White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Meet Patrick Choy, the namesake and proprietor of Patrick’s Café and Bakery at 10003 15th SW, where it’s “soft opening” day. You’ll find not just baked treats…

… but also savory hot food including pot pies centered on fillings such as chicken or Portuguese sausage, plus beef stew and chili.

Some of Patrick’s creations (here’s the menu) are inspired by the flavors of Hawai’i, where he was born into a family that, as explained on the new café’s website, “owned and operated Sam Choy’s Kaloko … a James Beard Foundation: America’s Classics Award-winning restaurant.” He’s been baking since childhood and built a distinguished career including corporate food-and-beverage leadership, then a neighborhood bakery elsewhere in Seattle, and now he has moved to a larger space in White Center. Hours are 8 am-5 pm six days a week (closed Tuesdays) but keep in mind it’s soft-open mode for starters.

Your next feedback opportunity for the planned conversion of Metro Route 120 into the RapidRide H Line starts now. Metro’s “online open house” is live, through January 15th. It starts here. (And remember that next Thursday brings an in-person meeting in White Center – 5-8 pm, Mount View Elementary School, 10811 12th Avenue SW.)

King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes detectives are investigating a carjacking and assault early this morning in the Super Saver Foods parking lot at 16th SW/SW 106th. It happened just after 1 am, according to KCSO Sgt. BJ Myers, who says the carjacker punched the victim in the face and stole his white 2003 Ford F250 pickup truck, WA plates C67286K. Call 911 if you see it.

From the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council:

Just a reminder. North Highline Unincorporated Area Council will not be holding a meeting on Thursday, January 4. We plan on having a board meeting in January that the public is invited to attend, date and time to be announced. Our regular first Thursday of the month meetings will resume on February 1, 2018.

Our NHUAC coverage is archived here – and you can watch videos of NHUAC meetings here.

New Year’s resolution: Spend more time at the library! Here to help you with that is the lineup of White Center Library highlights for January:

Children & Families

Kaleidoscope Play & Learn-Spanish
Tuesday, January 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, 10:30 am
Newborn to age 5 with caregiver.

Have fun singing songs, telling stories, reading books, creating art and playing. Play & Learn is in English and the facilitator is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Family Story Times
Friday, January 12, 19 and 26, 10:30 am
Ages 6 months to 6 years with adult.

Stories, songs and fun!

Tweens & Teens

Anime Club
Thursday, January 4, 4-5 pm
Middle and high school ages.

Come watch Anime with other kids in the library.

Study Zone
Thursday, January 4, 11, 18 and 25, 5:30-7:30 pm
Monday, January 8, 22 and 29, 5:30-7:30 pm

No Study Zone on January 15.

Need homework help? Students in grades K-12 can get free help at the library from volunteer tutors.

Fun with Yarn
Monday, January 22, 4 pm
All ages welcome.

Let’s make something with yarn! Make pom pom key chains and bag charms. Use yarn and beads to make your own creation, a customized charm on your very own key chain. All supplies provided.

Movie: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Monday, January 29, 4 pm
Middle- and high-school ages.

Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident except for a series of events which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

Snacks provided by the White Center Library Guild.

Adults

Drop In to Learn about eBooks
Friday, January 12, 3-4 pm
Wednesday, January 17, 7-8 pm

Get started with KCLS eBooks! Bring your eReader, tablet, phone or just your questions.

The White Center Library is at 1409 SW 107th. And take note, it’s closing early on New Year’s Eve – 5 pm – and will be closed New Year’s Day.

Ever since noticing brown paper over the windows at Zanzibar (9609 1/2 16th SW), we’d been trying to confirm whether it was closure or remodeling (though the former seemed more likely, given it hadn’t been open that long). Now a notice in the state liquor-license application list appears to have confirmed the former. The new establishment seeking a license for the spot is Dottie’s Doublewide, and the applicants are the owners of Drunky Two Shoes BBQ down the street. More to come.

The snow will soon be just a Christmas memory – so thanks to Gill for sharing photos.

2 1/2 inches of snow at Gill’s place. That was also the official White Center total on this National Weather Service list. The NWS says we might see a little more light snow Tuesday night.

