Detail of new homeless shelter to be discussed at meeting

Details of the Seattle Union Gospel Mission shelter coming to the old Fire Station 39 will be discussed at a meeting on Tuesday, November 22 at 2 p.m. at the Lake City Library.

Representatives from Union Gospel Mission and the Mayor's office will be present.

The shelter is scheduled to open Thanksgiving Day. In 2010 the Nickelsville homeless camp moved into the old fire station with little notice to the neighborhood. Earlier this week Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn apologized to residents of our neighborhood for not notifying them.

P-I: Rick's strip club to reopen Friday

The Seattle P-I has this story about Dreamgirls at Rick's grand re-opening today on Lake City Way. From the P-I:

The iconic neon sign will again illuminate the street outside the notorious strip joint at 11332 Lake City Way N.E. But Rick's now belongs to the Déjà Vu chain, and is officially renamed "Dreamgirls at Rick's." The new owners say it's been remodeled, and that they "intend to operate the most beautiful club in the area, attracting the most beautiful women."

 The club, which unfortunately for many years has helped define our corner of Seattle, was seized by the federal government as part of racketeering charges against former owner Frank Colacurcio, his son Frank Jr., and their associates in 2010.

Lake City is also home to Pandora's Adult Cabaret and the Deja Vu chain's other club north of 145th.

A two-alarm fire on July 28th at the club delayed the remodel and reopening of the club.

Elliott Bay Brewing Co. interview with Lake City Live

Our friends over at Lake City Live had a tour of the site that will be home of the new Elliott Bay Brewing Co. Link to their story here.

Owner Brent Norton showed them around the construction site and said the pub is on track to open some time in January.

During the interview Norton revealed that the main enterance to the neighborhood pub will be from the rear parking lot side of the business. The building will have a northwest industrial look, he said.

He said the construction schedule is two months behind because the permitting process took longer than planned and the builiding required seismic retrofitting.

In the Lake City Live story Norton said that when the pub opened their West Seattle location some people "thought we were crazy." He said people thought it was also strange that they chose Burien for their second pub. But the pubs were great locations for them and for the community.

"We’re hoping that our commitment to community will also have an impact on Lake City," he said.

Read the entire story here: LakeCityLive.net

Temporary homeless shelter returning to old Lake City firestation 39

As a neighborhood meeting with Union Gospel Mission about a proposal to open a homeless shelter at the old Fire Station 39 was winding down Wednesday, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn's office was crafting a statement announcing that the shelter would open on Thanksgiving Day.

From the Mayor's statement:

Because there is the need for more winter shelter, the City of Seattle has signed an agreement with the Seattle Union Gospel Mission (SUGM) for SUGM to operate an emergency winter shelter during the winter of 2011 – 2012 at Fire Station 39. On November 8, the City Council unanimously adopted a Statement of Legislative Intent (SLI), that says, in part, “A proposal to allow FS 39 to be used as a winter only shelter with day services has been developed by the Seattle Union Gospel Mission,… The SUGM proposal incorporates a number of the suggestions made by the community in an effort to respond to concerns raised by neighboring residents and businesses.” The winter shelter at Fire Station 39 will open on November 24, 2011 and close on April 1, 2012, and will serve single women and men.

The shelter has been a point of concern for some in the neighborhood after the Nickelsville encampment moved into the building in 2010, without informing the neighborhood until residents began to arrive. The Mayor acknowledged in his statement that efforts to inform residents of Lake City were "inadequate."

"I apologize for not providing the Lake City community with appropriate notice," the Mayor said.

One concern from people in the area has been the possibility of increased crime and drug use with a shelter bringing more homeless people to the neighborhood. Earlier in the day Wednesday, a Seattle Police SWAT team raided a home blocks from the proposed shelter that police suspect was a haven for criminal activity.

The Mayor said he has heard from people who support the idea of a shelter and from those who oppose it. "There is no consensus in the community about a shelter, and I know that this decision will be met with disapproval from those who do not want it there," he said.

