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Problematic hotel closed for months, Feb. 2023 murder remains unsolved Photo credit: Westlake Associates Inc. Most of Georgetown’s Flora Avenue is a pleasant, tree-lined, four-block stretch of residential homes. But on the corner with East Marginal Way sits the Airlane Motel, which has been vacant for months. These days, a chain-link fence surrounds the two-story, 7,900-square-foot building, but it has failed to stop the accumulation of graffiti, weeds, and trash. Yet, for longtime nearby residents, the current situation is still better than before. The motel at 7070 E. Marginal Way was a longtime hub of drug-dealing, prostitution, assault, and other crimes. Criminal activity spilled into the neighborhood, causing near-constant anxiety for nearby neighbors. “There was some sort of daily unpredictable drama and we could directly link it to people coming and going from that motel,” said Julie Johnson, who has lived in the 6900 block of Flora for 20 years. She recalled a prostitute was Tasered in her backyard, people relieved themselves in her front yard and yet others offered her children drugs. Abandoned cars, reckless driving and sleep interrupted by screams was also common. The Airlane is one of a handful of hotels along East Marginal Way. All have had their share of incidents through the years drawing the ire of Georgetown residents. But the Airlane excelled in this area. Eleven years ago, Seattle police declared the 20-unit motel a “chronic nuisance property” and threatened steep fines or property seizure. Things improved for a while, but not enough, Johnson said. The hotel changed owners, but the problems persisted. A deadly shooting, then a fire On Feb. 27, 2023, a man was shot and killed in the Airlane Motel. The King County Medical Examiner later identified the man as Cameron Ellis, 30. Attempts to contact his survivors were not successful. Hours after the shooting, Seattle police published a blog post stating officers located a potential suspect nearby, but did not say if they questioned or took someone into custody. In the year since, police have repeatedly declined to discuss the case only saying it remains under investigation. Troy Smith, manager of the Munson Motel next to the Airlane, said investigators visited several days after the shooting looking to review his motel’s security cameras. They told Smith the suspect possibly walked through the Munson parking lot to get to the Airlane. However, camera footage automatically erased after five days and police were too late, Smith said. Police declined to comment. On May 23, a fire in a room caused more than $60,000 in damage. Fire investigators ruled the cause accidental. Repairs and renovations appeared to be underway, but a short time later, the motel ceased operations. A private security company guarded the property for a few weeks, but they are long since gone. What’s next? Without the hotel’s usual activity, this past summer was “like a gift,” Johnson said. “I remember in the middle of the summer telling my husband, ‘I just feel like we live in a normal neighborhood now.’” Smith is also glad the Airlane is closed. He hopes mixed-income housing is built on the site to “turn something that has been a problem for the neighborhood into a positive.” Plans for the property are unknown. It was listed for sale in 2022 with an asking price of $2.1 million, but that listing does not appear active now. Messages sent to the listed governor of an LLC that owns the property, Myung Ha Kang, were not returned. The motel’s listed phone number is disconnected. Johnson would also like to see housing or a business on the site connected to and supporting the community instead of “causing havoc.” “I just want a good neighbor,” she said.

South Seattle Community College project brings nature to neighborhood Photo credit: SUGI Project The field at East Marginal Way and Corson Avenue South in front of South Seattle Community College could look a lot different in a few years. Volunteers planted hundreds of trees earlier this month on a 3,500 square-foot circular plot with the hopes of creating an urban forest in Georgetown on a site where a gas station once sat and the soil beneath rife with contaminants. The project is a partnership between the college, the Duwamish Tribe, the Duwamish River Community Coalition, SUGI, and Natural Urban Forest backed by an anonymous Seattle donor’s $20,000 donation. The new Georgetown Community Forest will consist of 40 species of native trees such as alder, aspen, cedar and Sitka spruce, and other local flora. Although rather small now, some trees will double in size in two years and some will be even as tall as a telephone pole in three years, said Ethan Bryson, owner of National Urban Forests. In time, the forest will remediate the soil, improve air quality, enable increased biodiversity, attract birds, and provide valuable green space to residents, according to a press release and web site describing the project. The grass lot is a popular spot for dog owners to walk their pooches or play fetch. Signs will be posted discouraging owners from walking their dogs through the forest area, Bryson said, because dog waste and paws can harm young plants. People are welcomed to visit and walk through the forest on paths. In a neighborhood with polluted air and soil, the related public health challenges, and where the life expectancy is 8 years shorter than the average for the City of Seattle, an effort to heal the land and its people is welcomed, said Paulina López, the DRCC’s executive director. “This will bring some peace and healing” to counter “the legacy pollution and legacy injustice” in the community, she said. For more information, visit https://www.sugiproject.com/forests/georgetown-community-forest.

Happy Valentines Day neighbors, here's a little something for you. Flip to the next image, find the first three words and write it down in the comment section below.

