White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Earlier this month, on partner site West Seattle Blog, we reported on a small fire with a big effect on WestSide Baby‘s operations – shutting down the WS Baby volunteer/donation center in White Center, from which the nonprofit serves thousands of families around the area. The resulting power outage isn’t fixed yet. So WS Baby’s executive director Nancy Woodland has announced they’re making an emergency move – not far, but it leaves them in urgenet need of multiple types of help:

On April 9, WestSide Baby’s main facility in White Center experienced a small electrical fire that eliminated power for our donation and volunteer center. This means we’ve been unable to fill orders for 350 children per week as the building is completely dark, cold and unsafe. Because this is not the first time this building has had major maintenance issues, we have decided to take a brave step and move our entire operation within the next week because leaving children in the lurch is unacceptable to us.

To get up and running as soon as possible, over the next 10 days we are moving our main donation and volunteer operations across the street into a warehouse where we have been storing diapers! We plan to open our doors at 10002 14th Ave SW by April 27.

This is a plan we have been working on for some time and had actually hoped to execute this summer. Because of the fire and resulting urgency, we have now divided it into Phases and we’ll start a little earlier than we expected by moving one component of our organization now. We’re excited to share updates on Phase 2 and 3 soon. It’s going to be great and we hope you will be excited to participate in our growth!

We have a list of opportunities for you to support this effort with your time or treasure. Both are critical at this point in order for us to be able to get back up and running and filling orders as soon as possible.

You can donate now at WestSideBaby.org to help us with the following things to get set up quickly:

Critical for Phase 1:

Shelving – $5000 Total ($300/each)
Signage – $2000
Pallet Stacker – Rent or Purchase
Canvas Bins – $1000 Total ($250 each)
Moving and Storage Expenses – $10,000

Things we’ll need for Phase 2 -3:

Moving Expenses – $15k
Industrial Carpet/Flooring
Painting help
Lumber

We will also have Volunteer Opportunities:

Tuesday, April 21 6-7 pm Car Seat moving
Friday, April 24 3-6 pm Shelf Assembly
Saturday, April 25 10 – 5 Moving!!
Sunday, April 26 9 – 5 Deconstruction of old facilty and clean up
Soon after – a small masonry and curb installation project needs a skilled professional

Contact Volunteer Manager, Shana Allen (shana@westsidebaby.org), if you are interested! We have some flexibility with this schedule and we anticipate more things unfolding this week. These are all physical projects.

To help us with backlog – we anticipate announcing additional Sorting Frenzies and Order Filling Opportunities the week of April 27. Let Shana know if you want to be on the lists to receive those updates!!

(Highline Public Schools photo)
If you ignore the “paddle” that warns you to stop when a school bus is loading/unloading – your chances of getting caught and fined have just increased dramatically. Highline Public Schools‘ news release explains why:

Highline Public Schools announced today that in its ongoing efforts to protect the safety of its students, it is the first school district in King County to implement a school bus stop paddle camera enforcement program.

The cameras, which have been installed on five buses initially, are designed to capture motorists who are putting children at risk by ignoring flashing school bus stop arms as buses load and unload school kids. The enforcement program will launch at the beginning of May, and motorists caught on camera ignoring the stop arms will face a $394 fine starting in early June – before then motorists who are caught on camera ignoring the stop arms will receive a warning.

Highline Chief Operations Officer Scott Logan was joined this morning by King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove and Highline school bus driver Loren Young at a press conference at North Hill Elementary School in Des Moines to announce the new public safety program.

“At Highline Public Schools, we take our duty to ensure the safety of our schoolchildren very seriously. Every day in our district, careless or irresponsible motorists ignore school bus stop arms, putting children boarding or exiting our school buses at risk,” Logan said. “That is why we are so happy to announce the start of our school bus stop arm camera enforcement program, the first of its kind in King County. By catching motorists who are ignoring the requirement to stop when the stop paddles are blinking, we believe we can reduce the number of these incidents and better protect the children in our care.”

King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, the prime sponsor of legislation at the King County Council to enable Highline to move forward, also praised the effort.

