Meet our friendly outreach staff at upcoming events like our South Park Artist Studio Tour and Architectural History bike ride with South Park Arts, or bring your kids to a transportation-themed story hour at the South Park Library with Miss Bea.

Sign up for this free program online:
http://www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/MetroTransit/InMotion/SouthPark.aspx

Once you sign up, you’ll be eligible for rewards like free transit tickets and weely prize drawings donated by local merchants like Via Vadi Caffe, Alki Kayak Tours, Bicycles West, and Helsing Junction Farm. We can’t wait to meet you and get In Motion together!

Questions? Contact the In Motion hotline at inmotion@kingcounty.gov or 206-296-3455.

For those of you not familiar with SPIARC here is a little background ….

MISSION:

“The South Park Information and Resource Center (SPIARC) is a community-driven organization that provides access to services and to community networks, and connects neighbors to neighbors.”

SPIARC serves as a neighborhood hub where community members can connect with one another, groups, projects and obtain access to information and resources. More than 700 people visit the information center each year and as the SPIARC staff and our organizational capacity continues to develop we expect this number to grow.

SPIARC staff and volunteers help people to navigate various issues regardless of language, literacy, computer literacy/access, or other circumstances. When possible, we provide direct assistance on issues that can be easily navigated from the Center. Some of these include resumes and employment on-line application assistance, utility bill reduction application preparation, translation and interpretation services, (Imagine for example, getting a traffic ticket and not being able to read English). In other cases we direct customers to outside services and resources, like energy-payment assistance, medical, dental and mental health resources, housing and shelter programs, Immigration and legal resources, child care resources, meal programs, senior programs, you name it. We also offer important links to community groups and regional service providers like Sea Mar, Consejo, Concord International Elementary, South Park Community Center, South Park Neighborhood Center, South Park Neighborhood Association, South Park Business Association, South Park Merchants Association, South Park Arts, South Park Action Agenda etc. In fact we are home of the South Park Action Agenda.

Additionally SPIARC is very focused at a community level in South Park. We work to maintain and foster relationships with other neighborhood-based committees and local service providers, in an effort to encourage partnerships and reduce duplication of services. We serve as the place to come to find out how to connect with the group in South Park that fits your interest or project. We also work to help keep the community informed on as many levels as possible by getting the word out, managing event calendars, help with outreach and keeping asset maps and other documents for South Park.

SPIARC serves many needs on a small budget, we utilize our funding very efficiently. We would deeply appreciate your support to help ensure that we can continue to provide free multi-lingual resources for the residents of South Park and surrounding areas.

If you wish to participate click on to the link below and donate any amount:

http://www.seattlefoundation.org/npos/Pages/SPIARC.aspx

When you give to the South Park Information and Resource Center this Thursday, June 23rd, your gift will be matched by The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG community giving challenge!

GiveBIG is a one-day event created by Seattle Foundation that will rally together the community to create a wave of charitable giving to support amazing non-profit organizations, including Children’s Alliance.

Here’s how it works.

The Seattle Foundation and local businesses will match a share of every contribution made through the Seattle Foundation’s Online Giving Center, on Thursday, June 23rd, between 7am and midnight.

Every gift, large and small, will go a very long way in supporting the work we do for and in South Park, and GiveBIG is a window of opportunity for you to see your gift grow.

Thank you for your support, and for being part of this wonderful community of friends, neighbors, businesses, service providers and industry.

Two more ways to help:

· Forward this message, with a personal note from you, to someone you know who cares about South Park and folks who need our services!
· Volunteer with us!

Sincerely,
Lora

Lora Suggs
Program Manager

P.S. As an added bonus, if you give on June 23rd, you could be chosen at random to select a charity of your choice to receive an additional $1,000 from GiveBIG’s sponsors!

Lora Suggs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Program Manager
South Park Information and Resource Center (SPIARC)
8520 14th Ave S., Seattle WA 98108 ~ 206-767-7445

The construction management team–made up of King County Road Services staff members and our bridge design and construction consultants–has officially moved into its new construction offices on Dallas Street. When I visited them there last Friday, they were all raving about the neighborhood lunch spots.

The archaeological dig is now underway. A team of consultants is digging as many as 22 excavation pits west of the old bridge approach in search of materials such as shells, animal bones, stone tools, and hearths. So far, they’ve opened six excavation pits and have found shell and other artifacts in five of these. Some of the thickest intact cultural layers are being found under the road at the south end of the old bridge. All of the items found will be analyzed before being sent to the Burke Museum.

Personnel from Kiewit-Massman, the county’s contractor for the South Park Bridge replacement project, are moving into their offices on the Boeing side of the bridge. They’re also busy ordering the materials needed for the project, including machinery that’s coming all the way from Alabama.

Over the next couple of months, you’ll see their workers bringing materials and equipment into the construction staging area on the south side of the bridge. Starting in August, the contractor will be salvaging gears from the pier of the old bridge for reuse in the pedestrian railings of the new bridge. They’ll also be starting in-water work to build the piers for the new bridge.

For more information about the construction schedule and activities, see the project website at www.kingcounty.gov/southparkbridge. We’ll also be sharing updated information at a variety of neighborhood meetings in the coming weeks, including the June 14 South Park Neighborhood Association meeting, the June 20 Georgetown Community Council meeting, and the June 21 South Park Neighborhood Association Traffic Subcommittee meeting. Maybe I’ll see you at one of those–be sure to say “hi” if I do!

