White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Evergreen High School football director Alfred Johnson sends word of a fun fundraiser this Saturday night:

The coaches and players of the Evergreen High School Football team would like to thank you and the White Center/Boulevard Park Communities for coming out to support the team last football season.

With a new coaching staff and a young team, it really means a lot to the young men to know that the community is interested and encouraging the team to be better students and have a successful season.

This weekend, the EHS Football Team will be hosting a Pasta Dinner Fundraiser, Sat, June 27th, 2009, 7:00pm Start @ the Southwest Boys & Girls Club. This is the first major fundraiser of our new season; the young men of the EHS Football team will be there as food servers and host. The team is attempting to raise enough funds and solicit sponsorships to purchase new uniforms, provide partial funding of the “pay to play” requirement being passed down to the Highline School District and to build the Football Booster funds in order to tend to the needs of EHS football during the upcoming season and beyond.

There will be special guest speakers who be speaking through out the evening (Greg Lewis, former UW football player & Derek Sparks, former WSU football player among many) and the EHS football players will perform their game day “Hakka” as part of the evenings entertainment. Special thanks to Joe Salle of Bernie & Boys Market in White Center for providing the Pasta dinner and the Southwest Boys & Girls Club for letting us use their facilities. …

I think it will be a great time for all and that the EHS Football players will do all that they can to make the evening a success.

It’s a busy primary election ballot on August 18th, but few have more at stake than those who will cast ballots on whether to let their section of North Highline be annexed by Burien. If you’re still making up your mind on North Highline South Annexation Area Proposition 1, note that the city of Burien has scheduled two more “open house” format meetings to for annexation information – July 14 and 29; more details on the city’s website. Remember that this is a by-mail-only election (countywide); ballots will be mailed July 29, according to the King County Elections website, where you can find full details on everything else you’ll be voting on..

(WCN photo from March)
It’s a followup to the BOOM Youth Summit three months ago – a chance to propose a project, and get funding for it. The deadline’s just been extended – find the details, plus a link to the application, here. (You can see some of what was actually created at the summit itself by checking out this link on the White Center Community Development Association site.)

That’s who headlined the music slate in downtown White Center on Saturday night as Full Tilt Ice Cream celebrated its first birthday. The band name’s a little profane so here’s a direct link to their site (where you’ll also find better video – we were a little too close to the guitar, so it drowned out the vocals). And we’ve got the results of the “buy one and we donate one” (hmm, BODO?) ice-cream tally for the day: 165 cones, 60 pints sold. For each cone, Full Tilt plans to give a coupon to the White Center Food Bank for distribution to its clients; for each pint, they’ll deliver the equivalent in ice cream to WCFB for direct distribution. (Of course you can give to WCFB online any time — just go here.)

As of noon, Full Tilt Ice Cream is open for the day and into the night, since there are two bands tonight (starting at 9). This is the day FT is celebrating its first birthday, so if you buy a cone/pint, the equivalent will be donated to the White Center Food Bank. And tonight’s a great night to be on 16th SW, as White Center for the Arts has its monthly event, 5-10 pm in the old skating rink. The group had been trying to buy the building — Justin at Full Tilt tells us a deal couldn’t be worked out by the time the building was scheduled to be auctioned, so the auction went forward last week, but, he says, nobody bid, so that may keep the door open for a nonprofit purchase – at a better price than what was being offered. We’ll keep following the story.

Out of the White Center Now inbox:

The White Center-South Delridge Community Safety Coalition Meeting
Thursday, June 25, 6-8 pm,
St. James Place, 9421 18th Avenue SW

Guest Presentations:

* Big Brothers and Big Sisters
* Feet First, proposed walking map

Farewell, Social Time – for Kathy Kaminski. An opportunity to wish her well!

And: If you have a specific concern, you may email or call me and let me know before the meeting and I will pass on the information to SPD or KCSO or the appropriate city/county department. With advanced notice, law enforcement officers are able to find out more information about specific incidents and concerns and share that information at the meeting. Everyone is welcome to bring up concerns at the meeting, but if we know the concerns a head of time, we may be able to find out more information for the community. Thanks!

… Please spread the word to your neighbors!

Dinner will be provided. Please call Karen at 767-0760 if childcare or interpretation is needed.
—
Karen Greene
Drug Free Communities Program Coordinator
Seattle Neighborhood Group

They announced the event before the location … but tonight, the latter was revealed – this is Saturday night, by the way:

Location Revealed!!!

