Greetings Fellow Leschi Dwellers, As I sit here on a chilly January afternoon, I am grateful we are in a mild climate and not in the Midwest and East Coast with wicked snowstorms. Spring will soon be upon us. Please join us for the pre-Valentine’s Day celebration Saturday, February 9 in the dining hall at the Community Center. Tickets are still available and our wine tasting will be courtesy of Steve at Grocery Outlet. He will be offering 20% discounts for six bottles or more. We have a Brazilian jazz group, The Rio Thing, that will give you a chance to dust off your dancing shoes and take your sweetheart out before Valentine’s Day and avoid the crowds on the 14th. See the cover of this issue for more information. SAVE THE DATE: In March, we will be offering another phase of the earthquake preparedness program. We will be working in conjunction with the Madrona neighborhood. Stay tuned for further details in the March newsletter, and mark your calendars for March 6 at 7pm , our usual meeting time. I want to give a big shout out thank you to Diane Snell, our fearless LCC Secretary and general go-to person. She and her husband, Jim, are so integral to our Community Council. I must also mention and thank John Barber for his tireless work on behalf of landscaping and the Seattle Parks Department. Janet Oliver is our beloved Treasurer and even when she is off on rowing adventures, she is still hands on with our books. Trevor Menagh-Lalish and Tracy Biers round out our Board and they are the point people in the earthquake preparedness programs. They are passionate about everyone being safe in the event of a tremblor in our area. February is a time when we begin to think springtime thoughts, flowers and trees are beginning to bud and bloom and the days are getting longer. As you move into this month, how are you going to bloom where you are? What special plans do you have with family, travel plans, grandchildren, new relationships and old friends? Always take the time to remember those who live in your heart. I wish you the Happiest Valentine’s Day—a day for remembering to love and to be loved. Janice Merrill Brown, LCC President

Come join us on March 23, 2019, 6:30–9pm. Central Area Senior Center 500 30th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144 Wine provided by Grocery Outlet and snacks by the LCC. Featuring Brazilian Jazz by The Rio Thing. Admission: $30 (21 and older) This event is a fundraiser to benefit The Central Area Senior Center and its many programs. Tickets may be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets as Valentine Wine Tasting Event, at the door and at the Senior Center during weekday hours.

Thanksgiving is often a difficult holiday for Kate and me because we are mostly on our own for that holiday. Also, we are pescatarians; we eat mainly vegetables and fish. Noodles sounded good and so did testing a new restaurant. King Noodle is a small restaurant, 20 tables at most, a storefront in the heart of the International District. It was rainy and at 1:30pm, there was a line trailing out front peopled with young Chinese students chattering in Mandarin. Soon, a waiter came out and handed us menus to fill out our orders. There were six types of noodles. We chose Udon (34 toppings), fish balls and preserved vegetables. Of the three soups, we chose original fish soup. All this rounded out by side dishes of sautéed bok choy and fish sauce, and Chinese broccoli. When we were seated within 20 minutes, we were quickly served. What better treat is there for comfort than noodles in a lush broth? The fishballs added to the thick body of the Udon noodles, and the greens complemented the soup with fresh crispiness. We left feeling full, yet light in stomach, an ideal choice for a Thanksgiving meal or for any rainy or not rainy day. The ambiance was exotic in the sense of sitting amidst Chinese natives who were fully enjoying each other’s company and the food. The sound level was such that we could easily hear each other talk. The furnishings are modest and utilitarian and give a sense of the simple authenticity of a Chinese noodle shop. We are definitely going back and exploring the many iterations of the menu. King Noodle Hours: Sun–Thurs 10am–10pm; Fri–Sat 10am–12 midnight 615 S. King St, 206-748-9168 kingnoodle.juisyfood.com ~John Barber

