May 4, 2016—Meeting began with the Leschi Star Awards to residents who have made a difference. Our speaker was Grant Ballingham, acting East Precinct Captain while Capt. Paul McDonagh is away. He covered the new reporting mechanism for the Seattle Police department: SeaStat. One can view the statistics online, but internally they capture a picture of the most prevalent crimes, what is up and what is down compared to last month and the year before, and the Captain decides what is to be done about it. He spoke about the prevalence of car break-ins as seen on NextDoor Leschi. Even when nothing of value is in sight, folks are finding their windows smashed and things of little value (except to the owner) taken, like workout clothes in a gym bag in the trunk. Grant felt that these crimes are driven by addiction, even though the gains can be small. Again, he encouraged folks not to leave valuables in their cars, but this is a hard one for the police to deal with unless they hear about a robbery in progress. Most folks discover it the next morning or even a few days later. He urged reporting it even if you have not seen anything suspicious. He had been asked about the coming long hot summer, when we often have gunfire near our favorite parks. The Chief is planning for increased staff to be visible near the hot spots and the East Precinct is planning to hold their summer picnic at Powell Barnett Park this year: July 16. Grant answered some audience questions and we had a short discussion about what is “suspicious activity.” He agreed that it was situational and one person’s suspicious activity might not be the same for someone in a high traffic area. Elections After 3 months of declaring the upcoming elections in the Leschi News, the biennial elections were finally held. Current officers were term limited and the Board did not feel that changing the by-laws was appropriate. A slate had been prepared: President: Yousef Shulman Vice-President: Yuki Igarashi Secretary: Diane Snell Treasurer: Amy Fink Each prospective Board member introduced themselves and spoke briefly about their background. A motion was made by Darrell Howe to vote on the slate as a whole; Diane Morris offered the second. The vote was unanimous in support. The two Dianes thanked the community for their support during their two terms and both expressed their gratitude for representing a community where residents pitch in and help! Diane Morris took time to announce the next Stairway project: Randolph stairs from East Alder up to Randolph, a series of 3 sets of stairs. ~Respectfully submitted by Diane Snell

On July 9th, a group of residents concerned about moorage met with Concilmember Kshama Sawant and then Councilmember Bruce Harrell to discuss the pertinent issues. Jeannie O’Brien of Lakewood CC and Kristin Shober who manages the Lakewood Marina came with data that showed they could manage the Lakewood Marina successfully without a private entity. Leschi Marina suffers from poor repair. Although the past Mayor with the approval of the City Council set aside $4 million to do repairs at the South Marina, none of that money has ever been spent. Although that money was approved two yeaers ago, it still sits with Parks. It is possible that Leschi could also be self-sustaining IF marina fees were used for needed upkeep rather than being transferred to the general fund as has happened in the past. Both Councilmembers Sawant and Harrell agreed to discuss this issue with Councilmember Jean Godden who heads up the Parks Committee on the Council. Leschi Parks Chair John Barber prepared the following letter to send to councilmembers and Mayor: LESCHI COMMUNITY COUNCIL 140 LAKESIDE AVE. SUITE A #2 SEATTLE, WA 98122 Leschi Community Council 140 Lakeside Avenue, Suite A, #2 Seattle, WA 98122 Seattle City Councilmember Jean Godden Attn: Parks, Seattle Center, Libraries, and Gender Pay Equality Committee 600 Fourth Avenue, 2nd Floor Seattle, WA 98124-4025 Dear City Councilmember Godden, In August 2013, Parks Acting Superintendent Christopher Williams announced that $4 million had been allocated for the renovation of the South Leschi Moorage due to seriously deteriorating conditions.These funds were approved by the previous Mayor and the City Council two years ago. Very little of that budget allocation has been utilized and consequently the moorage facility is in worse shape yet. The boating community, several living in our neighborhood, are suffering from the lack of timely repair of the moorage facility at South Leschi Moorage and also with poor conditions at North Leschi Moorage. Please note also that moorage fee revenue has produced the amount of $1 million yearly for the last several years. Operating costs were covered, but maintenance was ignored. 39% was diverted for general park purposes, not moorage repairs. This is to request that the appropriated funds be implemented in short order towards the renovation of South Leschi Moorage. Sincerely, Diane Morris & Diane Snell Diane Snell and Diane Morris Co-Presidents Lesch Community Council c: Bruce Harrell, Seattle City Council Kshama Sawant, Seattle City Council Mayor Ed Murray ~John Barber