This month’s Art EVENT,
brought to you by

White Center for the Arts,

Will be at 9639 16th Ave SW.

Yes, once again, and for the last time,

The Ole Skate Rink
White Center, WA

From 5:00 PM until 10:00 PM

For questions and information, please call

206-306-6230

We’re doing some election research right now and realized that you might not have yet seen what the annexation measure will look like on the August 18th ballot. Here’s the direct link; here’s the language:

North Highline South Annexation Area

Simple majority (RCW 35A.14.080)
Proposition No. 1
Proposed Annexation to the City of Burien

The Burien City Council passed Resolution No. 288 which would authorize annexation of that area of unincorporated King County known as the North Highline South Annexation Area which annexation was approved by the Boundary Review Board with a modification to the boundaries as legally described in Resolution No. 292. Shall that area of unincorporated King County known as the North Highline South Annexation Area as legally described in City of Burien Resolution No. 292 be annexed to the City of Burien?

( ) FOR ANNEXATION
( ) AGAINST ANNEXATION

Each of three “small schools” from the Evergreen High School campus has its own separate graduation ceremony tomorrow – all listed here, all at the Highline Performing Arts Center.

Noticed this in the blog-format section of the White Center Community Development Association website – a restaurant review about one of WC’s newest eating/drinking places. Photos too. See it here.

On behalf of partner site West Seattle Blog, we are tabling today at the Morgan Junction Community Festival (continuing at Fauntleroy /California till 6 pm) – and we just got a flyer from Ron Richardson of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society regarding the big History Tour of White Center coming up July 25. Meet at 17th/Roxbury, in the parking lot, at 10:30 am that day (it’s a Saturday), and the tour will last about an hour and a half. $5 SWHS members, $7 nonmembers (“or make a donation,” says the flyer). Ron promises some amazing sights to be seen – mark your calendar.

The grocery-delivery service has now added zip code 98146, a year and a half after it moved westward. A few more details at WSB.

10 am tomorrow in Burien, the King County Police Chiefs’ Association is sponsoring a King County Executive candidates’ forum focused on public safety issues. The 5 top KCE candidates have confirmed, according to organizers; here’s the latest. (P.S. If you are on the Seattle side of White Center, you may be interested in tonight’s 34th District Democrats candidates forum – KC Exec is *not* included, though, because of the forum a week ago in Fauntleroy.)

Just a little more than two months now till the annexation vote in southern North Highline – and another open house is set for next Tuesday, this time at 6 pm, Southern Heights Elementary School, 11249 14th Avenue South (shown above in Google Street View).

Highline Public Schools leadership has gone public with recommendations for how to balance the budget (see them here). Now, they want to hear from you, and will be accepting comment at this week’s School Board meeting. It’s at 6 pm Wednesday, 15675 Ambaum in Burien (map); see the agenda here.

Stephen Lamphear wanted to share this information:

f you are a customer of Seattle City Light — you do not have to be senior or disabled to get reduced rates.

Low income customers can get a 50% rate reduction. That means what it says — LOW INCOME. Stop struggling to pay utility bills — get help. This is not temporary or one-time help to pay the bill. This is long term rate reduction. Eat better, pay less for electricity.

Discounted Rates for Seniors, Disabled and Low-Income Customers
Qualifying customers can save 50% on electric, water, sewer and garbage bills. Customers living in federally-funded public housing and Section 8 housing are not eligible.

* Seniors and persons with disabilities – If you are a senior citizen or a person with disabilities and your income is at or below 70% of the state median level, call the Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens at (206) 684-0268.

Income Guidelines.

* Low-Income – Customers with household income at or below 70% of state’s median income may call the Seattle Human Services Department at (206) 684-0268 to qualify and enroll.

This message brought to you by Stephen Lamphear, former Burien City Councilmember!

Click pic to play video

That’s some of our video from last October, as U.S. Sen. Patty Murray helped break ground for the new Educare Learning Center at Greenbridge. Construction’s going well, according to Linda Carr at Educare/Highline Head Start, who asked if we would share this with you:

The construction of our new Educare Learning Center at Greenbridge is on schedule – we hope to move in the last week of December and welcome Head Start students on January 4, 2010!

We are recruiting children to fill our 9 part day classes, our 1 extended day class and our full day child care classroom. We encourage every low-income family with a 3 or 4 year olds to apply. We give priority to homeless children, children with a disability and 4 year olds. If we are not full by late August, we will invite some eligible 3 year olds to join us. We have great bi-lingual staff and a large pool of interpreters to help parents who ELL to apply and enroll.