Happy New Year Leschi! Everyone at the Market wishes you all a happy and healthy 2019. This month the Top-10 wines from December are featured: seven reds and three whites. Arranged here by price, however their inclusion to this list is based upon sales numbers from the month prior. Before we dive into the Top-10 December Wines (that will nicely restock your cellar by the way), there are a couple of announcements regarding the growing popular Leschi Cellars! We all have been floored by the response to our own wine project. Syrah, Unoaked Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc were great additions during 2018. This coming year, Leschi Cellars has plans to release an Oregon Pinot Noir, and anticipates the long awaited return of Lakeside Reserve (100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Walla Walla) and Rosé! Stay tuned for individual announcements as they become ready for release! Now, on to the wine! Top Reds 2016 Quilceda Creek Red Wine “CVR” Columbia Valley ($56) “A combination of all our vineyard sites and represents a great value. It is the best version of this wine to date displaying highly aromatic black and blue fruits with nuances of anise, smoke, forest floor and minerals. This blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot will be best enjoyed over the next 15 years.” ~Paul Golitzin, Director of Winemaking. 2016 Brooks Pinot Noir Willamette Valley ($25) “Blackberry, sandalwood, marjoram, damp moss, sassafras aromas. Umeboshi plum, graphite, fresh currant, lavender, garam masala on the palate. Deep fruits and vibrant acidity lead into elegant floral notes, broad tannins and a long resinous finish. Exhibits both lively freshness and ample structure for extended aging; great value!” ~Winemaker notes. 2017 BTR Cellars The Chief Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley ($24) “The 2017 Chief shows immense complexity, with Cabernet Sauvignon’s cedar aromatics and black currant at the forefront. Fresh violets combine with flavors of blackberry and silky vanilla, and subtle chocolate notes. It has a broad finish, with a balance of acidity and tannin.” ~Winemaker notes. 2017 Garage Wine Co. Paris “215 BC Ferment” Chile ($18) “The wine is super fresh and clean and is also softer, more floral, less rustic and with more finesse than the 2015 I tasted next to it. The quality of the tannins is superb.” ~Wine Advocate, 92-points. 2014 Serre dei Roveri Nebbiolo d’Alba Piedmont ($17) “A bright and delicately fruity wine with lemon, cream and light spices. Plum and berry undertones. Vibrant acidity. Drink now.” ~James Suckling, 90-points. 2017 TAMI Rosso Nero d’Avola Italy ($16) Powerful aromas of black cherry and blackberry, kirsch and a hint of smokiness. A joint effort between young-gun, biodynamic producer Ariana Occhipinti and her local wine-centric amici, TAMI produces world-class, organically grown Nero d’Avola that’s about half the price of Occhipinti’s estate wines. 2016 San Felice Chianti Classico Italy ($14) “It often delivers outstanding quality at a great price. It comes from the company’s Castelnuovo Berardenga estate where the rocky vineyards sit roughly 1,200 feet above sea level. The wine is 80% Sangiovese, 10% Colorino and 10% Pugnitello.” ~#19, Wine Spectator Top Wines of 2018, 94 points. Top Whites 2017 Domaine Cherrier Père & Fils Sancerre ($21) Domaine Cherrier was founded in 1930 and since then four generations of the family have run the estate. The estate has limestone and calcareous clay soils that wonderfully influence the character of the grapes grown there. The Sancerre is consistently delicious, with citrus, chalky mineral and light floral notes. Its dry finish complements seafood and cheese beautifully. 2017 Domaine Pierre Riffault Sancerre ($20) From this small 20-acre domaine, comes one of Seattle’s hottest Sancerres. 100% Sauvignon Blanc vines from both caillotes and Terre belanche terroirs produces wonderfully aromatic and fragrant Sancerre with invigorating pink grapefruit, elderflower and gooseberry flavors. Don’t wait; 2017 was a very short vintage so there won’t be much of this delicious wine to be had. 2016 Altarocca Arcosesto Orvieto Classico Superiore Umbria ($14) “Altarocca at 350m above sea level has a longer ripening season. Using classic Umbrian varietals, such as Grechetto and even Procanico, it has a deep respect for tradition, but also a highly modern approach to winemaking, using low yields, sustainable methods and the best technology. This wine is bright and sunny, with citrus and granite overtones.” ~Small Vineyards. Kenneth Benner, a Seattle area native, is a trained chef and has worked in such restaurants as Barbacoa, B.O.K.A. Kitchen + Bar, and Dahlia Lounge. Ken is the wine buyer at Leschi Market. He has a passion for learning, a meticulous palate, and a tenacity for searching out the best for his customers while offering some of the most highly coveted wines in the area. His wine column is intended to inspire and explore new choices in wine, learn about wine with his readers, and share his knowledge and experiences in the wine world. Check out the latest at www.LeschiMarket.com or request to be added to email updates or send questions, comments, or suggestions to ken@leschimarket.com and follow the wine department directly on twitter at twitter.com/leschimarket .