Join us this month, get informed on issues impacting our neighborhood and build community with your neighbors. 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, 6200 13th Ave S. Any changes in location will be announced. The 2024 meeting dates:

Exclusive Interview with North Georgetown’s Barred Owl The Gazette spoke with a juvenile female barred owl who is nesting on South Findlay Street. She is a gorgeous bird, 16-inches tall with a fluffy cream-colored face and breast speckled with brown markings, oversized eyes, and a curved yellow beak. Gazette: Owl neighbor, thank you for granting this interview. We’re hoping to understand you better and learn why you’re roosting in North Georgetown this winter. From a branch high overhead, in a rich baritone: Helloooo hooooman. I’m living here, among you, and your trucks, planes, and trains because I needed some space of my own. You see, there is no longer enough forest for us. There are plenty of owls in this valley, and yet we like to keep to ourselves and claim large territories, so a single tree like this one, and the industrial environment around it, is what I can call mine. And you can call me “Barb.” Gazette: Welcome to the neighborhood, Barb. I hope you’ve found it peaceful enough. How old are you, if it’s not impolite to ask? Barb: I’m just about one year old. You can consider me a teenager, as us owls live only 8 years on average. I left my parents’ nest last August to strike out on my own. I tried living on Beacon Hill but it was too noisy and completely overrun with crows. Now I’m on this quiet street which so far boasts plenty of mice, rabbits and squirrels. Have you seen the extra-large Norway rats that frequent the alleys? Lots of crunchy little hummingbirds, too. North Georgetown is frankly an unadvertised buffet of soft-bodied delights! Gazette: I’m glad you’re liking it here. You don’t eat cats or small dogs, do you? Barb: I will if I catch one, but I can only carry about eight pounds while in flight. Your outdoor cats are my competition for mice, so I will dive bomb them and try to take them out if I have a chance. Gazette: You’ve been swooping on your human neighbors, too. Are you hoping to take us out? Barb: I’m trying to tell you people to stay away from my nest. You don’t seem to be getting my message. I don’t really want to tangle with you, but I could sink my talons into the back of your head if you need a more obvious warning. Gazette: Oh boy, that makes me want to carry an umbrella all the time on your block. You view humans as threats? Barb: All large mammals are threats to my nest and competition. Please respect my territory and hunt elsewhere. Gazette: Message received. And if you’ll allow one embarrassing question, let’s change topics. Is it true that owls don’t poop? Barb: Pardon me? I wonder where you heard that! We do poop, a lot, sometimes multiple times a day, both from our backend and through our beaks, although technically that’s called regurgitation. We have a second stomach that turns indigestible bits, like bones, feathers, and teeth, into pellets that we cough up. But we’re birds, and our normal poop looks just like bird poop. Why are humans so fascinated by excrement? Is there nothing more interesting to talk about? Gazette: Is it just you up there in your nest? Barb: To be precise, owls don’t build nests. We find crevices or other birds’ old nests to sleep and lay eggs in. But yes, it’s just me here. I am in the market for a mate, and when I find one, I’ll most likely move in with him. Owls mate for life, and though I’m too young to make owlets just yet, it’s never too early to pair up. Do you know any eligible bachelors? Gazette: Not of your species, but we’ll be on the lookout for a capable male owl to introduce you to. What else do you want your neighbors to know about you? Barb: The biggest threats I face, besides deforestation, are rat poison and cars. Could you please use less of these? Also, some humans hear our calls and think we’re asking, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” Rest assured, we do not care who cooks for you. We are talking to each other, not to you.

Georgetown is featured in a recently launched podcast focusing on lost and forgotten stories of Seattle’s past. From collaborators Cari Simson and Elke Hautala, Invisible Histories aims to explore and amplify the voices of marginalized people who have historically not had the chance to tell their stories. The podcast’s first topic: Potter’s Field, a cemetery established in 1876 located in Georgetown next to the County Poor Farm. Over three decades of operation, 3,260 people were buried in Potter’s Field. However, when the Army Corps of Engineers began dredging the Duwamish River in 1912, the bodies in Potter’s Field were exhumed and cremated, and the site was covered with industrial properties. Little information, save for several old maps and stories of ashes being dumped in the river, remains about this lost cemetery. Simson, a creative mixed media artist and producer of the Georgetown Haunted History Tour, and Hautala, a visual anthropologist, filmmaker and performer, have combined their talents and interest in the Duwamish Valley to creatively and theatrically explore the Potter’s Field story. They also have many ideas for future episodes, including the history of the Hat & Boots in Oxbow Park, the Comet Lodge Cemetery, an affordable housing development between Corson Ave S. and E Marginal Way that was torn down in the 1950s and further afield in the Seattle area. Interested to listen along? Access the podcast at http://www.foghi.org/pottersfield. Want to share your own story, participate in a haunted tour, or volunteer? Contact invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com.