Though it hasn’t been a blizzard, the snow has been steady since mid-afternoon. So a few notes: Metro is on snow routes for its south and southwest areas – that includes White Center, the rest of the unincorporated area, and points south. If you need to ride a bus, check for more details here. … The National Weather Service’s advisory for “winter weather” runs through 10 am Christmas Day, and after that, it’s supposed to warm up, with rain entering the mix.

It’s long been lamented that White Center was without a fixed tribute to perhaps its most legendary son, poet Richard Hugo (1923-1982). Now there’s one on the walls of Mac’s Triangle Pub, where 16th, Delridge, and Roxbury meet, placed there Thursday night during a literary event, “Homage to Richard Hugo Night.” Readers included the organizers Nicholas O’Connell, founder of thewritersworkshop.net, read a Hugo poem in the early going:

White Center resident Jeff Smoot read from his essay, “Finding Richard Hugo in White Center,” which will be published in an upcoming online literary magazine.

Triangle Pub proprietor “Mac” McElroy read a Hugo poem particularly apropos to running a bar:

Smoot is hoping this “might become an annual event that preserves Hugo’s White Center legacy in some way.” That legacy includes a 1980 poetry collection titled “White Center.”

Looking ahead to the holiday, we’re checking around for closure info, and thought you might want advance warning that King County Library System branches (including White Center and Boulevard Park) will be closed Sunday (Christmas Eve) as well as Monday (Christmas Day).

Just received tonight from the White Center Food Bank, an open letter to its “stakeholders”:

We wanted to take a moment to let you know about some of the changes taking place at the White Center Food Bank and fill you in on a few of the exciting things we are working on to better serve our clients.

You may have heard that the Board hired Angela Beard as our Executive Director in July 2017. Angela has since decided to move on to another opportunity, so Carolynn Ferris has returned as the Interim Executive Director for the time being.

The staff is continuing to work hard on providing the highest quality food, produce and baby supplies for the clients we serve. By the end of 2017, we expect to have accomplished:

 Over 70,200 clients and 24,000 households served in White Center

 Over 1,056,00 pounds of food distributed

 More than doubled the amount of fresh produce made available in 2017 versus 2016

 Increased the focus on culturally appropriate foods

 17,000 volunteer hours donated

We are working on building out our programs in 2018 to reach even more people within the community in ways that directly impact their lives in healthy ways. Some of the things to look for include:

 We have received a grant to broaden our community garden program; we are calling our food bank garden Grow2Give. Not only will we be expanding the garden to grow more fresh, culturally relevant and organic produce, but we also will be holding classes to teach those in our community the best growing methods for our climate, and create a gardener network to share information and resources.

 Mara, our Community Garden Manager, will be working with Cascade Middle School in the coming year to help them continue to establish their own garden and engage the students in nutrition, gardening, and healthy soils education.

 An intern from the University of Washington will be joining us early in the year with the task of modifying the produce distribution area to enhance the “shopping” experience of our clients and encourage healthy choices.

As a poignant reminder of how we impact our community, we must share the story of Rosemary. She recently left us this note: “Without this food bank, I wouldn’t be able to feed my family through the month. My income is too high to receive SNAP benefits, but I still need help making rent each month since it has doubled in the past two years. I am so grateful for the food bank’s services. Thank you.”

We look forward to your continuing support and input to further our mission.

White Center’s legendary poet Richard Hugo will be honored at a special reading/open-microphone night next week at Mac’s Triangle Pub. Here’s the announcement we received:

Few writers have influenced Northwest literature as profoundly as poet Richard Hugo, who brought the region to life in his poetry and prose, including the White Center area where he was born and raised as well as rural Montana where he moved to become head of the University of Montana’s creative writing program. Other than Seattle’s Richard Hugo House, there hasn’t been much local celebration of his work, until now.

The Writer’s Workshop will celebrate his career with a “Homage to Richard Hugo Night” on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. at Mac’s Triangle Pub (9454 Delridge Way SW), where Hugo used to hang out. In addition to writing poetry and teaching, Hugo spent a lot of time in bars. The Triangle was one of them.

