White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Traffic alert as of 8:56 am Wednesday – there’s a crash affecting traffic on the hill between White Center and Highway 509. No further details but just a heads-up that if you’re trying to head that way, it’s likely to be slow going.

On the West Seattle/White Center border, the Seattle Fire Department‘s Joint Training Facility will host the “Fire Muster” for cadets and explorers this Saturday, 9 am-4 pm. According to this post on the city’s Fire Lines site, you’re invited to watch.

Metro notes that some bus riders from/to White Center will be among those affected when the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project ramps up to its next phase in mid-May. Read on for the official news release they have just sent out: Read the rest of this entry »

Not everything comes in through e-mail – sometimes, it’s helpful just to get out and wander the neighborhood. Doing so, we learn that Greenbridge‘s next Neighborhood Night is coming up at 6:30 pm May 14th in the Joe Thomas Room at the big complex on 8th SW just south of Roxbury. Info about neighborhood services, board-game playing, and other “free fun activities for all ages” are promised. And if you can’t make it May 14th, Greenbridge Neighborhood Nights are also planned for July 15th, September 17th and November 19th.

UPDATED SUNDAY: Our video is from just after protesters stretched into a “human chain” all the way across the South Park Bridge. But thanks to Dale Rowe for sending the photo we added Sunday:

Meantime, the people opposed to the bridge’s closure did get hoped-for media attention during their demonstration today – we saw a couple TV crews. And awareness is what it was all about, according to Bill Pease:

The county’s plan for closing the bridge remains 7 pm June 30th, and there’s no hard-and-fast plan for a replacement yet, though the money search continues. County Councilmember Jan Drago talked about it while speaking before participating in the waterborne work party that was part of the Duwamish Alive! Earth Day effort this morning – this next clip is by visual journalist Cliff DesPeaux, who covered Duwamish Alive! for our partner site West Seattle Blog:

As reported here earlier this week, the first meeting to review the county’s draft closure plan – addressing everything from traffic to business impacts – is set for 6 pm April 27 at the IAM Hall in South Park.

(WCN photo from August 2009, just before the former Evergreen Pool closed)
With two weeks to go till the grand opening, following eight months out of service, Evergreen Community Aquatic Center is getting a whole lot of TLC, according to Julie Dow, who tells WCN, “We are getting ready to open, we’ve been very busy painting, scrubbing and getting everything ready! We are celebrating our grand opening on May 1st with a FREE public swim from noon to 2 pm.” Julie says the new website at evergreenpool.org is almost ready to go – they’re still working on the component to allow online registration for swim lessons. The center’s getting phone and Internet service on Monday. If you just can’t wait and want to start planning, you can see the pool schedule here.

Got a few notes through partner site West Seattle Blog‘s mailbox this morning regarding law-enforcement action in Shorewood, along SW 106th near the Seola Beach turnoff, just blocks west of White Center, reportedly with major weaponry and canines at one point. One King County Sheriff’s Office rep still there, and an unmarked car, when we drove by in the 8 am hour; checked with KCSO spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart, who told us that his agency was assisting what he believed to be federal agents in serving warrants as part of an operation/investigation involving multiple locations. We’ll add to this story if/when we find out more.

If you’re likely to be on I-5 northbound this weekend – take note that it’ll be closed from Airport Way northbound toward the West Seattle Bridge both tonight and Saturday night, midnight-8 am both nights, for more sign installation. That’s part of an increasingly long list of construction-related closures that are all listed online (set aside some time to read the whole list!) – see the updated version here.

King County has set the dates for two community meetings on the South Park Bridge closure plan: April 27 and May 25, both meetings 6-8 pm at the Machinists Hall in South Park. These are not meetings about the bridge’s future, but rather, regarding logistics of its closure and resulting traffic/emergency-services effects. April 27, the draft plan will be presented; May 25, the final plan. The bridge is still scheduled to close permanently 7 pm June 30, and so far there is no plan for rebuilding it, which requires rounding up more than $100 million first.