Meghan Elizabeth Trainhor’s mixed media installations and artworks blend witchcraft and technology, blurring distinctions between magic and science. Witancraeftlic inhabits a fever dream in which the use of electricity in folk healing predated the Age of Enlightenment and led to the burning of witches—a place where the first witch bottles were Leyden jars, sigils were expressed as circuits and magical familiars became mechanized. The artworks act as historical and contemporary artifacts of a hidden witchcraft, referencing bog rituals, the Apollo Space Mission and computational language. Core Rope Mother , mixed media installation The M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery is located at the north end of Seattle Central College’s Atrium cafeteria, main campus building at the corner of Broadway and Pine. Gallery hours: Mon–Fri, 9am–3:30pm; evenings: 5–7pm on Tue & Wed; admission is free and open to the public. For more information, visit online at www.seattlecentral.edu/artgallery . ~Ken Matsudaira Curator, M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery

The November opening of the current exhibit at the Northwest African America Museum was a vibrating affair replete with music, energy, stacked heel boots, jaunty hats and sequins. Young and old, black and white, gathered for a journey back to the 60s to pay homage to a local who became an icon of rock ’n roll. The star of the show is James “Jimi” Marshall Hendrix’s (1942–1970). The exhibit illustrates his short life with a focus on his Seattle roots beginning with photographs of his vaudeville-performing grandparents alongside a collection of his grandmother’s colorful stylish hats which point to a possible sartorial influence reflected later in Hendrix’s signature velvet pants and silk kimonos. Among the unexpected treasures is a photo of a young Hendrix in Leschi Park, and hanging nearby you can see him as a young teen in a dirt-stained football uniform next to his coach—Booth Gardener—who would later become a two-term governor of Washington state. This surprising intersection of two lives destined to become public figures in contrasting realms was a touching reminder of the vanishing “it’s-a-small-world” Seattle. There is also a photo of the crammed aisle of the legendary First Avenue music store where Hendrix’s father bought Hendrix his first guitar. And there is the couch he napped on when he made his last visit to his father’s house on Yesler a few months before he died in London at age 27. Pages from Hendrix’s notebooks show a fluid, stylish penmanship and a searching mind. Per the program notes: “The Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) is delighted to partner with Experience Hendrix LLC and Authentic Hendrix LLC on this profoundly important exhibition that explores the life and musical genius of Jimi Hendrix from the perspective of his Seattle roots,” said LaNesha DeBardelaben, Executive Director at NAAM. “His brilliance and legacy inspire us because he’s one of us. This is a unique opportunity to see Seattle through his eyes and what he cherished. Young or old, there is something for everyone to learn and discover in this exhibition.” The show doesn’t pretend to be comprehensive and I had to come home and satisfy my curiosity with further research in order to begin filling in gaps in the Hendrix experience. But being inspired to find out more about this captivating artist and his times is the mark of a successful show. The exhibit runs through May 5. Northwest African American Museum Hours: Wed–Sun, 11am–5pm, open Thurs until 7pm, and free on first Thursdays Admission: child (ages 4–12) $5; adult (13–61) $7; student (w/student ID) and seniors (62+): $5 2300 S. Massachusetts St, Seattle 98144 www.naamnw.org ~Anne Depue

