White Center Now: The blog about White Center

What outgoing North Highline Unincorporated Area Council president Greg Duff told us in that short interview before Thursday night’s meeting is close to what he said as the meeting ended: He recalled being inspired by the late Barb Peters (NHUAC member who died five months ago). The new Burien resident reminded his about-to-be-ex-councilmates, “The love you put into this community will change this community.” He was given a hearty round of applause before he brought the meeting-ending gavel down hard – one last time.

And the group itself is changing, now that the unincorporated area itself has shrunk, losing up to 16,000 people (during the meeting, Burien City Manager Mike Martin said early Census results indicated that might be the more accurate tally than the previous 14,000-person estimate for what is now “North Burien”).

Christine Waldman will take over as president – though she is not planning to run for re-election, so it will be a short tenure. Doug Harrell was elected vice president. And Patrick Mosley was elected to the council as a member-at-large.

Ron Johnson reminded his fellow councilmembers, and the audience, that they have several applications for upcoming elections but still need more – the deadline is next Monday (April 5) and there’s plenty of information (and application links) on the NHUAC home page.

Duff and outgoing council member Ray Helms (who also is now a Burien resident) got a surprise during the meeting – Linda Robson, representing King County Councilmember Jan Drago, presented the two with certificates honoring their service as “invaluable.” It was clearly a surprise to Duff when one of the councilmembers told him at the meeting’s start that Robson would be an addition to the agenda; he hesitated a bit while repeating the announcement, and someone joked, “You’ve been in Burien too long.”

More to come from the Thursday night meeting in our upcoming report/s.

Beneath the flag, that’s Greg Duff, who’s presiding over his last meeting as North Highline Unincorporated Area Council president – 2nd from left in the photo, it’s council member Ray Helms. As tonight’s NHUAC meeting began, Duff and Helms were honored by Linda Robson on behalf of King County Councilmember Jan Drago‘s office, lauded for their service (both are now Burien residents). Otherwise, the “North Burien” transition for the south section of the former unincorporated area is of course the big news; right now, Burien city manager Mike Martin is briefing the group on various matters. Martin has just announced Burien will seek a $150,000 Community Development Block Grant for playground equipment in Puget Sound Park, acknowledging he’s telling this group before telling the council (although at least one member is here and said, “You’re forgiven”). He also says that preliminary projections from the US Census that’s under way indicate North Burien may have 16,000 people, not 14,000 (and he says that if the “original” Burien goes past the 31,000 expectation, this could make it a city of nearly 50,000).

Earlier, NHUAC member Pat Price announced that volunteers will be very much welcome at Evergreen Aquatic Center next week (Highline Public Schools‘ spring break) as they get ready to reopen the pool. More to come as the meeting unfolds.

A momentous meeting, on “annexation day” – we published the agenda back on Monday.

The latest update from White Center Community Development Association, as Spring Clean approaches (just a month and a half away) on May 15:

The White Center community is gearing up for its annual Spring Clean, an event that brings together volunteer youth and elders, business owners and residents, retirees and students to work, clean and improve the community’s physical environment.

“White Center is people-powered. Events like Spring Clean showcase our collective action for positive neighborhood revitalization that truly defines our diverse community,” said Aileen Balahadia, Executive Director of the White Center Community Development Association. The White Center CDA is a catalyst for a healthy community and new prosperity in White Center- so it’s a better place to visit, shop, and live.

Asked why she participates in the Spring Clean event, White Center resident Keysha Bryant said: “You must be the change you wish to see in your community, to help build and keep it a clean safe place for our children and everyone who lives here.”

In 2009, more than 350 volunteers turned out for the Spring Clean event. We painted one block-long mural previously plagued with graffiti, cleaned and painted art on 21 trash cans for the business district, removed invasive plant species at six parks, and hauled away two tons of garbage. Volunteers covered 70 neighborhood blocks, picking up litter and completing 19 individual beautification projects developed by local residents and groups.

The White Center CDA thanks our sponsors for their contributions to this year’s event: BECU, The Home Depot, King County Housing Authority, King County Parks and Recreation, Seattle Public Utilities, The Triangle Pub and the White Center Chamber of Commerce.