If you’re on the Seattle side of White Center (and vicinity – hello, Highland Park! etc.) and you’re not going to use the two bags of free Cedar Grove compost that everyone in the city has been offered for the next few weeks, you can donate the coupon to the White Center Food Bank for use in its gardens. Details on the WCFB website.

It hasn’t been that long since King County Sheriff Sue Rahr and other elected criminal-justice officials convened a series of meetings warning of big cuts looming. Some of them were averted, including White Center’s storefront staffing, which was saved. But that might not be possible this time, Rahr warned the County Council’s Budget Committee this afternoon – read on for the news release with all the possible cuts she and other leaders detailed: Read the rest of this entry »

Tonight’s 34th District Democrats meeting in West Seattle includes a candidates’ forum with the three Democrats who are among four declared contenders in the 34th District State House, Position 2, race this fall: Burien’s Joe Fitzgibbon and West Seattle’s Mike Heavey and Marcee Stone. The group’s also considering a change to its endorsement rules, among other items on a busy agenda (see it here), 7 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW; map).

From Shelli Park at White Center for the Arts, here’s what’s on tap this Saturday night:

April White Center 3rd Saturday Art Walk!

Saturday, April 17th
6:00 PM until 9:00 PM

Salvadorean Bakery: Cullen Bryan: pen, pencil, and charcoal drawings. Cullen is a senior at TEC on the Evergreen High Campus. He is a prolific and very talented artist. The current selection is comprised of the best of his depictions of professional wrestling. A must see exhibition.

Café Rozella: Carlos Espinoza: Carlos is a favorite local artist who works in many medium, but mostly sculpts. Besides Rozella, Carlos also has works at Full Tilt. For more about Carlos visit www.carlosespinozaart.com

Full Tilt Ice Cream: Isaac Stewart and Richard Olmsted: More about these artists to come soon.

Proletariat Pizza: Mary Silva: acrylic on plywood. You must check out this beautiful and fanciful work. Eating a slice of pizza, drinking a beverage of choice, and staring at these sounds like a blissful evening to me. Or just pop in for a peep. http://marysportfolio.blogspot.com/

Dzul Tattoo: The Dzul brothers, keepin’ it real! As always, I encourage everyone to stop and check out this shop. These boys do beautiful work. Come out with a new item of clothing, or, oops, a tattoo!

Dubsea Coffee: Jameson Hubbard: Wood Block Prints.

Bird Eating Deer is the umbrella alias of the various artistic undertakings of Jameson Hubbard. Currently living in Seattle, WA, Jameson loosely attends the Gage Academy of Art. Primary interests regarding subject matter: The age-old question of man’s relationship with nature and the consequent friction; the role of animals in contemporary and past societies and the meanings applied to them; native cultures, primarily precolonial.

Join us Saturday evening from 7-9 pm to welcome Jameson Hubbard’s new work into Dubsea Coffee and meet the artist himself! His large scale wood block prints, along with drawings and paintings will grace the walls from mid-April through mid-May. Looking forward to Saturday!

To see more of his work online visit: www.birdeatingdeer.com

Just sent by the county via Twitter – a link to the new edition of Unincorporated Area News. Not much about North Highline but some general notes of interest from around the county.

ORIGINAL 2:32 PM REPORT: Six days ago (WCN coverage here), the Seattle City Council‘s Regional Development and Sustainability Committee passed a resolution putting the city on what Council President Richard Conlin described as a “path” toward a November 2011 annexation vote. This afternoon, the full council has just passed that resolution (see its full text here). Before the vote, in the public-comment period, they heard from five annexation supporters and four opponents, three of whom primarily voiced concern about the impending closure of the South Park Bridge and suggested any money that Seattle might spend toward annexation would be better spent as a contribution to a new bridge. Conlin said today that the resolution “lays out a timeline” toward a decision on a potential annexation vote. He said the resolution reaffirms city leaders need “some numbers” before a final decision and that it’s not an “irrevocable commitment” but that “we think this would be a good idea if we find a way to make this happen.” The motion passed unanimously with little discussion, 8-0 (Sally Clark absent). Next step: The city has a long workplan laid out in the resolution, moving toward a final decision next winter on whether to have an election in November 2011. ADDED 3:09 PM: Read on for the official Seattle city news release about today’s vote: Read the rest of this entry »

