West Seattle, Washington
14 Sunday
(WSB video: Walking along the line of luminarias at 2010 West Seattle Relay for Life)
One week from tonight, it’s the summer’s only all-night fundraiser in West Seattle – Relay for Life. Though some teams have been planning and raising money for months, it’s also not too late to form one and sign up now to be part of the cancer-fighting walkathon at West Seattle Stadium. WSB is proud to be among the West Seattle Relay for Life co-sponsors this year; here’s the latest update from Rebecca Polivy:
The West Seattle Relay for Life is right around the corner! Join us by creating a team or just coming out and seeing what it is all about. Festivities kick off at 6 pm on Friday June 10th with fun for the whole family – walk the track for American Cancer Society or just come to check out an awesome performance by the Seattle Civic Dance Theater, practice your marshmallow launching skills, or compete in the first annual Minute-to-Win-it competition!
We are also looking for lots of day-of volunteers – if you could come and help us out any time between 1pm on June 10th through noon on Saturday we would love to have you. E-mail Rebecca (bec@busstop.org) to learn more about how you can help! Between setting up, helping set up for the luminaria ceremony, or manning our information tent – we could use volunteers of all ages!
Hope to see you there – westseattlerelay.com
You can also donate online right now to any of dozens of participants – the links are here.
Got documents to shred, and/or computers, monitors, cell phones, TVs to recycle? You can do it all in West Seattle on Saturday, presented by Windermere Real Estate in The Junction (home to WSB sponsors The CoHo Team). 10 am-1 pm, you can bring your shreddables and e-cyclables to the parking lot behind the office, off 42nd between SW Alaska and SW Oregon, and drop them off for free. (InterConnection.org will be providing the e-cycling services.)
The big police response in Highland Park this past hour, around 9th/Henderson, is linked to a family-violence case, according to police. They say a father and son clashed after one showed up at the residence with a gun. We’re told one is in custody and the other was still being sought, at last report.
Driving along SW Trenton just east of 35th might be slow going for a bit as two tow trucks are busy towing two cars that collided on the north side of 34th/Trenton, one winding up in a house’s yard, one through a fence (photo above). No serious injuries; one driver has been taken to the hospital in a private ambulance. 34th is blocked off at the scene till the towing crews’ work is done.
ADDED 5:36 PM: The family who owns the home escaped injury, though they were all home – husband, wife, and two little kids. He told us that he heard three loud impacts, and thought maybe someone was hitting parked cars along 34th – then went out to discover the car in the yard (which also damaged the house, at the daylight basement level) and the one through the fence next door.
ADDED 6:06 PM: About to add more photos. Nathan reports that the street is open again. (Also thanks to Sam and Val for the original tips.)
Fundraising car washes, you hear about often. Today – we have word of a fundraising dog wash. This Saturday, 3:30-6 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex, the Chief Sealth International High School Yoga Club is raising money with a dog wash. $5 minimum donation per pooch.
Five months after we first reported that Westwood Village Target would remodel and add a full in-store supermarket, the work is done and the shelves are stocked. Assistant store manager Shelby Palmer invited us over to take a look; she says this is the second day since the new fresh offerings – produce, meat, etc. – arrived, and stocking is continuing to ramp up, but it’ll all be complete by Sunday, which is the day they’ll celebrate the official grand opening. Produce is sold “by the unit” – notice the 24-cent bananas in the top photo. They’re carrying some local brands (Tim’s chips, for example) in both fresh and processed food, as well as Target house lines and other national brands. The dairy and other cooler cases now line almost the entire west end of the store, where electronics and hardware used to be, among other things.
This is one of hundreds of stores the company is remodeling to add supermarket sections. Shelby explained that Target has two levels of supermarket – this is the smaller, urban-style “P Fresh” model, not the “Super Target” you’d recognize from other regions, such as the Midwest. Meantime, Sunday’s grocery “grand opening” is fairly low key – no ribbon-cutting or other ceremony, but some giveaways are planned.
As the school year wanes, the school-bus visits to Alki and vicinity increase, for low-tide field trips. Just before noon today, we spotted those six Issaquah School District buses south of Alki Point – they’re way off to the right in our beach photo:
Today’s tide wasn’t nearly as low as last full moon, but still low enough for good exploration, -2.0 – and tomorrow just past 12:30 pm, it’ll be a bit lower, -2.2. But this month’s lowest tides aren’t for two more weeks – June 14-16, we’ll see minus-three-foot tides again. (Here’s our favorite chart.)
