White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Ok, this is a heavily Democratic neighborhood but there seem to be some Rossi supporters in White Center land?  I am inviting comments on who would be better for White Center, Dino Rossi or Christine Gregoire?  Obviously, we have issues of housing, jobs, health care, affordability, crime, education, sustainability, greenspace etc… And I will gladly share my views.  Forum’s open.  Speak your mind.

After a Democratic get-out-the-vote rally in West Seattle on Saturday morning, canvassers will fan out toward White Center, Burien, and South Seattle, with U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell joining them. More info on the 34th District Democrats’ site.

King County’s current budget woes will have substantial impact on a number of levels, not the least of which is the present and future of unincorporated King County, which is to say White Center. In today’s PI article on the subject the piece end with this, “To keep 39 parks open in urban unincorporated areas, Sims asked the council to maintain those parks for three years with $7.7 million currently set aside as incentives to cities that annex such areas.“

Checking with Audrey at White Center Food Bank, we found out (also posted at partner site WSB) that reservations for this Saturday’s annual Harvest Dinner and Auction for WCFB need to be in by 5 pm today so they can get the catering order in. The Saturday event starts with the silent auction @ 5:30 pm, SSCC’s Brockey Center. Full details here; $60/person, 206/762-2848, or rick@whitecenterfoodbank.org. (A week later, on 10/25, it’s the White Center Community Development Association five-year-anniversary gala – details and ticket info are on the WCCDA site.)

Ricardo first reported this almost two weeks ago – the 16th/Roxbury building, on the market. At the time, he reported it was being “shopped” at $1,700,000. Just happened onto the latest version of its listing – and now the price is $1,400,000.

(Burien Council members, seated tonight in “study session” mode)
From tonight’s Burien City Council meeting: Councilmembers voted to once again proceed with the planned annexation procedure — targeting part of White Center — that ended with the withdrawal of the proposal about a month and a half ago. They described the process as to some degree starting over again from the same point at which they were last spring. Here’s the map of the proposed annexation zone. We’ll be following up tomorrow with Seattle reps and others about what happens next from their standpoint. ADDED LATE MONDAY NIGHT: More details on tonight’s Burien proceedings: Read the rest of this entry »

King County Executive Ron Sims has officially unveiled his budget proposal, and says it balances an expected $93 million-plus deficit. Here’s his news release; you can read the budget summary here. Meantime, County Councilmembers — with elected county leaders including Sheriff Sue Rahr at their side — came out swinging, saying Sims’ plan doesn’t do the job, and relies on money that may not even exist (including future “legislative relief” and concessions in labor contracts). Their statement’s not online yet – read it here: Read the rest of this entry »

Another reminder, 5 days till the White Center Food Bank‘s annual Harvest Dinner and Auction this Saturday @ SSCC – but don’t wait to make a reservation – call or e-mail now. 206/762-2848, rick@whitecenterfoodbank.org – see the full invitation here!

Just got this job listing – and White Center Early Learning Initiative executive director Stephan Blanford is casting the net far and wide:

This is one (WCELI Program Director) that we’ve posted before and just haven’t yet found the right candidate. The person who takes the position will have a leadership responsibility for integrating many WCELI services into a seamless whole for the benefit of White Center residents. Requires a self starter, a systems thinker, someone that can build relationships in challenging situations – early learning experience would be a plus, but isn’t essential. Pays well – good benefits.

The job listing is here; you can apply online by going here.

Click pic to play video

Ice-cream shop by day, music venue by night – a little shadowy last night as Robotic Daily (among others) played Full Tilt Ice Cream. The brightly lit Apple logo on his laptop tells the tale as much as the sound does. By the way, mark your calendar for a rock ‘n’ roll ice-cream party at Full Tilt — including “prizes for kids dressed in rockin’ Halloween costumes” — 4 pm October 25th, featuring the Not-Its.

Old news to many, perhaps, but we hadn’t really heard a lot about the Technology Access Foundation‘s plans for a learning center in Lakewood Park until a conversation with Friends of Hicks Lake’s Dick Thurnau, following up on some other issues he had surfaced recently, both at the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting and during the annual Hicks Lake cleanup (more later on what he and I discussed). His group enthusiastically supports this plan, which you can read all about on the TAF website. TAF is still in the midst of fundraising and hoping now to break ground in summer of next year. The TAF site says that as of this past May they’d raised about a third of the $15 million they need; we’ll check in with them soon to see where things stand now.

tonight is the Official openign for the Dluks Crew art show hanging at Full Tilt.
myspace. com/DLUKS3CREW

The party begins at 8pm with an acoustic performance by sickeversence. The Dluks Crew is an all female artists collective, and they are looking for memebers. Here is the email they are sending out.

We are looking for Members to join our new group,

Here is information on us and what we do:

We are the Dluks Crew (all female) based out of Seattle,WA

myspace. com/dluks3crew (add us on your myspace!)

(There are not many all girl “crews” in the world so here we are…
we are currently seeking members so if your a female writer,urban photographer
or painter and
would like to join our actual crew,
contact us and we’ll let you know the details!)

