3:30 PM: We’ve been covering this on partner site West Seattle Blog but it affects White Center drivers too – by Greenbridge, 8th/Roxbury is mostly blocked by a two-car crash. People have had to be extricated from the wreckage of one vehicle. At least three people are hurt. We’re at the scene and gathering more information now. 3:55 PM UPDATE: One lane is open each way at the intersection but you’ll still want to avoid it if you can, for a while – the Seattle Police investigation team has just arrived, and their work at scenes of major crashes usually takes a while. Here’s the scene once they put up the tape:

We now know that four people went to the hospital (at least one of them, a child, according to the scanner) – two by medic unit, two by private ambulance.

Click pic to play video

White Center Now was there a year and a half ago when ground was broken for the Educare Early Learning Center in Greenbridge – our video shows U.S. Sen. Patty Murray helping with the ceremonial shovel-turning – and we’ll be there this Saturday for the grand-opening celebration. It’ll start with speeches at 1 pm, followed by an open house with tours 2-4 pm. It’s adjacent to White Center Heights Elementary. Read on for the official announcement:

On Saturday, March 27, there will be a grand opening of the Educare Early Learning
Center and a celebration of the years of collaborative planning and the public
private partnership that brought this innovative and nationally recognized program
to the White Center community. The event will include a ceremony to recognize key
partners and contributors, followed by building tours and activities for young
children and their families. National, state and community leaders in early learning
will take part in the ceremony.

About the Educare Early Learning Center
White Center is now the 10th community in the United States to have one of the
country’s most respected models of early learning and care. The Educare Early
Learning Center also serves as the hub for the White Center Early Learning
Initiative (WCELI), a community-wide effort to improve early learning for all
children in the White Center/Boulevard Park neighborhoods.

The Educare Early Learning Center offers full-day, year-round
infant/toddler/preschool programs for 134 children from income eligible families and
for children with disabilities. The Center also offers caregiver and educator
resources and professional development programs to enhance the quality of early
learning and care in all settings to prepare ALL children in the community to be
successful in school and life.

All young children in the White Center community-from newborns to children five
years old-can benefit from the Center’s services. As part of WCELI, a Thrive by Five
Washington demonstration community, the Center will potentially impact early
learning in the state and nation.

The Facility
Adjacent to the White Center Heights Elementary School, the Educare Early Learning
Center is part of the King County Housing Authority’s Greenbridge community, a
96-acre redevelopment of its Park Lake Homes Public Housing. The 44,000 square foot
LEED certified building features six preschool classrooms, four infant/toddler
classrooms, training rooms and community gathering spaces.

The Center was built through a strong public-private partnership of philanthropic
foundations, individual donors and county, state and federal grants and programs.

Private foundations include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation who provided
significant support, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, George Kaiser Family
Foundation, Bounce Network, Thrive By Five Washington, The Norcliffe Foundation,
Paul Allen Family Foundation, The Seattle Foundation and the Norman Archibald
Charitable Foundation. A Kresge Challenge grant of $600,000 will help close out the
capital campaign.

Federal and state programs providing capital support include the Washington State
Department of Commerce and the Governor’s capital budget, U.S. Department of Health
& Human Services Head Start Program, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development,
and the King County Housing Authority. U.S. Senator Patty Murray, State
Representative Sharon Nelson and State Senator Joe McDermott helped to secure
portions of national and state public funding. Federal AARA funds of $2.6 million
over two years are making it possible to serve additional infants, toddlers and 3 to
5 year olds and their families.

In addition, the National Development Council, US Bank and ShoreBank Enterprise
Cascadia provided resources and financial expertise to maximize New Market Tax
Credit financing for the center.

The center was designed by Miller Hayashi Architects and built by Kassel Construction.

Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) operates the Center in
collaboration with the White Center Early Learning Initiative (WCELI) and Thrive by
Five Washington.

Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for White Center Now/West Seattle Blog

A joint event between the Southwest Boys and Girls Club, the Red Cross and HOPE worldwide at Greenbridge (map) combined messages of civil rights and disaster preparedness to honor and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

The event was kicked off by the Seahawks’ Blue Thunder drummers and an opening speech by North Highline Fire District Fire Chief Scott LaVielle. Chief LaVielle spoke about fire safety— which is being highlighted by the Red Cross — and quoted from speeches by John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy to highlight the importance of caring for our communities.

Red Cross Coordinator Beth Jusino notes that MLK Day is viewed by her organization as “A day on, not a day off” in service to the community. After the event, volunteers dispersed into the Greenbridge neighborhood to place door-hangers regarding fire safety and earthquake preparedness at the surrounding homes. The information is printed in both English and Spanish. (In case you’re not in the area flyered – here’s the Red Cross’s infopage on fire safety.)

