White Center Now: The blog about White Center

(July 2011 photo courtesy Gill)
From our partners at the Seattle Times: Two people have been sentenced in connection with the case that sparked a raid reported here last July. Times reporter Mike Lindblom writes, in part:

… Magnolia Gin, 52, of Seattle, was sentenced to 18 months and Son Hoang Le, 35, of Bellevue, was sentenced to 24 months. They were arrested in July 2011.

Holders of food-aid cards entered Gin’s business at Asian Bubble Tea and would leave with cash. The card would be swiped at Le’s business, D.P. Northwest Halal & Asian Food. …

Café Rozella proprietor Leticia Martinez is certainly proud of her coffee shop’s new look. But when we stopped in during the “reopening” celebration tonight, we found out she is even prouder of an achievement by her son Patrick – who just got an honor-roll certificate commemorating his 4.0 GPA at Madison Middle School. (Congratulations, Patrick!) He is a fixture at the shop, which has always been a home to art and a celebration of creativity, but is now artistically decorated in its own right:

Tonight’s event included live music – playing a handmade instrument from Germany, we found Craig Cinderich:

There’s also a new menu at Rozella, with added savory/hearty options as well as the to-be-expected sweets (often including Leticia’s home-baked breads). Tonight’s ringleader, White Center business-community cheerleader Aileen Sison, says there’s a celebration ahead on April 20th, too, so if you couldn’t make it to the café tonight, mark your calendar.

Just received from Evergreen Aquatic Center:
Everybody Swims! And Pay Only What You Can.

Kids can plunge into spring this year with quality swim instruction and water safety lessons at the Evergreen Community Aquatic Center in White Center.

Whitewater Aquatics Management will teach any child who wants to learn to swim and have fun safely in the water – regardless of their ability to pay – from April 17 through May 23.

A non-profit pool, ECAC and Whitewater Aquatics Management asks only that parents pay what they can afford, even if it’s nothing, for their kids to participate in this special community session.

And if you can pay and can also help other families who can’t, we thank you for your donation and the much needed assistance in giving more kids this springtime swimming opportunity.

Not only will the lessons help children enjoy swimming but will also aid in the prevention of drowning, the second leading cause of death in children.

While an eight-session lesson block usually costs $72, no one will be turned away because of cost.

But space is limited. To take advantage of the reduced rate, please sign up in person at Evergreen Community Aquatic Center on a weekday between 4:00 and 8 p.m. – as soon as you can to ensure your child’s space.

Lessons will take place twice a week, Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday, between 4 and 6 p.m for 30 minutes per class.

Just announced by the Southwest Boys and Girls Club in Greenbridge – a breakfast event providing a chance to come show your support:

Join us for our Celebration “Coming Home” which will honor our students, alumni and lifelong supporters of the Southwest Boys & Girls Club

Our Mission: Opening doors to GREAT futures

Why we need your support: It is so important to continue to provide experiences and investment in the future of the kids who rely on the Boys & Girls Club

Our challenge: With reduced state funding, tighter corporate budgets and now so many more families in need, we must rely on the support of people like you who can make a difference.

Thursday, May 10, 2012
7:00 – 8:30 AM
Program promptly begins at 7:30AM

Guest Speakers

Jack Thompson, former NFL quarterback
Evergreen High School Grad, WSU Grad, current banking consultant with Sterling Bank

Gene Woodard
Director of Facilities Services at UW, Club Kid from Portola Boys Club in San Francisco, Southwest Youth Hoops Coach 1998

Justin Cox
2007 Southwest Youth of the Year & King County Youth of the Year & 2011 WSU Grad

Southwest Boys & Girls Club Gymnasium
9800 8th Ave SW, Suite 105 – Seattle, WA

To reserve your seat call 206-436-1911 or email eslagle@positiveplace.org

(2011 White Center Spring Clean photo by Deanie Schwarz for WCN)
May 19th may sound like it’s a long ways off, but it’s time now to sign up to be part of this year’s White Center Spring Clean – the neighborhood’s signature annual cleanup-and-brighten-up event. The official website now has a registration form – find it here and get your name on the list to be one of hundreds of volunteers pitching in on May 19th!.

