Four months have passed since we told you a J. Crew Factory store was penciled in for the former GameStop and Desert Sun spaces in Westwood Village. The company has yet to make a formal announcement, but that’s not unusual (for example, Total Wine & More has yet to “announce” its Westwood store, but it’s posted May 30 as the opening date). We have word of two developments with the space – the tanningsalon that followed Desert Sun, Bronz’d, now has a note on the door saying it had closed immediately and permanently. We went by to check (top photo) after Wyatt sent the photo below of the note:
That’s the wading pool at Lincoln Park, awaiting the start of a new season. The city opens its sprayparks before wading pools, and West Seattle’s only one, Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale), will open this Saturday (May 24), with 7-day-a-week operation, 11 am-8 pm, until Labor Day. West Seattle’s wading pools all open in June – with schedules similar to last year – starting with Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), opening June 21 and operating daily, noon-7 pm, through Labor Day; E.C. Hughes (2805 SW Holden) opens June 23 and will be open Mondays, Tuesdays, and Sundays, noon-7 pm, through August 17; Delridge Community Center (4501 Delridge Way SW) wading pool is open June 25-August 15 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, noon-5:30 pm; and Hiawatha (2700 California SW) wading pool will be open June 26 through August 16, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, also noon-5:30 pm. If it’s cloudy and cool, the city won’t open the pools, so keep watch on the weather. More info on the city’s wading pools and sprayparks, including the rules, can be found here.
A few hours into today’s air-and-sea SWAT drill off West Seattle, we had the chance to visit the staging area on Port of Seattle property, where participating officers were boarding helicopters. The “helipad” used for the occasion was a big empty lot just south and uphill from the port-property entrance across from the Harbor Island 7-11.
Three law-enforcement helicopters were coming and going, delivering officers to participating vessels off both the north and west shores of West Seattle, including the King County Water Taxi‘s M/V Sally Fox:
Officers also were deployed from law-enforcement boats:
We asked King County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Division Chief Jeff Flohr, who’s in charge of SWAT and other teams, about the drill scenario and who was involved:
KCSO had three of its four helicopters participating – two were Guardian Twos (the Hueys with the unmistakable low and loud chopping sound – listen to our short clip)
Also participating, one of KCSO’s two Guardian Ones, the newer one; these are the helicopters most seen in crime-related responses, the only law-enforcement helicopters in the region, so they assist other agencies including Seattle Police,.
Though the original announcement had the training running as late as 7 pm, Chief Flohr said the flights will be over no later than 3:30.
That’s why we visited Kenyon Hall to talk with the two men who are now managing the nonprofit venue, moving into for a bright future just a few years after uncertainty it would have much of a future at all.
For many years, Kenyon Hall was run by a memorable music man named Lou Magor. His unexpected death four years ago left the century-old building somewhat rudderless, though board members of the nonprofit that owns it, Seattle Artists, worked to keep it going.
Others got involved with the effort to save Kenyon Hall, including Murphy Janssen and Nick Shadel, who now manage it. They jumped in as volunteers, Nick joining just after Lou’s death, Murphy coming aboard six months later. “That period of time was spent figuring out what was even going on at the hall – tracking down records, understanding the state of (the hall) – a tumultuous but positive time. We learned a whole lot about Kenyon Hall, its history, the players …”
And they learned many other things. Murphy, a drummer among other things, hadn’t been involved with a nonprofit before. Nick, a film composer and music educator among other things, had run companies. The board dwindled, including those who had headed the effort to keep Kenyon Hall going. “Volunteerism alone wasn’t going to bring the hall back to its previous (status),” said Murphy. “So Nick and I both flirted with director roles on our own. Neither of us wanted to do solo.” So with the support of remaining board members, they wrote a job description, “found some money” for it, and as of the end of next month, they’ll have been running Kenyon Hall for two years. Murphy is focused on bookings, Nick on administration.
One of their first tasks was to rebuild the board, which was down to three members at the time. Now there are eight.
