West Seattle, Washington
28 Monday
(View of The Hole, photographed in September from atop the unrelated Link project)
We’re in King County Superior Court Judge Susan Craighead‘s courtroom downtown, after finally confirming today that what’s on her calendar as Ledcor Vs. Aero Construction is indeed the trial for the major legal fights over the stalled Fauntleroy Place development – aka The Hole. Judge Craighead’s staff told us by phone earlier today that the trial – two years in the making – was projected to take about two weeks, though they also noted that, after two days, it was running ahead of schedule. On the witness stand right now: Dan McTaggart from BlueStar, the original developer of the project, which was supposed to bring a Whole Foods Market and new Hancock Fabrics store, plus residential units and underground parking, to the 39th/Alaska spot that had previously held the old Hancock and a Schuck’s Auto Parts store.
Though we’ve just parachuted into the ongoing testimony, we’ve been following the paperwork online since the first two lawsuits were filed in March 2009 – as of right now, online records show 417 separate filings since the cases were consolidated in April of last year, some with triple-digit page counts, like the 100-plus-page list of evidence filed just before trial. One of the key points of contention – did construction work really ever start on the site, and who owes what to whom? (There was a ceremonial groundbreaking in June 2008; demolition work began weeks later – but work idled on the site later in the year, and it was finally revealed that the project had fallen apart and was headed for court.)
Meantime, the site’s future ownership – and ostensibly, future development – is linked to the outcome of this; a potential new owner has been seeking “judicial foreclosure” for more than a year, but as we understand it (at least pending a review of all the latest court docs), nothing will change till some of the key issues are settled – particularly liens for key project figures who say they’re owed money. We’ll track this as best we can during the trial (and of course, beyond).
As reported here on Monday, renovated Fairmount Playground is almost ready to open – and we just got a note from Seattle Parks saying, “There are a couple of minor items to be fixed before we can open the site, but these should all be completed by next week and we anticipate opening the playground on Friday, October 29th.” Project manager Kelly Davidson had told WSB on Monday that the “punch-list” inspection was set for today.
(WSB photos/interview by Ellen Cedergreen)
Got a mattress you don’t need any more and can’t find anyone to take? Your solution may lie with Matt Althauser, who recently opened Bed Be Gone, a mattress-recycling company, based at ActivSpace on Harbor Avenue north of the West Seattle Bridge. He’s been a man of many potential-startup ideas over the years, but this one just made sense: “I started researching and realized there’s nobody doing it for individuals in Seattle, so I thought it’d be a great service and it’s a pretty straightforward business model.” How does it work? Read on! Read More
At last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen mentioned the ongoing search for a suspect believed to be responsible for at least half a dozen recent local burglaries. Just got word from Lt. Ron Rasmussen that the suspect is now in custody:
Through the excellent work of the Southwest Precinct Detectives and Patrol Officers, we arrested a juvenile male last night who we believe is responsible for the series of burglaries that have occurred in West Seattle area over the past couple of weeks. The investigation continues as detectives continue to follow-up on leads developed during the investigation.
Capt. Paulsen said last night that a search warrant had been served even before the suspect’s arrest, and stolen property had been recovered. Meantime, he also said police are actively looking for a suspect in connection with two recent “indecent liberties” incidents involving females walking alone, and he suggested extra precautions – read on:Read More
If you noticed Seattle Fire Department Engine 29 out front of historic West Seattle (Admiral) Library in the past hour – don’t worry, no fire, no rescue, no medical problems – as mentioned in the WSB morning preview, it was Firefighter Story Time!
That’s Matt Saunders from Engine 29 and Leslie Sumida from the library. Big turnout this morning – dozens of kids! It’s part of special Fire Prevention Month activities presented by SFD.
Just in from SDOT, a general traffic alert about President Obama‘s impending Seattle visit – he’s campaigning for local Democrats tomorrow, but arriving tonight:
Seattleites should be prepared today and tomorrow for occasional street closures or traffic slowdowns as President Obama arrives at a local airport, travels to various events, and departs on Thursday. Little information on the routes and times of his movements are announced for security reasons.
