White Center Now: The blog about White Center

On our third day of wild weather, rain and sun alternated for much of the afternoon – after morning downpours including the one Gill captured in that photo! No warnings in effect right now but the weather is still unsettled, to say the least, according to the newest forecast.

In the Boulevard Park area? Maybe you know whose dog this is:

Found this evening in the rain in front of Boulevard Park Liquor Store. Healthy and happy neutered male…warm, fed and dry now …very friendly….black and white… Wasn’t happy about meeting our dog so is in our heated garage for now. My name is Stephanie #206-234-7814

As part of the annual regional Mayors’ Day of Concern for the Hungry, White Center Food Bank ‘s Audrey Zemke tells us that Key Club members from the Evergreen Campus will collect food, money, and gift-card donations 10 am-2 pm today at Roxbury Safeway and North Burien Albertson’s on SW 128th. Drop by and give!

11:40 PM: Thanks to everyone who has texted and e-mailed about a helicopter that was apparently over White Center/Highland Park for a while – and then, we’re told, has just left. Not sure yet what was going on but we’re checking. There was a Seattle Fire dispatch to the 9400 block of 15th SW and the arriving engine reported via scanner that there was no patient at the scene plus “all the deputies and police have gone somewhere else.” If you’re seeing the law enforcement response on the ground, please let us know! We’ll continue to check.

12:01 AM: Guardian One, the King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter that assists other agencies too, says via Twitter that it was “over White Center assisting with a robbery call.” No further details so far.

One week from tonight – the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council hopes to see you at its next public-safety forum:

Save the Date

Thursday, Oct 3
7pm
North Highline Fire Station
1243 112th Street, SW
(entrance in the back)

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council is pleased to be hosting a Public Safety Forum

Want to know more about the King County Sex Offender Registry and Community Notification Program? Then plan on joining us for an informative presentation and discussion with Detective Michael Luchau of the King County Sheriff’s Department Sex Offender Unit.

Share your concerns regarding community safety with White Center Storefront Deputy, BJ Myers and Deputy William Kennamer of Metro Transit Police.

All are welcome!

OUR COMMUNITY MATTERS
BE INVOLVED
BE INFORMED
BE HEARD

SEE YOU THERE!!

Since opening two years ago, Caffé Delia has been based inside the Proletariat Pizza storefront, in a time-sharing/space-sharing environment – open during hours when PP wasn’t. But now there’s big news, announced on the CD Facebook page:

It is with legitimate excitement and some degree of “holy shit!” that we are posting to tell you all that Caffè Delia will be moving into its own cozy little space in the heart of White Center.

It’s going to be right next door to where we are now. It will be very easy to find.

We have said this many times, but it bears repeating: We love White Center, and love to work at making great coffee for you all.

We had one goal when we started: make delicious coffee in Rat City. That is what we are going to keep doing.

One thing, and you are going to have to bear with us on this one. In order to open up our new joint, we are going to have to close our little coffee stand. Caffè Delia, Inside Proletariat Pizza, will be open every day until October 13. Then we will be closed until we open again right next door.

We’ll see you around for the next 3 weeks. And then, we’ll see you in a few.

The new space is part of the former Dzul Tattoo storefront, immediately south of PP; Proletariat, as reported here previously, has already taken the other part.

We haven’t broken it out for White Center and the rest of North Highline yet, but for starters, here’s the official news release from King County Executive Dow Constantine’s office regarding his budget proposal unveiled this morning:

Building upon reforms put in place over the past four years, King County Executive Dow Constantine today proposed a balanced 2014 Budget with no new taxes that sustains essential functions and restores some critical services lost in the recession.

“We are reforming from the inside, forging ahead even as other levels of government are paralyzed, to construct local solutions to complex problems,” said Executive Constantine in his annual budget address to the Metropolitan King County Council.

With cities and metropolitan areas fast becoming the engines of innovation, prosperity and social transformation in the United States, the Executive outlined several initiatives for the County to chart its way forward:

· A $500,000 Catalyst Fund to lead the transformation of the regional health and human service system from reactive crisis response to proactive preventive strategies and services. These one-time funds are intended to kick start the best new ideas and advances, attract other investments and revenue sources, and lead to better outcomes, particularly in the treatment of those with mental health and addiction issues.