“All local West Seattle folks,” notes Nick. Some were already involved with the hall via music classes offered there
“We’ve. also been working to build up our volunteer program, opening arms to a greater group of community members who want to help the community out,” Murphy explains. Lou did so much himself, they observe, but they are trying to delegate – helpers with concessions, chair-stacking, maybe even “help run live sound”; they’ve organized volunteer opportunities online.
Fundraising has expanded too; they had a telethon-style fundraiser for Kenyon Hall’s Mighty Wurlitzer organ, with both a live audience and live stream. That day alone, they raised $6,000, and that’s since grown to $30,000 to go toward maintaining the organ as well as improvements such as lighting to make it “even more magical.”
The organ has continued to get a workout, with performances including two shows by Bernard Struber, who saw the sign outside the Hall (“Home of the Mighty Wurlitzer”) while visiting his daughter Laure Struber, also an organist, and “stumbled in” to learn about it.
Even before Friday’s Story Slam, the hall has seen other firsts under its co-directors, including a performance of Celtic dance, and novel ways to use the Wurlitzer, such as this spring’s Cartoon Mess, a March performance that also was streamed:
Organist Sawyer Best helped with that, they explained, “using the Wurlitzer in a fun way.” Next month, Murphy adds, it’ll be put into action with Luke Fitzpatrick, integrating it into an experimental work on June 1st (Laure Struber will be the organist).
And while that will be very modern music, the Wurlitzer also is used to celebrate history, as with Dennis James’s silent-film performances. “It’s been a fun fusion.”
Murphy says bringing Kenyon Hall at least partly into the present is a key part of their work. “We’re finally able to take credit cards!” They’re also selling advance tickets online. Previously, they just took reservations, and “maybe half would show up,” which meant not only less compensation for the hall but less for the performers.
“We take a lot of pride in (supporting artists),” Nick says. “We’re artist-focused, not profit-focused,” Murphy adds.
In addition to visiting performers, they’ve been featuring regular monthly programming – an open-mic night, jazz night, and a drag night – Kenyon Hall Cabaret, which has just celebrated its second anniversary and will celebrate Pride with a Wizard of Oz-themed show again this year, two performances this time.
The drag community helped with the Wurlitzer fundraiser in a big way, Nick notes, saying they’re “deeply integrated into our cool little scene here.”
The other regular features have been a resounding success too, they add. The “open mic,” which focuses on songwriters, has had some “incredible” ones show up to play original music, Nick says. “And we record everyone so they get free demos,” adds Murphy. He goes on to describe the jazz jam, with a Chief Sealth International High School trio as the “house band”; this month will be the third one, 6 pm May 30, free admission. It’s meant to be not just a performance opportunity but also a mentoring event and “some moments of a master class,” as Murphy explains it. Nick summarizes, “We’re creating this space for the spirit of jazz-improvisation collaboration. … We’re excited to offer more free programming.”
Friday’s Story Slam will be free too, and another move toward their goal of “diversifying the art that is presented here.” Murphy elaborates that they’re often approached by people with ideas, asking “have you ever thought about this?” and that’s what the Story Slam sprang from: “We’ll have five or six pre-set story tellers and then an open call.” They hope this too will be monthly.
“Our purpose is for people of any skill level to come in and engage in art,” Nick declares. “At every turn the community lifts us up further – it’s amazing to see the level at which people care about this place. It has some magic.”
What’s happening now is synched with what the two co-directors felt when they first got involved with Kenyon Hall. Murphy had pondered “commitment to art as a community support.” Nick had been teaching music at the hall for years before Lou Magor’s death, and came to regard it as a “sacred creative space (that) was capable of more.” He helped sustain it even during the no-live-events pandemic time, when they presented recorded performances online. “I fell in love with it as a space where creation happens.” Now he says, he’s never felt better about the state of Kenyon Hall, which is at the “dawn of a new era in a really exciting way.”
“It’s almost unfathomable that this place is still here,” marvels Murphy. “How can we not (work to save it)?”
