HPAC

Howdy Highland Park!

Highland Park Action Committee (HPAC) has a new leadership team and we are looking for you to join us. We have some great discussions, learning events, and ideas lined up, but we want to know what you need and want.

Join us March 23, 2016 – Doors Open at 6:30p, Meeting from 7:00 – 8:30p
see our newly updated website for full agenda 
HPAC- We meet the 4th Wednesday of the month at HPIC on 12th Ave SW and SW Holden, Doors Open at 6:30; 7:00 meeting.

March’s meeting will start to identify some priorities for the neighborhood – including issues related to street, alley, & sidewalk maintenance, traffic issues on Highland Parkway and SW Holden, 16th SW, and other hot spots.

We are looking for your input, ideas, and solutions.
Possible sub-committees could include:
Developing and distributing a community needs survey for the neighborhood
Outreach and Engagement – including designing outreach posters and postcards
Fundraising event
Crime & Safety

A sneak peek for April 27th’s meeting includes:
Seattle Neighborhood Group – Crime Prevention Workshop – Vehicle Security: How to protect your car from crime.
and
Community Convo with Principal Chris Cronas of Highland Park Elementary about Improvements made at HPE over this school year

We have also started a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HPACWS/
and Twitter https://twitter.com/HPACWS
along with a newly updated website.

Please feel free to reach out to us at hpacchair@gmail.com

Thanks
Gunner
Chair, HPAC

• SPD
• RV Safe lot
• Highland Park Elementary PTA – Highland Park Playground Improvement
• West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails

• Help us document neighborhood streets issues (speeding, accidents, etc.),  lack of sidewalks, alleyways, and traffic issues for future grants, advocacy, and engagement.

Please join us for HPAC tomorrow night- we will be voting on new leadership. If you are interested or want to find out more please come! Join us at 6:30 for an informal meet and greet, and at 7pm for the meeting, Highland Park Improvement Club on 12th and Holden.

We will be helping define the role of HPAC in the community for the new leaders. The agenda also includes a brief update on street mural concepts for 12th SW and SW Kenyon – with three options to show.

On Saturday, January 30, neighbors, trail users and other stakeholders are invited to a two-hour workshop at South Seattle College to discuss what the future trail system in the West Duwamish Greenbelt might look like.

The West Duwamish Greenbelt extends from the West Seattle Bridge south to Westcrest Park. … Currently a network of informal and improved trails provide some access. Participants will discuss potential connections to destinations such as South Seattle College, the Duwamish Longhouse, Pathfinder School, Riverview Playfield, and others.

The workshop will be held at the Chan Center at South Seattle College. It is at the north end of campus next to the arboretum. The workshop runs from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, with doors opening at 9:15 am. All are welcome.

The West Seattle Greenbelt Trail’s Facebook Page has some more information about the greenbelt and the trails

On Wednesday evening we will be meeting at 7pm at the Highland Park Improvement Club on 12th and Holden to discuss the Safe Lot that the Mayor announced will open soon at the former Nickelsville site’s parking lot at the bottom of Highland Park Drive. More specific information about that can be found on the West Seattle Blog.

We have confirmation from Deputy Mayor Kim, Councilmember Herbold, and several other departments.  We will have a list of Frequently Asked Questions available to help answer some of the nuts and bolts about the proposed encampment, and we have provided the Mayor’s office with the following list of questions we’d like addressed at the meeting. After that, we will have Community Comments. We will be moderating the speaking times to make sure everyone has a chance to speak.

