By Kyla Woodall, New Start student

Over the course of six weeks, my classmates and I worked together to learn about the world around us. We discovered all about invasive plant life and how they affect our community. We broadened our minds in learning about new ways to help our environment by composting, recycling, and picking up the garbage that litters the streets. Even during the summer Samantha Rost came up to Ann Magyar (a teacher at New Start) and said “You know I am almost annoyed with you because now that I learned about native and invasive plants I really see them everywhere”, It was an engaging experience that helped us to develop an interest for improving our community. I feel that by attending this program, we have become more aware of our surroundings and how we make an impact on our global community and the future for our children and our children’s children.

This all started when Mark Farrell, a King County Education Employment Specialist and New Start partner, received a grant from the King County Natural Resource Stewardship Network with funds from The King Conservation District, the Forest Service and King County. As a class, we identified the invasive plants in Salmon Creek Park and removed them. Besides removing the invasive plants, we also did a lot of our own planting in our school’s raised bed planters. Soon New Start and its neighbors will have a crop of tomatoes, bush beans, turnips, beets, and other produce. Throughout the program we worked with people whose careers focus on the environment. People who came to see our final presentation stated, “In the beginning it looked as if it would take five years to finish what you guys accomplished in 6 weeks.” I feel that we really did quality work. We did everything by hand; it was very hard but rewarding at the same time.

Also in the class, we learned about this wonderful thing called compost. Before the program many of us had no prior knowledge as to what compost was, and after completing the program, we were all motivated to have our own compost at home. It was satisfying knowing that we could help to improve our environment just by separating our garbage. We did our part by reusing plastic bottles to drink water from, and when we were down at Salmon Creek Park we looked for trash to separate and recycle.

Some of us are going to return this summer and help build the native plant nursery, to help benefit the community even more than we already have. The New Start nursery will be part of the classes, and the plants will be transplanted to Salmon Creek Park. The students are also going to be doing a composting program on the school campus.

This program has really helped to shape us as individuals, as well as team members. It was a very engaging and worthwhile course that opened our eyes to new experiences and different ways that we could help our community, in more ways that we ever thought possible.

So I went down and tried Al’s beers when everything was quiet. At the moment he has two offerings, an Irish Red, and an Abbey Wheat. Both are non-traditional styles, and it is nice to see something different from a Northwest brewer.

The Abbey Wheat; This is not a pale ale. I think it is awesome that someone is brewing something a little different. Personally, I love Abbey beers and I found this one very light and drinkable. By that I mean I could see drinking a lot of them on a hot day.

The Irish Red; I don’t know a lot about this style. It is very malty and seems more like a brown ale to me, but the only other Irish Red that I have had was a crappy Busch version of the style, and the only thing red about that was the label. Al’s beer is big but not over powering. That is a hard line to walk and he seems to have done it just fine.

The outside is pretty much the same as the old Pac Rim. Not that it’s a bad thing. I loved the Rim, and missed having a patio that I drink on. Inside, it is still a little sparse, but I am sure that will change. The lovely wine accent paper is gone. I wished I could have salvaged it before it went into the dumpster.

So all in all I give Big Al a big Thumbs up. He is having his first tap night at Beveridge Place in West Seattle tonight. Go down and ask him when he is going to make an IPA.

Beveridge Place Pub – Brewer’s Night

big al and the crew will be at Beveridge starting at 7 pm tonight, 8/14/2008. This is Big Al Brewing’s first event outside the brewery, and we couldn’t be more excited. We’ll have both of our beers on tap and there will be raffles for big al give aways.

Location : Beveridge Place Pub map
When : 7 pm until Big Al can’t take any more!

Tonight at the 34th District Democrats‘ meeting in West Seattle, guests included Seattle City Council president Richard Conlin. During Q&A, Dr. Arun Jhaveri asked Conlin about the status of potential White Center annexation. Here’s exactly how Conlin answered:

“The Council has adopted a Comprehensive Plan policy that says we are open to the annexation of that area. We have not been able to come to agreement with the city of Burien on how that’s going to work, and unfortunately the Legislature has approved a sales tax credit if Burien annexes … it’s structured so that it doesn’t apply to cities over 40,000 population … The problem is, (for Seattle to annex) we would need to have some kind of credit. The important thing from my perspective is that people in that area should have the right to make the decision on where they want to go, Burien or Seattle.”

FullTilt discussed a thought-provoking P-I article yesterday about small businesses (see his post here). Today, another one from the P-I that deserves attention – we also posted about it on WSB because White Center and West Seattle are both featured – a close-up look at gang life all around the greater metro area, north to south. The accompanying photo gallery follows a group of youths through one night at Evolucion last month.

