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Spotlight Stories

West Seattle businesses: Sign time for Les Schwab Tires
July 14, 2011 12:05 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Triangle | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

If you had somehow missed our previous reports that Les Schwab Tires was moving into the former Huling/Gee used-cars site at 38th/Alaska in The Triangle, it’ll be hard to miss now – the big sign’s going up today. We first reported in January that Les Schwab was remodeling the site; last month, the company told us they’re expecting to open in September.

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The WSBeat: ‘Prolific thief’ caught with alert citizen’s help, and more
July 14, 2011 11:55 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | WSBeat

By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:

*An alert citizen called 911 early Tuesday to report a suspicious male with a flashlight peering into car windows near the 4000 block of 34th SW. Officers arrived and encountered one of the community’s more prolific thieves. He was carrying a backpack that held two GPS devices, and his jacket pocket contained a large amount of change. The 18-year-old Delridge-area resident was booked into King County Jail.

*Just after midnight Saturday, a taxi driver picked up a fare downtown and drove her to the 6700 block of Delridge. She started to leave without paying. He threatened to call 911. Her response? “Then I’ll shoot you.” The driver called her bluff (and 911) and continued driving until he saw patrol cars approaching in the 6900 block of Delridge. Officers questioned the woman, asking if she had a gun. She opened her purse, which contained a loaded five-shot Smith and Wesson. She was booked into King County jail for investigation of assault.

After the jump, four more summaries, including one with more information on a story covered as breaking news earlier this week:Read More

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Community benefit August 7th for breast-cancer fighter Tracy Dart
July 14, 2011 9:36 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

She has led efforts that have raised tens of thousands of dollars for breast-cancer research – our photo at left, in fact, is from her appearance as a model during the Northwest Hope and Healing benefit fashion show two months ago, and her 3-Day Walk “Team Tracy” efforts are legendary. Now a group of friends insists that it’s time West Seattleite Tracy Dart accept a little help for herself, in her three-time fight against the disease. They’ve just announced the event “We Heart Tracy Dart,” set for 7-10 pm August 7th at The Bridge (4439 35th SW). The bands Explone and In Cahoots are already lined up. Find out more on this Facebook page. On her own website, Tracy mentions it in her newest post – right after talking about her latest chemo treatment, making it clear this isn’t something she has asked for, but her friends “REALLY want to do it.” Donations will be taken at the door during the benefit, and you’ll be able to buy raffle tickets; organizers note, “100% of donations go into a trust account that will be used to pay living and medical expenses while Tracy recovers from treatment. Stuff like prescriptions, insurance premiums, utilities, rent and transportation costs.”

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West Seattle Thursday: Art Walk, Ask an Expert, Shop Late
July 14, 2011 7:41 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

It’s Art Walk night! The monthly West Seattle Art Walk tops our highlights from the WSB West Seattle (and beyond) Events calendar for tonight:

JULY ART WALK! Dozens of venues all around West Seattle – many previewed at wsartwalk.com – take a few minutes to browse through and plan your stops. Meet artists, enjoy their work, and at many spots, refreshments too, 6-9 tonight. Here’s the map of Art Walk locations.

SHOP LATE IN THE JUNCTION: In The Junction, which has the biggest concentration of Art Walk venues, it’s another edition of Shop Late Thursdays, till 9 pm – see the list of participating merchants here.

‘ASK AN EXPERT’ AT THE TOOL LIBRARY: During West Seattle Art Walk nights, you can also “Ask An Expert” at the West Seattle Tool Library, which is at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). Open in conjunction with Art Walk (there are several artists who live/work at the Center), the Ask the Expert hours are 6:30-8:30 pm in the Community Workshop at Youngstown (southeast side of the building).

