West Seattle, Washington
22 Tuesday
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes today – the first, a reader report from Daniel:
This morning between midnight and 8 am, someone broke into my car and stole my briefcase that was sitting in the back seat. The cross streets I live near are 63rd Ave. SW and Admiral. I wanted to let you know just in case if anyone heard or saw anything suspicious. … Attached is a photo of the damage.
Also – after Lauren e-mailed us to ask about “heavy police presence” and medic crews at 16th/Trenton early this morning, we checked with SPD, and though it doesn’t appear to have been a big incident, in case you saw/heard it and wondered, here’s what police say: Officer Renée Witt in SPD media relations explains that it was a fight that started with an “unwanted guest” getting kicked out of a party around 5:30 am. Two men got into a fight; one got hit and fell down in the road at that intersection, and that’s where authorities came in. The victim was 20 and suffered only a “small cut above the right eye.”
In a month, the first-ever Delridge Unsung Hero awards will be announced – and today is your last chance to nominate someone, we are reminded by Holli Margell. She says the online application form is open till midnight today; here’s the link. 16 nominations have come in so far, Holli says, but they’re hoping for more! She adds that they are still seeking sponsors in order to have a catered buffet for the awards event; the North Delridge Neighborhood Council has donated enough for table rentals and program printing, but they’re looking for $2,000 to cover the rest. Can you donate? E-mail or call Delridge Neighborhoods District Council outreach chair Mike Shilley, michael.j.shilley@q.com or 206-762-7111.
We had just been covering this on our partner site White Center Now, but have also received a few notes from West Seattleites who used to shop at the old WC Albertsons on 16th, so in case you are interested: The ownership change happened this week, and the signs have just gone up – the store is now Super Saver Foods, and it’s open during remodeling. More details on WCN.
(Photo by Karen – “old desolate” on Flickr – forsythia, we think)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
TRAFFIC ALERTS: The 1st Avenue South offramp from the eastbound bridge will be closed 9 pm-5 am overnight tonight. Also closed overnight – 10 pm to 5 am – westbound access to the low bridge. More info on those city-scheduled closures here (and don’t forget, the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 will be closed all weekend, starting at 6 am Saturday).
WEST SEATTLE GARDEN CLUB: Today’s meeting is already under way but you can still drop in – full details on the program, which continues till 2 pm, are here. It’s happening at Daystar Retirement Village, 2615 SW Barton.
GEAR SWAP DROPOFF: Again today from 3-7 pm, you can drop off winter gear at Mountain to Sound Outfitters (3602 SW Alaska) for this weekend’s West Seattle Gear Swap. Details here.
EXPLORER WEST AUCTION: 5:30 tonight, the Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) gathers at The Hall at Fauntleroy. Details in our recent preview.
WINE TASTING: Ron Coleman of Tamarack Cellars at Bin 41 in The Junction, 6-7:30 pm. From their announcement:
If you’ve been to Walla Walla to take in the wine scene, you’ve likely enjoyed a visit at Tamarack Cellars and a refreshing conversation with owner/winemaker Ron Coleman. We had the pleasure of meeting Ron during our trip to Walla Walla last September. We’re pleased to welcome him to the bin to share a line-up of their wines with you, including their always super tasty DuBrul red.
COMEDY VAUDEVILLE EXTRAVAGANZA: That’s the headline for tonight’s show, headlined by comedy juggler Matt Baker, at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW) – details here.
The Chief Sealth International High School Polynesian Club‘s dance was the grand finale to a series of student performances last night, highlighting Multicultural Night in the school’s Galleria. Proud school-community leaders were on hand too, like principal Chris Kinsey and assistant principal Lupe Barnes:
Kinsey told us he was proud of the fact that everything was student-created, student-led, though the event was sponsored by the Chief Sealth PTSA – whose president Amy Daly-Donovan was on hand too – below at right, with school nurse Alison Enochs:
The wall poster behind them is a reminder that Multicultural Night was part of this year’s World Water Week observance at Sealth. Today, regular classes are suspended so the students can be part of an all-day teach-in, which includes workshops, guest speakers, gardening, and a youth-led Food Walk to highlight challenges faced by people in East Africa.
