White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Heard about the “benefit charge” for the North Highline Fire District that’ll be on the August primary ballot? If not, here’s your primer, from last Thursday night’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting:

Lt. Ray Pettigrew stood in for Chief Mike Marrs, who he said couldn’t make it because of illness. With maps and a PowerPoint, he explained the money proposal, as well as some basics about the NHFD itself:

*Each station has 1 engine staffed with three firefighters at any given time, he said – sometimes a bit more because of volunteers.

*Vast majority of the job is going on aid calls

*278 false alarms – “almost one per day”

*42 hazmat calls

*526 “other” calls – illegal burns, barbecues mistaken for fires

About 12 calls a day between the two stations, so “they’re pretty busy.”

He says it’s a matter of financial need – “we’ve done everything we can to try to cut expenses
… we’ve used reserves … we’ve contracted to have Burien chief also be the North Highline chief,” but they’re about out of reserves if no new funding is found. In addition, he noted, the district has gotten smaller, with the 2010 Burien annexation, for example.

Proposition 1 on the August ballot needs a simple yes/no vote. If passed, it sets up a six-year run for the charge – with potential renewals thereafter. It’s not a tax, Pettigrew stressed, “it’s a fee,” and it’s charged based on factors such as square footage and whether a building has sprinklers or not.

For the average owner of a 2,000 square foot home worth $250,000, their tax/fee bill would go up $6/month, he said. It would only be charged for structures, not for empty land. Other districts with a “benefit charge” include Kent, Auburn, Woodinville, and Eastside Fire.

“It allows us to stabilize our funding so we’re not subject to property values going up and down, more ability to plan long range,” he said.

The NHFD commissioners voted at their April meeting to put it on the August ballot.

If you couldn’t make it to last Thursday’s June meeting of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council – NHUAC’s last meeting until September – we have video highlights. First, tonight we bring you president Barbara Dobkin‘s introduction, followed by a crime/safety briefing and Q&A with King County Sheriff’s Office Deputy BJ Myers:

Toplines of what he said: Top Hat has been a trouble spot lately, and the recent deadly shooting is just one of the notable crimes. (Though some other media outlets keep referring to the location as “White Center” or “near White Center,” yes, it was Top Hat, and Deputy Myers referred to the location that way too.) No, he said, the gun used in the killing has not been found, but suspect Drurell J. Collier is jailed in lieu of $2 million bail and will be arraigned Wednesday. He also talked about the arrest in the 24th/Roxbury rape/assault case; suspect Christopher Anthony Brown was booked into jail here, after extradition, later Thursday night. And Deputy Myers talked about gunfire damaging a car and other property along 107th – people apparently didn’t call 911 when it happened, but he urges that everything be reported. He also mentioned possible cuts for KCSO again in the next budget cycle.

Wednesday: The centerpiece of the meeting, a discussion of the North Highline Fire District‘s status and upcoming ballot measure.

If you didn’t make it to Friday’s fundraising carnival at Mount View Elementary, you missed more than a chance to play games and support good causes … you missed talented local kids showing their stuff! Above, the Seattle Derby Brats showed off their skills on wheels, and promoted their upcoming weekly camp days in August (one for girls 8-11, one for girls 12-17, more info on both at seattlederbybrats.com). Below, young artists from SANCA – the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts:

Big crowd was there when we stopped by about midway through the carnival. P.S. June 17th is this year’s last day of school – one week from Tuesday.

Something to shred? Get it done for free – up to four boxes’ worth – during today’s open house at newly opened PBJ Textiles (in the former South End Florist storefront just south of 16th/107th). It’s on until 1 pm and they’re offering free ice cream too (White Center’s own Full Tilt, of course).

12:04 AM: We don’t have complete details but we do have a bit of info about why Guardian One was over White Center in the past half-hour. The King County Sheriff’s Office crew tweeted that they were helping White Center patrol deputies with someone “on a roof” on SW 106th, but the person came down on their own. What they were doing on the roof – that, we probably won’t be able to find out until morning. (If you are in the area and know, text us at 206-293-6302!)

1:28 AM: No audio, but Guardian One’s crew has published this video of the incident:

Exactly one additional word of information is available – it’s captioned “drunk man” on roof in White Center.