“Every year, children getting on or off school buses are killed by careless and irresponsible drivers who ignore school bus stop signs,” Upthegrove said. “That’s why when I was in the legislature I supported the bill to allow enforcement cameras on school buses and it is why I sponsored legislation at the King County Council to establish this program. We need to stop these drivers who are putting our kids at risk.”

Highline school bus drivers, who routinely see motorists ignoring their school bus stop arms and putting the kids in their care at risk, also expressed their support for the newly launched effort.

“I have been a school bus driver in the Highline School District for 30 years. Every week on my route, I see drivers who fail to stop as kids get on or off my bus. In those situations, my first priority is to keep my kids from being hurt, so I rarely am able to get the license plates of these irresponsible drivers. But with the stop paddles cameras in place on my bus, I know we will finally be able to catch the bad actors who are ignoring my school bus stop paddle,” said Highline school bus driver Loren Young.

While the announcement happened in Des Moines, the buses to use the cameras will be on routes in other communities, including White Center, the district tells us.

Thanks to Gill for sharing photos of Saturday’s volunteer cleanup at North Shorewood Park. Half a dozen dedicated volunteers made progress:

They’re hoping for even more help when they do it again in July – watch for official announcements!

(WCN photo from last Thursday)
We’ve learned from the family of the woman hit by a suspected drunk driver last week that she has died. 55-year-old Rebecca Delgado, a White Center resident, was hit while crossing 16th SW last Thursday and was taken to Harborview with injuries that included skull fractures, according to the police report. She died at the hospital, her son, who lives out of state, told us via e-mail early today.

As reported here earlier this week, bail was set at $30,000 for the driver, a 50-year-old Burien woman; she posted bond and got out on Easter Sunday. She had not been charged as of our last check; we’ll be checking again today with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Toplines from this month’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting, featuring a discussion of the marijuana business and where it stands:

MARIJUANA REGULATIONS/PERMITTING/LAND USE: Ty Peterson from King County said “there’s a lot of misinformation out there” but “the atmosphere is very fluid,” with regulations diverging between cities, county, state, and several bills pending in the state Legislature. White Center has been “mostly retail oriented,” he said. They don’t know how many recreational-marijuana outlets could be allowed in the Highline area, except “no more than 11” since that’s how many were allotted to King County “at large,” covering the unincorporated area and about half a dozen small cities such as Black Diamond and Maple Valley, get to “split these 11” – and 4 are in operation now.

He said the interest has been in White Center and Skyway because of the zoning classifications. The county has been trying to do mapping based on the rules but is not having much success yet. “We know there’s right now 11 licenses – the state Liquor Control Board is likely in the future to increase the number of licenses” but 7 remain. Kenmore, Covington, Enumclaw, and Skyway have licenses granted right now. No retail license has been granted in this area yet.

Peterson talked about the 1,000-foot “as the crow flies” distance that the state was enforcing between marijuana businesses and youth-oriented facilities. The county has no such rule, because the state said it would enforce that. There are some limitations – such as 2,000 square feet for a basic permit – and that’s still undergoing interpretation.

“The intent was not to create a marijuana mall,” said Peterson, in terms of figuring out what “2,000 feet per parcel” means and whether that could lead to a 10,000-square foot building hosting five 2,000-foot shops.

Where are the pending applications here? A production facility on 1st Avenue is one of them, he said, adding that it’s being reviewed very carefully because the building already has a medical-marijuana dispensary.

NHUAC’s Elizabeth Gordon asked for clarification if this is just still in a wait-and-see period, as the county comes up with some rules and waits to see if the state will override. Peterson said the county is exercising ‘some basic zoning parameters” but is aware “it’s a moving target” regarding what the rules are and to whom they apply and all. Right now, any further county rule changes are on hold pending what the state decides to do during this session – Peterson said they expect the medical/recreational marijuana oversight to be merged in some way or another. It was noted that House Bill 1552 is the bill considered to be most likely to pass.

He agreed that the medical side of the marijuana business was responsible for most of the problems they’re hearing about because it’s not being “regulated by anybody.” There is no limit on how many dispensaries/access points there can be. Dobkin pointed out that there are 8 in a very small area. “A community like ours is … hit hard” by the concentration.

