Build Lake City Together Regular Meeting Monthly Meeting Notes
Next meeting is Tuesday, March 30th from 3pm to 4:30pm – https://chs-wa.zoom.us/j/96878704383
Notes for 2/18/21 Attendance:
Ann Fuller/Chris Leverson/Andres Mantilla/Miranda Heath/Philip Shack/Jenn Eaglespeake/Jimi Hightower/Kelly Brown/Judy Kuguru/Annettte Heide-Jesen/Lynda Musselman/Mark Mendez/Molly Burke/Muriel Lawty
Nancy Pew/Osbaldo Hernandez/Patty Camacho/Shawna McMahon/Shira Rosen/Staci Wilkie/Kelly McKinney
Donald Moody/Hayden Bixby/Hazel/Marty Curry/Dan Stern/Andrea Moody
- Nancy Pew is retiring in March, but she is so excited to remain active in the community! Nancy is
truly a part of the fabric of Lake City, and we just can’t thank her enough for the joy and energy
she has brought to this community. - We raised over $30,000 for the businesses that were affected by the fire in December. All of
those businesses will be receiving some funds next week. Chris will be posting updates on the
Enjoy Lake City website. The arson investigation is still ongoing. - Jenn Eaglespeaker followed up with Seattle Public Utilities about 26th Ave litter pick up route
and possibility needle disposal box. The needle disposal box will be placed in the park by the
Lake City Community Center next month. - Seattle Police Captain Brian Stampfl from North Precinct has identified two officers who will be
working with LEAD in Lake City to better coordinate efforts - Community listening session for immigrant and refugee families will be held on March 18. More details coming.
- Lake City Business Association: BLCT has put out a call to action looking for volunteers to take a
couple post cards to local businesses who are not currently members of the Lake City Business
Association. - Andres Mantilla, from the Department of Neighborhoods.
a. We just finished a great project called Reimagine Seattle, a storytelling project in which
community members from across the city reflect on their current experiences in Seattle,
how they’ve been impacted by the events of 2020, and their hopes for the future of our
city. Lake City’s own Mark Mendez was one of the community leaders featured, and you
can read his article here: https://frontporch.seattle.gov/2021/01/11/reimagine-seattlemark-mendez/
b. We’re in the middle of so many overlapping crises: the pandemic, the economic crisis,
the racial reckoning of last summer that continues and those that were struggling
before the pandemic are feeling those impacts even more now. So many people are
losing not only their jobs but their industry.
c. What does revitalization look like in neighborhoods like Lake City?
i. Pamela Banks, Office of Economic Development, is really focused on recovery
driven by neighborhood districts. Everything is interconnected. In downtown,
offices are at about 15% occupancy. So we are looking at how to support
neighborhood businesses while workers who are now working in their own
neighborhoods do their eating, socializing, etc.
d. Neighborhood Matching Fund
i. There is an application open. There have been some changes made due to
feedback that the $100,000 awards were too large to spend, and it ended up
meaning we had less awards to give out in the community. Through strategic
planning, we are focusing heavily on BIPOC communities and BIPOC
investments. We want to make sure that we are being intentional with where
money is going.
ii. In 2020, we were allocated some new funds around the sweet and beverage
tax, and by ordinance that money has to go back into the communities where it
was collected. We extended existing awardees with additional funds. In 2021,
we will be looking at a new process in processing closely involving both
communities and the sweet and beverage tax committee.
e. Voice Your Choice
i. Due to budget cuts in 2020 and into 2021, VYC took a million dollar cut. That
project is funded through a real estate excise tax, which bottomed out in 2020.
ii. We decided to fulfill the commitments that we had made as a program to past
projects, especially with the frustration around the city at incomplete projects.
In 2021, we will be pausing the process to focus on incomplete projects from
2017-2020.
iii. There is a lot of momentum around participatory budgeting. In 2021, King
County Equity Now is conducting research around participatory budgeting. Click
here to learn more: https://www.kingcountyequitynow.com/blackresearch
f. Vaccinations: If you look at the stats, Lake City is interchangeably at the highest or
second-highest rate of COVID infections in Seattle. That means we have to be super
intentional with how we are distributing vaccines. The city government is only getting
1,000 vaccinations per week (of both doses), but we are trying very hard to target senior
living and get vaccinations out the door.
i. Why is there not a testing and vaccination site in Lake City? We have a large
community of unhoused people, essential workers, etc.
1. Answer: In terms of testing, the testing sites were created. In terms of
vaccinations, there is not a great supply of vaccines so we have to do
targeted outreach into communities. One of the frustrations is that
homeless people are not yet prioritized for vaccinations; they will be
prioritized in Tier 4 (1B4).
ii. Andres will be sharing profiles put out by the city of people who have been
vaccinated from different communities, races, and ethnic backgrounds to build
up trust and confidence in being vaccinated, especially because communities
most vulnerable to contracting COVID are also often most wary of the vaccine.
g. Seattle Together: https://seattletogether.org/
i. Seattle Together is a citywide initiative to support, uplift, and celebrate the
enormous goodwill, generosity, and empathy that has come from our Seattle
community in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also a platform for
combating social isolation…providing ideas, resources, and tools for connecting
neighbors to one another, to their communities, and to arts and culture. - Josh Wolters, Student Connection WA
a. Student Connection provides free tutoring for students, especially those who would not
otherwise be able to access tutoring services.
b. They provide tutoring to students living in a variety of housing circumstances such as
low-income housing and homeless shelters.
c. Their main goal is to provide tutoring to students who need more academic support
than they are currently receiving.
d. Some statistics Joshua shared in his presentation:
i. Low-income students meet grade-level standards about 30% of the time, while
higher income students meet those same standards about 60% of the time.
ii. Within two weeks of beginning tutoring sessions, students reported feeling
more motivated in school.
e. Student Connection tutors can:
i. Tutor students of all ages and in all subjects.
ii. Help with motivation in school.
iii. Help with planning and organizing school work.
iv. Provide SAT and ACT tutoring.
v. Help students with college applications.
f. All tutors are youth themselves, so to begin tutoring they have to go through an
application process:
i. Interview and application
ii. Teaching and diversity training
iii. Washington State Criminal History Background Check
g. Tutoring sessions:
i. Due to COVID-19, all tutoring is taking place through zoom or other video calling
platforms. However, this also means that there is no geographical limit on who
can be tutored through this program.
ii. When it is safe to gather again, referrals can come from both North and South
King County.
iii. Student Connection offers 1 hour sessions once or twice per week, depending
on student need.
h. To refer students for tutoring, go to www.studentconnectionwa.org/apply. - North Helpline will be doing Empty Bowls in a socially-distanced way. Emails going out next
week with more information. - North Seattle Family Center is offering a new Play & Learn group in Amharic and Tigrinya.