White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Last night at the White Center-South Delridge Community Safety Coalition meeting, an attendee mentioned getting a letter from Metro regarding the potential end of a program in which trash cans are provided for bus stops if someone promises to keep them empty and maintained. We checked today with Metro’s Linda Thielke to see what’s going on, and she explains:

If you’ve ever been to a White Center/South Delridge Community Safety Coalition meeting, you know that’s Kathy Kaminski, one of the WCSDCSC’s energetic co-facilitators (along with Karen Greene). At the end of Thursday night’s meeting, Kathy had a personal announcement: Next meeting will be her last, as she is leaving Seattle Neighborhood Group in July to return to school, seeking a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. She says she hopes to return after her two years of studies; she’s been with SNG for five years (per its staff page).

The first of several stories we’ll be publishing from Thursday night’s White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting: You’re invited to a meeting next Thursday to talk about the new playground that’s on its way to Steve Cox Memorial Park. King County replaces play equipment every decade or so, it was explained, and this one’s due – plus, besides being safer, the new equipment apparently will have less tag-attracting surfaces. The meeting’s at 6 pm Thursday 6/4 in the community center rec room at the park. (Right before the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting just a few miles away, it was also noted; the art project for Cox Park is expected to come up at the NHUAC meeting.)

‘Son de los Diablos,’ originated in the Corpus Christi celebrations in Lima during the Colonial Period. As the ruling elite in colonial Peru framed it, blacks represented evil forces in a religious drama. However, by the time of slavery’s abolition in 1854, Afro-Peruvians had appropriated this dance as a symbol of cultural resistance and practiced it especially during carnival in the barrios where these were relocated. The Son was banned from the streets 1940s when President Manuel Prado prohibited carnival celebrations in Lima. In the 1980’s the Movimiento Negro Francisco Congo, a collective dedicated to the recovery and revalorization of Afro-Peruvian traditions, approached Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani to recuperate the tradition of this street dance and to perform it on the streets once again. The group of Francisco Congo would teach the dance, and Yuyachkani would contribute their maskwork. Yuyachkani considered this dance a master dance for young actors because it includes codification of the body, maskwork, dancing, and an active and playful relationship with the audience. Peru’s most important theatre collective, Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani (www.yuyachkani.org) has been working since 1971 at the forefront of theatrical experimentation, political performance, and collective creation. ‘Yuyachkani’ is a Quechua word that means ‘I am thinking, I am remembering’; under this name, the theatre group has devoted itself to the collective exploration of embodied social memory, particularly in relation to questions of ethnicity, violence, and memory in Peru. The group is comprised of seven actors (Augusto Casafranca, Amiel Cayo, Ana Correa, Débora Correa, Rebeca Ralli, Teresa Ralli, and Julián Vargas), a technical designer (Fidel Melquíades), and an artistic director (Miguel Rubio), who have made a commitment to collective creation as a mode of theatrical production and to group theater as a life style. Their work has been among the most important in Latin America’s so called ‘New Popular Theater,’ with a strong commitment to grass-roots community issues, mobilization, and advocacy. Yuyachkani won Peru’s National Human Rights Award in 2000. Known for its creative embrace of both indigenous performance forms as well as cosmopolitan theatrical forms, Yuyachkani offers insight into Peruvian and Latin American theatre, and to broader issues of postcolonial social aesthetics.

May 29th, (Friday) 6pm
Devil’s Dance Parade in White Center

followed by concert at Café Rozella
7pm   9434 Delridge Way SW
Seattle, WA 98106 (206) 763-5805

Cafe Rozella brings the hottest Latin music to Seattle:
Afro-Peruvian Dance and Music: El Son De Los Diablos

Parade Route: Parade starts at El Paisano, on the corner of 15^th Ave. SW and Roxbury, proceeds to La Fondita at SW 98^th St., and then to Full Tilt Ice Cream at 9629 16th Ave SW and then to triangle at Roxbury and Delridge and from there to Café Rozella at 9434 Delridge Way SW.

