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Othello News, August 17, 2008
Light Rail Test Trains Begin
The first test trains pulled into Othello Station at 9:30 AM on Thursday, August 24, 2008. Be warned and be on the look out! From this day forward pedestrian safety is everyone's highest concern. Look both ways and be sure you have a clear walk signal light before stepping off the curb into Martin Luther King Way. Please also notice that, thanks to your generous donations, our multicultural neighborhood banners were installed in the station area just in time to greet the first trains.
Tongue in Cheek Weather Report
A weird phenomenon has been occurring in Othello this past week. No one quite knew what to make of it. The air was . . . well, it was downright hot, sometimes even at night. For natives this is very strange. As for folks transplanted here from other countries, and even from other parts of the United States, a feeling of nostalgia took hold. Finally it dawned on them why they once went out and bought picnic tables and lawn chairs which they then excavated from beneath junk in their basements. Some even fired up barbecues and started engaging in aberrant behavior like eating out doors after dark. Never mind though, the forecast is for back to normal cold and rainy weather for the next few days at least.
A Sadder More Serious Note
On a more serious note, it was on August 5, one such pleasant summer night that a very sad thing happened. Neighbors had just gone home from their neighborhood night out street parties of fun and togetherness, when a young man was shot at the corner of 43rd and Othello Street. At least the boy did not die as did another in Hillman City the same night and as have so many throughout the city this past year, children killed by other children. What can be done?
The topic has come up for discussion at many meetings and gatherings since that night. Stunned and shocked peoples’ minds are working on it, but the causes lie in a wider culture of violence that sends its young people to learn to kill and due in wars, entertains them with violent movies, television, and video games, denies them educational and economic opportunities, and provides them little community and family support. .This is a culture that distributes its great wealth upward into the hands of a few elite which cares very little for the vast majority of our youth. Violence is a natural response if no one is guiding them toward a more productive one.
Othello Summer Activities
Thanks to the Parks Department there have been activities and free food each week day for all school aged children Working jointly with other agencies such as the Seattle Parks Department, Seattle Neighborhood Group, Holly Park Community Church and others, the Othello Park Alliance (OPA) has met weekly throughout the summer to put on events that would bring positive family activities into this highly visible part of the neighborhood.
presentation of the above described activities. The next meeting will be held 7:00 PM Monday, September 15 at the New Holly Community Center. That’s when they will start serious planning for the next Neighborhood Information Night to be held in November. Featured topics will be transportation and neighborhood plan updates.
Othello Neighborhood News – July 3, 2008
Summer Weather Brings Othello Out
As in an old show tune, “A crowd of doubting Thomases was predicting that the summer’d never come,” to Othello. But it’s comin’ by gum. You can see it come!” The parks are full of families picnicking and children enjoying the playgrounds. The strongest sign of summer occurred on the last weekend in June. That’s when summer really “busted out all over,” both in temperature and out door activity.
Picnic/Fair in John C. Little Park
For instance on the afternoon of Saturday June 28, John C. Little Park erupted in a volley of celebration. That was when two neighborhood groups put on events at once, and invited everyone in the neighborhood. The New Holly Safety Committee put on a community fair. There was a bicycle rodeo to teach the children safety and even a bike raffle. There were several booths representing pedestrian safety organizations. Sound Transit was there reminding people that trains will soon start running for testing on MLK. They handed out pamphlets and provided safety tips.
There must have been several hundred children running and biking around the Park that hot summer day. They lined up in droves to jump in the belly of the big tiger bouncy toy. Others splashed bravely into the fountain fully clothed as it sprayed jets of water high in the air soaking the long African dresses and veils of little girls. Meanwhile South East District Council served up big fat sausages in the shade of the picnic shelter and awnings.
Transportation Issues the Talk of the Day
Othello Station transportation issues have been the talk of the day at most neighborhood gatherings. Some people are worried about where folks will park their cars when they come in July, 2009 and beyond to get on the light rail. Many think the notion that people will come exclusively by public transit, bicycle or on foot is a pipe dream. In a civilization here-to-fore centered around the automobile, this is unthinkable. People are afraid of a hide-and-ride culture emerging on our neighborhood streets.
Many questions arise: If people are going to come by bus, where are the buses? Yes there are bike racks at the stations, but who’s going to leave their bike at the station exposed to possible theft and get on a train to go down town? After a couple thousand new residential units have been built around Othello Station, and people are coming and going to catch the train, won’t there be a big traffic mess in Othello? With all those cars and trains, won’t it be necessary to reduce the speed limit and regulate traffic flows to ensure pedestrian safety? Where are all those people going to park? In front of my house?
