Madison Park
Four decades ago, the Madison Park Community Council (MPCC) was restarted after a two-decade-long hiatus. Over those last 40 years, MPCC has completed about 40 projects benefiting the immediate community. These have, of course, required money, which has come both from our local citizenry and government coffers. Securing the public money has required MPCC to initiate and maintain convivial relationships with our local elected officials.
This new year brings with it a significant shift in the city’s political structure, whereby City Council members will be elected mostly by district — seven districts, in fact, instead of at-large. At-large members will be reduced to two from the current nine. This means that the choice of our local District 3 representative will become quite critical if he or she is to fairly represent us.
The start of the campaign season for council members is seemingly upon us already. A friend’s wedding reception on Dec. 27 provided the unusual and informal first venue for the local politicos to start to delicately campaign. The only council incumbent in our new district is Kshama Sawant, who is rapidly achieving notoriety as a radical socialist. We are certainly not a political body, but we have a vested interest in keeping our neighborhood projects near the top of the City Council’s budget priorities. Your input on this subject is welcomed.
On Dec. 20, a record turnout of the community — a couple of head counts yielded an estimate of 1,080 of us — was on Madison Park Beach in late afternoon for the arrival of the Christmas Ships. This event is eagerly awaited every year and constitutes MPCC’s biggest “bash” of the season.
We were well entertained by a 12-piece jazz band playing in the bathhouse; the band is composed primarily of members of the Mount Zion Baptist Church musicians, plus members of the Emerald City Jazz Band.
Free drinks for everyone were generously provided by Starbucks (coffee, naturally); Madison Park Hardware (hot chocolate) and the new-to-our-neighborhood Beachhouse Café (hot cider). Plus many plates of goodies to eat were donated by our frequent supporter, Park Shore Retirement Community.
We also had a bonfire on the beach, set up and supervised by Seattle Parks and Recreation, whose staff aided magnificently in the set up and cleanup of the event.
We are still grappling with the speeding issue on Dorffel Drive, though our recent, but not totally popular, physical experiment with a small traffic diversion at the north end did serve to show that the problem is definitely speeding rather than an excessive volume of traffic — either local or cut-through.
Sad to say, we must report on a sudden and unwelcome increase in violent crime in the neighborhood this last month. If you see anything that looks a little suspicious, please don’t hesitate to call 911. We have been told that neighbors reporting suspicious activity is the very best way to the subsequent apprehension of criminals. Calls to 911 don’t need to involve an obvious emergency.
Our Snow Brigade is up and running again this year. There are many posters explaining MPCC’s program in the stores. If you either need help or can help when it snows, please don’t hesitate to call.
— Maurice Cooper, president
Madrona
Twenty years ago this coming February, then-Mayor Norm Rice proclaimed the first Saturday before Valentine’s Day as Neighbor Appreciation Day in Seattle.
Among the many “whereas” statements characteristic of a proclamation, Rice noted that “caring neighbors provide the friendship, security and the occasional cup of sugar that sustain a sense of community,” calling us in Seattle’s neighborhoods to reach out to our neighbors “to create new bonds and to express our thanks for our neighbors’ place in our lives.”
And as the Madrona Community Council has done for 20 years, on Feb. 7, 2015, Madrona will gather to honor neighbors selected for this year’s Neighbor Appreciation awards. Our very special guest, former Mayor Norm Rice, will join us that day at the Madrona K-8 School library (1121 33rd Ave.) at 9:30 a.m. to celebrate Madrona and citywide success of Neighbor Appreciation Day over the years.
For additional information, contact Madrona News editor Barbara Parker at madronanews@gmail.com or (206) 726-9798.
— Barbara Parker