1. City-Wide Neighborhood Equity? were other sites around the city considered, and why was this site chosen again so soon as a host, after hosting for over two years so recently. We understand that finding vacant city-owned sites within the current encampment legislation’s parameters is difficult, but what is being done to ensure that each eligible parcel of land around the city is taking a turn hosting so that one part of the city is not impacted more than another part? 
2. Who will the lot be serving? Will the lot be serving those in need currently in our district or will people be moving here from elsewhere in the city? What is the Mayor’s plan for those currently in need within our district? 
3. Real and Probable Impacts: We have learned from experience about a few things that having a homeless encampment means for the neighborhood-  these are not fears of the unknown, or assumptions that our community has. Can you please respond to our Community’s request for the following, which are real and probable impacts that we foresee based on our past experience:

• Transportation: We would like there to be an allowance given for the #131 bus as soon as the encampment is opened to provide for an increase in frequency, and an increase in metro police presence on that route servicing the new encampment. We would like to see the #131 go back to its previous route into White Center permanently, so our neighbors can get the services they are used to accessing there, this will be helpful for the campers to get to services as well. 
• Proactive Policing: Our experience shows us that the encampment is draining on local police and emergency responders. (not necessarily due to crime in the neighborhood, but also due to the amount of calls the encampment itself makes) We would like increased police personnel and emergency responders while the encampment is located here. 
• Growth and Satellite Encampments: how will the city respond if unsanctioned tents or vehicles start popping up in and around the lot, the greenbelt, the wetlands, down the street, or in the former Nickelsville site? Can the city provide a single point of contact for the community when we start seeing “satellite” unsanctioned encampments pop up? What department will be held responsible for looking into it- the department which legally owns the land (Parks, the Port, SDOT, etc), the police, social services, …? We fear that impacts to the area over time will fall on deaf ears and would like to know who exactly to contact, and for someone to be in charge of responding to us directly. 
• Evictions: will the police be allowed to enforce evictions from the encampment? What is the City’s plan for where evicted campers will go? how will they get there? 
• Greenbelt protection: Can the city commit to increased personnel at the Police and Parks department to enforce existing laws protecting the greenbelt? Our experience has shown us that evicted campers band together and relocate in large communities within the greenbelt, ruining the work that Nature Consortium has been doing to restore it and rendering the greenbelt unsafe for use (Things got so out of control before that police advised the community not to use the Greenbelt anymore.) The Operator of the encampment has nothing to do with these communities once they have been evicted, will the City take responsibility for protecting their largest greenbelt?

Coming up on Wednesday, January 27th at 7pm at the Highland Park Improvement Club on 12th and Holden. Please join us early for an informal meet and greet at 6:30. The agenda includes a discussion about the recently announced “safe lot” that will be opened soon at the former Nickelsville site’s parking lot at the bottom of Highland Park Drive. More specific information can be found on the West Seattle Blog.  We have invited representatives from the Mayor’s office, and Councilmember Lisa Herbold to attend.We have a confirmation from Lisa and will update with who will be in attendance from the Mayor’s office.

Lisa Herbold spoke with us before the primaries, and now we have heard from District 1 City Council Candidate Shannon Braddock who would like to come introduce herself at our next HPAC meeting. Please bring your questions for her on Wednesday, 10/28, at the Highland Park Improvement Club on 12th and Holden. Also on the agenda is a quick update on the Delridge Natural Drainage System Project with some announcements on what residents can expect during construction, which began this month. Please join us at 6:30 for an informal meet and greet (bring some treats to share if you’d like), and the meeting starts at 7:00.

September HPAC meetings will resume tonight- Wednesday, 9/23, at the Highland Park Improvement Club on 12th and Holden. Please join us at 6:30 for an informal meet and greet (bring some treats to share if you’d like), and the meeting starts at 7:00.

Next Wednesday, May 27th, Seattle University graduate research assistants will be holding a focus group. This focus group will be centered around Highland Park’s crime concerns, our perceptions of our Micro-Community Policing Plan developed by the SW precinct of the Seattle Police Department and our perceptions of how the police are doing at addressing our specific crime concerns. This will be a time to be honest and have a great discussion about Highland Park’s Micro-Community Policing Plan including its development, progress, and evolution.  Your attendance, concerns and feelings would be much appreciated- while this is being run by Seattle University and not the Seattle Police, the results/concerns can be shared with the police if the community wants that to happen- please join the discussion! It should only last about an hour.

Highland Park Improvement Club on 12th and Holden, 6:30 potluck, 7:00 meeting.