· A two-year Regional Veterans Initiative to embark upon the first-ever comprehensive mapping of the labyrinth of federal, state and local services for veterans. Programs and community agencies would be connected to a King County Veteran Services Network so that vets seeking services can immediately be directed to the right program, and all agencies can use the same assessment and screening tools. The project is funded with $388,000 from the voter-approved Veterans and Human Services Levy.

· Support for the community-wide campaign to enroll 180,000 uninsured adults who will become newly eligible for free or low-cost health coverage on October 1 under the Affordable Care Act – connecting them to effective preventive care early, rather than expensive treatment later.

Savings and efficiencies

By creating operational efficiencies, the Executive’s reform agenda has saved, over the past four budgets, a cumulative $111 million in the General Fund, including $2.9 million in new savings in the 2014 General Fund.

Other efficiencies created in this budget in both General Fund and non-General Fund agencies include:

· Reducing energy use by replacing outmoded equipment and changing old operating practices has saved $2.7 million a year over the past four years, and earned another $2.8 million in utility rebates.

· Consolidating office space saves $8.6 million over ten years in the General Fund, and nearly $17 million in non-General Fund agencies.

· Consolidating the County’s computer servers, physically and in the Cloud, saves $1.4 million over the next two years.

Restoring some critical services

· Reopening the Sheriff’s Hicks-Raburn Precinct in Maple Valley, bringing Sheriff’s deputies closer to the people they serve, and to have a place in Southeast King County to restore the vital practice of roll calls with the sergeants and deputies.

· Restoring four uniformed officers in the Sheriff’s Office: three patrol deputies and a sergeant.

· Funding at current levels for prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault, and aid for victims.

· Restoring counter service over the noon hour at the Superior Court Clerk’s Office in Kent and in Seattle, so that customers can once again file a document or view court cases when they were free during lunch time.

Budget overview

With the continued transition to a biennial, two-year budget for nearly all agencies except those in the General Fund and a few others, the published total budget for 2013/2014 that includes all funds dedicated to specific purposes is a hybrid annual/biennial number of $9.0 Billion. On an annual basis, spending in 2014 is expected to be about the same $4.5 Billion as in 2013.

The proposed General Fund budget for 2014 is $714.4 million, an increase of 4.2 percent from $685.3 million in 2013. Inflation plus the cost of population growth account for 3.1 percent of that increase. Nearly all the remainder is attributable to the transition to a new Department of Public Defense, which was driven by a class-action lawsuit and state Supreme Court ruling, and the addition of contract work paid for by the City of Seattle and the State of Washington.

As a consequence of the severely constrained revenues authorized for counties, and despite having aggressively controlled costs in partnership with employees and unions, the Executive said that General Fund revenues are expected to fall short of the cost of services by about $36 million dollars in the 2015/2016 biennium, with a further gap of about $16 million dollars in the subsequent biennium. Most of the $36 million dollar gap arises because revenue sources for counties are based on only a property tax and a sales tax, both of which are strictly limited for counties under state law.

All County agencies will complete the move to biennial budgeting for 2015/2016, so this 2014 Budget represents the last annual budget to be developed by King County.

The Metropolitan King County Council plans a number of public hearings on the budget and is set to adopt a final King County Budget in November./blockquote>

A funeral Mass is planned at Holy Family this Wednesday morning for 84-year-old Theodore (Ted) John Wiese:

Ted went home to the Lord 9-19-13 at the age of 84. Born in Woodburn, Oregon, in 1929, he married Doris Marie Prinslow on October 2, 1954, after being honorably discharged as a corporal from the Marine Corps and attending OSU. He retired from The Boeing Company after 26 years and was ordained to the Diaconate, serving the Archdiocese of Seattle for the past 24 years at Holy Family Parish in White Center.