Native leaders, artists, poets, musicians, storytellers, political activists (usually these identities overlap and intersect) ever more often share their long perspective on our interdependency with the natural world, and the urgency to resist fossil fuel extraction as well as other climate destroying habits. In 2015, Kayactivists initially trained by the Backbone Campaign of Vashon Island, joined Native musicians, poets and dancers to protest Shell’s Polar Pioneer, as it was being refurbished in our port. “Break Free from Fossil Fuels,” a worldwide protest generated by 350.org in May 2016, focused in Washington State on the Anacortes Oil Refinery. The native tribes participated in large numbers with speakers, prayers, canoes paddled there from long distances by youth, and moving speeches by activists. In the same year, Lummi put together an extensive collaboration of indigenous tribes to defeat the Cherry Point coal terminal. This summer activists led by Native groups stopped the Kinder Morgan plan to massively expand a pipeline in Vancouver BC. In Tacoma, the Puyallup Tribe has strongly resisted a giant Liquid Natural Gas facility right on their reservation. Missing and Murdered Indigenous leading the Women’s March 2018. Image courtesy Susan Platt. On another type of disaster, “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women of Washington” led the Women’s March in 2018. Sex trafficking, hate crimes, especially in the I-5 corridor and near casinos is on the rise. Seventy percent of perpetrators are non-native. Pending federal legislation, “Savannah’s Act,” is one initiative toward enabling prosecution: it would allow tribal access to federal crime databases. All of these protests emphasize dances, poetry, artwork and banners to make their issues clear. Activist Native artists have also long been creating public art in Seattle that highlights important political issues. In Pioneer Square Edgar Heap of Birds Hachivi Edgar Heap of Birds Day/Night framed the nineteenth century bronze statue of Chief Seattle with two seven-foot high enamel panels inscribed in Lushootseed, language of the Coast Salish Indians, as well as with symbols we can easily recognize, dollar signs and crosses on one sign, green leaves on the other. When English speakers walk around to the other side of the panels, they can read “Far Away Brothers and Sisters/We Still Remember You. Chief Seattle/Now the Streets are our Home.” Edgar Heap of Birds, Day/Night , Pioneer Square. Image courtesy Susan Platt. The title of the work draws from Chief Seattle’ speech as he addressed Isaac Stevens on the day his tribe lost its land: “Day and night cannot dwell together. The Red Man as ever fled the approach of the White Man, as the changing mist on the mountainside flees before the blazing sun.” Also prominent to the masses streaming in for professional football and soccer games at Seattle’s Seahawk Stadium is Earth Dialogue by Bob Haozous. On the tall steel tower marking the entrance to the stadium, Haozous placed four painted steel discs, each twenty-five feet in diameter. The bottom disc is a black and white silhouette of a city; a green disc represents nature and the dispersal of our connection to nature; an orange disc refers to the sun and the laws of nature; and at the top white clouds take our eyes up to the real sky. In addition to these two works, we can see contemporary totem poles such as that carved for John Williams, carved on the waterfront and carried by hundreds of people to its place at Seattle Center created to honor this seventh generation wood carver killed by the police in 2010. Contemporary native artists create works that address topics such as non-natives imitating native spiritual practices, the distortion and destruction of tribal structures in Alaska by the oil industry, nuclear pollution on Native reservations, and much more. Gail Tremblay, Joe Feddersen, John Feoderov and Tanis S’eilten are four artists who have addressed these topics and others for decades. For more information and images, go to my blog: www.artandpoliticsnow.com . The new generation of native curator/artists: left to right Fox Spears, Natalie Bell, Ryan Feddersen, Asia Tale with Asia Tales’ artwork Bird Heard , 2017. Image courtesy Susan Platt . Currently, a new generation of artists is emerging, encouraging a widespread outpouring of native creativity. On March 23 until August 3, King Street Station will host “Yəhaw̓,” the title based on the Coast Salish story of Native people from all tribes uniting around a common cause and lifting up the sky together.” Keep your eyes and ears open as you walk around the city. Native artists, poets, musicians and climate activists are everywhere! Then join the resistance to earth destroying fossil fuel extraction and the ever-growing outcry against the abuse and murder of Native women. It is all part of the same idea: respect for our planet and ourselves. ~Susan Noyes Platt www.artandpoliticsnow.com

Our annual holiday party was a success! We had a second chance to hear last year’s Garfield Orchestra’s students, but it was a farewell performance as they are now all seniors and will head off to promising futures by next year. President Janice Merrill Brown asked how they began their musical sojourn: the three violinists all started at age 5 and the cellist began her journey at age 8. Kate Barber’s lovely drawings capture the musical moment. Leschi Market’s private label was the wine of choice for the evening and attendees nibbled on salmon and cheese selections, mixed nuts and a Dilettante chocolate medley. Thanks to Ted Virdone from Councilmember Sawant’s office for attending and filling us in on possible legislation, which would negatively affect the Metropolitan Park District’s fund. (See John Barber’s notes on that subsequent meeting.) ~Diane Snell

