Interesting as the Safe Streets Super Stars meeting always is, the best part comes later. That’s when the several hundred people in the room, from police to bankers, get together to talk about their progress and projects.

Darren Pen, one of Safe Streets’ star organizers, had great news for Gia Casto and Iola Brown. They’s just earned honors for the work they’ve done organizing residents and merchants along Pacific Avenue from 46th to 56th streets. Gia had mentioned that she’d like to extend north to 38th Street.

Bingo, said Darren.

He and volunteers from the Lincoln LAWGs have been working on the same aim. Walgreen’s managers have gotten involved, and their example has drawn in several other businesses. Walgreen’s at 38th and Pacific will host an organizing meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11.

Everyone’s welcome to come and figure out how to fight the drug dealing and prostitution, and to put pressure on more businesses to step up to the effort.

Rabbi Zalman Heber looks at a garage and sees a synagogue.

His neighbors see a problem.

The proposed site for the new home of Chabad of Pierce County, an Orthodox Jewish organization, has sparked controversy in this quiet corner of Tacoma’s West End.

Proponents see the placement of the synagogue as vital to worship practices, but some neighbors worry about impact on traffic, views and property values.

The conflict has been slowly building since May, when an application for a conditional use permit was filed with a city. Since then, the West End Neighborhood Council executive board, acting on behalf of several neighbors concerned about the buildings’ dimensions, has written the city to express its opposition to parts of the synagogue’s variance application.

Heber, who moved to Tacoma in November 2003 to start a center that is part of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, visited every house within 400 feet of the site at 2146 N. Mildred St. in late June to tell neighbors what he was planning.

“I showed them the whole project,” he said. “I showed them the height. I showed them the aesthetics, the looks. I said, ‘As a neighbor, I want to show you this.’ And not one – I want to be on record about this – not one opposed the project.”

But about six weeks later, several neighbors told him they were worried about the changes to the neighborhood a synagogue would bring. Some letters sent to the city – and forwarded to Heber – were critical of the project. And on Aug. 20, the executive board of the neighborhood council met and drafted a letter to the city opposing the proposed dimensions of the building.

To Heber, the negative feedback came as a shock.

=> Read more!

State Rep. Dennis Flannigan received two standing ovations when he received the director's award during this morning's Safe Street breakfast at an East Side church. I posted these a few days ago, but here again are today's winners:

Gary & Barb Wellman, Norma Levingston (Outstanding Neighborhood Leaders)
Gary and Barb Wellman and Norma Levingston not only share leadership of the 117th & A Street Block Group, they also share family ties. After Levingston moved next door to her sister Barb and brother-in-law Gary in Parkland, she found herself troubled by her new surroundings. Prompted by her past experiences with a Safe Streets group at Salishan on the Eastside, Levingston suggested that the trio of retirees start a block group. Fed up with drive-by shootings, gang graffiti and meth labs, Barb and Gary didn’t hesitate. “We just really didn’t feel safe anymore,” said Barb.

The Wellmans and Levingston routinely go door-to-door, passing out flyers and talking about neighborhood crime. “I think they like feeling like they’re not alone,” said Levingston. They organize meetings featuring discussions with law enforcement, presentations on methamphetamine, and instruction in crime prevention. “The meetings give us a better opportunity to understand what we can do to improve our own safety,” said Gary. The regular interaction also enhances members’ connection to their neighborhood, the evidence being a recent National Night Out party that attracted over 150 neighbors. According to the three block leaders, another indication is simple, but telling—people have started leaving their window blinds open.

Reverend Freeman Rhoades (Outstanding Strategic Partner)
Reverend Freeman Rhoades has opened the doors of his church to Tacoma’s Eastside. A prominent leader in the faith community, he is guiding Bethlehem Baptist Church in reaching out to youth, people in need, and other vulnerable populations. Rhoades holds a significant place in Safe Streets’ history. In 1989, he and other religious leaders of Pierce County joined with the organization in issuing a proclamation against crime. Since then, his outreach activities have reflected the covenant he made to stand against drugs, gangs and violence.

Under Rhoades’ direction, the church’s extensive involvement in the community has made it a gathering place for the Eastside. The church operates a senior center for older church members and residents. Its wide-ranging youth program offers fun for children and teens in a safe environment, and various activities have included sports, teen late nights, and a summer reading program in partnership with Safe Streets’ Weed & Seed. Rhoades has also initiated services that support working families and low income people. There is a childcare center, a clothing bank, and a food bank. Earlier in 2008, Rhoades further expanded the church’s role in the community when he worked with Safe Streets to bring a town hall meeting on underage drinking to the Eastside.

Teens Empowered Against Meth (Outstanding Youth)
Teens Empowered Against Meth (TEAM) are a group of high school students with a purpose—to educate youth in the Gig Harbor-Key Peninsula community about methamphetamine. Their approach capitalizes on the reality that teens are more likely to listen to other teens. Members teach their peers about the inherent dangers of the drug. They also point out less obvious consequences, such as the negative impact on the community and—as several members have painfully testified—on the families of meth users.

Students spend several hours a week planning a presentation. Typically given to high school health classes, the presentations are a combination of PowerPoint, film and hands-on games like “Meth Jeopardy.” Recently, members have taken their material to a larger audience. Tailored content has been introduced to the middle school set, and TEAM drew one of the largest crowds at the 2008 Key Peninsula Livable Community Fair. The prevention community has taken notice: members were invited to give a workshop at the upcoming Washington State Prevention Summit that will help organizations develop youth-driven substance abuse education programs.

Pacific Avenue Business District (Outstanding Block Group or Coalition)
The movement to revitalize Pacific Avenue started at a National Night Out party. Iola Brown and Virginia Casto hit it off immediately, sharing a mutual desire to clean up the busy thoroughfare. Prostitutes, drug dealers, graffiti and litter had created an atmosphere of neglect. Knowing that such a transformation required an organized effort, they found a handful of business owners interested in improving a ten-block area of Pacific Avenue, from 46th to 56th Street. The fledgling coalition designated it the Pacific Avenue Business District, formed for the purpose of bringing new energy to the struggling area.

From the beginning, the group recognized the value of collaborating with its neighbors. “We decided our main focus was to bring businesses and community together,” said member Gerald Gibson. The coalition sponsored a contest for a district logo at a nearby school and organized a festival to show residents the diverse array of shops in their own backyard. One of the biggest undertakings is a beautification campaign. Donations and a South End Neighborhood Council grant written by members funded the installation of 60 large flower planters. The business-community connection is maintained with community cleanups, and a monthly newsletter hand delivered to 600 readers.

Safe Streets will also honor Representative Dennis Flannigan. Flannigan will receive the Director’s Award in recognition of his instrumental role as the initial founder of the organization in 1989.

I'm at the Safe Streets Superstars breakfast this morning, and then I'll be in Midland later today to follow up on the problems at East 72nd Street and Portland Avenue.

Also, I'll be posting an early version of my West End synagogue story shortly.