White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Thanks to the reader who sent that photo and tipped us to the fire at 13th/100th. We went over to check it out and found this:

An investigator is on scene trying to find out why the vehicle caught fire. We are told it was unoccupied at the time; no one was hurt.

(Added: WCN photo)

10:16 PM: King County Sheriff’s Deputies are investigating a shooting in the 10000 block of 1st SW (map), and they say it’s turned deadly – the 26-year-old man who was shot has died. KCSO says via Twitter that they don’t know yet what led up to the shooting; their detectives are on scene.

1:30 AM: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Ryan Abbott told us detectives would likely be there for hours, so we stopped while out on something else. Photo added above. The street is blocked off in a residential neighborhood we’d describe as east White Center.

We’ve received a couple questions about an incident tonight right on the White Center/Burien line, at Ambaum/116th (map). King County Sheriff’s Office detectives have the area closed off for an investigation. According to KCSO via Twitter, a 38-year-old man is in critical condition at Harborview – he was on foot when a driver hit him.

1:37 PM: Out and about on this sunny pre-Thanksgiving Saturday? Stop by the White Center Library before 3 pm for the Library Guild’s annual bazaar and bake sale. Some handcrafted items, and some rummage sale-y items too:

Proceeds benefit library programs. Haven’t been to the library? It’s at 1409 SW 107th.

ADDED 9:40 PM: Thanks to Gill Loring for sharing these photos:

This bazaar had raffles – above, the afghan winner; below, the Mariners Gift Pack winner:

And … it’s not a bazaar without warm fuzzies:

By the way … the library will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

The new county budget has been approved. Our area’s County Councilmember Joe McDermott sent this announcement about its highlights from his priorities for the region and his district:

Working to ensure a safe, welcoming and equitable county was a top priority for Metropolitan King County Council Chair Joe McDermott, which included investing to further the King County Gun Safety Action Plan, supporting and protecting our Immigrant and Refugee neighbors and friends, and promoting affordable housing in the County’s work to tackle the region’s homelessness crisis.

Gun Safety Action Plan

As a Council, we’ve taken steps to ensure we’re doing our part to protect residents from gun violence within the confines of the state’s preemption law. This work must approach the epidemic of gun violence as a public health crisis, and this budget does just that.

– King County Public Health will receive $180,000 to engage youth and young people affected by gun violence to learn from them how we might help make their lives, communities and schools safer from violence. This money funds the project authorized by the Gun Safety Action Plan in September.

– An innovative partnership between the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, King County Public Health and local law enforcement agencies around the County to track and prevent gun violence using a public health approach will receive $500,000 to continue its work for the next two years.

Immigrants and Refugees

This budget builds upon the work we started in 2017 that ensures Martin Luther King Jr. County remains dedicated to being a safe, welcoming community for all who live, work and visit here:

– $500,000 will be invested in outreach around the 2020 Census to ensure our immigrant and refugee friends, family and neighbors are appropriately counted without being intimidated by the Trump Administration’s discriminatory immigration questions designed to suppress responses. This work will be incredibly important so that all residents are counted. An accurate census count affects everything from Congressional representation to federal funding for housing, transportation and human services.

– The Immigrant and Refugee Fund investment for legal defense and community organizations, first passed by Chair McDermott and developed in partnership with the City of Seattle last year, will continue and grow for the next 6 years, through the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy funds passed by King County voters.

Housing and Homelessness

Thanks to legislation and policy Chair McDermott sponsored earlier this year, the Council was able to distribute an additional $100 million in bonded money to invest in affordable housing throughout the County in the coming months. This includes over $70 million in affordable housing investments, as well as over $15 million for shelters for people experiencing homelessness in five different locations around the County.

District 8 Investments

In addition to Chair McDermott’s regional priorities, this budget supports programs and services throughout Council District 8.

– The King County Water Taxi will continue its high level of service, including over $3.5 million in investments for studying updates to the West Seattle Terminal, developing a Transit Hub and preserving Seacrest Dock.

o All of this while not raising fares that were previously planned to go increase in 2020 – the first biennium no fare increase has occurred since King County took over operations in 2012.

– The Creekside Village Apartments, a new project on Vashon Island integrating affordable rental housing, wetland preservation, and open space, will receive $4 million to work towards filling an incredibly important need for islanders.