Editor’s note: We offered our editorial page to John Barber for an opinion piece he has written on dogs and parks. His views in no way represent those of the Leschi News, the editor or the Leschi Community Council Board. In January, the Seattle Parks Department will issue a report that recommends a revised policy about dogs — off-leash or on-leash — in park-owned lands. Some dog advocates have pushed for more than just more fenced off-leash areas, but also open unfenced places to take dogs off-leash, including Leschi Park and the natural areas in Leschi — Frink Park, upper Leschi Park, Peppi’s Playground, and the Leschi Natural Area. As a dog owner, daily park user and volunteer/Forest Steward, I’ve had experience since 1971 with my own dogs and with other owners and their dogs. It can be fun to watch dogs playing, but off-leash dogs here are a problem on many levels and result in conflicts between park users that are difficult to resolve: We’ve had numerous instances of park volunteers and forest stewards getting their hands and shoes smeared with dog waste. In the landscaped areas, dog owners often don’t see their dogs doing their business, and when they do see them, they can’t find the waste, or don’t look. When vegetative ground cover or long grass obscure the location of dog feces, the soil and groundwater system is polluted, park maintenance staff who weed-whack the area are imperiled, and exploring kids are exposed to the dog doo. Barking, charging dogs intimidate park users, and because there are all manner of dogs and levels of responsibility by owners, dogs are too often a threat to other dogs, animals, and park users. Some potential park users are deterred from enjoying parks because of the threat of off-leash dogs. Volunteers and forest stewards who toil to restore native vegetation see their efforts undermined by dogs tearing up the plantings and scraping the soil on a regular basis. During the wet season, dogs in Leschi’s parks (like the grassy level area next to the tennis courts) damage the grass turf and make the park areas less useful for teaching tikes to play soccer or baseball, volleyball games, informal field sports or just walking or lying on the grass. Contrary to discouraging uncontrolled dogs in open areas, fenced off-leash areas tend to simply encourage more dog owners to exercise their pets outside the fenced areas. We’ve even seen owners throwing balls over the fence to deliberately encourage their dog to jump the fence. Some cities have experimented with allowing dogs off leash in limited park areas and hours. We should learn from that experience and make sure the conditions at such areas are relevant here, before experimenting with this policy. But, overall, I think that we need to face up to the realization that we are an urban area with limited park land and various levels of responsibility by dog owners and limited ability to enforce the laws. For the safety of dogs and our fellow urban citizens and for a clean environment, I believe that dogs outside should always be leashed. Public policy should encourage residents to choose small, less needy of exercise, pets and not set up conflicts among the users of parks. ~John Barber