(Sgt. Joe Bauer shows neighbors a map of burglaries reported in the past month)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
JoDean Edelheit‘s neighbors might have wondered why police cars were in her Arbor Heights driveway Monday night – if not for the fact the neighbors were all in her living room with the uniformed visitors.
The Seattle Police Department has been offering the opportunity for these “living-room conversations” for a while – explaining them as opportunities to explore community concerns in informal settings. Monday afternoon, in fact, the SPD Blotter blog-format website published a short story about two recent ones. And that was not long after we got the call from JoDean, inviting us to the one scheduled to happen at her house hours later.
She hosted a dozen neighbors and four SPD reps. The questions weren’t surprising, but some of the answers were.
Once again, the Sustainable West Seattle presentation on how NOT to feed the Tox-Ick Monster – how to reduce runoff and help Puget Sound heal – drew a crowd tonight. Thanks to diver/photographer Laura James (who has seen Tox-Ick up close and personal) for the update and the photos – she says they drew the 50-plus needed to qualify for a $1,000 prize to go toward a runoff-fighting raingarden at WSHS:
That’s student Sage accepting the check. If you didn’t make it to one of the presentations in this series, no worries – you can view the PowerPoint, and video, online! Just go here.
(May 2011 photo, courtesy of Roger)
That was the scene near Seacrest last May when the West Seattle Water Taxi crew rescued a diver in distress (WSB coverage here). 
The whole crew was honored as heroes in a special ceremony weeks later (WSB coverage here), but in particular, Aaron Barnett was hailed for quick work in getting into the water to help the diver.
Today was Aaron’s last day with the Water Taxi service, we are told by two WSB’ers who ride the Water Taxi, including Paul Swortz – who took the recent photo of Aaron you see at right. Both Paul and another WSB’er, Tim, e-mailed to say that Aaron got a warm sendoff, including donuts and coffee this morning, special announcements this afternoon. We missed the chance to try to catch an interview with Aaron, but Tim says he’s going back to school. Good luck, Aaron!
Now we know why the city postponed the open house that had been scheduled next week for community members to meet the proprietors of Marination, which won the concession contract for Seacrest Boathouse. The city Department of Planning and Development says the plan needs an additional type of permit. The Parks announcement, headlined “Marination opening at Seacrest Boathouse delayed,” explains:
Since early March, Marination has been working with Parks to prepare and submit architectural and design plans for remodeling and tenant improvements of the boathouse. Most of these proposed improvements are for the interior of the building. As Marination was preparing to submit its building permit application to the City’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) on March 8, DPD staff informed Marination that additional review would be necessary for a conditional use permit needed for the restaurant use.
The space in question is the kitchen area that was formerly a boat repair space. The need for a restaurant permit was not anticipated, since the boathouse has been used primarily as a restaurant/food service facility since the late 1990s. A conditional use permit typically takes two to four months for review and approval. This timeline will likely delay Marination’s anticipated opening of June 2012.
Seattle Parks and DPD are working closely with Marination to complete this process and continue to work toward an early summer 2012 Opening. There will still be an Open House at the Boathouse in late spring to introduce Marination to the public and to provide the public with an update.
Marination co-owner Kamala Saxton had actually told WSB last month that they hoped to be open by July, fearing a June estimate might be too optimistic – but that was before this twist in the process.
8:14 PM UPDATE: We just talked with Greg Whittaker of Alki Kayak Tours. Last month, he and Marination’s Kamala both told WSB that they had agreed (though it wasn’t 100 percent finalized) that AKT would stay on as subconcessionaire for watercraft, skate/bike rentals, and all the things AKT had been doing. Tonight, Greg says his business is the official “interim concessionaire,” to cover the longer-than-expected gap till Marination can take over. We asked if that means anything different from what AKT has been doing and he mentioned one thing – they’ve agreed to sell beverages! Exactly how that’s going to work, they haven’t figured it out yet, since his interim deal with the city is brand-new. Meantime, we also have asked Marination for comment; stay tuned.
