White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Following up on our Wednesday report about a petition drive in which community advocates from here and West Hill asked for an emergency ban on fireworks: County leaders told us they don’t have the authority to do anything immediate, but that the state does. We finally got a chance today to inquire with the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Deputy Fire Marshal Lysandra Davis replied, saying that only the governor has that authority, but that calling for one isn’t warranted right now. Here’s the entire reply:

Our office has received numerous inquiries on this matter, and we value and appreciate each and every one.

Because Washington is a Home Rule State, legislative authority to limit or prohibit the sale, purchase, possession, and/or use of consumer fireworks is only granted to city, municipal, and county governments. However, any ordinance adopted by a county or city has an effective date no sooner than one year after its adoption, per RCW 70.77.250 (4). Because State Fireworks Law does not provide the SFMO or any other local jurisdiction/agency the authority to temporarily ban
fireworks, even on an emergency basis, it is unlawful to do so.

The only person with the authority to issue a temporary ban on fireworks sales/usage is Governor Jay Inslee. This would be done through a State of Emergency Proclamation which normally prohibits activities that the Governor reasonably believes should be prohibited to help preserve and maintain life, health, property or public peace. In the past, when emergency proclamations have been issued during heavy wildland fires (usually occurring mid-July to August), fireworks usage and sales were already prohibited by State Fireworks Law.

The current burn ban that is in effect only applies to state forests, state parks and forestlands under Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fire protection, including Department of Fish and Wildlife lands; it does not include cities, municipalities and/or counties. This ban prohibits outdoor burning and fireworks and incendiary devices (which are never legal on DNR-protected forestlands).

While these drought conditions we are facing may be unprecedented, there is not a current statewide fire emergency that would warrant the Governor to declare a State ban on fireworks.

What I can assure you of is that the State Fire Marshal’s Office is committed to promoting fire safety and injury prevention year round with our Celebrate Safely and Legally campaign — emphasizing “personal responsibility,” especially during these extremely dry weather conditions.

So it looks like fireworks will be on sale, as planned, in unincorporated King County starting this Sunday, where the law allows their use 9 am-midnight on July 4th.

(A version of this is also published on our partner site West Seattle Blog)

Community leaders from the unincorporated areas of North Highline and West Hill have just launched a petition drive asking county leaders for an emergency fireworks ban because of drought conditions and exceptionally dry weather/vegetation – the petition is on this Change.org page. The petition is addressed to the County Executive and County Fire Marshal. Right now, fireworks sales in the unincorporated area are scheduled to start at noon on Sunday.

But is that even possible? After publishing this on our partner site West Seattle Blog a little earlier, we spoke with Jim Chan in the King County Permitting and Environmental Review department, which oversees the Fire Marshal’s Office. He says the same thing that WSB commenter Karen reported being told by the County Executive’s Office – that the county has no authority for an emergency ban; any ban couldn’t take effect for a year. Chan says a few Washington counties’ laws enable such a ban – Douglas and San Juan Counties, he mentioned – but for King County, that sort of authority has just never come up. We asked if the state would have authority, then, to take an action that could enable an immediate emergency local ban, and he said yes. So we’ll be checking next with the state Fire Marshal’s Office. Meantime, we were forwarded a news release that the county Fire Marshal’s Office had been planning to issue, saying only this:

King County fire agencies are urging citizens to attend one of the many professional public fireworks displays during the Fourth of July weekend. Prolonged dry weather and below average spring rainfall have cured grass and vegetation growth, creating high fire danger nearly six weeks earlier than normal. Last year in King County fire agencies responded to nearly 200 fire calls with 82 of them related to fireworks, as reported in the 2014 Washington State Fire Marshal report.

While it is not advisable to light fireworks, follow the three B’s – Be Prepared, Be Safe, and Be Responsible. Retail fireworks go on sale June 28 through July 4 and in those communities that allow fireworks, discharge is limited to July 4 from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. only.

Just announced:

Due to unseasonably dry conditions, little expected rainfall in the near future, and a low snowpack, the King County Fire Marshal is issuing a fire safety burn ban in unincorporated areas of the county effective June 22.

Sky lanterns are not allowed under the burn ban.

This is a Phase 1 burn ban and applies to all outdoor burning except for small recreational fires in established fire pits at approved campgrounds or on private property with the owner’s permission. Recreational fires must:

*Be built in a metal or concrete fire pit, such as those typically found in designated campgrounds; and not be used as debris disposal

*Grow no larger than three feet in diameter

*Be located in a clear spot free from any vegetation for at least 10 feet in a horizontal direction, including at least 25 feet away from any structure and allow 20 foot vertical clearance from overhanging branches

*Be attended at all times by an alert individual with equipment capable of extinguishing the fire.

