White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Something new in downtown White Center – waffles! Here’s the announcement from Full Tilt Ice Cream, which will host the new endeavor for starters:

Full Tilt Ice Cream today announced Waffle Wizards, a new breakfast and brunch concept. Waffle Wizards is scratch-made waffles and toppings, brought to you by Melisa Nielsen, a longtime Full Tilt employee

“This has been in the works for awhile.” says Mell, creator of Waffle Wizards. “It just seems like a natural extension of ice cream.”

Waffle Wizards will be available October 22nd, inside Full Tilt in White Center. Service will start at 11am until the sell out. Last weekend was the soft opening, and they sold out in under 2 hours.

Waffle Wizards will be converting to a mobile breakfast truck in the coming weeks after getting everything worked out at the Full Tilt storefront.

FT/WW is at 9629 16th SW.

King County Elections will send out general-election ballots later this week. Though you’ve probably heard a lot about local and national Congressional races, you’ll find a lot more on your ballot – including King County Proposition 1, which raises money for land conservation/acquisition by restoring an existing levy to the original rate that’s been reduced by various state actions. Five months after announcing it at White Center Heights Park, County Executive Dow Constantine returned there this morning with other supporters to ask for your “yes” vote. Here’s our video of what they all had to say:

In order, the speakers were:
King County Councilmember Joe McDermott
Paul Winterstein from the Issaquah Alps Trails Club
Executive Constantine, who stressed that the quest to preserve green space is “racing to keep up with population growth, racing to keep up with environmental changes”
Sammamish Mayor & Former DNR wildland firefighter Kali Clark, whose observations about the relevance of land preservation to wildfire prevention were timely for obvious reasons
King County Open Space Equity Cabinet member Sarneshea Evans, who observed that too many KC residents don’t live close to green space
Zazueta Family Farm owner/farmer Guillermo Zazueta, who told the story of starting his organic permaculture farm earlier this year (Constantine had explained that the measure would preserve farmland as well as other types of green space)
King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski, who declared that Prop 1 is “incredibly affordable (and) incredibly meaningful”

As noted when the ballot measure was announced in May, it would add about $2 per month to the taxes of a median-priced King County home. Supporters say tens of thousands of acres of land have been identified for potential acquisition/preservation; we asked what percentage are in urban areas like White Center – here’s the written response from the campaign:

Of the 45,000 acres targeted for acquisition as part of the Land Conservation Initiative, 10% are for urban open space and regional trails.

Since 2016, 30% of LCI acquisition dollars (all sources) have been spent on urban greenspaces and regional trails.

Since 2020, 25% of Conservation Futures funding has been awarded to match waiver projects in opportunity areas (those projects meeting specific criteria for need)

Read a summary and/or the full text of Prop 1, as well as statements for/against, by going here. Once you get your ballot, you’ll have until November 8th to vote and turn it in.

By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for White Center Now

Neighbors heard from state legislature candidates and discussed a major school levy and local safety concerns at last week’s online meeting of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council (NHUAC). The meeting was led by NHUAC president Liz Giba and vice president Barbara Dobkin.

First on the agenda was King County Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Kennamer, who noted that it was a “busy summer” in White Center and the surrounding area. He said that most criminal statistics were down compared to last year, but that there has been a “lot of armed robberies, spread all over the place” (11, by his count) in recent months. Issues with “static campers” and tents have also generally improved, he said.  However, he also noted that some the statistics are likely down because some residents and business no longer call those in, because they know that currently “those crimes go unpunished.” Kennamer said that due to current restrictions, officers in Seattle and all of unincorporated King County aren’t allowed to directly book people for “quality of life” crimes (like trespassing, graffiti and shoplifting) and nonviolent misdemeanors. Officers in cities like Burien and Seatac can book into the SCORE (South Correctional Entity) jail in Des Moines, but Kennamer said that isn’t an option for him for the county jail until the governor’s emergency orders expire. For example, businesses “don’t call whenever something gets stolen,” he said, “I can write a case report and send it to the prosecutor’s office, but I can’t take that person to jail, which is frustrating.”