(UPDATED 8:41 PM with more traffic effects tonight, and tomorrow)
Drive 99? Note that the weekend closure mentioned on the sign is NOT the only Highway 99 closure ahead:
TONIGHT: Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct is CLOSED SOUTHBOUND OVERNIGHT.
EARLY SATURDAY TILL EARLY MONDAY: 99/Viaduct is closed both ways, 6 am Saturday till 5 am Monday (if it reopens earlier, we’ll publish an update).
THEN, TWO WEEKS LATER: The Viaduct/99 will close again from 11 pm Friday, April 6th, till 5 am Monday, April 9th.
ADDED 8:41 PM: Sorry to have not had this all in one place sooner but there are a variety of things to note for tonight, and tomorrow, besides tonight’s overnight 99/Viaduct closure. First, from the weekly lookahead:
*Tonight, per SDOT: “The 1st Ave S off-ramp from the West Seattle Bridge will be closed overnight. The 4th Ave off-ramp will remain open from the Spokane Street Viaduct for access to the SODO and downtown area.”
*Also tonight, per SDOT: “The northbound on-ramp from S Royal Brougham Way to the Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR99) will be closed overnight.”
*And more for tonight: “A single eastbound lane on the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed overnight. Access to I-5 will be maintained.”
*Yet more for tonight: “Eastbound S Spokane St will be closed between East Marginal Way S and 1st Ave S each night.”
*And for Friday morning, this too from SDOT, announced late today: “Tomorrow morning, March 23, motorists traveling in the vicinity of the Seattle Center may encounter heavier traffic than usual. Between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. a crowd of 3,500 or more will be attending a private event at the Key Arena. Traffic could build in the area as early as 7 a.m. and likely will impact the morning commute between the Center grounds and I-5. Charter buses will be unloading and loading attendees during the event on streets near the Key Arena.” (Multiple WSB’ers tell us the “private event” is the Amazon all-hands meeting.)
(Delridge streetfront view, from project renderings shown to Design Review Board)
Delridge Community Forum, one of the groups that has been closely tracking DESC’s 66-unit Delridge Supportive Housing project, reports that the state Housing Finance Commission approved its request for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (explained here). (We have messages out to WSHFC’s media liaison.) That follows approvals for city, county, and state funding. Land-use and construction permits are still pending with the city; DESC hopes to start construction by year’s end. The project’s Community Advisory Committee, meantime, meets next Tuesday (March 27), 6:30 pm, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (see the agenda here).
(Photos courtesy Seattle Public Utilities)
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
March 2nd was the last day of a 30-year career for a West Seattle woman who has been called a “trailblazer†and a “pioneer.†In the beginning, though, the names she was called weren’t so complimentary.
Kerry Copeland has just retired from Seattle Public Utilities, where she was one of the first female water-line workers hired in the 1980s.
Being a water-line worker is being “on the front line.†It’s hard work, with lots of digging, often in difficult weather conditions. When SPU started recruiting women, Copeland was interested because she’s always been very physical and attracted to non-traditional jobs. “One of our tests was digging a 2×2 trench within a certain amount of time. We went to the West Seattle Reservoir to do it, and the place looked like a graveyard because so many groups of people had been digging trenches!â€
Copeland passed the test and became one of the first women on the “front line.â€
(WSB photo of test site at 34th/Trenton, March 2011)
Fifteen months after announcing its plan for “green stormwater infrastructure” to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) at Barton Pump Station by the Fauntleroy ferry dock, the county has narrowed down the potential sites where it might place raingardens and swales to keep stormwater from overwhelming the system. (It’s been testing in the neighborhoods – with equipment like the truck above, as well as drill rigs – for the better part of a year.) Here’s the map showing which streets (in green) have been identified for closer study:
(Sorry, the streets weren’t named on that map, but you can see a larger version, along with the accompanying letter and “fact sheet,” by going here.) News of the map follows King County’s announcement of two meetings, March 28 and March 31, promising status updates. Read the announcement in full, ahead:Read More
From last night’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center:
METRO ROUTE 120 – OPEN HOUSE AHEAD: A team of Metro reps came to talk about Route 120, which travels the length of Delridge on its current route between downtown and Burien. They noted that it’s one of the system’s top-10 most-used routes, averaging 7,000 people a day. And there are changes ahead, they said, including: A northbound bus-only lane on Delridge between Oregon and Andover, for peak hours (off-peak, they said, it can be used for bikes and parking). They also plan to reduce the number of stops along the entire route, spacing them to a quarter-mile apart instead of an eighth of a mile, which they described as an efficiency issue. Most important: If you want to get full details of the planned changes and offer comments, Metro is having an open house in a month, 5:30-7:30 pm April 24th at Youngstown. (That news is so fresh, it’s not even on Metro’s website yet, but it will turn up there soon, they promise.)
