South Seattle Residents Guide

South Seattle

Residents Guide

INSIDE: Faces & Places South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

A Supplement to the Beacon Hill News & South District Journal

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• South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

What’s the fastest way to get to know your neighborhood, to embrace your community?

South Seattle

RESIDENTS GUIDE 2008 A publication of the

4000 Aurora Ave. N., Ste. 100 • Seattle, WA 98103 (206) 461-1300

www.pacificpublishingcompany.com While no single response will fully answer the question, there is one that comes remarkably close: Get to know the people that make it tick. In the following pages you will find profiles of people hailing from South Seattle’s neighborhoods.

They are everyday heroes who teach us what it truly means to live, work and play in a strong, thriving community by showing us — rather than telling us — how it’s done. To look to their lives and emulate their community-building energy is to foster a love, and deep respect, for the South End. It’s also a reminder that the driving force behind every vibrant community is the people that care for its well-being.

This guide is an invitation to discovery.

We hope it inspires you to step out of your door, strike up a conversation with a neighbor or stranger, and see what adventures unfold.

- Erik Hansen, editor

Editor Erik Hansen Publisher Mike Dillon Art Department Amy Christian, Manager Maria Kosanke Leslie Vance Photographers Bradley Enghaus, Erik and Jennifer Hansen, Peter Kearns, Betsy Berger

Advertising Manager Diana Lull Classified Manager Barb Blair Advertising Representatives Loren Lavinthal Mark Manion Donna O’Neill Catherine Perkins Matt Wilemski Nancy Bronsteen Pete Kinney Carolyn Trujillo

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Writers Erik Hansen, Peter Kearns, Cover: Kubota Gardens, Sydni Sterling Penny Kamplain, Mike Inset Photo: Kubota Garden Bridge, Jennifer Hansen Dillon, Doug Schwartz

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BUSINESS

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• South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

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Hiking from old growth to old industry

By Penny Kamplain, Photos By Bradley Enghaus My husband Bradley and I love to go hiking, and we have a number of epic outdoor trips under our belts. Used to be, it wasn’t a weekend without trekking to an alpine meadow or snow-covered lake, and the outdoor grandeur was worth the mild hypothermia and soggy sandwiches.

But with Eli, our 25-pound toddler in tow, things are different.

Oh sure, we schlep our son in his backpack to all sorts of places.

But the weather must be good — no snow on the trail — and now that he’s walking, no perilous overhangs.

So Bradley and I have perfected the art of urban hiking. For what it lacks in solitude, it makes up for in good, hot food along the way. It’s easy to prevent dehydration with the good coffee and great beer Seattle is famous for. It’s also getting a little harder to justify paying more than $4 a gallon to drive 50 miles round trip to go for a family walk with our border collie, Brother.

But the big selling point: using our stroller (named Bob) to push our almost-two-year-old son and all the accompanying stuff that comes with a little one.

We have tromped through almost every neighborhood in Seattle. But even though we live in the South End, our long walks usually take us to the Arboretum, down to the lake and (my favorite) to downtown. So our long overdue challenge was a hike that took in a slice of the South End: From the old growth forest of Seward Park to finish in the concrete jungle of Georgetown, passing through the Rainier Valley and over Beacon Hill on our way.

We began by looking for baby eagles in their nest at Seward Park. We know they’re up there, and we watched their parents flying overhead, but despite our patience. none peeked their heads over the well-used nest. We turned onto the trail for the peaceful walk through the heart of the park.

Eli has been practicing his owl calls but no amount of hooting got an answer. Like the eagles, there are fledgling owls in the park right now, and if you are very lucky you might get to see their parents feeding them on the forest floor.

If you want some help finding the resident bald eagles or barred owls, stop for a chat with the friendly folks at the newly opened Audobon Center in Seward Park. They offer frequent guided walks or events to help you appreciate the Bailey Penninsula park even more.

Eli fell asleep as we walked up Orcas Street to Rainier Avenue.

Hillman City offered the perfect rest stop for coffee and snacks at the South City Bakery and Cafe. We had delicious fresh bread and cheese with our coffee, and Eli woke up in time for a grilled cheese sandwich and to play a coy game of peek-a-boo with the cute barista behind a table.

It was here that our son learned the painful lesson that you must always watch where you’re going when you flirt, as he walked forehead first into a table. Our barista soothed his bruised head and ego with a breadstick, which also served to keep him entertained for the next hour.

We continued through the neighborhood on Orcas, admiring the light-rail tracks on MLK and dreaming of the day we wouldn’t have to be beholden to friends for a ride to the airport.

I had heard of a mythical urban trail that connects Beacon Hill to Rainier Beach called the Chief Sealth Trail, and we found it underneath the towering power lines running over Beacon Hill.

We took a right under the humming wires and let Eli out of his stroller. This 4-mile trail is definitely worth walking in its entirety, but we took it just a short way to Beacon Avenue South.

Conveniently, we were approaching the Jefferson Park Golf Course around beer-thirty just as it started to pour. We believe in listening to the voices of the Urban Hiking Gods, and ducked in to the clubhouse for some French fries washed down with juice and PBR. The close proximity of a golf course always sends Bradley into a fit of nostalgia for his high-school golf days, the best part of which, it seems, involves driving to the golf meets listening to AC/DC and eating at Dairy Queen. I ordered another beer.

Eli heard Georgetown before he saw it – the siren call of the choo-choo trains sent him into a wiggling fit, and we stopped to wave at engineers and count freight cars before meeting some friends at the very family friendly Stellar Pizza. We ordered a pitcher of Manny’s, Georgetown’s finest, and a Corson Classic, and regaled our audience with tales from the road.

What with the pinball machine in back and the Harleys out front, Eli worked himself into a frenzy and we had to call it a night. But much of the South End remains unexplored for us, and we will be back for more.

South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

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Heads and shoulders on the No. 36

Photo by Peter Kearns

I’ve been living in Seattle most of my life. Born and raised in the University District, I have traveled and explored the Puget Sound area by car, ferry, train and Metro bus.

When I was a boy, I would take the 252 from Montlake to Bellevue for elementary school. When I was a teenager I would ride the 44 to Hamilton Middle School in Wallingford, and in high school I would ride the 48 to Roosevelt. Today, I take the 36 to downtown for work, and to the International District for groceries.

Each ride on the 36 is a new adventure. Whether it’s waiting for the bus to arrive or maneuvering the overcrowded seats and aisles, the bus route No. 36 is like a foreign film without the subtitles — dramatic, evocative, perplexing and necessary. It is the main transportation to and from Beacon Hill, and it services one of the most dynamic sections of Seattle.

During one particular trip overcrowded with people from the South End — Asians, Latinos, African Americans and myself, the Caucasian minority — I sat looking through graffiti-scarred glass. I can see the city, back lit from the setting sun, as the 36 travels south over the Dr. Jose Rizal Bridge.

It’s rush hour. People pack the aisles and jockey for position. Sweat drips from my forehead. I try to lose myself in the passing cultural landscapes of the International District, but I can’t concentrate on anything but the man sitting next to me.

He’s asleep. His head, falling forward and swinging with the motion of the bus, keeps landing on my shoulder. It’s annoying. He’s drunk. His mouth hangs open emitting a bouquet of unbrushed teeth and stale alcohol as drool runs down his chin.

This, unfortunately, isn’t unusual. I have sat next to many sleeping passengers, and some are quite peaceful: an Asian man drifting in and out of sleep after a long day in an office; a little girl, sitting on her mother’s lap, coming home from an afternoon of shopping; my wife, after a long day spent walking around the city together.

But this man, this passenger taking a late afternoon catnap, is driving me crazy.

On this particular day I have spent the afternoon in the International District shopping for groceries and gifts for my wife’s birthday, and, despite knowing I would have handfuls of bags to carry with me, I chose to ride the bus. Normally, I can put up with my fellow riders, but not this time.

This is the last place I want to be right now. I want to be home with my

• South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

shoes off, feet up on the couch, reading, writing, doing anything but sitting here. We pass the Pac Med building, overflowing garbage dumpsters and ramshackle apartment buildings being replaced by over-priced, poorly constructed town houses. We’re blocks from my house, but my mind quickly begins to debate my options: get off at the next stop and walk home with all my bags, or stick it out.

I don’t care. I need to get off this bus at the next stop and walk the rest of the way home. Relieved by my decision, I pull the cord and hear the spirit lifting ding indicating my freedom is just moments away.

I politely tap the man on his shoulder to wake him. He doesn’t move. I tap him again, still no response. Normally, I wouldn’t care. I would grab my bag and step over him, but I can’t. I have too many bags this time and there’s no room in the aisle. My tap turns into a shake and still no response.