That’s more than a matter of keeping performers onstage and keeping audiences in the seats. It’s also a matter of preserving and updating the hall itself. Murphy allows that “the building’s in pretty good shape,” it needs some work. “We want to do some renovations enabling more recording, with more of a control room in the loft,” he says. “We are going to be a great-sounding room for artists that want to record for a bit cheaper.” Nick hosted a sold-out “guerrilla recording workshop” last fall, and Murphy promises they’ll do it again.
Other upcoming events include “Bach and pancakes” (the latter made by neighboring Locöl Kitchen & Bar, which they laud as a “great partner”) on Sunday (advance tickets are sold out), part of a Memorial Day weekend that also includes a klezmer concert on Saturday. “For those who are sticking around (on Memorial Day weekend), we’re gonna be here and it’s gonna be (great).”
Coming to Kenyon Hall for shows is a huge way you can support its future. You can donate money too – “we’re always running Lights On for Lou.” You can volunteer (Murphy says, “The more people we get on the volunteer list, the less I’ll have to wear three or four hats at once” and the more he can focus on actually running the hall). If you’re a music teacher and not already involved with Kenyon Hall, they want it to “be a place for local music teachers to connect with each other.”
For the major renovations, the hall will “go dark” for a few months starting around July 1st; part of the renovations will include demolishing and rebuilding the restrooms, which will then be ADA compliant (among other improvements). They’ll be streamlining the power to reduce things like cable hum. As Murphy summarizes, “The building needs to be recalibrated for the 21st century.” Trying to figure out everything that needs to be done has led to “some fun and laughter and frustration,” as they describe it.
But Kenyon Hall won’t lose its charm, which includes the mere fact it exists – “Why is this place here? Because it’s been loved by so many people for so long. It’s amazing how intimate this place is,” despite its placement on a busy arterial. “Whatever has happened over the decades has created a special, intimate place for art.”
(Past “happenings” include the legendary 2008 “secret” Eddie Vedder concerts, you might recall, and if you have a poster for that show, the Kenyon Hall directors would love to hear from you!)
HOW TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE HALL: The calendar of upcoming Kenyon Hall performances/events is here.
OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT THE HALL: Donation and volunteering links are here.
11:16 AM: Thanks to Marc Tiedeman for the photo! The drill with law-enforcement boats and helicopters isn’t all that’s happening off West Seattle shores right now – orcas are in the area too. Kersti Muul sent first word; they’re headed southbound off west-facing West Seattle. And Carol Stoner reports, “Orcas are just north of Blake Island heading south. The San Juan Clipper and another boat are observing them. I saw at least 5 separate dorsals.”
11:25 AM: Since we were in South Alki headed back to HQ from a photo/interview op regarding the drill, we detoured to Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook to see if the whales were in view. The boats Carol mentioned are actually part of the drill, which currently involves a helicopter right over M/V Sally Fox (regular Vashon Island Water Taxi vessel) and a Seattle Police boat right behind. (Photo added:)
(Photo by Carolyn Newman, drill participants in view at/near Seacrest)
Here’s our list of Thursday highlights, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, including the drill happening right now:
DRILL CONTINUES: This is happening on and off West Seattle shores, including helicopters and boats. We’ll have a separate update later – here’s the original preview/alert – but note that this apparently stretches beyond the Elliott Bay shores previously mentioned (some sightings off Beach Drive too). This is expected to continue throughout the day, as late as 7 pm.
(10:43 AM UPDATE: We’re just back from a photo/interview op in the T-5 lot where helicopters are landing and taking off. Three KCSO helicopters – one Guardian One [above], both Guardian Twos – are involved today and we’re told they’ll be done flying by 3:30. Separate report to come, and lots of photos.) Back to what else is happening:
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: Spring planting season continues. The center is open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome to this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayerswsup@gmail.com to get the latest on where they’re playing today.
HPCS FOOD-TRUCK VISIT: First of three regular Thursday night events here – every Thursday, 4-8 pm, Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) gets a food-truck visit. Tonight it’s Cascadia Pizza Co..