TONIGHT’S JUBILEE DAYS EVENT: White Center Jubilee Days Rock & Bowl, 7 pm to 10 pm at Magic Lanes (10612 15th SW). More info at JubileeDays.org

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Election 2011: Candidates mingle at The Hall at Fauntleroy
July 14, 2011 7:19 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Politics can have its moments of levity. Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen and West Seattle political activist Chris Porter had one Wednesday night during the candidates’ reception/mixer at The Hall at Fauntleroy co-sponsored by the Greater Seattle Business Association and West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. It’s the first of two pre-election events with which the Chamber is involved this month – the next one is the tunnel-related Referendum 1 forum that it’s presenting a week from tonight (6 pm July 21st, West Seattle High School, two reps from each side, with your editor here as moderator). More photos after the jump:Read More

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Transitional Resources dedicates new Avalon Place housing
July 14, 2011 1:27 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Health | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Good thing most of Wednesday’s big events were scheduled for evening – that’s when the sun shone the brightest, which was good news for the ribbon-cutting at Avalon Place, the new apartment building for Transitional Resources. They are headquartered in the 2900 block of SW Avalon Way, south of the Luna Park business district, and that’s where they have long provided housing, help, and hope for people dealing with mental illness; Avalon Place also reaches out to chronically homeless people, who are the targeted clients for the new building. Read on for more photos from, and information about, Wednesday night’s event:Read More

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Four door-to-door alerts, including one precautionary tale
July 13, 2011 9:38 pm
|      58 COMMENTS
 |   Door-to-door alert | West Seattle news

More nice weather, more door-to-door alerts. Tonight, three in West Seattle, and one from a WS woman who wants to put out a warning about what happened to her mom in Magnolia, just in case. Read on:Read More

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West Seattle Rotarians celebrate Gov. Liberato, plan wine event
July 13, 2011 8:53 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Rotary Club of West Seattle | West Seattle news

At this week’s Rotary Club of West Seattle lunch meeting, new president Sue Lindblom (from longtime WSB sponsor Illusions Hair Design) and new District 5030 Governor Ann Liberato paused for a photo-op with the brand-new banner celebrating the club’s status as home to the district governor. Busy times for the Rotarians – with several upcoming events, including a first-ever wine-tasting fundraiser:

*JULY 12 – the Rotary Kiddies’ Parade right before the West Seattle Grand Parade, all kids welcome to march, ride, walk, roll, 10 am, California/Genesee (“>pre-register here)

*JULY 22-23: Next round of the three-round Rotary Berry Sale (WSB sponsor) – raspberries will be ready for pickup. Order in advance, online.

*AUGUST 4 – the club’s 1st annual wine-tasting event/auction, with live music, “heavy hors d’oeuvres,” and of course, the wine! 5:30 pm, full details here. This is a fundraiser for the Rotary’s Children’s Holiday Shopping Spree and other humanitarian projects, locally and worldwide.

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Admiral Neighborhood Assoc.: Candidates, concerts, more
July 13, 2011 6:59 pm
|    Comments Off on Admiral Neighborhood Assoc.: Candidates, concerts, more
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news


(From left, ANA secretary Jim Cavin, president Katy Walum, City Council candidate Brad Meacham, City Councilmember Bruce Harrell)

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Political discussion, local business interests, community safety, and summer entertainment took center stage at the July meeting of the Admiral Neighborhood Association Tuesday night at Admiral Congregational Church.

Meeting highlights included discussions with two candidates for the Seattle City Council, details about the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series (lineup here), a presentation about disaster preparedness, and updates on ANA’s efforts to engage with Admiral-area businesses.

Read More

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Happening now: 1st week for High Point Market Garden Farm Stand
July 13, 2011 5:31 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Gardening | High Point | West Seattle news

Cheap, organic, fresh vegetables – as fresh as if you picked them yourself – are on sale right now at the summer’s first weekly High Point Market Garden Farm Stand shopping availability (32nd/Juneau, till 7 pm). The veggies are grown feet away:

Just park on Juneau – if you’re not walking, biking, busing – and look for the stand’s canopy:

Besides what you see in our top photo, they also have various greens including lettuce, plus peas, carrots, and potatoes. And if you miss it today, they’re open again every Wednesday TFN, 4-7 pm.

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West Seattle traffic-alert update: Spokane St. Viaduct closures canceled
July 13, 2011 4:51 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle traffic-alert update: Spokane St. Viaduct closures canceled
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Just in from SDOT – the planned overnight closures of the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct, rescheduled for this weekend, are now CANCELED completely, because of “material availability.” No new dates, yet.

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West Seattle Water Taxi vessel fixed, back in service
July 13, 2011 3:29 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   King County Water Taxi | West Seattle news

After a “mechanical failure” that made Rachel Marie unavailable for this morning’s runs, the county says it’s repaired and will resume its normal West Seattle Water Taxi schedule for this afternoon.