That’s our first photo from the groundbreaking less than an hour ago at the site of White Center Square; members of the Vong family, whose supermarket will anchor the new shopping center, participated along with contractors, architects, the head of King County Economic Development, and King County Council Chair Dow Constantine. We also spoke at the site with Soona Vili from White Center Community Development Association, who agreed it’s a “great day” for White Center. Rika Vong explained today was chosen for the groundbreaking because it has good feng shui – though the actual construction itself, according to the contractors, won’t start until sometime next month. Before the shovels turned dirt, the site was blessed with incense:

Here’s video:

ADDED 12:49 PM: Our video of Constantine’s remarks:

Others who spoke at the event included Rika Vong (that’s not her in the screengrab but she’s the first person you’ll see if you hit “play”):

We talked on the sidelines with the contractors, who are from Bellevue-based Buchanan; they also worked on Meridian Station, with the same architect. And we spoke with a member of the Mullen family, which owned the property for a century before selling to the Vongs; they’re just happy to see something finally being done with the land. ADDED THURSDAY NIGHT: Here’s the official news release from King County:

Ground broken at White Center Square

$11 million project uses public funding, will create 60 jobs

The revitalization of the White Center community received a major boost this morning with the groundbreaking for an $11 million retail plaza in the neighborhood’s business district that utilizes a $6.25 million federal loan.

“There is very tight competition for these federal funds. This project won support from a review panel that includes representatives from across King County—and for several good reasons,” said Metropolitan King County Council Chair Dow Constantine, who represents the White Center neighborhood. “This project will create new retail space and new jobs, while providing a new home for a longtime community business, the Vong family’s Asian market.”

This retail project will bring 60 new jobs to White Center.

Legislation approved by the King County Council in March authorizes the Executive to borrow $6.25 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and re-lend those funds to the White Center Investment Fund, LLC. The legislation also pledges the County’s Community Development Block Grants funds as additional security for the loans. The White Center Square project will also benefit from a federal tax credit.

The investment Fund will use the loan to leverage the additional funding needed to complete a new 26,500 square foot retail/office plaza near Greenbridge. Greenbridge is a mixed-income community built on the site of the former Park Lake Homes, the King County Housing Authority’s oldest and largest public housing development

“We have seen major public investments nearby—most notably in the form of Greenbridge project, White Center Heights Elementary School, and White Center Heights Park,” said Constantine. “King County has been a big part of this effort. I am proud to celebrate another step forward for the White Center neighborhood.”

The monthly public safety meeting will be held tonight (Thursday) at 6 p.m.  If you want to learn what is being done to make this community safer or have concerns regarding same, attend and make your voice heard.  I for one would like to see more action to rid the White Center business district of creeps like these, drinking malt liquor on the side of a grocery store, happy as pigs in sh*t.

Chronic alcoholics and other miscreants

Greg Duff of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council wanted to share this story, including the photos you see above and below:

On Sunday May 24 the Burien Evangelical Church held a picnic at Chelsea Park on 136th and Ambaum.

The purpose of this picnic was to honor our war heroes who have given so much that we might have freedom.

So often we gloss over the true meaning of Memorial Day thinking it is just about picnics, barbeques and working around the house. I thought it would be fun for the kids to invite the Burien Fire Department so the kids could be thrilled when the truck arrived. Three of Burien’s finest arrived on their truck and just as predicted, the kids were thrilled. The firemen went beyond the call of duty. They let the kids climb on the truck, touch the gear and gave out some neat souvenirs. They then played in our softball game and joined us for lunch. It was more than the kids who got a thrill out of having these wonderful fire fighters among us.

As I talk about the heroes of our wars who gave their lives for us, I am proud to be among these heroes who face the dangers of fire on a daily basis to protect. My hat’s off to these fine gentlemen.
Thank you to Barb Peters, North Highline Fire Commissioner for making this possible.

Greg Duff
Burien Evangelical Church Volunteer and Member of the NHUAC

Advisory just in from King County Council Chair Dow Constantine‘s office:

King County Council Chair Dow Constantine will join the owners of the White Center Square development for a groundbreaking ceremony to launch this retail project, which was funded through a $6.25 million loan from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development:

Thursday, May 28
10:00 a.m.
White Center Square site
Corner of 15th Avenue SW and SW 100th St.
Constantine will speak at around 10:30 a.m.

The $11 million project, which will provide 60 new jobs for the White Center neighborhood, was authorized on March 30 by the King County Council.

The heart of White Center will host a new pizza parlor. In keeping with our Commie-working class theme, the pizza place will be named Proletariat Pizza. The location is the old Elisa’s Bakery site, just across the street from Full Tilt Ice Cream. Great News for White Center!

Future Site of Proletariat Pizza

This is going to be an amazing show. Thee Emergency are bringing some special guests that can not be named. It is going to be a fun, but packed show, so get here early. You are going to be kicking yourself Sunday morning if you miss this one.

Son de los Diablos

Weather should be summery and perfect for the Afro-Peruvian Dance Troupe on Friday (May 29th) at 6 pm.