The Lake City Shelter will temporarily sleep up to 100 men and women during the winter months. It will offer services to help them out of homelessness. They include: 

·         Emergency assist: clothing, food, showers, laundry and locker access

·         Dental Clinic and Legal Clinic

·         Substance-use treatment programs

·         Case management, including employment referral

·         Learning center with an emphasis on GED completion and vocational readiness

House on 25th Avenue NE raided by police

About 3 a.m. Wednesday a house on 25th Avenue NE was visited by a Seattle Police Department SWAT team.

Residents blocks away were woken by what sounded like an explosion and police giving orders over a bullhorn to occupants of the house.

Police ordered people out of the house with their hands on their heads. They said they had a search warrant for the property.

Seattle Police have long suspected that illegal activity was being conducted from the house.

Found dog

A male, chihuahua-terrier was found Tuesday on 25th Avenue NE, on the south side of 125th. He is described as blonde with white markings, clearly someone's pet, very cute and affectionate.

The people that found the dog kept him last night --he had no collar or i.d.-- and plan to take him to the shelter Wednesday.

If this is your dog or you know the owner please leave contact info in the comments section and we will get a hold of you. (We will deleted your contact info from the site once contacted.)

Meeting Regarding the Old 39

The Cedar Park Apartments on 30th is having a meeting with the Seattle Union Gospel Mission regarding their operation of a winter shelter at the Old 39 Fire Station. This intended use has not been made "official" by the city yet, but it is now a working plan on the part of the city and SUGM to operate a shelter there from Thanksgiving to April 1st.

The meeting is closed to those outside of the Cedar Park Apartements. However, they did agree to allow members of the Douglas Park Cooperative to attend. 

The meeting is tomorrow ( Wednesday, November 16th ) at 3:00pm. If you attend, please be polite and allow the Cedar Park residents to lead the meeting as we will be guests. 

Weekly Walk Report 01: November 14

Tonight members of the Douglas Park Cooperative participated in the first weekly neighborhood walk.

Seven neighbors walked various streets between 30th Avenue NE and 25th Avenue NE for almost an hour. Participants included residents that earlier Monday came home to find a burglar in their home. The thief made off with electronics and other valuables.

During the walk we noted that Virgil Flaim Park (also known as Lake City Playground) could use some lighting, especially along the park's eastern edge, a perfect hiding area for suspicious people that frequent the area.

We noted one damaged light at the park and will make a report.

Rain and brief hail seemed to keep most people indoors Monday night. The area behind the cinder block walls on 30th Avenue NE, usually a popular homeless, drinking and drugging hangout, were uninhabited Monday evening.

Two suspicious people were seen walking in the direction of a house known to Seattle Police for its drug activity.

We will again do our weekly walk on Monday, November 21st at 7 p.m. We will meet at the Lake City Playground.

Graffiti on new Elliot Bay Brewing Co.

The owner of the new Elliot Bay brewing company got a rude welcome to the neighborhood on Sunday when workers discovered the building had been tagged with spray paint.

Monday afternoon, owner Todd Carden was at the construction site painting over the damage.

He said Sunday was ruined for him with the discovery of the damage, some of it on a wall just painted. But he said his Monday was better after he was told that members of our neighborhood plan to become regulars at his well-known pub and restaurant.

Burglary interrupted on 25th Ave NE

Residents on 25th Ave NE came home Monday find a burglar in their home about 2:30 p.m.

He fled eastbound on NE 125th toward Lake City Way.

Seattle Police have set up containment in the neighborhood with about a half dozen patrol cars looking for the suspect at sitting at key intersections.

A few neighbors are also drove around Lake City looking for a person matching the description.

If you see a suspect matching the description DO NOT MAKE CONTACT. Call 911.

Description: Young black male. Black knit cap. Red jacket with white stripes. Carrying a blue backpack.

Neighborhood walk, Monday, 7 p.m.

Monday, November 14, we will have our first neighborhood walk to record and report issues in our community. It is also a great time to meet your neighbors and get some free exercise.

As we all know, our lack of sidewalks can make navigating our neighborhood on foot a treacherous experience. So please wear brightly-colored or reflective clothing. A flashlight helps too. Pets on a leash are welcome.

We will meet at the Lake City Playground, 2750 NE 125th St (map below), at 7 p.m.

Hope to see you there!


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