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West Seattle businesses: The Beer Junction taps new location
July 13, 2011 2:49 pm
|      30 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS beverages

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Just after celebrating its first anniversary, The Beer Junction is getting ready to move to a new location.

Though Year 1 has seen “faster than expected” growth, according to owner Morgan Herzog, that’s not why his store is moving.

It’s in one of the buildings that will be torn down for construction of the Conner Homes California/Alaska/42nd project – considered likely to start next year.

His lease wasn’t ending immediately, but Morgan says he was “excited to jump” at the chance when the perfect new location opened up:

Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Suspicious stranger; bike theft; more
July 13, 2011 1:13 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Two notes in West Seattle Crime Watch today – but first, two notes from nearby communities: Our partner site White Center Now is covering the WC raid that is reported to be linked to a federal sweep today regarding illegal cigarettes. The story’s here. Also, police are asking for help with solving a South Park hit-and-run – details here. Meantime, in West Seattle, we’ve been asked to alert the wider community to an alert that the Arbor Heights Swim & Tennis Club has reported to police about a suspicious stranger, a man reportedly seen hanging around by the back gate of the club three times in the past week (110th/32nd), white, long dark hair, in his 40s, associated with a red Chevrolet Silverado truck, plates have changed (one number given to police turned out to have expired 10 years ago).

Second note: Tom reports his blue Santa Cruz mountain bike was stolen from his garage at California/Raymond on Sunday or Monday, “an older full-suspension model with curved handle bars (not the typical straight handle bars you see on mountain bikes) and boxy looking chain stays.” He’s filed a report, so let police know if you see it.

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Chief Sealth International High School principal John Boyd leaving
July 13, 2011 10:29 am
|      31 COMMENTS
 |   Denny-Sealth | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated since original publication with the addition of a letter from SPS Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield regarding the process for choosing a new Sealth principal.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“After seven years, I’m ready to do something different, and challenge myself in different ways,” explains John Boyd, announcing his departure as the longtime principal of Chief Sealth International High School, which is also his alma mater.

Boyd has accepted a position as an executive director, supervising principals and schools, for Highline Public Schools, the district immediately south of Seattle, and the new job won’t take him far – his part of that district will include White Center.

He is announcing his resignation with a letter today (read it at the end of this story). Boyd also spoke with West Seattle Blog, and told us: “I had three main goals when I came to Sealth – improve the image of the school, recruit neighborhood kids – make it a place where people in the community felt like they could send their kids – and to improve academic achievement. I feel good about making progress in all those areas.”

Sealth was in the spotlight last fall as it moved into a newly renovated building, and this year brings another milestone – Seattle Public Schools’ first co-located middle and high schools, as the new Denny International Middle School opens next door. Sealth’s enrollment is skyrocketing, too, “going from 800 students to more than 1,100, and (next year) close to 1,200, with the second-highest wait list behind Garfield,” Boyd notes.

To help with the transition, he says, he will stay on at Sealth “as long as Susan (Enfield, interim SPS superintendent) needs me. … It’s really important that there’s continuity, I told (both districts). I’ll have my fingers in both worlds for a while.”

But he’s confident Sealth has a bright future, even under somebody else’s leadership: “The school’s at a place where it will continue to thrive and succeed. There’s a great group of people in place there. It’s a school that people have a lot of confidence in.”

Click ahead to read Boyd’s letter to the Sealth community (and, added 11:55 am, Dr. Enfield’s letter to the Sealth community explaining the principal-selection process):Read More

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Admiral Safeway project: Apartments to be ‘Element 42’
July 13, 2011 10:02 am
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

As the new Admiral Safeway store gets closer to opening – now less than a month till the August 12th date – we have new information this morning about the apartments being built on the east side of the site. The developer is Kirkland-based Madison Development Group, also parent to the entity that is trying to take over the stalled Fauntleroy Place (aka “The Hole”) development. This morning, Madison has announced that the 78-unit apartment project along 42nd SW will be called “Element 42,” with 78 studio and one-bedroom apartments “designed for the working urbanite”; sizes range from 420-square-foot studios to 660-square-foot one-bedrooms with dens. They say the apartments will be available for leasing “in 2012” (what part of the year isn’t specified – we have a followup question out), and they don’t plan to announce the pricing until next year. Their announcement also says the buliding includes a 720-square-foot “amenity room” with a community kitchen, dining area, lounge area, and fireplace, and an “intimate 2,600-square-foot rooftop plaza” with views from the Olympics to the Cascades. You may recall, the building originally, under a different developer, was planned to include flex-work space and fewer apartments; Safeway said that developer couldn’t get financing for that project configuration, and the more-apartments plan was revealed. You can read Madison Development’s full news release about the apartment project’s status by going here (2-page PDF).