During the early afternoon of Tuesday, December 18, the most powerful tornado to strike Washington since 1986 slammed into southern Port Orchard on the Olympic Peninsula. And while this twister was very different from the tempests that ravage the Great Plains each spring, it still damaged approximately 50 buildings and toppled many trees/power lines as it tracked through the area. Based on the observed damage, the NWS rated this tornado as an EF-2 with peak wind speeds of 120–130mph. The tornado left a trail of destruction 140 miles long and was quite wide, with a maximum width of 250–300 yards. Like many tornadoes, it only lasted for a couple minutes, with the tornado touching down by 1:50pm and dissipating by 1:55pm. Tornadoes are rare in the Pacific Northwest because we lack the atmospheric instability to support deep convection. And even on those very rare occasions when the atmosphere over our area is extremely unstable and primed for thunderstorm formation, we almost never have the wind shear in the lower and midlevels of the atmosphere required to make these thunderstorms rotate and spin up tornadoes in the process. Tuesday was nothing more than a typical day of cool, post-frontal “showers and sunbreaks” for most folks, with a weakly unstable atmosphere and some isolated thundershowers for a lucky few. So, with such a marginally unstable atmosphere and weak wind shear, how did Western Washington end up seeing its strongest tornado in 32 years? To find the answer, we need to highlight the differences between how the Plains and Pacific Northwest tornadoes form. The tornadoes over the Great Plains and other regions east of the Continental Divide are generally formed when strong wind shear causes an entire thunderstorm to rotate, and a tornado forms when this strong rotation extends all the way to the Earth’s surface. While fully-rotating Pacific Northwest thunderstorms do occur from time-to-time, most of our tornadoes are caused by particularly strong areas of local rotation in a thunderstorm that are relatively divorced from that thunderstorm’s overall structure. If a Plains tornadic thunderstorm rotates like a giant, single whirlpool, Pacific Northwest tornadoes spin up from turbulent eddies within a more disorganized thunderstorm. This tornado likely formed because there was some weak wind shear in the lee of the Olympics, and as the thunderstorm that spawned this tornado moved into the Port Orchard region, it ingested some of this rotating air into its updraft and created a tornado in the process. A few tornadoes have formed in the lee of the Olympics before, so there may be tendency for the Olympics to induce weak shear—and the potential for relatively weak, short-lived tornadoes—over the Kitsap Peninsula during periods of unstable onshore flow. Tornadoes have occurred over the Seattle metro area as well, and many of these are associated with Puget Sound Convergence Zones, where the contrasting northerly and southerly winds cause localized areas of circulation and weak tornadoes/funnel clouds as a result. Washington only averages a couple tornadoes a year and most are EF-0s, but if a strong shower or Puget Sound Convergence Zone is overhead, keep your eye out for any semblance of a funnel cloud or a weak tornado. While it will likely be a while before the next EF-2 strikes Western Washington, I wouldn’t be surprised if an EF-0 strikes Western Washington during 2019. ~Charlie Phillips Charlie Phillips, a Madrona resident, received his B.S. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Washington and works in Portland as a meteorologist. Check out his weather website at to charlie.weathertogether.net .

My relationship with Dr. King was decades old, so I felt compelled to see the sculpture honoring him as soon as I could. Getting to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was a struggle as many did not seem to know the location of the monument; I finally got directions from a Danish teacher on a visit to the U.S. with her students. At last, I arrived. I immediately began reading the quotations, deciding early that I had to photograph each. Words have always been important to me because I think we can solve any problem if we talk about it. But we have to agree on definitions and listen to each other. Planning our response as the other person speaks usually does not lead to resolving a problem. In each of Dr. King’s quotations I saw the opposition, imagined what they would say or think; I could hear Dr. King making his points. I could also hear the silence of the many who ignored what he had to say or, worse, would pay lip service to his words. I deliberately read all of the words before I gazed at the front of the sculpture. “Out of a mountain of desperation comes a stone of hope,” is on the left side of the sculpture. This stone with the likeness of Dr. King seems to have been shoved, carved from between the two boulders behind it. Interestingly, Stone Mountain, near Dr. King’s home, is not mentioned, but “stone” and “mountain” are on the side of the sculpture. The first time I heard of Stone Mountain was when he referred to it in I Have a Dream. On the other side is the paraphrased “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.” (No, the words should not have been paraphrased.) I recalled when everyone was invited to attend the March on Washington; I was set to go alone. Never had it occurred to me that my mother would say I could not go, but she did. Hurt and disappointed, but never thinking of disobeying my mother, I sat on the floor in the front room listening to Dr. King. What I remember most was the way he repeated, “I have a dream” and how I had never seen any of those places where “Justice runs’ down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.” I wanted him to know we wanted justice in my town too. Many people in many places wanted that justice, peace and righteousness. As I looked at the words engraved on the granite, remembering some and being introduced to others, my mind ignored order; it darted from one King incident or event to another. When I began teaching in 1970, very little African-American literature was in our textbooks, but Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail was in just about every Composition 101 book as an example of argumentation or persuasion. For more than thirty years, I used it, but went a step farther: I made copies of the letter the eight Birmingham clergymen had written (and published in the newspaper). They called the demonstrations “unwise and untimely.” Students were required to read what provoked Dr. King before reading his response. I always said he might not have had the time to write such a marvelous reply had he not been in jail. Birmingham authorities did not let Dr. King have newspapers and stationery; friends had to smuggle items to him. They smuggled out his reply. Were logic the essence of the leaders of our government, slavery and countless other acts of unfairness would never have existed. People often ask, demand that others wait for what they themselves already have. Perhaps it was from this letter that I learned logic often is not part of the equation of our arguments though a true argument rests on a proposition supported by logic; when we disagree we usually want power, and people never willingly give up power; if they give anything, it is to prevent more power from being taken from them. As much as I regret those words were not selected, I am well pleased with the selected quotations. The “good words” could not all be included. Finally, I looked at the sculpture. Good job! Excellent job! “Awesome” is appropriate. I know there are those who want black stone or at least stone less white, and those who think the image does not look enough like Dr. King and those who want his words verbatim. But overall, I am delighted. Dr. King often had that pose. He often carried papers in his hand. What pleases me most is the presence of a sculpture honoring a great, well-known African-American/black/Negro/colored person on The Mall. And this sculpture was installed during the tenure of the first African-American president. No sculpture has ever made me feel such pride. ~Georgia S. McDade