In January we published the story of the Ronald House and how landmark status was achieved for this beautifully restored home. With the focus on restoration and jumping through the hoops for establishing the home as a landmark, we said little about the man behind the house: James Theodore Ronald. Although he would become a historical figure in Seattle, he came from humble beginnings. He was born the second of nine children to a struggling farm family in the Missouri Ozarks. He was the first in his family to graduate from college. He then traveled to California (1875) where he taught school in various small communities in the northeast (the Sierra foothills area.) He made the trip on what was called the emigrant train, not a first class adventure. One had to bring their own food along to make the 8 day trip from Omaha to Sacramento. In 1877, his beloved Rhoda Coe made the trek from Missouri with a couple they both knew, and they married in Stockton. He had first met her in 1874, when she was only 16, and in his impetuous way, he declared her “the girl of my dreams”. Rhoda was more serious and took her time making decisions, but she was obviously a plucky young woman to make that trek across country to marry him three years later and live in what were essentially frontier towns in that era.. Although he soon rose to become a principal, J T Ronald had greater ambitions. He used the summer months to study law and passed the bar in 1882. He took the advice of a traveling evangelist to go to Seattle, “a little town on Puget Sound….a town which is certain some day to become a great city.” But it was a struggle: Seattle was a town with too many lawyers and not enough paying customers. He was fortunate to be appointed a Deputy District Attorney for King County at a salary of $20 per month. He became the Prosecuting Attorney in 1885. The young couple often had to share housing with others and lived in areas that were not close to town. Rhoda never complained according to his memoirs, even though he knew she must have been lonely, especially when their good friends and neighbors decided to go back to California. It was after the great fire that he eventually built the home on 30th (which was then called Rainier Ave.) His description of the great fire is extremely interesting, as it was quite personal for him. His law office was on the third floor of a building at First & Cherry, and when it caught fire, he fully expected to lose all of his law library and his records. Miners, whom he had helped with legal matters, came to the rescue and raced up the stairs and down, bringing all his records and all his law books out of the burning building. He lost only a few books of fiction and history. For days men like these tried to rescue what they could from the burning area and instead of finding despair, he remarks that the men who lost entire buildings promised “to build it back bigger than ever“. Rhoda and other women cooked meals in makeshift kitchens for the brave men fighting the fire. Ronald describes the aftermath: “That burnt district, comprising about seventy-five acres, was a city of tents—tents everywhere—in every lot, housing businesses of all kinds.” Being from the South originally, Ronald hired an architect to design the type of house he envisioned. This was the house he and Rhoda lived in with their three daughters until Rhoda’s death. The girls went through school and the University and even married in that house. When Rhoda died in 1926, he was lonely in the house without her and moved to the Exeter Hotel until his own death over 20 years later. Ronald had a busy law practice during those years, but was persuaded to run for Mayor in 1892. He served for two years, and they were not happy years for him. There was a great recession during that time and Seattle, like many cities of the 1890’s, was filled with corruption. Ronald was a man of integrity and it was frustrating to him to be unable to rid the city of its corruption, including the Police Chief. Vested interests fought him at every turn. When his term was over, he went back to practicing law and served on the Board of Regents at the University of Washington. He was appointed to the King County Superior Court in April, 1909, where he served for forty years! This was the job that he loved the most. The Seattle P-I editorial stated on his retirement that: “his never-failing good humor, his broad sense of humanity and his wise counsel will be sorely missed.” Note: It is difficult to fully represent in such a limited space someone who had a long and illustrious career. I would encourage you to read his memoirs. If you are a history buff, you will find the trial of the Wobblies fascinating and if you’re a fan of “Then & Now” memorabilia, you will love his account of a road trip from Seattle to San Francisco in a time when roads were iffy and repair places scarce. The trip took fifteen days! Facts and quotes from Reflections Along the Wayside of Life, Judge J T Ronald’s memoirs. ~Diane Snell

An outdoor gym of exercise equipment for adults will open in Powell Barnett Park, corner of Martin Luther King Way and East Alder Street, at 10am on April 30. There will be a brief ceremony at 10 am, followed by a ribbon cutting at 10:45 am and a demonstration of using the equipment given by neighborhood fitness instructor, Rebecca Francis. At 11:30 am, see a performance by the “Thrillers” dance group performing works by Michael Jackson. Group Health will provide FREE bicycle helmets for kids. Partners for the Fitness Center include the Powell Barnett Legacy Committee, Leschi Community Council, MOMentum, Trust for Public Lands, Seattle Parks Foundation, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as fundering sponsors: the Clarence E Heller Foundation, Tulalip Tribes Charitable Contributions, Stim Bullitt Excellence Fund, Coca Cola Foundation, Group Health, Outdoor Happiness Movement, Wyman Youth Trust, TEW Foundation, Moccasin Lake Foundation, and the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. ~John Barber, Leschi CC, Parks and Openspace Committee Chair

The Parks Department wants to contract marinas out to a private developer/manager like Foss. Many in PAT (Project Advisory Team), especially the Lakewood group, are very disappointed because this will mean huge rate increases. The leading Leschi team members are weary of the delay and want to speed up improvements to S. Leschi marina, regardless of the long-term issues. I remain with a minority opinion to downscale to only human-powered craft. ~John Barber