May 29th, (Friday) 6pm
Devil’s Dance Parade in White Center followed by concert at Café Rozella
7pm   9434 Delridge Way SW
Seattle, WA 98106 (206) 763-5805

AFrican ConeXion Project, Café Rozella and 4Culture Specific Site.

In case you saw the huge column of smoke to the west right around noontime – it was a fire that destroyed a home and two cars and badly burned a 34-year-old man in the Arbor Heights area of West Seattle (around 35th/108th). Here’s detailed coverage with photos at partner site West Seattle Blog.

You know the usual holiday drill – schools, most government facilities, banks closed, etc. — but in case you need to take public transit, we also wanted to let you know: Metro is running its Sunday schedule today.

Hung Long

Of all the great Asian markets in White Center, Hung Long Sieu Th! is almost certainly my favorite.  It is distinguished by being directly across from the White Center State Liquor Store.  Some would see this as a convenience and others as a liability.  That aside, this is almost certainly the most well-stocked Vietnamese market.  This is a market in the truest sense of the word: stocking within its tightly knit quarters, all manner of fish and meat as well as a very nice selection of fruits and vegetables, some familiar, some not.  The aisles are packed with sauces, spices and all the accoutrements for fine Asian (or in my case, Mexican) meal.  Indeed, many of the patrons shopping at Hung Long are Latin American, although the overwhelming majority are Asian, attesting to the market’s authenticity.  Most times, I am the only non-Asian at the check-out line, as Vietnamese is thrown around as the lingua franca.

Fresh Fish

My advice for any gringos wishing to venture to Hung Long is to explore and if confused, just ask, the staff are very friendly and more than willing to assist.  Did I mention that the prices are incredibly modest.  You could pack a bag of fruit for under $10.00.  And the fruit would certainly be much nicer than the industrial brand you find at Safeway and other corporate stores.

Fresh meats and vegggies in a typically clean aisle

The seafood is invariably fresh.  No need to trek to Pike Place Market to pick up some fresh crab or halibut.  And you can get some nice black bean sauce to dress the dinner meal.

Fresh Crab

If you feel like noshing while shopping, Hung Long has a small Hong Kong style deli where you can pick up ribs, roast duck, hum bows or other tasty stews and barbeques.

Roast Duck

Fried Fish

My favorite quality of Hung Long is its authenticity.  When I step into Hung Long, I am immediately transported to the wonderful markets of Chinatown in New York City or Hong Kong.  This is the real deal, venture forth gastronomes and lovers of food.   An awesome market, Hung Long.

Asian Drinks

Hong Kong Style Deli

Many of you saw him at the Rat City Rummage a few months back. Dave Ryan is a stencil artists from Bremerton, Washington. All of his art work is done on recycled goods, such as old LP’s, windows and thrift store canvases. Dave enjoys painting silly and epic things, has two different sized feet, and can grow a fairly thick beard when cold or frightened.

Currently he has 42 stenciled LP’s on the walls, and two larger paintings. We had 49 yesterday, so they are going pretty quick.

Followup to our report earlier this week about White Center Community Development Association getting a $5,000 award from the Seattle mayor’s office, which will be used for business-district branding: The mayor’s office just shared this photo of WCCDA’s Karen Veloria accepting the check from Mayor Nickels at the awards-announcement event in Columbia City yesterday.

The draft agenda is now out for next Thursday night’s White Center-South Delridge Community Safety Coalition meeting – read on to see what you’ll hear if you go: Read the rest of this entry »

This announcement is from the Technology Access Foundation, which has a big event coming up next month:

On June 13, 2009 Technology Access Foundation (TAF) will host our Robotics competition for TechStart, our after school program. Six classes will be participating: five from Highline (grades 4th-6th) and one from Seattle. (Grades 6th-8th) The event will take place at the White Center Boys and Girls Club, 9800 8th Ave. SW, Suite 105, from 9 AM to 1 PM. The students will be required to build robots that compete in four events:

1. Tug of War (head to head) (30 minutes)

2. Archery – 2:30 for each run w/ 5 min between rounds (35 minutes)

3. Basket Bot (16 minutes)

4. Drag Race (7 minutes)

This morning in Columbia City, the Seattle mayor’s office is awarding grants to business and community groups from all over Seattle, and one of them is going to the White Center Community Development Association (whose headquarters are on the Seattle side of WC). Congratulations! (P.S. WCCDA has posted even more photos from last weekend’s Spring Clean on its website, plus a big “thank you” to the nearly 400 people who joined in last weekend’s event.) THURSDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: The city has released the full list of grant recipients and the amounts; WCCDA’s grant is for $5,000. According to the mayor’s office, WCCDA will use the money for a “business-district-branding campaign.”