For the past nine years, the Giving Garland, a holiday charitable program at Leschi Elementary School, has served families in need of help during the holidays. On behalf of the families who received help, we extend a tremendous thank you to everyone who gave so generously and willingly! This year we helped 41 families with 141 children celebrate the holidays with toys, bikes, books, games, clothing, bedding, diapers, groceries and more. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our school and greater neighborhood communities, we were able to distribute over $10,000 in gift cards, $4,100 of which were for groceries to Safeway and Grocery Outlet, and approximately 700 gifts! Wow! Thank you! Your generosity made a huge difference in so many lives. “This is my family’s first time on the Giving Garland. I am humbled by the kindness we are receiving. So Blessed and thankful!” “I cannot believe this is all for my family. Thank you so much! We appreciate you and all of the givers more than I can ever express. God bless you.” A special thank you for making it all come together goes out to Jennifer Marquardt, Katie Busby, Charles Burdell (and the Broadmoor Community), the Leschi Community Council, Julie Smith, Robyn Hagle, Jeni & Kris Owens, Jo Usher, Lisa Mihn, Mr. & Mrs. Donaldson, Ms. Irma Nickels and Ms. Stout. ~Benson Funk Wilder

We encourage you to read John Barber’s report of the meeting with Ted Virdone, Policy analyst in Councilmember Sawant’s office (see page 4). As John pointed out, the public was promised that if we voted for the controversial Metropolitan Park District, funds would be distributed equitably throughout the city for our much backlogged maintenance issues and not be diverted to large projects like the waterfront park. Well, I F Stone warned us many years ago that all governments lie and so they did. It now appears that those expected to pay under the LID levy are balking. There’s a 25 million dollar gap and if they are successful in raiding the MPD funds, our 20-year backlogs will lengthen into your grandchildren’s lifetimes. One can visit the Seattle Waterfront website which is quite comprehensive and see what those fees would be. It appears they are one-time fees, which can be paid in total or in payments annually or monthly over 20 years. The figures presented are based on the median value: $2400 for condominium owners and $7400 for hotels (remember these are median values and 50% lie below these values and 50% above.) They seemed reasonable to me. They certainly seem reasonable for large hotels that will benefit most from the waterfront park as another added attraction to staying there. Many suggestions were given at the meeting to avoid raiding the MPD funds. My inclination if I were Mayor would be to stop construction by these facilities and put what funds exist into some aspect of the project, which would not benefit these property owners. For this group to expect the MPD to pay the $25 million, means that they haven’t bothered to look at our unmaintained parks. And I kind of resent what I see as Amazon tactics on the part of the objecting landowners. The Giving Season And on a higher note, we want to thank all of you who have renewed on a timely basis and added something extra for our “work”! Your donations have helped us make $800 in donations to Leschi Elementary School ($300 for the Easter break backpacks and $500 for the Giving Garland) and $800 to the Central Area Senior Center (aka The Central) by buying a table at their fundraising Holiday Gala. We also meet the gaps in ArtWalk funding, sponsor a holiday concert of Garfield Orchestra students in December (the charge for the music goes to FOGO, Friends of Garfield Orchestra who use funds where they are needed to keep the orchestra going). Donations also help us to put on the annual Flo Ware event for kids. The donations will also go to the February wine tasting to benefit (aka The Central). And there are some monthly newsletter expenses that are not covered by our subscription fees and ad revenue. And thank you to those who donate snacks for our monthly meetings. ~Diane Snell