The bus is slowing to a stop and panic begins to set in. “What if he’s dead?” I think to myself. “What if he’s slipped into a coma?”

“Sir?” I ask. No answer. “Sir? Are you OK?” I say again. People sitting around me begin to notice. The man standing in the aisle next to him touches him on the shoulder and gives him a shake. “Man, you OK?” he says. Still no response. He shakes him again.

Suddenly, the man’s eyes pop open. He rubs them, running his hand down his face and wiping the drool from his chin. He looks at me. “This stop?” he says as if he’s been awake the entire time and waiting for me to make up my decision. “Yes,” I say with a smile.

He leans back into the seat to give me a little more room to get up. I gather my bags and as I make my way to the front door, I bump people in the head, elbows and stomachs. I keep trying to look back at the man, to catch one more glimpse of him to make sure he’s all right. I pause for a moment before getting off the bus, annoying the driver and looking back toward the man.

He’s moved from the aisle seat to the window seat I just vacated, and he’s staring back at me. Everyone is looking at me. They’re waiting for me to get off the bus so they can continue on their own adventure.

I step to the sidewalk, pull my last bag from the bus, and wait for it to pull away from the curb. I see the man I was sitting next to in the window. His head is resting peacefully, asleep again against the window.

- Peter Kearns

The environmental education revolution is happening here Before moving from Alaska in 1997 with her husband and two young daughters, Mount Baker resident Gail Gatton had a mind to not lose touch with nature that she found in the wild areas within 10 minutes of her Anchorage home.

“I looked at a map of Seattle and picked where I wanted to live by where the biggest concentration of green space is,” said Gatton, who did environmental policy work for state, private and non-profit interests during her 15 years in Alaska. “The hardest part [of the move] was the whole city thing.”

For her first eight years as a Seattleite, Gatton continued doing environmental policy work until a friend alerted her to the executive director search at the Seward Park Environmental and Audubon Center. A collaboration between the city and the National Audubon Society — one of the world’s oldest and most respected environmental protection, advocacy and education institutions — Gatton became enamored with the city and Audubon’s desire to improve the quality of education available to Seattle’s youth by integrating classroom curriculum — from art to science — with the natural world.

She also learned that the new center would be housed in the Seward Park Annex building, an official historic Seattle Landmark built on the west side of the 277 acre Bailey Peninsula, home to the largest remaining stand of old growth forest in the city. It’s arguably one of the best places in the entire country to integrate the power of nature into an urban school system.

Recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1977, environmentally-based education has been proven to significantly boost the academic and social skills of the students involved. Specifically, the Seward Park Center’s plans gained national praise, including a boost from one of the world’s leading environmental education advocates Richard Louv, author of the acclaimed book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from NatureDeficit Disorder.”

Feeling she was an excellent fit for the job, Audubon hired Gatton and she proceeded to shepherd the 1927 Tudor revival building’s two year, environmentally sensitive remodel from blueprint plans to grand opening ceremony, which took place on April 26 of this year.

“I’m a believer in the mission here: bringing environmental education to underserved areas,” Gatton said. “I’m excited about Audubon’s goals here.”

Photo by Erik Hansen

But more than that, Gatton is excited to help create a deeper sense of community pride in such a culturally diverse area, despite the size.

“Part of what motivates me is that I grew up in a small town,” said Gatton, who was raised in the northern Wisconsin village of Antigo. “I always try to find that sense of knowing and belonging that you get in a small community. It just takes more work to find [in a bigger city].”

And find it she has, with the help of her husband, now teenage daughters, and the lessons from her favorite source of inspiration, her mother, who raised Gatton and her five siblings on her own — when she was 38 — after her father died at 44 when Gatton was only 6.

“Growing up, my mother was this incredibly strong person, and she herself was active in the community. That was hugely inspirational,” said Gatton, who noted her mom worked full time as a sixth-grade teacher and, eventually, principal. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. She just took it in stride.”

But Gatton is quick to share her admiration with those green spaces on the map that originally attracted her to Seattle.

“The park is very inspirational and the public path that goes from Coleman Park down to Seward Park. In the rest of the city there are private homes all along Lake Washington,” said Gatton, before adding that “Nothing feels like it’s very far away in the South End of the city. It’s culturally very interesting, and it’s got fabulous green space.”

- Erik Hansen

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• South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

Preaching success on and off the court Mike Bethea knows a thing or two about success. After all, the longtime coach of the Rainier Beach High School men’s basketball team has four state championships under his belt.

But becoming the school’s head basketball coach was something of a unexpected occurrence rather than part of a master plan. Beathea was asked to help out as an assistant under former coach Francis Williams in the early ‘90s. When Williams stepped down during the 1994 season, Bethea was offered the opportunity to lead the team. He thought he’d coach for a few years and move on.

Fourteen seasons later, Bethea said the fire and passion are as strong as ever. And it’s more than coaching exceptional players like Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford, both NBA standouts who regularly speak to current Rainer Beach players to help the team stay focused and grounded. For Bethea, the challenge of teaching young men and sharing life lessons is as important as coaching. It’s great to dream, but the chances of an NBA career are very small indeed.

“I try to be an example and be honest and realistic,” he said. “I tell the players that hard work on the court translates to success off it. It all comes down to effort. What the players put into life, they will get back.”

While having star players on the Rainer Beach squad is certainly rewarding, Bethea said he relishes

being part of the successes less athletically gifted players are able to achieve. He said he recognizes his role as something of a father figure, and he demands and expects his team to work hard.

“I tell the team not to cheat themselves, on the court or in school. If they work hard in the classroom I will see it on the court as well.,” he said. “I’m always telling the players to give 100 percent in everything they do.”

Bethea was born and raised in Seattle and graduated from Franklin High School in 1975. He played basketball in high school and at Yakima Community College, though his own hoop dreams were cut short by injuries. Married with three grown children, Bethea has worked in parts management at Boeing for 30 years.

Rainer Beach won state titles in 1998, 2002, 2003 and again last year. But Bethea is not one to rest on his laurels. And while he never would have predicted coaching for so many years, he finds himself ever eager for the next season to begin.

As for next year, Bethea is enthusiastic about the team’s prospects. Many strong players return to help Rainer Beach defend its state crown. But he stops just short of predicting another state title in 2009.

“We’re looking good, and I’m always looking forward to the next game,” he said with evident amusement. “We’ll keep the ball rolling next year.”

- Doug Schwartz

South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

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The first time Vivian Phillips remembers stepping into the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center on the corner of East Yesler Way and 17th Avenue South, it was to attend a friend’s bar mitzvah sometime in the ‘60s.

At the time, the historic 1912 building still housed the Chevra Bikur Cholim synagogue, and Phillips remembers her Central District neighborhood hosting a mix of Jewish and African American cultures.

“I was raised five blocks away from where I live now,” said Phillips, a life-long Seattle resident and executive director for the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. “It’s kind of always been my home.”

The Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center’s mission is to build “community by providing opportunities for artists and audiences to connect through the medium of art as a catalyst for community dialogue and social change.” Hughes was a poet, novelist and playwright know for his groundbreaking work during the Harlem Renaissance that challenged Caucasian paternalism and racism. The cultural significance of the center’s namesake is neither lost on Phillips nor the rest of the center’s staff.

The center has continued the work and spirit of the Harlem Renaissance with such events as the week-long African American Film Festival. The volunteer driven event showcases work about the African American experience from independent Black filmmakers each spring.

For Phillips, the mother of two grown daughters and a son, whom she raised primarily by herself while they were young, her association with the center began as a volunteer during the ‘90s. She came on board permanently after working for Seattle Mayor Paul Schell in 1998.

“It’s familiar. It’s been a part of my life for my entire life in some way.

Having lived in this neighborhood, I’ve always known this building,” said Phillips, whose love for the center’s architecture is matched by her love for Seattle’s cultural diversity. “You’re in a community where the number of languages is mind boggling!”

It’s this ingrained, personal history of the Central District’s cultural legacy, its good and bad times, that provides Phillips with an empowering perspective of the South End’s range of community groups, especially the artistic diversity of the Emerald City’s African Americans, that she funnels into her work at Langston Hughes.

“We have so many different characters in this city. It’s just the coolest thing,” Phillips said, who tells her out of town guests to not be surprised by Seattle’s diversity before adding that, “It may be beautiful today, but it will rain when you get back. So don’t pack yet!”

- Erik Hansen

10 • South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

A life devoted to positive change In the mid-1980s, Rainier Beach resident Jeri White was doing a stint as a social worker in a teenage parenting program at the now defunct Sharples Alternative High School in Hillman City when a friend of hers invited her to join the board of directors for Southeast Youth and Family Services (SYFS). Located at 3722 S. Hudson St. in Columbia City, the non-profit agency’s mission is to provide “diversified, culturally sensitive, community based services that facilitate and empower [area youth and families] to make healthy life choices.”

