The board has not revealed any specific sites for the new facility other than saying they are looking at property on 128th Street, SW, nor have they stated when construction might start, or how long they will keep the existing 2 libraries open in the meantime. There is opportunity for public comment at this meeting, which is being held in the KCLS Service Center, 960 Newport Way, Issaquah on November 29 at 5 pm. We would ask that all concerned residents of this community, who voted to pass the library bond levy in 2004 for a new expanded White Center Library which was to be built at the same site, and update and improvements to the existing Blvd Park Library, contact the Library Board by mail: Board of Trustees, King County Library System, 960 Newport Way NW, Issaquah, WA 98027, or e-mail boardoftrustees@kcls,org, or show up a the meeting on Nov 29 and let the board know what you think about their plans.

The library system’s rationale for possible consolidation is outlined in this document.

By Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for White Center Now

Al Tijerina, King County DDES Code Enforcement Inspector, posted an Emergency Notice Order at the Evolution Apartments (9625 16th SW) on Monday.

Like the former Club Evo space in the same building, the six apartments are owned by Alfred Lopez. The building had been managed by Jackie Blacketer for at least six months. Inspector Tijerina said the County is very concerned about the lack of water in the apartments (it was shut off September 7th for nonpayment) but said there are additional violations.

The emergency order says the violations posed “significant threat of immediate and/or irreparable harm; enforcement of this notice and order shall not be stayed during the process of any administrative appeal under Title 23 of the King County Code.”

“Occupancy of substandard dwellings (apartments) in violation fo Section 16.14.100 of the King County Code. These apartments are substandard in the following instances:

A. Lack of running water in violation of Section 16.14.520 of the King County Code.
B. Insufficient heating capacity and/or defective heat supply in violation of the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code.
C. Improperly installed and/or defective electrical components including, but not limited to service panel, wiring, junction boxes, outlets and switches in violation of Section 604.3 of the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code.
D. Inoperative and/or missing smoke detectors in violation of Section 704.2 of the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code.
E. Accumulation of garbage, rubbish and debris throughout the common areas (hallways) in violation of Sections 202 and 307 of the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code and Section 21A.32.230 of the King County Code.
F. Interior surfaces are unmaintained in violation Section 305.3 of the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code.”

After complaints from tenants, including former manager Blacketer, DDES last week inspected the six studio units, five of which are usually rented month-to-month for either $400/$500 per unit, (including all utilities), and the common spaces.

We talked to both Lopez and Blacketer over the course of several days preceding the county’s notice. Lopez told WCN that nobody had been paying rent and that’s why the bills weren’t paid. Blacketer told WCN that no renters were in arrears while she was managing the building.

Ultimately, Blacketer quit last week and left White Center. Lopez, who lives in California, flew here. If he does not have water service restored by this Friday, remaining tenants will have to vacate because it would be considered a public-health hazard.

Two tenants who Lopez says were moving out reportedly declined to pay rent after finding out the water was going to be shut off. Another tenants, who asked us just to identify him as Lee, says he has paid rent for the month and has nowhere else to go, as a retired person on Social Security.

Blacketer claims other utility services had been or were going to be cut off for lack of payment.

Late last week, Lopez told WCN he was going to try to get the water turned on, but his manager and tenants say he had been telling him that for almost three weeks. He also said that ultimately he would make a business decision about whether it is worth it for him to keep renting out the apartments, but said he wanted to comply with the County to ensure that there were no outstanding issues before he returned to California.

ADDED: All the links for the budget docs are here (we’ll be reading them for highlights as the evening goes on).

1:50 PM: Here’s how the County Council breaks it down – note the time and place for upcoming public hearings:

The budget leaders of the Metropolitan King County Council said today that even with the reality of having had to trim $233 million from King County’s General Fund budget over the last four years, the Council’s proactive approach to reforming county government has prepared the Council for the 2012 King County Budget deliberations.

“We’ve already shrunk the size of our government, including cutting $233 million from our General Fund in the last four years. As a result, we no longer face the stark choices that many cities and the state legislature are dealing with,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson, who will direct the Council’s 2012 Budget deliberations. “But because our revenues are still affected by the economic reality, we are going to have to work smarter and continue the reforms we have been implementing in the 2012 budget process.”

After budget cuts of $25 million in 2008, $93 million in 2009, $56 million in 2010 and $59 million in 2011, King County has been facing a $20 million deficit in its General Fund budget in 2012. King County Executive Dow Constantine today proposed a $5.3 billion budget that includes no cuts to the $648 million General Fund budget, more than three-quarters of which is targeted for law, justice and public safety services.

Councilmember Patterson said the Council will review the Executive Budget Proposal in three separate panels:

Councilmember Kathy Lambert will serve as Vice Chair of the Budget Leadership Team and direct the Public Health and Safety Panel, which will assess the Executive’s proposed budgets for law, justice and public safety agencies along with the departments of Community & Health Services and Public Health.

“I will be looking closely at programs that help keep people from returning to the judicial system and that save money for the taxpayer,” said Councilmember Lambert. “In the past decade, King County has been a national leader in implementation of therapeutic and prevention alternatives to incarceration with Drug Court and Mental Health Court programs. Our new Veterans Court pilot will continue the work of the Mental Health Court by dedicating specialized services for our veterans. They will get the help they need instead of jail time. We see the positive results of these therapeutic programs in creating improvements for people’s lives.”
Councilmember Joe McDermott will lead the Physical Environment Panel, which will review services provided by the Departments of Natural Resources & Parks and Transportation.