(P.S. Another Metro open house of potential interest – downtown on March 29th, there’s one about the impending elimination of the Ride-Free Zone. Full details here.)
Also at last night’s DNDC meeting, City Council President Sally Clark – a note about her appearance, ahead:Read More
Just in from SDOT:
Our Street Maintenance paving crews plan to resurface California Avenue Southwest between Southwest Hudson and Southwest Dawson streets [map] toward the end of next week. They expect to keep the street open to both directions of travel as well as the sidewalks. The schedule is weather dependent — both for completing the projects they are doing before this one, and for this project.
They’re promising an official advisory when they have a better idea of exactly which day(s). This will be the fifth block of California SW south of The Junction to get repaved/resurfaced in the past half-year – last September, it was the block from Edmunds to Hudson, and then in December, it was Findlay to Graham.
(“Inch worm” moth larvae at Lincoln Park, photographed by Machel Spence)
Winter just won’t let go, even though all the creatures and plants of spring, big and small, are determined to move on. At least we didn’t get the snow here on the peninsula. From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar, highlights for today/tonight:
WSHFC TALKS DESC FINANCING: 1 pm downtown, the last chance for public comment regarding financing of the proposed 66-unit Delridge Supportive Housing project at 5444 Delridge Way SW. Here’s our preview from last night.
GEAR-SWAP DROPOFF: Mountain to Sound Outfitters is having its semi-annual gear swap Saturday and Sunday – but first, you need to drop off your no-longer-needed gear! Today and tomorrow, 3 pm-7 pm at M2SO (though the swap will be at the VFW Hall across the street this weekend), which is at 3602 SW Alaska. More details here.
WINE TASTING: At West Seattle Cellars, 5:30-8 pm: Wines from Gecko Wine Company and Michael Florentino Cellars, with winemaker Brad Sherman.
SUNRISE HEIGHTS PREPAREDNESS TRAINING: Sunrise Heights is gearing up to be sure neighbors are ready for anything, with the help of a city grant, and a special 2-hour Sunrise Heights Emergency Preparation and Planning (SHEPP) session tonight is a major step. Join neighbors in the multipurpose room on the north side of Westside School. Snacks and pizza provided; supervised play area for kids available. 6-8 pm; more details here.
MULTI-CULTURAL NIGHT DURING WORLD WATER WEEK AT SEALTH: Families are invited to sample food and enjoy student entertainment at 6 pm at Chief Sealth International High School.
WEST SEATTLE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN: Starts with dinner at 6, West Seattle Golf Course (4470 35th Ave SW). More details on the WSB calendar entry, and at westseattledemocraticwomen.org. Screening and discussion of “Inside Job” about the global financial crisis. Reservations required, call (206) 935-3216 or e-mail wsdwomen@yahoo.com ASAP to be sure there’s still room.
TAKE ONE HOUR TO HELP PUGET SOUND, AND WSHS: Tonight, with just one hour, you can find out simple ways to help Puget Sound by preventing/reducing toxic runoff from everyday activities – AND you can help West Seattle High School win a $1,000 grant for a raingarden project – which they’ll get if at least 50 people show up. 7 pm at WSHS – details here.