In early 1993 the executive director resigned. White put her name in the search committee’s hat, and they picked her to lead SYFS a few months later. A social worker for the past 30 years, White credits her parents as being her prime sources of inspiration.

“Both believed very much in helping others, in getting a good education, having a good work ethic and helping family and friends,” said White, who was born and raised in Madrona and still has a lot of family there.

Aside from the classic social service offerings, SYFS conducts an outreach program that helps African immigrants and refugees working or attending school in South Seattle.

“I like the change that I can see being made with the children and families being served,” said White, who estimates SYFS currently helps nearly 300 children and their families a year.

The number used to be higher, but a switch in programming has White and her staff focusing on intensive mental health services, which means the work is more extensive. It’s not easy, and White humbly credits her staff for the positive changes SYFS is bringing to families throughout the South End. “On a personal level, this is my community. I want to live in the best and strongest community I can,” said White when asked what drives her to help her South End neighbors. “It’s very much an area in the process of change, but it’s also one of the best areas in Seattle because it’s multicultural and multi-ethnic.

You get a world of experiences being in Southeast Seattle.”

- Erik Hansen

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South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

• 11

Growing from a legacy of struggle to forge a future of hope Perched at the top of Beacon Hill next to the Sound Transit Link Light Rail station currently under construction sits the Beacon Hill Elementary School building, home to El Centro de la Raza. It was born in 1972 after the South Seattle Community College Duwamish branch eliminated its English and Adult Basic Education Program and effectively displaced a highly motivated group of Latino students and teachers. Feeling invisible, the students, teachers and their families descended on the school and peacefully occupied it for months.

The move compelled the city to let the group transform it into a community center. Its mission is to “build unity across all racial and economic sectors, to organize, empower, and defend our most vulnerable and marginalized populations and to bring justice, dignity, equality, and freedom to all the peoples of the world.”

Led by executive director Roberto Maestas, El Centro’s success in serving the South End’s incredible diversity of cultures has been driven by a core group of dedicated personnel, such as Enrique Gonzalez. Officially, Gonzalez is the administrative assistant to Maestas, but don’t let the common title fool you. At 26 this Seattle native and Skyway resident is one of El Centro’s most effective and exuberant boosters whose family’s history embodies the center’s mission.

“I’ve been around since I was a baby,” said Gonzalez, who noted his grandmother and father were part of the school occupation and that he was enrolled in El Centro’s educational programs starting when he was a toddler and continuing until he graduated high school.

Both of his parents hail from Mexico. His father grew up on the rough border-town streets of the Ciudad Juárez and began working at 6 to help support his five other siblings after Enrique’s grandfather died. Seeking a better life north of the border, the Gonzales family was deported three times before Enrique’s grandmother helped settle everyone in Seattle.

“In my grandmother, there is always a political steak in her,” Gonzalez said. “She is a very passionate lady who was involved in politics in Mexico and Texas. She brought that [spirit] up here and infused it in the family.”

Raised in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, Gonzales’ mother is the youngest of seven. By the time she made it to Seattle, most of her family had already settled in the states. She met Enrique’s father in 1971 when he helped her parents find housing in the area.

“There’s a lot of social activism and economic reasons behind my existence,” Gonzalez mused.

A University of Washington alumni, Gonzalez visited Mexico a few times after graduation and began debating whether or not to pursue a law degree, study journalism or follow his creative writing interests. After discussing his dreams and ambitions with Maestas, the leader of El Centro invited him to join the staff. Gonzalez began as a youth case manager in 2005. Six months later he started working directly with Maestas to help spread the word about El Centro’s mission.

“I think there’s a difference between a job and work. For me, I feel like it’s not just a job. I do it because I want to do it,” Gonzalez said. “I never really feel like I leave home. Many people, unfortunately, don’t have that luxury.”

His passion for his work ‑ for helping to strengthen the South End’s diverse community ‑ stems from the touchstone that is his family’s legacy of struggle and success.

“They’re inspiring in the sense that they’ve done more than what’s expected of them with limited resources. But even with the limited resources that they had, they kept trying to find ways to give their children a better life than they had,” Gonzales said. “We always try to leave people more empowered than when we first met them, and that’s what we try to do at the center.

Our tragedies are our motivation; our inspiration to work for a better world, and, ironically, where we find the courage to keep moving.” ‑ Erik Hansen 12 • South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

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South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

• 13

A cultural haven an ocean away When Gerold Castro opened the Kawali Grill between Columbia City and Hillman City at 5300 Rainier Ave. S., all he wanted was the freedom of owning his own place, a dine-in restaurant focusing on the food of his native Philippines.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to have my own restaurant before I turned 35,” said Castro, a highly motivated 33-year-old who held the Seattle Hilton’s executive chef position for six years before striking out on his own.

“You don’t have to hold back and think about your boss. I can really focus on my culture’s culinary traditions.”

And his focus has been successful in ways that have surprised him.

Castro contends that he wasn’t expecting a large turn out from the Filipino community, a group he feels is largely unknown outside of its members because of an overly inclusive cultural label: Asian. But the Filipino community — who Castro said has only had cafeteria-style operations in the Seattle area providing cuisine from the archipelagic nation — has eagerly embraced the restaurant’s critically acclaimed food and its comfortable sit-down-and-stayawhile style.

“I see a lot of [Filipino] people relieved that they finally have something that they can be proud of,” said Castro, who noted that his fellow Filipinos from around the Puget Sound are fond of bringing their friends from different ethnic backgrounds to get a literal taste of what their culture is all about.

It’s a bracing mix of backgrounds that comes alive at Kawali Grill’s dinner tables every day. It’s also a refreshing outlet for the Filipino community, who are using the restaurant as a social networking hub. As a result, the restaurant has developed close ties to the Filipino Community Center on Martin Luther King Jr Way South, a natural move considering Castro’s background.

His family immigrated to Seattle when he was 16, and they settled in the South End. Currently, Castro and his wife share a home near the Mount Baker light rail station with his two daughters, ages 5 and 9, and Castro’s parents.

His family commitment is the driving force in his life.

“My 9-year-old daughter, Jasmine Mae, who is developmentally disabled, she’s my motivation,” Castro said.

- Erik Hansen

Gerold with his wife, Rhmalynne, their duaghter Angelica, 5, and one of Kawali Grill’s signature chicken entrées.

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South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

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South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

• 17

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The heart is the strongest muscle While most of the businesses in Columbia City appeal to their patrons’ culinary and intellectual appetites, only one strives to guide the physical well being of its patrons’ bodies: the Columbia City Fitness Center. Run by Bull and Flo Stewart, the couple boasts a family-style approach to running their business and caring for their clientele, and the approach has been a great success.

Over the past year their membership has grown to 800 people, an increase of 100 percent. This success was partially the result of two shrewd decisions, they changed the gym’s name and moved their operation into the heart of the neighborhood’s historic downtown business district.

A native of the South, Bull was raised on a cotton plantation where his yearly clothing allotment was one pair of tennis shoes, one pair of overalls and a shirt. He eventually graduated from Tuskegee College and went on to play for the Atlanta Falcons from 1980-83. He was divorced and caring for his five children when he met Flo at a 1993 weightlifting meet in Canada where they were both competing.

A graduate of Garfield High School and Western Washington University, where she became a certified diesel engine technician, Flo began to develop a friendship with Bull that bloomed into a committed relationship in 1997 when they exchanged wedding vows. The couple continued to compete in the drug-free weightlifting circuit while developing their business plans in Seattle. In June they were presented with the Rainier Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award, and between them they hold more than 20 national and international drug-free weightlifting titles.

“If you can be disciplined in an exercise regime, then your whole focus and your attitude, when it comes to applying that work ethic in different arenas, is just there,” Flo said.

And apply it to other arenas they have. This summer Bull and Flo are doing more of what they are well known for, helping out the children of South Seattle. This time around they are hosting a program that provides free workouts for overweight youth.

“I know what it’s like to be treated differently. I know what it’s like to struggle, to work hard, to not have,” Bull asserted. “The work and hard life I had as a kid taught me the value of helping people.”

It’s a lesson Bull and Flo live every day. ‑ Erik Hansen

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South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

• 19

Playtime in the garden of Kubota We knew we were pushing the boys’ mid-day naptime and risking epic meltdowns by getting such a late start, but the promise of an adventure in the South End on a rare, rainfree spring Sunday compelled us out the door.

My running watch read 10:15 a.m., and Jennifer and I were done going in and out of the house loading forgotten necessities (diaper bag, water bottles, snacks and coats) into our car.

