White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Though White Center has a new “storefront deputy” now, Deputy B.J. Myers‘ popular predecessor Deputy Jeff Hancock returned to a hero’s welcome today. Literally! The occasion: The White Center Chamber of Commerce‘s Heroes Luncheon.

Deputy Hancock was one of the three heroes celebrated. Turns out he is actually working again in White Center – responding to emergency calls. Presenting the award, Frank Cantwell of Holy Family School recalled a ridealong with Deputy Hancock, who he said is known and respected by everyone in WC, as well as teamwork when HF put on its first street fair.

Another former member of the King County Sheriff’s Office White Center Storefront staff also was honored, Community Service Officer Vary Jackson. Chamber president Mark Ufkes called her the closest thing White Center had to a mayor during her 16 years of working there. He recalled her “endless advocacy,” which resulted in additions such as storefront planters. She wasn’t at the luncheon, but we took this photo of her with the planters in May of last year:

The third award went to county corrections workers who supervise defendants doing community service rather than spending time behind bars.

As King County Councilmember Joe McDermott explained, these crews come to White Center frequently for cleanup work and are supervised by Selina Daniels, who McDermott said spends five days a week working with a different crew each day. (With Daniels, McDermott, and Ufkes in our photo are Nate Caldwell, her supervisor, and Nick Masla, also from Corrections.)

Also at the luncheon, WestSide Baby executive director Nancy Woodland spoke about community efforts to address the problem of homeless/chronic alcoholic people.

The group that’s been convening to take this on, she said, has moved from trying to figure out how to get them sent somewhere else, to instead, considering engaging them as part of the community. The group meets again Tuesday, and Ufkes says it will be working on specific ideas for what to do next.

More business-district activities were updated by Aileen Sison, including this Saturday’s White Center Christmas Tree Lighting (5 pm Sunday at 16th/Roxbury, same place as last year). In the wake of all the attention given to the recent “Center of Attention” and DEA medical-marijuana raids, Ufkes said, this event should bring positive attention to WC and bring families out to visit, maybe even stick around for dinner.

That’s our photo from last year’s White Center Chamber of Commerce Heroes Awards/Toys for Tots Christmas Luncheon, and this year’s edition has just been announced. From Chamber president Mark Ufkes:

The White Center Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its White Center Heroes Awards and Toys for Tots Christmas Luncheon at the Salvation Army, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, from noon until 1:30 pm. The Seattle/White Center Salvation Army is located at 9050 16th Ave. SW.

Annually, the White Center Chamber board recognizes three “White Center Heroes” who have gone beyond the call of duty to serve our community. We will also be collecting “Toys for Tots” (new, packaged, unwrapped toy) that will be given to at-risk families. Attendees are asked to make a $10 contribution to the Salvation Army to help cover luncheon food costs.

Guests include King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, as well as three White Center Heroes who will be recognized, and we will discuss Chamber plans for greater cleanup and graffiti removal within the business district and expanded business district marketing in 2012.

White Center Chamber of Commerce
White Center Heroes Award Luncheon and Toys for Tots Drive
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011 (Noon to 1:30)
Salvation Army – 9050 16th Ave. SW

Everyone is welcome.

Please RSVP the number attending to Jimie at (206) 619-1029 or by email to markufkes@comcast.net.

Just in from White Center Chamber of Commerce president Mark Ufkes:

The White Center Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission and WestSide Baby, is planning a working summit of White Center service providers on Friday, Oct 21 from 9 am to 12 pm at Mount View Presbyterian Church – 10806 12th Ave. SW.

The summit will bring together front line service providers who are currently serving the estimated 45 people struggling with homelessness and chronic alcoholism who currently live on White Center streets. The goal of this summit is to find ways to help our homeless neighbors and to establish a 10-point plan that addresses their service needs, plan a budget estimating the costs to provide these services, and discuss possible policies needed to address the challenges they create for our community.