From the city Land Use Information Bulletin:
42ND/OREGON CHANGE-OF-PLANS COMMENT PERIOD OPEN: The official comment period has just opened for a project change on which we reported yesterday, the 42nd/Oregon (official address: 4502 42nd SW) development changing from 89 apartments and 20,000 sf of retail to 135 apartments and less than 3,000 sf of retail. Here’s the notice; it lists the comment deadline as June 15th (and explains how to comment). Though the city website cites May 18th as the “application date” for this proposed change, it has apparently been in the works for several months: CIty documents dated in January and in March related to the developer’s application for the Multi-Family Tax Exemption (that’s the tax break spotlighted recently by our partners at the Seattle Times), list the project as having 135 apartments, not the longstanding, already approved 89.
9030 35TH SW REVIVED: Also on the LUIB, an application for 9030 35th SW in Westwood. We last heard about this site more than three years ago – here’s our report from a Design Review meeting back then. At the time, developers were talking about four stories and 30 apartments; now the proposal is for five stories and 40 units. The new proposal doesn’t appear to address what was a controversial point in that earlier review – parking. In 2008, DR Board members were concerned that the 30-unit proposal had only 38 units, given parking challenges related to the nearby Southwest Library; this new 40-unit proposal has fewer spaces, 32. Here’s the notice for the new application, which also has a comment deadline of 6/15.
As promised, here are more details on the upcoming closure at East Marginal Way/Spokane, as part of the Port of Seattle’s ongoing overpass construction (the project you see on the southeast side of the West Seattle Bridge as you head east), mentioned briefly in our coverage of Wednesday’s Viaduct South Portal Working Group meeting. First, a map:
Per this Port of Seattle news release, the intersection of East Marginal and Spokane will close tomorrow night at 7 pm and stay closed through next Thursday (June 9th):
During this short-term closure, the port will route traffic through the area with the assistance of flaggers and uniformed police. During this period, there will also be intermittent nighttime closures of eastbound lower Spokane between the East Duwamish Waterway and East Marginal Way.
The port scheduled this closure to begin on a Friday night so that staff members can monitor traffic closely and make any necessary adjustments prior to truck traffic increasing again on Monday.
The official name of the $49 million port project, building a flyover to separate vehicle and train traffic, is the East Marginal Way Grade Separation (explained in detail here). Note that this closure is scheduled to end the day before the next Alaskan Way Viaduct shutdown, which is set for 11 pm June 10th through 5 am June 13th. And also note that the news release mentions another closure further north on East Marginal, set to start later this month, related to a separate city project, but not till there’s a “bypass” in place.
One more event happening tonight: Chief Sealth International High School‘s spring-sports banquet celebration (6 pm at the school). To accompany that event, athletic director Sam Reed has written one of his trademark season recaps, calling the season “one of the most successful” spring-sports seasons ever at Sealth – read on for the details:Read More
(Photo by Lisa Stencel)
Three notes from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
OPENING NIGHT FOR SPIRA POWER YOGA: Another new business opens today in Admiral. Spira Power Yoga starts operations with a 6 pm class.
FANTABULOUS FIFTIES: The Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon) presents “Those Fantabulous Fifties: A Musical Revue” conceived and directed by Kent Johnson. The musical will include more than 35 popular ’50s songs and a Hula-Hoop Challenge. All ages are welcome. 6 pm, $25, starts with dinner (by Salty’s on Alki) followed by the musical around 7 pm. Call 206-932-4044 for ticket info.
SIFF AT THE ADMIRAL: Two Seattle International Film Festival screenings at the Admiral Theater tonight: “Fire in Babylon” (UK) at 6:30 pm, “A Few Days of Respite” (Algeria) at 8:30 pm. Schedule/ticket info here. (P.S. Thanks to SIFF for joining WSB as a sponsor for the second half of the festival.)
Two notes for West Seattle baked-goods fans:
BAKED. IN ADMIRAL: The custom-cake creators of Baked. are now “all moved in” at their new HQ, 2604 California SW, which they are sharing with Heavenly Pastry. (Neither business plans a retail storefront – Baked. makes custom-ordered cakes; Heavenly bakes wholesale.) We stopped by Wednesday afternoon to meet the Baked. proprietors; above, that’s Baked.’s Kristina Serfass, working on a batch of cake filling; below, that’s Natalie Vorpahl, working on the Mercer Island High School logo for a cake to celebrate that school’s state lacrosse championship:
Their website includes a “menu” link, where you’ll find a long list of potential flavors and ingredients, as well as a “seasonal menu” (one of the current options: mango coconut). Next bakery note:
ORIGINAL BAKERY TO CELEBRATE ‘DOUGHNUT DAY’: Tomorrow, Anna Alonzo tells us, is National Doughnut Day. And since she is with one of West Seattle’s most celebrated doughnut (and more) shops – The Original Bakery in Fauntleroy (9253 45th SW) – she ought to know. Anna tells WSB she’s planning to visit Southwest Community Center at 1 pm on Friday, “giving applesauce doughnuts and coffee to folks to celebrate.” A website update is in the works for the bakery – which has been building a following on Facebook (check out the onesies!) – and it might debut on Doughnut Day too.