We buckled everyone up, pulled out of the garage, turned on a Dan Zanes album and cruised down to Columbia City, promising our 3-year-old son, Kyler, and his 21-monthold brother, Bridger, a treat at Tutta Bella’s elegant espresso bar before we made our way south to Rainier Beach and Kubota Gardens.

After emigrating in 1907 from the Japanese Island of Shikoku, Fujitaro Kubota and his family settled in South Seattle. A self-taught gardener, he founded the Kubota gardening company in 1923. Four years later Kubota purchased a five-acre parcel of logged swamp in Rainier Beach and began sculpting and planting the land.

The beauty of the Northwest, along with his culture’s rich gardening tradition and style, inspired him, and his landscaping gift drew praise from around the region. The Kubota family business thrived with numerous private, and public projects, including gardens on the Seattle University campus and Bainbridge Island’s Bloedel Reserve Japanese Garden.

20 • South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

Eventually, he expanded his five acres of neglected land to 20 acres of well-manicured gardens encompassing hills, streams and ponds. The land held the family’s home and office. It served as the Kubota Gardening Company’s nursery and its design and display center. Possessing generous hearts, the Kubota family allowed the public frequent access to their gardens, and for many years Seattle’s Japanese community used it as the center for their social and cultural activities.

However, American culture and the politicians driving it did not always reciprocate the kindness. In the 1940s, during World War II, the Kubota family was removed from their Rainer Beach oasis and imprisoned in Idaho in Camp Minidoka for four years. When the war ended and the internment camp was emptied, Kubota returned to his abandoned land, and, with the help of his sons, Tak and Tom, rebuilt their landscaping business.

Despite the pain visited upon his family during the war, Kubota’s heart remained giving, for he hoped that his land would one day be open to the public, and, again, his family’s work did not go unnoticed.

In 1972 the Japanese Government gave Fujitaro Kubota a rare honor by awarding him the Fifth Class Order of the Sacred Treasure, “for his achievements in his adopted country, for introducing and building respect for Japanese Gardening in this area.” He died the following year at age 94.

But at home, not everyone viewed the gardens with the same admiration. Condominium developers targeted the 20-acre parcel in the late ‘70s, but the move galvanized

the South End community into action. In 1981 the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board designated the 4.5-acre core area of the garden as a Seattle Historical Landmark. Over the next six years the community continued to lobby local politicians to increase their protection of the gardens, and in 1987 the city of Seattle acquired the land from the Kubota family for all of the public to enjoy.

The Kubota’s powerful legacy of building beauty, suffering ruin and experiencing rebirth is emblematic of the South End, where the struggles and hopes of the city’s diverse mix of cultures are embraced. Kubota Gardens is a true hidden sanctuary.

So hidden, in fact, that my wife and I have never scheduled the time to pack up the boys and find our way through the Rainier Beach neighborhood to the tucked-away Kubota Gardens parking lot. We felt eager to change this.

Our allotted time for play continued to tick away, and after two excellent cups of Italian espresso, a couple of chocolate croissants, and a diaper change, we thanked our barista and piled back in the car. Heading down Rainier Avenue South to Renton Avenue South just past the Rainier Beach Library, we nearly missed the 55th Avenue South entrance to the gardens.

“I’m so excited! I haven’t been here before!” Kyler squealed after we parked the car near the iron-gate entry way wrought in the shape of a black sun.

As soon as their feet touched the garden’s dirt paths, the boys were off running.

Crows and robins called out from the trees, and, except for the periodic single engine plane flying overhead toward Boeing Field, the city felt far away.

“It’s nice to look around and only see tall trees,” I said to Jennifer as we took a rare pause by a pond while the boys stared out to the water where a mallard lazily paddled before creeping close to a rhododendron to watch bees hovering around the white blooms.

“What a gem in this area,” Jen responded, pulling in a deep breath before the boys charged down the trail. “Wow! Just the diversity of the plants and flowers, the water, the quiet.”

Only one time did Kyler ask if there were any toys in the garden as he and Bridger wandered through some shrubs. I told him that instead of slides there are rocks to climb around and paths to explore. We proceeded to chase and play with our sons for well over an hour, the laughter coming in bright bursts from both Kyler and Bridger.

“I don’t want to go home,” said Kyler as we buckled them back into their car seats.

It was 1:20 p.m., well past their nap times but thankfully devoid of epic meltdowns.

Within minutes they were asleep, and Jennifer and I were already planning our return.

- Erik Hansen Photos by Erik and Jennifer Hansen

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South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

• 21

Tutta Bella lives up to its name In an increasingly bottom line driven society and city, business owner

Joe Fugere is here to

remind us there is another way to be.

The drive for comfortable profit margins doesn’t have to mean cutting corners. Or people. “I don’t want to run my business that way,” he says.

When Fugere opened Tutta Bella in Columbia City more than three years ago, the Neapolitan pizzeria quickly became the darling of local food critics. The attention Fugere put into his pizzas — fire roasted, the way it’s done in Naples — mirrored the care he shows his costumers, his employees and the community. Fugere’s philosophy reflects more of an Old World, holistic approach to business, where life and business are one.

“I love to take care of other people,” he says. “And food fills a basic human need.”

A youthful 47, Fugere is, by turns, warm, passionate, funny and very focused. He works 70-hour-plus weeks, a burden he carries lightly.

“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life,” he says. “I love my employees, vendors, customers. You can run a business ethically and transparently and still make money.”

Fugere’s not running for office here: It’s easy to believe what he says.

True, Tutta Bella’s bottom line, his banker reminds him, could be stronger if he just cut out the annual cultural immersion trips to Italy with his managers (“I could go by myself, but this is better for everybody”); or forget the fresh flowers on the tables; or spend less time and money in giving back to the community.

Fugere smiles when he recounts his banker’s soberfaced advice. “It’s about taking care of people first,” Fugere

says, “and looking long term.”

Fugere’s Italian, great grandparents arrived in Seattle in 1911. Born in 1960, the Beacon Hill boy remembers Garlic Gulch before it became just a memory — the Italian spoken in the shops, the festivals.

He majored in hospitality management at Washington State University and moved on to Beverly Hills, Calif. to work for the Westin Century Plaza. After two years he returned to his hometown as vice president of Operations for Taco Time, where he had started working at 16. From there the road led to Starbucks, where he learned how to build a company. The yearning to strike out on his own — “no more committee meetings” — eventually triumphed.

“How could I build a company and give people opportunity?” he asked himself. “I knew I wanted to be the best.”

He remembered his grandfather telling him that pizza in this country paled in comparison with the pizza made in Italy. With characteristic zeal, Fugere looked into the history of pizza, which led him to Naples, “where tomatoes first hit bread,” he notes. “I wanted to create the exact pizza I was experiencing in Naples.”

Fugere, taking out a second mortgage on his house, opened Tutta Bella in Columbia City in January 2004. He was well aware an estimated 90 percent of restaurant start-ups go under.

Was he scared? “I was so busy and excited I didn’t think much about it,” he said.

Tutta Bella has expanded to Wallingford and South Lake Union and employs about 160 people. Fugere provides a health insurance plan for his workers. Further expansion is in the offing, but he intends to take it slowly.

Fugere is a past recipient of the Rainier Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year Award, and he serves as vice president of the Columbia City Business Association. He encourages volunteerism among his managers and is known as a generous donor to local causes, including feeding Beat Walk volunteers.

Speaking of the long view, he says: “I want people to come here 100 years from now.” Meanwhile: “I’ve had people coming in to hug me and to thank me for bringing a family restaurant to Columbia City. I live for moments like that.”

For Joe Fugere, Tutta Bella, which means “everything’s good” or “everything’s beautiful,” is living up to its name.

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Building bridges between Seattle’s political leaders and the ethnically diverse collection of businesses along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South is no small accomplishment, especially when you factor in the disruption created by the recent construction of Sound Transit’s Link Light Rail line. Charged with just this task from November 2007 until April of this year

The Emerald City’s true international district

was Lihn Thai, a Beacon Hill resident who holds a masters in social work and runs the Allstate Insurance agency in King Plaza.

During his tenure as the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods business outreach coordinator for the Martin Luther King Jr. corridor, Thai began his organizing efforts by helping to create the South Seattle International Festival held near Othello Station. The November 2007 festival became a testing ground to gauge the level of confidence area business owners would have in a group that helped represent their interests to the city, said Thai. The reception was successful and an interim board of directors was created after the festival. Then, in April of this year, the Hillman City Business Association was formed.

“It is like social work, because the businesses along MLK have not been organized effectively for a long time,” Thai observed. “A couple of other organizations preceded it, but they were never fully representative of the businesses.”