WINE TASTING WITH CLARK: Another regular Thursday event at HPCS, 5-7:30 pm – info here.
HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: Last but never least, HPCS is the starting point for running 3 miles, or walking a shorter path, in the neighborhood near HPCS with the Run Club, leaving from the store at 6:30 pm, returning for beverages – info here.
WORKSHOP AT C & P COFFEE:“Stories that Heal: A Writing Workshop and Collaborative Reading from Alternative Perspectives” – 6 pm – details in our calendar listing. (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor)
WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES COMMUNITY MEETING: Online at 6 pm, get updates from WSF staff, plus Q&A. Register here.
DUSTY THURSDAYS: 6 pm at Tim’s Tavern (98th/16th, White Center). From West Seattle’s own Billy Joe Huels:
Dusty Thursdays concert series is returning at Tim’s Tavern 6-9 pm on the outdoor stage. Each week we will feature a top local band (most hailing from West Seattle) followed by The Dusty 45s. It’s free, all-ages and everyone is welcome!
Featured tonight – Tom Bennett & The Rolling B.
TRIVIA:7 pm at Burger Planet, hosted by Good Old-Fashioned Local Trivia (9614 14th SW).
We’ve received several questions this morning about a search in Admiral around 3 am. It was initially reported as a stabbing, a 33-year-old man who said he was attacked near the Admiral/Spokane stairway. A K-9 team was used in the initial search, and that’s why short siren bursts were heard. We just checked with police to see what more they learned and whether anyone was arrested. Here’s their summary:
At 2:50 a.m., officers were dispatched to a call of a stabbing in the 3000 block of Southwest Spokane Street. The victim stated that he was outside looking for his dog and he was stabbed in the neck by an unknown person. The victim stated that the suspect left the scene in an unknown direction. The victim was transported to HMC via AMR with non-life-threatening injuries. Containment was set up and (a King County Sheriff’s Office) K9 (officer) deployed his dog with negative results. It was later determined that the victim had a girlfriend roaming around the area and she was located. The girlfriend told a different story about what occurred to the victim. It is unknown who committed the assault.
That’s the entirety of what they’re releasing so far.
Family and friends are remembering Richard Haich and sharing this remembrance with the community:
In the early morning of March 28th, Richard Haich peacefully passed away after a long illness.  He was met at the gates by the love of his life, Joann, who preceded him in death.
Richard’s childhood was spent on the farms of North Dakota, and he would later move to Billings, Montana. As a teenager, Rick enlisted in the Army and earned his GED. After completing his 4-year Army commitment, he returned to Montana, married, and began a family. In 1967, the family moved to West Seattle when Rick accepted a position with Boeing. Wishing to practice his interviewing skills, the following year he interviewed with IBM and was hired on the spot! He retired from IBM in the late 1980s.
Richard and his first wife had 4 children, Chantille (Scott), Anelody (Greg), Chabrise, and Richard Jr. (Holly), all raised in West Seattle. During the 1970s and 1980s, he involved himself in many community clubs, including the Steelheaders, Metal Detecting and Rock Hunting clubs.
In healthier times, Richard was often seen fishing in Elliott Bay or finding treasure with his metal detector. Generous with his talent of home improvements and gardening, you could also find him at one of his children’s homes.
He leaves behind his children and grandchildren, Daniel (Miranda) and Wyatt Henry, Addison (Lindsey), Keagan (Ruth) and Trey Tice, Avery and Jackson Herb, and Reinier and Montira Haich.
A private memorial will happen later this year.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)
6:03 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Thursday, May 22, 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Clouds, then clearing, high in the mid-60s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:23 am; sunset will be at 8:49 pm.
ROAD WORK
-The repaving work on 35th from 106th to 108th looked done when we went through last night.
