SquirePark.org

Plans to permanently close some schools and programs and relocate others were recently announced by Seattle School Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson. The planned closure of TT Minor, located in the Central District, would have the most obvious and direct affect on families in and around Squire Park. NOVA, Meany, and Thurgood Marshall are planned for closure and relocation, respectively. Leschi and Bailey Gatzert would be affected by the addition of programs.

Because schools are a significant part of a neighborhood’s identity and a daily activity area for both adults and children, the closure of a school negatively affects any area. Schools are a part of a neighborhood’s identity, offer a community gathering place, as well as protection from certain types of businesses that few, if any, neighborhoods welcome and are considered special areas in which to maintain pedestrian-friendly amenities and safety. These decisions affect all, whether or not our children attend these schools.

Parent groups have been active in questioning much of the proposal and deserve to be supported and acknowledged by the community. Organized parents and community members can and will have an impact. The Superintendent’s proposal is an evolving document as evidenced by the additions and changes that have already been made to the original proposal.

Families whose children attend AS-1, the African American Academy, Hawthorne, Summit K-12, Rainier Beach Pathfinder, Van Asselt, Pathfinder, Arbor Heights (probably Cooper instead), and Elementary and Secondary Bilingual Orientation Centers will also be affected by closures or program relocation.

For updated information, go to: http://www.seattleschools.org/area/capacity/index.dxml. Citizen and parent updates also occur on: http://centraldistrictnews.com/.

Important upcoming meeting dates:
• January 6: Superintendent announces final recommendation
• January 7: School Board meeting, 6:00 p.m., John Stanford Center,* where a capacity management (school closure and program changes) motion will be introduced
*Public testimony by signing up is presented at the beginning of every School Board meeting
• January 21: School Board meeting, 6:00 p.m., John Stanford Center
• January 22: Final Public Hearing regarding Capacity Management Motion, 6:00 p.m., at the John Stanford Center (Public testimony is the main event.)
• January 29: School Board Meeting, 6:00 p.m., at the John Stanford Center. The School Board will vote on the capacity management motion at this meeting.

—Joanna Cullen

One evening, in 2004, Tenaya Wright on her way home from her job found the Squire Park Community Council Newsletter on her doorstep. She read about the upcoming community council meeting and was curious to see who would be there. So, on the next Saturday morning, with her 10-year-old twins, she walked to the Langston Hughes theater.

Tenaya says now that, though important topics were being discussed, “there was no one like me attending the meeting or putting forth a point of view from a single parent, a person of color, a person in a low income bracket, or a person who is a Section 8 tenant, all of which I am. I was surprised.”

Knowing that many Central District families are like hers, in one way or another, she made the commitment to attend and take part in the community council meeting. She found her input and involvement welcome. “I was encouraged to be forthcoming and honest about how I felt about neighborhood plans and ideas and how they would affect me and my family,” she says. “I always hope I’m able to represent a part of the community that does not always feel this support and encouragement, but I’m happy when others like me show up.”

Now, four years later, Tenaya is the President of Squire Park Community Council and an active participant in many other neighborhood groups and meetings.

She says, “I would like to encourage more families that are like mine, in whatever way that may be, to attend local neighborhood meetings, to speak up and tell us how the community can better support and represent your family and to bring issues to the table that may be overlooked.”

—Bill Zosel

On November 18, the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Swedish Medical Center, Cherry Hill campus (formerly Providence Hospital) voted to recommend to the Department of Planning and Development that changes requested by Swedish and the Sabey Corporation to the Major Institution Master Plan (MIMP) not be considered a “minor amendment.” The campus area in question is the west half of 18th Avenue between E. Jefferson Street and E. Cherry Street. (More details about the current MIMP and the Swedish/Sabey proposal can be found in the October issue of the SPCC Newsletter and at www.CentralDistrictNews.com, search for Swedish Medical Center for several stories.)

