West Seattle Blog… | FOLLOW-UP: The beat continues at the Highland Park Improvement Club, with the first post-fire event on Saturday

(BMS photos, June 26)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog Editor

Highland Park Improvement Club is more than a building… it’s people.

And that’s why the fire that severely damaged PCSI’s centennial headquarters two weeks ago (BMS coverage here) hasn’t stopped PCSI from continuing to be the heart of its community.

Tomorrow (Saturday July 10), for example, the first of three “Giant garage sales” – already planned before the fire – will be held in the HPIC parking lot and courtyard on both sides of the building 1116 SW Holden least affected by the flames.

But while it should be a fun day, what has happened since the fire on June 25 has been hard and heartbreaking work for the all-volunteer HPIC board. We spoke Thursday by phone with Nicole mazza to see what they’ve learned, what’s next, and how people can help.

Earlier this week, Mazza said, the board met in the building for the first time since the fire. Some were out of town when this happened and the reunion was the first time they saw the damage firsthand. The exact cause of the fire remains a mystery – deemed “undetermined” by the Seattle Fire Department – but investigators working for their insurance company believe it started outside the building on the east side and was not electric.

This week, the insurance company inspector assessed the building, and the PCSI board expects a report to be released soon on how much of the building can be saved, which will need to be completely rebuilt, which could simply be “dismantled to studs” etc. “The initial proceedings showed that everything inside will have to be replaced,” Mazza said. It’s especially heartbreaking because, you might recall, HPIC was in the midst of a major overhaul before the fire – as we’ve shown you here – bringing together donations and grants to fund everything, d ‘a new roof at the end. (The roof had just been finished before the fire – and now most of it will need to be replaced. The only section that might be salvageable is the one with the HPIC solar panels.)

Once the final report is filed and the insurance company decides on an amount, HPIC will have to “develop our own reconstruction plan,” Mazza explained, possibly making some “building modifications” that were under consideration. since a long time.

In the meantime, they are working on how to “always be present” in the community. Events and rentals for community gatherings were at the heart of HPIC. For garage sales, they have rented portable toilets and they will have a bar outside; Highland Park Corner Store will be there to sell coffee and lemonade. For other events – at least until the fall, before the winter weather arrives – maybe they can get tents for outdoor events – smaller versions of the monthly Corner Bar, maybe even movie nights. The HPIC storage cupboard filled with chairs and tables came out, surprisingly, relatively unscathed.

So one way to help is to attend these events when they happen – tomorrow’s garage sale, for example, is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (and they’ll be having sales again on August 14 and September 11th). And of course you can donate – here’s the link. PCSI also sells t-shirts that were ordered long before the fire but look particularly appropriate after the fire – with the message “Highland Park, Stronger Together”. (You can buy yours at the HP Corner Store, 7789 Highland Park Way.)

In the longer term, Mazza said, they hope to tap into the expertise and generosity of community members in some aspect of recovery and reconstruction – project management, for example. They’ve already been bowled over by the outpouring – “I don’t think we fully understood how much people love the club” until it happened. Not only did people donate money, but they also offered alternative spaces. “So many people are ready to help us rebuild; we really want to seize the moment.