‘LITTLE VOICE’ AT ARTSWEST: 7:30 pm curtain time for tonight’s performance; details and online-ticket-buying link on the ArtsWest website.
LIVE MUSIC: 9 pm, Lian Light, Jori & The Push, Death’s Three Daughters at Skylark Café and Club; 10 pm, jazz at Locöl (details here).
UPDATE, SOUTHBOUND VIADUCT CLOSED TONIGHT, AND FULL CLOSURE THIS WEEKEND: Just a reminder in case you have missed the announcements – southbound Highway 99 is closed overnight tonight, from Denny Way to the West Seattle Bridge; then that same entire stretch of 99 and Alaskan Way Viaduct is scheduled to close in both directions from 6 am Saturday till 5 am Monday for inspection and maintenance work.
From Upper Alki, JayDee caught tonight’s sunset – almost a surprise, since it followed an increasingly cloudy afternoon that had put a stop to a surprisingly sunny morning. Speaking of surprises, there’s a tiny chance we might get a bit more wintry weather, as the experts are watching both moisture and cold air (see the National Weather Service forecast discussion, as well as WSB’er reader/commenter/meteorologist Patrick Kelly with a heads-up via the WSB Facebook page. We’ll just have to see what happens in the hours ahead …
6:10 AM: Looks like some other areas around Western Washington got snow. Nothing here that we’ve seen or heard.
(A design rendering shown at the March 8th SW Design Review Board meeting)
Tomorrow’s the day the Washington State Housing Finance Commission will look at the tax-credit financing proposed to comprise most of the money for DESC‘s 66-unit Delridge Supportive Housing project. Full details are on the Delridge Community Forum website, but to summarize it: This funding would allow private investment in the project, with the private investor(s) getting Low-Income Housing Tax Credits in exchange. The project (5444 Delridge Way SW) already has been approved for public funding from the city, county, and state. The Thursday meeting, which includes a public-comment period (other ways to comment are explained on the DCF site), is at 1 pm, downtown at 1000 Second Avenue (28th floor).
In advance of the meeting, the anonymous “Concerned Delridge Neighbor” who has been diving into some of the issues the project has raised – such as, is Delridge already bearing more than its share of very-low-income housing? – published an open letter to the WSHFC, with data about the area’s poverty. (If you have already been following this via the North Delridge mailing list, where questions were raised about the data’s accuracy/source, note that “Concerned Delridge Neighbor” has published a postscript citing the source.)
Just in from Jeff Gilbert at the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), on behalf of all the West Seattle/White Center establishments participating in the name-the-charity-beer campaign: After judges reviewed hundreds of entries, they chose … Hi-Yu Brü! The announcement:
HI-YU BRÜ, the third of three Big Al Brewing charity beers, benefiting the West Seattle and White Center communities, arrives just days from now. In a three-week contest to name the beer, HI-YU BRÜ, the entry by TIAN RICHARDSON of West Seattle, was chosen from more than 300 submitted titles. (The contest was only open to West Seattle and White Center residents).
“I am thrilled to have my beer name HI-YU BRÃœ chosen to represent our West Seattle/White Center communities,†says Tian. “Hi-Yu, which means ‘much, plenty, abundance’ in native Chinook jargon, will undoubtedly bring just that to all of us in the form of…well…beer, and will also bring help to those in need in our communities.â€
For the beneficiary of the sales percentage of HI-YU BRÜ, Tian has chosen the Holy Rosary Parish Ministries, which has a number of different local benefits in the West Seattle community, from meals for the elderly/low-income, to a weekend women’s shelter.
On Friday, April 6, 2012, 6 PM, nine West Seattle/White Center bars and restaurants will introduce HI-YU BRÜ to the neighborhood, with each establishment pledging a portion of the sales to the chosen charity. The beer, crafted by Big Al Brewing, is hoppier styled IPA and will be exclusively available at The Feedback Lounge, West 5, Shadowland, Mission, Big Al Brewing, The Bridge, Locöl, Beveridge Place Pub, and Company Bar until April 26, 2012. After April 26, any venue with a liquor license will be able to buy and offer HI-YU BRÜ to their customers.