The President arrives tonight, so travelers can expect a possibility of rolling closures on the freeway or major arterials leading from a local airport. There will be street closures to provide security near the Westin Hotel tonight and tomorrow.
Tomorrow morning there will likely be closures on local streets as the president attends an event at a private residence, and then attends an event at 11 a.m. at the Edmundson Pavilion on Montlake Boulevard NE next to Husky Stadium.
Rolling closures are again likely on the freeway or major arterials as the President travels to an airport when leaving the city after the event at the Edmundson Pavilion.
The aforementioned “local airport” is usually Boeing Field, just east of West Seattle. President Obama, you will probably recall, last visited just two months ago (a day that’ll be long remembered, particularly for The Sonic Booms).
The Avalon Way 7-11 is now under the same ownership as 2 other West Seattle 7-11s (Admiral Way and Harbor Avenue). What makes that particularly notable is that the owner is throwing a “grand opening” party in a couple weeks (though he took over last spring); here’s the announcement sent to WSB to share:
Grand Opening: Meet Chintu the owner
November 6th, Saturday – 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Free Hot Dogs – Fresh Bakery Chips, Balloons & much more! Bouncy House for kids
7-Eleven 22561, 3280 Avalon Way SW
Bring your kids and have fun
We asked Monti, who e-mailed the announcement, for a little more information:
Chintu took over the store on May 19, 2010. He does not live in West Seattle, but he has been running two other 7-11s in West Seattle for the last 14 years. Chintu wants to have a grand opening for this store because he wants to connect with new friends and families in the West Seattle community … he knows if he connects with the community, he can improve his store to serve the customer better. We believe with this grand opening we can bring the West Seattle community together. AND HAVE FUN TOGETHER!!
The store’s at 35th and Avalon; here’s a map.
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: Two community-council meetings tonight, both starting at 7 pm: Morgan Community Association at The Kenney and Delridge Neighborhoods District Council at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (our calendar page has agenda highlights for both) … The South Portal Working Group for the Alaskan Way Viaduct project, which includes 3 West Seattle reps, meets at the Sound Transit board room downtown, 4 pm … West Seattle (Admiral) Library hosts Firefighter Story Time at 10:30 this morning … Teens are invited to “Bowling for Peace” at Roxbury Lanes at 4 pm, as part of Week Without Violence … 6:30 tonight, the Sanislo Elementary PTA meets .. That’s also when the first-ever cooking class at Highland Park Improvement Club meets – ravioli-making – call 206-459-9050 to see if there’s room left … And tonight, the long-awaited Seattle premiere of “Evil Dead: The Musical” opens at ArtsWest in The Junction, running through Nov. 13th.
Right now police are searching in Westwood for someone suspected of stabbing two people – the injuries so far are not believed to be major – according to the scanner, one in the hand, one in the lower arm. It happened in the 9200 block of 31st SW (map). 12:46 AM: Scanner now indicates one person’s in custody and a knife has been recovered.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third weekly installment of this new WSB feature – if you missed the explanation/introduction with which we prefaced the first one, you can see it here.
By Megan Sheppard
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Two men called 911 late Sunday and said they were trapped inside a locked Avalon Way storage facility. As it turns out, they just didn’t see the “open” button for the roll-up door. Firefighters opened the door from the outside, but one man’s taste of freedom was short-lived: Officers arrested him when a computer check showed he was wanted on a warrant for driving with a suspended license.
*Early Sunday evening, two thieves were likely congratulating themselves for nabbing a compressor and a variety of tools from the bed of a pickup truck parked in Morgan Junction. But karma paid a visit and the pair ended up in a car wreck just blocks away. The culprits managed to escape, but the tools—scattered across the roadway near SW Raymond and Fauntleroy SW — were retrieved by their owner.