The reading will include an unveiling of a framed Richard Hugo photo to be placed on the wall of the tavern, followed by readings at 8 p.m. by Nicholas O’Connell, founder of www.thewritersworkshop.net, from On Sacred Ground: The Spirit of Place in Pacific Northwest Literature; White Center resident Jeff Smoot reading from his essay, “Finding Richard Hugo in White Center,” forthcoming from the online literary magazine www.thewritersworkshopreview.net; and other poems/ stories about White Center and/or Richard Hugo. After 9 p.m., the event will continue in an open-mic format where people can read their poems/ stories (hopefully on Hugo-esque themes) on into the night.

“I’d like to gather some people together to share Richard Hugo’s story, talk about his White Center roots, and read from some literary works about Hugo and his poems,” says Smoot. “Then open up the mic to anyone who wants to share a Hugo story, read a Hugo poem, or read any White Center-themed writing. I’m hoping this might become an annual event that preserves Hugo’s White Center legacy in some way.”

Hugo and other poets of the Northwest School sought to discover a place that resonated with them and allowed them to discover their own voice. Hugo referred to such a place as a “triggering subject,” a locale that fired a writer’s imagination.

“Hugo discovered his triggering subject in White Center,” says O’Connell. “Writing about it resulted in some of his first published poems and some of his best writing.”

If you’d like to read at the event, please contact Nicholas O’Connell (nick@thewritersworkshop.net). The Writer’s Workshop is an online and on-campus The Writer’s Workshop is an online and on-campus Seattle writing workshop, specializing in fiction, nonfiction and travel writing classes.

From the December meeting of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council:

METRO TRANSIT: Route 120 between Delridge, White Center, and Burien will become RapidRide H Line, and planning is intensifying. So NHUAC was briefed by community-relations and public-engagement manager Jenna Franklin and RapidRide planning-and-implementation manager Alex Kiheri.

He explained how RR works – the goal is “speed and reliability,” the buses are different (you might have seen the red/yellow buses on existing RR lines such as C between West Seattle and South Lake Union), and other things. Metro is expected to add 13 new RR lines by 2025, and H Line will be the second.

The 120 currently has 9,200 daily trips, 25 percent morning, 30 percent evening, the rest spread out among the other hours. Saturday has 5,600 trips, Sunday has 4,300. RR tries to “run a longer span of service, more frequently” throughout the day. It offers “passenger amenities” such as “inviting” bus stops. Communication technology allows them to run a connected service – including offering online information so you know how far away your bus is and when it’s likely to arrive.

And Kiheri mentioned that Metro and SDOT are working together on the route, especially regarding the section that serves Westwood Village, and White Center. “Area 4” is what you’ll want to look for when you come to upcoming open houses – one of the areas where it’s “critical to plan well so the service can perform well.” White Center itself will be a particularly “interesting place” for investments, since it’s governed by the county, and Metro is a service provided by the county. That included a grant-inspired opportunity to improve a connection (“missing link” type area) along SW 100th in the Greenbridge community; Metro requested a $940,000 grant to “build that missing link” including sidewalks and bike facilities, and was “ranked very highly” so there’s a “strong possibility” they’ll get that grant to put in those improvements while the H Line is being set up. The grant had a strong level of community support, the Metro reps pointed out; NHUAC president Liz Giba noted that the group had written a letter contributing to that.

If you’re interested in the route conversion, you’ll want to go to one of two open houses that Metro has scheduled for next month:

Wednesday, January 10th from 5-8 p.m.
Burien Community Center, Shorewood Room
14700 6th Ave SW, Burien

Thursday, January 11th from 5-8 p.m.
Mount View Elementary School, Cafeteria/Multi-purpose Room
10811 12th Ave SW, White Center

They also will be mailing an announcement of those dates to about 28,000 people “along the line,” as well as putting up flyers and posters. There’s also a survey online, if you haven’t already participated.

In West Seattle discussion of RapidRide H Line so far, there’s been concern about stops being too far apart, per typical RR. Kiheri said they’re looking for a “middle ground” – every third of a mile or so, with quarter-mile space in some spots. He noted that some “underperforming stops” already had been taken out back in 2012.