He is survived by his wife Doris, sister Jeanette Moore, his children Connie (Richard) Sanders, Larry Wiese, Greg Wiese, Julie (Bruce) Hanson, Lisa (Karl) Hansen, Tom (Wendy) Wiese, Margaret (Jeff Haack) Wiese, and Paul Wiese, 10 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild. Mass of the Christian Burial will be at Holy Family Church at 11:00 am September 25. To leave an online condolence, please visit Yaringtons.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ted’s memory to Catholic Community Services or Holy Family Parish.

(WCN publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to whitecenternow@gmail.com)

It happened just this past hour in downtown WC, says a family that doesn’t want to be identified but hopes the thief will do the right thing:

Tonight around 7:15-7:30 pm, our family was eating at Proletariat Pizza in White Center. Our orange and brown BOB single stroller was stolen.

Our family is sad as we use it every day. If found, please return to Proletariat Pizza, they know how to contact us.

Highland Park Family

SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATE: The family and stroller are reunited – as explained in this comment on the West Seattle Blog version of this story.

Details of Metro‘s next “service change” are now available on its website, including changes to Route 22, which will no longer loop through Shorewood, and Route 120, which is adding service. The changes can be seen by clicking the route numbers on this page; below, the same text you’ll get by doing that:

For Route 22:

Route 22 will be extended further west and south in Arbor Heights. It will operate a counter-clockwise loop via SW 100th St, 44th Ave SW, Marine View Dr SW, SW 106th St, 39th Ave SW and 35th Ave SW to SW 106th SW and regular routing to the Alaska Junction. It will no longer operate a clockwise loop via 26th Ave SW, SW 106th St, 35th Ave SW and SW Roxbury St in Shorewood.

The schedule will be adjusted for the added running time of about 7 minutes.

For Route 120:

On weekdays, one northbound trip to downtown Seattle leaving the Burien Transit Center at 10:34 pm and two southbound trips to Burien leaving 3rd Ave & Virginia St at 10:33 and 11:39 pm will be added. On Saturday, four northbound trips at 7:27 am and 5:36, 6:07 and 6:37 pm, and four southbound trips at 9:08 am and 6:38, 7:08 and 10:54 pm will be added. The northbound trip leaving the Burien Transit Center at 7:20 am will be revised to leave 8 minutes earlier at 7:12 am.

On Sunday, a northbound trip at 6:32 am and a southbound trip at 10:54 pm will be added. The northbound trip leaving the Burien Transit Center at 6:11 am will be revised to leave 10 minutes earlier at 6:01 am.

Metro’s info page also includes sections with information on which days this fall will include holiday-related changes. Metro says printed timetables will be available this Friday, and that you should be able to preview changes right now using the online Trip Planner.

We checked back today with the King County Sheriff’s Office on the Tuesday night crash at 17th and Roxbury, which was blocked for more than two hours as a result. KCSO spokesperson Det. Jason Stanley says a 51-year-old woman described as a transient was crossing midblock around 5 pm when she was hit by a 54-year-old Federal Way woman driving southbound. He adds, “The pedestrian was taken to Harborview Medical Center with serious injuries to include multiple broken bones. The driver is cooperating with the detectives and the investigation is ongoing. Nobody has been arrested and no charges have been filed.”

Katy Terry, deputy director of King County Parks, came to North Shorewood Park on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the official grand opening of its brand-new play area. The celebration was part of King County Parks’ 75th birthday, so of course there was cake:

The play-area project cost about $117,000, with the money coming from a Community Development Block Grant and county parks-levy money.

What? You don’t know where North Shorewood Park is? 24th SW and SW 102nd.

Several people asked us about police and fire activity at 17th/Roxbury late this afternoon. At the scene, our crew found out that a pedestrian had been hurt crossing the street; we’re told she was taken to Harborview Medical Center. King County Sheriff’s Office deputies were trying to sort out what happened, and Seattle Police were assisting with traffic control – the incident closed southbound 17th at Roxbury for a while.

Two months after Hicklin Lake got its first “floating islands,” its neighborhood advocates are pursuing a grant to make them more effective. Here’s their update:

Friends of Hicklin Lake are a small group of neighbors formed in 2004; our primary goal is to have clean water in our lake for the safety and health of our children, students and the community, including visitors from other areas. The following information shows how we are one step closer to our goal.