Families can call us at 206/762-6070 to get an application in a variety of languages. Alternately, they can stop by our current locations: 501 SW 110th Place in Park Lake II Homes or 10014 Sixth Ave SW to pick up an application.

Our staff are busy getting training and finishing degrees as we become an Educare Center.

Our Park Lake II center will close for 2 years starting this August. We will have classrooms temporarily at Burien Community Center and at Coronado Springs Apartments until our new building opens.

(North Highline Unincorporated Area Council officers from left, Vice President Christine Waldman, Treasurer Ron Johnson, Secretary Jessica Stoneback, and President Greg Duff)

By Kathy Mulady
Reporting for White Center Now

The art installation at Steve Cox Memorial Park has hit another snag – dirty dirt.

Contaminated soil near the entrance of the ball field could be stirred up by digging needed to install the artwork and may have to be removed before the project can continue, the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council learned Thursday night.

More than $18,000 has been raised for the art that is the last piece needed to finish the tribute to the fallen King County Sheriff’s deputy.

Meantime, the new slate of councilmembers looked a lot like the old group. In the recent election, none of the council incumbents had a challenger, and all were easily re-elected by the 25 voters who participated — compared to 900 people who voted in the council’s first election.

Re-elected were Ray Helms, Heidi Johnson, Ron Johnson, Doug Harrell and Greg Duff.

Outgoing President Russ Pritchard complimented the council on its work ethic. “This is the most workaholic council I have ever been president of. You have accomplished more than any other council I have seen.”

Duff was elected council president, and Christine Waldman was elected vice president. Jessica Stoneback was re-elected secretary and Ron Johnson was re-elected treasurer.

Duff said he is excited to serve as president “in a year when we hope part of our area will go to Burien. It is very significant.” The annexation vote is set for August 18.

Burien City Manager Mike Martin told the council that they are meeting with various community groups to “make our intentions clear” and push forward with the annexation. Martin said they have been meeting with various community groups, which each have unique questions about what the annexation will mean.

A recent meeting with the Latino Leadership Community raised questions about business licensing and police presence, for example, he said.

Martin also gave an update on the King County Sheriff’s deputy assigned to Burien who was seriously injured in an accident while responding to a burglary call. He will be home soon, but will still need a great deal of recovery time.

The council also considered several new proposals, activities and invitations.

Ray Prentice asked for support in his effort to apply for funds to update the cinder running track at Evergreen High School to an all-weather rubberized surface. The Evergreen track is used by students, but also by members of the community to socialize, walk, jog and play.

Prentice also led the earlier effort that modernized the track at Mt. Rainier High School. The council voted to support the effort at Evergreen, but were also cautious that no funding that could possibly be used to keep the community swimming pool open would be jeopardized by the track request.

Council members also took a tough vote, following some discussion, deciding not to participate in the Burien Fourth of July parade. Some first considered the possibility if a convertible car was available.

“I have a pickup; you can ride in the back,” said Councilmember Doug Harrell.

Ultimately, because several council members are going to be out of town, that the group would be unable to participate. Brochures providing information about the council will be set out at the Emerald City Smoothie booth.

North Highline Unincorporated Area Council members will turn out for White Center Jubilee Days and the Burien Strawberry Festival on June 20 and 21.

The NHUAC usually meets the first Thursday of each month, 7 pm, North Highline Fire District HQ.

6 pm, Steve Cox Park, help shape the new playground that’s in the works. 7 pm, North Highline Fire District HQ, attend the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council’s meeting to find out about the latest work on hot community issues (including Evergreen Pool, as reported here earlier).

Just received from King County Council Chair Dow Constantine‘s office:

Today, I co-sponsored legislation for a supplemental appropriation ordinance that includes two additional months of funding for pool operations. This money will keep the pool open through the warm summer months—the facility was originally slated to be closed at the end of June; this funding extends operations through the end of August.

I am currently working with Councilmember Larry Gossett, the chair of the Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, on finding funds to keep the pool in operation for the remainder of the year.

Obviously, these are just temporary solutions, but they give more time to community members who are working on a proposal to keep the pool open permanently by transferring it to private or non-profit operation.

I am also coordinating with the 34th District state legislators (Rep. Sharon Nelson, Rep. Eileen Cody, Sen. Joe McDermott) to set up a strategy meeting in the near future to continue this community discussion.