-We’ve learned that the Beach Drive work by Lowman Beach Park is a continuation of the PSE gas pipeline project
-At the other end of Beach Drive, in South Alki, street work for the Alki Standby Generator Project is in its next phase, centered at 64th/Beach Drive – details and maps are here, along with what’s next.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
The sight of M/V Wenatchee out on Elliott Bay today was one reason why Washington State Ferries boss Steve Nevey opened today’s online systemwide community meeting with optimism: “I’m really positive about the direction the ferry system is heading in. … We’re not just trying to get better, we are getting better.”
M/V Wenatchee is getting close to the end of its longer-than-planned hybrid-conversion work at Vigor on Harbor Island, and its return to service will help return the fleet to enough of a size that, among other things, the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route will be able to return to a three-boat schedule June 30 (as first announced last month). “I’m really proud that almost-full service (systemwide) will be restored this summer.”
That also was partly enabled by Governor Bob Ferguson‘s order to delay the hybrid conversion of other ferries, but Nevey insisted WSF was not wavering in its commitment to electrification. A major next step, for example, is to build infrastructure so ferries will be able to recharge at terminals and run entirely on battery power; until that infrastructure is available, for example, Wenatchee will be running in hybrid mode “for a couple years,” Nevey noted.
He also showed the system “by the numbers” for this year’s first four months:
The most important numbers – like fleet size – played into remarks from the next speaker, John Vezina. Though, he warned, the system will have only 21 boats when it should have 26, service restoration will be possible:
For Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth, Vezina also said, there’ll be a few weeks this spring where it’s back to “two boats plus the ‘bonus boat’.” And what happens if unexpected circumstances bring the fleet strength down further? He showed the WSF decisionmaking matrix:
His final key point was that ferries have been added to the list of transit types aboard which various types of “unlawful transit conduct” can get you in trouble, thanks to SB 5716.
Next up from the WSF executive team was Todd Lamphere, who had the most numbers of anyone in the lineup, because it fell to him to explain how the state allocates funding to WSF and what happened in the just-concluded legislative session. Among the many notable numbers was $4 million for continued supplemental foot-ferry service provided by Metro‘s Vashon Island Water Taxi and Kitsap Transit. WSF is also now “directed” by legislators – without a dollar amount attached – to get back to exploring what it would take to provide reliable wi-fi service on ferries and in terminals. He also explained how ferry fares are decided, and during the meeting, participants got the chance to participate in two fare-related polls. (79 percent supported extending expiration time of prepurchased ticket books, from 90 days to 120 days; 65 percent supported a five percent “peak season surcharge.”
For more input into the process of setting the next round of fares, an online open house starts soon:
44 minutes into the meeting, they launched into a full hour of questions and answers (the asking was done via a Zoom feature – no live speaking by attendees). We took notes only on the ones of potential local interested, such as an early question about staffing; Beth Stowell said they’d just had four classes of 16 new employees, with two more soon, so they’re “fully staffed up with new folks for summer.” Other questions included how would WSF measure electrification success, once it’s actually happening; the answer – the amount of time the boats are running on battery power. Someone else was perturbed over people “skipping the line” if they have a medical exemption; Vezina noted there are three groups of people that can skip the line – those with medical exemptions, those on motorcycles, and those on bicycles. The medical exemption requires a note from a doctor – they don’t just take your word for it.
Got a question? A second session of the same meeting, ostensibly also featuring an hour for Q&A, starts at 6 pm Thursday; you can get the link by registering here.
Thanks to James Bratsanos for the photo from tonight’s sunset. The warm colors seem like a promise of the warmer weather to come – forecast currently projects 70s this weekend, a bit cooler on Memorial Day.
Story and photos by Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Thanks for the tip about activity in the Fauntleroy retail space that was most recently Bel Gatto after many decades as The Original Bakery. We’ve learned it will open this summer as an expansion of a Pilates studio in the same building. Along with the same programming already happening around the corner at Lagom Studios, there will be new saunas and classes, all by appointment.
