Northwest Dive Club

I sent off my email to the people listed above and added Christopher Williams as well (assuming his address to be <Christopher.Williams@seattle.gov>)

Thank you for your time and consideration. As a frequent patron of Alki Crab & Fish, I am concerned about their loss of lease at Seacrest. Friend and fellow scuba diver Calvin Tang wrote to you (Rita Hollomon) today and received the response below. You indicate a scoring system for evaluating bids. Is this scoring system public and does it consider input from the public and patrons?

Seacrest is extensively utilized by the dive community (dozens of divers each and every day). Alki Crab & Fish has always welcomed, tolerated, and accommodated us. In fact Alki Crab & Fish was instrumental in the placement of an automated electronic defibrillator on-site to provide life-saving assistance to injured divers. Almost any hour of any day you will find divers there warming up over a cup of chowder. It has become as much a part of the community as the waterfront itself.

It would truly be a sad thing to see Alki Crab & Fish leave Seacrest. As a frequent patron I can say I would consider it to be a significant loss.

Best regards,
Ben Messinger

I am emailing a PDF of the petition to all those folks listed, along with a request for more time to assess the impact this change has on the local community. This isn't just about dollars and cents...

The owner is very active in things that help our local area.

a couple examples...

http://www.king5.com/news/local/NW-Harv ... 15689.html

http://www.highlinetimes.com/2010/08/15 ... ily-aug-21

I sent an email to all those addresses, explaining that I understand the process they have to go through but don't understand the scoring system. I explained that Yvonne has the respect of everyone who uses the park and is a strong positive force in the community, and asked them to consider the human element in this decision and not just some scoring system. Hopefully we can have an impact.

I totally agree that the so called "panel" they summoned to independently "score" the individual businesss who responded to the rfp is completely bogus..

who cares what a bunch of city officials, who dont live, visit or dive at seacrest think!!

They have absolutely no basis on awarding this RFP without public opinion.

They should have asked the public on what they want..

Big thank you to Laura James, who as we speak is compiling the petition signatures and delivering to the city officials. I think that the best we can hope for right now is that they give the procedure a little more time to allow for feedback from the public.

the petition has been delivered as a request for more time to assess the effect on local community.

Huge thanks to Calvin for input and all of you for your support.

Kinda went out on a limb here cause i know some of my dive buddies LOVE the mobile Marinate trucks, but this really isn't about food. its about community. the mobile marinate trucks can still come to Alki

You rock Laura. You did the right thing for the right reason.

So if we organize a mass of divers, we need to be respectful of the other folks who use the area. I would love to see something happen, but if we do it, i'd like to figure out a way to carpool over and park off site. given the number of responders, i imagine we might impact things a bit. I don't want to get a bad name for doing the 'occupy' thing and messing up business for the folks we are trying to support.

what i would love to see is filling the non-walkway area with divers and other folks who utilize the shoreline (kayakers, etc...) let the news crews interview us beachside or on the grassy knoll's between cove 1 and 2... Lets do the thoughtful thing and not block the parking lot and sidewalk we will also need to be respectful of folks who maybe don't support the campaign, so the grassy area is sounding better and better.

It would at very least be a great photo op for a ginormous group photo with seattle skyline in background, showing the banding together of the diverse tribes of our local scuba divers to support a common cause...

thoughts? I'm thinking Saturday would be better than sunday for those who have spiritual obligations and such?



sorry, couldn't resist...

Thank you, Laura, for spearheading this! I was happy to sign the petiion and post it to FB. I would also *love* to be part of a demostration, but I am out of town this weekend. If there is anything I can do to help BEFORE I leave, I would be happy to.

ktb, bummer you are gonna be out of town, but i think we need to jump on this to get the Press.

lets start trying to suss out a time for critical mass... (if saturday is alright with folks that is)

I'll be there whenever, since i live close, but i know that it isn't as straightforward for some of you so we should try to arrange it around the majority of folks schedules

As soon as you guys give input and something is decided upon, i'll let news folks know...

to the media, this isn't just a story about one type of food over another, or one business chosen over another, or skepticism about a lease, its also about a community coming together to try to save a local favorite against the odds... and maybe it doesn't work, and maybe this was all wasted effort, but we have to try, right?

a bit more has been added to the story... if we do have some success, we should encourage galanti to put in a warm shower year round for the divers

http://westseattleblog.com/2011/12/seac ... e#comments

thank you for your time and effort.

Will try to be there. Let me know the meet up place for car pooling.

kdupreez wrote:...Should we coordinate a demonstration of some sorts.. Gather in our drysuits in the parking lot and if we get enough divers in drysuits in the parking lot, I bet you it will get media attention!

when was the last time 100+ divers in drysuits had a demonstration :p

YAHOO!! Looks like this might happen!

Thanks for taking the lead on organizing this Laura!

Since I suggested it, it would only be fair of me to come :luv:

PLEASE let us k now the logistics and I'll be sure to be there with a horde of divers!!


Cheers!

Koos

I've gotten a couple requests for noonish... what say you?

