Yearly Archives: 2013

Liquor Control Board to hold public hearing on revised rules for recreational marijuana businesses

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The state Liquor Control Board will hold a public hearing tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. to discuss its recent revisions to rules governing recreational marijuana businesses. The meeting will take place at Seattle City Hall‘s Bertha Knight Landes Room, at 600 4th Avenue.

The revised rules were released Sept. 4 and address issues with the original draft. The new version limits the amount of marijuana produced and details how many retailers will

Map showing potential pot shop locations in yellow, including area around the 23rd and Union intersection in the Central District.

be allowed across the state. This includes 334 proposed retail locations in Washington, with 21 slated for Seattle.

According to the I-502 website, “These rules reflect the Board’s stated goal of developing a tightly regulated and controlled market, and also demonstrate the agency’s initial thinking on how best to achieve that market. The Board is concerned with out-of-state diversion of product, traceability of products, responsible business practices, youth access and other public and consumer safety issues.”

As we’ve discussed on Central District News, the Board’s location restrictions limit retail shops to only a handful of areas in the city. Potential locations, per these rules, include the area around 23rd and Union, which has Central District neighbors raising both concerns and cheers at the possibility of pot shops here. The Board has made no decisions about whether they’ll allow clustering shop locations or make efforts to deliberately disperse them.

We’ll continue to cover the story as rules develop and we move closer to the reality of pot shops in Washington.

23rd and Union- the Future Pot Shop Central? City Hall Liquor Board Hearing 10/08/13

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Estimated-Cannabis-Business-location-analysis-mapApproved by voters in November 2012, Initiative 502 allows the legal production and sale of marijuana for medical and recreational use.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board has developed rules to regulate the production and sales of marijuana ruling that ‘pot shops’ cannot be located within 1000 ft. in any direction from a school, park, childcare center, arcade, public transit facility, or playground. The city’s proposed locations for marijuana retail outlets that fall within the rules are identified in yellow in the attached map.  As you can see on the map, the area around 23rd and Union is outside of the restrictions and could therefore be zoned for one, two, three or more pot shops. To my knowledge “Saturation” limits have not been addressed by the rule-makers. In other words, there possibly could be 10 shops in a four block radius.

Several citizens working and living in the area have expressed significant concern about and opposition to the city’s estimated location of pot shops in the 23rd and Union area.

EastPAC Board member Randy Beaulieu is coordinator for the Central Seattle Drug Free Communities Coalition, works in whose mission it is “To unite the community in an effort to create a safe community free of alcohol, drugs and violence.”  Randy says that “research indicates that when perception of harm decreases, actual use increases.”

His comments were included in a recent KUOW radio interview:

http://kuow.org/post/could-23rd-union-become-pot-central

The 23rd and Union folks have indicated that the presence of these pot shops in their neighborhood gives a negative message about their neighborhood.  “Why the CD, and not neighborhoods with higher income residents?” is the ages old question.

The Liquor Control Board is holding a public hearing on Tuesday, October 8th, in City Hall’s Bertha Knight Landes Room.   It is important that citizens attend to have their voices heard!

I-502:  Rulemaking on Marijuana Production and Sales

WA State Liquor Control Board HEARING

Public Meeting – October 8 @ City Hall @ 6 PM

Photos: Cappy’s 4th annual Central District Boxing Revival

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Cappy’s Boxing Gym hosted its fourth annual Central District Boxing Revival Saturday at Garfield Community Center. The event featured bouts between amateur boxers, ages 8 to 34, from clubs all over the Northwest region.

Proceeds from the night of boxing went to support Cappy’s, the CD’s own not-for-profit boxing gym at 22nd and Union.

Photographer Truman Buffett was there and took some incredible photos (used here with permission). You can see more on his Facebook page.

Commuunity Change

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2011 Cappy’s Boxing Club 501c3 adopted the empty lot across the street. This property, owned by the Good Shepard Lutheran Church, was filled with tall standing weeds hiding underlying junk.  The lot cleanup, sponsored by Scott Meredith, provided Boxers the opportunity to practice Life Skills.  These Skills included  digging, hauling, carrying and developing Community Pride.

Cappy’s Boxing Club 501c3 continued to foster the lot.  The Club established a garbage can, and the lot shifted into an informal Community Dog Park.  Cappy’s Boxing Club mowed it in the summers, emptied the garbage can all seasons and conducted Old School Training Sessions in the space.  The Good Shepard Lutheran Church continued to use its property for overflow parking during special events.

September 2013, with one days notice, Cappy’s Boxing Gym learned that the lot had been transferred to a Nickelsville encampment.  Immediately Community Change  happened.

The lot filled with tent-type structures, a pallet fence, Honey Pots and new residents.  Last week a Cappy’s Boxing Gym Member reported his car, parked at E Pine and 22nd, had his car broken into while working out at Cappy’s.  He returned home and tracked his phone to the Nickelsville encampment.

Cappy’s Boxing Gym owner, Cap Kotz, crossed the street to the Nickelsville encampment to ask questions.  What happened?  How had this Community Change come about.  Seems the answer is the theft seems to have been at the hands of a visitor to the area.  Clearly the visitor visited the Nickelsville encampment, though no one seems to know who this visitor was.