“We are finding that more and more people are in need in White Center,” said Mark Ufkes, president, White Center Chamber of Commerce. “We estimate that our community’s homelessness has grown by about 30% this past summer. While I’m concerned about their needs, Chamber members want a family-oriented shopping district. I’m hearing from business owners that several of the new faces are aggressive and congregate in groups that can be intimidating.”

By Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for White Center Now

The White Center Chamber of Commerce’s rededication of Veterans Park in the Delridge Triangle this afternoon was the culmination of a six-year dream of nearby Triangle Tavern owner Geoffrey “Mac” McElroy.

Speaking at the ceremony, he told of his adoption of the bedraggled, non-standard-sized flag he discovered in the park upon taking ownership of the tavern six years ago. As a Navy veteran and member of a longtime military family, he recalled the importance of the journey to raise not only a properly sized flag, but to be able to have the flag fly 24 hours a day over the place where White Center and West Seattle meet.

Years of inquiries to city and county agencies, VFW groups and others were made by Mac to determine who was responsible for the orphaned veterans’ memorial, originally established by a now-defunct Glendale veterans group decades ago. Through those years, Mac paid for small replacement flags each year, but his dream was to have a full 5×8 flag fully illuminated at night, as required by federal law to fly the Stars and Stripes.

Finally, as WCN reported last December, the Chamber of Commerce, with the help of Seattle Public Utilities, determined that the flagpole did indeed have power, though the mechanisms had not been maintained or tested in years. The power source was determined and the fixtures upgraded to halogen lights in anticipation of POW/MIA Recognition Day, a national day befitting acknowledgement of those veterans who have served but never made it home.

A Color Guard in full blues from Joint Base Lewis-McChord participated in the formal ceremony and presentation of the flag.

Chamber president Mark Ufkes’ White Center Boy Scout troop also played a role, playing the somber Taps and removing the old flag, with the lively Reveille (video to come) as the brand new and much larger flag was hoisted by a troop member.

The commemorative plaque, inscripted with “To All Who Have Served Our American Flag” rededicates the park to those in the past and the present and will be maintained in perpetuity by the White Center Chamber of Commerce so that the light will always remain upon the flag, reminding future generations of those who have valiantly served.

(Photo taken this morning by Patrick Sand for WCN)
On this tenth anniversary of 9/11, tribute is being paid not only to those lost on that day, but to those who have served, before and since, to keep our country free. The White Center area’s most visible tribute is days away from rededication, and Mark Ufkes has shared the invitation to all veterans – and the rest of the community – for the event one week from today:

Calling all Veterans! There will be a re-dedication of the White Center Triangle Veterans Park, scheduled for Sunday, September 18 at 4 pm. Veterans and the entire community are invited. We have invited Medal of Honor Recipient Joe M. Jackson from Kent to help us install a new American flag, a plaque, and re-dedicate the park.

The park is located at the corner of Roxbury, Delridge and 16th Ave. SW. in White Center. (9200 Delridge). The park and flagpole were dedicated well over two decades ago by the now defunct Glendale White Center Veterans of Foreign Wars. The White Center Chamber of Commerce, working with Seattle City Light, installed flagpole lighting at the site and use the site each year to install the White Center community christmas tree.

A new plaque will be installed, and we will acknowledge the installation of lighting to allow the Chamber to fly the flag legally 24 hours per day at the park. The plaque will read;

Re-Dedication
Veterans Triangle Park
To all who have served
our American Flag

White Center Chamber of Commerce, Sept. 2011

All veterans are invited and we ask veterans to wear part of their uniform if possible. Light refreshments will be served.

(Photo by Deanie Schwarz for WCN)
With the issue of White Center (etc.) annexation before the Seattle City Council right now – a committee takes it up on Tuesday – Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn visited downtown WC this afternoon. With him in this photo, taken in front of Proletariat Pizza, are White Center Chamber of Commerce president Mark Ufkes and White Center Community Development Association executive director Aileen Balahadia; in the background, mayor’s office rep Kenny Pittman, who has long been a point person on the annexation issue. Most recently, as we have reported, McGinn’s stance has been “we can’t afford it”; WCN contributor Deanie Schwarz reports his main comment today was, “Seattle has some big decisions to make.”

