West Seattle scene: Caution, Canada geese crossing

West Seattle photographer (among other things) Robin Lindsey caught the famous pedestrian geese on camera – along with the drivers who stopped for them. She notes, “Of late, the geese and their goslings have decided the grass is sometimes greener on the other side of Harbor Avenue. This poses a major danger to them as they try to cross back and forth from the water side as traffic speeds by. Please drive slowly along the stretch of Harbor from the curve just south of Salty’s to Fairmount and give the geese families the right of way – give ’em a ‘brake’! And thanks to all the drivers who have been so patient and have enjoyed this spectacular sight.”

West Seattle scene: Neighbor says ‘Thanks, SDOT’

Kam shared that photo, reporting: “SDOT just finished with the first phase of repairs on Shore Pl. Thank you to the A-team pothole-repair crew!” According to Kam, it was a three-person team – truck driver plus Reneé and Leon with the asphalt. (Shore Place is right off Beach Drive, recently dubbed “Pothole Drive” – here’s a location map; and here’s the city’s “pothole-report map.”)

Kiwanis Club of West Seattle “Poker Run” on May 14th

Fresh out of the Inbox, this notice about the West Seattle Kiwanis “poker run” fundraiser – sounds like a lot of fun!

KIWANIS OF WEST SEATTLE
2nd ANNUAL CHARITY MOTORCYCLE POKER RUN, BIKE & CLASSIC CAR SHOW
PROCEEDS GO TO KIWANIS CHILDRENS CANCER CARE PROGRAM (KCCP)
BECAUSE KIDS WITH CANCER DESERVE A FUTURE

On May 14, 2011, the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle will host its second annual Charity Motorcycle Poker Run & Classic Car Show. Proceeds from this event support the PNW District Kiwanis Project, led by 2010-2011 Governor Frank Morehouse, which will fund cancer research at Children’s Hospital in Seattle. Donations will be made through the West Seattle Kiwanis 21st Century Scholarship Fund, a not-for-profit corporation operating under chapter 501c3 of the US Internal Revenue code. Our EIN is 91-1285427.

A poker run is an organized event in which participants must visit five to seven checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one. The object is to have the best poker hand at the end of the run. The event is not timed—winning is purely a matter of chance.

Sign-in for this event starts at 8:30am at the lot on 40th Ave SW and SW Alaska St in West Seattle. Following the Poker Run, riders, passengers, and the general public are welcome to a BBQ and to view the Classic Cars on display presented by the Old Rides Club. Prizes will be presented to riders for the Best Hand, the Worst Hand, and other categories as determined. The pre-registration is $25 per rider and $5 for a passenger (if there is a passenger). Day of registration is $30 per rider, plus $5 per passenger. The cost of the BBQ for the general public is $10. Pre-registration closes on May 9th. Click Here To Register on the Kiwanis website. Contact the Kiwanis at westseattlekiwanis@yahoo.com with questions.

==============================================================

Date: May 14th, 2011
Location: 4700 40th Ave SW, Seattle, WA. 98116  (adjacent to Howden Kennedy Funeral Home)
Pre-registration: $25.00 per Bike – $30.00 with Passenger
Day-Of Registration: $30.00 per Bike – $35.00 with Passenger
Entry fee includes B-B-Q, bike show entry, water/snacks along route, and Prize drawing entry.

Time: 8:30am – 9:30am Registration/Check-in
9:30am – 1pm Ride (Poker Run)
1:30pm to 3pm BBQ ($10 for BBQ only)
2:30pm Bike Show

Prizes for Best Hand, Worst Hand & Additional Categories! (Winners of other categories to be chosen by majority vote from attendees)

The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, now in its 83rd year, undertakes a full program of service to the communities of West Seattle with special emphasis on the growth, education and needs of children from preschool though college. An affiliate of Kiwanis International which has clubs in 83 nations, the West Seattle club is an organization of concerned adults dedicated to changing
the world one child and one community at a time.