Kennamer added that despite the limitations, residents should always call 911 if they see something suspicious. Participants in the meeting brought up some recent examples in which individuals were suspicious and/or threatening in parks and public areas, and Kennamer stressed that even if dispatchers and officers aren’t always able to fully take action, it’s crucial for neighbors to call it in so there’s a record of it. He added that with regard to homeless activity in the area, there was recently a leadership change with the county’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, and this program has been a useful tool. He said that with winter coming soon, it’s important to encourage to encourage homeless individuals to seek out and accept (which they sometimes don’t) options for housing. Kennamer also said that officers have made progress, with the community’s help, as it relates to “drug houses” and properties that have had issues with criminal activity, as well as problematic encampments, but it’s important for the community to keep calling in things that they see.

Next on the meeting agenda was an overview by Vicki Fisher, longtime principal with Highline Public Schools, about Proposition 1: Highline Public Schools Bond which is on the ballot next month. The bond would provide funds to rebuild three aging schools (Evergreen High School and Tyee High School by 2025, and Pacific Middle School by 2027) as well as supporting repairs at schools across the district. Passing the bond will require at least 60% approval from voters, Fisher said, and involves a $518 million price tag but will not increase the tax rate (due in large part to other expiring levies and bonds).

Fisher began by clarifying the difference between levies and bonds: “Levies are for learning (LL), and bonds are for buildings (BB),” she said, adding that levies are asking the community to support things for learning like books, tech, and specialized instruction, while bonds such as Proposition 1 are for capital projects such as replacing schools and providing repairs for buildings.

Fisher said that the three impacted high schools were built in the 1950s and 1960s and are generally very outdated (this was confirmed by several meeting attendees who shared anecdotes about friends and family attending the schools decades ago, and noted that repairs were needed even then). If the bond is approved, Fisher said, the projects will proceed quickly because they are “shovel ready” due architectural design work that was already completed thanks to funding that was approved in 2016. Fisher added that this work is important in order to provide a great high school experience across the entire district, bringing the three schools up to the same standards as the more recently improved Mt. Rainier and Highline schools.

In response to a question about where students at Evergreen would go during construction, Fisher said that because of the large size of the Evergreen campus, students can stay in the existing buildings while construction is completed elsewhere on the property, and then after they move into the new building in 2025, the existing buildings will be demolished and landscape work will be completed. Fisher encouraged voters to visit the Proposition 1 website for more information, and to vote on November 8.

The remainder of the meeting was a forum for State House candidates Leah Griffin and Emily Alvarado, who advanced in the August primary election for the 34th Legislative District “Position 1” seat which is open because State Rep. Eileen Cody is retiring (West Seattle Blog article here) after 27 years. (For “Position 2” in the 34th, Joe Fitzgibbon is the incumbent running for reelection against Andrew Pilloud, while Joe Nguyen is the State Senate incumbent for the 34th, running against John Potter.) The 34th covers all of West Seattle and Vashon Island, White Center, and west Burien.

Griffin and Alvarado (see WSB reports about their campaign announcements here and here) were given time in the meeting to make statements as well as answer questions from meeting attendees. Both candidates are Democrats, and reside in West Seattle area.

In her opening statement, Griffin described her professional background as a librarian and teacher of information literacy (currently at University Prep in northeast Seattle), and her focus on public service particularly in the past 8 years. From her March 2022 campaign announcement:

Griffin is a certificated school librarian who works on sexual assault policy reform at the state and federal levels. After being raped by a man in her neighborhood in 2014 and seeing how broken the system is for survivors, Griffin knew she had to do something to make things better for other survivors. In 2015, she was appointed to the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination (SAFE) Task Force in the Washington legislature with the aim of solving the myriad of problems survivors encounter navigating the justice system in Washington State.

As a representative of survivors, Griffin significantly contributed to the passage of HB1068, to test new rape kits, HB1109 to increase trauma informed interviewing techniques for police, HB2530 to track rape kits through the system, SB1539 to prevent child sexual assault, SB5649 to increase the statute of limitations for rape, and HB1109 to fund and test all untested rape kits in Washington, HB2318 to store unreported kits, and amend the legal definition of rape kits, and SB6158 to create model sexual assault protocols for hospitals.

She also helped write and lobby for the Survivors’ Access to Supportive Care Act with Senator Murray and Representative Jayapal to increase access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners in hospitals. Leah connects her work to her community by working with the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, Legal Voice, RISE, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest, and the Washington Library Association. She sits on the board of the Sexual Violence Law Center.