Volunteers are needed! To sign up as a volunteer, contact Nhan Nguyen, Neighborhood Revitalization Program Manager at (206) 694-1082 or at whitecenterspringclean@gmail.com, and fill out the attached registration form. To register online, visit http://www.wccda.org/home/wccda/644 and you will see the link to register at the bottom of the page. Volunteers will receive a complimentary t-shirt, light breakfast, refreshments, and lunch. For event information or to sign up as a volunteer, refer to additional information on the program’s website www.wccda.org.

ORIGINAL 7:31 PM REPORT: That’s the scene a short time ago inside the Triangle Pub (owner Geoffrey “Mac” McElroy at left, White Center Chamber of Commerce president Mark Ufkes at right) as a White Center Business Forum event was convened to deal with “chronic, homeless alcoholics” in the area. Along with about a dozen business and community participants, there are reps from King County Sheriff’s Office and Seattle Police (including Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Norm James, as well as three state Liquor Control Board agents. We’ll have details soon on what was discussed and what happens next.

ADDED 1:26 AM: Here’s the rest of the story, with more photos: Read the rest of this entry »

Check out the video posted on the Seahawks‘ website, narrated by longtime local sports broadcaster Tony Ventrella, featuring a Seahawk sighting with WCPAL at the gym. Here’s the link.

That’s the bright and cheery image you’ll find on the City of Burien website’s informational page about the North Highline South Annexation that officially takes effect tomorrow. There’ve been so many outreach efforts that we doubt anyone in the area hasn’t gotten word of it yet, but just in case you’re left with any questions, the page is link-laden. And of course there’s a map:

If you open the map from the Burien site, you can zoom in to follow the borders of the annexation zone. In the West, from Seola Beach Drive, it follows SW 112th to 15th SW, jogs south a bit, then heads eastward on SW 114th to 10th SW, heading south again to SW 116th; east of 509, it jogs northward to 112th again, then at 16th S, north yet again to 107th and 108th the rest of the way. So it may take a while to memorize exactly who’s in the city limits and who’s not. Meantime, there’s also a “frequently asked questions” page here.

They desperately need boys’ clothes sizes 8 and/or 10. But they’re also celebrating a different type of donation. That’s all part of this story from our partner site West Seattle Blog.

That’s tonight’s late update from KING 5 News, which reports that three suspects are now in custody in connection with the burglary that led to a wild, chopper-enhanced, roadblock-requiring search in White Center today. As you’ll see in the video, the victim says the alleged burglars picked the wrong people to mess with. After one arrest in WC, as we reported in our earlier story, the other two arrests were made at a South Seattle motel. We’ll check tomorrow for more information on the suspects and the charges they face.

While Teamsters Local 174 isn’t saying its drivers definitely WILL walk off the job if they don’t have a contract deal with Waste Management – which serves White Center as well as parts of Seattle and other local communities – by tomorrow night, the company is taking no chances: Our regional-news partners at the Seattle Times have just published an update, saying WM is hiring replacement drivers. Talks continue tomorrow.

Geoffrey “Mac” McElroy, one of five candidates so far for State House Position 2 in the 34th District, is planning to kick off a “West Seattle Listening Tour” – first stop, though, is in White Center, not far from his Triangle Pub. He’ll be at Full Tilt Ice Cream, 9629 16th SW, 7-9 pm, on Tuesday, April 6.

ORIGINAL 11:35 AM REPORT: We’re at the scene of a big police operation in White Center – centered in the 10700 block of 18th SW. Law enforcement and TV helicopters are there too. This started as a call about a woman with a shotgun more than an hour ago. Seattle Police are assisting King County Sheriff’s deputies in closing off roads around the area. More to come. 12:02 PM UPDATE: We’ve spoken at the scene with Sgt. John Urquhart from King County Sheriff’s Office. He says the reported gun-toting woman person is one of three suspects they’re seeking after residents came home to find a burglary in progress. The residents weren’t hurt, but the burglars fled, and that’s why there’s been such an extensive search around the area. 12:59 PM UPDATE: Adding our video of Sgt. Urquhart’s media briefing (complete with background noise from the chopper/s). He says one of the three suspects HAS been caught.