10 more reports, ahead:Read More
More youth basketball in West Seattle: Rino Canoy shared this news – three tryout sessions remain this week:
The Salvation Army Community Center HYPE Basketball Program is having tryouts starting tonight and throughout the week for their AAU youth basketball program. The youth basketball teams has been comprised of mostly West Seattle kids who play in the competitve AAU basketball leagues and tournaments during the winter season. Details are as follows:
Salvation Army H.Y.P.E. Winter Try-outs
5th Grade
Wednesday October 20th – 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm6th Grade
Thursday October 21st – 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm7th Grade
Thursday October 21st – 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm(Plus)
Another program that the Salvation Community Center is doing early next month is a FREE basketball skills-and-drills program for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. Starting Nov. 8th 5:15-7pm Mondays and Fridays, participants will be coached through 45 minutes of basketball skills and drills, followed by 45 minutes of gametime.
Most of the participants are from West Seattle, he says. This all happens at the Salvation Army Community Center at 9020 16th Ave SW; questions? Call Sean Connors at (206) 767-3150 ext -108.
Thursday and Friday, the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (WSB sponsor) is back at West Seattle’s historic Admiral Theater. See the full Admiral lineup here. Tonight, we have another ticket giveaway – this time, we’ll have TWO winners, each for two tickets to “To Faro,” screening at 9:45 pm Thursday, described as “an endearing account of complicated relationships … an audience favorite at LGBT festivals around the world.” First two people to e-mail us at westseattleblog@yahoo.com each get two tickets to that screening. Make sure your e-mail has TO FARO GIVEAWAY in the subject line, and includes the name in which you would want the tickets held at the box office. As soon as they’re given away, we’ll add a note here. We’ll have one more giveaway, tomorrow night; then Thursday and Friday, it’s festival time.
ADDED 10:28 PM: Both sets of tickets have been won! Check back tomorrow evening for 1 more giveaway, different film.
P.S. One more reminder of this free event that’s being held (not in WS) in connection with the festival, tomorrow night: SLGFF is joining with Safe Schools Coalition to screen the documentary “Bullied” at 6 pm Wednesday, Broadway Performance Hall, with a panel discussion afterward, including three youth speakers.
Tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting was the first one since Capt. Steve Paulsen‘s return to the Southwest Precinct as its new commander. And he took the occasion to announce changes in the ranks of those who directly report to him – Lt. Norm James, who had been SW Precinct Operations Lieutenant – the position Capt. Paulsen held until a 10-month tour of duty downtown prior to his promotion – is now at the West Precinct with Capt. Joe Kessler, the former SW commander. His help is vital “with the challenges they’re facing downtown,” Capt. Paulsen explained. The new SW Operations Lieutenant – second-in-command for the precinct – will be Lt. Pierre Davis, coming from SPD’s Traffic section, arriving in West Seattle around November 10th. And the lineup of watch commanders will change, too – Lt. Ron Rasmussen is moving from days to mornings, Lt. Ron Smith is moving from nights to days, and Lt. Alan Williams is moving from the West Precinct to oversee nights. (According to this item on the SPD website, Lt. Williams is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel.) Capt. Paulsen says this is all also concurrent with some lieutenant-shuffling citywide, which he says tends to happen every few years. More from the WSCPC meeting in a bit.
(Seattle Times photo by Mike Siegel, used with permission)
That’s Frank Massaro, a King County Water Taxi crew member who just won a special commendation from the U.S. Coast Guard. He was on board the Rachel Marie – the West Seattle-serving vessel that’s currently in a shipyard for repairs after last month’s downtown seawall crash – when he rescued a man from the water near Pier 50, the KCWT’s downtown dock. Full story in this report from the Seattle Times (WSB partner).
While WSB contributing reporter Megan Sheppard was going through police reports for the (forthcoming) weekly “from the police files” roundup, she happened onto a report that led us to this disturbing case involving a West Seattle 8-year-old hospitalized after being beaten and jumped on. The suspect: His father, now in jail, charged with assault, bail set at $250,000. The attack happened in Renton but we can’t find evidence it’s been reported anywhere else. Details ahead:Read More
Just out of the WSB inbox:
This Sunday October 24, 2010 at 11 am, come enjoy Ratatouille the movie at the Admiral Theater to help Sofia and her children.