Koos, i hope you don't mind that i'm trying to help out with the organizing It was mentioned on another group as well, and actually by the editor of WSB last night saying that she could cover it if we did something, so when you brought it up here, figured it would a good place to use as core information source so things were not confusing and all over the place

I don't want to do this without input tho, so please please not only do we need the signatures, but need everyones thoughts!

Other things that have been mentioned are a dive-a-thon in support, a beach cleanup and a large scale hoard of divers... all of those will take a bit more organization tho

dive club leaders, dive shop owners... what say you?

A few folks have weighed in on assorted FB groups and elsewhere and its looking like starting around noonish would be a good option?

I'm happy to help drive folks to and from their cars (though you'll have to forgive the dog hair and briny smell of the dive truck) it sounds like further towards the point and down past salty's would be optimal for folks not diving, that would leave the spaces close to the coves for divers.

I would very much like to hep out and participate, but I'm leaving town for work for a week or so this Thursday. I offer my full moral support to this effort, though....

Very much looking forward to this!

Saturday works perfect here and I'll spread the news as soon as we firm up the time.

Thanks Laura! And have you looked at the petition sign ups! HOLY COW, more than 500 people in less than a day!! Well done!

Lets go kick them city officials where it hurts!

Thank you so much for your support Koos, I really appreciate it! I hope everyone brings their cameras, both still and video! I'll donate my time to edit a video of the event... its an all welcome gathering too, divers, non divers, family, etc...

Will noonish or thereabouts work for you? How about you pick time and we'll call it!

What i'm actually so excited about is the community effort. if you glance at the petition, its everyone. Not only one group or club or shop... but EVERYONE seems to be getting behind this effort (as we hoped they would) and i know that Yvonne and the folks from the Fish and Crab Co are so unbelievably grateful... beyond floored at the outpouring of support... this just shows how important this waterfront is to the diving community on a whole, and how powerful we can (hopefully) be when we band together as 'divers'.

(and if we pull this off, i bet we can leverage for some warm showers that are on year round and maybe a rinse trough for camera gear <grin>

kdupreez wrote:Very much looking forward to this!

Saturday works perfect here and I'll spread the news as soon as we firm up the time.

Thanks Laura! And have you looked at the petition sign ups! HOLY COW, more than 500 people in less than a day!! Well done!

Lets go kick them city officials where it hurts!

Signed!

airsix wrote:
... I recommend sticking to NWDC rules (i.e., don't be a dick*)...

Wait, what? New rule?

Kidding aside, man look at the line at this food truck!

Also,

marinationmobile.com wrote:We decided the best spot to park on Capitol Hill is our very own brick & mortar location at Pike & Broadway. Marination Station is OPEN for biz!"

This might be how they were able to prove that they can be quite profitable, since they can show actual numbers and can show that they can handle growth (the fact that they were a food truck and now have a successful brick and mortar establishment.)

I've emailed our Park officials asking if we can get more insight on how this was scored, what they (Marination) have promised (other than the city collecting 10% of revenue, 5% higher than the current lease,) and what the rating scale was. I've explained my concern and asked if there will be a public hearing.

Thanks for everyone's help on this!

-Dennis

*edit: fixed url

ljjames wrote: Will noonish or thereabouts work for you? How about you pick time and we'll call it!

Sweet, Noon it is! 12:00pm at Alki Cove2 !!

ljjames wrote:and if we pull this off, i bet we can leverage for some warm showers that are on year round and maybe a rinse trough for camera gear <grin>

OOH!! I like that idea a LOT!

See everyone there this coming Saturday at noon!!

Lets go take back our "Fish n Crab" !

cheers

Koos

Dennis, the whole scoring is laid out in the most recent article at WSB.

http://westseattleblog.com/2011/12/seac ... d-and-more

http://westseattleblog.com/blog/wp-cont ... cument.pdf

http://westseattleblog.com/blog/wp-cont ... ropsal.pdf

Thanks Laura. Didn't see that. Good luck guys, I'm on the east coast until Saturday night.

Saturday, 12-10-2011
12:00pm at Alki Cove2 !!
Occupy Fish n Crab!

I'll try to be there, in my Dry suit!
It would interupt my sleep schedule for work, but I think it's a worthy cause and an important demonstration to show our support!
Do I just park as far away as I can and walk back?

Thank Laura, for spear heading this!


Keith

OCTOPI Fish n Crab!!!!!

I'm happy to shuttle people around, but ya, basically park as far as you are comfortable walking... myself and/or others will do shuttle service, PM me for my number so you can text me when you find parking... if i get creative and persuasive, maybe can talk metro into shuttle bussing us from down by 5th D or something

BASSMAN wrote:Saturday, 12-10-2011
12:00pm at Alki Cove2 !!
Occupy Fish n Crab!

I'll try to be there, in my Dry suit!
It would interupt my sleep schedule for work, but I think it's a worthy cause and an important demonstration to show our support!
Do I just park as far away as I can and walk back?

Thank Laura, for spear heading this!


Keith