The CAC vote is simply a recommendation and is not binding on the DPD, which will judge the Swedish/Sabey proposal by the standards for a “minor amendment” as defined in the Seattle Municipal Code. Of relevance to that decision is the fact that, when DPD issued a decision allowing the postponement of a new MIMP and the continuation of the current plan beyond its expiration date, the decision stated that “if the Hospital chooses to develop in a manner substantially different from that identified in the Master Plan, it would have to either propose a major amendment to the Plan or draft a new Master Plan.”

Review of the institution’s plans as a “major amendment” would not mean that it could not develop on 18th Avenue. However, it would be necessary to go through the process required of hospitals and universities expanding in residential neighborhoods culminating in City Council review.

—Bill Zosel

Earlier this year, responding to neighborhood concerns about the design of new townhouses and development in areas zoned for multifamily buildings, SPCC submitted comments to Councilmember Sally Clark, the chair of the City Council committee considering proposed changes to the Land Use Code. (See www.SquirePark.org). The local chapter of the Congress of Residential Architects has prepared a critique of the current Land Use Code’s rules regarding multifamily development with suggestions for improvements. A summary of that group’s suggestions can be found at http://coranw.blogspot.com/

Clark’s committee is still considering proposed legislation. No timeline for future action has been published.

—Bill Zosel

Three neighborhood buildings are in different stages of process with the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board. The exterior of the former Coca Cola bottling plant, at 14th Avenue and E. Columbia Street, has been declared a landmark. The building, formerly owned by Qwest, now owned by Seattle University, is being prepared by S.U. which will, at first, use the building for temporary library facilities while the Lemieux Library is renovated and expanded. From the exterior you will notice new windows, which will not be exact duplicates of the originals (mainly because of current energy code requirements), and a paint scheme that is close to the original.

At a meeting in November, the Landmarks Preservation Board accepted the nomination of Washington Hall, at 14th and E. Fir. The public hearing to decide whether or not Washington Hall should be declared a landmark will be held on January 7, 2009 at 3:30 P.M. in room 4060 of the Seattle Municipal Tower. At the November meeting, Dorothy Cordova of the Filipino-American Society spoke of the significance of the dances at Washington Hall to her personally and to many of her generation.

Also speaking in support of the nomination were Olav Kvamme of the Nordic Heritage Museum and Ken Steiner, a board member of the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund and jazz historian who noted the significance of Washington Hall in the history of jazz performance in Seattle. Other speakers supported the nomination on behalf of The Squire Park Community Council, the Central District Forum for Ideas, and the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

Historic Seattle is working to arrange for the purchase of Washington Hall and securing organizations that would use and preserve the building. The Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas is one group interested in the building.

Finally, SPCC has submitted a nomination to the Landmarks Board for preservation of the George Washington Carmack house at 1522 E. Jefferson Street. The house is the last home of Carmack whose discovery of gold is credited with setting off the Klondike Gold Rush. When, in the near future, this nomination is placed on the Landmarks Board agenda, the nomination document, including a history of the building and of the neighborhood, along with photographs, will be accessible online at http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation/landmarks_current_nom.htm. That Web site also will have notices of future meetings to consider this nomination.

The documents and photographs related to the Coca Cola building and Washington Hall are currently available at that Web site. Also, there are articles and pictures about both at www.CentralDistrictNews.com and at Jess Cliffe’s fascinating site www.vintageseattle.org.

—Bill Zosel

About 10 years ago, neighborhood residents began urging King County to develop the large surface parking lot area north of the Youth Services Center on 12th Avenue into uses that provided some vitality to the neighborhood. In 2004, King County Councilmember Larry Gossett was instrumental in the initiation of a master planning effort for potential use of the entire Youth Services Center site. The design firm of Arai Jackson led a series of public meetings attended by dozens of neighborhood and County stakeholders. That effort produced a concept plan that would allow replacement and expansion of inadequate County courtroom and office buildings, development of housing and retail space along 12th Avenue, and preservation of the Marvin Oliver artwork at the northeast corner of the site. In order to support future development, the City up-zoned a portion of the site to allow greater height at the west portion along 12th Avenue while keeping the lower height limit on the east portion of the site near 14th Avenue.