– The Broadway Youth Opportunity Center, through Youth Care and Capitol Hill Housing, will receive $6.5 million to deliver housing and services for homeless youth.

– The Seattle Chinatown-International District PDA will receive $2.5 million to work on redeveloping the Pacific Tower North Lot for affordable housing.

– The Evergreen Pool in White Center will receive $106,000 to upgrade and maintain the vital service it provides families throughout the North Highline area.

– The Hope Academy in southern West Seattle, serving Somali students from around the region, will be upgrading their facilities with an investment of $25,000.

– The South Park Information and Resource Center will receive $36,000 to support their community sports program in the coming two years.

– The West Seattle Veterans Service Center will receive $5,000 to support their work supporting Veterans throughout the region.

(WCN photo from 2017 bazaar)

Saturday’s the day you can do holiday shopping at the library! It’s the Holiday Bazaar and Book Sale put on by the White Center Library Guild:

Books, white elephant, holiday, and gently used household treasures galore. All proceeds benefit the programs for the White Center Library.

Saturday, November 17th 10 am to 3 pm, WC Library, 1409 SW 107th

11:28 PM: Big power outage – stretching from east White Center and Top Hat into Burien; about 5,800 homes/businesses, according to Seattle City Light, which says it started around 10:20 pm. No word yet what caused it. Thanks to Alisha, Barb, and others for the tips!

11:54 PM: According to the SCL map, affected areas north of Burien are back on – power has been restored to more than 1,800 affected customers.

Another Lunch and Learn event in White Center this week. Here’s the announcement:

On Wednesday, November 14th at 12 PM at the Bethaday Community Learning Space, the Equity in Education Coalition, CIRCC, and the Racial Equity Team will be hosting a Lunch and Learn event: The Intersection of Mental Health and Racism.

We think it’s time to discuss the intersection of mental health and racism – about stigma in our communities, about how racism influences our mental health. Join us in a conversation with Katie Mahoney, with the National Alliance on Mental Illness; Cherryl Jackson Williams, Mental Health Professional at Renton Schools; and Tracy Stewart, clinical psychologist.

You can RSVP here. Bethaday Community Learning Space is at 605 SW 108th.

Toplines from November’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting:

LAND CONSERVATION INITIATIVE: Darren Greve and Dave Kimmett brought an update on King County’s Land Conservation Initiative.

The program has been in the works for about 2.5 years and this coming year their department will be working to define which areas can be considered for the longterm plan to find and acquire more land to use as parks, green spaces, and trails in King County. Priority will be given to low-income areas. Part of that plan will be to waive matching funds so that open spaces can be created in the lowest-income areas without having to clear a financial hurdle.

Part of what they’re trying to do will be included in extending the County parks levy. In the 2020s there might be an additional ballot measure strictly for acquiring property. Greve pointed out that the existing levy funding can only be used for upkeep and operation. An added ballot measure could be used to acquire land.

Q&A for them started with concerns about adequate community-wide input. Kimmett said he’s the boots-on-the-ground person and is willing to come back and talk to NHUAC about their immediate area. In the exchange, NHUAC president Liz Giba mentioned that she had suggested some land for such purposes and no one got back to her. The county reps apologized for that and Kimmett promised to return in February with a more detailed map and extended conversation about potential WC areas that could be considered.

HIGHWAY 99 TRANSITION: The Alaskan Way Viaduct‘s permanent closure is now just two months away – January 11th. WSDOT’s Laura Newborn gave a general presentation on the plan (see West Seattle Blog coverage of the original announcement, plus the recent update with details for a goodbye/hello celebration weekend February 2-3). If you want to join in the bike ride, fun run, and/or walk on The Viaduct, be sure to sign up for your choice(s) ASAP!

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT: The County Council’s still considering where this fee goes in the budget plan; Josh Baldi of the Water and Land Resources Division told NHUAC that the overall budget includes money to do visioning for the White Center area, which would mean identifying areas with runoff problems. Baldi said the money would go to unincorporated areas since the improvements that might have been needed earlier were put off until the various areas voted on annexation; the county realizes some investment is needed and will be back next year to identify areas.