The whole thing is up in the air right now, seemed to be the bottom line, with questions swirling around permitting, enforcement, and the industry’s future. What about money for helping a community like White Center deal with the impact? asked NHUAC’s Liz Giba. Peterson said that wasn’t necessarily on the table right now.

Gordon brought up a related point – with marijuana concerns converging here because of an abundance of low-rent commercial space, what about economic incentives to help bring in a broader range of tenant choices for landlords?

It was suggested that the county’s comprehensive plan update could help with that, because it includes an economic-development section. Or, a sub-area (community) plan for the area could help, too. King County’s Alan Painter added that the idea had possibilities. Dobkin added that a county rep will be at next month’s meeting to talk about the comprehensive plan.

Peterson said there’s a marijuana-information page on the county’s permitting website, including an e-mail address you can use to send related questions.

LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD: A rep who handles marijuana businesses once they’re approved says there is an application listed in the 9600 block of 16th SW. Olympia reviews and licenses applicants – that’s when he takes over. He says there are security requirements – sensors on doors, video surveillance that has to be recorded for up to 45 days (and has to be high-resolution), multiple cameras in a room, sample jars, security at the doors, etc. One place had a $12,000 safe, he noted.

GRAFFITI VANDALISM: NHUAC president Barbara Dobkin noted a major amount of new graffiti/tagging along 15th SW on a building near Bartell Drugs that has a “for rent” sign up. She also noticed vandalism at Mount View Elementary.

SERVICE OPEN HOUSE: Alan Painter from King County announced that this year’s unincorporated service area open house will be held in North Highline, 7 pm April 23rd at Seola Gardens. (Before we published this report, the flyer came in:)

A new “work plan” will be available in time for the meeting, he said, in response to a question from NHUAC’s Giba.

JUBILEE DAYS FUNDRAISER: Giba announced that the White Center Eagles are hosting one on April 25th, with a dance-a-thon starting at 3 pm and a prime-rib dinner/auction starting at 7 pm. There are also prize-drawing tickets being sold as a fundraiser.

Watch the NHUAC website for meeting schedules and hot topics – northhighlineuac.org.

The Seattle Department of Transportation‘s final plan for SW Roxbury – for which it has curb-to-curb responsibility – went public last night at a meeting in West Seattle. Here’s the presentation:

SDOT's SW Roxbury plan

The biggest changes are rechannelization – one lane each way plus a center turn lane – west of 17th, a speed-limit drop to 30 mph from 15th SW east, and 300 feet of sidewalk where none exists, east of 30th SW. Read details of the meeting on our partner site West Seattle Blog.

The 50-year-old driver arrested after hitting a pedestrian in White Center last Thursday is out of jail. We’re not identifying the suspect yet, as she is not yet charged. But the jail register shows that her bail was set at $30,000 and that she got out of jail over the weekend. Court documents say she told a King County Sheriff’s Deputy that she had had three beers before driving; the deputy wrote that her speech was slurred and that she “had difficulty walking.” She also is reported to have said she was sorry for hitting the pedestrian, who was reported to have suffered “severe skull fractures.”

West of White Center, SW 107th east of 26th SW is in for special treatment – the only North Highline-area road on the list referenced in this King County announcement:

More than two dozen of King County’s busiest roads will get a surface treatment that provides tires with better grip and reduces the likelihood of skidding, thanks to a $3.2 million federal grant.

The surface treatment and additional guardrails will be installed on roads that King County’s Department of Transportation identified as high-crash locations outside of cities – in Highline/North Shorewood, on Vashon Island, outside Woodinville, in the Snoqualmie Valley, south of Issaquah, near North Bend, north of Covington, and between Auburn and Black Diamond.

“Drivers throughout unincorporated King County will be safer thanks to additional guardrails and an innovative solution to slippery roads,” said Executive Dow Constantine. “By focusing federal funds on the busiest roads with the most accidents, we will make the most of this investment in our region’s safety.”

So-called high-friction surface treatments bond aggregate materials to the top layer of a roadway, channeling away water and providing tires with more grip to reduce the likelihood of skidding and loss of control. The county has identified 24 locations for this treatment and four locations for guardrail and other improvements based largely on crash history and average daily traffic. Sites throughout unincorporated King County were chosen where the risks of running off the road are greatest.