Since the publication of the concept plan in 2005, the County has been considering what additional courtroom and office space it might need at the site. Now that assessment has been completed, and the County would like to demolish the existing Alder Tower (the tallest building on the site) and attached Alder Wing and replace those buildings with a new larger structure. In addition, the County is proposing the development of the remainder of the site north of the new court and criminal justice building as a mixed-use development, which may include affordable and market-rate housing and retail and commercial space. The method and source of financing for the County portion of the development have not yet been determined. In mid-January the County expects to review and assess the list of developers who have responded to the formal Request for Qualifications.

—Bill Zosel

On January 19, Seattle will hold its annual Martin Luther King Celebration, the largest annual MLK celebration in the country. This year’s theme is, “Yes We Can: Change Begins Now,” a call to all of us. This year’s celebration will be hosted at the newly renovated Garfield High School.

The Martin Luther King Celebration includes workshops, a march, and a rally and the planning committee’s work is well underway. To get involved and for more information, check out their Web site: http://www.mlkseattle.org/index.php.

Come participate in one of Seattle’s great traditions.

–Susan Minogue

The Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas presents experimental jazz artist Guillermo E. Brown and BiLLLL$’ Shuffle Mode on January 30 and 31. Shuffle Mode follows Brown’s journey through a diversity of influences, combining elements of free jazz, hip hop and new world music backed by electronic arrangements and video. Similar to a broken iPod, Shuffle Mode jumps erratically between genres. His hypnotic, powerful melodies are the very spirit of modern music. Featured in over 25 recordings across multiple genres, Brown has appeared in productions by David S. Ware, Matthew Shipp, Marlies Yearby, Rob Reddy, Roy Campbell, Anthony Braxton, DJ Spooky, Vernon Reid/DJ Logic, George Lewis and Bill T. Jones. In 2002, Brown released his debut solo album, “Soul at the Hands of the Machine.”

“Guillermo E. Brown is a quintessential CD Forum artist as he pushes the boundaries and definition of what music is, can and should be,” says Denee McCloud, program director of the CD Forum. Guillermo E. Brown and BiLLLL$’ Shuffle Mode will be performed at 8:00 p.m., January 30 and 31, at the Broadway Performance Hall. A post-show Q&A with the audience will immediately follow each performance. To learn more about Guillermo E. Brown, visit www.cdforum.org/. Tickets are $20 for general admission or $15 for students and seniors. Advance sales are available through Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets/com/event/16713 or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

—Evelyn Fenner-Dorrity, CD Forum

On Saturday, October 11, about two dozen neighborhood residents came together for the regular quarterly Squire Park Community Council meeting.

Much of the meeting’s work was a discussion led by a facilitator from City Club related to strengthening the ties that bind residents together as a community. Tracy Flynn facilitated conversations focusing on (1) neighborhood cohesion and public trust, (2) cultural richness, and (3) access to volunteering and voting.

In the discussion related to neighborhood cohesion, folks generally voiced a desire for more of it. A variety of reasons were cited for the perceived shortcomings in our current sense of community. The neighborhood is changing rapidly with many new homes and new residents. Strategies for including new residents and long-term residents in community-building activities need work. Community councils were seen as an important place for people to get together (not surprising, given the venue of the discussion). Almost all expressed a desire for more places for people to get together—both commercial (coffee shops, restaurants, and the like) and public gathering places like parks and community centers. Pastor Willis of the Truevine Church stated that secular spaces connected with churches could be important gathering places for meeting around non-religious issues.

The impact of large institutions and their developments on the neighborhood was another factor seen as making community cohesion more challenging.