CRIME BRIEFING: Storefront Deputy Bill Kennamer provided the newest information. He mentioned the 98th/15th SW homicide, with the victim having been shot and killed after trying to attack the shooter a third time. It does not appear the shooter, 16, will be charged, except for a gun violation. (Here’s the most-recent report we published on the case.)

Regarding crime in general – no significant increases year to year, but auto theft is running high – not so many stolen cars being found in this area though. Residential burglaries have spiked a bit, and the concentration area is around 17th/Roxbury.

General concerns involved trash dumped “all over,” as community member Gill Loring put it. He suggested a community meeting/discussion is in order.

A discussion about problems at the White Center Library, from broken windows to loitering, ensued. Kennamer said he had suggested that the library play music to discourage loitering – as is done across the city line outside Meat The Live Butcher. Giba mentioned she has invited the King County Library System to the February NHUAC meeting, to talk about a variety of things, not just problems.

COALITION FOR DRUG-FREE YOUTH: Rudy Garza from the coalition and Shoshana Mahmood from the Puget Sound Educational Service District started the meeting.

Garza said the coalition is in its sixth year of educating youth about drugs, alcohol, and tobacco – not to urge abstinence, but to offer “positive alternatives.” He cited a 2012 survey showing that youth in this community weren’t engaged – in school or the community. He said an anti-litter campaign created after that, in partnership with Cascade Middle School, “is ongoing to that day.” Getting “positive things to be involved with” affects their decisions about drugs and alcohol. Right now they’re awaiting word on funding, whether they’ll get grant money to keep Mahmood’s position funded – there’s money to continue it through the end of the school year, but after that, it’s a question mark. Navos has been funding the coalition and is the ultimate decisionmaker. They hope to kick off a billboard campaign in January, in English and Spanish, concurrent with a social-media and poster campaign.

Mahmood says she has worked with youth a long time, even before this position as drug/alcohol counselor at Cascade, which is part time. She also is involved with a prevention team that’s about to start work with Mary’s Place (which operates a White Center family shelter) after school winter break. Helping to educate students about self-determination, that they can make choices and decisions, is part of what she does. She is concerned that, aside from substance concerns, youth are over-stimulated by social media and entertainment, “a lot of surface-level stuff.” She is currently working one-on-one with 17 students. When she’s with them, they “talk about family and community the most.” Their concerns and fears include everything from what’s happening at home to bullying at school, and many say they don’t feel safe – “they talk about getting robbed all the time, at knifepoint and gunpoint,” but the school can only do so much – “once they’re off school grounds, they’re on their own.” Since marijuana legalization, awareness and curiosity have gone up, and vaping – which often comes with flavoring – seems rampant, she said. Kids tell her they are interested in the smell, the flavor, the clouds of smoke – nicotine vaping as well as cannabis vaping.

Garza said Mahmood also is supposed to be working at Evergreen High School but they’ve been working to find space for her. And he noted that an added stress for some youth these days is worrying that ICE may be coming for their parents – so drugs and alcohol might be used as an escape. And he said that a Latino youth with whom he had worked had spoken about being harassed and attacked by a group of white youths who yelled “go back to where you came from” – they find themselves spending time stressing that not everyone is against them, and that they can and should call law enforcement for help. Speaking of law enforcement – as they continue working to solidify funding, they also are working with the King County Sheriff’s Office to see if there’s some synergy with KCSO funding related to marijuana.

The next coalition meeting is next Wednesday, December 13th, noon-1:30 pm (lunch is served), at Seola Gardens (11215 5th SW).

Also announced at the meeting:

SEOLA POND: An update from Scott Dolfay, who’s been working on restoration – he’s expecting student volunteers one week from today, on December 14th. (More details on his project are in our September NHUAC report.) “It’s all coming together really well,” he said, after detailing the materials he’s been rustling up and plans he’s been making. The work is on the west side of the pond, along 30th SW.

CAMP SECOND CHANCE: NHUAC’s Pat Price mentioned the work party set for December 15th to build “supertents” (details are in our partner site West Seattle Blog‘s report on CSC’s Community Advisory Committee meeting from last weekend).

FESTIVUS PARTY THIS WEEKEND: As previewed here, the Jubilee Days fundraiser is this Saturday.

