Annual reports

2001 ANNUAL REPORT
In its 21st year, the Fauntleroy Community Association continued serving the residents of this special part of West Seattle. For the many volunteers, who day in and day out, breathed life into the organization, that was quite an achievement.

OFFICERS & DIRECTORS 

COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS 
Completion of a curb bulb at Fauntleroy Way S.W. and S.W. Wildwood Place culminated a five-year effort by residents Alexis Zolner and Jill Hansen (backed by the FCA Board) to slow traffic on the residential end of the arterial.

Installation of another curb bulb - this one at the north end of Lincoln Park - was done on an emergency basis after FCA raised an alarm about the growing ferry queue, which many days clogged Lincoln Park Way, blocking driveways, and endangering residents along the narrow street. After Seattle Transportation balked at doing anything, Director Gary Dawson (chairman of the Fauntleroy Ferry Advisory Committee) and President Bruce Butterfield sought support from the Department of Neighborhoods and got it. Seattle Transportation then agreed to apply funds from Washington State Ferries to construction of the bulb to keep the queue on Fauntleroy Way S.W. After more leaning, the city installed basic signage telling drivers what to do.

At our neighborhood-developed Cove Park in Fauntleroy Cove, artist Tom Jay capped his art installation at the park with a bronze Raven, the "trickster" credited in native lore with stealing the sun and creating the world. FCA Director Mardi Clements rallied 32 volunteers to the park on April 1 for the annual neighborhood "Spring Clean" work party.

The FCA Board provided enthusiastic support for creation of the Fauntleroy Watershed Council, a umbrella organization created in July to guide stewardship of natural areas in the neighborhood, particularly Fauntleroy Park and the Fauntleroy Creek corridor. The council adopted an action plan in September.

ADVOCACY 
FCA and the Fauntleroy Watershed Council joined forces to protect returning coho from major renovation of the ferry terminal scheduled for fall 2002. With support from Seattle Public Utilities and the city's Department of Design, Construction, and Land Use, FCA Director Gary Dawson and council executive-committee member Judy Pickens were able to negotiate an earlier start date and several provisions aimed at reducing and monitoring spawner stress. The community's database on the annual return and respected participation on the South Ferry Advisory Committee gave Fauntleroy a strong hand in the negotiations.

The FCA Board and the Saffron Cow hosted Mayor Paul Schell in August during his tour of neighborhoods in West Seattle. FCA's presentation on the need for comprehensive traffic-management services from the city emphasized safety concerns about the ferry's car and vanpool queues.

COLLABORATION 
FCA collaborated with Block Watch captains to provide attractive gift baskets as door prizes at 10 area block parties on August 7, Seattle's "Night Out Against Crime." FCA consultant Lynn Olson solicited quality items from individuals and gift certificates from businesses to give the baskets a strong local flavor.

FCA Director Jill Hansen continued to work on finding a permanent solution to the summer buildup of seaweed in the cove and associated release of nauseous hydrogen sulfide gas. FCA provided residents with a "stench hotline" to call at Seattle-King County Public Health.

Encouraged by member Linda Cox, the FCA Board worked with the Southwest District Council to create a letter about the effects of increasing aircraft noise on residential neighborhoods. The letter went to public officials and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Board improved the community's access to public-safety information and resources by appointing an FCA representative to the West Seattle Community Safety Partnership. The Board also initiated discussions with the city aimed at improving pedestrian safety along Lincoln Park.

COMMUNICATION 
FCA published an annual report and three issues of our Neighbors newsletter. Special features took a collective look at businesses in the neighborhood, reported on plans for Lincoln Park Annex, and provided a "clipable" list of community resources. Neighborhood safety, city services, and area social programs were covered in every issue, as were upcoming community events (using guidelines adopted by the Board). President Bruce Butterfield faithfully provided a perspective on current topics and Morey Skaret regularly spun a yarn from the past.

At year's end, Christine Nack took responsibility for FCA's Website (initiated by directors Mary and Mike Ashby) and began developing a more expansive presence at www.fauntleroy.net. The goal is make it a very professional, community-wide resource, with information about not only FCA but also the watershed council, Fauntleroy Park, streamside education, and other interested groups and programs.

To reach more members quickly, Secretary Lynn Sealey gave priority to enlarging FCA's e-mail list. In keeping with the Board's commitment to protecting member privacy, recipients' e-mail addresses do not appear on transmissions.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

• FCA sponsored two community-wide events during 2001: 
  April 12 Nature Night focusing on native birds of prey 

• May 24 Annual meeting focusing on earthquake preparedness In addition to speakers, each of these events provided an opportunity for community groups and city programs to have information tables.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS 
As of March 27, 2002, FCA's total dues-paying membership was 240. During the year, the Board worked hard to recruit and involve new members and make sure that FCA events reflected member feedback.

The FCA Board met monthly (except August and September) in open session at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. Tuxedos 'n' Tennis Shoes Catering and Fauntleroy Church also generously provided FCA and its affiliates with meeting space during the year.

1999 Annual Report

COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS
The FCA Board worked closely with ferry-system staff on details of how the entrance to the ferry terminal would be remodeled to move vehicles off the street faster and improve pedestrian and driver safety. Articles in FCA's newsletter and presentations to the Board and community helped ensure that the final design took neighborhood concerns into account.

FCA backed the efforts of adjacent neighbors to secure commitments from the city for a bulb at Fauntleroy Way S.W. and S.W. Wildwood Pl. and a circle at 39th Ave. S.W. and S.W. Henderson to slow traffic.

In the fall, Cove Park reached a key milestone when final funding was secured to complete art on the site. The FCA Board has supported this pocket park adjacent to the ferry pier with start-up funds, publicity, and advice since neighbors initiated the project in 1996.

FCA again coordinated neighborhood participation in the city's annual Spring Clean program. A dozen volunteers collected garbage in Fauntleroy Park and around Cove Park.
Save for a few details, a new play area on the south bluff of Lincoln Park was completed, thanks in small part to FCA's support for the principal grant application that funded climbing structures, a sandpit, swings, a gravity ride, and the footprints of an environmentally conscious dragon.

COLLABORATION
Numerous home burglaries near the south side of Fauntleroy Park, many "snatch-and-grab" thefts from cars at the church and school, and discovery of an encampment in the park prompted FCA to collaborate with city staff and community institutions on a neighborhood security meeting in April. In addition to heightening public awareness of how to prevent crime, the meeting spotlighted the need for park stewardship.

As a result, volunteers formed the nucleus of "Friends of Fauntleroy Park," an Adopt-a-Park group aligned with Seattle Parks. To gather more input, FCA worked with Parks and Department of Neighborhoods staff to host a public meeting in September focused solely on the park. A 600-household mailing drew some 35 people to brainstorm ideas for maintaining and improving the 28-acre natural area and recognize a steering committee. The FCA Board continues to monitor the program.

ADVOCACY
The "Fauntleroy stench" moved to the front burner when FCA Director Jill Hansen led a stench committee in distributing information from Adopt-a-Beach on how waterfront residents could help reduce the nutrients that promote excessive seaweed in the cove. She also worked with King County on a flyer posted on affected beaches to explain the stench. In late summer when hydrogen-sulfide gas reached concerning levels, a two-year, $30,000 appropriation secured by Sen. Mike Heavey paid for collecting tons of rotting seaweed from the beach.

FCA continued to participate in monthly meetings of the Southwest District Council, tying Fauntleroy into the city's formal structure for neighborhood advocacy and information.
Along with their counterparts from Vashon and Southworth, FCA's three representatives attended quarterly meetings of the South Ferry Advisory Committee and hosted the session in July. FCA was also represented at monthly meetings of the Ferry Advisory Committee Executive Council, which provides a forum for all communities served by the state ferry system to raise concerns and exchange information.

The Board backed area resident Vladimir Oustimovitch for a seat on the West Seattle Design Review Board, giving the neighborhood a communication point into the advisory board's decisions about design aspects of proposed projects, primarily multi-family and commercial.

COMMUNICATION
The four issues of FCA's newsletter, Neighbors, published during the year provided a total of 40 pages of information, including the first of a new occasional feature: profiles of businesses in the neighborhood. The Original Bakery and the church were distribution points for courtesy copies after the regular mailing.

A booth at the second annual West Seattle Art-Nature-Literature Festival at Lincoln Park in August included information about the association and the projects and programs FCA supports.

SPECIAL EVENTS
The community gathered for these FCA events during 1999:

• April 29 special meeting on neighborhood security 
• May 4 annual meeting 
• Oct. 28 general meeting with election of officers

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
As of Jan. 23, 2000, FCA's membership totaled 244 households, businesses, and neighborhood institutions.
The FCA Board met in open session on the second Tuesday evening of the month (except in August). At year's end, Directors decided to set a more formal tone and encourage more FCA members to attend by meeting in the conference room at the former Fauntleroy School.

After eight years as president or co-president, Gary Dawson resigned as an FCA officer. He elected to continue as a director and FCA's lead representative on the South Ferry Advisory Committee. Clair Laidig resigned from the Board for health reasons; Bob Best replaced him and Mardi Clements replaced David Allen as directors.

Intensive planning in the fall resulted in Board decisions to shift tasks among officers for more balanced workloads, increase the emphasis on committees to initiate and carry out projects, and hire a part-time coordinator to help with administration and membership development.

At the annual meeting, members approved several changes to the organization's bylaws. In addition to streamlining FCA's operation, the update strengthened an application to the Internal Revenue Service for recognition as a nonprofit corporation, primarily to enable FCA to vie for grants reserved for nonprofits in support of neighborhood projects.