Recycle Your Tree

Unless you are keeping your tree up through the Epiphany – or oh, say, the Super Bowl – it’s go-time. So here are some reminders about tree-cycling, if you haven’t accomplished it already. Via the city – this is your second and final week to tree-cycle for free. (From Seattle Public Utilities:

(Curbside residential pickup:) Trees must be trimmed to 6 feet or shorter. Trim branches to less than four feet to fit into the collection trucks. Bundle each section with sisal string or twine (not plastic). Decorated, flocked and plastic trees are not recyclable and will be charged as extra garbage.

At Apartments – One tree may be placed next to each food/yard waste cart at no extra charge each collection day.

At Recycling & Disposal Stations – Clean trees can be taken for free (see hours and locations). Trees should not exceed eight feet in length and must be free of decoration. Trunks should not exceed four inches in diameter. The stations will accept up to three trees per vehicle.

The station closest to West Seattle is the South Transfer Station in South Park.

One more option – a local nonprofit youth group has a tree-cycling event next weekend: The West Seattle Rainbow Girls will hold their fifth annual Christmas tree recycle fundraiser Saturday (January 7) at the Alki Masonic Hall, 4736 40th SW, 10 am-2 pm. Suggested donation $5. No flocked trees. For more information, contact Jan Hunter at 206-849-7906. (The Rainbow Girls are also one of two groups with tree-cycling fundraisers in Burien next weekend; if you’re interested in that info, it’s in our White Center Now tree-cycling roundup.)

Winter Events in Alki

Looking for some ways to join in the holiday spirit around West Seattle this month?   There are many inexpensive local events that are sure to delight guests or help nudge family members to get into the holiday spirit!

Visit the West Seattle Blog events page for ongoing updates to local events.

Our partners at the Seattle Times report today that the city Parks Department has chosen a new (not-yet-identified) operator for Seacrest Boathouse. The owners of Alki Crab and Fishhave been the official operators for a decade, the length of the city contract that expired last June; this past fall, the city put out a Request for Proposals for operating the food/drink concession at the boathouse/pier (see the RFP here, including the city’s terms and conditions).

A document on the city website includes Q/A with the city in response to an unidentified “interested proposer” (see it here). As that document notes, Alki Kayak Tours is a subcontractor to the restaurant operator. We asked its proprietor Greg Whittaker, who has offered tours as well as rentals (not just kayaks, but skates, bikes, and standup paddleboards, among other things) for 7 years, how this would affect his operation. His reply: “I am not really sure how this all will turn out. We have worked really hard to develop this business and hope to negotiate a solution with Seattle Parks and Recreation.” Alki Crab and Fish’s owner told the Times he plans to send the city a protest letter.

The reported plan to turn Seacrest over to a new operator requires City Council approval, with a vote expected early next year. We’ll be following up with Parks tomorrow.

ACC mtg. Nov. 17 @ 7 p.m.

Join ACC council members and residents as we discuss local issues and hear updates from our Landslide Committee, Metro Transit route changes and reports on numerous local projects.   Meetings are free and open to everyone.   Doors open at 6:45 p.m.  Please join us!

Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare (SNAP) is offered at various libraries throughout the City to help residents and neighborhoods become better prepared for disasters.   This interactive and informative program teaches simple steps that don’t take a lot of time or money. You’ll learn that preparedness can be fun and empowering!

Department/Organization:Emergency Management
Sponsoring Organization:Emergency Management
Neighborhoods:Roxhill/Westwood/White Center, West of Seattle
Audience:Adults

Event Contact: Denise Smith, 233-5076
Event Contact Email:snap@seattle.gov

Three major items from this past Thursday night’s Alki Community Council meeting: (WSB photo of November 2009 slide behind Alki Avenue building) LANDSLIDE COMMITTEE UPDATE: Jerry Smith told the ACC that Mayor McGinn‘s office has acknowledged the letter sent by the council’s Landslide Committee, asking to form a “joint task force” to help tackle the recurring slide problem. (We reported on the request, and an accompanying petition drive, here.) They expect to hear from Council President Richard Conlin once he’s back from traveling. Smith emphasized that they know nothing can be done to stop slides, but they are hoping to find ways to reduce the threat – such as “drains at the bottom of hillsides.” The committee also is interested in a city vegetation survey they found out about (the city owns much of the land on the slopes behind Alki Avenue residential parcels); Smith pointed out that the trees on the Harbor Avenue slope now are not “natural vegetation,” describing them as “basically weeds” that “fall over when the ground gets wet” and “don’t hold the soil.” They expect this to be a “very, very long-term project,” but are encouraged by the acknowledgment. ACC vice president Randie Stone, leading the meeting, noted that her famous “flower houses” on Alki had been hit by slides this year, back in March. Property owners are not “asking for money,” the ACC summarized – they just want to “be vigilant and proactive so we can minimize the damage.”