Tomorrow night in downtown White Center, you’re invited to join Full Tilt Ice Cream at its flagship WC location for a free all-ages show celebrating FT’s 7th anniversary. Info’s on this Facebook event page, which announces:

Performances by:

The wonderful and fantastic Kimya Dawson!
Folkish duo, Bird Teeth
And the lovely Apis Malifera!

Live music, ice cream, beer and pinball!

If you’re new in town … FT is at 9629 16th SW.

1:17 PM: We’ve been getting texts asking why Cascade Middle School, Evergreen Campus, and Mount View Elementary were in what the texters describe as “lockdown.” According to King County Sheriff spokesperson Sgt. Stanley Seo, deputies are searching for a student who was reported to have been seen with a “weapon.” They believe they know who they are looking for, and the search continues; the Guardian One helicopter has been in the area too. Important to stress, no injuries have been reported. And as we finish writing this, Highline Public Schools tweeted that the lockdowns have been lifted.

1:32 PM: New information from Sgt. Seo: The person who was seen may NOT have been a student. No one’s in custody so far. The earlier lockdowns were just precautionary.

The King County Sheriff’s Office has just explained what the Guardian One helicopter has been doing over Top Hat. From Twitter: Deputies were sent to a report of “a possible stolen car with person inside, S 100 ST and 2nd Ave S, Deputies arrived and the suspect fled … Deputies have set a perimeter, Helicopter on scene to assist, K9 tracking, stay inside to help the K9 track. … The car is a 1993, red, Acura Integra, 3 door, and is a confirmed stolen car. … Keep an eye out for a white male in his 20’s, in a t-shirt and jeans; this is the suspect who was in the stolen car and ran off.” We’ll update with any new information.

You’re invited! Just in from Mount View Elementary:

Mount View Elementary will host a carnival for the school on Friday, June 12th to celebrate the academic success of the students, to raise money for our sister-school in Honduras, and to support the school’s PTA. There will be face painting, bouncy houses, games, the circus, and MANY awesome raffle prizes! Please come and celebrate TWO fantastic causes!

When: Friday, June 12th, 4-6 pm

Location: Mount View Elementary, 10811 12th Ave SW

The briefing at this morning’s meeting of the Seattle City Council Education and Governance Committee was indeed brief; when the video is available via Seattle Channel‘s website, we’ll post it here so you can see for yourself. (ADDED EARLY THURSDAY: Here it is.)

The topline is that Seattle will go ahead and file the next round of paperwork with the Boundary Review Board by Friday, to continue to preserve its options for getting the state sales tax credit, but it was reiterated multiple times that this is just procedural so far and that there are many more points along the way where they would be able to say “no, we’re not proceeding.” While the filing will trigger a six-month period with the BRB, it was also said by city staffer Kenny Pittman – long the point person on this process – that extensions would be possible and almost certainly sought. And it was reiterated multiple times that the city would not annex without a vote of the people in the North Highline area. One more note: They’re still hoping that, during this Legislative special session in Olympia, the tax credit will be beefed up, to $8 million a year for a finite period, rather than the currently on-the-books $5 million.

Two downtown White Center biznotes, both from tweets by Caffe Delia – and the first is about their own business:

Hey everybody, we are going to be closed Wednesday June 3 through Saturday June 6. Our cousin Andrea has passed away and we’re going back east to be with our family. We hope to be back open Sunday.

They also sent word that the recreational-marijuana store we mentioned here recently is now open:

We reported here a month ago that Bud Nation’s license had been approved for 9640 16th SW.

Announced today by the county library system:

The King County Library System (KCLS) will host a community-wide Big Read program this fall to explore and discuss the immigrant experience in the communities of SeaTac, Tukwila, and White Center.

With more than 60% of the population being persons of color, 30% foreign born, 40% speaking a language other than English at home, and more than 70 languages represented in the area’s school districts, SeaTac, Tukwila, and White Center are the most diverse in King County.

Immigrants and refugees have contributed to King County’s sweeping demographic change in the last 20 years. In these neighborhoods, the increase in immigrant-owned businesses, religious centers, and organizations addressing new residents’ unique needs, has generated cultural division and tension as well as great opportunities for building cultural awareness and new social competencies.

Presented by KCLS, the Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA), Highline Public Schools, Highline College, King County Housing Authority, and the White Center Community Development Association/White Center Promise, The Big Read will engage residents in conversations about their experiences, and give the entire community a welcoming and safe environment to explore issues that are close to home in these areas, including gentrification and racial tension.