Griffin noted that she heard about Eileen Cody’s retirement the day after her bill was signed, and knew that she needed to take the next step.

In Alvarado’s opening statement, she touted her deep experience in the area of affordable housing, as a leader at the City of Seattle Office of Housing, and currently as a a vice president with the housing nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners.  From her April 2022 campaign announcement:

“For more than a decade, I have worked collaboratively to create affordable housing throughout our region, championing policies and investments that foster inclusive, healthy communities and reduce homelessness. … Everyone deserves quality, affordable housing, education and health care, in a safe, thriving community.”

The announcement also describes Alvarado as “an attorney, coalition-builder and former community organizer” who “has fought for reproductive justice, equitable community development, and economic opportunity.”

Alvarado described herself as a tireless advocate for building stronger communities, while spending her “whole life in public service.” She emphasized her strong performance in the August primaries and her breadth of endorsements.

Liz Giba from NHUAC then asked the candidates how much interaction they had with North Highline prior to the campaign. Alvarado, who lives in West Seattle, said that the oldest of her two children plays Highline soccer, and she spends a lot of quality time in the parks and businesses in and around White Center. Griffin, who lives nearby in Highland Park, said that she walks to the “main strip” in White Center almost every day, and did her student teaching in 2008 at Highline High School and worked at Noble Barton for a time.

Giba then shared some data from the North Highline Health Reporting Area (HRA) showing some of the extreme economic and societal challenges that neighbors face. When ranked against other areas, North Highline was #1 or #2 as it relates to poverty, reliance on food stamps, lack of secondary/advanced education, firearm deaths, lack of insurance, and other factors. Giba asked the candidates for their thoughts on the data, and asked what they would do about it if elected. Griffin said that the statistics definitely underscore historical issues with race in the area, and that “acknowledging that is important, but now what do we do about it?” She recalled that when she taught at Highline, there were actually incentives in place to make the smallest number of photocopies for educational resources, and that she encountered issues with staff support as a librarian in the past (not an issue in her current school, which has lots of resources, but she said “every student in Washington deserves that.” Alvarado said that “the data is terrible and damning, but not surprising, because place-based poverty is all over.” She reiterated that this has been a huge area of focus in her career, and would continue to be so in Olympia. She talked about the necessary blend of having safe housing, economic opportunity access to child care and small-business assistance. She stressed that “this is not about the people here — they’ve just been denied opportunity.”

In response to these comments, Giba drilled a little deeper and said that she heard both candidates saying that we need better programs and more money in North Highline, but that this has been said for years, and she wonders if the problems are more about the local concentration of low-incoming housing. Alvarado agreed that when you have more low-income housing in your community then you’d obviously expect the statistics to reflect that, but that when she thinks about this in the context of surrounding areas and a country that has massive wealth disparity, it’s even more of a testament of deprivation of resources in a community that could be changed. Griffin said one of the things being discussed is the need for more housing, noting that we’re “250,000 units short” to meet housing needs in Washington state, which seems to make the case for increasing density, but it needs to be equitable density (not just in areas that already have the vast majority of low-income housing). Alvarado added that we need more housing choices in all communities,, and in places that have higher rates of poverty we need more strategies to grow generational wealth. She added that in North Highline, home ownership rates are much lower than the King County average, especially for Latinos, and that we need targeted strategies for pathways to owning houses and businesses.

Giba presented some additional data, regarding significant disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes for students in the area (particularly White Center Heights school) compared to other areas in King County. Giba said “even if you put money in neighborhood, if you still have kids struggling at home,” and she asked for the candidates’ input. Alvarado agreed that when you have a lot of students in poverty in a single school, it’s challenging, but noted that “if you give those kids the best teachers and resources then they can be high-quality learners having high-quality experiences.” Griffin said that she agreed with Alvarado that we can invest in schools in a way that gives students what they need, adding that we “have a paramount duty to fund education. Schools without nurses, social workers, librarians, paraprofessionals and testing — those aren’t fully-funded schools.” Griffin added “there’s a lot we can do to look at revenue and upside-down tax structure, and find resources to make sure every school in the state is fully-funded.” Alvarado noted that with regard to schools in which multiple languages are spoken, “that’s an asset, not a deficit, in our world and our economy.”