Bernie Matsuno, awaiting confirmation as director of the city Department of Neighborhoods, met with the Southwest District Council on Wednesday night, asking for “patience.” She inherited big changes required by big budget cuts last year – most notably the reorganization of the District Coordinators team, no longer including one coordinator per district, but now serving 13 districts with 9 coordinators who work in teams. “It’s going to take some time before they know the region as well as they know their own district.” (The South Region team now serving West Seattle does not include either of the area’s longtime coordinators – Stan Lock, who had staffed Southwest, moved to another part of the city; Ron Angeles, who had staffed Delridge, retired.) Though district councils including SW have expressed concern, Matsuno said she doesn’t expect that staffing level to change any time soon – especially with directors having been asked by the mayor to come up with potential 12 percent budget cuts.
An extra wrinkle for Matsuno: Mayor McGinn has asked her and four other department directors (Economic Development, Housing, Sustainability/Environment, and Arts/Cultural Affairs) to explore the possibility of consolidation . She told SWDC members she doesn’t believe the mayor wants to get rid of Neighborhoods or “minimize it to the point where we don’t know what it is any more,” but she admitted it’s tough to review without knowing where he’s leaning. Earlier in the day, she said, had been the sixth meeting regarding the “feasibility study” for the potential consolidation, and the question remains whether it would save any money. “We have it down to five different options,” she revealed.
Speaking of research: DON has an online survey going, asking you how they should prioritize their “outreach and engagement” activities. Share your thoughts here.
(Rendering of new OLG center/gym, provided by the parish in 2010)
West Seattle’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish says it’s ready to start building its new Parish Life Center and Gymnasium – with more than $3 million amassed (including a loan) – so a “ceremonial groundbreaking” celebration is planned for Sunday, June 12th. The 12:15 pm event in the lower playfield will be followed at 12:45 pm by a multicultural potluck, and OLG is inviting the community to join the celebration. You can read more about the project here.
Just in from WSB/White Center Now contributor Deanie Schwarz – More than 20 law-enforcement vehicles, including several from Seattle Police, rushed to help a King County transit deputy after an attack attempt this past hour in WC. A Sheriff’s Office supervisor told Deanie that the deputy tried to make a routine traffic stop, pulling over the vehicle in a business parking lot at 106th/16th. As the deputy approached the vehicle, the driver threw it into reverse, gunned it, and tried to run over the deputy, according to the KCSO supervisor. Deanie says the call for backup brought cars from Seattle, Burien, and Sound Transit as well as the Sheriff’s Office. The deputy wasn’t hurt; one arrest is reported, and three more people were detained for questioning.
Gas siphoning, or vandalism? One of our two West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight involves a crime that could be either or both; the other involves a car prowler getting scared off – details on both, ahead:Read More
Even without a taste of true summer yet, you’ll want to look ahead to fall if you’re involved with – or thinking about getting involved with – the West Seattle Soccer Club. Fall registration is open now online, and they’re looking for coaches/volunteers as well as signing up players. Returning players who register by June 30th get priority placement on their former teams; after that, players go into the “general pool” for assignment on a space-available basis. Got questions? E-mail wsscboard@gmail.com if you can’t find the answers at westseattlesoccer.org.
(WSDOT photo taken last month in construction zone)
From this afternoon’s downtown meeting of the Alaskan Way Viaduct South Portal Working Group, one of the advisory groups that gets briefed on, and offers opinions about, how the ongoing 99 work and related projects are tying into our part of town:
ANOTHER CLOSURE COMING UP: For about a week, starting at the end of this week – specifics to come – the intersection of East Marginal and Spokane will be closed, according to the Port’s Mike Merritt. It’s because of ongoing work on the Port of Seattle’s East Marginal Grade Separation Project – the ramp-resembling structure you see off to the south when heading east on the high-rise West Seattle Bridge. He didn’t have full details – we will check with the Port tomorrow – but also said the project is moving toward “substantial completion in September.”
AHEAD OF SCHEDULE: As for the Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct south-end work, which is now in full swing, project leader Matt Preedy told the advisory group that it’s “ahead of schedule.”
On the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s downtown pier about an hour ago, King County Ferry District board chair Joe McDermott and member Larry Phillips honored the crew who rescued a diver. Here’s our coverage from May 10th, including a photo of the Rachel Marie just off Seacrest during the rescue. As was recounted in coverage that day, Captain Neal Amaral maneuvered the passenger ferry into place, and crewmember Aaron Barnett jumped into the water till the diver was safely secured into a sling.
