West Seattle, Washington
27 Sunday
First: The city has added more information to the “public outreach” page of the seattle.gov section focusing on the jail proposal. See it here; it includes this link to information gathered from 50 community leaders (including Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding, who gave us the heads-up that this info is now online – thanks!) during the process that narrowed a list of potential sites down to four, including two in southeast West Seattle (see the map above). SECOND: King County Councilmember Dow Constantine‘s has provided more information on the county ordinance officially proposed today, as first mentioned by Constantine during Monday night’s Highland Park meeting (WSB coverage here), to extend the contract the county has with cities for handling misdemeanor inmates, till a “regional solution” can be found rather than a patchwork of city jails like a prospective new one for Seattle. Councilmember Larry Gossett is the main sponsor, with all others joining as co-sponsors. It now moves to the Committee of the Whole, which Constantine chairs, where a committee hearing on the proposal is scheduled for 9:30 am June 16th. Read the first version of the ordinance here. After that hearing, the next meetings scheduled on the jail-sites issue are Highland Park’s meeting on June 23 (get the latest at the Highland Park Action Committee site) and the city-organized meetings – June 26 in South Park, July 26 at SSCC (full details here).
Tonight’s meeting at the Alki Community Center on behalf of the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Citizens’ Advisory Committee was all about public input — no votes were taken, no decisions were made; those are up to the City Council (and Mayor) eventually, but first, recommendations come from the 28 committee members, including West Seattle’s Bruce Bentley, Sharonn Meeks, and Pete Spalding, all of whom were on hand tonight (along with several others). Here’s some of what those on hand wanted the committee to consider when deciding what might go into a new parks levy this fall:Read More
Not our headline – that’s how the city slugged its announcement of two forums called by Councilmember Sally Clark (who toured The Junction a month ago at the invitation of resident Sue Scharff; WSB coverage here). Our only question: Why isn’t either forum happening here in West Seattle, where so much townhome construction is under way? Anyway, here’s the announcement:Read More
First the city – then the Water Without Waste campaign – now, West Seattle’s County Councilmember Dow Constantine is behind a “no bottled water” county proposal that gets a final vote week after next. Here’s the news release:Read More
This would appear to be inspired by a North End case (citywide media coverage here) but could potentially affect West Seattle development, since we still have some trees left: Council President Richard Conlin and Councilmember Sally Clark say they’re proposing legislation to “protect … groves of trees.” News release here.
As the second team of blue-shirted DNC solicitors in 2 nights walks past the WSB HQ window, we’re reminded we got an update from 34th District Democrats chair Ivan Weiss (backstory here and here):Read More
Quiet week for public meetings since it’s the end of the month (except for tomorrow night’s Design Review meeting on the Conner Homes Junction project) — but there’s an author event tonight, and we don’t get a lot of those on this side of the bay: Bill Press, radio host, is at Barnes and Noble in Westwood Village at 6:30 pm on behalf of his book Train Wreck: The End of the Conservative Revolution, and Not a Minute Too Soon. More West Seattle happenings for the days, weeks, and months ahead are on the WSB Events list (added about a dozen just last night).
On Saturday, we told you that 34th District Democrats chair Ivan Weiss was looking into reports of West Seattle solicitors claiming to be seeking money for the Democratic National Committee. 
Tonight, they were making the rounds again — came to our door in Upper Fauntleroy, in fact, plus we got e-mail and phone calls from others who were visited — and we wanted to note that Weiss did confirm over the holiday weekend that the DNC does have solicitors out, dispatched from national HQ, and he’s not happy about it; he believes the most effective way for the party to raise money and awareness is locals-to-locals. (This is what we told tonight’s solicitors, by the way, who spent some time plotting solicitation strategy right outside our home-office window before they went door-knocking.) Nonetheless, just because the DNC apparently does have solicitors in the area, don’t take anyone’s word for it — ask for their ID.
Two highlights from the slate of events on tonight’s agenda (see the Events list page for more):
CITY COUNCIL IN WEST SEATTLE: Topic – the city budget and how you think city leaders should spend your money. Time/place – High Point Community Center (map), 5:30 pm. Tons of supplementary info here.
ALKI PROJECT MEETING: Neighbors gathered signatures to force an official city meeting to review the proposal to replace a house at 59th/Stevens, across from Alki Elementary and Playfield, with a five-unit development. As explained at the last Alki Community Council meeting (WSB coverage here), they are concerned the three-story buildings will put much of the playfield in shadows at key times of the day (our coverage included graphics they created). The meeting’s at the Admiral (West Seattle) Library branch, 6:30 pm.
Just back from Highland Park, where more than 100 people gathered to declare themselves ready to fight the possibility that a city jail might be built on one of two sites in southeast West Seattle. They heard from a city project representative as well as a communications consultant assigned to the project, and one revelation that raised eyebrows was that the city apparently had not yet mapped out the proximity of schools to the four finalist sites (the other two are in the north end). We’ll be overlaying the location of the nearest schools onto our Google map of the two WS sites for the full report on this meeting coming up later tonight in a separate post.