The West Seattle Kiwanis club is one of the first service clubs established in West Seattle, and was started in 1929. Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time. The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle offers you the opportunity to share your experience, knowledge, and time in service to the community. This
service is great fun and builds fellowship with other members. Excellent, diverse programs can be enjoyed at our weekly meetings. Membership is open to all men and women who possess a genuine interest in serving the community. The club meets at 7am every 1st and 3rd Wednesday, and Noon every 2nd Wednesday, at Be’s Restaurant in the Junction, at 4509 California Ave SW. Park in rear lot and enter the rear door. For more information, contact Warren Lawless at 206-938-8032 or ewl@westseattle.com

Update: Watch for Sea-Based X-Band Radar ‘in next several days’

Two days after our first report that the Missile Defense Agency‘s Sea-Based X-band Radar (SBX) is on its way to West Seattle for three months of maintenance/upgrades at Vigor (formerly Todd), we have a bit of an update: While the military won’t be any more specific, their latest update says SBX “is expected to enter Vigor … within the next several days” since it “will soon enter Puget Sound.” They also want to clarify, for those who have asked, that the radar “will not operate while in the shipyard.” More background info in our Wednesday report; the structure rises 280 feet – that’s almost half as tall as the Space Needle.

Help Highland Park’s spray-park plan make a splash!

(2009 WSB photo of Highland Park’s wading pool, which hasn’t been open since 2008)
Almost two years after the plan to convert Highland Park’s wading pool to a spray park first surfaced, it’s getting closer to construction: A public meeting has just been announced for May 25th. The Parks and Green Spaces Levy allotted the bare minimum to convert the pool, $200,000; then Carolyn Stauffer, now co-chair of Highland Park Action Committee, put together a plan to pitch for more money from the levy’s Opportunity Fund, and an additional $580,000 has been finalized. Now, it’s time to talk about what features the spray park – planned for the pool’s current “footprint” – will include. The meeting is set for 7:15 pm May 25th at Highland Park Improvement Club (12th/Holden).

SDOT confirms Arbor Heights walkway on the drawing board

One of the most sidewalk-less areas of West Seattle is in line for a few blocks of potential change. Lisa spotted survey workers on 35th south of Roxbury yesterday, found out their work had something to do with a paved walkway, and asked what we knew about it. We checked with SDOT‘s Marybeth Turner, who confirms:

Survey work is underway for the design of a walkway at this location, to be constructed next year. How long the walkway will be has not yet determined–it will depend on the cost. At this point they are looking at the west side of 35th Ave SW from SW 97th to SW 100th. More will be known as the design work progresses. This is a “Walk Bike Ride” project.

Video: Caspar Babypants rocks City Mouse Studio & Store crowd

With the line outside City Mouse Studio and Store (WSB sponsor) in The Junction this morning, you’d have thought a rock star was visiting. Oh wait – one was:

The strollers might have been a giveaway – the rock star on hand was Chris Ballew, aka Caspar Babypants, posing above with City Mouse proprietor Donna Ryan. Her photography studio/children’s-merchandise store is celebrating its first anniversary at 4218 SW Alaska, and CB performed two wall-to-wall-crowded mini-concerts to help celebrate:

City Mouse also just launched an online store – check out the site for a discount code to get you 20 percent off a first-time purchase. (And Donna says locals can pick up online-bought merchandise at the Junction store to save shipping fees.)

Heads up: Emergency Communications Hub quake drill tomorrow

May 6, 2011 1:29 pm
|    Comments Off on Heads up: Emergency Communications Hub quake drill tomorrow
 |   Preparedness | West Seattle news

Last October, we photographed Sharonn Meeks and Cindi Barker during a West Seattle Be Prepared Emergency Communication Hubs drill, simulating what might happen in terms of neighborhood communication during a major earthquake. Tomorrow, WSBP is part of another drill, this one citywide. From 9 am until noon, volunteer groups here and in several other Seattle neighborhoods, with the help of the city Office of Emergency Management and the Auxiliary Communication Service, will be involved in role-playing scenarios and radio communications. The hubs are neighborhood gathering places where volunteers will help coordinate communication in case of catastrophe – an expanded version of the premise that neighbors helping neighbors will be far more likely in the immediate hours and days after disaster than relying on the authorities to reach everyone who needs help. WSBP says this drill will “activate” two hubs – the one for the Fairmount neighborhood, at Providence Mount St. Vincent (4831 35th SW, northeast corner by the flagpole), and the new North Delridge hub (at the P-Patch at 5078 25th SW). You are welcome to come observe, but they don’t need extra help this time around; if you’d like to get involved with neighborhood preparedness in general, here’s how to reach WSBP!