Here’s the agenda for Tuesday afternoon’s Seattle Council committee meeting; here’s the briefing document (PDF) which lays out the potential timeline for a council decision on an annexation vote, as well as the potential range of financial effects if Seattle annexed the area.

Thanks to Gill for the photo and the news that the new multilingual “Welcome to White Center” signs are up in at least two spots – this one’s along SW Roxbury by Holy Family Church/School, and another one’s up at 4th SW/SW 108th. This follows the similarly themed banners that have started to go up around the area (here’s our story from two weeks ago).

ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: The Chamber board plans a photo opportunity by one of the new signs this afternoon, and also included this information about the signs:

The White Center Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Seattle Foundation and the White Center Community Development Association (CDA), has installed two new multi-language “Welcome” signs in White Center. Of the five original signs installed in the early 1990s, all are damaged beyond repair. These two signs are coated with an anti-graffiti material and represent the first phase for replacing all White Center Welcome signs. The Chamber board will gather at the sign located at Holy Family School in Seattle (Roxbury and 19th SW) at 1:00 pm today. The second new sign is located at 4th SW and SW 108th in unincorporated King County. The Chamber will continue fund raising to replace the other three signs in 2011.

ADDED: Here’s the photo!

The WC Chamber reps in attendance included, according to president Mark Ufkes, Mac McElroy, Carlos Jimenez, Jimie Martin (Chamber mgr), Nhan Nguyen, Kathi Wheeler (Chamber board member next year and sign designer) Nancy Calos Nakano, Ray Zombro, Dr. Chris Hill.

(Photos by Deanie Schwarz for White Center Now/West Seattle Blog)
As White Center Chamber of Commerce president Mark Ufkes promised during last Wednesday’s Chamber holiday luncheon (WCN coverage here), the first community Christmas tree in a very long time went up this morning in the Delridge Triangle – and a lighting ceremony is now planned for this Wednesday. White Center Now was there to get photos as lots of volunteers made it happen:

More about them, the tree, and the lighting, in this news release just sent by the WC Chamber:

The White Center Chamber of Commerce, working in partnership with many White Center businesses and families, installed the first White Center Christmas tree in decades in Seattle’s Triangle Park, on the corner of Roxbury, 16th Ave. SW, and Delridge. The Chamber will install a tree annually as a result of the positive community response to this effort.

The idea came from a Chamber discussion about encouraging White Center businesses to install Christmas lights in their windows during the holiday season. Vary Jackson, King County Sheriff Community Service Officer (CSO), suggested that a Christmas tree would look great at the park. Mac McElroy, owner of Mac’s Triangle Pub and a Chamber board member, expressed a need to secure lighting for the American flag on the park flag pole that was installed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Mac, who is also a vet, has been raising his personal American flag on the pole for several years. American flags flown at night must be lit, so Mac has been eager to solve this issue as well.

Seattle City Light and the Seattle Department of Transportation that owns the land, have been working to resolve the access to electricity issue. White Center Chamber member McLendon Hardware (Sandy Vaughn, manager) donated $250 in Christmas lights. A White Center Buddhist family (Many, Merda and Budd Chhim) donated a beautiful 22-foot Northern pine tree from their backyard “to bring good karma to White Center.” White Center attorney Dennis Pflug and resident Jimie Martin arranged to have the tree professionally cut down. Boy Scout Troop 375, with scouts from White Center, Burien and West Seattle helped install the tree with help from the King County Department of Corrections crew.

Due to the severe rain predicted through Tuesday, December 14, the official lighting for the tree will occur at 7 pm, on Wednesday night, December 15, by White Center Chamber of Commerce members.