Friends of Sofia Goff along with West Seattle’s own Admiral Theater are putting on this fundraising event. Sofia Zadra Goff, owner of Cafe Revo Ristorante, had to close her doors a week ago. She and her children are in a devastating finacial situation and may lose their home. After numerous medical bills from her husbands sudden illness and death and after putting everything they had on the line to open Cafe Revo, Sofia is now left with numerous amounts of debt and 2 children to take care of as a single parent. She did not earn any money while working 7 days a week at Revo and every penny she could find she put back into Revo to try and keep her staff in jobs and keep the doors open. Recently Sofia got notice her electricity will be shut off at home. Let’s come together as a community to help one of our own who helped numerous West Seattle charities and families while Cafe Revo was open with her generosity.
We hope you can come this Sunday. All proceeds will go directly to Sofia and her children. Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for children. Cash and Checks only. Can’t make it? See below how you can help by sending donations to US Bank or to our PO Box. Watch for an evening with Revo coming soon. This will be an additional fundraiser with live music and silent auction. The Admiral Theater is located at 2343 California Ave SW
The information referred to above is here:
The Friends of Sofia Goff are hoping to help the family get back on their feet. Monetary donations may be made at any US Bank Branch, to the “Friends of Sofia Goff Fund.” (They may not be made on line.) While these donations will not be deductible for tax purposes they will certainly go to a good cause. Cards and donations may also be sent to Sofia Goff, 4742 – 42nd Ave SW #363, Seattle WA 98116. The Friends of Sofia Goff thank you for your support.
West Seattle artist Oleana Perry shared this photo and explained what the bags are all about:
Yesterday I spent the day making decorative harvest-leaf bags out of burlap coffee bags. My leaves are out of control in my yard and I don’t like the big plastic pumpkin bags (plastic is forever), so I solved the problem. The decorative burlap bag will break down and compost the leaves over the winter season. Then I will mix the leaves in my garden soil and use the bag as weed block or for my garden path. The West Seattle Nursery liked them as well, so I had to make about 25 of them in my front yard yesterday. People walking by kept buying them as I was making them, it was pretty hilarious. It amazes me that all of these burlap coffee bags come from all over the world and a huge majority of them go into landfills. I think this is a resource we should all be thinking about.
She says you can find her bags at West Seattle Nursery or you can e-mail her about bulk orders – art4thoughts@yahoo.com
It’s an annual crosstown-rivalry football tradition, and it’s coming up Friday night – Chief Sealth athletic director Sam Reed just sent full details of this year’s Huling Bowl:
Chief Sealth International High School vs. West Seattle High School
Friday, October 22, 2010
Southwest Athletic Complex (SWAC)
Game time: 7:00 p.m.
Festivities start: 5:00pmJoin both schools, alumni and the entire West Seattle community in this annual contest between friendly rivals. Festivities include a free pre-game barbecue provided by long-time supporters, Steve and Tom Huling. Everyone is invited to start the day with a guided tour of the newly finished Chief Sealth International High School.
Half-time entertainment includes an exciting joint performances from the two bands as well a light-hearted competition between the two schools’ student leaders. The Chief Sealth cheerleaders will also perform.
Following the conclusion of the game Chief Sealth senior football players will be recognized as part of their “Senior Night.”
Pre-game:
· 5:00: Early ticket sales open at SWAC main entrance
· 5:00: Nels Enquist will lead a tour of the new Sealth facilities for all interested
· 5:30: Pre-game BBQ starts (provided by Steve and Tom Huling)
· 6:00: Stadium gates open
· 6:55: Sealth Band performs National Anthem
· 7:00: KickoffHalf-time (20 minutes):
· 10 minutes: Sealth and West Seattle band in joint field show
· 3 minutes: Sealth Cheer performs
· 5 minutes: Sealth vs. West Seattle student government “punt, pass & kick” competitionPost-game:
· Sealth’s “Senior Night” presentations
The Southwest Athletic Complex is at 2801 SW Thistle, right across the street from the Chief Sealth campus.
(WSB photo from October 2009)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The timing was perfect.
On the day that a key document went public, a first draft of the next phase of trying to heal the polluted Duwamish River, Sustainable West Seattle convened a Community Forum with experts who explained why it matters and why your opinion matters.