CRIME: Storefront Deputy Bill Kennamer said crimes overall are static or down. Car thefts made a huge drop in the past month. He speculated that a key arrest or two might account for that.

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meets first Thursdays, 7 pm, at North Highline Fire District HQ, 1243 SW 112th.

Thanks to Aaron Garcia from the White Center Community Development Association for the heads-up. If you’re not already planning on going to Saturday’s annual White Center Summit – you’re invited!

White Center Summit is happening this Saturday, November 10th:

9 am – Check-in/Breakfast
10 am – start time

Evergreen High School
830 SW 116th

Come learn about issues affecting White Center – like housing, health, economic development – and learn about community building and how our communities of opportunity partners are coming together to support White Center families- and discuss your priorities with local officials and neighbors. What do you love about White Center? What would you like to see improve? This event is FREE, and interpretation, child care, and breakfast & lunch is provided.

Due to the generosity of a private donor, two participants will be randomly selected to receive $100.

Here’s where to go to RSVP.

When tonight’s vote count was announced, Joe Nguyen was far in front for 34th District State Senator, and he almost couldn’t believe it:

Here’s the first round of results in the race:

Joe Nguyen – 27,440 – 57.4%
Shannon Braddock – 20,373 – 42.6%

Nguyen was in White Center tonight with his supporters, at Drunky’s Two Shoes BBQ, when the results went public.

He is the son of Vietnamese refugees, born in White Center, raised in Burien, now living in West Seattle. Assuming his lead holds as the remaining votes are counted in the weeks ahead, he will become the first person of color to represent the 34th District in Olympia, and the state’s first Vietnamese-American legislator. He also is a manager at Microsoft, father of two, and husband of a Highline Public Schools teacher.

Next vote count is expected Wednesday afternoon.

Just a reminder that Sunday brings the monthly meeting of the Community Advisory Committee for city-sanctioned Camp Second Chance, a place of interest to both sides of the county/city line. If you have a question/concern, this is the place to bring it. The committee meeting is open to all, 2 pm in the community room at Arrowhead Gardens (9200 2nd SW), a few blocks north of the encampment.

Thanks to Matt Weiner for letting us know that the coffee shop which followed his in downtown White Center is celebrating its SECOND ANNIVERSARY already! Moonshot Coffee opened in 2016 after taking over the former Caffe Delia at 9622 16th SW. And it’s now open 7 am to 6 pm.

Thanks to Gill Loring for one of the area’s most abundantly decorated Halloween houses!

This is on “the west side of 26th Ave. SW just north of SW 104th,” Gill tells us.

Got your plans for tonight yet? Many White Center establishments are inviting you in for a party.

And you can trick-or-treat at participating businesses between 4 and 6 pm. Stay safe and have a happy Halloween!

Got questions about the Viaduct-to-tunnel transition coming up early next year? That’s one of multiple hot topics that the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council will tackle Thursday night. The announcement:

North Highline Unincorporated Area Council Meeting

When: Thursday, November 1, 2018 at 7 pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station at 1243 SW 112th Street in White Center
(Parking and Entrance are in the back of the Station)

The Opportunity to Be Informed, Be Involved and Be Heard!

Still trying to decide whether Joe Nguyen or Shannon Braddock should be our next 34th District State Senator? Last month’s NHUAC Candidate Forum gave us the opportunity to observe the candidates and hear their opinions on a variety of issues. You can watch the video here, thanks to White Center Now! The discussion ranged from cannabis to housing, concentrated neighborhood poverty and our reduced life expectancy.

*According to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, turning vacant lots of trash and weeds into green spaces improves the mental health of residents struggling with urban poverty. Considering this new report, NHUAC is pleased to welcome Darren Greve and Dave Kimmett. They will update us on King County’s Land Conservation Initiative. The 30-year plan is designed to protect 65,000 acres of green spaces before they are lost to development.

*Go north much? $2.2 billion and 3 years later than expected, the Alaskan Way Viaduct will close forever on January 11th. Highway 99 will be closed between Spokane Street and Belltown, so it can be aligned with new SR 99 tunnel, before it opens in February. Laura Newborn and Ashley Selvey of the Washington State Department of Transportation will join us to answer questions, offer suggestions and share resources to make the transition as easy as possible.