“Critical transit service was preserved in our region thanks in part to strong reforms pursued by the County. This year, the Council turns its attention to maintaining county roads which face an eroded tax base and drastic cuts,” McDermott said. “One of the issues the Physical Environment Panel will examine is the proposed Roads Strategic Plan. We will be looking for further reforms in this and other areas.”

Council Vice Chair Jane Hague will serve as Chair of the General Government Panel, which will be responsible for General Fund budgets such as Assessments and Elections, and the County’s internal service funds like Facilities Management, Human Resources and Finance

“Many people in King County are facing a tough economic reality right now,” said Hague. “As they tighten their belts, they expect county government to do the same. As Chair of the General Government Panel, I look forward to examining how we can continue to reform King County internally. I hope to expand on the success we’ve had recently in reducing costs and eliminating waste.”

The panels will begin their review of the Executive Proposed Budget on Tuesday, October 4. All members of the County Council serve on the Budget Committee during the annual review and adoption of the County budget. Traditionally, the Council adopts the County budget the Monday before Thanksgiving.

Starting Thursday, October 13, Councilmember Patterson and the Budget Leadership Team will host three evening public hearings on the 2012 Executive Proposed Budget:

Thursday, October 13 – Pacific Cascade Middle School, 24635 SE Issaquah Fall City Rd, Issaquah
Wednesday, October 19 – Maleng Regional Justice Center, Courtroom 3F, 401 Fourth Avenue North, Kent
Tuesday, October 25 – King County Courthouse, County Council Chambers, 10th Floor, 516 Third Avenue, Seattle
All meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. Day-after coverage of the public hearings will be available both online and on King County TV, seen on Comcast and Broadstripe Cable Channel 22. You can also sign up to follow the deliberations through the Council’s 2012 Budget web page, Facebook and Twitter.

P.S. WCN has tried repeatedly to reach the prospective Reventon partners for comment on recent developments, and so far, our messages have gone without reply.

The vote means that a one-year moratorium takes effect immediately, no changes unless something major happens when they hold a required “progress report” type public hearing within 60 days. No councilmembers expressed concerns before today’s vote, which happened relatively quickly after Councilmember McDermott explained the situation looming in WC. We’ll be seeking comment from the would-be Club Reventón operators and will add anything we find out.

He says it seeks a moratorium on dance-club-type establishments in the WC area because they “have been a detriment to the business climate and business community, causing concerns about public safety in an economically challenged neighborhood that’s trying to develop.”

McDermott tells WCN he’s “well aware of the concerns that people in White Center and North Highline have voiced about (the former Club Evo),” and that he doesn’t “believe that a similar establishment would be constructive to the neighborhood.” Councilmember McDermott says the Monday meeting – 1:30 pm in County Council chambers at the courthouse downtown – won’t have public comment, but a public hearing will be required within 60 days to determine if a full one-year moratorium can be put in place.

The proposal is already in the online system, and reads:

AN ORDINANCE declaring a one-year moratorium on the issuance of public amusement/entertainment licenses required under K.C.C. 6.08.020 for any new music and dance entertainment venues and precluding the establishment of any such venues within the commercial zoned land of North Highline subject to the economic redevelopment special district overlay authorized by K.C.C. 21A.38.090; directing the executive to review the impacts of establishments that operate under such licenses upon the commercial viability of the commercial zoned land within the economic redevelopment special district overlay; and further directing the executive to submit recommendations to preserve or strengthen the commercial viability of these commercial zoned lands for council review and approval; adding a new section to K.C.C. chapter 21A.06; and declaring an emergency.

We expect Club Evo/Reventón to be a topic of discussion at tonight’s White Center/South Delridge Community Safety Coalition meeting and will have an update later.

When an unlicensed youth dance hall known as Club Evolucion (located in the Skyway [sic] neighborhood) became a magnet for gang activity, neighborhood groups enlisted the help of the King County Sheriff’s Office, the King County Department of Development and Environmental Services (DDES) and the PAO’s Civil Division to seek a permanent injunction, prohibiting it from operating for failing to comply with various land use and building code requirements.

Late last fall, Club Evolucion’s out-of-state owner was personally served with notice of King County’s civil injunction petition. Last month, King County Superior Court Judge Leroy McCullough signed a permanent injunction precluding the Club or any similar business from operating at the Club Evolucion location without proper regulatory oversight. KCSO statistics reflect that neighborhood crime levels have fallen since the Club closed its doors.

That was reiterated at the last meeting of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council.

To Board of Trustees, King County Library System:

I am dismayed that the King County Library System Board of Trustees would consider consolidation of the Boulevard Park and White Center Libraries at this time.

To the best of my knowledge, a formal proposal to have staff pursue plans for consolidation first became public on May 12. To think that the KCLS Board might take action on May 24, a mere 12 days later, at a meeting scheduled to be held far from North Highline – in North Bend – is extremely dismissive of my constituents. Further, it fails to recognize their hard work in advocating for their community’s needs.

While the timing issue itself is enough to delay the vote, there is also the issue of boundaries and service. For years KCLS has failed to replace and renovate these facilities despite their specific inclusion in the 2004 bond measure, citing uncertainty over annexation and proximity to what may become part of Seattle. With Seattle showing no initiative at this time and Burien having the potential to advance a vote as early as next spring, to take action based on potential annexation by Seattle is shortsighted at best.

I urge the King County Library System Board of Trustees to postpone any action that advances consolidation of the White Center and Boulevard Park Libraries. Further, I renew my call for KCLS to deliver on their 2004 promise to voters and take up replacement and expansion of the White Center Library.

-Joe

Joe McDermott
King County Councilmember, District 8