And while Thai felt such representation was crucial to obtain, the balance was initially discouraged by the Rainier Community Development Fund. The fund represents a pool of money and resources gathered together for the express purpose of giving financial assistance to businesses affected by the light rail construction. Fund leaders originally suggested there be two business associations in the Martin Luther King Jr. Way South corridor: one for the Vietnamese entrepreneurs and the other for African entrepreneurs.

“I disagreed with that. We should organize as one business organization,” said Thai while recalling his negotiations with the development fund leaders and city hall. “We should act in cohesion. If we don’t organize together, the two ethnic groups will never merge.”

Such a commitment to community empowerment is reflected in Thai’s family values. He chose to go into the insurance business because its flexible hours would allow him more time with his wife and their 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter. But his commitment to his neighbors is also evident in his passion for the South End’s cultural diversity.

“The MLK area is more diverse and more representative of what Seattle is about more than any other part of the city.

This is the true international district,” Thai asserted. “It’s truly representative of the cultural diversity of the city, and the immigrant community that is the foundation of our country.

What they demonstrate is the true nature of hard work and pride in their own culture. They believe hard work will pay off in strong family values.” ‑ Erik Hansen

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South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

• 23

A street solidier fighting for our youth

As a “Caucasian woman born in a brown culture” in Puerto Rico who learned English as a second language after moving to the United States when she was 7, Eleuthra Lisch feels she’s in good company living in the South End where being in a cultural minority is the majority. A Hillman City resident for the past 13 years, Lisch is the founder of the Street Soldiers program based in downtown Seattle’s Metro Center YMCA. This anti-violence curriculum was inspired by the work of Lisch’s mentor and friend, Dr. Joseph Marshall, who developed a holistic, medical-mindset approach to countering violence during an intense period of street gang warfare in the ‘80s and ‘90s when he was a school administrator in San Francisco.

“The work that’s happening with this is about confronting the disease of violence in a triage kind of way,” said Lisch, who brings her message and techniques not only to area schools, such as Aki Kurose Middle School, but to Seattle’s street corners and area jails. “It’s a real movement. It has a lot of legs under it.”

For Lisch, the importance of such work in the South End became evident shortly after she moved to Hillman City in the mid ‘90s when a bullet struck the back of her house and a few drive-by shootings rattled the neighborhood. While Street Soldiers wasn’t launched until 2000 after she attended a training session hosted by Dr. Marshall, Lisch had already started to engage kids hanging out on the street corners and buses about the perils of choosing a life reigned over by violence,.

Ambitious, intelligent and caring, Lisch has operated Street Soldiers for the past three years with Shalom Cook’s help, and the two plan on growing the program, which already has an international reach with its partner organizations.

Street Soldiers is part of a 20 member consortia that includes groups in South Africa and Nigeria, and it has won praise and support by such humanitarians and media luminaries as Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey.

“If we start to treat violence as a disease, there’s a potential for success and real reform,” asserted Lisch, who points out that the culture of violence exists in all strata of our society because our institutionalized systems of oppression, marginalization and poverty help perpetuate the destructive cycle of violence. “Being afraid of kids and shying away from this condition only allows this to go on.” ‑ Erik Hansen

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24 • South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

It’s All About

. y t i n u m m o C

Motivated by love to pursue transformation Sharon Okamoto embraces the fact that the students who attend Seattle Urban Academy (SUA), where she serves in the dual role of executive director and principal, have the proverbial odds stacked against them. The common legacies of family tragedy, trauma and stress —from domestic violence to drug abuse to generational poverty — her students carry with them when they enter the private high school’s doors don’t daunt her. She has seen miracles grow every year under her small staff’s care during her decade-long tenure.

“Since childhood I’ve had this personal, social justice issue to provide education to those who aren’t making it through the [traditional] school systems,” said Okamoto, a Lakewood resident who moved to Seattle in 1979 after marrying John Okamoto, the Director of the Washington Education Association.

SUA is housed within the Seattle Union Gospel Mission’s complex near the Othello light rail station off of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. Working with 45 students a year, Okamoto’s staff of seven focuses on providing “a safe haven for struggling

thrive locally I’ve more than doubled my revenue since joining the Rainier Chamber.

-Asari Mohamath, owner Salima’s Restaurant & winner of Seattle Magazine’s 2007 Best Peanut Sauce award

Joining the Rainier Chamber is like joining a family. Members maintain a positive, supportive attitude toward each other.

Sharon Okamoto with 2008 Seattle Urban Academy graduates (left to right) Marvin Charles II, Jamaal Thomas, Ivan Leslie, Monique Ramirez and Nicole Maxie.

students, where they can learn community values and be nurtured in the academic, spiritual, and social arenas of their lives.” The school is part of the CRISTA ministries network, a Christian organization “characterized by selfless service and stewardship” with an international, philanthropic reach.

“Every student leaves transformed from at-risk youth to young adults with hope,” asserted Okamoto, who added that most of SUA’s students are from the South End’s 98118 and 98178 zip codes.

Okamoto calls her school an educational intensive care where the personal relationships between staff and students are the primary guide, and the results are impressive. From 2001-2006, graduation rates for SUA students ranged between 75 and 100 percent with an average of 71 percent of graduating seniors attending a two or four-year college.

“Last summer, 70 percent of our students secured employment,” Okamoto added.

“A lot of their families depend on their income just to pay their bills. A lot of our kids have to play the role of parent to younger siblings.”

Each of these statistics represents a job well done by Okamoto and her staff for the South End community as a whole. And while such successes help sustain her, Okamoto taps into a higher power for long-term motivation.

“The love of Christ compels me,” Okamoto said. “He lived a life of love, and I believe I’m also called to do likewise.”

-Joe Fugere, owner, Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, winner of Rainier Chamber Business of the Year 2007 & City’s AOL Best Pizza in Seattle 2005, 2006 & 2007

The Rainier Chamber of Commerce membership offers me many rewarding opportunities such as networking, professional development and business support resources.

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- Erik Hansen

South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

• 25

Georgetown’s Renaissance man Shortly after John Dove was born in Goldendale, Washington, his parents moved to Seattle’s most famously industrial neighborhood, Georgetown. The year was 1960, and the residential core that much of Seattle either forgets about or ignores had a much different feel.

“I remember when the warehouse district was all houses,” Dove said. “Everything from Corson to First between Fidalgo and Dawson.”

Dove attended nearby Cleveland High School, and before that, Georgetown Elementary, which was built in 1900 when Georgetown was still a separate city. Seattle annexed Georgetown in 1910, and in 1971 the elementary school closed, serving as an alternative school and community center for a decade before its two separate buildings were torn down in 1981 and 1984, respectively.

Such a dynamic, and rich, historical background is embraced by Dove, who is an active member of the Friends of Georgetown History and serves on the board of directors for the Georgetown Community Council. In fact, you could say he’s been a historically-minded Georgetown booster since he was a child, wandering his neighborhood and examining the architecture. He now lives in a home that he admired in kindergarten.

When Dove bought the 1905 simple two-story foursquare with a basement in 1988 for $27,000, it was boarded up and had no plumbing.

Today, his renovated home reminds him of a book his mom gave him when he was young about house in the country that found a city growing up around it. While it was never a country home, the onset of nearby townhouse construction in recent years reminds him of the fictional building’s plight.

“I love [Georgetown] very much,” said Dove, who added that he likes being involved with his community, to see what’s going and to help it. “Since 1910 the city has tried to eliminate Georgetown as a place to live.”

To back up his point, Dove points out the city’s recent effort to build a garbage transfer station in the neighborhood. The effort was abandoned largely due to the savvy community organizing by Dove and his fellow Georgetown residents.

It’s these same people he cites as his inspirations, especially the ones he “grew up with, who stayed in Georgetown and who love Georgetown.

Those people didn’t get the press growing up.” Dove made a point to single out his godmother’s family, who has been in the neighborhood since the late 1920s when the downtown core was still thriving.

But vibrant days are back with new ventures and restaurants filing out Georgetown’s historic business district off Airport Way South. One of the ways Dove, a gardener by trade, has had a direct hand in this revival is by spearheading the Georgetown Garden Tour for the past 13 years. This year the tour will be on July 13 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at 30-40 homes throughout the neighborhood and in several artists’ studios.

“A lot of people outside of Georgetown have a preconceived notion of what Georgetown is: a stop light before freeway or warehouses,” Dove said. “They’re surprised by the really good gardens, and the community gardens, done by people that don’t have a lot of training.”

- Erik Hansen

SoutheaSt Seattle Senior Center A place for active, older adults to gather for fun, friends, fitness, and learning.

