King County Executive Dow Constantine’s office announced Wednesday (Aug. 18) that an independent board charged with advocating for state funding to improve freight mobility has made a preliminary recommendation to contribute up to $5 million toward construction of a new South Park Bridge.
This brings firm pledges of funding to a total of $95 million so far. The estimated cost of the project is $130.8 million.
The recommendation from the Project Selection Committee of the Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board (FMSIB) will be considered at the Board’s next meeting in September, for action during the next state legislative session.
“This latest funding recommendation dramatizes just how important a new South Park Bridge is to the economy and mobility of our region,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “On behalf of all the stakehers who have been working tirelessly to obtain funding for this bridge, I want to thank the Freight Mobility Board for its support and for moving us another step closer to the finish line.”
“The support of the Freight Mobility Board is greatly appreciated. It adds to the incredible momentum we’ve built with our partner agencies, stakeholders and the community to get this bridge rebuilt,” said Metropolitan King County Councilmember Jan Drago, who represents the South Park and Georgetown neighborhoods.
According to the statement:
The $5 million contribution approved by the FMSIB is the latest in a series of pledges from state and local governments over the past two months. The county estimates the cost of demolishing the old bridge and building a new structure to be more than $130 million. The county is about to submit its application for a federal TIGER II grant for the balance of the funding.
Meanwhile, county road engineers are moving forward with demolition and pre-construction work. Crews are currently in the process of removing vacant buildings on county-owned property adjacent to the bridge. The property will be needed to accommodate the staging of equipment and materials once construction begins on a new bridge. Crews will then prepare the bascule leaves for removal.
By Aug. 30 the Duwamish Waterway will be the scene of major activity as barges and a crane detach and remove the huge 225-ton leaves. This phase will likely require some nighttime work due to restrictions in closing the navigational waterway. The leaves will be barged to a remote site for further demolition and salvage.
The 81-year-old South Park Bridge has reached the end of its useful life and was closed earlier this summer for public safety. Engineers believe the bridge foundation buried beneath the Duwamish River is severely deteriorated. Recognizing the crucial role the bridge plays in supporting the local economy and moving vehicles and freight, Executive Constantine has led an aggressive effort with agency partners and community members to assemble funding to get a new bridge built.
Firm pledges of funding total $95 million, with other funds pending:
- King County – $30 million
- State of Washington – $20 million
- City of Seattle – $15 million
- Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) – $15 million
- State Transportation Improvement Board – $10 million
- Port of Seattle – $5 million
- Federal DOT-HUD funding bill – $3 million (pending Congressional approval
- FMSIB – up to $5 million (pending approval by full board and state legislature)
| Sep |
| 15 |
Groundbreaking ceremonies for White Center’s upcoming “Strength of Place Village,” a new construction project of 30 units of affordable rental housing, is set for Wednesday, Sept. 15th.
Scheduled to open next summer, this new project is being built through a partnership between the White Center Community Development Association, Capitol Hill Housing and Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association.
Located on the corner of SW 100th Street and 13th Ave SW, the project is slated to have 30 apartments ranging from one-bedrooms to three-bedrooms for low-income families making less than about $55,000 per year.
According to a statement, Strength of Place Village will also deliver living-wage construction jobs to White Center and will be green built to the Washington State Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard.
Here’s more from a press release:
Long-time White Center resident Laushonda Barquet remarks that Strength of Place Village “would be very beneficial to the White Center community because many residents have financial barriers that don’t permit us to find well managed, good quality homes we can afford.”
Executive Director of the White Center Community Development Association, Aileen Balahadia, says “Strength of Place Village represents a significant community achievement, working with the King County Sheriffs Office to identify a troubled corner property, meeting our residents’ desire for quality, family-sized housing, reviving a walkable business district, and pulling together the resources and team to make these 30 units a reality. We believe the project is a true model for how to construct affordable housing the White Center way.”
This project is one of five projects in Washington State that received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Tax Credit Assistance Program funding administered by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. In a time when low-income housing tax credits are scarce, the partnership’s combined strengths made it feasible for the project to secure tax credit equity and this stimulus award. Capitol Hill Housing is the lead housing developer, the White Center Community Development Association is the local sponsor and Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association secured the site in 2008 and will provide construction management services for the project. The project is currently owned by a tax credit Limited Liability Company in which all three non-profit organizations have an ownership stake.
