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Join Dirt Corps, the Georgetown Youth Council and Seattle Tree Stewards at Gateway Park North (7551 8th Ave S) to help clean up the park, assist with plant management and get to know some of the fabulous folks bringing this park to life! Event runs from 10am - 1pm.

Dozens of local vendors will offer small bites and specials from 11 am - 4 pm on Saturday, March 30. Purchase your "bites" tickets in the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall.

We need your voice! Support the development of a Georgetown neighborhood center. Image, courtesy City of Seattle, outlines the initial planning phases of the Georgetown Neighborhood Center Visioning project. Are you one of many Georgetown residents who has longed for a neighborhood center? Somewhere "the community can come and gather for anything or nothing," as current Georgetown Community Council (GCC) board chair, Heather Carney, states in her March Peeps in the Neighborhood feature? Well then, complete the "Georgetown Neighborhood Center Space Needs" survey! Administered by the City of Seattle's Duwamish Valley Program, this survey seeks to gather input about a community owned and operated center. (In other words, what would your ideal Georgetown neighborhood center look like?) It can be completed in approximately 15 minutes and can be accessed via this link: https://forms.office.com/g/FD2YzTz4qY. More details about the project, including ways to receive updates, are provided within the survey as well. So what are you waiting for, Georgetown neighbors and friends? Click the link and share your ideas, and please encourage others who live, work, and play in the neighborhood to do the same! The goal is to have at least 100 survey responses by April 1. Questions can be directed to Grant Gutierrez at grant.gutierrez@seattle.gov.

The March 2024 Gazette covered the impending departure of Cascade Cliffs, a winery tasting room on 12th Ave S. that will cease operation in April and relocate to Woodinville. While I began reading the news of the closure with sympathy, Cascade Cliffs’ stated reasons for leaving Georgetown not only indicated a lack of accountability, but were tone deaf about our neighborhood to such a degree that by the end of the article I was ready to call and offer to help them pack their bags. To revisit a few of their reported operating challenges: City regulations caused the tasting room to lose its sidewalk patio - To clarify, this “patio” was an unpermitted collection of barrels and rope that encroached onto the sidewalk and made it difficult for pedestrians to pass by, let alone anyone in a wheelchair. The City has an Outdoor Dining permit process to review and approve any food service business who wants to operate on a public right-of-way; perhaps Cascade Cliffs should have applied (I could not locate any permit records or applications on file with the City) to determine if barrels would be appropriate on that stretch of sidewalk. Georgetown’s “charm doesn’t attract people from outside” - Have you been here on a weekend? Georgetown is a destination neighborhood. Restaurants and bars are packed. We have regular events like the Georgetown Flea Market and Art Attack!, as well as tons of annual events–the Georgetown Carnival, Garden Walk, Dead Baby Downhill, Seafair, R-Day, Equinox Studios’ Very Open House, Georgetown Bites, and more–that draw in loads of outside visitors year round. “Other business districts advertise” - The Georgetown Merchants Association (GMA) does advertise: for example, Art Attack! brings in visitors to the neighborhood monthly and directs them to participating businesses. I checked on the Art Attack! website and Cascade Cliffs was not listed as a participant; seems like a missed opportunity for foot traffic. I also spoke with the GMA, who confirmed that Cascade Cliffs last paid membership dues in 2019, but has not in the years since. Nearby encampments, concern for car break-ins, graffiti - This is not unique to Georgetown. I had my car broken into when I lived on Capitol Hill. Encampments exist in many parts of the city - try visiting Ballard. You can probably find graffiti in over 75% of the restaurant bathrooms in Seattle. I understand that Georgetown faces a specific combination of overlapping challenges: we’re in an industrial area, we have a small residential community and we experience environmental, social and health impacts in heavier ways than other neighborhoods. But is Georgetown really to blame for your business operating challenges? What about the many bars and restaurants–including several often bustling wine tasting rooms within a 2 block radius of Cascade Cliffs–that are thriving here? If you don’t think the business district is doing enough to advertise, why not actively participate in the GMA? If your customers are really “used to something shinier and brighter” than this drab, unsafe neighborhood, then perhaps rethink your own curb appeal: I for one never went into Cascade Cliffs because the space looked dark and uninviting, not because of someone sleeping in a tent 150 feet away. Maybe it’s not that Georgetown wasn’t a good fit for you, but rather that you were not a good fit for Georgetown. Best of luck up north.