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West Seattle (etc.) Wednesday: Candidates, fireworks, tours…
July 13, 2011 8:32 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | White Center | WS miscellaneous

(Jubilee Days carnival setup on Tuesday; photo by Deanie Schwarz for WSB & White Center Now)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar, with a couple biggies in White Center today too:

LOW TIDE: Good beachwalking day if you can get out to the shore – it’s down to -2.4 just before 11 am.

JUBILEE DAYS – CARNIVAL AND FIREWORKS IN WHITE CENTER: White Center Jubilee Days Carnival opens today at 3 pm, and the Jubilee Days fireworks are at dusk, both at Steve Cox Memorial Park (1321 SW 102nd St). More info here.

HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARM STAND OPENS Season’s opening of the High Point Market Garden Farm Stand, 4-7 pm, 32nd Ave SW and SW Juneau. This is a weekly Farm Stand selling seasonal fresh organically grown produce right in the garden where the produce is grown. Accepts Basic Food EBT cards. Farm stand is open until sometime in September. More details here.

TOUR NEW DEVELOPMENT: Community Tour of the new low-income-housing Strength of Place Village in White Center at 14th Avenue SW & SW 100th Street, a project of Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association and Capitol Hill Housing. 4 pm-6 pm.

AVALON PLACE DEDICATION: Grand opening and ribboncutting for Avalon Place, 2988 Avalon Way, 5-7 pm. The 16-unit apartment building will serve men and women who are chronically homeless and living with mental illness. Speakers scheduled to include King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen.

BACKYARD COTTAGE WORKSHOP: Free one-hour workshop on building a backyard cottage or “accessory dwelling unit” (ADU) put on by Ncompass Cottage Company (WSB sponsor). Held at the Community School of West Seattle (9450 22nd SW) at 7 pm. RSVP (or get questions answered) by contacting Stefan at 206-933-5961 or stefan@ncompass-llc.com.

MEET THE CANDIDATES: Greater Seattle Business Association and West Seattle Chamber of Commerce present a candidates’ mixer at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 5:30 pm-7:30 pm. ($10 members/$15 nonmembers)

‘ROCKY HORROR’ OPENS AT ARTSWEST: The summer apprenticeship program at ArtsWest is putting on “The Rocky Horror Show Live,” starting tonight, 7:30 pm. Full details and ticket info here.

TRAFFIC ALERT ON BEACH DRIVE: Paving scheduled on Beach Drive (details here) – if the weather changes SDOT’s plans, we’ll add an update here.

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West Seattle Water Taxi trouble: No service till 9 am
July 13, 2011 7:43 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   King County Water Taxi | West Seattle news

The West Seattle Water Taxi vessel Rachel Marie has had a “mechanical failure” and there’ll be no service on the run till 9 am, leaving downtown, according to an alert from King County Department of Transportation. They’ll be using the Melissa Ann, which is the Vashon-to-downtown boat.

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Speaking of music: 29-act lineup for Alki Art Fair, July 23-24
July 13, 2011 12:49 am
|    Comments Off on Speaking of music: 29-act lineup for Alki Art Fair, July 23-24
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Lots more outdoor fun to come this summer, and we have more information you can use to plan ahead – the music schedule for the Alki Art Fair, at the beach July 23rd-July 24th. WSB is a co-sponsor this year for the first time, and we’ll bring you preview information in the days ahead. Here’s the live-music lineup, 10 am-8:30 pm on Saturday 7/23, 10 am-7:15 pm on Sunday 7/24. Twenty-nine acts are scheduled over the two-day fair, which is running on volunteer power this year, more than ever, because of the city budget cuts affecting Alki Community Center staff. The Alki Bathhouse’s centennial celebration will be part of the fair, too, and that includes one onstage event, vintage swimsuit fashions at 2:30 pm on 7/23, courtesy of Southwest Seattle Historical Society. That’s the only non-music event on the schedule (here’s that PDF again).