NHUAC’s Barbara Dobkin noted that North Highline isn’t an area in which “redlining” was a problem; the issue was that people with less economic means “were pushed here, where Section 8 vouchers could be used.” Alvarado mentioned a few barriers to having affordable housing be more equitable across the county:  1) restrictions in family zoning, which are exclusionary,  2) we need more affordable housing resources, or there is scarcity, and we can’t reward  behavior of developers only building affordable house where it’s inexpensive to do so, and 3) displacement must be addressed, with regarding to rising rents. Griffin agreed, and with regard to rent prices, noted that when she purchased a home in Highland Park it was “one of the very last HUD houses; my mortgage here is less than many friends pay in rent” and we need to increase the stock of homes.  Griffin added that it’s important to make sure seniors aren’t displaced, and have a place to scale down.

Dobkin pressed the candidates on some of their comments, saying “I hate to sound jaded, but having lived in community for 20 years, we’ve heard the same things, yet schools have not progressed and things haven’t improved.” She said “millions in grants and money hasn’t helped, and it’s hard to hear same things over again,” and noted that King County representatives have even said in NHUAC meetings that “they build tax-exempt housing here because it’s cheaper.” Alvarado said she appreciated the comment, and said “these are deep, hard and somewhat intractable issues” and the pandemic has only made things harder. She asked what immediate policies the group thought could have an impact on quality of life. Giba said the county is in the process of adopting the North Highline Subarea Plan, which will increase density “even though our current infrastructure is really lacking, like stormwater, sidewalks and parks.”  Griffin said “I hear you, and areas of investment need to happen” and added that it’s crucial to improve aid to small businesses in White Center.  She mentioned last week’s announcement of the City of Seattle’s Storefront Repair Fund involving $2,000 grants to assist businesses with propery repairs (paid for by $2 million in federal funds), and noted that expanding similar programs to White Center is necessary. She mentioned the impact of the numerous fires at White Center businesses, saying “they still haven’t recovered, and I would support that funding to help.” Alvarez added that “North Highline deserves services for quality of life. Government can’t just be about big policies, it has to be about delivering services.”

Giba asked about the overall importance of public safety. Griffin noted that this is something she cares deeply about, as someone who was “personally impacted by a violent crime, but then encountered broken systems that didn’t work.” She said that she toured the Monroe correctional facility a couple of years ago, and encountered inmates laboring for 42 cents an hour, which “broke my heart and changed my mind about the justice system. Now we have a system based on punishment, but if we want to address the issues then we need it to be based on rehab and reform.” Alvardo said that she believes that everyone deserves to be safe in our communities, and we need to address and tackle issues of public safety. She added that “in King County, we don’t have a place to bring people who are in crisis, and we need a good strong real relationship with the police who are doing hard work out there.” She said there’s a need to rebuild the partnership and trust between the community and law enforcement.

In closing, Griffin thanked attendees for coming to the meeting, and said she is running for office “because I believe the stories of people in our community matter.” She added that “I love White Center, this is my home, and I’m grateful to talk to you about improving outcomes for all of us.” Alvarado thanked NHUAC for the opportunity to get together, and said she believes “that everyone should have a strong foundation in life, a strong community, and together we can do it.” She said it’s hard work and that she is “pragmatic but hopeful” in the goal of not leaving anyone behind.

As the meeting drew to a close, Darlene from the “log cabin” (the community center at Steve Cox Memorial Park) also shared some updates from King County Parks and the White Center Teen Program:

1. Our Recreation Aides put together a highlights video from the 2022 Summer Sack Lunch Program that ran out of both Thurnau Memorial Park and Steve Cox Memorial Park: https://youtu.be/N6e0AdPkMwU 

2. The Annual Outdoor Halloween Carnival is coming up on Saturday, October 29th from 2-5pm at Steve Cox Memorial Park.

The social-media page for the carnival is here.

NEXT MEETING: NHUAC usually meets on first Thursdays, so the next meeting would be November 3rd.