We are available for:
• Artwork/graphic design for Clothing
• Custom artwork
• Illustrated logos
• Editorial illustration for print media
• Advertising illustration
• Book jackets
• CD art
• Poster illustration
• Murals / Public art Guerilla Art Marketing

Check out our main founders photos and websites to see our work!

Celebrate the new Greenbridge Library and YWCA Learning Center.
Open House on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 – 11am!
960 Newport Way NW
Issaquah, WA 98027
www.kcls.org

Bring your friends, family and neighbors and help celebrate the new
community building.
Wednesday, November 5, 11am
9720 Eighth Avenue SW
White Center, WA
Questions, call 425.369.3275.

An update on a story originally published on White Center Now on 9/20:

As you know, in June KCHA submitted an application for $20 million in HOPE VI funds to help support the revitalization of the Park Lake Homes II (PLH II) public housing community. The plan calls for the demolition of the 165 existing public housing units and the redevelopment of the site as housing for 306 families. This housing would include the replacement of all 165 public housing units on-site, as well as 12 additional rental units, 17 Habitat for Humanity affordable homeownership units, and 112 market rate homeownership units. There would be several playgrounds, open space and 6,500 square feet of community center space on the ground floor of a residential building in the center of the site. Plans for the community space – a resource sorely lacking on the site – currently include a large community room, the Neighborhood Networks Center, office and classroom space for service providers, and a satellite office for the King County police. The existing Head Start facility would remain in its present location.

The HOPE VI program has become very competitive on the national level. Many applicants apply for two or three years in a row before their projects are funded. In the 2008 funding round, PLH II competed with 23 other projects vying for the six awards that were made.

I’m very pleased to announce that KCHA has been informed by Senator Murray’s office that PLH II was awarded the $20 million grant for which we applied. Our success is attributable to a number of factors. First is the strong support and advocacy of KCHA by Senator Murray’s office. She has been a tireless ally on every issue involving affordable housing. Second, the quality of the application, including the evidence of resident and community support and a solid Community Support Services program with strong partners, was key to our success in receiving funding as a first-time applicant. And last, but by no means least, KCHA’s accomplishments at Greenbridge under the first HOPE VI grant certainly strengthened the application.

Clearly, receipt of the HOPE VI grant is a critical first step, but now the real work begins! The proposed development schedule calls for relocation of the residents to be completed over the coming year and for construction to begin in the spring of 2010. We will also hold a series of community meetings in the next few months as the more detailed project planning gets underway. You will be notified of these meetings and I urge you to attend and continue your participation in the project’s planning and implementation. Thank you for all your contributions to our success to date and we look forward to your continued support of the project and participation in its success.

If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Nikki Parrott, the project manager (nikkip@kcha.org, 206.574.1222).

Stephen Norman| Executive Director| King County Housing Authority | 600 Andover Park W., Seattle, WA 98188 | Office: 206-574-1190 | Fax: 206-574-1189

Longfellow Creek, which stretches almost all the way to White Center, has some amazing natural areas along the way – and the volunteer forest steward for Delridge Natural Area, Mike Arizona, asked us to invite White Center Now readers to join him in restoration work tomorrow. We posted a story with photos and video on our partner site WSB; you can see it here (including information on where to goand how to help, tomorrow).

That’s the source of $ savings included in a budget announcement from the King County Executive’s office late today; read it here.

From last night’s 34th District Democrats‘ meeting: Volunteers will be going door-to-door this weekend in White Center and southern West Seattle. (Disclosure, the 34th DDs are sponsoring our partner site, West Seattle Blog, this month to get the word out about the sample ballot you can access on their site, to see who and what they have endorsed; you can see it here.)

It’s the big “crosstown” game tonight: Evergreen High School vs. Highline High School, 7 pm, Highline Stadium – the Wolverines are going for their second win. Get out and cheer ’em.

We’ve talked about the county’s serious budget woes, including the public-safety budget challenges that will bring the sheriff, prosecuting attorney, and others to White Center for a town hall meeting later this month. If you want to speak out to other county leaders, six public meetings are set; the closest ones are in Kent and Seattle – read on for full details: Read the rest of this entry »

A customer, on my recommendation. is reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ epic novel, “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”  Readers of the novel know that one of the animating characters in the saga is The United Fruit Company, with its history of neocolonialism and gunboat diplomacy in Central American and the Caribbean (hence “Banana Republics”).   The United Fruit Company renamed itself, Chiquita, after its signature product from Central America, the banana.  My friend brought me the label in the picture accompanying this post.

It may or may not be Palin effect, but I cannot imagine that the marketing department at Chiquita meant to be ironic when they decided to brand each Chiquita banana with a logo that states: “The Food that Fights for You! Chiquita.”   Indeed.  Only recently it was disclosed that Chiquita was making payments to right-wing death squads and leftist rebels in Colombia.  Now, that’s what I call truth in advertising.  Or is it humor?Or perhaps ironic truth?