Thanks to Rebecca for the Facebook tip on a crash that closed Ambaum between SW 116th and SW 122nd (map). According to a tweet from KIRO-TV, a car hit a barrier, went airborne, but landed “right side up.” Needless to say, if you have to head that way, good idea to avoid the area for now!

April 1st will be a momentous meeting for the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council; the unincorporated area shrinks that day, with the North Highline South annexation taking effect. And with that, NHUAC president Greg Duff will preside one last time, as the annexation makes him a Burien resident. Here’s the agenda he sent:

7:00 p.m. Call to order

Flag salute

Roll call

Approval of agenda

Approval of minutes

7:10 p.m. Public announcements

7:15 p.m. Update from Mike Martin, Burien City Manager

7:25 p.m. Major Jim Graddon, KCSO

Captain Carl Cole, KCSO

Captain Patrick Butschli, KCSO

7:45 p.m. Chief Mike Marrs, Burien Fire Chief

8:00 p.m. Update sent in by Deputy Jeff Hancock, KCSO

8:05 p.m. Public Comment – 3 minutes individuals

5 minutes groups

8:20 p.m. Treasurers Report

8:25 p.m. Committee Reports

1. Governance

2. Arts and Parks

3. Public Safety

4. Housing and Human Services

5. Public Outreach

6. Transportation

7. Steve Cox Memorial

8:35 p.m. Old business

8:45p.m. New Business

As always, NHUAC meets at North Highline Fire District HQ.

That’s our video from this afternoon’s South Park Bridge rally. A few dozen people stood alongside the south side of the bridge, waving signs, rattling noisemakers, even shaking pom-poms. Before 3 pm, though, it started to rain, hard, and we noticed a few of the demonstrators leaving – though others stayed and simply whipped out umbrellas. ADDED 10:57 PM: Washblog has a story with lots of photos.

We’ve gotten a bit behind in sharing links here from partner site West Seattle Blog. Here’s the latest coverage on the South Park Bridge situation, as the June 30th scheduled permanent shutdown edges ever closure:

RALLY TOMORROW: South Park community members are organizing a rally as high-ranking political leaders come to SP to celebrate health-care reform. Here’s the latest on that – you’re welcome to join and help show support for the fight against leaving SP bridgeless.

SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL PROMISES SUPPORT: Toward week’s end, city councilmembers said they pledge support in helping find money for a new South Park Bridge, and weren’t ruling out a possible city contribution.

With that ribbon-cutting ceremony a little more than an hour ago – check out the little boy jumping for joy! – the Educare Early Learning Center at Greenbridge is now open, a year and a half after the ceremonial groundbreaking. (Lots of background here on the facility designed to serve at least 134 children, birth-5.) Big crowd on hand:

Among the crowd of hundreds, all three 34th District state legislators – from left, Rep. Eileen Cody, Sen. Joe McDermott, Rep. Sharon Nelson:

Those attending also included Bill Gates Sr. and Mimi Gates. The event started with about 45 minutes of speeches – we’ll add video of highlights – and then, the gala ribboncutting, followed by tours.

ADDED: Two speech excerpts from the pre-ribboncutting event in adjacent White Center Heights Elementary School. The most memorable speaker was Beatrice Harper, a White Center mom whose son Angelo has attended precursor programs for the past two years:

And on behalf of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which made a major contribution to get the center built, Greg Shaw said he had a request for everyone present:

Through White Center Early Learning Initiative, WC is one of two “demonstration areas” in the state for early-learning initiatives; the other is East Yakima. Also, our regional-news partners at the Seattle Times take a closer look in this article that’s just gone online.

From Shelli at White Center for the Arts – a call for help, at a critical time for what is literally the organization’s DREAM:

White Center for the Arts must make a decision this weekend as to whether or not to continue pursuing the very fabulous space at 9640A 16th Ave SW for DREAM Community Gallery. We have the deposit money, and some grant money coming. However, it is not enough to responsibly continue with the project at this time without having $28,000 more. The landlord is understandably tired of waiting, and wants to move on. We have seen a vision of the future, and this space is what is needed, and desired, by many of the artists in the area.