From North Highline Unincorporated Area Council president Barbara Dobkin:

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council will hold a special meeting on Thursday, March 29, at 7 pm at the North Highline Fire Station, 1243 112th Street SW, to discuss how the changes to the King County Citizen Participation Initiative and the new framework for public engagement will affect the council and community. As always, we welcome community participation.

(Have a meeting or event announcement? E-mail whitecenternow@gmail.com any time!)

If you don’t know them already, that’s outgoing White Center Community Development Association executive director Aileen Balahadia at left, with her successor Sili Savusa at right, photographed during the Friday reception/celebration at Greenbridge. Savusa started work at WCCDA a few days after her new role was announced March 15th; she had previously worked at West Seattle-based Southwest Youth and Family Services, whose executive director Steve Daschle was among the reception’s attendees (at right in the next photo with White Center Storefront Deputy BJ Myers):

Balahadia announced her departure back in December, and leaves after eight years of WCCDA growth described in the announcement we published then.

The sign is up at the former White Center Albertsons, with more signage in the works right now.

As the new owners had told us last month, it is open during remodeling and is now Super Saver Foods. Here’s our original report from February; the takeover happened this week as planned.

While we were there, warehouse workers from Supervalu were on hand stocking the store (and so proud about it, they posed for a big group photo out front!). The store does not have a pharmacy – Albertsons transferred its customers to its 1st Avenue South store in Burien last month. Burien is also where the new Super Saver Foods’ parent company has its nearest store.

From Mikel Davila at the White Center Community Development Association, word of a 4:30 pm reception at the Greenbridge community’s Educare Building (625 SW 100th) to bid farewell to departing executive director Aileen Balahadia and say hello to her successor, Sili Savusa (previous WCN coverage here). The reception is scheduled to last till 7 pm.

Five weeks after we broke the news that Anthony Haroldlee Smith had pleaded guilty to murdering Sweetheart Failautusi in White Center last year, his sentencing’s been delayed three weeks. According to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe, Smith is now due in court at 2 pm Friday, April 13th, to be sentenced by King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu. As part of the plea agreement we reported last month, the state is recommending a sentence of 184 months – that’s 15 years, 4 months in prison.

Big Al Brewing makes it, and starting April 6th you can drink it – the winner of the “name the charity beer” contest has just been announced, and it’s Hi-Yu Brü. Read all about it, including where in WC to get it, on partner site West Seattle Blog.

The aerial view of Greenbridge is courtesy of West Seattle pilot/photographer Long B. Nguyen, who often shares spectacular views with our partner site West Seattle Blog. In this case, his image of Greenbridge landed in our inbox about the same time we received a note from King County Housing Authority project manager James Rooney, announcing a milestone – the first homes sold at Greenbridge.

The development’s status had been a source of some controversy with local community activists, since it was intended to be more a mix of owned and rented homes, like West Seattle’s High Point. Last fall, construction of the first seven homes intended for sale began at 8th and 100th. And now, Rooney tells WCN, they’re done, and sales have closed on four of them, with one more under contract, leaving two up for sale. He adds, “Although these homes are available for all buyers, HomeSight is offering up to $45,000 in down-payment assistance to buyers earning up to 80% of area median income.” (In case you’re househunting – here’s the official flyer.)

Just in from Stefanie of Proletariat Pizza, word that “Oxbow Farm‘s CSA will now be delivering to our area, and Proletariat will be the pick up spot this June. Oxbow is a fantastic organic farm in Carnation- their quality of produce is well known and respected- and it’s only available in limited areas, during a limited time (our shorter growing season), and I am so excited that such a fantastic CSA is now available here! It’s a perfect supplement to growing one’s own veggies and occasional trips to the Farmers’ Market.”

Starting next month, Highline Community College will offer a class, Introduction to Communications, in Greenbridge. Here’s the official announcement.

Just in from tonight’s Burien City Council meeting: They’ve set April 2nd, their next meeting, as the date to “consider” whether to proceed with an annexation election. Under a timeline set out by city administration, they would have to decide either then, or April 16th, that they wanted an August 7th election, in order for that to proceed through the system in enough time for that to happen.

Addressing one ongoing concern, City Manager Mike Martin told the council he has sought repeated assurances that the sales-tax credit will remain in the state budget – and so far, it’s still there. Burien says that money is vital to being able to afford the annexation. (At one point, Governor Gregoire had proposed cutting it, but that proposal stalled.) Councilmember Jack Block Jr. wondered what the latest date for a decision would be if they were seeking to put annexation on the November ballot instead of the August ballot.

During the public-comment section at the start of the meeting, 12 of the 15 speakers talked about annexation – seven against, five for. Among the pro-annexation speakers was Vera Johnson, proprietor of Village Green Perennial Nursery:

She said she decided at the last minute to show up and speak; she believes it would be overwhelmingly positive for Burien to annex White Center. We have the entire public-comment period on video, along with the discussion on the annexation item, and will add those clips as soon as they are uploaded following our crew’s return to HQ.

ADDED 11:12 PM: Here’s the video from the public-comment period. It is unedited, starting with the second speaker during that part of the meeting, the first one to address the annexation issue, and continuing through the last speaker, who also talked about annexation:

At about 34 minutes into the video, Barbara Dobkin speaks to the council for, she said, the first time as North Highline Unincorporated Area Council president, recounting the council’s support for annexation, and its accomplishments in recent years, including advocacy on behalf of concerned residents dealing with difficult issues.

Did you throw a name into the ring .. er, mug … for the beer-naming contest? Jeff Gilbert of Feedback Lounge in West Seattle says judges – from White Center as well as WS – are going over the suggestions now, and will make their decision in time for a big announcement Wednesday night at 6, to let the world know what will follow “Lowman Brau” and “Whale Tail Ale”:

THE “GIVE THIS FOAM A HOME” CONTEST IS OVER! A huge thanks to everyone in West Seattle and White Center who sent in their entries to name the new Big Al Brewing charity beer.

We will announce the winner on Wednesday, March 21 at 6PM. There are 12 judges sifting through hundreds of entries; their job is a tough one – there are a LOT of really creative and clever names suggested by the community. But in the end, only one name will stand victorious!

The judges are community business members from THE FEEDBACK LOUNGE, WEST 5, SHADOWLAND, MISSION, THE BRIDGE, LOCÖL, BEVERIDGE PLACE PUB, COMPANY BAR, and of course, BIG AL BREWING. And we’ve enlisted several folks from THE WEST, the new West Seattle/White Center arts collective.

While we tabulate, here’s some interesting stats about the contest entries…

• 90% of the names were contributed by women
• 50% of the people who entered actually read the rules
• 60 people entered a half dozen names or more, meaning they did not read the rules
• Most of the people who entered came from the High Point/Highland Park areas
• Most of the names had references to Alki, High Point and Roxbury, with a few Duwamishes thrown in)
• People sending in the same name were given the chance to enter again, giving everyone a shot of the big prize

You’re invited:

The next Community Safety Meeting will be held this Thursday, March 21st from 6 pm – 8 pm at the Joe Wiley Room in Greenbridge, located at 9800 8th Ave SW. We want to continue looking at ways to build our group and strengthen our community and we would love to get your input and/or suggestions.

A light meal and other refreshments will be provided.

We’re continuing to track who’s applying for a license to sell hard liquor, once privatization takes full effect June 1st. The latest to apply: The White Center Bartell Drugs store at 15th/Roxbury put in its application last week, according to the state Liquor Control Board website. The new owners of the White Center Albertsons store, Saar’s, which is about to rebrand it as Super Saver Foods, also are seeking a license to sell hard liquor. And the Walgreens store that’s just over the White Center/West Seattle line at 16th/Roxbury has applied too. As for the current state liquor store in WC, the license to sell liquor there – if a lease can be worked out, among other conditions – remains up for auction, along with the licenses of other state liquor stores, and the bidding is now up to $6,600 (it started at $1,000 minimum).

White Center and West Seattle establishments have been involved for the past almost-year in an ongoing fundraiser involving special beers brewed by WC’s own Big Al Brewing and sold, with a percentage of proceeds going to charity. The first two have had names that spoofed West Seattle landmarks – but the next one might have a White Center-centric name, depending on how the results of a contest come out. In case you hadn’t heard about it already, we wanted to let you know that today is the deadline to suggest a name. The full story, including how to make a suggestion and which WC establishments are participating, is on our partner site West Seattle Blog – see it here.

Thanks to Gill for the view of snow on the green this St. Patrick’s Day morning. Seems we might be in for another round tomorrow morning – the Sunday forecast begins in a similar vein, possible snow showers all the way up till late morning.