Exercise Dance Arts & Crafts Quilting & Weaving Spanish Classes Computer Classes

Mammograms Free Senior Rights Assistance Free Legal Assistance Birthday Lunch Parties Special Events Lots of Trips And More!

4655 So. Holly Street • Seattle • (206) 722-0317 26 • South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

Community activists to the core If he hadn’t coached Little League when his son was a player in the 1990s, Mount Baker resident and Hillman City commercial landlord Dan

Fink would have never become a community activist.

“Just the involvement with the kids was very exciting to me. They were just so much fun to listen to,” said Fink, who searched for something to engage his energies after his final coaching season in 1996.

Along with his wife Denise

Gloster, who founded the Hillman City

Business Association in February 2006, Fink decided to go into property management. The couple purchased some duplexes in the north end of Columbia City and then, in March 2002, bought a complex of three buildings in the heart of Hillman City. The move plunged them headlong into their current, intense phase of community activism.

“Owning property on Rainier Avenue South in a business district changed our scope of involvement,” said Fink, a fifth generation Washingtonian whose great-great-grandmother was a Tsimshian tribal member who fled religious persecution from Skeena River in Canada.

Gloster clarified her husband’s point by noting that they couldn’t stand the bulk of the city’s infrastructure improvement resources being funneled into Hillman City’s northern neighbor.

“Down the street in Columbia City they were getting everything: new sidewalks, new lights, and nothing was happening in Hillman City,” Gloster asserted. “Nobody cared about Hillman City. It was an old pattern.”

Both Fink and Gloster began respectfully raising Cain at Southeast District Council meetings, through letters and, most importantly, through person-to-person contact. When the city was looking to implement its proposed Community Renewal Act in Hillman City, a move which would have deemed the area blighted and thereby expose its landowners to the threat

Be someone’s hero.

of eminent domain, Fink spoke with nearly every business owner in the Rainier Valley about the city’s designs for the area. The grassroots organizing worked, and the city dropped its plans.

“Getting to know people who are living and working in Hillman City, that’s how you do it: being active on the street level,” said Fink, who was recently diagnosed with tonsil cancer.

Despite the seriousness the diagnosis, the couple — especially Fink — has remained both upbeat and active. A primary example of their unbowed energy is Gloster’s creation of community march against violence along Rainier Avenue South during summer solstice. Entitled a March for YOUTH, Gloster’s efforts sought to remember the eight African American teens killed in alleged gang violence during the winter and spring.

The effort was deeply personal for Gloster and Fink, for her son John Anthony Gloster was murdered on June 5, 2000. The march also served as

An emergency can strike anyone, anytime a father who suffers a heart attack, a child who stops breathing, a colleague who collapses at work.

Local Red Cross classes train people to come to the rescue of their family, friends and fellow neighbors.

a networking event to help forge relationships between neighbors with a mind toward guiding the South End’s youth toward positive, life-affirming choices.

“It’s about bringing as many people out and into the process as possible,” Gloster said. “It’s not about any church, or me or Hillman City. It’s

Take Red Cross first aid and CPR today.

(206) 323-2345 TTY (206) 720-5392 w w w. s e a t t l e r e d c r o s s . o r g

about the kids that are at risk.”

- Erik Hansen

Se Habla Español

South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

• 27

NEIGHBORHOODRESOURCES COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

COMMUNITY GOVERNMENT

STATE

SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL

Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) The governor is elected to a four-year term. Write her at P.O. Box 40002, Olympia, WA 98504-0002. A link to the governor’s email is online at www.governor.wa.gov. (360) 902-4111

The nine-member Seattle City Council is elected at large to four-year terms. Write them at City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave., Second Floor, P.O. Box 34025, Seattle, WA 98124-4025.

Position 1 — Jean Godden 684-8807 • jean.godden@seattle.gov chair: Finance & Budget and Budget Position 2 — Richard Conlin 684-8805 • richard.conlin@seattle.gov chair: Environment, Emergency Management & Utilities Position 3 — Bruce Harrell 684-8804 • bruce.harrell@seattle.gov chair: Energy & Technology Position 4 — Jan Drago 684-8801 • jan.drago@seattle.gov chair: Transportation Position 5 — Tom Rasmussen 684-8808 • tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov chair: Parks & Seattle Center Position 6 — Nick Licata 684-8803 • nick.licata@seattle.gov chair: Culture, Civil Rights, Health and Personnel, Labor Policy Position 7 — Tim Burgess 684-8806 • tim.burgess@seattle.gov chair: Public Safety, Human Services & Education Position 8 — Richard McIver 684-8800 • richard.mciver@seattle.gov chair: Housing & Economic Development Position 9 — Sally J. Clark 684-8802 • sally.clark@seattle.gov chair: Planning, Land Use & Neighborhoods

MAYOR

Seattle’s mayor is elected to a four-year term. Write Mayor Greg Nickels at 600 Fourth Ave., Seventh Floor, P.O. Box 94749, Seattle, WA 98124-4749.

Phone 684-4000. A link to the mayor’s email is online at www.cityofseattle.net/mayor.

METROPOLITAN KING COUNTY COUNCIL The nine-member King County Council is elected by district to four-year terms. Our coverage area is District 2. Write your council member at 516 Third Ave., Rm. 1200, Seattle, WA 98104 Councilmember Larry Gossett, District 2 296-1002 • TTY/TDD: 296-1024 (800) 325-6165 larry.gossett@metrokc.gov

Members of the state House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms; the state Senate is elected to four-year terms. We are in the 11th and 37th districts. Legislators can be reached toll-free at (800) 562-6000 or (800) 635-9993 (TTY).

11TH DISTRICT Rep. Zack Hudgins (D) P.O. Box 40600 326 John L. O’Brien Building Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7956 hudgins.zack@leg.wa.gov Rep. Bob Hasegawa (D) P.O. Box 40600 425 John L. O’Brien Building Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7862 hasegawa.bob@leg.wa.gov Sen. Margarita Prentice (D) P.O. Box 40411 303 John A. Cherberg Bldg.

Olympia, WA 98504-0411 (360) 786-7616 prentice.margarita@leg.wa.gov

37TH DISTRICT Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D) P.O. Box 40600 122H Legislative Building Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7838 219 First Ave. S., Suite 205 Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 587-5543 pettigrew.eric@leg.wa.gov Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (D) P.O. Box 40600 434A Legislative Building Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7944 219 First Ave. S., Suite 205 Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 587-5549 santos.sharon@leg.wa.gov Sen. Adam Kline (D) P.O. Box 40437 223 Cherberg Building Olympia, WA 98504-0437 (360) 786-7688 kline.adam@leg.wa.gov

KING COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Beacon Alliance of Neighbors Community Council, NW Beacon Hill www.cityofseattle.net/BAN Beacon Hill Pedestrian Task Force Jefferson Community Center 3801 Beacon Ave. S. Email: jodievice@yahoo.com COALITION OF LAO Mutual ASSISTANCE ASSOCIATION 4714 Rainier Ave S. Suite 108 (206) 267-5060 COLUMBIA CITY REVITALIZATION COMMITTEE www.rainiervalley.org/Ccrc1.htm EL CENTRO DE LA RAZA 2524 16th Ave S. • (206) 329-9442 Forum for neighborhood & world events. www.elcentrodelaraza.com FILIPINO COMMUNITY CENTER 5740 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. (206) 722-9372 Filipino Comm. Council: 2nd Sunday, 1:30 p.m. www.filcomseattle.org Georgetown Community Council PO Box 80021 • 6932 Carleton Ave. S 3rd Monday 7 p.m.

Email: gt_gazette@hotmail.com Hate Free Zone 1227 S. Weller Street, Suite A, 98144 (206) 723.2203 Supports and advocate for immigrant communities of color & Muslims.

Helpline: 1 866 439-6631 www.hatefreezone.org Jefferson Park Alliance 4103 Beacon Ave. S. • (206) 323-1792 Public land issues of Jefferson Park & surrounding community.

Mount Baker Community Club 2811 Mount Rainier Drive S. • (206) 722-7209 www.mountbaker.org NAACP - Seattle (206) 324-6600 www.scn.org/naacp/naacp_page_1.htm New Freeway Hall 5018 Rainier Ave. S. • (206) 722-2453 Many South End groups use New Freeway Hall to create social change.

North Beacon Hill Council Jefferson Park Community Center 3801 Beacon Ave. S. • north-beacon-hill.blogspot.com/ Rainier Chamber of Commerce 1700 21st Ave. S #206. • Phone: (206) 725-2010 www.rainierchamber.com Email: mail@rainierchamber.com

Radical Women 5018 Rainier Ave. S. • (206) 722-6057 Committed to exposing, resisting & eliminating inequities of women’s lives. www.RadicalWomen.org Refugee Federation Service Center 7101 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. (206) 725-9181 Employment, social services to diverse refugee, immigrant community.