The scarcity of families including school-age children was seen as a factor retarding community cohesion. Other things mentioned included architecture—new houses with attached garages and off-putting fences, and the Internet which might amount to one form of communication substituting for perhaps more “valuable” face-to-face contact. On the other hand, the Internet might have the capacity to increase communication. Scott (Central District News) encouraged members of CDN to post their pictures on their user account page. Another person suggested that all neighborhood residents wear, at all times, name tags with their e-mail addresses. Look for that.

The discussion focusing on cultural richness resulted in surprise by the group at the larger-than-expected number of places in the neighborhood contributing to the enjoyment and expression of culture. The question: Are we using and supporting these resources as much as we could?

There was found to be no shortage of volunteer opportunities, and the group discussed ways in which the community council could help facilitate participation by neighborhood residents in such opportunities.

SPCC board member Sunny Knott presented neighborhood maps and information to assist residents who want to petition for expansion of the Residential Parking Zone (RPZ) around the Swedish Medical Center. To learn more and get involved, send an e-mail to Sunny Knott at sundawai@gmail.com.

The group paused to remember our friend, John Jeannot, the absolute pillar of the community and the Squire Park Community Council. He is dearly missed.

—SPCC

The Squire Park Community Council is a neighborhood organization recognized by the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods as the council for the area bounded by E. Union Street, 23rd Avenue, S. Jackson Street, and 12th Avenue. There is no “Squire Park” in Squire Park, in case you were looking. The name comes from William Squire who was the first governor of Washington State and the first developer of much of the real estate that is currently within the area of the present community council boundary.

SPCC was incorporated over 20 years ago and has met continuously since then. The board meets monthly and, four times a year, Saturday meetings are held with the goal of bringing together all residents interested in working together for the community, or simply meeting neighbors face to face.

Our neighborhood is one that has been changing quite recently. One of the clear needs is a greater range of opportunities for people to meet each other and share views and hopes for the community. A lot of people have ideas for building community. Most of those ideas could be better accomplished through working with other neighbors. SPCC meetings are a way of getting in touch with those other neighbors.

At SPCC quarterly meetings, we try to invite guests who will contribute to informative or provocative discussions. Guests at recent meetings have included Darrell Vange, developer of the Goodwill/Dearborn Street project, Larry Evans, coordinator of the Coalition to Prevent Black against Black Crime, Seattle City Council members, representatives of the East Precinct Crime Prevention Council, representatives of the Parks Department, and many, many more.

At the January 10 meeting, we will be joined by Seattle School Board Director Mary Bass and Darren Redick of Swedish Medical Center. More information about current issues relating to Seattle Public Schools and proposed development by Swedish and Sabey can be found elsewhere in this issue and on www.CentralDistrictNews.com.

The Squire Park neighborhood is big and its population is diverse. SPCC Board members and other dedicated residents deliver, door-to-door, almost 3,000 SPCC Newsletters each quarter. Each one of us expects (well, maybe hopes) that every person to whom we deliver the Newsletter will read it and decide to attend a meeting. We do take it personally when you don’t accept our invitation. If you haven’t been to a meeting, or if it’s been a while, why not this time? Besides “business,” there will be refreshments and informal socializing. This month we’ll be meeting again at the CAMP Firehouse—one of our neighborhood’s historic landmarks.
The SPCC board, a group of approximately 13 people, elects new members each January.

There are openings this year, and all interested people are encouraged to consider running for board election. To learn more about that, come to the SPCC board meeting on January 6 at 7:00 P.M. at Pratt Fine Arts in the orange building, or contact a SPCC board member.

SPCC does not charge dues and does not receive regular financial support from any source other than neighborhood residents. (The Seattle University Bookstore generously photocopies our newsletter.) For meeting space, refreshments at meetings, and for all other expenses such as office supplies and postage, we rely on donations from residents. Contributions of any amount are very much appreciated. To make it easier for you to contribute, we have set up a Pay Pal Account.

See you on January 10!

—SPCC