In early 2006 to respond to gang violence plaguing the community and killing our youth, Mayor Greg Nickels called a team together to work with South Park in a collaborative effort to design the South Park Action Agenda (SPAA). South Park neighbors, Service Providers and City staff worked more than 1,000 hours revisiting our neighborhood plan. (There’s a link to the South Park Neighborhood plan under web links to your left.) The SPAA volunteers discussed issues and gathered community input in an effort to identify strategies and recommendations we need to make South Park thrive. To do this, we formed 5 committees:

Youth Development
Environment and Physical Improvements
Community Engagement
Business and Transportation
Public Safety

The result is the South Park Action Agenda document. You can view it by following the link to your left.

Things have been moving along will with the South Park Action Agenda thanks to Lora Suggs, our community organizer, as well as the Action Agenda Board:

Paulina Lopez – Board Chair and South Park resident
Dr. Julian Perez – at large member/Sea Mar doc in Burien
Carlos Lopez – at large member and South Park resident activist
Marcy Armstrong – at large member working with Seattle public schools
Antoinette Angulo – Board Co-Chair and Diabetes/Health education manager for Sea Mar
Dagmar Cronn – Board Treasurer and President of the South Park Neighborhood Association
Jennifer Tee – Board Secretary and Americorp Coordinator for Sea Mar in South Park
Sue Kershaw – At large member and South Park Activist
Robin Schwartz – at large member and new Mom!

…and 3 great ambassadors that have been hired to work with Lora to move the Action Agenda: Alma Rivera, Amy Ferlazzo, and Cesar Garcia.

Some very positive results of the Action Agenda include:
The late night program for teens
Gang Prevention and Family Support through Consejo, Sea Mar Boxing Club, Seattle Public Schools
Youth Arts Programs – PhotoVoice 3 years and running (AWESOME SHOW)
Cesar Chavez Park (on the corner of 7th and Cloverdale)
14th Ave Street and drainage improvements (WOO HOO!!)
Lighting improvements