Thanks to Lauren for the tip on this. The Velasquez family, who run White Center restaurant El Catrin (9641 15th SW), are crowdfunding to keep their doors open. They write on the GoFundMe page, “We have been working for the last year to catch up on rent. Since we’re a new business, we don’t qualify for any government assistance, and with the increase of all costs in our city ( ood costs, utility insurance, and the closure of the street etc.), and losing battles with covid. Then the accident our Dad had with his hand, we’re running dry.” Lauren said in her note to us, “We would hate to lose them as they’ve always done tamale giveaways to families in need and Thanksgiving turkeys for families that couldn’t afford them.” If you can help, here’s the link.

(Also published on partner site West Seattle Blog)

If you would like to get a flu shot but are having trouble making that happen, maybe this clinic tomorrow night is for you. The Roxbury Safeway pharmacy sent word that they’ve scheduled the clinic for 6-8 pm Tuesday (October 11th) at the store (28th/Roxbury). No appointment needed – just show up. As noted on this flyer for the event, the shot is “free” with most insurance plans, and if you’re doing grocery shopping while you’re there, you’ll be entitled to a 10 percent discount,

(Also published on partner site West Seattle Blog)

(Photo sent by Mel)

A investigation that lasted for hours today along southbound Highway 509 near White Center, just north of Glendale Way South/5th Avenue South, has detectives asking for help. The King County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a death and looking for the public’s help:

Detectives are requesting the community’s help as they investigate what happened to a female found deceased this morning on the side of Highway 509.

We’re requesting information for anyone who was driving southbound on 509 between the 1st Ave. South Bridge and the 518 interchange between midnight and 7:30 am this morning (October 7th) and observed anything suspicious (vehicles stopped, people on the roadway, etc.) or have dashcam video.

If you know or saw anything, call our tip line 206-296-3311 or report anonymous tips at P3Tips.com – Case #C22033455

The biggest local races on next month’s ballot will be the highlight of Thursday’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting. Here’s the announcement:

North Highline Unincorporated Area Council Meeting
October 6, 7 pm – Via Zoom

NHUAC is pleased to be hosting a forum for the candidates for the 34th Legislative District, Leah Griffin and Emily Alvarado. This is a great opportunity to hear from the candidates and ask questions on issues that impact our lives in North Highline/White Center.

Additionally, we will be joined by Deputy Bill Kennamer who will provide information on crime trends and Vickie Fisher, who will provide information on the Highline School District Levy.

Join Zoom Meeting
us02web.zoom.us/j/89441720967?pwd=Z2NWdTJ2dzZMd2E5TnBSbVFQOFRvdz09

Meeting ID: 894 4172 0967
Passcode: NHUAC2022 (Case Sensitive)

Or by Phone: 253 215 8782
Meeting ID: 894 4172 0967
Passcode: 758440156

Community Health Plan of Washington is presenting Medicare information sessions just over the line in South Delridge and sent this announcement:

This year’s Medicare Annual Enrollment period runs October 15 to December 7. During this time those who qualify for this federal health insurance program – Washingtonians who are 65 years old or older, under 65 years old and living with a disability, or living with End-Stage Renal Disease – have the opportunity to sign up or change plans. However, Medicare can be difficult to navigate. This free event will connect community members with Medicare experts who can help answer questions about:

-The different parts of Medicare
-How eligibility, premiums, deductibles and copays work
-Prescription drug coverage
-How to get additional benefits like dental or vision

All at the Salvation Army Center, 9050 16th SW:

Vietnamese Language
October 21 at 2-3 pm

Russian Language
October 21 at 2-3 pm

English Language
November 11 at 9:30-10:30 am

Spanish Language
November 11 at 9:30-10:30 am

>

Back on Sunday, we covered the party thrown by the White Center Food Bank to say farewell to their soon-to-be-ex-location (8th SW/SW 108th). Sometime early next year, they’ll have to vacate as that property is being redeveloped into affordable housing and a “community hub.” We’ve reported previously on the WCFB’s search for a new site, and the search is finally over – today the WCFB officially announced the new location as they continue rolling out the capital campaign to get it ready:

After years of searching for their new home, White Center Food Bank (WCFB) purchased a building in the heart of downtown White Center (10016-10024 16th Ave SW). This location will provide ample space for WCFB to grow and is centrally located along several major bus lines. However, substantial renovations and other upgrades are necessary to make the food bank’s new home welcoming and hospitable to everyone.