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meets the first Thursday of most months – not in January, though, so February 1st is the next meeting – 7 pm, at North Highline Fire District HQ (1243 SW 112th). Watch northhighlineuac.org between meetings for updates.

We’re publishing this announcement both here and on partner site West Seattle Blog because of the scope of the project:

The White Center Community Development Association (WCCDA), celebrating its 15th year serving White Center families with family/social services, small business/entrepreneurial development, school educational support, and family wellness, is partnering with Southwest Youth and Family Services (SWYFS), which provides critical health services to youth and families-at-risk, to create the White Center Neighborhood Advisory Council. This 20-person council, nominated from diverse segments of our White Center community, will meet twice a month, over five months in 2018, to assist us in the following;

*Review and plan for a Family Resource Center at the former White Center public health building site at 8th Ave. SW and SW 108th Ave, now temporarily used by Mary’s Place as transitional housing for homeless families.

*Develop a long-range affordable housing plan for White Center that helps keep White Center families living near each other, and incorporate the planning process findings into affordable housing at the former public health site

*Assist in ensuring that homeless transitional housing is considered as a continuing service in the affordable housing discussions for the site and elsewhere in White Center that will result.

The 20 members of this Council will receive $100 each in May of 2018, to compensate for their time serving on this council. The Nomination Form and Scope of Work for the Advisory Council can be found at the WCCDA website. All nominations are welcome, but we reserve the right to ensure that broad, diverse community perspectives are included through the nomination process as described in the Nomination Form and Scope of Work.

Nomination forms are due by December 12 at the CDA Open House meeting from 4-6 pm, that will be held at the WCCDA offices in the Technology Access Foundation building at 605 SW 108th Street. All nominees are encouraged to attend this meeting to meet staff, learn about the existing important work our staff do here in White Center, and eat good food. Child care will be provided.

Questions: Mark@WCCDA.ORG or call the WCCDA office at 206-694-1082

Got your tickets yet? Ready to gather around the Festivus Pole? Ready to raise money for next year’s White Center Jubilee Days? You’ll be able to do it all at White Center’s own Festivus celebration on Saturday, December 9th. Doors open at the White Center Eagles‘ hall at 5:30 pm; your ticket gets you a prime-rib dinner as well as a share of the evening’s festivities, which include a silent auction. Buy tickets here.

From the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council – news of its next meeting:

When: Thursday, December 7, 2017 at 7 pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station at 1243 SW 112th Street in White Center
(Parking and Entrance are in the Back of the Station)

The Opportunity to Be Informed, Be Involved and Be Heard!

November’s NHUAC meeting confirmed that North Highline has more than its fair share of retail cannabis businesses. This month, we will learn more about the Coalition for Drug-Free Youth and what it is doing to help create a safe and healthy environment for our young people and community. Our guests will be the coalition’s Coordinator, Rudy Garza, and Sheshana Mahmood, Prevention and Intervention Specialist at Cascade Middle School and Evergreen High School. We will also learn about new challenges facing the coalition. This is our chance to support an organization that supports our community!

Have you taken a bus lately? As more people are moving to our area, public transit is becoming more important and crowded. Alex Kiheri, RapidRide Program Manager, and Jenna Franklin of King County’s Department of Transportation’s Community Relations and Public Engagement, will share information about the future of transit in White Center, including: the proposed Route 120 upgrade, potential benefits of the project, and opportunities to improve access to transit. Could more sidewalks be in our future?

We’ll also be welcoming back KCSO Deputy Bill Kennamer who will share crime updates, answer our questions, and increase our awareness of what is happening on the streets of North Highline.

Then, the floor will be yours! Do you have an announcement or something of community import on your mind? Join us and share at NHUAC’s last meeting of 2017!

See you Thursday, December 7, 2017 at 7 pm

Because Knowledge and Community Are Power!

Speaking of libraries (remember that the White Center branch is closed today and tomorrow), the King County Library System has just announced its new leader:

The King County Library System (KCLS) Board of Trustees has selected Lisa G. Rosenblum as the KCLS Library Director following a comprehensive nationwide search.

The Board made its decision at its regular monthly meeting on November 29 and extended an offer, which Ms. Rosenblum has accepted. Rosenblum will begin her leadership role at the King County Library System’s Service Center in Issaquah on January 16, 2018.