Ashley DeForest, Community Relations Planner
Communications, King County Department of Transportation

ashley.deforest@kingcounty.gov 206-684-1154

Amazing tricks and outrageous fun with Magician Jeff Evans!

• Mind-Boggling Mysteries

• Spooky Danger

• Sparky the trained Chicken

• Popcorn and fun raffle

$3/person

$10/family

($10 per family with 2 adults and kids)

~

El PTA de Concord trae para ustedes

Noche Familiar de Magia!  @ Concord International Elementary 723 S Concord St. Martes 14 de Junio, 6:30 p.m.

El mago Jeff Evans y su Espectacular show y divertidos trucos de magia

• Alucinantes misterios de la mente

• Peligro y desafios que te daran miedo

• Sparky, La gallina entrenada

• Palomitas de maiz y una divertida rifa

$3 por persona

$10/familia

($10 por familia con 2 adultos y niños)

Throughout the construction process we’ll be posting periodic updates to let you know what’s going on. You can also stay informed about construction and reach us in a number of ways:

• Visit our project website at www.kingcounty.gov/southparkbridge
• Call our staffed Construction Information Line at 206-263-9979
• Send an email to southparkbridge@kingcounty.gov
• Contact me at 206-684-1154 or ashley.deforest@kingcounty.gov

Here are just a few things you’ll see in the coming weeks…

Who is moving into that new trailer on Dallas Street?
The construction management team-made up of King County Road Services staff members and our bridge design and construction consultants-will be moving into their new construction offices on Dallas Street within the next week. Their job will be overseeing the construction to make sure it is on schedule, within budget, and built in accordance with the design plans, specifications, and permit conditions. You’ll probably see a few familiar faces from King County, including Tim Lane, deputy project engineer, and Trinh Truong, project manager. Be sure to say hi!

What was here 1,000 years ago?
A past survey of the construction area found three prehistoric archaeological sites. One of these is in the path of the new bridge and under the footprint of the old bridge. Around 1,000 years ago, the main channel of the Duwamish River flowed about 350 feet south of the existing channel, and the ancestors of the Duwamish people lived on the banks of the river. (This channel had become an oxbow, or a U-shaped bend in the river, and was filled in during the early 20th century.) A team of consultants plans to dig as many as 22 excavation pits west of the old bridge approach in search of archaeological materials such as shells, animal bones, stone tools, and hearths. Any items found will be analyzed before going to the Burke Museum.

When will we see the contractor?
Kiewit-Massman, the joint-venture contractor selected for the project, received its official “Notice to Proceed” on May 17, which means that work on the bridge construction can begin. The first order of business will be to move in to their on-site offices, which are on the Boeing side of the bridge. Next you’ll see their workers bringing materials and equipment into the construction staging area on the south side of the bridge. Starting in July, the contractor will start salvaging the gears from the pier of the old bridge for reuse in the pedestrian railings of the new bridge. (Visit the project website to see a rendering of the new railing.)

Where can I learn more about the construction schedule and activities?
Information about the construction schedule and activities is available on the project website at www.kingcounty.gov/southparkbridge. We will be sharing updated information at a variety of neighborhood meetings in the coming weeks – stay tuned!

A new kind of Greek Tragedy.  Where the South Side Locos are Kings and Spanglish rules.

May 26th, 6:30pm at South Park Community Center, as part of the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative

Food will be served from 5:30-6:30 and childcare will be provided for kids under the age of 14.

Refreshments will also be provided during intermission.

Running Time: 1 hours, 50 minutes

A Chicano take on the Greek tragedy Electra, Luís Alfaro’s Electricidad is a brutally modern adaptation of the classic revenge saga set within gang culture of the “barrio”. One of the foremost Latino playwrights in the U.S. and winner of the MacArthur “Genius Award”, Luís Alfaro’s eye-opening rendition situates the iconic characters in the present-day world of the “Cholo” where the South Side Locos are Kings and Spanglish rules. Electricidad is mourning her father’s body in her front yard, much to the dismay of the vecinos (neighbors) and her mother Clemencia, who was rumored to have had him killed to establish her power in the gang hierarchy. A comical bilingual chorus called “El Chisme” gossips and tries to save their barrio from inevitable cycles of violence.

eSe Teatro‘s presentation of Electricidad is a blend between a staged reading and a fully produced play, presented in Spanglish. This play will be accessible to all community members who speak English or Spanish or Both!

This play is for mature audiences and is recommended for youth 14 years of age and older as well as adults.

Please join us!

Come join Healthy Foods for South Park at Marra Farm for mural painting, games, activities, and snacks while getting to know your community farm and neighbors!

Design comes from winners of the Concord International Elementary School healthy food student art contest!

In the event of hard rain, the event will be cancelled. If unsure, call Kate at (206) 767-0432 for information.

What: Teen Latina Film Showing
When: Monday, April 18
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Where: South Park Community Center
Free! Everyone welcome! Light Refreshments!

People may arrive between 6:30 to 7 p.m.  The videos will be shown on a large screen from 7 to 8 p.m. and each Latina Teen Filmmaker will be introduced.  Recognition and presentation of certificates will take place at 8 p.m. following the video showing.

Please let us know if you can attend this special event!

Sincerely,

Randy Wiger
POWER of PLACE T
Seattle Parks and Recreation
206-684-0775
Randy.wiger@seattle.gov

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