It’s official – the Highline Public Schools board has voted to put a bond measure on the November ballot. Full details in this announcement from the district:

A school construction bond to repair or replace deteriorating schools and ease overcrowding will go before voters on November 4, 2014. The School Board passed a resolution at its June 4 meeting to place the bond measure on the ballot.
If approved, the bond would:

-Rebuild Highline High School,

-Replace Des Moines Elementary School at the Zenith site (16th Place S. & S. 240th St., Des Moines),

-Build a new middle school at the Manhattan site (440 S. 186th St., Burien),

-Build a new middle school at the Glacier site (2450 S. 142nd Street, SeaTac),

-Make critical renovations at Tyee and Evergreen campuses,

-Provide technology improvements throughout the district,

-Make capital improvements to support arts education throughout the district, and

-Address additional critical needs throughout the district.

The bond is necessary to meet two significant challenges facing Highline schools:

1. Growing Enrollment: Projections show more than 2,000 additional students will enter Highline schools over the next 8 to 10 years. The bond would add classrooms, provide space to lower class sizes in grades K through 3, and meet the growing number of students in Highline schools. Without additional classrooms, class sizes will get larger instead of smaller, and the district would likely have to forfeit up to $2.2 million a year in extra state funding targeted for lowering class size.

2. Deteriorating Buildings: The measure would increase student safety by replacing two buildings that are nearly 100 years old and were not built to current earthquake and fire code. Critical improvements would be made in other aging buildings, especially the Tyee and Evergreen high school campuses.

“As our buildings age, repairs and maintenance are becoming more and more expensive, draining money away from the classroom,” said Chief of Staff and Finance Duggan Harman. “In addition, these older buildings do not have the electrical capacity to support the educational technology our students need to be prepared for the workplace of tomorrow.”

Planning for the bond included community input, a professional analysis of building conditions, updates to enrollment projections, and multiple Board work sessions.

School construction and capital improvements are funded through voter-approved bonds. A bond measure must be approved by a 60 percent margin.

Here is how the cost to homeowners breaks down for the $385 million bond:

Total Bond Measure Cost
$385.1 Million
Rate per thousand of Assessed Value
$1.12
Average Home Value
$201,900.00
Projected Cost Per Year
$226.92
Projected Cost Per Month
$18.91

For more details about the proposed bond, visit the Building for Tomorrow Today section on the district website.

One of the most unsettling crimes so far this year in White Center and vicinity has been the rape and beating of a 58-year-old woman early one morning in March. This afternoon, King County Sheriff’s Office says a suspect is in custody – found via DNA evidence:

Police in Oklahoma arrested a 25 year old male for the March rape of a female in the White Center area.

The case was solved when the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab developed a DNA profile from evidence collected at the scene which matched the male. He had apparently been visiting King County from Oklahoma when the crime was committed.

The King County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges of Rape in the 1st degree and Assault in the 1st degree. An arrest warrant was issued and law enforcement in Oklahoma arrested him yesterday.

The suspect will have to go through the extradition process before being returned to King County.

We’re working to get the charging documents to find out more.

5 PM UPDATE: The charging documents we just obtained from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office identify the suspect as 25-year-old Christopher Anthony Brown. They say his record in Oklahoma goes back seven years and includes convictions for burglary and assault/battery on a justice/social-services system worker.

Read the rest of this entry »

(Dancing in the street outside Center Studio during 8/2013 Block Party)
From Vy Nguyen at the White Center Community Development Association:

Downtown White Center will be kicking off summer with a block party on June 14th, Saturday, going from 3 p.m. until dusk with many activities for attendees of all ages. The June event boasts pop up shopping with Maker’s Market at Center Studio, a beer garden at Big Al Brewing, Metal Skate Night at Southgate Skating Rink along with live bands at several other local favorite establishments (Triangle Pub, Company Bar, Rat City Records, and Full Tilt to name a few), and the most delicious way to enjoy White Center with a $2 food walk.

Local non-profits White Center Community Development Association (WCCDA) and White Center Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) along with local business owners hope to build upon last year’s block party in August 2013, which was organized as part of National Night Out. The neighborhood was busier than many had ever seen with hundreds of attendees on a warm summer evening coming to White Center for the first time, or with residents who wanted to come, support their neighbors’ business or be part of something fun in their neighborhood.

