daily rather than 200, yet [we incur] the same labor costs,” Al adds, “Previously, it took about nine hours to brew one batch and we did that every two days, which is 18 hours total. We can do a double batch in 12 to 14 hours. We like those savings.”

Most microbreweries, just like Big Al’s, regularly evaluate sustainability efforts. But there’s one speed bump along the path to reducing carbon footprints and conserving natural gas – the initial investment. In the last two years, incentives from federal tax credits and grants has provided an opportunity to recoup 65 percent of the initial costs, according to Beattie. However, the state of Washington does not yet provide incentives or grants for solar thermal commercial applications, though Oregon does. A handful of counties in Washington provide some kind of incentives, but King County is not one of them.

Beattie says his company has been working with Puget Sound Energy on the installation of new high-efficiency boilers by accruing data collected from projects like Big Al’s and three schools where he has recently installed solar thermal systems where the numbers are exceeding the expected rate of savings by 300%.

For Big Al, reports indicate the savings will take effect within a few years. Money-wise, that is – nonrenewable-energy savings will be immediate. So hoist a glass and realize it’s truly liquid sunshine.

Tomorrow, the weather just might not be so bad. Even if it is a little challenging, you’re going to want to be out and about. It’s Duwamish Alive! day – 10 am-2 pm, restoration and cleanup parties at a variety of sites in the area. See them here.

Then, there’s the HP3 environmental run – details on this, here. Related to that, from Westcrest Park forest steward Mike Shellenberger:

In conjunction with the HP3 runners’ event that starts at Big Al’s Brewing this Saturday April 16th, the Green Seattle Alliance (GSA) Volunteers will be planting hundreds of native evergreen trees in Westcrest Park. The intent is to begin to replace the older deciduous trees, like maples and alders, that are reaching their life span with native longer lived evergreens like fir, cedars, pines etc…We can use as many volunteers as we can get. The more folks that volunteer, the more we can plant. Just show up at the Westcrest Park main parking lot on the west side of the Park near the Kids Play area at 9:15 AM Saturday and we’ll put you to work on this important project..While volunteering people can also walk the Park’s trails and view Spring’s new arrivals. For instance, the beautiful native trilliums are in full bloom..See you Saturday.

We get questions every so often about the big project between Highway 509, Highway 99/West Marginal Way, and South Kenyon, downhill from the northeastern edge of White Center and environs. Not everybody realizes it’s … the new transfer station, 140,000 square feet, under construction and scheduled to open next year. WCN contributor Deanie Schwarz photographed the model at Second Use. (More project info here.)

Just a quick reminder – the meeting about potential county action to try to help with Hicks Lake‘s water-quality problems is at 6:30 pm tonight at White Center Library. Here’s the original announcement with details.

They may have been partly within Seattle city limits at some point, but they also did some North Highline pickup today as part of the “Keep Seattle Beautiful” cleanup. We caught up with these volunteers on the hill between Highway 509 and White Center/West Seattle – County Councilmember Joe McDermott was there too (see photo on partner site West Seattle Blog). Keep up with founder Michael Merta‘s volunteer beautification campaign via this Facebook page.

From King County Councilmember Joe McDermott‘s office:

King County Councilmember Joe McDermott was listening when North Highline resident Mike Merta expressed concern about increasing amounts of graffiti and litter in West Seattle and South Seattle.

What Merta and others are seeing, McDermott said, is the result of declining county revenues and budget cuts. King County cut back its litter control program in an effort to balance the County budget.

And that’s the impetus behind a community clean up event scheduled from 10 am to 1 pm on Saturday, March19. McDermott is spearheading the event with support from Merta and Waste Management.

“We have all been impacted by the cuts made to balance state and county coffers. Communities must work together to fill the void that has been left,” Councilmember McDermott, who represents North Highline, said. “Residents of North Highline love their community, and I’m thrilled to help them keep it clean.”

Volunteers are invited to a free kick-off breakfast at 10am. Breakfast will be hosted by Waste Management at the company’s site at 8111 First Avenue South.

“Waste Management is all about helping make communities cleaner and greener,” said Katie Salinas, public sector manager for Waste Management. “We are inspired by the community spirit that’s driving this event and pleased to provide breakfast to fuel this important volunteer effort.”

Volunteers are urged to bring gloves and to wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes.