Refugee Women’s Alliance 4008 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. (206) 721-0243 • www.rewa.org Rainier Valley Community Development Fund 6951 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. Suite 225 (206) 722-5280 • www.rvcdf.org Seattle African American Comfort Program 1508 East Prospect St. (206) 239-8189 www.saacp.org Seattle Indian Center 611 12th Ave. S. #300 (206) 329-8700 Email: seaindn@msn.com Seattle Indian Health Board 611 12th Ave. S • (206) 324-9360 www.sihb.org • Email: info@sihb.org Seattle Parks and Recreation community centers www.seattle.gov/parks/centers/index.htm Somali Community Services Coalition 7101 Martin Luther King Jr Way (206) 722-2314 Somali Community Services of Seattle 3320 Rainier Ave. S. • (206) 760-1181 www.somalicss.org Southeast Seattle Senior Center 4655 So. Holly Street (206) 722-0317 South Park Area Redevelopment South Park Neighborhood Assoc.

8201 10th Ave. S. #2 www.allaboutsouthpark.com South Park Neighborhood Association (SPNA) 2nd Tuesday 7 p.m.

8201 10th Ave. S. #7 98108 mailto:southparkseattle@yahoo.com” southparkseattle@yahoo.com Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle 105 14th Ave • (206) 461-3792 www.urbanleague.org Vietnamese Friendship Association 4714 Rainier Ave S, Ste 108 • (206) 760-1573

Rainier Valley Historical Society 3710 S Ferdinand St. • Phone: (206) 722-2838 www.rainiervalleyhistory.org Email: rvhsoffice@aol.com

The county executive is elected to a four-year term.

Write the executive at King County’s Executive’s Office, 701 Fifth Ave., Suite 3210, Seattle, WA 98104.

D O G PA R K S

King County Executive Ron Sims 296-4040 • exec.sims@metrokc.gov

Here’s where you can go:

• • • • •

Upper Golden Gardens Park

•

Blue Dog Pond at Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Massachusetts Street.

• •

Genesee Park at South Genesee and 46th Avenue South

•

Westcrest Park at Ninth Avenue Southwest and Southwest Henderson Street

•

Central Woodland Park, west of the tennis courts Northacres Park at 12718 First Ave. N.E. I-5 Colonnade Beneath I-5 between Lakeview Boulevard and Franklin Avenue East.

Plymouth Pillars Park Above I-5, bordered by Pine and Pike streets and Boren and Minor avenues.

Regrade Park at Third Avenue and Bell Street.

Magnuson Park

ACCORDING TO SEATTLE ANIMAL CONROL, HUMANS WHO USE DESIGNATED OFF-LEASH AREAS MUST: 1) have voice control over the dog; 2) have the dog licensed, with tags displayed; and 3) have scoop equipment and dispose of the dog’s fecal matter in an appropriate manner.

28 • South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

NEIGHBORHOODRESOURCES RESOURCES TO HELP YOU FIGHT CITY HALL CITY’S WEBSITE

MAYOR

DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS

CITY COUNCIL

www.seattle.gov

http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/news.asp

http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT http://www.seattle.gov/EconomicDevelopment/

NEIGHBORHOODS NET

ON

THE

http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/net/

CITY

NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoodcouncil/

NEWS RELEASES: CITY

http://www.seattle.gov/council/newsrelease.asp SIGN UP TO RECEIVE COMMITTEE AGENDAS http://www.seattle.gov/council/list.htm NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE CENTER http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nsc/ GREATER DUWAMISH NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE CENTER 2821 Beacon Avenue S , 98144 Phone (206) 233-2044 • Fax (206) 684-4722 District Coordinator: Steve Louie SOUTHEAST NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE CENTER 3815 S Othello St. Ste. 105 , 98118 Phone (206) 386-1931 • Fax (206) 386-1917 District Coordinator: Yun Pitre

http://www.seattle.gov/news/

SCHOOLS Seattle Public Schools

The Seattle School District’s South Enrollment Services Center is in the Columbia Annex Building, 3100 S. Alaska St., near the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The phone number is 252-6800. The Bilingual Family Center is in Room 104 at Aki Kurose Middle School, 3928 S. Graham St.. The phone number there is 252-7750. Both facilities are open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, except holidays. Both close at noon on the third Wednesday of the month.

Parents or guardians wanting to enroll their student will need a photo ID of the parent or guardian registering the student; two address verification documents (utility bills, pay stubs, tax statements, etc.); a birth certificate or other similar document (such as a passport) for students entering kindergarten or first grade; a certificate of immunization status; and a signed and completed registration form, which is available through the Enrollment Service Center or on-line at www.seattleschools.org. If any of this seems at all daunting, contact the staff at the phone numbers listed above.

ARTS & MUSEUMS Arts In Motion 3405 S. Alaska St. • (206) 723-3131 www.aimschool.org Columbia City BeatWalk Historic Columbia City Business District. Most diverse & unique music of any community event in Seattle. High quality performance venues, some of best local restaurants, galleries, retail. www.columbiacitybeatwalk.org Columbia City Gallery 4864 Rainier Ave. S. (206) 760-9843 Volunteer opportunities, plus artists can arrange to show work. Always new perspective. www.columbiacitygallery.com Georgetown Power Plant Museum 6605 13th Ave. S. (at Greely Street) (206) 763-2542 Preserve, maintain, operate the Georgetown Steam Plant as a dynamic museum & teaching facility. Free!

Sundays, 1-3 p.m., May 1 - Oct. 1. Annual picnic 2nd Sunday in May, 10-5, steam & gas railroad, barbecue, music.

Museum of Communications 7000 E. Marginal Way S. (206) 767-3012 Tuesdays 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and by appointment.

Free. Founded by retired Ma Bell employees, traces telephones from the start to state-of-the-art.

Friends of Georgetown History 5501 Airport Way South #8 (206) 326-1395 www.georgetownhistory.com Museum of Flight 9404 E. Marginal Way S. • (206) 764-5720 www.museumofflight.org Rainier Valley Cultural Center/Rainier Valley Youth Theatre 3515 S. Alaska St. Youth Theatre: (206) 725-7517 Southeast Seattle’s first performing arts center.

Enhances neighborhood character, quality of life through a variety of artistic performances & community initiated events. Annual presenting season & as a rental facility for community. Email: rvyt@seedseattle.org

South Park Arts Council wwoldenberg@auburn.wednet.edu www.southparkarts.org SEED - Arts Program 3515 South Alaska St. (206) 760-4287 Artists, youth, community members create diverse culture in their neighborhoods. Partners with schools and the community to involve youth and their families in creating public art, jazz and world music performances. Made public art integral in redevelopment of Columbia City and the Rainier Valley. www.seedseattle.org/arts Seward Park Clay Center 5900 Lake Washington Blvd. So. Phone: (206) 722-6342 Non-profit ceramic arts organization. Offers handbuilding & wheel classes, master classes & workshops by regional & nationally-recognized artists, & studio space for artists. Maintains close ties to community through outreach programs & several yearly sales & shows. www.sewardparkart.org SouthEast Seattle Arts Council (SESAC) c/o SEED 3515 South Alaska St. (206) 723-7333; 760-4287 Community liaison for artists and funders such as the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. www.seedseattle.org/arts Youth in Focus 2100 Building (S. Hill & S. Walker streets) 2100 24th Ave. S., Suite 310 (206) 723-1479 Youth development program, offers variety of photography classes, service learning opportunities & entrepreneurial projects for youth ages 13-19. www.youthinfocus.org

S O U T H E N D PA R K S

Park hours are 4 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., unless noted.