To raise the 6 million dollars necessary for this project, on September 25 WCFB launched their capital campaign with a group of customers, donors, staff, and board celebrating together. “This is a community effort and we know that by bringing our neighbors together, we can find a way to keep our community fed,” says WCFB Development and Communications Director, Jefferson Rose.

White Center Food Bank is looking beyond the old models of service and working to develop new ways to nourish the community with equity, accessibility, and dignity as their guiding principles. The new White Center Food Bank will be more than just a place where people can get food. It will be a welcoming community hub located directly in the heart of the changing and growing downtown White Center.

This new facility will bring together an incredible array of community programming, hosted both by the food bank and partner organizations. WCFB wants people from all walks of life to enter through our doors together, so that everyone feels comfortable receiving food whenever they need it.

“We’re excited for this next chapter to better serve the community and revitalize this part of the neighborhood. We hope that our supporters will continue to show up alongside us to ensure our community thrives,” says Carmen Smith, Executive Director.

To learn more, check out an informational video, renderings, and more here.

King County Executive Dow Constantine has proposed a nearly $16 billion budget for 2023-2024. The announcement focused on areas including these:

Investing in our environment

-Converting Metro’s bus fleet to zero-emissions: $180 million to purchase battery-electric buses and $43 million in zero-emissions infrastructure to ensure that Metro’s 1,400 coach bus fleet is zero emissions by 2035.

-Restoring fish habitat: $28.5 million in capital investments to remove blockages to fish passage habitat. King County will restore access to 50 percent of fish passage habitat by 2032.

-Expanding access to heat pumps and solar panels: $1 million to expand the Energize pilot program, which installs high-efficiency heat pumps in homes occupied by residents with low and moderate incomes in White Center and Skyway, to include solar panels. The County will also invest $1.9 million to provide private lenders with more flexibility to offer better financing options to higher-risk homeowners for home upgrades that also improve the environment.

Affordable Housing & Homelessness

-Building affordable housing near transit: $45 million in bonds backed by lodging tax revenues will be issued in 2023 to fund affordable housing near transit stations.

-Supporting housing operations: Up to $30 million to fund operations, maintenance, and services for existing and new supportive housing sites.

-Make homelessness rare, one-time, and brief by supporting the King County Regional Homelessness Authority: $96 million to continue funding a coordinated crisis response to homelessness led by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority.

Justice & Safety

-Preventing Gun Violence: $9 million to support 52 Regional Peacekeepers Collective, trusted messengers delivering a community-led approach to gun violence prevention including critical incident response, hospital-based referrals, and hot spot remediation activities.

-Ensuring safety for transit riders and staff: $21 million to support 140 Metro transit security officers providing support and visibility on Metro buses, transit centers, and stops. An additional $5.1 million will support Metro SaFE Reform Initiatives, including a new partnership with the Department of Community and Human Services and community-based organizations to connect people in crisis on and near Metro transit with resources and services.

-Implementing body-worn cameras: $5 million to provide all Sheriff patrol deputies with body-worn cameras. Deployment of cameras and associated training will begin immediately and phased in over the next three years.

-Expanding treatment programs for people in or being released from King County jails: $6.3 million to maintain and expand jail-based opioid treatment programs and services for people being released from the jail with substance use disorder or other behavioral health conditions.

Anti-Racism & Pro-Equity

-Funding participatory budgeting: $10 million for a second round of participatory budgeting for residents of urban unincorporated King County. The first round of participatory budgeting concluded successfully in August 2022, with residents selecting 45 capital projects to fund in their communities.

-Supporting community-led diversion programs: $11.9 million to continue the Restorative Community Pathways program and the Community
Diversion Program to provide community-based accountability and services for youth and adults outside the court system.

-Vacating drug convictions: $2 million to community groups to build awareness about options to vacate drug convictions and provide services that address the needs of individuals affected by the collateral consequences of contacts with the criminal system and drug convictions, such as persistent barriers to housing and employment.

Behavioral Health

-As a part of this budget package, Executive Constantine is transmitting a proposal for a new levy to fund behavioral health and pending passage by the King County Council will be presented to voters for their approval this spring. Over the next nine years, King County will invest, build, and transform the way people in our community care for one another.

The Crisis Care Centers levy would make a generational investment of nearly $1.25 billion to:
-Create a network of 5 crisis centers

-Stop the loss and expand by nearly half the number of residential treatment beds

-Deploy more services even before the new centers open, and

-Recruit and retain an outstanding and representative workforce to serve the people of King County.