“Our search firm delivered a choice of several qualified candidates. During the interview process, Lisa Rosenblum rose to the top of the list as the person best suited to lead KCLS as we implement our new Strategic Focus,” said KCLS Board Trustee Robin McClelland who chaired the search committee.

“Lisa is undaunted by challenges, our geographic reach, and our mission to serve our diverse population of patrons. We believe she will strengthen relationships with communities and seek partnerships that share our commitment to innovation,” McClelland added.

A distinguished librarian, Rosenblum has spent her career in culturally diverse and metropolitan library settings on the East and West coasts. She joins KCLS from the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), the fifth-largest library system in the country, which includes the historic Central Library. There, Rosenblum served as Director and Chief Librarian, and oversaw the planning, developing and leading of BPL’s operations and its $120 million budget.

Prior to her position at BPL, Rosenblum served as Director of Library and Community Services for the City of Sunnyvale in California, where she implemented the use of innovative technology to enhance library services, increased the circulation of materials and augmented eBook collections. Prior to her role in Sunnyvale, Rosenblum served as Director of Library and Neighborhood Services for the City of Hayward in California, where she led the planning and modernization of library services and developed integrated neighborhood programs. Rosenblum began her library career as a librarian, and later training manager, then division manager, of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in the City of San Jose.

Since 2008, Rosenblum has shared her strategic leadership, organizational theory and management concept knowledge as a visiting professor and lecturer, respectively, at Pratt Institute School of Information and San Jose State University’s School of Library and Information Science.

“Lisa’s proven leadership abilities and extensive background in library programs, services, technology and innovation will be an immense asset to the King County Library System,” said Stephen A. Smith, KCLS Interim Library Director. “She has worked for years with people from all walks of life, which is a great match for our increasingly diverse county. We are very fortunate that she is joining us, and sincerely look forward to her arrival in the Pacific Northwest.”
A dynamic leader, Rosenblum will be responsible for advancing KCLS’ strategic focus initiatives, including collaborating with civic and business leaders, advancing the library’s literary and technology programs, continuing its excellence in customer service, building a diverse staff and supporting the KCLS Foundation’s fundraising efforts.

“The King County Library System is nationally known as a leader among public libraries. It is an honor to have been selected as the next director,” said Rosenblum. “Many of the innovative programs at KCLS are implemented similarly at BPL, so I already feel an alignment with the direction of KCLS and its strategic focus. I would like to continue the direction and help it grow as both an institution and a community asset,” she said.

Rosenblum earned her Master’s Degree in Library Science from San Jose State University and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from St. John’s College.

If you’ve been to the White Center Library in recent weeks, you’ve probably noticed some damage to its distinctive glass facade. KCLS is about to fix the windows, but it needs to close the library to get that done, so it will be closed tomorrow and Friday (November 30th and December 1st), reopening Saturday, December 2nd.

The Seattle band Thunderpussy is out with the video for their new single “Speed Queen” – shot in White Center – Drunky’s Two Shoes BBQ, to be precise.

Want to help Highline College pick its next president? You don’t have to go far. This announcement includes word of a “listening session” coming up in White Center:

As part of its presidential search process, Highline College trustees will hold several listening sessions to learn what community members are looking for in the college’s next leader.

Sessions are scheduled in several locations throughout South King County and are open to all:

— Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m.: Wiley Center Neighborhood House at Greenbridge

— Dec. 6, daytime sessions: Highline College main campus, Building 2 (times will be posted at highline.edu/presidential-search-listening-sessions once they are available)

— Dec. 11, 6:30 p.m.: Federal Way Library, Meeting Room 2

Trustees will use what they learn at the sessions to help create the presidential profile. Profiles often outline general duties and desired qualities or characteristics.

Highline’s board is responsible for selecting and employing the college president. It is composed of community members from Highline’s service area of South King County: Dan Altmayer and Bob Roegner, both of Federal Way; Debrena Jackson Gandy, Des Moines; Fred Mendoza, Normandy Park; and Sili Savusa, White Center.

To learn what has happened to date in the search for Highline’s next leader, visit the Presidential Search news page.