The Department of Ecology has two comment periods available for public comment through mid-January 2024. Don’t miss a chance to submit your comments and questions on these two Lower Duwamish Waterway cleanup sites. Boeing Isaacson Thompson Cleanup Site (November 6, 2023 – January 11, 2024) This comment period was extended for seven days as requested by DRCC. The old ending date for this comment period was January 4, 2024. The new ending date is now January 11, 2024. South Park Landfill Cleanup Site (December 4, 2023 – January 17,2024) In addition, the Department of Ecology will have a table at Georgetown Brewing Company on January 10 from 4:30-6:30. Come with your questions about these comment periods as well as the Lower Duwamish Waterway cleanup in general. If you have questions about these comment periods please reach out to Meredith Waldref (Community Outreach) at meredith.waldref@ecy.wa.gov or call 425-229-3683.

Available for public comment starting November 6, 2023! Site Background: The Boeing Isaacson Thompson cleanup site is located in an industrial area of Tukwila on the east bank of the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW). The cleanup site is comprised of two properties owned by The Boeing Company and one property owned by the Port of Seattle. The site is a former tidal marsh area which was reclaimed when the Duwamish River was straightened and channelized to form the current Duwamish Waterway in the early 1900s. After dredging, the area was used as farmland and then for a variety of industrial purposes. The former Duwamish River channel (later Slip 5) in the middle of the site was filled over time with contaminated materials from unknown sources. More Information can be found here: https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/cleanupsearch/site/1944

Available for Public Comment Starting April 28! The United States Environmental Protection Agency is requesting public comment on the Proposed Cleanup Plan for the 157-acre East Waterway Operable Unit of the Harbor Island Superfund Site in Seattle, Washington. EPA will accept public comments on the Proposed Plan for 60 days, starting on April 28, 2023. Please visit EPA’s Harbor Island website for updated information about the East Waterway Proposed Plan, including how to provide public comments: www.epa.gov/superfund/harbor-island What is EPA’s Preferred Cleanup Alternative in the Proposed Plan? EPA’s primary objective is to reduce contaminant concentrations in the sediment of the East Waterway to levels that are protective of human health and the environment. As a result, EPA is proposing an aggressive remedy that includes a combination of technologies to address the entire East Waterway Operable Unit and would actively clean up approximately 121 acres of contaminated sediments over a period of about 10 years. This would be an interim remedy, meaning that EPA will select cleanup levels after active cleanup activities have concluded and source control efforts can be evaluated. This preferred alternative aligns with EPA’s long-term vision for the East Waterway Operable Unit, which is to obtain the lowest contaminant levels possible in sediments to reduce contaminant concentrations in fish tissue, to include achieving sediment PCB concentrations equivalent to the concentrations measured in the non-urban background for Puget Sound (i.e., 2 parts per billion PCBs). Achieving this will rely both on an effective cleanup of the East Waterway Operable Unit and robust source control efforts throughout the Green/Duwamish River watershed using a range of federal, state, and local regulatory authorities. Documents: The Proposed Plan and administrative record are on EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/superfund/harbor-island Questions? Contact Laura Knudsen, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator at 206-553-1838 or knudsen.laura@epa.gov

Chemical or Unnatural Burning Smells: Puget Sound Clean Air: 1-800-552-3565 or file a compliant here. Department of Ecology: Submit a issue here Washington Air Quality, Smoke Complaints Hotline: 1-866-211-6284 Illegal Dumping: Seattle Government: online illegal dumping report form or use the Find It, Fix It mobile app. You can call (206) 684-7587 to report problems on public property. For language interpretation, call (206) 684-3000. For historic landmark graffiti removal, call (206) 684-0228. Gas Leaks: Puget Sound Energy: If you suspect a gas leak, leave the area immediately. Once you are at a safe distance call us at 1-888-225-5773 or call 911. Drug Activity: Call 911: For drug activity that is in progress or needs an immediate police response Narcotics Department: On-going drug activity, which police need to be aware of but doesn't require immediate response can be reported online as a Narcotics Activity Report. Call narcotics at (206) 684-5797 between the hours of 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. After hours you can call the non-emergency line at (206) 625-5011. Suspicious Behaviors: Call 911. What is suspicious behavior? If it's suspicious to you, it's worth reporting it to 911. According to Seattle Police Department, examples include: Unusual noises, including screaming, sounds of fighting, breaking glass People in or around buildings or areas who do not appear to be conducting legitimate business Unauthorized people in restricted areas Vehicles driving slowly and aimlessly through neighborhoods, around schools or parking lots People peering into parked vehicles that are not their own People who change their behavior when they notice they have been seen People dressed inappropriately for the weather or occasion, (i.e., heavy coat in warm weather) Abandoned parcels or other items in unusual locations (i.e. in a lobby or elevator)

The Bicycle Master Plan (BMP), which provides a framework for improving the bicycling environment in Seattle. The BMP recommends a protected bike lane connecting Georgetown to Downtown, which will act as a final link in regional bike trails that provide north-south bike travel for communities between Seattle and South King County. The new bike lane will also create connections regional light rail network. Project Goals Enhance safety for all roadway users Improve access and travel options from downtown to Georgetown and South Park Retain as much parking as possible along the corridor Provide a comfortable and predictable bicycle connection between Georgetown, South Park, SODO, and Downtown For additional information visit follow updates from the Seattle Department of Transportation, Bike Program.