“It was extremely challenging to pick a winning name for the beer,†says Feedback Lounge co-owner and charity beer organizer, Jeff Gilbert. “There were so many amazing suggestions, the judges had a hard time deciding. Some of the more fun ones were Alki “Pasty Leg†Ale, Pirate’s Landing Pale Ale, Gatewood Grog, Lincoln Lager, Innocent Amanda Ale, Viaduct Fail Ale, Rolling Roxbury, and Wes C. Addle Pale Ale. Makes me wish we were releasing 10 more beers.â€
This is the third in a series of Big Al Brewing-brewed beers with proceeds benefiting local charities. The previous two were Löwman Bräu and Whale Tail Ale.
Meet the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s board, listed here, and photographed after the election at last night’s Food Fest and membership meeting at The Hall at Fauntleroy: From left, Gordon Wiehler, Bruce Butterfield, Kathleen Dellplain, Phil Sweetland, Marty Westerman, Vlad Oustimovitch, Vicki Schmitz Block, Mike Dey, Susan Lantz-Dey, David Haggerty, Gary Dawson. Ahead, photos of the Food Fest part of the evening – and a view of the labyrinth walk happening elsewhere in The Hall:Read More
Remember “Viadoom” last October? Yeah, not so much “doom,” but traffic is always a hotbutton issue around here. During the demolition closure, West Seattleite Andi Rusu came up with a simple app that could be used on a mobile device or regular computer, featuring traffic cams, and announced it in an October 10th WSB comment. Now, Andi has made some changes, and wanted to share the app with you again:
I just finished improving the UI and adding a WS DOT travel times feed that shows distances, average and current travel times to and from different points around Seattle. Also in the app, there is a traffic map along with the last 5 WS DOT tweets.
This is an all free web app; anyone can use it either with a computer or smart phone. (iPhone works best…) I hope people will continue to find it useful.
(Photo by Gail Ann Photography)
Thanks to Gail Ann Photography in Fauntleroy for sharing this photo from last Sunday’s West Seattle Hi-Yu Tea, which doubled as this year’s Senior Court coronation, as the program is in transition to a new calendar, rather than lumping all events into the summer months. Gail Ann reports:
Kayli Schulz was officially crowned the 2012 Miss West Seattle Hi-Yu Queen at the annual Spring Tea and Auction held Sunday at the Hall at Fauntleroy. More than 150 guests were on hand to watch as Miss Seafair Veronica Quintero presented her with her tiara, sash, and flowers. In addition, the fundraiser will help support the West Seattle community float and the scholarship program for young women.
Kayli Schulz will represent our community this spring and summer at events and parades around the Pacific NW. She will also represent us at Seafair’s 2013 Scholarship for Women Program for the title of Miss Seafair.
In the photo Kayli is surrounded by the MC of the tea and auction – Seafair Pirate “The Marquis,†also known as Chuck Marcoullier, and her West Seattle Hi-Yu court – Junior Court Princess Elena Kline; Junior Court Queen Thea Pulido; Miss Seafair, Veronica Quintero; and Junior Court Princess Amanda Elders.
This year’s Hi-Yu theme is “Secret Garden” – the float is scheduled to make its debut in May at the Port Townsend Rhododendron Festival, with the court on board representing West Seattle.
(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
Thanks to Jana for the tip that this century-old waterfront house is being torn down today in the 4800 block of Beach Drive. We had noticed a for-sale sign some time back – then a sign suggesting the home, distinctive for its brick/stone exterior, could be bought and moved. Then, we noticed the bricks/stones being removed the other day. Now, the whole house is coming down. According to the DPD website, the site has been split into two parcels. Here’s the county’s photo of what the house used to look like:
The site has an online listing, too.
ADDED 2:30 PM: Jana just sent that photo – while we were there earlier (top photo) the crew was breaking for lunch, but they’re back in action and bringing down the rest of the house. Note that some of the masonry/stone was left on the south side, visible from this angle.
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