P.S. WSBP has another training session coming up – featuring a movie about our region’s quake threat; it’s on May 16th and you can get all the details here.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Federal charges for accused dealer

Court documents confirm what a tipster reported in comments following our coverage of yesterday morning’s police operations at locations including Upper Fauntleroy (remember the helicopter?) and High Point: The man who was arrested is someone we’ve reported on before – James Monroe Flowers, Jr. He’s the alleged drug dealer that Seattle Police arrested in a SWAT-enhanced operation in The Junction back in February; he was out on bond when charges were filed and a warrant issued – we later learned that he posted bond on the warrant without having had to return to jail. Now he’s facing federal charges listed in court documents as “possession of cocaine base (crack) with intent to distribute” and “carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.”

The documents relate to the same investigation that led to the state charges against Flowers (detailed in this WSB report). The federal documents also allege witness tampering – though no charge is filed on that: The narrative says that after Flowers posted bond, one of the witnesses in the case received a phone call from him, asking the witness “not to take him [Flowers] away from his kids” (the court document notes that this is a paraphrase of what was said). The court document goes on to say, “Since this call, the (witness) has received several threatening calls from unidentified subjects who have either directly or indirectly threatened his/her life.” Flowers is now in federal custody, with a detention hearing set for Tuesday. Regarding the locations involved in yesterday morning’s warrant operations – one apparently an arrest warrant, one a search warrant – the documents don’t mention the specific addresses or their significance, but earlier state court paperwork had mentioned a High Point address for Flowers. (Photo courtesy Washington Dept. of Corrections)

Alert for Lincoln Park walkers/runners/riders: Colman Pool work

May 6, 2011 9:31 am
|    Comments Off on Alert for Lincoln Park walkers/runners/riders: Colman Pool work
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

West Seattle’s only city-owned outdoor swimming facility, Colman Pool, is getting ready for its short, sweet summer season, opening on Memorial Day weekend as usual. But first, Seattle Parks has a project that will affect people who use the park, particularly along its waterfront walking/running/bicycling trail. According to Parks’ Garrett Farrell, a large vault will be installed to “hold backwash water from the sand filters” (remember, Colman Pool uses filtered Puget Sound water). Since the contractor has to bring in equipment (including a crane) as well as the vault – in pieces – while hauling out dirt from the hole they need to dig, “park users should expect a lot of traffic on the path between Fauntleroy and the pool.” Farrell says this all starts Monday, north of the pool (the path on the building’s east side will be blocked, as will access to the outdoor women’s restroom) and will be done before the pool’s scheduled opening on May 28th (here’s the brochure with this year’s full schedule).

West Seattle Food Bank: How to help, with just a click

Big night for the West Seattle Food Bank, with its annual benefit dinner. And this can be a big day for them too, if you can help with a one-day-only quest to build the Food Bank’s following on Facebook. WS Food Bank director Fran Yeatts explains:

Reminder: Tonight, Friday May 6th The West Seattle Food Bank is hosting the 4th annual Instruments of Change benefit dinner at The Hall at Fauntleroy.

The event is sold out, but don’t worry, there is still a way to participate and be an instrument of change in our community: All day today, until midnight, participating WS Food Bank board members will donate $1 for every new “like” for the West Seattle Food Bank Facebook page (up to $1000.). Help us get the word out – “like” the West Seattle Food Bank Facebook page and spread the word. http://www.facebook.com/westseattlefoodbank

Attending Instruments of Change? Don’t forget, check-in is at 6:00 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 9131 California Ave SW.

Less than one week till Northwest Hope & Healing ‘Style ’11’

That video made for Northwest Hope and Healing by West Seattle’s Captive Eye Media gives you a taste of the fashion, fun, and inspiration at NWHH’s annual “Style ’11” benefit fashion show to raise money for its mission: Helping breast-cancer patients – not with the treatment itself, but with the sudden turmoil and upheaval it causes in patients’ lives; that kind of help provides “hope and healing” too. “Style ’11” is now less than a week away – happening next Thursday night, May 12th, at Showbox SODO. Lots of West Seattle involvement again this year – including West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), Carmilia’s, Coastal, Ola, and Sweetie. Tickets will cost you less online than at the door; get yours by going here.

West Seattle Friday: From Caspar Babypants to carne asada

(Great blue heron, photographed off Beach Drive by David Hutchinson)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
CASPAR BABYPANTS MINI-CONCERTS: Caspar Babypants performs a special mini-concert at City Mouse Studio and Store (WSB sponsor, 4218 SW Alaska), 10:30 am and 11:30 am, in honor of the store’s first birthday. See Facebook event page here

CARNE ASADA BOWL: Annual boys’ soccer game between Chief Sealth International JV and Secondary BOC, 3:30 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex on SW Thistle (or SW Trenton, for the other side). After the game, everyone is invited to stay and partake in the annual Carne Asada feast as prepared by Sealth’s own Delfino Muñoz and our generous soccer parents.