As mentioned over the weekend, the two southeast West Seattle sites (mapped here) on the list of four possible locations for a new city misdemeanor-offender jail are on the agenda at tonight’s Highland Park Action Committee meeting (7 pm, Highland Park Improvement Club at 11th/Holden; map). We just confirmed that West Seattle’s County Councilmember Dow Constantine and State Rep. Sharon Nelson will be writing letters to city leadership to express opposition to building the jail at either of those sites. (We’ll be checking with West Seattle’s other legislators too.)
From the 34th District Democrats‘ site: The 7th Congressional District caucus over the weekend led to two Obama delegates from the 34th being chosen to go to the national convention in Denver in late August — Chris Porter from West Seattle and Nick Bordner from Vashon (a high-school senior). Read more here.
The proposed West Seattle sites for a new city jail came up at tonight’s meeting of the Southwest District Council — representatives from neighborhood groups and other major organizations around the area of West Seattle that the city calls the “Southwest District” (map of all “districts” here) — but it didn’t attract as much discussion as the issue of money for parks. We’ll publish the jail update later; first, tonight’s park $ talk, plus your next chance to have a say on the future of West Seattle (and the rest of the city) parks:Read More
As mentioned here last night, the city has narrowed its list of potential municipal jail sites to four, and two are on the eastern edge of West Seattle, as seen in city aerials above — Highland Park Way/W. Marginal Way (map) and 9501 Myers Way (map). For those seeking more information and opportunities for feedback, a new section is live on the city website (here’s the start page) with everything from the reason why the jail’s needed, to the rationale behind the site-selection process, to how to send in feedback (online form here). The timeline for the process (choose a site this year, open in 2013) is outlined here. As pointed out in this WSB Forum thread, the jail proposal may well come up at tonight’s Southwest District Council meeting (7 pm, President’s Board Room at SSCC) since Councilmember Tom Rasmussen will be there; we just checked with his staff and he doesn’t have an official position yet on where the jail should be built (the two non-WS options are Interbay and 11762 Aurora).
That’s what Junction-area resident Sue Scharff (left) did. The intense wave of development proposals currently rolling through The Junction has her so concerned, she called the City Council to see who she could talk with. She was pointed toward the office of Councilmember Sally Clark, who chairs the Planning, Land Use, and Neighborhoods Committee. And today, at Scharff’s invitation, Clark (photo center) and assistant Dan Nolte (right) came to West Seattle to walk The Junction with her and her friend Andie Nauss, and listen to their concerns, while taking a realistic look at how this all fits into the city’s big picture. What did Clark say, and what did Scharff think afterward? We’re working on detailed coverage to publish later tonight.
Latest move by the City Council in its pursuit of a new parks levy – which the mayor reportedly wants to delay – as the old one expires, is the appointment of a citizens’ advisory council. We recognize at least three names on the list as West Seattle citizen activists (Pete Spalding, Bruce Bentley, and Sharonn Meeks); while we crosscheck for other WS ties, here’s the full list of members:Read More
34th & Morgan is the High Point intersection – on the way to West Seattle Elementary – where we caught this school-crossing close call on video in January:
Neighborhood leaders and pedestrian-safety advocates have been trying to get that situation improved for a long time; in the story that originally accompanied that clip, we detailed some of their concerns. Then on April 1st, we told you about Denise Sharify, who works in High Point for Neighborhood House, pleading with the City Council’s Pedestrian Safety Committee to take action; we followed up the next day. Now tonight, we just got cc’d on this letter she wrote to them:
Dear Mr. Licata, Ms. Drago, Ms Clark, Mr. Conlin and Mr. Burgess:
I was walking to High Point this afternoon and discovered that Jim Curtin of SDOT was measuring this intersection for a temporary crosswalk. New student crossing signs will also be moved to appropriate locations. Two new signs to restrict parking were installed last week and Leah, the crossing guard reported that it is making a big difference for pedestrians and drivers. In addition, Mr. Curtin informed me that the half traffic light at 35th and Raymond will be changed to a full traffic light which is desperately needed.
I cannot thank you enough for you support and your commitment to making our pedestrians safer in this neighborhood. We will invite you to a celebration after the crosswalk is painted (and when the weather is nice).
Thank you very much,
Denise Sharify
Jim Curtin is the newly reassigned SDOT “community traffic liaison” who was part of the West Seattle Community Safety Partnership briefing we covered two nights ago. (The 35th/Raymond light upgrade is mentioned in that report; that addresses some of the challenges Councilmember Nick Licata witnessed firsthand during a High Point tour with Sharify and others [WSB video coverage here].)
Eight days after the 34th Legislative District Democratic Caucus at West Seattle High School (WSB coverage here), the King County Democratic Convention happens there Sunday. Interesting sidenote found online – notable non-Democrat Tim Eyman is hoping to speak.
