A party’s under way celebrating the official opening of High Point’s Commons Park; we went up the knoll on its southwest side for these views that show how sweeping the park is:
The mini-amphitheater on the south side of the knoll had live entertainment – we were there for the end of a jazz combo and the start of these young performers:
Commons Park is most easily reached from Graham, at 31st (map).
Jam-packed agenda last night for the Southwest District Council (representatives from neighborhood groups and other key organizations in the area of West Seattle that the city defines as the “Southwest District”; you can see the map here), with a Spokane Street Viaduct project update, the latest from Seattle City Lighton street lights, and more – read on:Read More
This morning, we mentioned tonight’s Neighborhood Center volunteer event in High Point. Also in the hours ahead: Youngstown Arts Center is offering free events for youth Wednesdays at 4 pm, starting with All-Access Open Studio for young artists, 4 pm today. Heading south from there, North Delridge Neighborhood Council invites everybody with an interest in ND to join its nonthly meeting @ Delridge Library (excellent a/c there, we hear), 6:30 pm. At South Seattle Community College, the Southwest District Council — representatives from neighborhood groups and other key organizations in the part of West Seattle that the city considers the “Southwest District” — meets in the board room at 7 pm; City Light and Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle have spots on the agenda. Also at 7, at C & P Coffee south of The Junction, West Seattle Cool Momsare having their July get-together, with a presentation including ways to live a less-toxic lifestyle.
That’s nationally renowned activist Van Jones, talking about how High Point’s new Neighborhood Center is going to set a national precedent, during his Seattle appearance in May. (That’s actually the third of three videos from his speech; part 1 is here, part 2 is here.) Tonight is your next chance to get involved with the Neighborhood Center and its “green revolution,” looking ahead to its groundbreaking next month – tonight there’s an orientation/training session for volunteers. First, find out more about what’s happening with the project — read the article sent to us by Cathy Cooper, then check out several different ways to help with NH:Read More
As mentioned in our preceding post, this community event is happening right now — prayers and hopes for a safe summer. We stopped by toward the start of it for the clip you see above. If you are not stuck in, oh, say, an office outside West Seattle, it is a spectacular day and High Point Pond Park (30th/Juneau; map) is in an amazingly panoramic spot. “Food, games, music, and fun” are promised too.
The jail forum (much more to come) was tonight’s biggest event but not tonight’s only event. At Youngstown Arts Center, area Democrats gathered to help West Seattle’s three state legislators kick off their re-election campaigns: left to right, it’s State Sen. Joe McDermott, State. Reps. Sharon Nelson and Eileen Cody.
And on the other end of Delridge, at Cafe Rozella, that’s Branden Born and Alon Bassok from the University of Washington, who will be there for the next few Thursday nights to chat with anyone and everyone about how the Delridge and White Center areas could be even more livable, framed in the issues central to the King County Food and Fitness Initiative. (6:30 pm next Thursday, join ’em there!)
We’re at the Machinists’ Union Lodge in South Park for the first of two city-organized public forums on the two proposed West Seattle sites in the running for a possible city misdemeanor jail. The Highland Park Action Committee has a big presence here, of course – that’s HPAC’s Dina Johnson above, in the lodge hall with one of the signs group members have brought (cameraphone photo, sorry it’s not clearer). We’re NOT currently planning to liveblog the meeting – but if you are interested in occasional updates, follow us on Twitter, where we probably will post a few updates (twitter.com, and sign up to follow westseattleblog) if the wireless signal holds – a little spotty so far. The actual meeting doesn’t start till 6:30 – right now folks are milling about chatting; some citywide media crews are here. The agenda will include a “brief background presentation” at 6:40, small-group sessions to gather public comments and report back to the full group; at 8:40, it’s “city responses to issues raised,” closing comments at 8:55, meeting scheduled to end at 9 pm. (If you missed this one, the second city-organized public forum is July 26 at South Seattle Community College, 9 am, and HPAC will meet again 7 pm July 21.) 7:39 PM UPDATE: Highland Park Elementary teacher Laura Drake brought down the house with a speech full of fury and heartfelt emotion – some people are actually crying – we have it on video and will post it as soon as we get home when this is over; we can guarantee you’ll see part of it on the 11 pm news (though tv self-limits to about 20 seconds – we’ll show you the whole 2 to 3 minutes).
TONIGHT: The Highland Park Action Committee meets tonight (7 pm, Highland Park Improvement Club, 11th and Holden) to continue strategizing opposition to the two HP-vicinity sites (map) on the city’s “final four” list of potential jail locations. THURSDAY: The first of two city-organized public meetings focusing on those two sites — this one’s in neighboring South Park (6 pm @ 9125 15th Place S., map here); the second meeting is July 26 at South Seattle Community College. More on all planned city forums here; city info page on jail-site search here; HPAC jail-sites info page here; all WSB coverage on the jail-sites issue is archived here.