Alki Community Center

ALKI COMMUNITY CENTER: Kathy Nyland from City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw‘s office – she chairs the council’s Parks Committee – presented a quick summary of what was being proposed for the center in this year’s budget. Last year, it was reclassified as a “limited-use” community center, and Nyland acknowledged many lessons were learned, and plans were changed. This time around, community centers are being classified at certain levels of staffing and services, and Alki CC would be a “2b,” with about 25 drop-in hours a week. What hours will those be? Your chance for input is at a meeting coming up at Alki CC next month, Nyland reminded those who are interested (7 pm November 9th at the center). She also fielded what is a common complaint for supporters of centers that are losing hours – a complaint about problems with the usage-tracking done earlier this year, playing into some of the budget decisions. Nyland acknowledged it was not the best of processes, but better, she said, than the many previous years in which usage wasn’t tracked at all – a revelation that had many shaking their heads. (P.S. In addition to the upcoming Alki CC meeting, there’s also a major public hearing this week on the overall budget – Wednesday night downtown, details here.)

Art at Alki Beach

(WSB photo from Alki Art Fair this past July) ALKI ART FAIR’S FUTURE: This year, you might recall, the city’s staffing and hours cuts at Alki Community Center meant a dramatic change for the annual Alki Art Fair – at one point even raising a question of whether the festival would happen at all. Volunteers joined forces and made it happen – and it not only “happened,” it succeeded in a big way, with more than 20,000 visitors, more than 60 arts/crafts vendors, and about three dozen musical acts. The city waived about $8,000 worth of fees, and the festival finished in the black, but they’re expecting to have to pay those fees outright this year, so they’ll need to raise money via more sponsorships (WSB was one of this year’s sponsors). Mike Galvin – who’s been a participating artist since 2004 – told the ACC they’re also going to form a 501(c)3 nonprofit to operate the event, which will be back to the 4th weekend in July for 2012 (this year it was on the 3rd). And they have a new mission statement declaring the fair to be “West Seattle’s premier summer art showcase.” Galvin said the new efforts should help the festival continue to grow. Alki Community Council meets the third Thursday of each month at Alki UCC Church (on Hinds between 61st and 62nd); it’s online at AlkiNews.com. Board membership will be on the November agenda (11/17), and two new trustees are needed.

ACC mtg. Oct. 20 @ 7 p.m.

Join neighbors and resident for an evening filled with community news and updates. Further discussion on our landslide mitigation efforts;local coverage about our efforts can be read at the following news sites:

10/18 KOMO News:

We’ll also hear from Kathy Nyland from Councilmember Sally Bagshaw’s office who will provide an update on the changes at local city community centers.

Liz Ogden will provide an update on the upcoming Families and Education bill and Fred Madrid will discuss the 2012 Alki Art Fair.
Meetings begin at 7 p.m. at the UCC Church and everyone is welcome.

Emergency Preparedness mtg., Sept. 24

DATE: Saturday, September 24th

 TIME: 9:00 a.m. – Noon Orientation 8:30-9 a.m. (for those not familiar with Emergency Communications Hubs)

LOCATION: Seattle Office of Emergency Management 105 5th Ave S. (Corner of 5th Ave S. and S Washington)

Parking available in nearby pay lots and street meters. Carpooling encouraged, bring a friend!

TOPICS: Lessons learned from recent earthquakes around the world How Social Media is being used following disasters RSVP: SNAP@seattle.gov

Visit the web site for more information: http://www.seattle.gov/emergency/prepare/neighborhood/

ACC mtg. Sept. 15 @ 7 p.m.

Join friends and neighbors for our monthly general meeting on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at the UCC Church.

The main topic for our meeting will be landslide mitigation.

Evening agenda includes:

Guest speakers on landslide mitigation: Esther Handy, lead staffer for Councilmember O’Brien and a representative from Seattle Public Utilities.

Cheryl Eastberg will join us as a guest speaker and provide an update on the Bronson Street development and we’ll have Cindy Barker provide an update on the footlocker at the Alki ballfield for emergency preparedness.

Meetings are free and we encourage you to join us for a very informative evening.