In the mid 1990’s, a sculpture by renowned African American artist, James Washington, Jr., was installed at the MidTown Center at 23rd & Union. The cover photo shows the artist sitting on the edge of the fountain, which at that time depicted salmon on their arduous return and was aptly named The Fountain of Triumph. Water actually flowed in the fountain then, but it sorely needs both repairs and restoration now. And the bigger concern is what will happen to it in the sale of the property to a new developer? How widely known is the work of this important artist? One can see his sculptures many places in town: one at the Odessa Brown Clinic (to the right of the entrance, nestled in the shrubbery) and one at the Seattle Center’s Playhouse (now the Cornish Playhouse.) It is located in the garden area in the lower patio level of the theater entrance. Unfortunately, his death occurred close to that of Jacob Lawrence, another African-American artist with more of an international reputation; this probably put Washington, his life and his work, in the shadow of his more famous contemporary. Washington and his wife, Janie, were mentors to artists and opened their studio to others during their lifetime. Upon their deaths, the home at 1816 26th Ave. became the Washington Foundation Museum and their mentoring was continued by creating an artist in residence program, providing a place for artists to work and live. The fountain belongs to the Bangasser family and Tom Bangasser has said he hopes it can remain in the Central Area. We do too, although some may wonder when they look at it now: the colors have faded and it has not been a functioning fountain for quite some time. It is often the depository for litter from passers-by, a sad fate for a work of art by an important Seattle artist. A small group of us wants to keep an eye on this work of art to make sure it doesn’t disappear in the many changes at the 23rd & Union intersection and to try to get a larger organization to take on the repair, renovation and possible removal to another site, if that becomes necessary. ~Diane Snell with the help of Susan Platt, Art Critic, and Carolyn Walden, who has been known as the Fountain Lady in the past.

We don’t take a vacation in the summer, as we don’t want to leave Leschi! The weather is beautiful, the fruits of the garden are bountiful and there’s so much going on! Yes, there are a few downsides with disrupted traffic for those eternal marathons (aren’t those folks fit YET?) and the chaos of Seafair but overall, it’s a good place to be. Summer events June 1 Kshama Sawant at our monthly meeting June 5 FLO WARE event with children’s activities 1-4; 28th & Jackson June 18 Rock ‘n Roll Marathon: race disrupts traffic along lake south of Dearborn July 9 Hamlet in Volunteer Park 2-4pm July 16 East Precinct picnic at Powell Barnett Park 1-4; MLK Jr. Way between Alder & Jefferson July 31 Hamlet at Fisher Pavilion (Seattle Center) 2-4pm. August 5-7 SEAFAIR Hydroplane races, Blue Angels, lots of noise, scarce parking, good views from Central Area Senior Center August 27 Jimi Hendrix Park grand opening! No details yet but expect big names in music! Sept. 10 Leschi ArtWalk Arts & Crafts, Music, Children’s Activities in Leschi Park And ALL SUMMER LONG Madrona Farmers’ Market, Fridays, 3-7pm in Grocery Outlet parking lot Bicycle Sundays on Lake Washington Blvd from Mt. Baker Beach to Seward Park; safe cycling for the whole family! 10am-6pm on following Sundays: June 19 & 26; July 3, 10, & 17, Aug. 14 & 28; September 4, 11, 18 & 25 ENJOY! WEAR SUNSCREEN! AND SUNGLASSES IF YOU CAN FIND THEM AFTER OUR LONG GRAY WINTER!

Want to know what was going on in the Central District during the years from 1920 to 1950? Take a stroll down Memory Lane! Twelve long-time Central Area residents participated in interviews to give us a glimpse of the neighborhood during some critical periods of history: two world wars, the Great Depression and the incarceration of the Japanese residents. Privileged to view a short segment a few months ago, the removal of the Japanese families was the most poignant piece for me. The video was produced by Senior Center members over the past year and was funded by a grant from the Department of Neighborhoods. The premiere showing will be held at the First AME church, 1522 14th Ave., on May 15 from 3-5pm. A catered reception follows. ~Diane Snell