Christopher Persons, Executive Director of Capitol Hill Housing says “we are honored to have been invited into White Center to partner on this unique project. It is a model for collaboration and the development of affordable housing in a community context.” Derek Birnie, Executive Director of Delridge Neighborhoods Development, the agency that originally purchased the property and started the development process, agrees that it has been an honor to be asked into the White Center neighborhood. He also states that “with all the changes that have been happening in both the financial and real estate sectors, this type of exciting collaboration between agencies is how nonprofits will be able to continue to develop quality affordable housing projects”.
Funding for this project is provided by Annie E. Casey Foundation, Impact Capital, King County, the State of Washington, Washington State Housing Finance Commission, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Tax Credit Assistance Program, National Equity Fund, Bank of America, Washington Community Reinvestment Association and the Bill & Melinda Gates Sound Families Initiative.
"Strength of Place Village" will be located on the corner of SW 100th Street and 13th Ave SW.
Got Green and the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) did a demo of their plans to “recycle” an abandoned house Wednesday morning (July 21) in White Center, with 14 participants ranging in age from 19 to 55.
This project utilizes federal stimulus dollars provided through a Dept. of Labor “Pathways Out of Poverty” training grant to prepare low income communities for livable wage jobs in Green Construction industries.
Got Green is also preparing graduates to become ambassadors for home weatherization and other solutions to climate change in their own communities.
The house used for training is scheduled for demolition on the future site of the Strength of Place Initiative (SOPI) Village affordable housing development. Program graduates (all low-income workers of color) hope to provide weatherization services to Seattle area homeowners and small businesses under the “Weatherize Every Building” project being launched by the City of Seattle this fall.
Got Green (a local grassroots organization that promotes Green Jobs, Energy Efficiency, and Racial Justice) is organizing this Home Weatherization training to promote the movement for Green Collar Jobs as the best way to fight poverty and global warming at the same time. Got Green is Seattle’s home-grown branch of the national movement for equity and opportunity in the new Green Economy.
More info on Got Green is available here.
Photographer Francis Zera was there to capture the following Photo Slideshow:
Click to Play Francis Zera’s Photo Slideshow
The Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce is reporting that Providence Health & Services of Washington has been awarded nearly $9.1 million to construct 65 apartments for low-income seniors and people with disabilities in the King County Housing Authority’s Seola Gardens community in White Center.
Read the full story here (subscription required).
Story and photos by Michael Brunk
Dating back to 1931, on Wednesday June 30, 2010 at a little after 8:00 PM the South Park Bridge opened its spans one last time. In the process a vital link across the Duwamish River was severed, causing bitter feelings for many local residents and great concern for South Park businesses.
Time and the 2001 earthquake have taken their toll on the bridge. A host of problems, including structural damage and issues with electrical and mechanical systems have led officials to deem the bridge unrepairable but funds for a new bridge have been slow in coming.
State and local politicians continue to beat the bushes looking for funding but as the bridge permanently closes, they remain some $50 million shy of the projected cost of a replacement. Even if funds were available to begin building immediately, it is estimated that the project would take nearly three years to complete.
Until then, approximately 20,000 vehicles a day and three Metro bus routes will have to drive a little further if they want to get to the heart of South Park.
Local residents turned out in droves Wednesday night to say farewell to the faithful bridge in grand style. As the final hour approached pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles packed the bridge to cross one last time.
Finally, as the mournful skirl of bagpipes echoed across the Duwamish River, the bells sounded, the gates lowered and the leaves of the bridge lifted towards the sky. There to remain until the bridge is eventually demolished by King County.
Photographer Michael Brunk attended the event and created this slideshow set to music by the Northwest Junior Pipe Band. Be sure to check your volume before clicking!
Click to Play Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow
| Jun | Jun |
| 21 | 25 |
The King County Road Services Divison will be replacing a culvert underneath SW 100th Street in White Center that will result in one block being closed to traffic from Monday, June 21 at 7 a.m. to Friday, June 25 at 4:30 p.m.
The road will be closed between 13th Avenue SW and 12th Avenue SW while crews excavate and replace the old culvert.
Motorists can detour via 11th Avenue SW, SW 102nd Street, and 13th Avenue SW.
View Larger Map road
The Highline Heritage Museum building, which is planned to be built at 819 SW 152nd Street in Burien, has been nominated for an AIA “What Makes It Green” award for sustainable design.
As many residents know, the “Highline” area spans the region from White Center on the north, to Des Moines on the south, SeaTac on the east and Puget Sound to the west.