Lead organizer this year is WCCC Board member and business owner of Herban Legends, Chris Cody, says, “I just think folks should come out and see what all the great businesses here in White Center have to offer.” Cody, along with the rest of the WCCC, the WCCDA, and local business owners hope to organize another – bigger and better — block party in White Center later this summer in August.

Stay updated with the June Block Party on their event page or by connecting with the White Center Chamber of Commerce on Facebook. All inquiries can also be directed to Vy Nguyen of WCCDA via e-mail (vy@wccda.org).

On our partner site West Seattle Blog, we’re covering a house fire at Delridge/Barton. This is of potential interest to WC for two main reasons: #1, you might notice the TV helicopter hovering overhead; #2, Delridge is blocked at the scene, so if you are heading north toward West Seattle, try an alternate route, like 8th SW or 35th SW.

As the flyer shows, the next North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting is less than a week away. And it’s a hot topic in more ways than one, as announced by NHUAC president Barbara Dobkin:

When: Thursday, June 5 – 7 pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station – 1243 112th Street SW

Please plan on joining us for an important community discussion regarding the future of our North Highline Fire District (NHFD). The residents of North Highline will have an opportunity to vote in August on a “Benefit Charge” to provide much needed support our NHFD. Fire Chief Mike Marrs will provide information on the past, present and future of fire district and what impact the Benefit Charge will have on property owners as well as the fire district.

We will also have our White Center Storefront Deputy BJ Myers on hand to provide updates on crime trends – this is a great time to share your concerns regarding community safety.

Just in from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office – 28-year-old Drurell J. Collier is charged with first-degree murder in the Memorial Day shooting death of 23-year-old Excalibur Scott near 2nd and Myers in Top Hat. Here’s our original report; here’s our followup, in which authorities alleged that Scott was going to “record” a fight between Collier and another man. The charging documents just made public say Scott’s phone instead recorded Collier shooting him after shouting, “You want something to film?” Collier is also charged with second-degree assault against the man he was supposed to “fight” that day, and also with burglary for breaking into a nearby home. Prosecutors requested that his $750,000 bail be raised to $2 million. More to come as we review the documents.

ADDED: Here’s the story the documents tell – As noted before, the suspect and victim were walking with people they knew. Another man came up and accused Collier of stealing from a relative of his. The two began to argue, and the group moved on to 2nd on the south side of Myers. The fourth man in the group told investigators that Collier and the other man agreed to solve the disagreement with a fight; he asked Collier to turn over the gun he knew Collier was carrying, but Collier refused. Excalibur Scott pulled out his cell phone to get the fight on video. The fourth man said he was walking away when he heard a gunshot and saw Scott fall to the ground, then saw Collier run away, with the other man chasing him. When deputies arrived, they were told of someone matching Collier’s description running through their yards. They found him a few blocks away in what turned out to be his parents’ home.

A witness to the shooting identified him, and they arrested him, finding seven .22 caliber bullets in one of his pockets; Collier’s parents told deputies a .22-caliber Derringer handgun had disappeared from their home a week earlier, and that they suspected their son of taking it.
Later, investigators discovered that Collier had gone to his brother’s home in the same area just before going to his parents’ home, and had changed his clothes there, leaving behind another pair of pants, this one with two .22-caliber bullets in a pocket.

And they found that a nearby house had been broken into, with a custom-designed sweatshirt missing – one found on Collier when he was arrested.

More to come …

If you have something to shred, you’ll be able to do that for free June 7th at PB&J Textiles, now open at the former South End Florist location at 10728 16th SW. They’re offering free shredding 9 am-1 pm that day in honor of White Center Spring Clean Day, and as part of an open-house event:

Bring (up to 4 boxes per person) of paper you would like to have securely shredded. In addition to the shredding, we’ll be open to show the community all the great things PB&J brings to White Center. Plus, stop in for a special PB&J ice cream cone from Full Tilt Ice Cream. We’ll have goodie bags, drawings and other fun activities.

Here’s a Facebook event you can join if you’ll need a reminder!

(WCN photo from Monday)
The man arrested in connection with Monday’s deadly shooting in Top Hat remains jailed after a hearing today, and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office has made the victim’s name public: Excalibur Scott, 23 years old.