The program will begin this fall, offering free copies of the novel The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears to encourage all residents to read the book and join in the conversation. Author Dinaw Mengestu drew on his own experience having fled Ethiopia to The Other Washington: D.C.

The community read and related activities will begin a cross-cultural dialogue about how we are different, but more importantly, our common experiences and desires for a thriving community.

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to revitalize the role of reading in American culture by exposing citizens to great works of literature and encouraging them to read for pleasure and enrichment. King County’s southwest corridor is one of 75 communities nationwide participating in The Big Read from September 2015-June 2016. The national Big Read is managed by Arts Midwest.

For more information, please contact Jo Anderson Cavinta jacavinta@kcls.org 425-369-3454. This fall, there will be a full calendar of events for The Big Read in SeaTac, Tukwila, and White Center available online at kcls.org.

Coming up this weekend in White Center:

How can robotic technology help people and communities in ways it has not yet? How might a mobile app help solve a common problem? What goes into building the speediest drag racer? Can you build a robot sumo wrestler? What does STEM mean to our youth today? All these questions and more will be answered by elementary and middle school students at the TAF Expo this Saturday.

The TAF Expo is an annual end-of-school-year exhibition event celebrating the accomplishments of TAF students. Kids and families who are curious about STEM learning opportunities in Southwest Seattle and want to see a sampling of what TAF and #STEMbyTAF are all about, are encouraged to attend. This year’s Expo is on Saturday, June 6, 10 am-1 pm, at TAF’s headquarters, Bethaday Community Learning Space, in White Center (605 SW 108th St.).

Here’s what you can expect to see at the Expo on June 6th:
• Youth Inventions: innovative STEM solutions developed by 6th-8th graders from the White Center region
• STEM Project-Based Learning at Mount View Elementary exhibition with 3rd-6th graders
• Youth robotics competitions by 4th-6th graders: robot drag race, a fancy robot “catwalk” revue, and TAF’s ever-popular Sumo Wrestling Robot tournament!
• Peer youth coding workshops led by young women from Girls Who Code
• Hands-on STEM workshops for young children, provided by Pop-Up Science, a Seattle-based nonprofit mobile science museum
• More information about TAF Programs in White Center and beyond
• Food, prizes, FUN!

Lunch will be provided. This is an all-ages family event; children who are not currently enrolled in TAF programs must be accompanied by an adult. White Center area youth who are currently in 5th and 6th grade, who may be interested in our middle school STEMbyTAF Labs program, and their families are especially encouraged to attend. This is TAF’s seventh annual end-of-year Expo, and our third one at Bethaday Community Learning Space. A flyer for the event is attached. Email sarahw@techaccess.org for more information, or call 206-725-9095×102. Learn more about TAF at www.techaccess.org.

Just received the Seattle City Council Education and Governance Committee agenda for this Wednesday (June 3rd), 9:30 am, and it includes a discussion on two potential annexation areas for the city – one of which is the remaining unincorporated North Highline area. This is a briefing item, not a vote; the NH-related portion of the staff memo says:

In December 2014, the Council passed Res. 31559 calling for the annexation of the larger and more populated North Highline Annexation Area. At that time, the Council made clear its intent that this resolution was a placeholder to preserve the ability to take advantage of an expiring state sales tax incentive that could come with annexation. The incentive redirects to the City $5 million a year in sales tax revenues for 10 years, but there have been attempts by the City and the County to improve this incentive from the State Legislature. A legislative proposal was floated to change the incentive to $8 million a year for 6 years, but nothing has been adopted at this time. The City’s efforts in this regard are ongoing.

This Council has not yet taken a policy position on the merits of annexation of North
Highline. In order to preserve the option of utilizing the existing sales tax credit, Res. 31559 calls for the filing of a Notice of Intention to Annex with the BRB within 180 days of passage of the resolution. June 5 is the last day to file this notice, which essentially continues and solidifies the placeholder set by the Council last December.

If the BRB completes its review and determines that the City may proceed, the Council would need to make a policy decision about whether or not to send an annexation vote to the residents of North Highline. Presumably, such a decision would come after an extensive public outreach process and more detailed discussions regarding financial and operational considerations.

The committee meets in the City Council chambers in downtown Seattle at 600 Fourth Avenue. If you can’t be there in person, the meeting will be webcast live at seattlechannel.org.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Earlier this year, a reader sent us a postal-mail letter worrying about the future of White Center’s B & D Aquarium, the only aquarium-supplies store for miles around (West Seattle, for example, has none). He asked us to do a story. Took a while, but here it is.