*Stormwater management and your property taxes will also be on our agenda. John Taylor of King County Parks and Natural Resources will fill us in on what we can expect.

*Once again, Deputy Bill Kennamer will update us with news and statistics from KCSO.

Then … the floor will be yours!

Knowledge is power. Learn, share and help make our community a better place.

Thursday, November 1, 2018 at 7 pm

Bring a Friend!

Jill‘s 2013 black Toyota Highlander with a black cargo box was stolen in White Center on Sunday night, near the roller rink. “It was pretty much out of gas, so I hope it didn’t go too far,” Jill says. Plate BEC5570. Call 911 if you see it.

White Center is one of more than two dozen areas of King County where the county will send appraisers for in-person inspections soon. It’s part of a periodic process, according to this announcement:

King County appraisers have begun the annual process of visiting neighborhoods to inspect properties in-person to set the values.

The Assessor is required by law to inspect each property in-person at least once every six years. In practice, that means King County property appraisers visit in-person about 1/6 of the properties in the county each year to ensure that homes are valued accurately and fairly. This translates to approximately 100,000 property inspections each year.

An inspection is generally an exterior observation for comparison with the property characteristics on file. To accomplish the inspections, Assessors may need to enter side or back yards. If additional information is needed, Assessor’s staff will first knock on the residence door to speak with a taxpayer if possible. All appraisers carry county ID.

For the 2019 assessment year, we will be inspecting the following residential areas through early spring of 2019:

· Inglewood
· Finn Hill
· Juanita
· Phinney Ridge
· Fremont
· Ravenna
· University District
· Sea Tac
· Tukwila
· Rainier Beach
· White Center
· Burien
· Des Moines
· Kent
· Woodmont
· Redondo
· Auburn
· Medina
· Hunts Point
· Clyde Hill
· Woodinville
· Cottage Lake
· Skykomish
· Newport
· Kennydale
· Lake Youngs
· Enumclaw Plateau

Citizens with questions should contact our Public Information Team at 206-296-7300.

Thanks to Iris for tweeting the photo. What was once the Barrel Tavern is now rubble. We noticed the telltale pre-demolition fence around the site recently; Iris reports that the demolition happened in this morning’s fog. We checked county permit records and so far what we’ve found – besides the issued demolition permit – is this notation from last year: “Mandatory pre-application meeting to discuss feasibility for mixed-use development consisting of a 3-story structure with medical offices, residential apartment units, and ground-floor café and retail spaces.” County Assessor’s Office records (from which the photo below is taken) list the site as having the same ownership as South Seattle Veterinary Hospital next door.

Some history goes down with the ex-Barrel, such as this.

(WCN photos)

Fighting hunger can be tasty. Last night hundreds of White Center Food Bank supporters gathered at South Seattle College‘s Brockey Center were reminded of that during the 14th annual Harvest Dinner, which also included a “dessert dash”:

We stopped by in the early going – here are WCFB executive director Marèlle Habenicht and development director Carmen Smith:

Emcee for the night, Seattle Channel’s Brian Callanan:

From one of the WCFB’s nonprofit partners, WestSide Baby, here’s executive director Nancy Woodland:

Many cool auction items were donated, including distinctly local swag:

If you weren’t there, you can still support WCFB – which serves part of West Seattle too – just go here.

An alert from King County Roads – work starts next Monday (October 22nd) on the “mini-roundabout” planned for 8th SW/SW 108th. They expect to be done by Friday, November 16th. From the project webpage:

Project description
Design and construct a mini-roundabout at 8th Avenue SW and SW 108th Street, including a rectangular rapid flashing beacon at the west crosswalk, improvements to the sidewalks, ramps to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other safety improvements.

Why is King County doing this project?
This project will improve the safety of pedestrians and other users in the White Center community. The intersection was identified as a High Collision Location in King County’s report in 2016. The project aligns with the County Executive’s priorities of Equity and Social Justice, and Regional Mobility. The intersection is part of a designated “safe route to school” for four Highline schools, and connects to proposed project 1129600 RSD Highline School District Improvements. On-site observations by Road Services Division staff indicate that some drivers fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians — many of which are students. In addition, pedestrian ramps on all quadrants of the intersection are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.