“Community building is the whole purpose,” says owner Melina Moore. She bought the studio in 2022, when it was called Innate Vitality. At 435sf, the studio, tucked into the north side of the Endolyne building, can only accommodate 4 clients at a time, so Moore had started to look for a larger space. Poised to sign a lease in the Admiral District earlier this year, she found the bakery space suddenly available. “It felt very kismet,” she says, and allowed her to keep the business in the Fauntleroy neighborhood, which she came to love a number of years ago while teaching at the Cottage School at Gatewood Elementary.
With 2,000 additional square feet, Moore says there is enough space to have private sessions and group classes, including Yin yoga, at the same time. She envisions a “community wellness space,” with saunas and shower in the back and a “cozy corner” with tea where the bakery had its pastry case.
She plans to keep the current studio for community events, including sound baths, women’s circles, reiki and breath work, and astrology workshops.
Clients at a Pilates class Tuesday morning were thrilled about the larger space. “I’m super excited that she is expanding,” said one. Another described the Lagom space as a sanctuary in the city — “a neighborhood healing space.”
Moore says the Swedish word Lagom is about moving your body in balance and appreciation, something that is a guiding principle of her studio, along with a requirement that clients practice kindness in the space, where, “everyone is welcome.” Moore has 5 instructors working out of the current studio and will be hiring more for the expansion. Likely hours when she expands in July will be 7 am to 7:30 pm, depending on appointments.
Two recurring tours offer you the chance to learn about West Seattle history:
(WSB file photo)
ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: The free tours led by the US Coast Guard Auxiliary are returning on Sundays starting this weekend. No reservations – first come, first served, with the site open for tours starting at 1 pm and the last tour starting at 3:45 pm. These will continue every Sunday through Labor Day weekend, except for July 27 and August 3.
ADMIRAL DISTRICT TOURS: New two-hour, 1 1/2-mile Admiral walking tours have just been announced by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, whose Alki walking tours have been popular. They’re offering four this summer, 10 am-noon Saturdays, June 21, July 26, August 16, and September 20. Go here for more details and registration.
We’ve been hearing from people about police-boat activity seen off West Seattle shores, involving various commercial boats (Kitsap Transit, Victoria Clipper among the sightings reported). Turns out that the type of drill we got warning of for tomorrow, involving the Water Taxi, apparently are happening with other agencies today, although the time frame in this representative tweet is a little off.
Thanks to Amy for the tip on this – repaving work is under way toward the south end of 35th SW in Arbor Heights. We hadn’t heard/seen about this in advance, nor apparently had some in the area, but here’s what SDOT told us when we inquired:
SDOT crews are repairing worn pavement by replacing the top layer of asphalt on 35th Ave SW between SW 106th St and SW 108th St. Construction hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the road will be fully open at other times. During construction, 35th Ave SW is reduced to a single lane with flaggers to control traffic in alternating directions.
If we continue to experience good weather, there is a good chance that the work will be completed by 4 p.m. today. If crews do not finish today, then they expect to complete the project tomorrow.
We’ve asked SDOT if any other repaving projects are coming up soon in West Seattle; with the weather warming, we’re going into road-work season.
Thanks for the photos and tips. For the third time in a week, someone has crashed, then abandoned, a stolen car on SW Alaska west of The Junction, at/near 47th SW. And neighbors want to see police presence to increase the chance of catching someone next time. This time it happened just after 2 am today. A nearby resident – who says their partner owns the car hit two days ago – sent the top photo, and explains:
My partner’s Jeep was the hit and run on the 19th. This morning … another vehicle did it again. Didn’t swipe any of our vehicles this time, but lots of property damage on the hill on the way day, car ditched right by our house again. They did it also a week ago, destroying street signs and bushes down SW Alaska. This has suddenly become a joyride hill … We’re asking they station a cop at the bottom of the hill. This will happen again.
We listened back to the dispatch audio, which only included a mention that the occupant of the abandoned car got out and “left in another vehicle.” Another nearby resident sent us this video of that vehicle, described as a Mazda:
The crashed-and-abandoned vehicle was a Hyundai Elantra, finally towed at 5:30 am, according to some info we have since obtained from SPD – this is a reader photo of that:
The SPD info does not include confirmation it was a stolen car but does note it was likely an “unreported” one – meaning its owner wasn’t yet aware their car had been taken and so hadn’t reported it – as it had ignition-wiring damage.