According to one of the building’s designers, Tim Rohleder of Rohleder Borges Architecture:
“We have submitted the Highline Heritage Museum project as representative of our efforts in the world of sustainable design. The jury has already selected the “Top Eleven” projects from a pool of entries from all over the region including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia, Hawaii, Japan and Guam. The “Top Ten” (or in this case eleven) are supposed to be announced the week of May 5th in coordination with juried interviews at Seattle City Hall.
Per the AIA: “2010 WMIG? program recognizes projects that demonstrate the highest accomplishment in environmentally sustainable architecture, combining inspired design, systems analysis, and performance evaluation.”
Readers can vote on the entries here – so click on over there and vote for your soon-to-be-built, innovative and sustainably-designed new museum!
Here’s more info on the museum from the Highline Historical Society’s website:
The Highline Heritage Museum (HHM) has been designed to represent the Community of Highline, the stories of their past, the legacy of their people and their responsibility to the environment. From the start of the programming process, the Board of Trustees has been engaged and committed to creating a symbol representative of their community. It is a broad stroke representing the people from five different communities. The project is proposed as a redevelopment of an existing decaying building on an urban site in the heart of the City of Burien with a promising future for pedestrian vitality. The property lies along a primary pedestrian path with bus routes as connections to all its major constituents. The site is within a few blocks of the new regional county library and the Burien City Hall. The neighborhood also includes restaurants, retail shops, a post office, a regional transit center and a recently completed multi-family, moderate density residential development. The Board of Trustees warmly embraced the opportunity to create a “green” museum. While LEED was initially not accepted as a reasonable tool to gage the success, it was later recognized as an important element. One of the goals is LEED Silver with design strategies that include multiple mechanical zones utilizing ground source heat pumps, managed day lighting, specialty glazing integrating art and energy performance, a super insulated building envelope, transparency to the neighborhood using full height glazing, articulated building forms, and strategic use of site and roof areas integrating exhibits, landscape and pedestrian gathering areas. While there is much excitement at the uniqueness of the “geothermal” systems and the associated 300 foot deep pits, the design is a total package that investigates green opportunities for a building type where there are currently few recognized built examples.
White Center’s own Geoffrey “Mac” McElroy, owner of the Triangle Pub and now a candidate for the 34th District Legislative seat being vacated by Sharon Nelson, released a statement about the closure of the South Park Bridge on Monday (Mar. 15th).
The bridge, which, as we reported Feb. 17th, will be closed at the end of June because the latest round of federal stimulus money grants did NOT include any for it, and according to the King County website:
Several studies have shown that the condition of the bridge warrants major rehabilitation or replacement.
Here’s Mac’s statement:
“The planned South Park Bridge closing is a glaring example of how voters in our legislative district are being under represented. My issue is not with the legislators who represent our local districts. Nor is it with their representatives, who “informed” the residents of South Park that their bridge is being closed on June 30, 2010. My issue is primarily with the fact that there is currently NO PLAN to mitigate the effects of the bridge closure on South Park, White Center, Burien, West Seattle, Tukwila or Seattle.
“We elect officials whom we expect will represent our interests. We vote for taxes that will pay for the programs that we believe are important. Our system of government is based upon the idea of representation and in this particular instance the voices of the people were not heard. In spite of a groundswell of community concern, there is no bridge, no plan, and currently no help being offered.
“In this moment it is important that we insure that our elected officials come up with a plan for how traffic is going to be routed, how emergency services are going to be provided, and how Seattle and Tukwila are going to work together to develop a traffic plan for everyone’s benefit. Whether I am elected or not, I pledge to work with our communities to come up with a plan to mitigate the closure of the South Park Bridge. It is time for solutions and results. We can deal with politics later.”
According to the White Center Community Development Association, funding is available for facade improvements in Downtown White Center.
Local businesses based in the “downtown” area of the Dub-C can get up to $10,000 to re-design or improve their storefronts, and/or up to $2,500 for new signage or awnings for their business.
The program aims to:
- Beautify Downtown White Center
- Strengthen our local businesses
- Increase public safety
- Build pride in our community
The WCCDA announcement continues:
The White Center Façade Grant program is designed to improve the appearance of the business district by encouraging property and/or business owners to make physical improvements in their storefronts. The White Center CDA will offer a grant to help offset the costs of the improvements. In some cases, the grant may pay for the majority of the work. This program will take place from February 2010 – July 2010. The program is administered by the White Center CDA.