Meet Heather Carney, new GCC Board Chair and 6-year resident of the neighborhood. Photo of Heather by shon’t. Name: Heather Carney (she/her) Residency in Georgetown: Six years How you might know her: The lady who frequently walks her small dog, Leon; a member of the Georgetown Community Council (GCC) — see below for her new appointment; and a supporter and attendee at myriad community functions. Today’s world normalizes the reality of only knowing a person virtually. Even with our neighbors, community-related emails make it possible to possess “name only” recognition… sometimes indefinitely. Heather was one of such neighbors. Our virtual acquaintanceship lasted for many moons before the tides of life allowed our “real life” worlds to collide. On a bright Saturday afternoon, we met at Matcha Man Ice Cream & Taiyaki for some real-time connection and to talk more about her love for Georgetown as well as her time and history on the GCC. What do you do? (e.g., your profession, personal mission, passion, etc.)? “I work downtown and I like to be involved in the neighborhood. I like to know what’s coming up, what’s going on, and who my neighbors are. If there is something that interests me, I am there.” Regarding the GCC… “I am the newly nominated Chair for the Board of Directors. I’ve been on the GCC for the last 5 years. I joined at one of the holiday parties — when everybody joins. Fun Fact: I learned about the GCC from the Georgetown Gazette! There was an upcoming GCC meeting mentioned [in the very first Gazette I received] and it asked for neighborhood involvement. For me, because I moved from the Eastside, I had a goal to be involved [in my new neighborhood]. It was my way to be educated.” What brought you to Georgetown? Why this neighborhood? “The commute… literally! I lived in Snoqualmie and drove to downtown [Seattle] every day. My youngest kid went off to college and I was like, ‘Why am I in this traffic? Maybe I will live in downtown.’ So I started looking, with the commute as my main criteria. When I first [looked at the neighborhood], I was like, ‘Oh no! This isn't going to work! I don’t think I can live here.’ I thought it was too industrial, so I kept looking. But then I came back to it, plus I loved [my house].” What keeps you here? What do you like about our ‘hood? “We are fun! And I enjoy the feeling of being in this neighborhood. We have opportunities to meet each other and I think — because we are contained — that we only have each other. I also like the commute, and not just for work. The location is very central but you still feel a little bit out of the city.” A piece of advice for your Georgetown neighbors, new or old? GCC-related… “Get to know the GCC! Being part of the GCC is really easy. Don’t feel like you are not qualified. If you have something that motivates you or a niche that you want to use your energy towards, you can do it! There are various vehicles we have that can be used to execute your ideas: e.g., The Gazette.” Neighborly… “If you are moving into a new place in the neighborhood, your plants are not going to live unless you water them — it will really serve you in the future.” Your future Georgetown looks like… “More neighborhood fun! And anything that helps to enhance the neighborhood. We are actually working on a community neighborhood center for the future — it’s going to be years out. I think it will be really nice to have a place for the community to come and gather for anything or nothing. That would be amazing!” If you are interested in being featured in “Peeps in the Neighborhood” or want to recommend someone for us to consider, please forward an email to shon’t at shontatGTownGazette@gmail.com.