For more information, “like” Keep Seattle Beautiful on Facebook.

(WCN file photo of Hicks Lake)
Neighbors led by Dick Thurnau have worked a long time to try to get the county to do something about Hicks Lake water quality. Now there’s word a plan’s in the works – and a meeting is set. Here’s the county announcement:

King County is developing a plan to help improve water quality in White Center’s Hicks Lake so that people and pets are safe from potentially harmful algae blooms in the small lake.

The King County Water and Land Resources Division has set a public meeting for March 22 at the White Center Library to share information on a scheduled treatment of aluminum sulfate in Hicks Lake. The meeting is set for 6:30-8 p.m. at the White Center Library, 11220 16th Ave. SW, Seattle.

The Washington State Department of Ecology has identified Hicks Lake as having “impaired” water quality because of excessively high phosphorus concentrations, which promote frequent algae blooms in the lake.

These algae blooms have produced biotoxins that are potentially harmful to people and pets that come into contact with the water. As a result of the algae blooms, warning signs have been posted along the Hicks Lake shoreline during the recreational season to alert people of the potential danger of contact with the water.

To address this ongoing water quality problem, King County has received a permit to treat the lake in May with aluminum sulfate to lower phosphorus concentrations in the water and “cap” the phosphorus-rich sediments. A similar action was taken at Hicks Lake in 2005.

More information about lake stewardship in King County is available at http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wlr/sections-programs/science-section/lake-stewardship-program.aspx./blockquote>

From last night’s White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting: Will Perry from King County Public Health told the group about getting rid of unused drugs instead of leaving them around the house. What you see above is the demonstration box he takes around during presentations – it’s similar to the one used where this program is in place. The program has three points of emphasis, he explained: Keeping the environment free of drug pollution (which happens if they are flushed or poured down drains, since the water-treatment system can’t excise the chemicals, or if they are thrown away, since landfill decomposition puts the chemicals into the environment); preventing abuse, especially important if the unused drugs are narcotics or stimulants; third, poison control, to keep the unused drugs away from babies and toddlers.

Right now, he explained, the county works with Group Health and Bartell Drugs – both of those companies’ Burien branches can take in unused drugs for disposal. However, they can’t accept narcotics; those can only be taken to sites in east and southeast King County that are overseen by law enforcement. The disposal laws are changing, Perry said, but the details haven’t been finalized yet.

More info on the drug-disposal issue? Go here.

Thanks to WCN contributor Deanie Schwarz for reminding us about this – it’s been in effect since yesterday afternoon but we hadn’t mentioned it yet. A Stage 1 burn ban is in place right now for King County, which means you’re not supposed to use your fireplace or woodstove unless you have no other way to keep warm. It also means no outdoor fires. More information here.

Now that the mega-document proposing possible Duwamish River cleanup strategies is out, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition is making the rounds of community groups, including North Highline Unincorporated Area Council last night. BJ Cummings brought a presentation including background on the river, the pollution, and what’s being proposed, plus how you can have a say. Her emphasis is on the need for everyone to comment on the cleanup proposals – all of which have one big flaw, in DRCC’s view: They don’t outline what will be done to stem the current flow of pollutants into the river; they only address pollution that’s there now. You are invited to upcoming workshops and meetings to explain the report – here’s the announcement DRCC’s been sending around:

The Duwamish River Superfund Cleanup “Alternatives” have been released this month for public comment and review.

View or download the 8-page EPA Fact Sheet of the Draft Duwamish River Cleanup Alternatives (Feasibility Study). If you’d like to peruse the whole cleanup document, please start with the 42-page Executive Summary!

DRCC/TAG Technical Advisors have completed a preliminary assessment of the study, which is available by clicking here to view on our web site. A summary is below:

* None of the cleanup alternatives protect human health
* Environmental Justice analysis needed
* Telling people not to fish is not a substitute for cleanup
* Alternatives present tough choices

YOUR voice is needed to help protect Human Health and the Environment
The community is invited to help develop alternatives that protect human health and the environment at these upcoming interactive workshops. Workshops include an overview of the proposed cleanup alternatives and a roundtable discussion and activities with your Duwamish valley neighbors.

Attend one of these workshops to make your voice heard!