The Parks Department has sent out an RFP (Request for Proposal) to try to find a private operator for the three marinas in our area: Lakewood, North and South Leschi marinas. After reading the RFP, a letter of concern was sent by the Leschi CC and the Leschi Business Association to the current manager of the moorage, Paul Wilkinson. The letter was signed by Leschi Market owners, Steve and Yousef Shulman, John Barber, Leschi CC Parks & Greenspace Chair, and myself as co-chair of the Leschi CC. One major concern was the lack of mentioning that concessions could not be put in the Leschi marinas; we had been given this assurance verbally by City Council but without documentation, so did it really happen? Another concern is the retention of the small slips for the smaller boat owner. Leschi has long been a popular moorage spot for the middle class boat owner and it is feared that a private operator will cater to the larger boats with the greater moorage fees. I called Paul Wilkinson to discuss the letter and he did offer reassurance on the concession concern. He felt there was not room at either the North or South marina for a concession; the most that could be offered would be some marine supplies like rope. He also wants to retain the diversity of craft at the Leschi Marinas; we have small, medium and large boats and this is now the home of the Dragon Boats. He shared my vision of a more vibrant marina with small boats to rent as we saw over 100 years ago when Leschi Park was first developed. He addressed the other two issues in our letter of concern: establishing a list of priorities for repairs and environmental issues. He said the South Leschi Marina is the number one item on the priority list: the docks are sinking and must be taken care of first. They are using the $2 million left in Parks budget from the original $4 million approved during the McGinn administration. The other $2 million is in the RFP for the use of the eventual operator, should some entity be chosen in the RFP process. The environmental issue was brought up by our Parks and Greenspace chair, John Barber, who noticed that the Leschi Marinas were not on the state list of those marinas meeting the environmental standards. Paul said that he had signed an agreement that both the Leschi Marinas would be in compliance by the end of 2016. Any proposals from private operators need to be turned in by January 6 and we will be speaking with Paul again after that date. Look for another update in the February issue. (Our moorage letter of concern will be posted on the website.) ~Diane Snell

A $15 order (before tax) will be delivered for free. We went there, parked above QFC free for 30 minutes and ordered take-out, so I won’t bother talking about the ambience (of which there is none). We got the Falafel sandwich (deliciously goopy with tahini sauce) and the Chicken Kabob sandwich (tender, garlicky cubes of chicken). Sandwich means your choice comes wrapped in a warm pita. I ordered the Greek fries as well, because I keep hearing how terrific they are; I am not all that fond of fries and these fries did not make me a supporter. The fries are sprinkled with some kind of seasoning salt, which looks as though it has paprika in it and the whole dish is sprinkled with crumbled feta and parsley. It’s sort of good, but still fries underneath. There are always too many fries and they don’t reheat well so they tend to become yard waste fodder. Prices before tax: $17.47; Falafel was $6.49 and Chicken Kebob was $6.99. My husband says the Chicken Gyro is 20 cents cheaper and not as messy to eat. He thinks that is the best lunch deal in town. These sandwiches are filling; at this moment it is 5 hours past lunch and I am still full. Bonus: You won’t have to cook dinner. Tip: they have Zahri on the menu, which is deep-fried cauliflower with tahini sauce. I have not tried it here, but used to order it as a group appetizer at the old Mediterranean Kitchen, which was at the foot of Queen Anne, when ACT was also there. This is the best cauliflower recipe ever…except for M.F.K. Fisher’s recipe. I fixed the Zahri at home when my grandson was about six, and he pronounced it the best shrimp he had ever eaten. I should write a book on how to keep folks happy as vegetarians! Mediterranean Express 1417 Broadway (Harvard Market bldg.) 206.860.3989 Eat in, take out or have your order delivered! ~Diane Snell

At the January EastPAC meeting, we learned about 2 new systems for emergency alerts: one is AlertSeattle to receive warnings of emergencies and the other is Smart911. AlertSeattle is a free service that you can sign up for to receive alerts through texting, email, and voice mail or on social media (Facebook and Twitter). You sign up online at alert.seattle.gov for the alerts you want: severe weather alerts, major traffic incidents, utility service disruptions and other safety and health alerts. Although there is no charge for this service, there might be a cell phone charge on your end, depending on your service contract. Smart911 is a service that enhances the information the 911 responder has for a cell phone number. Identifying the location of a cell phone caller is rather vague at this point. The example given was a real situation in Michigan, where the caller seemed unable to stop coughing to answer the 911 operator’s questions and his location appeared to be in the middle of a lake. Fortunately the man’s wife had completed the enhanced information for his cell phone which showed his actual address (on the lake, not in it) and other data that helped emergency responders reach the man in time to pull him from a burning house, unconscious but alive. Smart911 allows one to create their personal safety profile, including address and phone number and even medical information that might be pertinent. One can add as much or as little as they wish. The speaker assured the group that it was a secure system; the only way the personal data can be retrieved is when the caller uses the associated cell phone number to call 911. No one can access the information by name, address, etc. Go to Smart911.com to create a profile. Again this service is free. It is currently being offered to unincorporated King County and in Seattle, eventually being rolled out to all county communities. One can imagine that this service would be especially important to those with health conditions, hearing loss or residents not proficient in English. ~Diane Snell