Here are 2024’s Georgetown Community Council directors and meeting dates. After seven years as GCC Chair, Greg Ramirez becomes vice chair. Six-year resident Heather Carney is the new chair. For more about Heather, see this month's Peeps in the Neighborhood. 2024 GCC Directors Heather Carney - Chair Greg Ramirez - Vice Chair Robin Schwartz - Secretary Jason Clackley Clint Bergquist Derrick Elsea Kevin Byers Marianne Clark Tim Neill Marty Cortez Krystal Pope 2024 GCC Meeting Schedule GCC public meetings are typically held the third Monday of each month from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Old Georgetown City Hall, 6202 13th Ave S. Any changes in location will be announced in the Gazette. The 2024 meeting dates are listed below: Mar 18 Apr 15 May 20 Jun 17 Jul - no meeting Aug - no meeting Sep 16 Oct 21 Nov 18 Dec - no meeting

Cafe with coffee and cocktails to replace Flying Squirrel Photos by Steve Lannen Photo 1: Brown butcher block paper covers the windows at the former Flying Squirrel Pizza Co., 5701 Airport Way. It closed March 1. Photo 2: Burb's Burgers closed in February. By Steve Lannen The Covid-19 pandemic is in the rearview mirror for most, but it remains a painful reality for some businesses. After 10 years in Georgetown, Flying Squirrel Pizza, 5701 Airport Way S, closed March 1. It followed the closure of two other locations in Seward Park (2020) and Maple Leaf (2022). Changed dining habits and soaring food costs due to the pandemic hurt business. Revenue and sales were about 50 percent less compared to before March 2020, co-owner Mike Coury said. “We kept hoping it would go back to some semblance of what it was before, but it never did,” he said. Coury cited big, $700 lunchtime pizza orders for nearby offices prior to the pandemic. With more people working remotely, those orders largely stopped, he said. Higher wages for servers and food costs made dining out more expensive all over the city. Coury thinks some people cut casual dining from their budgets or got used to ordering different food from delivery dining apps. “We had our regulars and good, loyal customers, but you go in on a Thursday and only three tables are filled. You can’t make it with that,” he said. The space will be taken over by the owners of Capitol Hill’s Post Pike Bar & Cafe. Serving coffee, cocktails and sandwiches, they expect to open later this spring. A couple blocks away, the popular Burb’s Burgers inside the blue box at 5825 Airport Way shut down in February along with four other Seattle and Bellevue locations. In an Instagram video and interviews, owner Josh Henderson said a rapid expansion followed by Covid-related debt drove him to search for a buyer and put the business into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. A challenge to draw people to Georgetown However, the pandemic isn’t the issue for one departing Georgetown business. Cascade Cliffs Vineyard & Winery Tasting Room, 6006 12th Ave S, will close in April after opening in 2019. The tasting room will join other wine-related businesses in a mixed-use development in Woodinville expected to open at the end of the year. Cascade’s tasting room manager, Kristen Deiner, said she and staff will miss the neighborhood, but she also pointed out challenges to operating in Georgetown. City regulations caused the tasting room to lose its sidewalk patio, rent on the 4,200 square-foot space is expensive, break-ins and graffiti persist, and it is hard to convince people from elsewhere to visit the neighborhood, she said. And the shop’s computer was stolen during a recent break-in. “Georgetown has a great charm, but that charm doesn’t attract people from outside. They’re used to something shinier and brighter,” Deiner said. “There’s a great, internal support network here, but people from outside don’t see that.” Instead, visitors see the nearby homeless encampments and ask her if the area is safe or if their car will be broken into, she said. Georgetown’s residential population remains small. Most businesses can’t rely on local patrons alone. Georgetown could benefit from more external marketing to draw people from outside the neighborhood to visit and spend money, Deinert believes. “Other business districts advertise,” she said. “When was the last time you saw a Georgetown advertisement outside of Georgetown?”

