Miller year in review

It's been a pretty quiet year in Miller Park, Seattle. I've taken a break from neighborhood stuff, but Meg's doing so well that I'm tempted to get my feet dirty again. I started off by helping (in a very small way) with the recent Miller Holiday Party. Many thanks to those who answered the call to volunteer (and BTW, how about joining the volunteer advisory council for the Miller Community Center?).


Here are my (disjointed) thoughts about this last year.


The presence of two excellent neighborhood blogs (for Capitol Hill and the Central District) has made this blog somewhat superfluous, so I've taken to writing for those two blogs (here are my Capitol Hill and CD blog contributions).


When we started the Miller Park Neighborhood Association back in 1989, we had a number of things we'd like changed in the neighborhood. Twenty-one years later, they've just about all got done, some due in part to our persistence, others seemingly without our intervention. 


Our one remaining interest is the redevelopment of the commercial area along East Madison Street. Other that the Safeway, there has been no development there, though there has been an interminable series of planning meetings. Several large projects were about to happen, but the recession and the banking crisis seemingly put them on an interminable hold, and I gave up updating my Madison Street redevelopment map, because nothing was changing!


It looks, however, as though things will change in 2011:

• Mount Zion Baptist Church contacted me and will host a meeting early in 2011 to share their vision for the development of their campus.
• I hear that one of the stalled projects on Madison may get going early in 2011 (come to the meeting to hear more).
• The empty lot at 22nd & Madison (formerly owned by the Madison Temple across the street from it) will be developed in 2011 as a 6-story assisted living facility. Expect a Design Review Hearing early in the year where you can share your views.
• Jim Mueller (owner of the Deano's and Twilight Exit lots he has plans to redevelop) is reported by CD News (which summarizes all the stalled projects) to be "hopeful for 2011".

In the interim you might care to help the Capitol Hill Alano Club by patronizing its Christmas Tree lot, which is on the Deano's site at 22nd & Madison.

You'll recall that Meany Middle School was replaced by Nova High School  and the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center (SBOC) and that we met and welcomed the new schools in the Spring of '09. Both schools seem to have settled in well in the neighborhood and I have heard of no issues involving them. Recently I ran into a member of "Friends of SBOC" - they would like to start a dialog with the neighborhood (stay tuned).

Note that, as a cost-saving measure, the City is closing our "Little City Hall", depriving us of the office and of the invaluable services of our Neighborhood District Coordinator.  It remains to be seen if the District Council system (an excellent way of communicating with the City) will survive the loss of support for its meetings. 


That's it for what seems to me to be relevant very local neighborhood news. Feel free to correct me (tayles@jps.net)

Finally, on a personal note, I offer you links to my Family Christmas Letter, my website of family photos and thoughts, and my blog about Meg's recovery from her illness.

Happy Holidays to all!