There is an article in today’s PI that was brought to my attention this afternoon. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/374509_retail12.html The gist of it is that small business is being shoved out of the Seattle area in favor of “big box” and national chain stores. It mentions West Seattle and other neighborhoods that are being impacted by dense development.

This is not just happening in Seattle. Neighborhoods across the country are increasingly being homogenized with Starbucks, Gaps, and the random Jamba Juice. Developers can get more money out of national chains, and there is little risk of Gap not being able to pay the rent. That leaves small business out of business though.

I was drawn to Seattle because of the amount of small funky shops and restaurants. My first neighborhood that I lived in was Capitol Hill with the Globe Café, and then to Belltown with the Cyclops Café, before it became a yuppie haven with 18 dollar omelets. LA, years before I was born, invented the strip mall. LA’s Sprawl is legendary, and with all those chain stores came the decimation of local flavor. Just like Seattle, LA skipped its “ethnic” neighborhoods, leaving Echo Park, Olvera Street, Venice Beach, and Little Saigon intact. Downtown Seattle is now finally rid of its local business. 1^st ave has rents around 9 dollars a square foot, meaning Mom and Pop are not opening a stand there. Developers rarely want to take a risk on a first time entrepreneur. Look around Ballard and Wallingford and see what has happened there. Bahn 88 would never happen in the new 2600 building downtown.

Even if they could afford the rent, developers would much rather take the sure shot with Whole Foods than gamble on a local business. West Seattle is quickly falling to the same developers’ thumbprint as this article points out.

White Center is one of the last places in the area where individuals are even allowed to open a business. This creates a wonderful potential here. There are rumors of a hipster men’s salon and a funky bakery that now calls Pike Place Market home moving into White Center. With our low density, we are left alone by the condo developing crowds. Our area and its lack of development has actually
fostered the growth and flavors of many ethnic groups, but it is a delicate balance. A balance that could quickly shift if developers are brought in.

Seattle has plans for White Center that are a lot different then the plan they had for Belltown. White Center is a potential site for a jail, and a Cabrini Green style ghetto that would decimate the growth that has been happening around here. No one is going to take a chance of sinking their life savings into an area of Seattle that Mayor Nickels wants to use as his poor folk dumping ground. With annexation will come more payday loan shops, 40 ounce convenience stores, cheap bars, and a few more pawn shops to round out the mix.

Ron Richardson, long-time White Center resident, stopped by the cafe and informed me that he had recently posted a history of White Center at the Washington State History website “HistoryLink.” The post can be accessed at the following site: www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=8616. The history is comprehensive and goes all the way to the present. Strongly recommend it.

Most of White Center is part of the 34th Legislative District, and its biggest political group – the 34th District Democrats – have a high-profile candidate visiting tomorrow night (the primary election is just one week from today), plus an update on the jail-sites fight. In addition, next Monday, Sustainable West Seattle is holding a regional potluck, extending the invite to not only White Center residents interested in sustainability, but also to members of neighboring Sustainable Burien. Here are details on both: Read the rest of this entry »

Rick stopped by the shop the other night with a request for donations for the up coming food bank auction. He also told me that business was up, which isn’t a good thing in the food bank business. With the economy going down the tubes, and hundreds of our neighbors on the brink of losing their homes, Rick is busier then ever. So if you have a business that can donate goods or services, get in touch with him. Also, think about giving before October. They have a handy little link that will let you donate on line.

http://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2=91-1167830

From the Seattle Times: King County Public Health authorities have for the first time studied its Pacific Islander residents as a distinct group, and announced the results at this weekend’s festival in White Center. As the paper reported, some of the findings are “grim,” but community advocates hope the study will be a tool to help them move forward with education and prevention.

The big event this weekend is the

Pasefika Annual Festival

White Center Heights Elementary School

10015 6th Ave. S.W.

10 am until 5pm

Pasefika’s 5th Annual Festival. There will be performances by various Pacific Island groups. Also there will be drawings for gifts donated by vendors, sponsors and community partners, as well as food booths. Free admission.

Full Tilt is having Rat City Ruckus on Friday at 9pm http://www.myspace.com/ratcityruckus

and our first art opening with Chris Hunter Saturday at 8pm http://www.myspace.com/alkigypsy

If you have any events, news, or concerns, drop us an email at whitecenternow@gmail.com

That’s Big Al himself, Alejandro Brown of Big Al Brewing, which opened this afternoon at 9832 14th SW in the former home of Pacific Rim Brewing. This is definitely a place for beer lovers, because that’s all Big Al is selling — beer; don’t wander in thinking you’ll find a burger too. Starting at 6 tonight, Grand Opening Night will be celebrated with live music and raffles. Welcome, Big Al!