Nobody seems to have clear answers to such questions, and people are worried.
Fall 2008 Neighborhood Information Night to Focus on Transportation
That’s why, at its June 16 meeting, OSCAT decided that the fall 2008 Neighborhood Information Night will be centered around transportation. Besides inviting the developers of buildings in the neighborhood, they want to hear from transportation infrastructure people such as:
__Seattle Department of Transportation
__Sound Transit
__King County Metro Transit
__Puget Sound Regional Council
__ the Community Development Fund
__ the MLK business community
__ neighbors and friends of Othello
__And more
At their next meeting on Monday, July 21, OSCAT will begin planning for that fall 2008 Neighborhood Information Night. As usual, they will meet in the New Holly gathering hall living room at 6:30 PM. Please come if you want to get involved in the planning.
July 4 Othello Park Closure
Signs at the entrance to Othello Park indicated that it will be closed on the evening of July 4 at the mandate of the police department. Lt. James Koutsky said the reason is that the Police Department is spread thin on this holiday, a time when there tends to be evening drunkenness and illegal activity in many parts of the city.
Families with children who have been lately enjoying Othello Park, making it a kind of home away from home, are naturally disappointed. They would like to have enjoyed their holiday family festivities in this gracious green space. Some have suggested that next year a community event should be planned for July 4 in Othello Park. More community eyes on the park would increase safety and thus create less pressure upon the available policing capacity
Othello Neighborhood News - June 3, 2008
Neighborhood Information Night
May 8 was our second Neighborhood Information Night. The event opened with a short slide presentation by the urban planning architect, Mark Hinshaw, author of the book “True Urbanism. His charts and grafts illustrated societal trends that suggest Othello is on track to become a popular, cutting edge neighborhood of the future. People are moving out of the suburbs and back into higher density neighborhoods centered around public transit.
In answer to a question posed about density Mr. Hinshaw pointed out that at least 8,000 residential units within half mile radius of Othello Station would be needed to attract a large pedestrian friendly grocery store. The new higher density mixed used development planned for Othello Station in addition to the number of residential units already in place will make that feasible. He gave several examples of how other neighborhoods had recreated themselves in accordance with the new pedestrian oriented wave of the future. Slowing automobile traffic for a business segment along a major arterial was one suggestion that received some attention as a possibility for the Othello Station area along MLK.
Othello Partners, Seattle Housing Authority, and Union Gospel Mission presented progress they are making. More open space and wider sidewalks are being added in response suggestions from neighbors at the September information night.
Mona Lee Day
At the Neighborhood Information Night Mona Lee, a member of OSCAT, was presented with a proclamation from Mayor Greg Nickels declaring May 8. 2008 Mona Lee Day. This was in recognition of much work in the Othello Neighborhood over the past decade.
New Neighborhood Services Coordinator
Yun Pitri, our new Neighborhood Services Coordinator was introduced at the May 9 information meeting. She was previously been known to some in the neighborhood when she did public information work for Sound Transit. Her office is located in Neighborhood Services Center in the Othello Building, Yun is already busy working with groups to help organize and coordinate neighborhood improvements. In fact she has already helped in developing and improving this web site.
Sound Transit Art Work Adorns Othello Station.
Some of the Sound Transit art work designed for Othello Station has been installed this month.
Storm water Project consists of eight granite storm water catch basins integrated into the station. Each piece includes a design of channels seemingly carved out of the water’s passage.
In a small plaza at the corner of Myrtle and Othello sits a striking new sculpture by the famous artist, Roger Shimomura. Entitled “Rainier Valley Haiku” the work is designed to stimulate public interpretations about immigrant culture in America. Reflecting modern artistic trends, the sculpture consists of a column of colorful common place objects that might be found in any American household. The pedestal is adorned with haiku about cultural identity written by school children who had viewed the design for inspiration.
At noon on Wednesday, June 4th there will be a ceremony honoring the sculpture and some students from Aki Murose Middle School who are the top haiku writers from a poet-in-residence project. Sound Transit sponsored the project in regard to Shimomura’s sculpture. Arts Corps (http://www.artscorps.org/) managed the class, and is producing haiku writing curriculum will be available as a teaching tool. Students will read their haikus as a kick-off to a community haiku writing opportunity. Arts Corps is inviting community members to write and submit their own haikus inspired by cultural identity. The top eight poems from the community will be also be turned into wall plaques. Then, after light rail opens next summer, riders will have a chance to submit their own haikus for a final round of plaques on the wall.