Jusino adds that in light of the Haitian earthquake, people have opened their hearts to the world community; today, people are focusing on opening their hearts to their local community – and the volunteers who are spreading the word about helping each other, locally and globally.

Greenbridge’s new Dubsea Coffee has announced its second art show, with a reception for artist Kelda Martensen coming up January 16th.

We stopped by on Saturday morning and this java joint was jumpin’. Beautiful space, as you can see from our photo showing just part of its interior. Today’s the second day of Grand Opening weekend – Dubsea Coffee is on 8th SW in Greenbridge, about a block south of Roxbury. ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: Someone sent this cell-phone photo of amazing latte art from Dubsea today – wow!

Jobs & the Economy:

Susan will help give small businesses the tools they need to create jobs…

Improve Transportation:

Susan will quickly implement simple changes to encourage transit ridership…

Budget Reform:

Susan will identify waste and restructure the budget to ensure our tax dollars are being spent effectively.

Protect Our Environment.

Susan will forge partnerships between environmental, labor and business groups as we work toward our common goal…

That’s it folks, Susan Hutchison’s platform for managing one of the biggest governmental entities in the country. In her defense, it might be said that she is offering as much detail as the two lightweights who are currently vying to be Seattle’s next mayor.  But then, that’s not much of a complement.

I will forthrightly state that I do not like Ms. Hutchison’s right-wing politics and that on that basis alone, she should be disqualified for the position.  Seattle and King County residents are a tolerant, liberal community.  To have a George Bush conservative speaking for us, just does not sit well.  But what about her competence?

Ms. Hutchison has never held public office.  She has never had to struggle with the political realities of governing a complex political entity whose ambits include not only roads and sewers but social services, neighborhoods and law enforcement.  It is difficult to see how her experience on the board of the Seattle Symphony prepared her, in the slightest way, for such a weighty role.

I often disagreed with former King County Executive, Ron Sims, but I found him thoughtful, intelligent and most importantly, quite knowledgeable on any issue relating to his role as Executive of the very large and expansive King County.  On the issue of affordable housing, we know nothing as to where Hutchison stands?  Does she support the Greenbridge and High Point housing/community developments?  If so, on what basis?  If not, why not?  Where does she stand on the issue of incorporation which raises the hackles of so many of White Center’s residents?

And what of her experience dealing with communities of color or economically distressed areas?  How does her “bringing people together” chirp really address the many challenges that White Center faces?  The fact is, nothing in her background begins to give her a serious understanding of White Center or similar communities.  There is no on-the-job training for such issues.  And Ms. Hutchison has given no indication that she even remotely cares about such issues.  In the end, Hutchison is what she was in her prior role as newscaster, a pretty face with a vacuous resume.

Years ago, I used to have an office job in downtown Tacoma.  If we wanted to get something to eat, we would troop into our cars and head to Old Town or the Tacoma waterfront.  The downtown core was desolate.  As one of my colleagues used to say, “you can’t buy an Aspirin in downtown Tacoma.”  Sadly, he was right, there was nary a Bartells, Walgreeens or even a small Asian grocery store to buy anything essential.  Coffee shops were nonexistent and the hilltop area was still a war zone.  I relate this, not to knock Tacoma, after all, it has really improved, but it has improved in ways far different than White Center.

Most of Tacoma’s improvement has been the subject of heavy top-down government investment and tax incentives.  While the Greenbridge Project on the west side of White Center might be considered similarly, “top down,” it is but a small part of what makes the area a better place.  White Center has always had a community and a functioning business core.  Many White Center businesses, (Center Tool Rental, White Center Glass), have been there for decades.  Nonetheless, there was a time, not too long ago, when the walk on 16th Avenue SW, south of Roxbury, was undertaken with trepidation and certainly never after dark.   Today, White Center is a different place.

Immigrants from all parts of the world have opened businesses throughout the White Cener business core. This is organic growth, from the roots up.  Projects such as Greenbridge seek to encourage such growth.  As well, there are businesses opening from locals who want in on a dynamic area.  Cafe Rozella is but one, there is also Full Tilt Ice Cream, Proletarian Pizza and word of a couple of other new businesses.  These are businesses operated by young people who are dynamic and future-oriented.  Tolerant and educated, they are what social scientist, Richard Florida would call the creative class.  Rather than berate the lack of a McDonalds, we celebrate the Pho shops, the Salvadorean pupusas and the Guyamas Burritos amongst many other great eating establishments.

So next time you have friends visiting from out-of-town, do the Space Needle but bring them to White Center and invite them to take in the rich melting of cultures inherent in this corner of the world.  And, if by chance, one of your guest gets a headache and, if you want to buy an Aspirin there is the Super-Walgreens and the local Bartells.  But I suspect a custom ice cream cone from Full Tilt or an Americano from Cafe Rozella would work just as well.   Cheers!