Presidents’ Message

Our April meeting on Moorage was lively; attendee questions addressed environmental concerns, a very different perspective from an earlier meeting with the boat owners, where concerns about individual boat safety were more prevalent. It will be interesting to see how the public is given more access to the water while the public is prevented from getting close to the boats… but this dilemma belongs to Foss and Parks.

We hope that many neighbors were able to attend the April 30 Grand Opening of the new outdoor exercise equipment at Powell Barnett Park. Once the fence came down, we saw active use of the various stations. Thanks to Group Health for fitting kids with bicycle helmets. And a big thank you to John Barber, who worked with Parks Foundation folks and others to make this all happen.

We will elect new officers at our May meeting, except for a representative to the Seattle Community Council Federation. That group has not met for over a year and we need to suspend that part of the by-laws until we know if the organization will regroup. There is still time to come forward for the other positions!

We will award Leschi Stars to community members who have made a difference! There are many hard-working folks in this community and we like to extend our thanks! Past winners have been Allan Fink who created our website, Kim Murillo and Ann Conroy who worked tirelessly to put on our first Art Walk, Liz Ohlsson who spearheaded the renovation of Peppi’s Park and John Barber who put on a smashing 10 year anniversary celebration at Flo Ware Park a few years ago and actually spearheaded the whole renovation project 10 years before that. We two Dianes feel privileged to live in a community where folks give back.

And speaking of privilege, it has been a privilege for the two Dianes to represent Leschi as your co-presidents since 2012. We were elected at a time when it looked as though the LCC might not survive and we kept our focus on putting this council (which has been in existence since 1958), on a strong fiscal foundation. We have been able to pay our printing costs with ad revenue, we found a less expensive printer, and we worked with a postal expert to streamline our mailing (the postal costs are paid for through neighbors’ dues as are many events and community donations).

We have been fortunate to have a strong Board that works well together and a supportive community. One of our last acts was to create an Events Chair position and appoint Kim Murillo to that position. Kim is stepping down from the Treasurer position and as the Events Chair, will assist those who wish to plan an event with the permits and give advice on available grants. It has been our wish to expand our events to more of our parks during our glorious summers.

Be the change you want to see in the world. ~Gandhi

~Diane Morris & Diane Snell