Update June 19

White Center Chamber President Sheryl Clinton provided this update on the potential resolution of the community garbage issue in White Center.

"We met with 3 representatives from King County last Wednesday for a short meeting to talk specifically about Garbage.  During the meeting they asked about our Cleanscapes bid that we had done in March.  Jeff Gaisford asked me to forward it to him.

No promises were made but he is going to talk to the higher ups in King County, the lawyers etc and he was hopeful that they could cover the full bill for the 13 cans at once a week pick up.

Timeline for an answer could be up to 4 weeks."

Original post June 6

The White Center Chamber of Commerce after months of wrangling, is still dealing with the issue of garbage collection from the 13 containers in the central business community. They fill to overflowing with refuse suprisingly enough not from shoppers but from residents and even some businesses who would prefer to drop it off in a public place than either pay or take it to the transfer station themselves. 

This isn't a new issue for the community. Through the years public trash cans have been available to accept waste, and in the past the Chamber of Commerce or others have paid to buy the cans themselves and for their maintenance.

The changing nature of the Chamber has led to what is essentially a public nuisance, with cans and the vicinity stacked with everything from bags of garbage to pet waste and no longer wanted appliances and home decor. Who pays for it?

The newly revitalized Chamber is taking a very proactive approach to the problem now. President Sheryl Clinton said she has asked for a bids for a once a week pickup from more than eight providers. Only Cleanscapes responded. That cost would be $553 per month. Given the magnitude of the problem and the cost they may simply either remove those on 15th and 17th SW (converting them to tree planters) and leave only six on 16th SW. A local recycling company has been found to remove them if that's the choice. The cost for collection for the remaining cans would then likely drop to under $300.

While it's possible the chamber could get members to voluntarily pay for collection, they will first be seeking help from the County in the form of a petition signed by all members. That should get submitted to King County Executive Dow Constantine in the next two weeks.

Clinton explained that some collection is being done through a grant from King County for occasional pickup through the Department of Natural Resources and Parks  (DNRP). $1,000 for the upcoming White Center Refresh and $1,000 to the CDA to assist with disposal in the short-term, but this isn't really meeting the need.

The Chamber has been attempting to coordinate with Rep. Joe McDermott's office but as yet no meetings have been set. McDermott's office said they are working on scheduling with the Chamber and are responding to the issue. Clinton indicated that she was attempting to get some attention from the Department of Natural Resouces and Parks but  "Emailing back and forth is not working," she said.

Garbage collection for residences is normally a contractural set up between municipalities and private companies. But business districts and customers in unincorporated King County don't necessarily have that kind of arrangement. Hence garbage collection and disposal is left to business organizations.

The White Center Refresh coming up June 22-23 will include an effort by all the Chamber members to clean up the area around each of their own locations and possibly paint the existing cans a consistent color.

Mission and Vision Statements

The Chamber has been working on a new Mission Statement, coupled with a Vision Statement. The purpose is to focus the direction of action for the Chamber in its relationship with the community. So far these are draft statements and may yet be refined.

Mission Statement

The White Center Chamber of Commerce supports businesses with community in mind. We do this by promoting equity in business ownership providing education and mentoring for business owners connecting the business community to new and existing resources and serving as a central communication point for the businesses and people that care about White Center.

Vision Statement

We envision a thriving and safe White Center where all members of our community have access to business success and financial stability. The diversity of our community will be reflected in our businesses with places to eat, shop and entertain ourselves that represent who we are as a community. The White Center Chamber of Commerce will support White Center businesses to develop infrastructure and financial resources and community wisdom which will be reinvested into our neighborhood. White Center will be a nice place to live and conduct business and families that have lived here for generations will continue to call this place home.

Other issues

The www.VisitWhiteCenter.com site is still being updated and the chamber is considering establishing its own unique website for Chamber specific issues at a later date.

The new email address to communicate with the chamber is functional and is whitecenterchamberofcommerce@gmail.com and Paypal is now working for paying member dues and other chamber financial matters.

The first Flea Market held under the auspices of the Chamber in May will come back in July, likely the 29th and a search for a suitable parking lot location is underway. The first one made a small profit and saw 19 vendors take part.

The Chamber will not be holding meetings for July or August but will meet again in September. During the time off the murals in White Center will be getting underway and some progress is expected on the garbage collection issue.