Press release from Patrick Baer, Delridge Community Forum Committee Chair (http://delridgeforum.blogspot.com)

October 11th - Delridge Community Forum will be hosting A Conversation with DESC at the Youngstown Cultural Center, Main Theater; 4408 Delridge Way SW Seattle, WA 98106 from 6:30 – 9pm.

This forum will provide community members an opportunity to voice opinions and raise questions about the proposed Downtown Emergency Service Center’s (DESC) project on the 5400 block of Delridge Way SW. The event serves as a response to residents seeking a follow-up meeting to the DESC-hosted meeting at the Delridge Library on June 27, 2011, where residents were turned away due to insufficient space.

A Conversation with DESC will be led by an experienced facilitator using the World Cafe model (www.theworldcafe.com) featuring small and large group conversations. Volunteers dispersed flyers to over 1200 homes in the North Delridge neighborhood, announcing this important neighborhood issue and inviting residents to participate in the upcoming event.

Following a presentation by DESC, attendees will be encouraged to participate in conversations regarding questions they have about the project. Working in small groups, neighbors will collectively ask their questions, which will then be answered by any “stakeholder” in the room who can speak to the question. The stakeholders will also be involved in the small group conversations and thus are a key component of the event.

Invited stakeholders include: City of Seattle, County and State representatives and offices, community organizations, and UW faculty. Confirmation has been received for City Councilmember Nick Licata, State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (tentative), Seattle Office of Housing Director Rick Hooper, Delridge Neighborhood Development Association (DNDA) Board Members, and City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods staff.

The Delridge Community Forum has invited numerous city, county and state official. The following have informed us they are planning to attend:

34th District State Representative Joe Fitzgibbon (Tentative)
King Councilmember - Joe McDermott
City of Seattle Council Member - Nick Licata
City of Seattle Council Member – Staff member of Mike O’Brien
City of Seattle Council Member - Staff member of Tim Burgess (tentative)
King County DCHS/CSD/Housing and Community Development (HCD)
King County Public Health - Amnon Shoefeld (Division Director)
Seattle Department of Planning and Development - Diane Sugimura (Director)
Seattle Office of Housing - Rick Hooper (Director)
Seattle Public Library - Jane Appling (Regional Manager)
Seattle Police Department – Capt. Steve Paulson (SW Precinct Captain)
Seattle Department of Neighborhoods - Multiple staff members
Seattle Office of Economic Development – TBD (tentative)
SW Youth & Family Services - Steve Daeschle (Executive Director)
Delridge Neighborhood Development Association (DNDA) – Multiple board members
Neighborhood House – Jay Kang (Family & Social Services Manager)

Delridge Community Forum is an organization created by members of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council executive committee and neighbor volunteers. The organizing committee is comprised of volunteers who are working together to coordinate unbiased educational and informational forums to address community concerns. A Department of Neighborhood Small SPARKs grant is funding the event.

For more background on the proposed DESC facility, please check out the Herald story, "Impending homeless housing project dominates North Delridge Neighborhood Council discussion."