King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe says the 28-year-old suspect did not appear at today’s hearing in a jailhouse courtroom, but the judge ruled there is probable cause to hold him on suspicion of second-degree murder. According to documents presented in the case, based on police reports, the suspect was walking with Scott and another man when the suspect “became involved in an argument with a fourth male … over an alleged theft or burglary. (The suspect and the fourth man) agreed to fight over the allegation and (victim Scott) was to have reportedly recorded this fight.” Before it began, the suspect was said to be in possession of a .22 caliber chrome Derringer handgun. During the fight, the documents say, Scott was shot in the chest and died at the scene. The suspect ran off and was arrested nearby. The investigation continues; a bail hearing for the suspect is set for tomorrow. Records do not show any felony convictions for him in this state, but he spent a day in jail last month related to a warrant for failing to appear in connection with an obstruction-of-justice case from last fall.

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Bail for the suspect is now set at $750,000. We should find out about charges on Thursday.

(WCN photos by Patrick Sand)
5:24 PM: A homicide investigation is under way in the 10700 block of Myers Way S. (map) in Top Hat, east of White Center. Discussion monitored via scanner earlier indicated that a shooting suspect was taken into custody in the 10800 block of 8th S. That’s all we know so far, but the King County Sheriff’s Office’s spokesperson Sgt. DB Gates is en route and our crew should have more information soon.

5:57 PM UPDATE: Sgt. Gates told media at the scene that the suspect and victim, both in their 20s, both live in the area where the shooting happened and had been in a dispute over some kind of “property.” They are still questioning the suspect; the shooting happened outdoors and the victim’s body has not yet been removed from the scene.

7:14 PM: Added video of the full briefing by Sgt. Gates (above).

Got another question on Friday about what’s going into the former White Center Blockbuster Video at 16th/107th, which closed back in February 2013. County records bring the answer: A dental company from Eastern Washington plans to open a clinic with eight chairs. We’ll be contacting the company to see if we can find out more about the timetable; they just had a “pre-construction conference” with the county three weeks ago.

The King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter Guardian One was back in the general White Center area again earlier this afternoon, and we’ve just confirmed details of what was going on: According to KCSO spokesperson Sgt. DB Gates, deputies briefly pursued a car that had been stolen near Mount View Elementary, in the 12th/108th vicinity. The suspected thief abandoned the car – a Honda CR-V – and ran; he was arrested in the vicinity of SW 98th and 15th SW.

Save the date – you’re invited to a carnival at White Center’s Mount View Elementary on June 6th, with two schools getting a boost from it! Here’s the announcement:

The public is invited to attend the Mount View Elementary Carnival, benefiting its PTA and its sister school in Honduras.

Money raised at the carnival will go to Light of Esperanza, a non-profit that is renovating the village school in Vega Redonda, Honduras, Mount View’s sister school. A portion of the proceeds will go to the school’s PTA for the 2014-2015 school year.

The carnival will also celebrate the scholastic achievements of Mount View students throughout the school year.

“These students deserve recognition and a reward for all of their hard work,” said Reading Instructor Shoshanna Cohen. “What better way to do so than with a day of fun with the Seattle community.”

Carnival details:
• Mount View Elementary School

• 10811 12th Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98146

• Friday, June 6

• 5-7 p.m.

Event activities include carnival games and prizes, face painting, circus acts with lessons, live music, art projects, raffle drawing, and more. Carnival game tickets will be $0.50 per game. Many students earned free tickets at school based on good grades and behavior. Raffle tickets will be $1.

That video is part of a brand-new crowdfunding campaign in hopes of raising money to get ukuleles for students at White Center Heights Elementary School – watch it to get their thanks in advance, and then go here to contribute.

Thanks to everybody who has tipped us that Guardian One – the King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, which assists other law-enforcement agencies too – had been circling in the North Shorewood/White Center/east Arbor Heights area. KCSO spokesperson Sgt. DB Gates tells us they were helping investigate what she describes as an assault case involving people who know each other and were in “a disagreement over money owed.” Patrol deputies are still investigating on the ground, but the helicopter should be gone now.

After a bit of an unscheduled break, we’re back. Big day at the White Center Library, in case you are looking for things to do – three events on the schedule: Game On! 3-5 pm, Homework Help 5-7, Somali Story Time for all ages, 6:30-7 pm. P.S. All branches of the library will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday.