We caught up with the parade at 15th SW and SW 98th — our main camera choked and we had to pull out the trusty backup, but if you didn’t get to see it in person, this video (and music!!!) still suggests the flavor of the fun. If you see this before mid-evening, there’s still time to get over to Cafe Rozella for the concert that followed the parade. Scroll down the WCN home page to read Ricardo‘s earlier reports to find out more about the history of this tradition. ADDED LATER: We did manage to get a short clip of the end of the parade at Cafe Rozella, with a clearer view of the dancers in the shade:
Here are some more pictures from last night’s performance of Afro-Peruvian music and dance at Cafe Rozella.
May 29th, 2009 Tracy Posted in Metro, White Center newsComments Off on A freeze of sorts for Metro’s “Adopt-a-Stop”
Last night at the White Center-South Delridge Community Safety Coalition meeting, an attendee mentioned getting a letter from Metro regarding the potential end of a program in which trash cans are provided for bus stops if someone promises to keep them empty and maintained. We checked today with Metro’s Linda Thielke to see what’s going on, and she explains:
If you’ve ever been to a White Center/South Delridge Community Safety Coalition meeting, you know that’s Kathy Kaminski, one of the WCSDCSC’s energetic co-facilitators (along with Karen Greene). At the end of Thursday night’s meeting, Kathy had a personal announcement: Next meeting will be her last, as she is leaving Seattle Neighborhood Group in July to return to school, seeking a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. She says she hopes to return after her two years of studies; she’s been with SNG for five years (per its staff page).
The first of several stories we’ll be publishing from Thursday night’s White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting: You’re invited to a meeting next Thursday to talk about the new playground that’s on its way to Steve Cox Memorial Park. King County replaces play equipment every decade or so, it was explained, and this one’s due – plus, besides being safer, the new equipment apparently will have less tag-attracting surfaces. The meeting’s at 6 pm Thursday 6/4 in the community center rec room at the park. (Right before the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting just a few miles away, it was also noted; the art project for Cox Park is expected to come up at the NHUAC meeting.)
That’s our first photo from the groundbreaking less than an hour ago at the site of White Center Square; members of the Vong family, whose supermarket will anchor the new shopping center, participated along with contractors, architects, the head of King County Economic Development, and King County Council Chair Dow Constantine. We also spoke at the site with Soona Vili from White Center Community Development Association, who agreed it’s a “great day” for White Center. Rika Vong explained today was chosen for the groundbreaking because it has good feng shui – though the actual construction itself, according to the contractors, won’t start until sometime next month. Before the shovels turned dirt, the site was blessed with incense:
Here’s video:
ADDED 12:49 PM: Our video of Constantine’s remarks:
Others who spoke at the event included Rika Vong (that’s not her in the screengrab but she’s the first person you’ll see if you hit “play”):
We talked on the sidelines with the contractors, who are from Bellevue-based Buchanan; they also worked on Meridian Station, with the same architect. And we spoke with a member of the Mullen family, which owned the property for a century before selling to the Vongs; they’re just happy to see something finally being done with the land. ADDED THURSDAY NIGHT: Here’s the official news release from King County:
Ground broken at White Center Square
$11 million project uses public funding, will create 60 jobs
The revitalization of the White Center community received a major boost this morning with the groundbreaking for an $11 million retail plaza in the neighborhood’s business district that utilizes a $6.25 million federal loan.
“There is very tight competition for these federal funds. This project won support from a review panel that includes representatives from across King County—and for several good reasons,” said Metropolitan King County Council Chair Dow Constantine, who represents the White Center neighborhood. “This project will create new retail space and new jobs, while providing a new home for a longtime community business, the Vong family’s Asian market.”
This retail project will bring 60 new jobs to White Center.
Legislation approved by the King County Council in March authorizes the Executive to borrow $6.25 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and re-lend those funds to the White Center Investment Fund, LLC. The legislation also pledges the County’s Community Development Block Grants funds as additional security for the loans. The White Center Square project will also benefit from a federal tax credit.
The investment Fund will use the loan to leverage the additional funding needed to complete a new 26,500 square foot retail/office plaza near Greenbridge. Greenbridge is a mixed-income community built on the site of the former Park Lake Homes, the King County Housing Authority’s oldest and largest public housing development
“We have seen major public investments nearby—most notably in the form of Greenbridge project, White Center Heights Elementary School, and White Center Heights Park,” said Constantine. “King County has been a big part of this effort. I am proud to celebrate another step forward for the White Center neighborhood.”
Advisory just in from King County Council Chair Dow Constantine‘s office:
King County Council Chair Dow Constantine will join the owners of the White Center Square development for a groundbreaking ceremony to launch this retail project, which was funded through a $6.25 million loan from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development:
Thursday, May 28
10:00 a.m.
White Center Square site
Corner of 15th Avenue SW and SW 100th St.
Constantine will speak at around 10:30 a.m.
The $11 million project, which will provide 60 new jobs for the White Center neighborhood, was authorized on March 30 by the King County Council.
May 25th, 2009 Tracy Posted in Metro, White Center newsComments Off on Metro buses on Sunday schedule today
You know the usual holiday drill – schools, most government facilities, banks closed, etc. — but in case you need to take public transit, we also wanted to let you know: Metro is running its Sunday schedule today.
May 22nd, 2009 FullTilt Posted in White Center newsComments Off on New art at Full Tilt
Many of you saw him at the Rat City Rummage a few months back. Dave Ryan is a stencil artists from Bremerton, Washington. All of his art work is done on recycled goods, such as old LP’s, windows and thrift store canvases. Dave enjoys painting silly and epic things, has two different sized feet, and can grow a fairly thick beard when cold or frightened.
Currently he has 42 stenciled LP’s on the walls, and two larger paintings. We had 49 yesterday, so they are going pretty quick.
Followup to our report earlier this week about White Center Community Development Association getting a $5,000 award from the Seattle mayor’s office, which will be used for business-district branding: The mayor’s office just shared this photo of WCCDA’s Karen Veloria accepting the check from Mayor Nickels at the awards-announcement event in Columbia City yesterday.
The draft agenda is now out for next Thursday night’s White Center-South Delridge Community Safety Coalition meeting – read on to see what you’ll hear if you go: Read the rest of this entry »
On June 13, 2009 Technology Access Foundation (TAF) will host our Robotics competition for TechStart, our after school program. Six classes will be participating: five from Highline (grades 4th-6th) and one from Seattle. (Grades 6th-8th) The event will take place at the White Center Boys and Girls Club, 9800 8th Ave. SW, Suite 105, from 9 AM to 1 PM. The students will be required to build robots that compete in four events:
1. Tug of War (head to head) (30 minutes)
2. Archery – 2:30 for each run w/ 5 min between rounds (35 minutes)
This morning in Columbia City, the Seattle mayor’s office is awarding grants to business and community groups from all over Seattle, and one of them is going to the White Center Community Development Association (whose headquarters are on the Seattle side of WC). Congratulations! (P.S. WCCDA has posted even more photos from last weekend’s Spring Clean on its website, plus a big “thank you” to the nearly 400 people who joined in last weekend’s event.) THURSDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: The city has released the full list of grant recipients and the amounts; WCCDA’s grant is for $5,000. According to the mayor’s office, WCCDA will use the money for a “business-district-branding campaign.”
Grab a friend and join WestSide Baby tomorrow, May 21st,from 7-9pm, for our monthly “After Hours” sorting frenzy. Enjoy an evening of sorting donations, socializing and making a difference in the community!
Please RSVP to Sarah@westsidebaby.org if you know you will be able to attend. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult and it is especially important for us to know if minors are coming so we can prepare appropriate jobs for them.
We also have an ongoing need for larger size diapers (Sizes 4-6) and Pull-ups (Sizes 3t and 4t).
WestSide Baby is at 10032 15th Ave. SW in White Center.
The annexation vote for part of North Highline is now less than three months away, and the open house that the City of Burien is presenting at Salmon Creek School tonight is the first one since the question was officially placed on the ballot. It’s from 6:30-8 pm; here are full details from the Burien website.
Two advocates for keeping Evergreen Pool open, veteran Cyril Miller and North Highline firefighter Ed Marrs, are pleading their case with King County Council leaders today, according to this seattletimes.com story, which says they’ll be meeting with County Council Chair Dow Constantine and Councilmember Larry Phillips this afternoon. Evergreen Pool remains slated for shutdown after the end of next month unless either the county finds more money or a community coalition figures out how to take it over.
Thanks to James Bush from the office of King County Council Chair Dow Constantine for sharing photos from today’s big White Center Cleanup – we also have a reporter covering the cleanup and legislative Town Hall on behalf of White Center Now and West Seattle Blog and will have more later. Above, that’s Constantine welcoming the group just after 9 this morning; next two photos, 34th District Democrats reps hit the street, followed by Constantine pulling weeds:
Proposed annexation by Burien of southern portion of
North Highline placed on August ballot
Residents of unincorporated urban community to decide if they want to join city
Residents of unincorporated King County who live in the southern portion of the North Highline community will have a chance to decide if they want to join the city of Burien, after the King County Council today placed an annexation proposal on the August 18 primary ballot.
“This is a historic day for North Highline. We have discussed and debated governance issues for this area since I joined this Council in 2002 and we will finally have the opportunity for the voters to weigh in,” said Council Chair Dow Constantine, sponsor of the legislation and representative of Council District Eight, which includes all of North Highline. “This proposal is the product of a lot of hard work by the city of Burien, the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, King County, and many citizens in the annexation area.”
The Burien annexation proposal has been approved by the Washington State Boundary Review Board of King County, and negotiations have been completed regarding the continued provision of fire protection services in the area.
The proposed annexation area is bordered by the city of Seattle on the west, South and Southwest 128th streets on the south, the city of Tukwila on the east, and on the north by a boundary variously formed by South and Southwest 107th to 116th streets. It contains 1,679 acres of land with an assessed valuation of $1.16 billion and an estimated population of 14,100.
This ordinance instructs the King County Director of Elections to prepare and distribute a local voters’ pamphlet with information about the annexation proposal to registered voters in the affected portion of North Highline.