We haven’t been to Don Armeni Boat Ramp for a look but on this day every year it’s usually full of trailers, and the area will be busy once the closing time is past this afternoon. The state says spot shrimp are the largest shrimp in Puget Sound and can grow to nine inches long.
TODDLER READING TIME AT PAPER BOAT: 10:30 am at the bookstore’s new location. (4522 California SW)
CHAIR YOGA: 10:30 am at Dragonfly (3270 California SW):
Gentle Chair Yoga
Wednesdays 10:30 AM
Class is recurring weekly.
45 minutes, $20 drop-in
Please register in advance. Use this Link
WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES COMMUNITY MEETING: Online at noon, get updates from WSF staff, plus Q&A. Register here. (If you can’t attend this one, there’s one more session, 6 pm Thursday.)
REJUVENATE YOGA: Weekly class at Viva Arts, 1:30 pm. Drop-in. $20. (4421 Fauntleroy Way SW)
HIGHLAND PARK WALKING TOUR: Where should SDOT build new sidewalks/walkways? Join a walking tour today, 5-6:30 pm, starting from Highland Park Elementary (1012 SW Trenton).
FREE GROUP RUN: All runners, all levels, are invited to join the weekly West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) group run – meet at the shop by 6:15 pm.
Got something coming up that’s open to the community? Please send us info so we can add it to West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Thomas J. Sweeney
February 11, 1951 – May 14, 2025
Tom died in his sleep after an eleven-year battle with cancer. He fought the good fight right up to the end and we are so very proud of him.
Tom grew up in Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island, the oldest of four brothers. As a child, young Tom would take the ferry to Seattle alone on Saturdays to go to the YMCA and walk up and down First Avenue looking into the army navy stores, G.O.Guy, and all the old institutions of Seattle. His family moved to Bellevue in his teens and he was in the first graduating class of Interlake High School in 1969.
After attending college for a few years (WSU and BCC), Tom was a long-haul trucker across the Southern United States in addition to working harvests in Eastern Washington. One day on a whim he answered an ad for U-Frame-It and found his true calling, picture framing. He managed the UFI shops in Bellevue and Ballard before opening his own shop in West Seattle in 1992, where he created beautiful art for his customers until retiring in 2024.
Tom’s love of family was evident in everything he did. He and his wife Merrilyn raised their daughters to respect all human rights and to strive for equality. He was so proud of both of his daughters for dedicating their careers to social justice.
Tom loved watching the Mariners with his girls, and was a Seattle Sonics season ticketholder; after their sale, he never again set foot in a Starbucks. He was an avid skier and marathon runner. He was a voracious reader and music lover, enjoying genres of all kinds. He was interested in everything and, most importantly, he was an honorable man.
Tom is survived by wife Merrilyn, daughters Lily and Julianna (James), brothers Matthew, Jay and Kent, their families, and countless friends who meant the world to him.
Family was everything to Tom. He will be so very missed.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)
Story and photos by Tracy Burrows
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
In the opening round of the 3A State Tournament, the West Seattle High School baseball team notched a 4-3 victory over the University High School (Spokane Valley) Titans Tuesday night at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex. On a chilly night, neither team looked exceptionally sharp, but the Wildcats did just enough to advance to the next round of the State tournament.
With the score tied 1-1 in the top of the second inning, starting pitcher Seth Rutman pitched out of a bases loaded jam. In the bottom half, the speedy Dex Pudduck beat out an infield hit and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice.
Ryan Typpi followed with a line-drive double, scoring Pudduck and giving the Wildcats a 2-1 lead. West Seattle added to their lead in the third when Cole Williamson drove in a run single.
Moments later, Clay Pecore capitalized on a Titon error, dashing home on a passed ball that got past the Titans’ catcher to put the Wildcats up by a score of 4-1.