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West Seattle scene: Star Anna packs Easy Street in The Junction
July 12, 2011 9:04 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Big crowd inside and outside West Seattle’s Easy Street Records tonight for Star Anna and The Laughing Dogs, performing live to celebrate the release of their new album “Alone in This Together.” We’re told Star Anna lives here now, as do some of her bandmates. Even from the street, though, as this clip tweeted by @darrenkwalsh shows, they sounded great. If you missed the Easy Street show, the band’s website says they’re live downtown at noon tomorrow (like tonight’s Easy Street show, free) – AND later this summer, you’ll see them again in West Seattle during Summer Concerts at Hiawatha (co-sponsored by WSB) series, as the grand-finale act on September 1st.

9:49 PM: Thanks to Colby for sharing a ground-level photo:

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Metro bus-cuts hearing: Overflow crowd downtown
July 12, 2011 8:28 pm
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

8:28 PM: More than two hours after the start of the “future of Metro” hearing before a King County Council committee, public testimony continues. It’s at the King County Council chambers downtown, which don’t have many seats in the gallery, and those waiting to speak are reported to be spilling over outside the courthouse – here’s a photo tweeted by Erica C. Barnett from the political-news site PubliCola. You can watch live on cable channel 22, or King County TV live online. The four councilmembers who are there include West Seattle’s Joe McDermott. One more hearing remains: 6 pm Thursday, July 21st, at Burien City Council chambers.

12:44 AM: In comments, Diane reports the hearing went till almost 10 pm. Here’s the wrapup from our partners at the Seattle Times.

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Update: Crash closes West Marginal, injures 1; dog on loose found
July 12, 2011 6:20 pm
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts | WS breaking news

(Photo by Patrick Sand for WSB)
6:20 PM: A “heavy rescue” call at West Marginal Way SW/SW Dakota (map) is for what scanner traffic describes as a flipped car, with at least one person seriously hurt (described as a man, about 20). More when we get to the scene; avoid the area TFN.

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
6:41 PM: That section of West Marginal Way will likely be closed a few hours. Since the victim is seriously injured, the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is being called out, according to what police tell us on the scene. One more thing: They say a German Shepherd was in the car with the victim, and got out after the collision. The dog was last seen going south on West Marginal Way. If you see one or capture it – please contact police! It’s described as male, short-haired, with a collar and tag.

9:44 PM: We still don’t have any word on whether the dog was found. Nor do we know how the victim is doing – but we are adding a photo shared by A. Bocchetti, showing the Seattle Fire crews working to take care of the victim after the crash:

We haven’t heard whether West Marginal has reopened, but we’ll go check in a little while.

1 AM UPDATE: West Marginal is open again, but the search for the crash victim’s dog continues. Sarah, who e-mailed a photo you can see on the WSB Pets page, says they have not been able to get close enough to capture the dog, whose name is Cooper. “Please urge neighbors to keep alert,” she says. She also says the injured driver is in stable condition.

7:55 AM: Cooper was found overnight, according to another note from Sarah.

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Admiral businesses! Answered the survey yet? Or, if you didn’t get it…
July 12, 2011 6:17 pm
|    Comments Off on Admiral businesses! Answered the survey yet? Or, if you didn’t get it…
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

The Admiral Neighborhood Association – which meets tonight at 7 at Admiral Congregational Church – has taken a big step forward in its attempt to bring together local business owners. This week, according to ANA president Katy Walum, ANA sent a letter to more than 120 businesses in the general Admiral area, including a link to an online survey that ANA hopes to use to “gauge the current characteristics and priorities of Admiral’s businesses” and “gather cohesive information about what is important to all in the Admiral business community.” If you received that survey, they’re asking for participation by this Saturday; Walum says it’ll only take you three minutes. Once they have the results, ANA will invite participants to a gathering at Porterhouse, date/time TBA, at which Safeway representatives also will be on hand to talk about the new store (still scheduled to open August 12th). The survey is not public, so we don’t have the link to share here, but Katy has one very important point:

ANA member David Whiting has worked tirelessly to put together this survey and to compile the business names and addresses for this mailing, but we know that some businesses may have been missed. If you are a business owner in the Admiral District (we are including all businesses north of SW Charlestown, east to the Admiral Viewpoint, and west to Alki Mail & Dispatch) and did not receive this letter, please contact us at info@admiralneighborhood.org so that we can verify that you are a business owner or leader in Admiral, and email you a link to the survey.

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