The King County Council now starts its work on reviewing and amending the budget – watch for public hearings in the weeks ahead.

The garden at the White Center Food Bank‘s longtime location (8th/108th) got a shout-out today as the WCFB threw a party to say goodbye to the site – even though they don’t expect to have to leave until early next year (they wanted to have the outdoor celebration before fall weather arrived, we’re told). The party also amplified the WCFB capital campaign to raise money for their new headquarters:

Those renderings were on display to show what the WCFB hopes to do in its new downtown White Center location. So far it’s raised a third of its $6 million goal. Getting the rest of the way there will be a community effort – and community was at the heart of today’s celebration:

Young artists laid the groundwork for a new mural. And performances underscored the many facets of White Center:

Dancers from the Khmer Amarak Dance Troupe were to perform a Blessing Dance. Meantime, guests at the celebration enjoyed food from banh mi to tacos:

After all, WCFB’s Jefferson Rose said cheerily from the stage, “we’re about food.” And they’re hoping the new headquarters will keep the community fed for decades to come.

As part of the latest round of community outreach, Highline Public Schools reps will be at Dubsea Coffee in Greenbridge on Saturday to talk about the upcoming bond vote and the Evergreen High School plan that’s part of what the bond measure would pay for, if passed in November. Just drop in with your questions and/or comments between noon and 2 pm Saturday (September 24th) at 9910 8th SW.

Announced today by King County Road Services:

Sept. 21- Oct. 3: Expect delays on Myers Way S from S 99th St. to S 108th St.

Crews will temporarily close single lanes on Myers Way S between S. 99th St. and S. 108th St. for paving. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; Sept. 21 through Oct. 3. Flaggers will guide traffic through the work area. All intersecting streets and driveways to remain open at all times.

Dates are subject to change and work may be postponed due to weather.

Thanks to David for the tip. One year after the Locker Room fire closed adjoining businesses too, one has announced it won’t be reopening: Bizzarro Italian Café‘s White Center restaurant. Bizzarro had been open only nine months before the fire hit. Their announcement this weekend says there were “MANY deciding factors” that led them to drop plans to reopen here, without elaborating on any of them.

This garden has teeth! The New Start High School Shark Garden hosted a community open house last Saturday; thanks to Gill Loring for the photos.

It was more than a chance to see the community garden and those who tend it – it was also a resource fair, with local nonprofits on hand.

The garden was founded in 2015; you can read its story here. (Scroll down that page to see how the garden has donated literally tons of food to the White Center Food Bank!)

Just announced:

King County Fire Marshal Chris Ricketts has issued a Stage 2 burn ban for unincorporated King County, prohibiting all outdoor recreational fires. Outdoor cooking and heating appliances are restricted to approved manufactured gas and charcoal units only.

The Stage 2 burn ban goes into effect immediately for unincorporated King County, which was already in a Stage 1 burn ban. King County’s ban is in coordination with the King County Fire Chiefs Association and Fire Marshals, which extends the ban into cities.

The updated ban takes effect as the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the region. This means critical fire weather conditions are present and any fires that develop will likely spread quickly.

During a Stage 2 burn ban, burning residential debris is prohibited, as is any other outdoor fire such as a backyard fire pit or campfire (using firewood or charcoal). Under the ban, any person with a recreational fire who fails to take immediate action to extinguish or discontinue it when ordered or notified to do so can be charged with a misdemeanor.

Manufactured portable outdoor devices are allowed, including barbeques and patio warmers that are used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Ricketts asks residents to please use caution when using any open flame.

Extended periods of unusually high temperatures have increased the fuel load, or vegetation, in our communities. The large fire in Oregon and other fires in Washington have stretched wildfire fighting resources throughout the region.

Ricketts says if residents must smoke, they should exercise extreme caution with their ashes or when they’re extinguishing cigarettes. King County asks residents to be diligent and respectful of their neighbors, and to remember that this is a demanding time for first responders.

“The summer months may be behind us, but that doesn’t mean high temperatures and dry conditions are,” Ricketts said. “Residents of the unincorporated areas—and all of the Puget Sound region, for that matter—should be careful with anything that could cause a fire.”