The three Democrats who are still in the race for 34th District State House, Position 2, are expected to be at the next candidates’ forum for the race, during the 34th District Democrats‘ monthly meeting this Wednesday night (7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy in West Seattle): Joe Fitzgibbon, Mike Heavey, and Marcee Stone. They’re vying for State Rep. Sharon Nelson‘s seat because she’ll be running for the seat that State Sen. Joe McDermott is relinquishing to run for County Council (which in turn is the seat to which Jan Drago was appointed but has reiterated she won’t run for). Here’s a page on the 34th DDs’ site with info on the candidates; here’s the full agenda for Wednesday’s meeting.

Sites close to White Center are part of the lineup for Duwamish Alive! next Saturday – one day full of work parties to help our recovering river and its watershed. Roxhill Bog and South Park sites are part of the list – see it here, including links you can use to sign up and pitch in – just four hours next Saturday can make a big difference.

The agenda’s out now for Monday’s Seattle City Council meeting, and as expected, they’re scheduled to vote on the resolution laying out “a path,” as Council President Richard Conlin put it, toward a possible November 2011 annexation vote. (As reported here, that resolution was approved by Conlin’s Regional Development and Sustainability Committee earlier this week.) The Monday meeting is at 2 pm; the agenda’s here; you can watch live online at seattlechannel.org (or cable Channel 21 if you’re on the Seattle system). Conlin told the Southwest District Council in West Seattle on Wednesday night that he thinks it’ll pass unanimously. But it wouldn’t require the council to absolutely commit to a November 2011 annexation vote until March of next year.

While in White Center at lunchtime today, we walked by the Hang Around Bar and Grill and noticed two copies of a letter taped to its door, informing the occupants they are to be out by April 30th. This was foreshadowed in the court hearing we covered two weeks ago. But Hang Around proprietor Joe has left a comment on another WCN story saying the notices went up today and that this is happening despite their investment of $50,000 in the premises and so he feels, “WE GOT RIPPED OFF!!. Now we are asking EVERYONE for help to do something … we are begging for help, either to have us stay here or to have this state take over posession of this building for illegal activities or something. We have had it and we are so hurt we cannot believe this. How dare they!”

At the Southwest District Council meeting on behalf of partner site West Seattle Blog, we’re listening to the latest presentation from White Center residents advocating that Seattle annex “Area Y.” This is at least the third time we have seen some form of this presentation on the city side of the line. Tonight, the reps are Don Malo (who says the Highland Park Action Committee will be spotlighting his business at his next meeting) and Lois Schipper, wife of Mark Ufkes, who has been leading many of these appearances but wasn’t able to be at this one. Coincidentally, the audience for their presentation also includes Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin, whose Regional Development and Sustainability Committee just yesterday – as reported here – approved a resolution that puts the city “on the path” to a potential annexation vote in November of next year. (He was previously booked to speak to SWDC about unrelated matters.) He said after their presentation, “These people have been really phenomenal … I’m really supportive of this.” He is predicting a unanimous vote in favor of the resolution when it goes to the full council next week. “They’re ready to vote for this resolution,” he said. During their presentation, Schipper said, “This is about not only what we have to offer to Seattle, but what Seattle would have to offer to us.” Malo said he’s hopeful that when the further financial analysis of potential Seattle annexation comes out next year, the numbers will look better than the recent one, which he pointed out used data from five years ago. Schipper and Malo also hit the point that Roxbury is perceived as an artificial boundary: “We’re already part of your community.” The Southwest District Council members have asked some tough questions too – they’ve just been told by Conlin that Seattle Parks is likely to get hit hard by budget cuts, so they’re wondering what would happen if Seattle annexed Area Y and inherited its park facilities. Schipper and Malo say Seattle-annexation advocates will continue making the rounds of community councils in West Seattle