The Morgan Community Association (MoCA) held its quarterly meeting on April 6, 2025, at a new venue, the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene, addressing a packed agenda ranging from crime statistics and development updates to welcoming a new local business and hearing from Seattle Police Department's Community Service Officers (CSOs). President Deb Barker thanked Pastor Shawn and the church for hosting, noting the impressive renovation of the space.

Crime Down in Morgan Junction

The meeting kicked off with encouraging news from Lieutenant Nate Shopay of the Southwest Precinct, who joined virtually to report a significant decrease in all forms of crime in the Morgan community. "Right now, this time of year, especially for your Morgan community, everything is currently down. So, I better report that quickly before something changes. But all forms of crime are down, especially the motor vehicle theft, which is the big one right now, which is tanked," stated Lt. Shop . He attributed this drop to recent arrests and the distribution of approximately 1,000 anti-theft "clubs". Lt. Shopay urged residents to continue reporting any suspicious activity by calling 911. Parker echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of data for the Seattle Police Department. "Call 911. Report it. If there's something going on, SPD requires not requires they they're data driven. They need the data of your call into 911," she advised.

EV Charging Station Faces Further Delays

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to an update on the long-awaited electric vehicle (EV) charging station project in Morgan Junction, presented virtually by Lizzy K Sr Capital Project Coordinator and her team from Seattle City Light. While acknowledging the community's frustration with the delays, Lizzy K outlined the numerous hurdles faced, including having to redesign the site for three different charging station manufacturers due to business closures and payment provider issues. "We're working on a EV charging lot in Morgan Junction. There's going to be eight fast charging stations," she explained, detailing the planned mix of Tesla and publicly accessible chargers with various port types.

Despite the setbacks, Lizzy K provided a hopeful timeline, with bidding for a contractor expected in July 2025, construction starting in Q4 2025, and the station anticipated to be operational by April 2026. Community members raised concerns about various aspects of the project, including the lack of covered parking. In response to a question about this, a City Light representative, Jacob, stated, "Adding a covered area, basically a gas station we didn't think that was feasible because that would dramatically expand the scope of project." Traffic flow onto Morgan Street and lighting levels were also discussed, with City Light promising to return in July with more detailed information. When an audience member inquired about the cost of charging, the response was direct: "It will absolutely be posted gas".

Morgan Junction Park Expansion Faces Budget Cuts and Design Changes

The update on the Morgan Junction Park expansion project brought disappointing news from Jonathan of Seattle Parks and Recreation, who joined the meeting virtually. Jonathan, a new project planner for this initiative, informed the community that the project's budget has been significantly reduced from a previously mentioned $2.2 million to $1.2 million. An audience member audibly expressed their dismay, asking, "And where did the other one go?" 

Jonathan stated he did not have that information.

Due to the budget constraints, the originally envisioned park design, potentially including a skate spot and viewing mound, will not be immediately realized. "Our priorities right now are to fill the pit to to clear all the environmental permits that are needed to fill the hole and to have a green space that is open and available for the public to use," Jonathan explained, outlining a phased approach. While Parks remains committed to building the skate spot in the future, funding is currently a major obstacle. Regarding the skate spot's previously funded design, an audience member emphasized, "The construction budget for our skate spot component that we funded the design for is $180,000. And that's that's probably the most important".

MoCA members urged Parks to re-engage with the community on the revised design plans before finalizing them. Jonathan agreed to plan a separate community meeting to gather input on how to best utilize the limited budget.

Welcoming a New Local Business

The meeting provided a warm welcome to Shel, the owner of the newly opened Fine Baking Company at 6969 California Avenue Southwest27.... Shel shared her journey of opening the small cake shop, highlighting the challenges of navigating city permits and renovations, which took over a year29. Despite these hurdles, she expressed her appreciation for the friendly Morgan Junction community and the positive response to her baked goods28. "We're a very small cake shop. It says bakery in the name but in reality We're a cake shop. I do custom orders for all kinds of events. And in the shop, we have uh cupcakes, cookies, treats, all all good stuff," Shel described28. She mentioned popular flavors like funfetti, chocolate Oreo, churro, and red velvet30.

Community Service Officers Introduce Their Role

Jamie Hessen and Helena Lasser, Community Service Officers (CSOs) with the Seattle Police Department, provided an informative presentation about their vital role in the community31.... "We are civilians with the Seattle place to park, which means we're not armed. We don't enforce laws, but we're resource connectors. We are comm community builders," stated CSO Hessen33. They explained that CSOs connect individuals in need with essential resources, respond to calls for assistance from patrol officers (for non-violent situations), and engage in community events33.... When an audience member asked how to contact them, CSO Lasser advised, "Typically what you do is call 911, let them know what's going on. Uh and then you can ask for a CSO specifically"35. They also provided an email address for their unit for non-emergency inquiries36. The CSOs clarified that they work collaboratively with, but are separate from, the CARES team, focusing on providing longer-term follow-up and resource connections37....

Other Updates:

• Gatewood Elementary: Updates included information about a neighborhood emergency support group and upcoming citywide disaster hub exercises39. The Gatewood Gator Fest is scheduled for May 31st.

• Highland Parkway: No significant updates on the proposed lane closure were available40.

• Morgan Junction Festival: Preparations for the June 14th festival are progressing well, with entertainment secured and fundraising underway.

• Fauntleroy Road Street Pedestrian Safety: An SDOT meeting to discuss pedestrian safety improvements is scheduled for later this month.

The meeting concluded with community announcements and adjournment at 8:46 PM