Also honored (our video shows the short ceremony in its entirety), their fellow crewmembers Frank Massaro – who received a citation last year from the U.S. Coast Guard for rescuing a man in the water near Pier 50 – and engineer Vik Misic. All of their roles in the rescue are recapped in today’s county news release – click ahead to read it in its entirety:Read More
Significant changes for two long-in-the-works West Seattle projects – one in scope, one in cost:
MORE RESIDENTIAL UNITS, LESS COMMERCIAL SPACE: The long-idled project at 42nd/Oregon in The Junction (map), replacing those three houses and a fourth that made a much-watched move last summer, has changed plans, and architects. When the project went through city review back in 2008-2009, it had 89 residential units, and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. Now the owners are asking for revisions to their master-use permit, proposing 135 residential units and 2,900 square feet of commercial space. The building would remain at 7 stories (as originally planned); the underground parking garage would increase to 137 spaces, from 121. The new architects, JBDG (which designed Arrowhead Gardens on the southeastern edge of West Seattle), are scheduled to be part of a community meeting that Junction Neighborhood Organization president Erica Karlovits announced is scheduled two weeks from tonight, 6 pm June 15th, at the Senior Center of West Seattle.
Another project with a notable change:
(CLICK IMAGE FOR FULL-SIZE VERSION: Top of the rendering is west)
DENNY PROJECT PRICE RISES: As pointed out by the Save Seattle Schools site team, previewing the agenda for tonight’s Seattle School Board meeting: Board members are being asked to approve another $1.2 million for the project to tear down the old Denny International Middle School and put in six tennis courts, a softball field, and an “informal playfield,” while leaving room for a potential future new elementary school (the sports facilities are replacing the ones torn out to build the new Denny next to Sealth). The board approved a $4.9 million contract with BNBuilders last December; now they’re being asked to raise that to $6.1 million for reasons including:
The cost of this project includes funds to address several issues identified during the preconstruction phase. A larger than expected amount of unsuitable existing soils was discovered during the … pre-construction services phase. Funds to remove and replace these soils are included in this contract amendment. Additional hazardous materials abatement work was identified and is funded in this contract amendment. Additional electrical services are also included for possible future use.
Tonight’s school-board meeting is at district HQ in SODO at 6 pm; the Denny cost change is item 10 on the list of “introduction” items. A community meeting on the demolition/construction project is set for June 14th (more details in our original preview).
You might find a door-to-door political canvasser outside your home or apartment tomorrow night – and thanks to a heads-up from Diane, we can tell you in advance, they’re legitimate. They will be asking people to support a potential city ordinance requiring that employers provide paid sick days. The notice Diane shared says that canvassers will gather at Pioneer Coffee (2536 Alki SW) at 5:30 pm Thursday, heading out to West Seattle neighborhoods over the ensuing two hours.
If you don’t frequent the WSB Forums, you’ve missed members’ updates on the “Nickelsville” homeless camp that is now in its third week at the same city-owned West Seattle site where it was founded three years ago. 
Though the city administration then led by its namesake booted the camp in 2008, leading to a series of moves, Mayor McGinn is not planning to try to evict it, as reported here two weeks ago.
Shortly after that report, two Forum members told the story of a third who became homeless and is now living at the camp, and that led to questions about how to help. Several discussions have followed, including updates from new Nickelsville resident Mike, and now a bigger event is being organized: A June 18th potluck dinner. The plan is taking shape here; to feed the estimated 100 residents, plus visitors, is a big order, but with many participants, each contributor won’t have to add much. If you can provide food but can’t take it to the camp yourself, arrangements are also being made to help with that. As for other ways in which people are helping out – check out this Forums thread; the water supply is even receiving assistance (and another update is here). More updates to come, including a two-part report on Nickelsville security by Joanne Brayden and Kevin McClintic (who took the 5/16 photo reused here), who previously told the story of Mike’s move.
Now that Zippy’s Giant Burgers has celebrated its reopening (WSB coverage here), the next restaurant-opening question peppering the WSB inbox is: When will A Terrible Beauty open in The Junction? WSB contributor Katie Meyer has been checking frequently on its progress (including taking the photo of the sign that went up last week). Katie says the latest word from co-proprietor Jenna is that they probably are still a couple weeks out, much as they wish things were moving faster. (The site has been given an extensive facelift as well as much interior work; previous exterior touches covered here included the stonework and the green paint; it’s only been a bit over two months since the Renton-founded Irish restaurant/pub announced its West Seattle expansion plans for the California/Edmunds NE corner.)
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