DREAM: Community Gallery has a solid business plan. We have a great person, Lance McIntosh, who is managing the project, and who has crunched the numbers. We have a solid team of volunteers who will help with the build-out, and plenty of artists who are ready to exhibit, and performers ready to bring their art to you. We will be providing a resource library, a computer that is free to use, free wi-fi, and art materials for those who want to use them while they are at the gallery. In the gallery, as a way of avoiding having to apply for the endless parade of grants, we will have a small coffee bar. There will be plenty of comfy seating, and snacks. This space will be the central point from which White Center for the Arts conducts its arts programming.

We are a community organization. We are reaching out right now to the community for a show of support. Please support this beautiful project with a tax-deductible donation of any size.

We are also looking for arts/business-minded people to sit on the Board of Directors. We need a solid infrastructure directed by people from the community.

WCFTA is here with a vision of healthy community, and a goal of being a part of a healthy White Center. We are partnering with other organizations in the area to help realize this vision. Will you be a part of this?

If you have any questions, want to volunteer ( a list of opportunities is ready to be put up on the site), and/or want to donate, please contact me:

Shelli Park
crimsonpark@whitecenterforthearts.org

Just listened in on the King County Courthouse hearing in which the Hang Around Bar and Grill operators (see earlier coverage) challenged the property owner’s attempt to evict them immediately. They won a bit of a victory – while the owner and her lawyer contended that they had no landlord-tenant relationship with the Hang Around, court commissioner Carlos Velategui said the fact that the landlord had taken a rent check from operators Joe and Glennis proved otherwise. However, he found no evidence that they had a lease – just a month-to-month relationship – which means, as he vigorously noted several times, they can be given a 20-day notice to get out, provided they pay the March rent; if they don’t pay that rent, they can be given a 3-day notice to vacate. Given the owner’s repeated insistence that she wants them out, Velategui said, he wasn’t quite sure why the case had come before him, but the couple contended they were hopeful that community support might convince the landlord to let them stay. The landlord’s lawyer told the couple’s lawyer, standing before the judge, he didn’t care what the community thought, his client wants them out. We’ll be checking to see what happens next.

ADDED SATURDAY: Joe posted this today in the comment section following our original story:

THANK YOU !!! Everyone for your support and your Friendship that i never expected from such a great community. SPECIAL THANKS TO… Traci, Heidi, Bob,Richard (Papa’s Pub),Mac (Triangle Pub), Liz (CDA) and especially Gerald Robison (our Gracious and most professional attorney). WE hope and pray that this comes to a good resolution and we continue to stay in White Center. I know this is just the first step, but i was told by Glennis for me to step back as SHE will now handle this (with the women in the community). when i saw them gathering last night at the Hang Around in the Dart room, i was even afraid to go in there as they were meeting about the court and landlord situation. So, again, Thank you, Heidi, Liz and Glennis. (The Women took over and im not gonna go near that! Just to show that the Women in the community is not to be recon with. (smiles and grins). Thank you everyone for your help and friendship.

Joe & Glennis

Notes from last night’s White Center/South Delridge Community Safety Coalition meeting at the WC DSHS office: King County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Hancock told the group he’ll be out working temporarily as a patrol officer to deal with a KCSO short-term staffing gap, but WC remains his primary duty. For Seattle Police, Community Police Team Officer Jill Vanskike didn’t have updated crime stats overall but said there was some good news for the West Seattle side of the line – a burglary arrest in Highland Park seems to have a put a stop to a spree of break-ins and car prowls; the suspect can’t make bail and remains in jail awaiting trial. … The State Liquor Control Board plans emphasis patrols at local bars and stores soon; a nighttime bar check earlier this year, the group was told, turned up a few problems in Burien but none in White Center (both communities are in the same territory for enforcement officers) … White Center Chamber of Commerce president Mark Ufkes made flyers available for an event coming up March 31, a White Center Business District Forum co-sponsored by the Chamber and the WC Community Development Association, addressing “Options for Managing Homeless, Chronic Alcoholics in White Center,” 6:30 pm. at Triangle Pub … The WCCSC, which has been operating as an all-volunteer, no-staff group for several months now after its funding grant for staff ran out, talked about its focus and organization. Co-chairs Sean Healy and Angela Rambo want group members to consider whether its purpose is more advocacy-oriented, or more information-oriented. No conclusion was reached, so more discussions is ahead … The coalition meets at 6 pm on the fourth Thursday of each month, so its next meeting is scheduled for April 22.