Program Goals :
- Stimulate economic activity and increase business viability through good design visible to customers, neighboring merchants and residents.
- Renew or improve the exterior of businesses in a manner that recaptures the integrity of the buildings’ design and character.
- Enhance the shoppers’ experience of the commercial district.
- Improve neighborhood safety.
- Encourage investment in the neighborhood.
Eligible projects include: Non structural building improvements such as new signs, new awnings, painting, replacement of doors and windows, new lighting or lighting improvements, removal of bars on storefront windows.
For more information, download the Application by clicking here (PDF file).
| Feb |
| 10 |
| 7:00 am |
| Feb |
| 11 |
| 7:00 am |
| Feb |
| 12 |
| 7:00 am |
| Feb |
| 13 |
| 7:00 am |
King County’s Department of Transportation will be closing the South Park Bridge daily from 7am to 7pm beginning Wednesday, Feb. 10th, and continuing through Saturday, Feb. 13th.
Workers will be conducting a “test pile operation,” and closure of the structure will be required. The 78-year old bridge is suffering from deterioration, and needs to be replaced.
In technical terms though, King County’s website clears it all up by saying that it’s going to…
Conduct a NEPA/SEPA EIS to study design and construction alternatives for the bridge.
The EIS will include an historical resource survey and documentation.
Conduct engineering design of the preferred bascule bridge alternative. Bridge replacement will follow the EIS and design if construction funding for this project is secured.
King County says they’re doing this work because the condition of the bridge “warrants major rehabilitation or replacement.”
If you’ve ever driven over it, or passed under it, we’re sure you’ll agree.
| Dec ’09 |
| 18 |
| 10:30 am |
Aerial view of the South Park Bridge courtesy King County.
Federal, state, and King County officials will meet Friday morning at 10:30am next to the crumbling South Park Bridge to mark the final step in the pre-construction planning to replace the 78-year-old span over the Duwamish River.
In September, King County submitted an application for a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The county and its project partners are requesting $99 million toward the replacement cost of the bridge. The grants will be awarded early next year.
According to a press release:
“…representatives from King County, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Washington State Department of Transportation will sign off on the final environmental review and talk about what’s next for the project.”
Right there next to the bridge.
Rain or shine.
Supposedly.
Here are the details if you want to go monitor ‘em:
WHAT: A bunch of officials doing a photo op next to the South Park Bridge
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 18th at 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Southwest side of the South Park Bridge, 14th Avenue South & South Orr Street, Seattle
According to this Craigslist Ad, the semi-provocative restaurant chain Hooters is opening a brand new casino just 1.8 miles down the hill from White Center at 9635 Des Moines Memorial Drive in South Park:
“Hooters Casino is now hiring for all positions at multiple locations. Dealers, Cashiers, Security and Surveillance. Please apply in person @ Hooters Casino 9635 Des Moines Memorial Drive, Seattle WA 98108.”
Another Ad, posted on Aug. 30th, reads:
We have a brand new Hooters Restuarant and Casino opening up in South Park! If you are fun & outgoing and fit the Hooters Gils image of the All American, Girl Next Door, Cheerleader we need you! We have several spots to fill still and as a Hooters Girls you could be in the position of a server, bartender, cocktailer, hostess, or even a dealer!
We will be accepting applications at the new location starting this Sunday 8/30 located at 9635 Des Moines Memorial DR, Seattle WA 98108. If you think you have what it takes to be the next South Park Hooters Girl hurry and come apply, you don’t want to miss this opportunity! You can also apply at the Seattle and Tacoma Hooters as well!
For any further questions give us a call at our Seattle location (206) 625-0555, and we will be glad to help! See you soon!
According to various Hooters websites:
“Hooters was appropriately incorporated on April Fool’s Day, 1983, when six businessmen with absolutely no previous restaurant experience got together and decided to open a place they couldn’t get kicked out of. Soon after, on October 4th of that year, the doors to the first Hooters Restaurant opened in Clearwater, Florida.
The name “Hooters” came from a popular comedy sketch by one of the nation’s hottest comedians of that time, Steve Martin.
The first Hooters Girl, Lynne Austin, was hired on a bet. One fine day in sunny Florida, one of the Hooters Six anchored his boat off Clearwater Beach to swim in and catch the Jose Cuervo bikini contest. After failing to convince the subsequent winner to join the troop right then and there, he told her that if her job as a telephone operator didn’t work out, she should call them. Weeks later, Lynne tried to get off work at GTE to attend yet another bikini contest. She quit the job when they refused. The next day, she called Ed to join the Hooters team.”