Hicklin Lake is located within Lakewood Park, next to Cascade Middle School and Technology Access Foundation Learning Center. This lake has a long history of polluted waters caused by inappropriate diversion of drainage that occurred in the mid 1960’s: all of the Salmon Creek Basin containing 750 water shed acres of drainage was diverted into 4 ½ acre Hicklin Lake, which has no natural outlet. Consequently pumps are required to keep the lake from flooding and unfiltered drainage is being pumped out of the lake and into an old government sewer line that discharges into Puget Sound. Historically, prior to the drainage diversions, water was directed through Longfellow Creek; the reason for the changes is unknown.

This year, 2013, a grant of $50,000 from the State Department of Ecology provided funding for two Floating Islands, (man made wetlands), containing a total of 1200 square feet. One manufacturer recommended 5,000 square feet for a lake of this size and the amount of drainage it receives. However it is at least a start in the recovery of Hicklin Lake’s poor water quality, which suffers not only from poor decisions about drainage, but from the loss of its original natural wetland, paved over to provide the west parking lot of the park. King County is funding research for two years on the effectiveness of the Floating Islands for water clarity and water quality improvement.

Friends of Hicklin Lake discovered this technology, and held meetings with the community and staff of King County to pursue the Floating Island technology project starting in 2011 (Floating Islands were launched July 2013). These Floating Islands also provide shelter and food for fish and the vegetation absorbs Carbon Dioxide and gives off oxygen, a win/win natural system.
We have now applied for a Grant through the Rose Foundation which handles the Puget Sound grass roots Grants for small groups that may be mostly volunteers.

Our purpose is to install three under water air diffusers powered by an air compressor located in the existing pump house. These aerators, strategically placed in the lake, will greatly increase the effectiveness of our Floating Islands by mixing the colder heavily polluted bottom layer of lake water with the upper, warmer water, and pushing a smorgasbord of contaminates toward the microbes, which are actively colonizing the roots of plants on the islands even as we write this. Recall that the microbes are the work horse of the islands, digesting pollutants. Also, aeration provides life-giving oxygen to fish and water creatures, and helps reduce Algae formations. An advantage of this particular system is that air lines are placed in the lake floor, but no electric line is directly in the water, thereby adding a safety feature. The water that is eventually pumped to Puget Sound should be much cleaner by the use of the Islands and the aerators, working in concert.

The Floating Islands require very little maintenance and the aeration system costs for power and maintenance is minimal for the results.

Friends thank all the local organizations that provided approval letters to help pursue the grant for the Floating Islands, proving once again that communities working together can make positive changes.

To help inform our community on various concerns and projects for Lakewood Park / Hicklin Lake, Friends of Hicklin Lake are providing a monthly E-Mail news letter titled Hicklin Lake Informer.

Dick Thurnau and Marcia Wollam
Friends of Hicklin Lake
hdthurnau@yahoo.com

We first heard about it from tipster Gill (who also shared the photo), while the work was under way – and now, not only is the North Shorewood Park play area open, there’s a dedication event planned tomorrow:

Everyone is invited to join King County Parks in celebrating the grand opening of a new play area at North Shorewood Park on Tuesday, Sept. 17 from 5-7 p.m., with the official program commencing at 5:30 p.m. The park is located at 24th Avenue Southwest and Southwest 102nd Street in White Center.

The new playground equipment replaces outdated equipment that had reached the end of its lifecycle, and features a slide and other interactive elements for children aged 3 – 12 years old. The $117,000 project was funded by a grant from the Community Development Block Grant program and by the 2007-2013 Open Space and Trails Levy.

A man arrested in Oregon in connection with a bank robbery there is believed to be a serial robber – with his alleged crimes including the August 30th holdup at KeyBank on 17th SW in White Center. That’s according to multiple media reports out of Portland, including this one. Law enforcers were led to the suspect, according to the newest updates, because the 57-year-old man left his car keys behind and had to try to get away on foot. He is reported to have served time in prison for other robberies.