Monday, November 8, 2010, 11:30-2:30pm – Brownbag Lunch
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center: 4408 Delridge Way SW ~ Coffee and dessert provided! Please RSVP to: contact@duwamishcleanup. org

Tuesday, November 9, 2010, 5:30-7:00pm: Prior to SPNA monthly meeting.
South Park Neighborhood Association: 8201 10th Ave South ~ Food Provided!
Please RSVP to: contact@duwamishcleanup. org

Monday, November 15, 2010, 5:30-7:00pm: Prior to GCC monthly meeting. Coliman Restaurant, Georgetown: 6932 Carleton Ave S @E. Marginal Way S. ~ Food Provided!

Please RSVP to: contact@duwamishcleanup.org

(Meantime, more news still to come from last night’s NHUAC meeting.)

Coming up next month – save the date to find out more about green jobs! Shared by Ian from White Center Community Development Association:

COMMUNITY GREEN JOBS FORUM

Friday, November 12, 12:00pm-2:00pm

YWCA Learning Center – 9720 8th Avenue SW in White Center

Pre-register for this event by calling (206) 290-5136 or e-mail info@gotgreen.org

Light refreshments and language interpretation available

Be a part of Project GreenLight! Project Greenlight is recruiting men and women of color and low-income workers for FREE job training in:

* Deconstruction – Hazardous materials and demolition jobs that reuse/recycle building materials

* Green Building – Entry-level weatherization installation positions

* Green Manufacturing – Manufacturing/assembly of environmentally sustainable products

This event is sponsored by
Got Green: www.gotgreen.org
Workforce Development Council

Came across the announcement for this while doublechecking on Labor Day schedules: 9 am-3 pm next Saturday (September 11th) at Evergreen High School, there’s a special recycling event – with some changes from ones in the past. The full list and other details can be seen here.

Story and photos by Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for White Center Now

A picnic with free barbecue brought out a hungry and hardy crowd to enjoy Hicks Lake at Lakewood Park on a slightly chilly Saturday afternoon. Smoke billowed from burgers on the grills as neighborhood folks milled around the tables to chat and learn about where things now stand with Lakewood Park and where they might be headed.

Frana Milan, program manager for the Enterprise and Partnerships Unit of King County Parks and Recreation Division (pictured above with civilian-attired King County Sheriff’s Office community officer Vary Jackson), was available to receive first hand the feedback from the community about the proposed trail improvement around the north and west side of the lake.

In a conversation with community members, Milan explained the different responsibilities for different county agencies discussing the future plans for Hicks Lake and the surrounding natural systems. It is the Water and Land Resources Division within the Department of Natural Resources and Parks that addresses the stormwater management issues and has lake-ecosystem experts on staff.

Milan explained further, “I always like to say that Water and Land takes care of nature for nature’s sake and Parks takes care of nature for people’s sake.” A map was available to instruct the picnicgoers and the other groups present about the complex context of neighboring stormwater systems, wetlands and lakes.

North Highline Unincorporated Area Council president Christine Waldman led a large contingency from the North Highline group working their way through the tables. She observed that Friends of Hicks Lake‘s Dick Thurnau had successfully brought together for the first time these varied groups which can together face a long-standing problem which they all agree must be addressed. “It’s been long enough. Something really needs to be done.”

Thurnau’s passion for the Hicks Lake area is legendary around here. Many other group representatives nodded and spoke in agreement about the need for some kind of formal recognition for the tireless decades of volunteer work he has done on behalf of the area. His two daughters were on hand assisting him in his work during Saturday’s event. One had flown up from California to help him with the coordination and planning because, she says, “It is so important to him.” Dick, along with Sherry Williams (with him in the photo above), enjoyed the crowd’s anticipation as they drew raffle tickets for a much desired prize of smoked sockeye salmon. A number of other items were raffled off as well to some lucky picnicgoers.

Williams is deputy director of TAF (Technology Access Foundation) and said the groundbreaking for the new TAF Community Learning Space is still on track for next April, with completion of the “warm shell” by the following fall of 2011. To be located in the northeast quadrant of Lakewood Park, the building will be built green and developed in phases following the initial structural development. ( The term “warm shell” describes the future large building edifice and its completed systems, but does not include specific classroom equipment or furnishings.)

Additional feedback on plans for Lakewood Park, Hicks Lake and/or surrounding parks can be provided to the county through this website: parksfeedback.com.