(206) 684-4075 | TTY Phone: (206) 233-1509

HIGH SCHOOLS

K-5

CLEVELAND 5511 15th Ave. S. 98108 252-7800 FRANKLIN 3013 S. Mount Baker Blvd. 98144 252-6150 RAINIER BEACH 8815 Seward Park Ave. S. 98118 252-6350 SOUTH LAKE (THIS SCHOOL IS IN WEST SEATTLE NOW) 7740 34th Ave. S.W. 252-6600 MIDDLE SCHOOLS AKI KUROSE 3928 S. Graham St. 98118 252-7700 MERCER 1600 Columbian Way S. 98108 252-8000 SEAHAWKS ACADEMY (THIS SCHOOL IS IN CENTRAL AREA NOW) 1600 Columbian Way S. 98108 720-3492 WASHINGTON 2101 S. Jackson St. 98144 252-2600

THE NEW SCHOOL @ SOUTH SHORE 3528 S. Ferdinand St. 98118 252-7600 BEACON HILL INTERNATIONAL 2025 14th Ave. S. 98144 252-2700 BRIGHTON 6725 45th Ave. S. 98118 252-6770 DEARBORN PARK 2820 S. Orcas St. 98108 252-6930 DUNLAP 4525 S. Cloverdale St. 98118 252-7000 EMERSON 9709 60th Ave. S. 98118 252-7100 GATZERT 1301 E. Yesler Way 98122 252-2810 GRAHAM HILL 5149 S. Graham St. 98118 252-7140 HAWTHORNE 4100 39th Ave. S. 98118 252-7210 KIMBALL 3200 23rd Ave. S. 98144 252-7280 WING LUKE 3701 S. Kenyon St. 98118 252-7630 MAPLE 4925 Corson Ave. S. 98108 252-8310 MUIR 3301 S. Horton St. 98144 252-7400 THURGOOD MARSHALL 2401 S. Irving St. 98144 252-2800 VAN ASSELT 7201 Beacon Ave. S. 98108 252-7500

K-8 PATHFINDER K-8 (THIS SCHOOL IS IN WEST SEATTLE) 5012 S.W. Genesee St. 98116 252-9710

K-6 ORCA 5215 46th Ave. S. 98118 252-6900

Martha Washington Park 6612 57th Ave. S A good hiking path can be found on the nearly 10-acre site.

And on a clear day, you can gaze upon Mount Rainier while you lounge ‘neath a tree. (Opens at 6 a.m.)

Atlantic Street Park South Atlantic Street and 21st Avenue S. Just under an acre in size, a good place to relax for a moment or two.

Beacon Hill Playground 1902 13th Ave. S. The wading pool is the key feature of this 3-acre park. There are also basketball hoops, a children’s play area, picnic tables, accessible restrooms, a soccer and softball field and accessible tennis courts.

Beacon Place South Dearborn Street and 11th Avenue South A little ditty of a park. Enjoy.

Beer Sheva Park 8650 55th Ave. S. This park has a nice picnic area available at no cost. The picnic area has a grill, two tables and it accommodates 30.

Here’s a heads up: no bathrooms. Call 206-684-4081 to reserve.

Benefit Playground 38th Avenue South and South Benefit Street 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. The park features basketball hoops, benches, landscaping, pathways and a children’s play area. The picnic shelter can be rented for $50. It holds 35 people, has a grill and four tables. Call 206-684-4081 to reserve.

Benvenuto Viewpoint 1401 23rd Ave. S. View 1.66 acres Bradner Gardens Park 29th Avenue South and South Grand Street These 1.6 acres are packed: winding paths, p-patch gardens, ornamental street trees, basketball court. Nice.

Brighton Playfield 6000 39th Ave. S. Twelve acres of ball fields, tennis courts and a children’s play area. 6 a.m.-11 p.m.

Cesar Chavez Park Seventh Avenue South and South Cloverdale Street Play the thin slices of the sculpture “Musical Steles” and hear the music of a xylophone.

Cheasty Boulevard/Cheasty Greenspace Cheasty Boulevard South and South Della Street A little more than 60 acres of luscious green space.

Chinook Beach Park Rainier Avenue South and Ithaca Place South Just about 2-1/2 acres.

Colman Park 1800 Lake Washington Blvd. S. A good place for a wedding, the park’s concrete balcony hosts up to 200 people. Call 684-4081 to reserve. The beach along Lake Washington is perfect for football, Frisbee, volleyball and just playing. 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

Colman Playground 1740 23rd Ave. S. The bike trail, half-court basketball court and picnic table make this 2.8-acre park a great place to exercise and then relax.

Columbia Park 4721 Rainier Ave. S. The wide open spaces of this 2.1-acre park proudly shows off its magnificently famous maple trees.

Dearborn Park 2919 S Brandon St. The just under half-mile of trails make the 7-acres of this site just right for the easy, yet refreshing stroll.

Dr. Blanche Lavizzo Park 2100 S. Jackson St. 6 a.m.-10 p.m. The oaks and poplars provide the seclusion for this park among the residences to its east and west. The picnic shelter features a fireplace, and the bricked open area with benches and cozy amphitheater encourage wonderful (and free) summertime concerts and plays.

Fletcher Place 57th Avenue South and South Fletcher Street. Just .06 acres. Check it out.

Flo Ware Park 28th Avenue South and South Jackson Street A lovely half-acre with a shade trees, children’s play area and benches. 6 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Frink Park 398 Lake Washington Blvd. S. The paths in these naturally wooded 17 acres make for some pretty nice urban hiking.

Genesee Park and Playfield 4316 S. Genesee St. These 57 open, grassy acres hosts a playfield for people and an off-leash area for dogs (complete with doggie drinking fountain). Beware: Aug. 1 – 3 (Seafair).

Georgetown Playfield 750 S. Homer St. The wading pool is a favorite treat.

Hitt’s Hill Park 5234 37th Ave. S. Take a hike. You’ve got a 3.2-acre wooded hilltop at the southwest corner of Columbia City.

Jefferson Park 4165 16th Ave. S. Fifty acres of paths, lawn bowling, cricket and tennis. And the breathtaking views of downtown, Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

Jimi Hendrix Park 2400 S. Massachusetts St. Dedicated to the hometown rock star of the ‘60s.

John C. Little, Sr. Park Picnic shelters, a plaza, an expanded children’s play area and a community garden make this a special place at NewHolly.

Judkins Park and Playfield 2150 S. Norman St. The 6.2 acres boasts lots of green fields. There are two ballfields, play equipment, basketball hoops and barbecue sites.

Kubota Gardens 9817 55th Ave. S. This stunning site showcases hills, valleys, streams, waterfalls, ponds and bridges in the Japanese garden style.

Lake People Park (Xacua’bs) South Bradford Street and 31st Avenue South Pronounced hah-chu-ABSH, this half-acre green oasis provides views north to downtown Seattle and east to the Cascades. It also preserves a green oasis just blocks from Rainier Ave. S. Lakeridge Park Rainier Avenue South and 68th Street (to Cornell) The hiking trail is a key feature of this 35-acre park.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park 2200 Martin Luther King Jr. Way A 30-foot sculpture -- inspired by the Civil Rights leader’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech -- in a reflecting pool is the centerpiece of this 4.3-acre park tucked between South Walker and South Bayview streets.

Seward Park Environmental & Audubon Center 5902 Lake Washington Blvd. S. (206) 652-2444 6 a.m.-11 p.m.

Home to eagles and an old growth forest, these 300 acres make room for an art studio, hiking trails and an amphitheater.

Twelfth Avenue South Viewpoint 12th Avenue South and South Forest Street. 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

Stunning views of downtown, Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains treat the visitor to these 1-plus acres.

South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

• 29

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roofing • gutters • siding • windows • decks • remodeling

Interior & Exterior Wall Repair Owner on Job 20 years experience.

Lic# WYGANC*0441LJ Bonded • Insured

LaDonna’s 1-253-350-6821

Cleaning and Pet Service / New Item / Green Products

Introductory Carpet Cleaning Dependable, reliable, fast, efficient.

Flexible hours. Call for rates.

BIZ#179805

206-781-8876 www@LadonnascleaningSeattle.com

dog walking off-leash trips Puppy visits Poop Scooping 206-330-8758

www.seespotrunseattle.com

Martin’s Gardening • Lawn Mowing • Trimming • Rototilling • Hauling

LaDonna’s Cleaning and Pet Service / New Item Green Products Introductory Carpet Cleaning Dependable, reliable, fast, efficient. Flexible hours.

Call for rates.

BIZ#179805

FREE ESTIMATES!

DOG CONSTRUCTION, INC. • • • •

Senior Discounts Free Estimates Roofing Framing

• Finished Carpentry • Concrete

206-713-0892 Lic.DOGCOC962R9

30 • South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

206-722-1945

206-781-8876 www@LadonnascleaningSeattle.com

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

NIA CENTER

Preschool and School-Age Enrichment Program Serving Children 2 1/2 to 12 • Year Round Lunch & Snacks Provided Located in the African American Academy 8311 Beacon Ave. South Seattle, WA 98118 • 206-721-3382

Ready for move-in now!

Great West Seattle Location

from the mid $300s*!

2 bedroom, 2.5 bath + den Attached 2-car tandem garage inutes Just ten m town from down

Visit our decorated model homes today! Open Daily 12 - 6 p.m.

2733 SW Sylvan Heights Dr., Seattle *Prices and availability subject to change without notice.

(206) 933- 6 8 0 0 | w w w. s y l va n - r i d g e . c o m South Seattle Residents Guide 2008

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32 â&#x20AC;˘ South Seattle Residents Guide 2008