“My district includes hundreds of miles of winding rural roadways where curves or hills create greater risks for skidding off the road,” said King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert. “These new roadway treatments help tires grip the road in dangerous areas. I am encouraged to hear that other transportation departments are also saying that this is an economical way to measurably improve safety.”

“Those that rely on the King County road system will be happy to know that with the help of federal funding we’re going to deliver targeted safety improvements to make our roads safer,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn. “We’re looking forward to having these improvements on Kent-Kangley Road, south of Issaquah, near Shadow Lake and near May Valley road.”

The county’s Road Services Division is scheduled to install the high friction surface treatments and guardrail in 2016. The agency has had to reduce service for roads and bridges in the unincorporated areas of the county significantly as revenues declined during the recession, and as a result, there is a growing backlog of county road needs. Recent strategic planning deemed safety as the most important consideration for allocating precious road dollars. With this federal safety grant, driving will be safer at these 28 locations.

The funds are provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation and administered by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

We obtained the information about SW 107th by checking with King County Transportation Department spokesperson Jeff Switzer.

(UPDATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON: KCSO says the victim is still alive, in critical condition)

6:39 PM: Thanks for the tips via Twitter. We’re on our way to find out more about the crash that has closed 16th SW north of 107th. According to a tweet from KING TV, a pedestrian was hit and seriously hurt. Avoid the area TFN.

7:08 PM: Sgt. BJ Myers of the King County Sheriff’s Office confirms that a pedestrian was hit and is reported to have been seriously hurt; the driver is in custody for suspected DUI. Sgt. Myers says investigators are likely to be on scene for a few more hours. Driving by on the way to the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting, we noted the closure appears to be from 106th northward now.

7:24 PM: According to Sgt. Myers, the victim is a 50-year-old woman in serious condition. The driver is a 55-year-old woman. And the road’s expected to be closed until about 8:30. Meanwhile, our photographer has just sent photos from the investigation scene, which we’re adding above.

8:57 PM: Just drove through the area – 16th is open again.

8:33 AM: KCSO announced this morning that the victim died at the hospital. The driver is now booked for investigation of vehicular assault.

12:16 PM: KCSO now says they had erroneous information. The victim is STILL ALIVE but in critical condition.

Been to Star Palace Boutique and Lounge yet? Proprietor Prisilla wrote to let us know she’s having a grand-opening party today (though it’s been open for a few weeks):

I just opened a new eclectic, local, art boutique in White Center. It is located directly across the street from Proletariat Pizza and is called Star Palace. I opened the store with hopes to give all of the amazing artists and designers in Seattle a place to showcase their work.

I am having a grand opening party on Wednesday, April 1st, from 12-8 and would love to
see some local south side faces.

Star Palace is at 9617 16th SW, right next to Herban Legends.

No further details but if you recognize either or both of these suspects … King County Sheriff’s Office just put out this alert via Twitter:

And this addition:

P.S. For this month’s update on North Highline crime trends, don’t miss Thursday night’s NHUAC meeting – more info here.

(Cross-posted from our partner site West Seattle Blog)

An Amber Alert was sent out less than an hour ago for Aaron Lopez, a toddler who is missing, likely with his (non-custodial) father, last seen just south of here:

Authorities say that the child may be in the company of Daniel Lopez-Andino. He is the non-custodial parent. He abducted the child after a strong-armed robbery of the child’s mother.

They were last seen the area of East Marginal Way and Boeing Access [map]. Daniel is diagnosed as bipolar and is off medication. They may be traveling in a 2003 Silver/Aluminum BMW 325I vehicle, with license plate: WA #701ZNB. If you have any information on the whereabouts of this child, please contact 206-583-2111 immediately.

911 would work too. Full description information is on this page.

From North Highline Unincorporated Area Council president Barbara Dobkin:

NHUAC meeting:
When: Thursday, April 2 @ 7pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station (1243 SW 112th Street)

Mark your calendars and plan on joining us on Thursday, April 2 at 7 pm for the monthly North Highline Unincorporated Area Council (NHUAC) meeting. The meeting will focus on King County regulations for Recreational Marijuana stores and processing plants – specifically – those that are slated to open in the greater White Center area.