Note the tree’s not the only new sign of holiday cheer in the Triangle’s little park:

Meantime, more information from contributor Deanie Schwarz on the power issue, affecting both the tree and the veterans’ memorial:

Ufkes says lights will be turned on soon, hopefully only temporarily, by borrowing power,perhaps from the Triangle Pub, until the responsible agency either repairs the failed fixture on the flag pole and/or a breaker is found, or both. Normally, City light poles have identifying serial numbers located near two horizontal black bands, but somewhere along the installation process years ago, this island was not assigned an ID. Or if it was assigned some other way to track it, it ostensibly has been lost. It is not a standard streetlight, but rather a lit flagpole. Whether that is the reason no department or agency has yet found any reliable data on a city installation or its maintenance remains a bit of a mystery.

According to Mac, owner of Mac’s Triangle Pub and a Navy veteran, and Ufkes, there are few places which are even allowed to fly a flag unlit in the entire country. Beyond providing an exterior power source for the community’s future use, both are hopeful that the city repairs the flagpole power to bring it into compliance with long-standing, national, flag-displaying codes and traditions for year-round honoring of the Stars and Stripes in White Center.

Again, the tree lighting is set for Wednesday – see you there!

That’s unedited video of a highlight of today’s well-attended White Center Chamber of Commerce luncheon – a celebration of community heroes, including Holy Family School principal Frank Cantwell (who you see in the screen grab on our video clip) – led by Chamber president Mark Ufkes, but featuring the heroes themselves, including two people who saved a life with CPR just last week.

The luncheon event also brought other news: White Center’s first community Christmas tree is scheduled to go up in the Delridge Triangle this Saturday, with help from local Scouts and other volunteers. As for whether it’ll have lights – that’s a little more up-in-the-air. Ufkes says the Chamber is also working to help find a solution to the power problem in the nearby Veterans’ Memorial, as identified by local entrepreneur, once-and-future candidate, and veteran “Mac” McElroy – also now a White Center Chamber board member – who pointed out last month that the memorial’s flag is unlit. And that’s not all we heard at the lunch – other milestones and achievements for the year were celebrated, as was the WC C of C board:

Members who were present were asked to come up to be introduced. The board and Chamber’s revitalization were a key point of a “2010 Community Report” handed out at the lunch. The report began by recounting the decline of the organization 2006-2009, until Holy Family principal Cantwell agreed to serve as interim president and worked with other community leaders to keep the Chamber from dying. (Current board members, minus new member McElroy, are listed on this page of the Chamber website.)

Successes past and hoped-for future were detailed, such as the “Good Neighbor” program seeking businesses’ partnership in responsible alcohol sales and new White Center signage that will welcome people in more than a dozen languages. According to the report, there also will be signs/banners in the Delridge Triangle park celebrating holidays and festivals celebrated by White Center’s many cultures – the Christmas tree will be only the first.

An important issue for the community even beyond its businesses was brought up as well: The Highline Public Schools levy that will be on next February’s ballot. (You can read about it here.) School-board member Sili Savusa discussed its importance and the need for volunteers to help with the campaign to make sure it is approved.

Want to know more about the White Center Chamber? It’s online at whitecenterchamber.org – and be sure to check out the newsletter, which can be downloaded from the chamber’s home page.

White Center Chamber of Commerce president Mark Ufkes says more than 50 local business reps have confirmed they’ll be at Tuesday’s White Center Chamber lunch at the Salvation Army – honoring White Center’s 2010 heroes. According to the advance announcement, two of them saved a life just last week with quick CPR work; a week earlier, a local church gave a potentially life-saving gift by opening its doors to homeless people during the November 22-23 wintry weather. There will also be news of a community Christmas tree to be decked this weekend! The luncheon’s at noon at the Salvation Army Community Center, 9050 16th SW.

In addition to the Shorewood multi-sale event next Saturday, we also have these notes from the White Center Chamber of Commerce: The White Center Library Guild‘s annual yard sale is on Saturday, June 5, 1110 SW 116th Street, 10 am to 3 pm. … Then the White Center Kiwanis has its annual yard sale a week later – Saturday, June 12 — in the parking lot at 9826 14th Avenue SW.