The forum, with more than 40 people on hand inside Camp Long Lodge last night, wasn’t only about the Feasibility Study that went public hours earlier (links are atop the right sidebar of this site). But since the topic – the Duwamish River’s past, present and future – is intertwined with the issue of how to handle its pollution, that’s where the discussion tended to focus.
Participating: Genevieve Aguilar of Puget Sound Sage, Kathy Bahnick of the Port of Seattle, Lori Cohen from the Environmental Protection Agency, B.J. Cummings from the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Heather Trim from People for Puget Sound, and Bob Warren from the Washington State Department of Ecology.
With Sustainable West Seattle vice president Gary Lichtenstein as moderator, they spoke for two hours, including Q/A. Before we jump into the highlights – we recorded the entirety of the forum on video – with a fixed camera, so it may be more useful as audio than video – it’s in three chunks, left to right (you can watch any clip fullscreen by clicking once to bring up its title, then clicking on the title itself to go to its page at blip.tv):
You might remember that video from last year’s amazing music-synced Christmas lights display on a house by the Charlestown water towers. This is our first update from Jim Winder since May – he’s the mastermind, but the house with the display belongs to a friend. He sent this photo:
That’s from some work done over the weekend, and Jim explains: “I set up some of the new elements this past weekend just to make sure it was all going to work as planned. Hopefully in the next week or so, I will also have our website up. Looks like our ‘Lighting Ceremony’ will be on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (November 27th), though there will probably be some shows on that Friday.” Last year had about 10,000 lights, but this year, they’re going for more than 50,000, according to the update we published from Jim in May.
Two weeks till the voting ends and the vote-counting begins. Maybe you knew who and what you’re voting for before your ballot even arrived; if not, one more advance alert about the last major candidates’ forum in this area before Election Day: Thursday night, the four candidates in the two major open races on local ballots are scheduled to be at the forum organized by the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, which is the resident-elected community council for White Center, among other not-yet-annexed areas between West Seattle and Burien. The forum’s being held barely a block south of West Seattle, at the Greenbridge YWCA (9720 8th SW; here’s a map), doors open at 6 pm Thursday, forum begins at 6:30. From the NHUAC website:
The following candidates have confirmed their participation.
for King County Council:
Diana Toledo
Joe McDermottfor 34th Legislative District:
Mike Heavey
Joe Fitzgibbon
The King County Council race is for the 8th District, the seat held by Dow Constantine before he was elected as County Executive a year ago (Jan Drago, appointed to serve until this election, chose not to run for the job); the 34th District race is for the State House, Position 2, seat that Sharon Nelson is leaving to run (unopposed) for the State Senate seat that McDermott is leaving to seek the County Council spot. (Researching? Voters’-guide links here.)
It could have been the opening line of a joke: “So a gorilla walks into a bar …” Last night, multiple gorillas, accompanied by multiple bananas, stormed the Beveridge Place Pub in Morgan Junction. West Seattle-based Washington Beer Blog recorded and published the video clip catching the moment(s) for posterity. As WBB’s Kendall Jones writes, it’s related to the final phase of an ongoing contest at BP Pub; one finalist called for a Guerrilla Brewers’ Night, so another plotted the seen-above counterstrike. Go to Washington Beer Blog to tap into the full story.
(Red laceleaf maple at the South Seattle Community College Arboretum, photographed by Keri DeTore)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: Hear the latest local crime trends firsthand – and get a chance for Q/A with local police leaders – when the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets tonight, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster) … Tonight’s the quarterly opening for the Art Lending Library at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way), details here … 10 am-2 pm today, it’s a Potpourri Bazaar of goods and services at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), even flu and pneumonia shots … 6:15 pm tonight at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), Toastmasters Club 832 tells “Tales from the Hearth” (featured on our new West Seattle Halloween page) … After 6 pm “Spin Your Wax” open turntables at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor) tonight, it’s the monthly Alauda belly-dance showcase (3803 Delridge Way) … Not in WS, but of regional interest: The public-health impacts of trucking are the topic of a special community forum tonight at South Seattle Community College‘s Georgetown campus (6737 Corson Avenue South).
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