Feet First, which helps make our area more walkable, is close to kicking off The Cart Project – distributing carts like the one shown above, for a nominal price – and that means two things for people in West Seattle. First, the carts will be initially offered to Westwood-area residents. Second, volunteers are needed to help match carts with takers. Here’s what Ellie Taylor from Feet First sent us to share with you:
Meet new people, and give neighborhood residents a reason to get out and walk! This is a volunteer opportunity for Feet First’s new Cart Project, which aims to make it easier for people to do their everyday shopping on foot with personal hand-carts.
Location: The pilot project is in Westwood Village, West Seattle. Volunteers would help distribute carts to neighborhood residents who come through the QFC in Westwood Village.
Times: Throughout the day; evening availability (5-7) is especially appreciated.
Tasks: Volunteers will ask people if they are within the target area, describe the project, administer a short survey, and collect some money.
Belated report on last night’s monthly meeting of the Delridge District Council, one of two “district councils” in West Seattle (as per the city’s “district” map) – Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle is getting ready for the second year of its program to harvest fruit from residents’ trees; City Councilmember Sally Clark talked about the latest changes in the process for reviewing neighborhood plans (and got to hear about some hot local issues since she arrived early, including the jail-sites fight); details ahead:Read More
Want to hear from/meet the city councilmember whose committee has a stack of development/neighborhood issues on its plate — issues that could affect the livability of our neighborhoods for decades to come? Councilmember Sally Clark speaks at the Delridge District Council‘s monthly meeting tonight, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct community room, all welcome, agenda here. (WSB coverage of her recent townhouse-design forum is here; we also covered her recent Junction walking tour.)
Overnight, about 3:45 a.m., coyotes were heard yipping and yodeling in the Eddy St. ravine JUST west of California Ave. (Basically behind the soon to be Morgan Junction Park. Owners of outdoor pets need to be aware that this is still a “shared environment” and quite near Lincoln Park’s wild spaces.
From Kay McMillan, who says kids are on the waiting list for the Summer Reading Program at High Point – you can help make that list shorter:
The Youth Tutoring Program is looking for tutors in West Seattle for our Summer Reading Program!
The Summer Reading Program is a seven-week literacy-intensive program for students in grades 1-6 who are below grade level in reading. Trainings for new tutors will be held the week of June 16th. Tutoring starts June 23rd and runs through July 31st.
YTP is a non-profit tutoring program that provides one-on-one academic support to students living in low-income housing. We operate five tutoring centers throughout the city. We are in great need of volunteer tutors at our High Point tutoring center located on 35th Ave. SW in West Seattle.
Tutors commit to one evening per week for two hours and work with one student at a time on reading and writing. Available sessions are Monday through Thursday from 5:30-7:30 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-5 pm
Many of our students cannot get the literacy help they need at home and depend on our tutors for academic support!
Tutoring starts June 23rd so apply today at www.ccsww.org/ytp or call 206-328-5659.
Also from last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting: The board agreed to support a proposal by members Sherry and Ron Richardson, to request signage along Fauntleroy Way asking drivers to turn off their engines while waiting, to reduce fuel use, noise, and pollution.
Three quick updates in the fight over where the city might build a potential new jail for misdemeanor offenders (it’s announced 4 sites as finalists, and 2 of them are in southeast West Seattle): First, the city’s added another page to its informational web site — the new Frequently Asked Questions page features its answers to some of the questions it’s received. Second, two more neighborhood groups discussed their positions on the issue last night; the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s board “voiced its opposition to the siting of jails in residential areas on the basis of land-use planning policy and the unnecessary costs and logistics of inmate transfers and lack of access to services needed by inmates (legal, bail, and city services),” according to Lynn Olson; meantime, we were at the Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting as members considered whether to sign on to a letter officially opposing the sites, and it’s decided to abstain for now. Third, the 34th District Democrats will discuss the jail-sites fight at their regular monthly meeting tonight, 7 pm, The Hall @ Fauntleroy.
#1: Delridge Library is a “homework help” hotspot all school year long. 5:30 tonight, you’re invited to go thank the volunteers who’ve provided that help, and celebrate the impending end of the school year.
#2: Westwood Neighborhood Council gets a Denny/Sealth project update tonight, 7 pm, Southwest Community Center, and also plans to take up the issue of those two city-jail sites proposed for southeast West Seattle.
In late April, we showed you those early designs for “wayfinding kiosks” as part of the West Seattle Trails project; it’s been about a week since distribution started for the walking map that’s also part of the project. This weekend, Chas Redmond confirmed to WSB that he’s just received a letter from city Department of Neighborhoods director Stella Chao with notification that the first phase of the project “has been recommended for an award of $99,916” from the Neighborhood Matching Fund – the full amount that was being sought for the first round of kiosks. The City Neighborhood Council will review that recommendation at a meeting down a week from tomorrow; the mayor’s office then review it before forwarding it to the City Council for approval, which should happen by the end of September. Redmond says this “is a very big plus for the project.” (More background here.)