Ty Peterson from the King County Dept of Permitting and Environmental Review (DEPR) and Kim Gabbard, Marijuana Unit Supervisor at the WA State Liquor Control Board, will be providing updates and information regarding zoning, permitting and licensing.

Our White Center Storefront Deputy, Julian Chivington, will be providing updates regarding crime trends and general safety issues and concerns.

Please see NHUAC website for more details and agenda: northhighlineuac.org

After a rainy night, semi-surprise sunshine greeted the third annual White Center 5K this morning. Our video, above, shows the runners/walkers heading out from the starting line at White Center Heights Park. One thing that sets it apart from many other 5Ks is the superhero theme – and costume-clad participants were all for it:

The White Center 5K is a benefit for local nonprofits, including the White Center Food Bank, whose development director Kristina Dahl (in our photo, below, with executive director Rick Jump) was in Wonder Woman costume:

Also benefiting: The White Center Community Development Association and the YES Foundation of White Center. Community members joining in the 5K included local businesspeople like the Albaeck family from Proletariat Pizza:

For the 276 participants who wore timers, the results are already up on this page – the top male finisher was 42-year-old Steven Colmus, at 22:42, and top female finisher was 35-year-old Alisha Winger at 24:56. Top listed youth finisher was 12-year-old Tessa Surface at 31:21. Congratulations to all!

Traffic/transit/travel alert!

North of here, Highway 99 is closed from the West Seattle Bridge to the Battery Street Tunnel until 6 pm today and then again 6 am-6 pm tomorrow for its twice-yearly inspection, and from the BSTunnel north to lower Queen Anne, it’s closed all weekend, until very early Monday. So plan your travel accordingly! Find details on the closures here. If you use Metro, here’s the reroute info for the routes from WC/West Seattle that use Highway 99.

(WCN photo from 2014)
Saturday morning brings the third annual White Center 5K, and even if you’re not signed up already, you can be part of it! Though online registration is over, you can sign up on site starting at 8 am (the 5K starts at 9) at White Center Heights Park (7th SW/SW 102nd). Local nonprofits are the beneficiaries.

(December 2012 gathering honoring murder victim Margaret Ryan)

By Tracy Record
White Center Now editor

268 months in prison – 22 years and four months – is the sentence that King County Superior Court Judge Laura Inveen has given Brodie Lamb, the 44-year-old man who stabbed his mother Margaret Ryan to death at her White Center apartment in November of 2012. That’s the top end of the standard range for his crime, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney Office‘s sentencing report.

As we first reported two months ago, Lamb pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder. The sentence represents 20 years for that, plus two extra years for use of a deadly weapon, and is what the prosecution recommended.

According to documents from the Friday afternoon sentencing hearing, Lamb will get credit for the two years and four months he has already spent behind bars since his arrest the night of Ms. Ryan’s murder, and when he gets out, he will be on probation (technically, community custody) for three years.

The sentence also directs him to participate in mental-health treatment; the case dragged out longer than many because of issues of whether he was competent to stand trial, and he spent time along the way at Western State Hospital. He had been on Mental Health Court probation until a few months before the murder, and had stopped taking anti-psychotic medication, according to the prosecution’s report. His criminal record included a 2008 assault against his mother, who was 69 years old when he killed her, as well as an attack that broke the ribs of his 75-year-old landlady.

Documents submitted by prosecutors before yesterday’s sentencing included the 911 call in which Lamb told dispatchers he had killed his mother because “she wanted to lock me out [of her apartment], homeless,” and then repeatedly begged for emergency responders to “come save her life.” He was not allowed to be at her apartment, but kicked the door down that night and stabbed her more than a dozen times.

Local students will benefit mightily from the new White Center Library, so it was only fitting they participated in today’s groundbreaking ceremony:

Much ceremony and celebration accompanied the formal groundbreaking this afternoon, including high-school musicians from the Evergreen campus:

Proud day for the White Center Library Guild – here’s president June McKivor:

And of course for the King County Library System, whose board president Robin McClelland was there:

King County Councilmember Joe McDermott spoke:

The official address is 1409 SW 107th, identified by KCLS two years ago:

As the library’s groundbreaking announcement puts it, “The new library will be larger and brighter, 10,000 square feet, with more windows, with more study tables, study rooms, dedicated spaces for kids and teens, more materials, more computers, better wireless, and a large flexible community meeting room that can be opened up for general use when not reserved for use by the community.” The project is funded by a bond voters approved 11 years ago.