By Maria G. Ramirez For the past 14 months a coalition of neighbors called Reconnect South Park have explored options for a preferred future for the portion of State Route 99 that bisects South Park. The largest drivers for visualizing a preferred future are the disproportionate health outcomes (i.e., shorter life spans and high rates of disease including asthma and COPD), noise and air pollution in South Park. We also consider the impacts of global climate change (flooding and lack of green space); the need for affordable housing; small businesses, and safety for pedestrians, bikers and children playing outdoors. In 2023, the RSP group worked with a consultant to create a story map of the area. Please visit the RSP Coalition website to view the story map, timeline, and our first annual report: https://reconnectsouthpark.org Last month we kicked off a series of RSP coffees in South Park and Georgetown. By the end of March, we will have held eight of them. We invite you to join us to learn about RSP and hear what people have on their minds. There is no agenda, no PowerPoint and no talking heads!! Through these coffees, participants will identify priorities that will be explored further in coffees planned for May and June. The goal is for the community to come together to visualize the preferred future for the folks that live, work, and play in the Duwamish Valley. Please join us at an upcoming Reconnect South Park (RSP) Coffee: Thurs, March 21, 5 p.m.-6:15 p.m. Duwamish Longhouse, 4705 W Marginal Way SW Mon, March 25, 7 p.m.-8:15 p.m. Mini Mart City Park, 6525 Ellis Ave S Dinner and childcare will be provided at both coffees. RSP is led by María G. Ramirez. Maria has lived in Westwood for nearly 30 years and is the chair of the Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition CLT. Maria can be reached at: connect@reconnectsouthpark.org

Pet's full name: Benjamin Nicknames: Ben, Benny boy, Benito, Dinky boy Breed(s, if known): Shetland sheepdog mix Age: 6 Occupation/hobbies: Courtyard security. Tug-o-war aficionado. Fetch enthusiast. Favorite trick: Makes an appearance in every front door delivery photo Favorite snack: Crispy plantain chips (no more than 5/day) & dates with peanut butter. What your pet wants their neighbors to know: Loves making new acquaintances–specifically the human kind.

The woman who lounges in stripes above Fourth Avenue S. near the intersection with S. Lucille is Kara Muller, one half of the electronic pop duo Bridles. Painted by muralist Steven LaRose, the mural evokes a composed calm that contrasts with the hectic traffic below, and is courtesy of the Seattle Artist League, located in the same building. League Cofounder Ruthie V told the Gazette that the mural was inspired by a Hope Gangloff painting of a man in a similar repose that Artist League students struggled to reproduce last summer. Inspired by the process, Ruthie had Muller pose herself for a photo that became a sketch that became the plan for the untitled mural. The Seattle Artist League is a spacious and welcoming art school, teaching drawing, painting, sculpture, and ceramics to the public. The school opened in 2016, founded on the idea that being creative is more fun in community, and moved to Georgetown in 2022. Current courses include “Pottery: Handbuild a Dinnerware Set,” a Sunday series, and “Drawing for Busy People,” an online evening class. You can find the school's full schedule at https://www.seattleartistleague.com Check out Bridles on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music and at @bridles_band on Instagram

Come one, come all for Georgetown’s annual Easter egg hunt! On Easter Sunday, March 31, the community will come together to hide and then seek eggs at Oxbow Park (AKA Hat and Boots Park). The hunt starts promptly at 11:30 am. Interested in participating? Volunteers are needed: Filling eggs with prizes and candy: Sat, Mar 30, Old Georgetown City Hall, 1-4pm Donating candy, plastic eggs or cash to help pay for the eggs and candy Contact directors@georgetownneighborhood.com if you can help!

February Pet of the Month Pet's full name: Snickers Nicknames: Snicks, Snick the Quick, Niño, Tiny baby Breed(s, if known): Chihuahua-Italian Greyhound mix Age: Approximately 16 years young Occupation/hobbies:  Professional cuddler and architect. I build blanket forts and am very adept at finding the coziest spot available. I also love to travel despite airlines not awarding SkyMiles to cute dogs. Favorite trick: Eluding the authorities (aka flight attendants) on airplanes while sleeping on mom’s lap. If forced to stay in my carrier, I can and will escape directly to first class. Favorite snack: Bacon or whatever my brother Ben is eating What your pet wants their neighbors to know: If you have an ankle, I will sniff it. I’m pretty sure I’m cute, but don’t forget to tell me because it’s always nice to hear it.