Oliver Heltzel came on in relief in the fourth inning and, after a rocky start, silenced the University bats over the final three frames, including striking out the side in the top of the 5th.
The Wildcats advance to play #2 seed Gig Harbor this Saturday (May 24) at 1 pm at Tacoma’s Lincoln High School field.
-Road work is apparently ahead for Beach Drive by Lowman Beach – a reader sent a photo of no-parking signage, placed by an asphalt/concrete company, for restrictions today through June 4 (we’re checking with SDOT this morning).
-In South Alki, street work for the Alki Standby Generator Project is in its next phase, centered at 64th/Beach Drive – details and maps are here, along with what’s next.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
More than a year has passed since Seattle Parks announced that planning had resumed for one of its three long-“landbanked” West Seattle park sites, the one at 48th/Charlestown [map]. At the time, Parks said it expected the park to be finished by mid-2025.
That’s a few months away, and the project hasn’t even gone out to bid yet. But it’s not far from that stage, a Parks manager said during an informal meeting at the site with a neighborhood resident who wants to ensure the park is built to plan by donating money and time – and hopes other neighbors will want to do the same.
First, here’s what we learned about where the project stands: You might recall the site is one of three in West Seattle that the city bought and “landbanked” as future parks more than a decade ago. As Parks’ Rhys Harrington said during the informal meeting, this project “stalled out” before the pandemic. It already had a design, resulting from community collaboration – a fairly simple “neighborhood green” with an oval of lawn, some seating, a play area for kids, a mini-stage in a raised area toward the site’s southwest corner.
It also had a larger budget. Now, Harrington said, the construction budget is $730,000, so some features – like the mini-stage – might have to be dropped. He explained that they’ll send it out to bid with some features as “additives” to the basic plan (lighting, for example). The design is being “revisited” right now so that it’ll have full documents and cost estimates within about two months.
News of that shortfall is what got neighborhood mom Jordan Colvin involved. She’s hoping community contributions and involvement can ensure the park is built to the original plan, or close to it, in part via a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant that could be available if enough money and time is donated.
She explained to WSB that her family learned about the landbanked project after moving a block from the site and “saw an opportunity to contribute to both the community and raise awareness of childhood cancer.” Working with a West Seattle artist, the Colvins plan to financially back some of the park’s components and to donate a public art piece in honor of their son, Parker, one of 16,000 children who are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States.
During the informal park meeting, Jordan also explained that after they had chosen Parker’s name, they learned it meant “guardian of parks.” So remembering him via involvement in building this park – where his 4-year-old brother will play – seemed perfect.
Exactly what and where the artwork will be in the park, that has yet to be worked out. But Jordan is hopeful that area neighbors will join her quest to ensure the park is “as great as it can be”; to ensure flexibility, Harrington said, they’ll go out to bed with some features characterized as “additives,” so they reduce the chances of base bids so high they’ll have to do a second round of bidding.
Assuming nothing like that gets in the way, Harrington said the park project could break ground this September. He explained that it’s vaulted ahead of the other two landbanked West Seattle park projects because it’s the closest to being “shovel-ready,” even though design updates are required – much of the construction is simple “concrete and earth work.”
If you are interested – or even potentially interested – in involvement with the park project, including Colvin’s quest to corral a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant for the park, you can use this form to connect with her.
Thanks to Kelly for the photo. They and others have pointed out that the tree down across Lincoln Park‘s north beach path, first mentioned to us Monday evening and shown in our morning weather/traffic roundup today, still hasn’t been cleared. If on foot, you can step over it, but bicycles, strollers, wheelchairs, etc., can’t navigate it as easily. We asked Seattle Parks this morning about the plan for clearing it; no reply yet, though they did acknowledge our inquiry.
In the early morning of March 28th, Richard Haich peacefully passed away after a long illness.  He was met at the gates by the love of his life, Joann, who preceded him in death. 
Thomas J. Sweeney
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