Neighborhood Organizations Active
ONA and OSCAT, and New Holly Neighborhood Council have been focusing on parking, traffic patterns and traffic calming in the Othello station area. They are meeting with Department of Transportation and others city officials to introduce more awareness and dialog on these issues.
The Othello Park Alliance has been working with the Seattle Parks Department, the Martin Luther King Business Association to develop activities, events, and capital improvements in Othello Park. There are several events planned this summer. Future hopes and dreams include a permanent state, enhancement of the comfort station as well as playgrounds and much more.
Othello News Archive, May, 1, 2008
Neighborhood Beautification
Last Saturday April 19 about fifteen neighbors gathered at the corner of Rainier Ave. South and South Othello Street to brave the pouring rain and clean up the Othello. In recognition of Earth Day, The Rainier Chamber of Commerce supplied Othello and other neighborhoods with garbage bags and grabber sticks and later came round and picked up the bags. Mary Ann Parmeter donated marigolds to refurbish the flower boxes along with healthy perennials that managed to survive the bitter winter.
Othello's Big Splash in the Seattle Times
Othello made a big splash on the front page of last Sunday’s Seattle Times. The caption under the picture reads, “Standing near the corner of Othello Street and Martin Luther King Way in Seattle, an employee of Othello Partners holds drawings that provide a glimpse of what the future holds in store for the location.” The background glimpses a huge parking lot with a bit of strip mall and a giant container truck. Up front center stands someone (only legs visible) holding a drawing of the six story mixed use apartment and commercial complex planned for the northeast corner across from the Othello Light Rail Station.
There is also a map of the Othello Station area as well as two others, Mount Baker and Columbia City. But Othello took the lime light probably because the neighborhood is on the move with neighborhood specific design guidelines in place and forward thinking developers wanting to help make Othello a model pedestrian/transit oriented urban village of the future.
Othello Gets Organized
That was Sunday. Then on Thursday afternoon about sixty Martin Luther King business men gathered at the Community Development Fund Office in King Plaza to elect their new slate of officers.
Chair: Linh Thai
Vice Chair: Jeudi Boulom
Treasurer: Charleete Black
Secretary: Asari Mohammath
Meanwhile the Othello Park Alliance worked on their assignment to prioritize preferred summer concerts, festival and events as well as desired park improvements. These priority lists are seeds from which will grow the group’s fund raising proposals and plans over the next several weeks.
Othello Station Neighborhood Information Night Planned for May 8
During that same busy week, the Othello Station Community Advisory Team (OSCAT) met to outline tasks they need to accomplished in preparation for May 8th second Othello Station Neighborhood Information Night. That’s when Othello Partners, Union Gospel Mission, and Seattle Housing Authority will present their recent drawings and fill neighbors in on progress since the first information night last September. Included will be urban design architect, Mark Hinshaw, author of “True Urbanism” with a slide show presentation on urban design principles and trends as they relate to Othello station area development.
Keep looking for change for the better in Othello over the coming months and years.
Othello Park
A lot has been happening in Othello. Spring has come to Othello park. Notice the flowering trees and tender new leaves, the occasional sunlight on acres of green.
Business
The newly formed Martin Luther King Business Association adopted its by laws last week. They'll be working with businesses on ways to attract customers from within the neighborhood and all points beyond. Next meeting will be at 2:30 April 17. Join them to help build a thriving business community.
Lent is over now so there's no reason to deny yourself any of life's sweet pleasures. Treat yourself to a visit with Allen and a delicious mocha, or stop by Tammy's Bakery for Vietnamese coffee or a choice bubble shakes. Check out our other restaurants too. A variety of pleasures awaits you in Othello
Organized Othello on the Move!
"Goals for Othello Park" met this week at Kwik Cup Coffee House. They unanimously selected Cindy Laws to be their consultant in developing a fund raising plan for the Park. The will raise funds for summer 2008 activities like festivals and concerts. Performing groups from local schools and merchandise booths from businesses will be featured. The group also plans to raise funds for significant park improvements. They will meet at 6:30PM at Holly Park Community Church every Wednesday between now and the end of April to learn from Cindy the art of fund raising and to map out a plan.
OSCAT and ONA also met this week. OSCAT is planning another Othello town center information night on May 8 at 6:30PM at the New Holly gathering hall. Come and meet with developers to exchange plans and dreams.
Updated 3/27/08
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