So much is happening in Othello lately that it’s hard to keep track of it all.
Parks Improvements Update
For instance, summer seems to have arrived this week, but we have been fooled on several previous occasions. Today some kids were playing in the spray pads in John C. Little’s newly remodeled play ground. What an inviting place for children to run off extra energy while sparking their imagination on these first days of summer vacation! Feeling weary of this world? Pause and sit on a bench in J.C. Little, Othello, or any of Othello’s “ribbon of parks.” It’s sure to lift your spirits.
Might as well enjoy what we have. Chances do not look good that any of Othello’s Parks Dept. Opportunity Fund proposals will be funded after all ROPA’s efforts in putting them together. But all is not lost. We have a new document called “The ROPA Projects Listing” written by our consultant, SVR Design. This booklet, which will be on the Parks Dept. web site, describes future park improvements the neighbors want to see. And ROPA plans to stay alive in coming years to apply for future grants and assistance to make these visions real one or more at a time.
For instance, ROPA is already working on a Dept. of Neighborhood matching fund grant to place benches and to gravel some of the muddy footpaths along the Chief Sealth Trail through New Holly. This would enhance pedestrian routes through our green space and, for all practical purposes, create a new park to fill in one gap of the ribbon.
Besides, we still have the funded safety and lighting improvements coming up for Othello Park. Come to the meeting June 30, 6:30-8:30 PM at the Van Asselt Community Center, find out what’s up, and have your say on what those improvements ought to look like.
Othello’s Big Day: August 22, 2010
Othello Park International Music and Arts Festival is becoming a tradition and possibly Othello’s biggest day of the year. This year there will be a special art pavilion with various kinds of creative activities for children. As in previous years, there will be music and dance performances almost continuously throughout the day, everything from zydako to Mariachi to Praise Dancers to jazz, rhythm and blues, lion dancers, you name it. And food?! Expect to experience more different flavors this year from African American barbecue to traditional Asian food interspersed with good old fashioned hot dogs, ice cream, soda pop, and other festive fare. Last year visitors from afar commented that the Othello Park International Festival had a sweet, homey feel that makes it a more desirable attraction than bigger fairs like Folk Life or Fremont. Don’t miss it: August 22, noon to 6:00.
Othello Design Guidelines – What has Become of Them?
Find Out: Othello Neighborhood Information Night July 13, 6:30-8:30;
New Holly Gathering Hall
If you have never studied the Othello Neighborhood Design Guidelines, you’ll find them tucked away on the city’s web site:
http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/static/othello2006_LatestReleased_DPDP_015963.pdf Be sure to check them out before you come to Othello Neighborhood Information Night July 13, 6:30-8:30 at the New Holly Gathering Hall.
The Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke tries to convince us that the economy is getting better, but the signs here in Othello seems to be telling a different story. Back in February 2009 when we held our last NIN, the story was still that the Othello Neighborhood Guidelines were alive and well and, no matter how poor we got as a community, nothing would be built in Othello’s future to detract from our goal: a pedestrian friendly town center, an inviting place to walk around, go shopping, access public transit, etc. Even if development did not come soon, at least nothing uninviting to pedestrians would come.
But now when you cross the intersection at MLK and Othello, look around. What do you see? A parking lot on the NE corner by the Citadel. Not surprising. That has been there practically forever. There aren’t many cars in it, but it’s there and open to the public at bargain prices. And of course there’s the enormous parking lot on the NW corner by Bank of America and Safeway. Nothing new. Never mind. The assumption was that if and when development came, those parking lots would be replaced by something more attractive to pedestrians. At least that’s what the Othello Design Guidelines tell us.
But now Seattle Housing Authority says they will build a third parking lot on their big piece of land on the SW corner. That would make parking lots on three of the four corners. Imagine it. Is that a pedestrian friendly picture? Would three parking lots on four of our cormers be in compliance with the Othello Neighborhood Design Guideline? What do you think? You can have your say on this and learn more about what developers and local property owners might be planning for us during these hard times by coming to the Othello Neighborhood Information Night. You can also tell them, affordable though it may need to be, what you want to see in the town center. SHA and other local developers have been invited to answer your questions.