Just one last reminder – 2-5 pm today, with a program at 3:30 pm, you can help celebrate the 75th anniversary of King County Parks with a party at the historic fieldhouse at Steve Cox Memorial Park – here’s our original report on the announcement.

Two volunteer opportunities coming up, according to Kari Kopnick from White Center-headquartered WestSide Baby:

*Volunteer at WS Baby on Thursday, September 19th, 7-9 pm

*Volunteer at WS Baby on Thursday, October 3rd, 5:30-7:30 pm

Spaces are limited so please RSVP to kari@westsidebaby.org.

(UPDATED Tuesday evening with correct map, re-sent by SDOT)

Since January, the Seattle Department of Transportation has been repaving Delridge Way SW in West Seattle, south of SW Orchard, in segments. The final segment will be just north of the White Center business district, so we thought you’d want to know. It’s set to start September 23rd, and here’s the announcement, with a map:
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(Updated map sent by SDOT)

The Seattle Department of Transportation’s Delridge Way SW Paving Project enters its fifth and final phase on September 23, 2013. The project rebuilds much of the roadway from SW Henderson to SW Roxbury streets, installing new storm water detention pipes, upgrading curb ramps to ADA standards and adding bike facilities on the northern end. The project began January 10 and is expected to wrap up by the end of the year.

To ensure the safety of drivers and pedestrians and to allow enough space for the crews to complete the work on Phase 5, between SW Henderson and Roxbury streets, on-street parking will be inaccessible. Also, southbound traffic will be detoured at SW Henderson St to 16th Avenue SW (see map).

Currently crews are working to complete Phase 4, between SW Holden and Orchard streets. This includes rebuilding SW Orchard Street, between Sylvan Way SW and Delridge Way SW. Crews are constructing one side at a time, with SW Orchard Street closed to eastbound traffic through September 13 and to westbound traffic the following two weeks. Traffic is being detoured along Delridge Way SW and Sylvan Way SW.

In Phase 4 these next two weeks, weather permitting, crews will also stripe Delridge Way SW between SW Holden and Myrtle streets. The markings reconfigure Delridge, between SW Kenyon and SW Myrtle streets, to accommodate new 6’ wide bike lanes.

The southern portion of Delridge Way SW is an important West Seattle arterial that had deteriorated over time. Completion of this $6.7 million Bridging the Gap funded paving project provides a smoother roadway, greater pedestrian accessibility and a higher level of safety for all modes of travel while the new drainage detention pipes slow the rate of storm water flow into Longfellow Creek during periods of heavy rain.

The grand opening of Fitness With A Purpose, a new business in Greenbridge, is this Saturday. That’s according to an announcement published on a mailing list for nearby South Park. It’s at 9610 8th SW – you’ve probably seen the sign. They’re described as having all-new equipment and Zumba classes, among other things.

THURSDAY UPDATE: We’ve received more information about this:

WHAT: Grand opening of Fitness With a Purpose

WHEN: Saturday, September 14th, 1:00-9:00 p.m.

WHERE: Fitness With A Purpose, 9610 8th Ave. SW (corner of 8th and Roxbury)

DETAILS: New members will receive on full week free between Sept 14 and Oct 13. The 1,750 square-foot facility features an aerobics studio, personal training area and cardio equipment. Members can also take a wide selection of group exercise classes including step aerobics, Zumba, cardio strength, stretch and flex, core and more and TRX suspension strength training from experienced professional trainers.

About Fitness With a Purpose

Located on the corner of 8th and Roxbury near the Greenbridge community, Fitness With a Purpose offers an innovative and positive approach to living a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, Fitness With A Purpose offers a variety of inexpensive fitness groups for walking and running led by certified instructors. And to better meet the needs of the community, free women and girls-only classes will be held on Thursdays at 3 p.m. and Saturdays at 7 a.m.

Fitness with a purpose has a flexible schedule, opening its doors at 6 am Monday through Friday. The facility will be closed weekdays from 1-4:30 pm for personal training, but open after that until 9 p.m. Facility is also open Saturdays 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Plus, Greenbridge residents receive 25 percent off their monthly membership fee.