Here’s a map to the new Hooters Casino for those of you um…interested in “researching” this further (wink wink):
View Larger Map
So…what do you think of having not only a Hooters nearby, but one that includes gambling? Please take our poll or Comment below…
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This is King County’s first capital project funded by federal economic stimulus money.
The King County Road Services Division project is a small piece of the larger White Center neighborhood plan and supports the vision identified and promoted by the White Center Community Development Association and dozens of community groups and participants. It estimated that 20-30 jobs will be directly created from this construction project.
When it is completed, residents from the 1,000-plus units at Greenbridge will be able to walk, or ride to more than 130 businesses and the transit hub in the White Center business district.
The new pathway will be constructed at the intersection of SW 98th Street and 12th Avenue SW. Currently, a steep wooden stairway connects the Greenbridge development with SW 98th Street. The stairway will be replaced, and the county will build an accessible paved ramp that gradually slopes down the hillside. Both feature safety lighting, landscaping, and artistic elements composed by local artist Andy Cao.
The walkway builds upon county efforts to spur private investment and foster a vibrant, healthy, mixed-income community at Greenbridge. It also supports King County’s Healthscape objectives by reducing automobile dependency with more opportunities to be physically active and improve air quality.
Total construction cost for the project is $1.4 million, with $1.27 million coming from federal stimulus dollars. Construction should begin this week, and take approximately four months to complete.
The project plan was initiated and overseen by a community steering committee. Design and preliminary engineering for the project was made possible by contributions from King County Road Services, King County Parks and King County Water and Land Resources Division, King County Housing Development Authority, 4 Culture, and Feet First.
The revitalization of the White Center community received a major boost Thursday morning (May 28th) with the groundbreaking for White Center Square, an $11 million retail plaza in the neighborhood’s business district that utilizes a $6.25 million federal loan.
Here’s a photo slideshow of the ceremony as shot by Photographer Michael Brunk:
“There is very tight competition for these federal funds. This project won support from a review panel that includes representatives from across King County—and for several good reasons,” said Metropolitan King County Council Chair Dow Constantine, who represents the White Center neighborhood. “This project will create new retail space and new jobs, while providing a new home for a longtime community business, the Vong family’s Asian market.”
The White Center Square project will bring 60 new jobs to White Center.
Legislation approved by the King County Council in March authorizes the Executive to borrow $6.25 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and re-lend those funds to the White Center Investment Fund, LLC. The legislation also pledges the County’s Community Development Block Grants funds as additional security for the loans. The White Center Square project will also benefit from a federal tax credit.
The investment Fund will use the loan to leverage the additional funding needed to complete a new 26,500 square foot retail/office plaza near Greenbridge. Greenbridge is a mixed-income community built on the site of the former Park Lake Homes, the King County Housing Authority’s oldest and largest public housing development
“We have seen major public investments nearby—most notably in the form of Greenbridge project, White Center Heights Elementary School, and White Center Heights Park,” said Constantine. “King County has been a big part of this effort. I am proud to celebrate another step forward for the White Center neighborhood.”
| May ’09 |
| 28 |
| 10:00 am |
Thursday morning (May 28th) at 10am, King County Council Chair Dow Constantine will join the owners of the White Center Square development for a groundbreaking ceremony at the new White Center Square site, which is located at the intersection of 15th Avenue SW and SW 100th Street.
This new retail project was funded through a $6.25 million loan from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The $11 million project, which will provide 60 new jobs for the White Center neighborhood, was authorized on March 30th by the King County Council.
Here are the details:
WHAT: Groundbreaking ceremony for White Center Square retail project
WHEN: Thursday, May 28 at 10am; Dow Constantine will speak around 10:30am
WHERE: The new White Center Square site, which is located at the intersection of 15th Avenue SW and SW 100th Street
| Nov ’08 |
| 5 |
| 11:00 am |
The brand spankin’ new 2,500 square foot Greenbridge Library and 10,000 square foot YWCA Learning Center will be having their grand opening on Wed., Nov. 5th, starting at 11am.
Everyone’s invited to help celebrate this new community building:
WHAT: Greenbridge Library and YWCA Learning Center building grand opening
WHEN: Wednesday, November 5, 11am
WHERE: 9720 Eighth Avenue SW in White Center
INFO: Call 425.369.3275 with any questions, or visit the Greenbridge Library website.