Story and photos by Randall Hauk
Reporting for White Center Now

“I’ve been hanging on so long, I’ll hang on as long as I can.”

Being a brick-and-mortar retailer these days can be a challenging prospect, even for businesses which have accumulated decades of expertise in their industry while serving their community.

Such is the case with White Center’s B & D Aquarium, regarded by many Puget Sound-area hobbyists as a valuable resource for serious hobbyists, who rave about the shop’s incredibly knowledgeable staff and the intense care paid to keep healthy stock available.

B & D’s owner, who prefers to be identified only as P.D. (“That’s what all my friends call me.”), started his business in 1972, originally located at 35th SW & Roxbury. Listen to P.D. tell his story:

The current location at 10450 15th Ave SW (next to the White Center Eagles, with a large Clown Loach painted on the north-facing side) is the fourth iteration of the store.

Between P.D. and his two employees, B & D Aquarium staff offer knowledge compiled through more than 100 years collectively in the business, which started and has been maintained all through the passion of a true hobbyist. In addition to all the advice and equipment needed to start and maintain your home aquarium, B&D Aquarium’s 70 tanks offer a variety of fish from “all over the world . . . except Antarctica.”

A year after quitting his aquarium-shop job, P.D. found himself missing the atmosphere of being surrounded by fish, especially after having had to get rid of most of his 52 tanks at home due to the expense. In an early ’70s version of crowdfunding, P.D. opened a shop with “the help of friends and donated tanks.”

When the shop found itself in need of a new home, “customers and ex-employees all came in to help move,” says P.D. And though he also says he was “lucky to find this place,” four years later, B & D hasn’t entirely recovered fiscally from that move, as his humble business has struggled to compete with larger pet shops and online retailers.

“I’ve seen (chain pet stores) selling equipment for less than our wholesale cost,” says P.D. of the challenges in staying competitive. “People tell me, ‘We bought our stuff somewhere else because it was cheaper, but we come to you for advice because you know what you’re talking about.”

The loss of revenue from that segment of their potential customers already forced B & D to get out of the saltwater side of the aquarium business several years ago. Advising people who were not spending money in their shop was also taking too much time away from the time needed to properly care for the fish they have on hand.

And for P.D. and his colleagues, all dedicated hobbyists themselves, taking shortcuts to create time and reduce operating costs is simply never a consideration.

In order to assure the fish he sells leave the shop in good health, P.D. says, “they have to be treated, quarantined, and watched. We make sure they’re 100% healthy, which takes ten times as much work as making sure they’re even 99% healthy.”

His love for the hobby and the fish themselves also can get in the way of cynically taking every dollar that presents itself at his cash register.

“I spent far too much time talking people out of buying things to be profitable!”

That level of dedication is precisely what draws hobbyists from throughout the greater Puget Sound region for their aquarium needs. It also speaks to why B & D has such a loyal, if small, customer base. Spending the extra money on the fish initially saves them later on the cost of chemicals and other treatments that follow fish not properly prepared for the move to a home-aquarium environment.

But how do people get drawn so strongly to a hobby that requires significant expense and effort to maintain? Perhaps even to the point of running a struggling shop for forty-plus years?

“It’s a spiritual experience,” explains P.D.. “It can lower your blood pressure. They prescribe it for hyperactive children. It can really open your eyes . . . (one gets a) completely different understanding of the whole universe.”

“It can be wonderful.”

Before taking a summer break from the monthly meeting schedule, the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council will take a closer look at one of the area’s hottest topics:

When: Thursday, June 4 at 7 pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station (1243 SW 112th)

We are pleased to be hosting James Paribello and Frank O’Dell from the Washington State Liquor Control Board, who will provide the latest updates regarding legislation, siting, and licensing of recreational marijuana stores (502 stores). We will be discussing the process for potential conversion of the now unregulated medical marijuana dispensaries to 502 stores.

Specifically, we are interested in how this new legislation will impact the greater White Center/North Highline community. With 8 unregulated medical dispensaries and two licensed 502 stores presently in the community, as well as a potential grow/processing operation, how many more businesses will we see?

Plan on attending and bring your questions and concerns for this important and informative community discussion.

Our White Center Storefront Deputy, Julian Chivington, will also be on hand with information on crime trends and general community safety concerns.

All are welcome – see you there!