After we mentioned Wednesday night that the date has been set for the long-awaited cleanup along Fauntleroy from Walking on Logs to 35th, people started asking how to sign up. Nancy Driver, who announced the date at that night’s Southwest District Council meeting, has posted this followup comment, and we’re highlighting it here in case you didn’t check back on the original report:
The Fairmount Community Association, in conjunction with the West Seattle Neighborhood Service Center (Dept. of Neighborhoods) is organizing a major clean up of the green area from the Walking on Logs sculptures up to the intersection of Fauntleroy and 35th. The date for the clean up is SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th. The City of Seattle will be providing equipment, tools and assistance but this clean up is a substantial project and we will need lots of volunteers. Additional details will be posted on the WS Blog in the coming weeks. If you are interested in helping out with this project, please email your name, email address and phone number to ndriver@quidnunc.net. This will be a fun event and a chance to help beautify your community so get your name on the volunteer list and mark your calendar.
Since late March, nearly fifty meals have been provided by community members for the 20 men staying at the SHARE shelter at the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene! Thank you to all those who have participated. The meal schedule is looking pretty empty these days, though. Please consider providing a breakfast or dinner this summer. Once, once in awhile, or a regular commitment—all offers are gratefully appreciated. Please see westseattlemeals.airset.com for more information and for open dates on the calendar. Folks who have questions or want to provide a meal should contact Donna Pierce with:
· the date(s) you’d like to provide a meal
· plans for delivery
· your phone number and e-mail address
Thank you for your generosity and willingness to help others at a difficult time in their lives.
From tonight’s monthly meeting of the Southwest District Council, which includes representatives of neighborhood associations and other major organizations in the area of West Seattle that the city considers the “Southwest District” (map of all “districts” here):
HELP CLEAN UP A MAJOR GATEWAY TO WEST SEATTLE: It’s been discussed here before, and now the date is set: The volunteer cleanup from 35th/Fauntleroy to “Walking on Logs” is set for Sept. 13, as announced at tonight’s meeting by Nancy Driver. Mark your calendar!
WATER TAXI RIDERSHIP UP: King County Councilmember Dow Constantine attended tonight’s meeting and provided a quick preview of recent ridership stats — Elliott Bay Water Taxi operation: Through the middle of May, readership is up 17 percent over last year. (We’re expecting the full May stats soon.) Two factors are considered to be in play — higher gas prices and higher Water Taxi awareness.
RAPIDRIDE REACTION: With the latest news about West Seattle RapidRide (WSB coverage here), Constantine got an earful of concerns about the latest details on the forthcoming bus service. He promised to report the concerns to Metro leadership and his colleagues.
VIADUCT MEETING: The Southwest and Delridge District Councils plan to discuss the latest on The Viaduct at their next joint meeting, coming up in September.
JAIL-SITES FIGHT: Monday night’s Highland Park meeting on the jail sites (WSB coverage here) was summarized, and new Highland Park Action Committee chair Dorsol Plants spoke to the SWDC and asked the council to write a letter expressing concern about the two proposed West Seattle sites; council reps agreed to do that and are consulting their respective organizations. Councilmember Constantine said that tomorrow is when he plans to introduce the proposal he mentioned at Monday night’s Highland Park meeting — proposing that the county extend its agreement to house cities’ misdemeanor offenders till a regional solution can be found, rather than having Seattle and other cities each pursue their own potential new jail sites. He says the county council’s Committee of the Whole, which he chairs, will get the proposal on Monday, with a hearing and action scheduled later. (If you missed it earlier, this morning the city announced dates for its public meetings on the jail sites – details here.)
That’s the flyer Highland Park residents are circulating for their next major meeting tomorrow to strategize their plan of action in response to the city’s list of potential misdemeanor-offender jail sites — two of which are in southeast West Seattle:
Tomorrow night’s meeting is a followup to the Highland Park Action Committee-called meeting two weeks ago (WSB coverage here). You’ll find a tentative agenda on this comprehensive special page that Dina Johnson has set up on the HPAC website regarding this issue; she says West Seattle’s State Rep. Sharon Nelson, one of the local leaders who’s expressed opposition to these sites, is expected at the meeting. The city website’s jail-project section has no official public meetings listed yet, though a spokesperson for the project told WSB two weeks ago that meeting dates/times would be announced “soon.” We’ll check on those meetings’ status before Monday night’s Highland Park gathering, which starts at 7 pm, HP Improvement Club (11th and Holden). Meantime, the city is continuing to accept comments through a form on this webpage. (Two more citizen meetings are ahead as well, and included on our Events list page: the 34th District Democrats are set to discuss the jail-sites issue at their monthly meeting June 11th, and another HPAC meeting is set for June 16th.)
We’re at the Machinists’ Union Lodge in South Park for the first of two city-organized public forums on the two proposed West Seattle sites in the running for a possible city misdemeanor jail. The 
| 3 COMMENTS