We received an alert this evening including word that the 97-year-old house in that King County Assessor’s Office photo is about to be no more:

On March 19, 2015, the South King County Fire Training Consortium will be conducting live fire training at 10635 4 Ave. SW [map] between the hours of 7:00 am and 7:00 pm.

Live fire training is the carefully controlled burning of a specially prepared house that exposes firefighters to the conditions that they would find at an actual house fire. Firefighters practice extinguishing the fire, searching for victims, and clearing smoke out of the building.

Prior to the house being burned, all the oil-based materials including carpets, tar paper, and asphalt shingles are removed to reduce health risks and pollution.

Unfortunately, some smoke will be produced as the training is conducted. We recommend that people living in the area close their windows as a precaution. Those with respiratory sensitivity may want to consider being away from home during the training times.

There will be a temporary closure of 4 Ave. SW in both directions between SW 106 Street and SW 108 Street from 6:30 am until 7:30 pm. This closure will allow fire apparatus and personnel to move around the property safely. Detour signs will be posted and traffic rerouted. Homeowners on the closed section of street will be able to get in and out of their residences.

The South King County Fire Training Consortium is made up of eight fire departments and was created to allow firefighters from different departments to train together, using a common standard, and in a cost effective manner. The SCKFTC serves over 650 firefighters.

Metro also has sent an advisory that Route 131 will be rerouted for a while because of this.

Sent by County Councilmember Kathy Lambert today:

Council adopts updated noise guidelines for Unincorporated King County
Simplifying and clarifying

The Metropolitan King County Council today unanimously adopted a modernized and simplified set of noise guidelines for residents living in the unincorporated communities of King County. The revised regulations cover a wide number of issues, ranging from options in addition to decibel levels to who will be the contact people for faster response.

“There were 1603 noise complaints in 2013. I hope the clarity of the new law and enforcement as well as the mediation process will help to make the noise concerns greatly reduced,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert, the sponsor of the legislation.

Lambert further remarked, “In crafting this legislation, we were very cognizant of the fact that noise is a deeply personal issue to people, and that we needed to balance noise protection with the need for legitimate noise from business and industry.”

King County has a policy of minimizing exposure of residents “to the physiological and psychological dangers of excessive noise and to protect, promote and preserve the public health, safety and welfare.” For many years, the county has found the current noise code difficult to enforce due to resource constraints and unclear code provisions from 1977.

The legislation adopted today is an effort to expand, simplify and clarify these codes to make them more effective and enforceable. The legislation is a collaborative product that has been over a year in the making, with key input from agencies directly affected such as the Sheriff and Public Health who currently share responsibility for enforcing the noise ordinance, the Department of Permitting and Environmental Review which handles construction permits, the County Prosecutor’s Office and the Dispute Resolution Center as well as input from individual residents, many business groups such as the construction industry, and many community groups.

The legislation shifts the enforcement focus for neighborhood noise from only technical decibel measurements to revised public disturbance provisions which are clarified and defined to include “any sound that unreasonably disturbs or interferes with the peace, comfort or repose of a person or persons.” Examples in existing code are retained that illustrate types of noise that constitute public disturbances. This is an approach that has been successfully used by other law enforcement jurisdictions, including some that are served by the King County Sheriff’s Office. Construction noise enforcement is also greatly simplified, relying on strict hour limits.

Under the new noise code, it is clarified and coordinated so if you are experiencing loud and raucous neighborhood noise, you would call the Sheriff. The Department of Permitting and Environmental Review (DPER) will be primarily responsible for enforcing construction noise limits. The county hopes that the first step people will take is to talk to each other; the new legislation encourages mediation.

This ordinance has already gone through SEPA review. With the Council’s adoption of the ordinance, the next step will be be to obtain required approval from the state Department of Ecology before the provisions would go into effect. Standards are also deemed approved if the Department of Ecology fails to act within 90 days. If all of the processes receive the necessary approvals, the new regulations would likely go into effect this summer.