Questions: contact – bdobkin@northhighlineuac.org

For the agenda please see: northhighlineuac.org

(Please note: NHUAC will not be holding meetings in July and August)

(Photo courtesy Highline Public Schools)
Big congratulations in order for a local teacher – here’s the announcement from Highline Public Schools:

Mount View Elementary teacher Jamie Ewing earned first place in The Henry Ford’s Innovative Nation Teacher Innovator Awards. Ewing is one of ten first place winners in the country.

The award recognizes educators who are using the classroom to inspire innovation, creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking among their students.

“I would like to congratulate this nationwide group of educator innovators who are truly changing the way students are learning in the classroom,” said Patricia Mooradian, president of The Henry Ford. “I look forward to welcoming them here this summer and watching as this program continues to grow.”

Winners were selected by a team of judges based on their original and creative approaches to teaching, their resourcefulness, and the positive impact they make on a daily basis in the classroom. Student engagement, learning goals, and evidence achieving those goals were also taken into consideration.

“Jamie is a collaborative teacher who consistently shares his expertise, commitment, and innovative thinking with our learning community,” said Mount View Principal Lisa Escobar. “He engages students by empowering them to solve meaningful problems using critical thinking and technology.”

First place winners will receive a week long “Innovation Immersion Experience” at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, taking place July 25 – July 31, 2015. The experience includes behind-the-scenes tours with curators and archivists, a teaching innovation workshop, and a special recognition ceremony.

Ewing is a National Board Certified Teacher. Microsoft inducted Ewing into its Expert Educator Program in 2013, and he was named a 2015 Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIE Expert). He has also been named a 2013 Innovative Teacher of the Year recognized by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Education and 2014 Teacher of the Year recognized by the Museum of History and Industry.

(WCN photo: Veterans’ Triangle Park at 16th/Roxbury/Delridge)

Some helpful information for this holiday Monday:

TRANSPORTATION: Metro is on a Sunday schedule … Sound Transit Route 160 also is on a Sunday schedule.

SCHOOLS: Highline Public Schools are closed, as are most if not all independent schools.

LIBRARIES: King County branches are closed today.

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE HOLIDAY … according to the official USPS list.

MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY AT FOREST LAWN: In West Seattle at 2 pm, all are welcome at Forest Lawn Cemetery for the traditional Memorial Day event with American Legion Post 160 and VFW Post 2713. (6701 30th SW)

(Highline educators demonstrating this morning at 16th/107th)
Today’s the day that Highline Public Schools are closed as the Highline Education Association has its one-day walkout to protest the state of education funding. Picketing is happening in various locations now (including 16th/107th), and then around noon, walks/marches are planned – locations are in this post on the HEA’s Facebook page – the Evergreen campus is one of the starting points. Today’s school day is scheduled to be made up on May 26th.

Interested in the changes planned for SW Roxbury – all the way from 4th Avenue to 35th? The Seattle Department of Transportation plans a public “walking tour” along the entire length tonight, and all are welcome to join at any point along the way – walking the full distance or just meeting up at a certain point with comments and/or questions. Here are the times/places listed by SDOT:

5:30 pm – 4th/Roxbury
5:50 pm – 8th/Roxbury
6:15 pm – Delridge/16th/Roxbury
6:45 pm – 26th/Roxbury
7:15 pm – 30th/Roxbury
7:45 pm – 35th/Roxbury

Just look for team members in brightly colored safety vests!

If you haven’t been following the plan for safety improvements, here’s one of our reports from West Seattle Blog on the unveiling of the plan last month.

All over the region, teachers are staging one-day walkouts to protest the state of education funding, among other things. Today, Highline Public Schools announced that its teachers plan to walk out one week from tomorrow – Thursday, May 21st – so it’s closing schools that day:

All schools in Highline Public Schools will be closed on May 21 due to a teacher walkout.

The Highline Education Association (HEA) — the teachers’ union — has voted to participate in a one-day walkout on May 21. Highline does not have enough substitute teachers to cover all classes that day, so school is cancelled on May 21.

Highline will make up the school day on May 26, the district’s scheduled snow make-up day.

HEA wrote in communication with its members, “The target of HEA’s May 21 Day of Action Walkout is the WA State Legislature, not the Highline School District.”

ORIGINAL 6:24 PM REPORT: According to the Cascade Bike Club‘s map for Bike To Work Day events on Friday, local businesses are presenting a “commute station” in downtown White Center again, 6-9 am.

10:26 PM UPDATE: Apparently not – Caffe Delia indicates the map info is inaccurate. We HAVE direct confirmation of the West Seattle Bridge station, at least, if you’re headed that way.