ALSO TODAY/TONIGHT: Alki traffic camera? Delridge art wall? Last major chance to speak out on proposed city budget changes
On Tuesday, the city budget “balancing package” went public; we reported here on how District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka‘s original list of suggested changes fared. Then on Wednesday, as shown in the Seattle Channel video above, all councilmembers’ revised proposals for changing the mayor’s plan were presented with a few more details. But votes are yet to come. Today, starting at 1 pm with online testimony and continuing at 5 pm in person at City Hall downtow, it’s the last major public hearing where you can speak out on the possible changes. The agenda explains how.
Two West Seattle advocacy pushes have emerged – the Alki Community Council notes that Councilmember Saka’s package of Alki additions made it through minus one item he is trying to restore – an Alki traffic camera. Meantime, local artist Desmond Hansen is rallying support for Saka’s addition of funding for a Delridge “art wall” in the park between Delridge Skatepark and Delridge Community Center. This made it into the “balancing package” but that’s no guarantee of final approval. He told us in email:
This idea is part of infrastructure that will help immensely when Mayor Katie Wilson will have to do something necessary cuts to the graffiti abatement budget. All the research shows that contrary to what you would initially think, legal art walls actually reduce the amount of unwanted vandalism in its surrounding areas. This works by 1. giving more positive reinforcement to aspiring artists that go beyond just scribbling their name on a wall by focusing more on creating masterful works of colorful art. Some of the youth would love to have a place to spend ample time practicing mural painting rather than being destructive to private property and furthering the negative public perception of graffiti art. 2. When something sacred like this is constructed the artists who utilize it often teach a sort of edict to their peers that prevents the usual vandalism from happening in the surrounding areas. To build the wall is a small ask as far as Seattle’s budget goes. It is a very very small investment that will end up saving Seattle tax payers many millions of dollars over the decades to come while simultaneously planting the flag saying Seattle really does support its Artists and want good quality, beautiful art to flourish. This is definitely in my opinion a step in the right direction for Seattle and for Artists who deserve a space to paint besides just a dark alley. Similar to what Redmond skatepark has had for a couple of decades now.
If you can’t testify today, either online or in-person, budget comments are still being taken in other ways, as explained here. Budget votes start next week.