Cappy’s Boxing Club 501c3 continues to uphold its commitment to the lot once empty and weed filled, aka informal dog park aka Nickelsville encampment.  Stay tuned for Nickelsviulle encampment 22nd & E union Resident Stories as hosted by CBC (Cappy’s Boxing Club 501c3)  If you wish to support our efforts, please check out our website cappysgym.com and link to Cappy’s Boxing cCub

 

New Art Studio – Emerald City Fired Arts Studio & Gallery!

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Emerald City Fired Arts in Seattle, WAWe are a new paint your own pottery, mosaics and glass fusion studio! Walk-in anytime during business hours and create some hand-made art! Plus we offer classes, workshops, camps, birthday parties, ladies night out and other events. We provide all materials and supplies including bisqueware, stamps, stencils, idea books, mosaic and glass fusion supplies and more. Ideal for kids and adults. We also showcase local artists’ work on our gallery walls. We hope to create with you soon!

Emerald City Fired Arts Studio & Gallery

www.emeraldcityfiredarts.com

3333 Rainier AVE S

Seattle, WA 98144

206-721-0450

Tues-Sat 11am-7pm

Sun 12pm-6pm

 

 Emerald City Fired Arts in Seattle, WAEmerald City Fired Arts in Seattle, WA

The Seattle City Librarian wants to hear from Central District residents

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In September, City Librarian Marcellus Turner began a series of 12 community conversations throughout the city. The goal is to provide an update on the implementation of the Library levy and to hear from the community about how the Library can better serve our city’s neighborhoods.   (You can find the full schedule here.)

Two Community Conversations will be held in Central Seattle:

Douglass-Truth Branch Library
Wednesday, November 6
3:30  – 4: 45 pm

Capitol Hill Branch Library
Thursday, February 13
5:30 – 6:45 pm

Light refreshments will be provided.

Why you should go to Garfield Community Ctr. on Sat.

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Health insurance could save Ben Smith’s life. And maybe yours, too.

Ben Smith of Seattle was one of the first to enroll under the new health law.

Ben Smith was one of the first to enroll under the new health law.

Smith was struggling to make ends meet and couldn’t afford his own insurance, despite a heart condition. Then, a brain aneurysm sent him to Harborview hospital. Now, he’s out of work and uninsured, leaving him vulnerable if he has complications.

That’s why the Central Area resident was one of the first to sign-up with Washington Healthplanfinder.

Finally, affordable health insurance is available, without fear of discrimination, even if you have a “pre-existing condition.”

Still, enrolling might seem daunting, if you don’t have good internet access, or don’t like the idea of signing up by yourself using a website.

One of the best opportunities for anyone on the Hill or in the Central Area is this Saturday, October 5, from 2-5pm at Garfield Community Center.  A team of In-Person Assisters will be joined by representatives from insurance plans, all under one roof.

If you have questions about how this system works, or want help understanding the insurance choices in the new online marketplace, assisters can walk you through the details – and even complete your enrollment all at once. Translators will be on hand, too, for anyone who speaks Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese or Chinese.

This is a good time to get personal attention, as people are still hearing about the new system.  For anyone who signs up before December 23, medical coverage begins on January 1, 2014.

Nearly 70,000 adults in Seattle don’t have health insurance. That’s leaving them vulnerable not only to sickness and injuries, but it’s a threat to their financial health as well.  Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to have to choose between paying for rent or for medical bills.

If you can’t make it Saturday, the City of Seattle and Public Health – Seattle & King County have teamed up for smaller “in-person” enrollment events around the city in coming months, many of them at public libraries.

Ben Smith told his story to Governor Jay Inslee and King County Executive Dow Constantine, on Tues. Oct. 1, 2013:

<iframe src=”http://www.tvw.org/scripts/iframe_video.php?eventID=2013100057&start=&stop=879” width=”550″ height=”320″></iframe>

http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2013100057#stop=879

19th and Madison park gets a name — Welcome to Cayton Corner

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Honoring a writer, newspaper editor and leader in Seattle’s black community, the planned public green space for the lot at 19th and Madison will be named Cayton Corner Park.

Susie Revels Cayton, daughter to the first U.S. Senator of African descent, arrived in Seattle in 1896:

Susie Revels Cayton soon became a leader in Seattle’s black community. She was named associate editor of The Seattle Republican and, later, contributing editor of Cayton’s Weekly. She was an active member of cultural and social organizations designed to improve the conditions of African Americans, including the “Sunday Forum,” a group of black Seattleites that met on a regular basis. Along with three other black women, Susie Cayton founded the Dorcus Charity Club in response to an urgent plea to help a set of abandoned twins. The club continued its charitable work for years.

Following a naming process this summer, the community group working to help plan the new park announced the decision earlier this week. If you’d like to get involved, their next meeting is October 8th, 6:30 PM at the Hearing, Speech & Deafness Center adjacent to the park space.

Residents celebrated at the space now known as Cayton Corner on Seattle’s Night Out in August (Image: CHS)

Thanks for making our first subscriber drive a success!

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Just a quick post to thank our 72 supporters, who chipped in to help us get tantalizingly close to our goal of 100 subscribers. We didn’t reach our goal, but we got close — and that’s a win in my book for our first ever fundraising drive.

We know how important Central District News is to you, and we appreciate the support. With your help, we’ll continue bringing independent news coverage to your computer screen daily.