Representatives of neighborhoods throughout West Seattle met at Chief Sealth High School recently to discuss what they love about their community as well as what ails it.

Participants said they love the fact that people of many races and nationalities live in relative harmony in West Seattle.

They love the community's history and are proud that Alki is the birthplace of Seattle. They love West Seattle's working class values and its community spirit. Some like the fact that people care enough about the place to work together to save the Duwamish greenbelt, give money to house a new West Seattle Food Bank or chase drug dealers out of their neighborhoods. They like having affordable housing and the makeover of High Point.

Summer festivals, parades and a thriving arts culture add to peninsula life.

Everybody notices the spectacular views from West Seattle but some also love its private gardens. Other residents mentioned the West Seattle Farmers' Market, unusual shops, a tableau of restaurants, and a relative lack of chain stores.

West Seattle's libraries as well as the White Center Library were high on the list of the community's strengths. South Seattle Community College was named as well as the West Seattle Herald.

There was general approval of the area's elementary schools and most people thought Sealth and West Seattle high schools have improved.

The Elliott Bay water taxi, inexpensive movies at the Admiral Theatre, Colman Pool and milk shakes at the Luna Park Cafe were mentioned as pluses.

People like the fact you can get permission to close off your block for a neighborhood party The off-leash dog run at Westcrest Park is a hit.

It's easy to catch a bus from West Seattle to downtown, and there's a place to buy biodiesel fuel on West Marginal Way.

There are neighborhood-level citizens groups all over West Seattle organized around the interests of their particular neighborhoods. Each group sends a representative to monthly district council meetings. District council meetings are where neighborhood groups discuss issues of mutual concern, apply for grants to build civic improvements and share information.

West Seattle has two district councils. The Delridge Neighborhoods District Council includes organizations from White Center to the West Seattle Bridge. The Southwest District Council has organizations from Alki to Ocean View. Both district councils hold separate monthly meetings and meet together only infrequently. They held a joint meeting Oct. 19.

Besides listing what they all love about West Seattle, attendees also named the community's "challenges." The point was to identify problems both district councils and their member organizations could work on together.

Big issues were named, such as the economic gulf that exists between Alki and White Center. North Admiral is packed with multimillion-dollar view homes while people stand in food lines near the Junction a few miles away.

Does West Seattle want to do its part to make Seattle a world-class city or should it manage growth to keep its small-town atmosphere?

Rising housing prices, a lack of emergency medical facilities, drug use, pollution and the perception that parts of West Seattle are crime-ridden were also mentioned.

There was worry that West Seattle's public schools are underfunded, and concern that Denny and Madison middle schools need extra help.

Some neighborhood organizations wonder about the effect of the possible annexation of neighboring North Highline

Transportation, at least the lack of it, was mentioned frequently. There's not enough mass transit in West Seattle. There's no Metro bus service to South Seattle Community College on Saturdays. There aren't enough east-west bus routes in West Seattle.

Speeding is a problem in the community and so is traffic to and from the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal. There's not enough parking or enough bicycle lanes either. Lots of people are concerned about the future of the Alaskan Way Viaduct too.

Members of the Southwest and Delridge district councils discussed ways to help solve some of the difficulties they listed.

Transportation is a problem the two groups could cooperate on, suggested longtime community activist Vivian McLean. They could work together on getting better east-west connections as well as pavement improvements on arterial streets throughout West Seattle, she said.

Businesses ought to do more advertising to attract customers from other West Seattle neighborhoods beyond where the business is located, suggested Patti Mullen, executive director of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

She further recommended "branding" West Seattle to attract customers from outside the community.

Someone else suggested creating a map of West Seattle walking trails. Another idea was to have a West Seattle treasure hunt. There were also calls for another West Seattle garage sale.

The two district councils agreed to meet more often in the future.

About 40 people attended the meeting last week, from Pigeon Point to The Arroyos, and from Highland Park to Alki. The moderator was Mary Ellen Cunningham from Megawatt, a nonprofit organization that promotes civic involvement in West Seattle.

Tim St. Clair can be contacted at 932-0300 or tstclair@robinsonnews.com.