BE A MASTER OF DISASTER: As mentioned previously, we’re working with community leaders between now and mid-May to nudge you to take a few simple steps to be ready for the unthinkable, just in case. Next step: Go to West Seattle Library (aka the Admiral branch) for tonight’s SNAP (Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare) event, 6:30 pm. And get ready to find out more about your official neighborhood gathering place – where you would go for information and help if something major happened; the location list is almost done and dates are being set for you to drop by, get familiar, and get info, within the next few weeks.
HAVE A SAY IN TWO MAJOR JUNCTION-AREA DEVELOPMENTS: The Conner Homes proposal for California/Alaska/42nd (most recent WSB coverage here) and the Harbor Properties proposal for 38th/Alaska (most recent WSB coverage here) both come before the Southwest Design Review Board tonight for “early design guidance.” If you want to speak your mind about how these developments should look, this is the time and place. Both meetings are at Chief Sealth High School, with Conner on the agenda at 6:30 and Harbor at 8 pm. (If you frequently attend these meetings, as we do, you will be interested to note the SWDRB has two new members — just noticed on the webpage — including West Seattle architect Brandon Nicholson.)
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK – MORE ADMIRAL PARTICIPANTS! It’s the second Thursday of the month, which means West Seattle Art Walk time, and as we reported last weekend, the Art Walk just keeps expanding — with five Admiral participants tonight (see the full list of participants in all locations here) as well as more than a dozen others in and around The Junction. You’ll find special events at many locations; 6-9 pm tonight. (And while you’re out on the Art Walk, look for registration forms for 2008 West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day — available starting tonight, at these locations and online — more on that a little later this morning.)
GOVERNOR’S CAMPAIGN KICKOFF AT THE “OTHER” SSCC CAMPUS: Governor Gregoire is officially running for re-election, and West Seattle’s State Senator Joe McDermott is inviting WS supporters to her next event — 3:45 pm today at South Seattle Community College’s Duwamish Apprenticeship and Education Center, 6770 E. Marginal Way S., at the Safety Lab in Building A (just inside the entrance.) Sen. McDermott also sent us this photo he took at a Gregoire event the other day in Auburn:
We reported March 20 about City Council President Richard Conlin telling the Delridge District Council that the council had commissioned a poll to find out if citizens support another Pro Parks Levy (most councilmembers do, the mayor doesn’t) since the original’s expiring. Poll results are out this afternoon and the council says it’s pro-levy, 2-to-1.
FAUNTLEROY SCHOOLHOUSE: Finally got word from Seattle Public Schools about the date/time of the official public hearing on the district’s plan to sell the schoolhouse, mentioned at the community meeting 2 weeks ago (WSB coverage here): It’s not on the district website yet, but SPS spokesperson David Tucker tells WSB the hearing is set for 6:30 pm April 29, at the schoolhouse.
RESIDENTIAL PARKING ZONES: As mentioned in our coverage of the impending Junction-area parking review (most recent update here), there’s a chance RPZ’s would be considered for the residential neighborhoods around the business district, which already report major parking crunches because of “park-n-hiders” and construction workers. The city is now officially reviewing RPZ policy and inviting you to fill out this online survey.
COUNTY CHANGES: Did you know there’s a hearing in West Seattle tomorrow night on more than a dozen amendments proposed to the King County Charter? Might sound dry but on the other hand, some of ’em might affect your life (see the list here). We somehow managed not to hear about the hearing till Julie Enevoldsen (thank you!) told us about it this afternoon. 6:30 pm tomorrow, Emerald Room at The Hall at Fauntleroy.
The King County Council–Seattle City Council joint meeting on The Viaduct just concluded a moment ago, lasting a little more than 2 hours. As was hinted at the Seattle Council briefing on The Viaduct that we covered downtown one month ago (read our story here), the information presented today was more about related elements such as the Urban Mobility Plan — ways that we will get around either without, or despite, The Viaduct. And it did provide some glimpses into West Seattle’s possible transportation future — near-future (another Viaduct meeting in WS was just announced for next month) and far-future:Read More
This factoid didn’t make it into our original caucus report (see it, and its dozens of followup comments, here) — it was mentioned to us briefly on Saturday that Terry McAuliffe, national Clinton campaign chair, had dropped by the West Seattle High School gathering between 9 and 10 am, before the meeting officially started. We didn’t arrive till just after 10, so missed him. But eagle-eyed Cami MacNamara (editor of the Alki News Beacon) spotted photographic proof in, of all places, this Baltimore Sun political blog post (which focuses on the fact McAuliffe was photographed posing with Obama fans). P.S. Additional caucus photos are also up at the 34th District Democrats’ site; much of the discussion about Saturday’s process has centered on the ability to affect it by getting involved with the group – its next meeting is 7 pm this Wednesday, The Hall at Fauntleroy.
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