Written by Annabelle K

If you’ve been following our social media (which you should!), you might’ve heard that King County reopened West Hill Community Center in Skyway this summer! We’re running a Teen Drop-In program just like the one at Steve Cox Memorial Park, from 3-7 PM on Tuesdays-Fridays until August 15^th.

King County Parks actually started a Teen Program in Skyway all the way back in 1991 – in the gym of Dimmitt Middle School, WHCC’s current neighbor! Though being inside Dimmitt was great, we knew that we could expand beyond that. By partnering with the school district for access to the land, King County Parks built a new building and opened the original West Hill Community Center programs in 1998. Originally, the deal was that King County Parks would own and use the building for 30 years, and then it would be transferred to the school district in 2028. Parks served the community here for 4 years, until a budget crisis hit the county, and Parks had to shut down non-essential functions in order to save money and keep things running.

When the building went up for grabs, the Boys & Girls Club offered to pick up where Parks left off so that the local community would still have access to recreation programs. They called their program the “Renway” club – halfway between Renton and Skyway. For 20 years (2004-2024), they operated all kinds of programs for youth out of the West Hill Community Center building.

In 2024, the Boys & Girls Club found that the space wasn’t working for their needs anymore. They passed the building back to Parks just a few years before its originally intended transfer in 2028. Renton School District decided they didn’t want the building 3 years early, and so it became a King County facility once again!

After lots of cleaning and a fresh coat of paint, WHCC is ready for kids of all ages from Skyway and beyond. We’re distributing food with free summer lunch programs, taking trips to the nearby library and Skyway Park, and hosting themed arts and crafts projects all summer. Make sure to stop by before the program ends this August – and we can’t wait to see you next year, too!

SPIRIT BOAT
Stainless steel, powdercoated aluminum and galvanized steel, lighting and plants. West Hill Community Center in Skyway, WA. Illuminated archway, mosaic inserts (Benson Shaw), glasswork (Mauricio Robalino) and grating frame the plaza entry and reinforce the concept of our arrival from ‘different worlds’ for a diverse neighborhood population. Project was part of a neighborhood rehabilitation that transformed a dilapidated property into a safe gathering place for teens.