AFTER THAT GAME: Sealth athletic director Sam Reed just announced a playoff game tonight for Sealth boys’ soccer varsity: “The boys finished 7-1-4 in the Sound Division and earned the 3rd seed into the playoffs. They will play Seattle Prep tonight at 7:00 pm @ SWAC. This is a single-elimination tournament with 3 teams guaranteed a berth to State.”

JAPAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF BENEFIT: Tonight at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor, 5612 California SW), Benefit for Japan’s Earthquake Relief, 6 pm – 7 pm. Originally from New York City but now living in Tokyo, Danny Katz entertains with his unique blend of 80s flavored folk-pop. Proceeds from CD sales at this show will go towards Japan’s earthquake disaster relief efforts.

FOOD BANK BENEFIT: 4th annual Instruments of Change benefit dinner for the West Seattle Food Bank, with keynote speaker King County Executive Dow Constantine, 6-9 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy (with WSB among the co-sponsors). Event is sold out.

RADIO8BALL RETURNS: The Radio8Ball Show featuring the show’s host and creator, Andras Jones, and local darlings The Young Evils, and The Janks from Los Angeles, returns to Seattle for a weekend of shows at Skylark Cafe and Club (WSB sponsor, 3803 Delridge Way SW). Advance tickets $8, at the door $12; Buy online

Politics to potholes: Chat with Councilmember Rasmussen Saturday

He’s not only the only City Councilmember living in West Seattle, he also chairs the Transportation Committee, and that means lightning-rod issues galore. Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has been on a community-conversation tour around the city, and in case you hadn’t already heard (it’s in the WSB Events Calendar), an early reminder that he’s on home turf this Saturday afternoon, available to chat with anybody who wants to come by, West Seattle (Admiral District) branch of the Seattle Public Library, 2:30-4 pm. His website promises, “All topics are on the table.”

West Seattle Crime Watch: Smash-grab burglar to be sentenced

A once-big case we lost track of has resulted in a guilty plea, and the sentencing is set for tomorrow. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reports that Stephen Hayes Kirk (left) – charged in the series of smash-and-grab burglaries that bedeviled local businesses last year – pleaded guilty in March to eight counts of 2nd-degree burglary and 1 count of 2nd-degree attempted burglary. We last reported on him in September, when he was charged with burglaries at Luciano’s Pizza and Delridge Uptown Espresso, added to previous charges in Burien cases, though he was suspected in others (here’s our coverage of the burglary wave last summer). His sentencing is set for tomorrow afternoon before King County Superior Court Judge Mariane Spearman (1 pm, W-965), with a sentencing range of 51 to 68 months in prison.

South Park Bridge celebration: The party begins

We’re in South Park, where 45 minutes of speeches and presentations – ending with the opening of part of that 26-foot (horizontal) piñata – were only the beginning of the new-bridge-construction/Cinco del Mayo party. King County Executive Dow Constantine hosted the “official” celebration, with state, county, city, Port, and federal reps, plus a full regional-media contingent, and got a surprise toward the end – above, King County Councilmember Joe McDermott presents him with a photo of the South Park spot where Constantine signed his name on the now-demolished County Line building, promising a new bridge. More to come – we’ll put up video of the entire event (added – here it is):

And South Park invites you to come down and celebrate, as their restaurants are opening the doors for a late-lunch celebration right now (Muy Macho, Jalisco, and Napoli in particular), and other events are set to unfold as the afternoon and night go on. The schedule is here (and you can still see that big piñata – it was partly opened but not destroyed).

4:16 PM: Added a clip from the piñata chaos at the end. It’s not too long but watch till the end, when you see what Constantine picked up and brought over to the governor. A look beneath the piñata beforehand:

More photos – the devil dancers, also seen at last year’s old-bridge closing:

And the mariachi band Ayutla, performing in the business district after the speeches and piñata-phase-1:

And here’s the official county news release with the basics on where the project stands – the new bridge is projected to be open “in mid-2013.”

ADDED: 8 more photos after the jump, if you’re interested:Read More

Video: Roxhill Skatespot gets Rob Dyrdek Foundation donation

The mayor, the acting parks superintendent, and a skateboarding star shared the podium at City Hall this morning, as the Rob Dyrdek Foundation‘s donation to the forthcoming Roxhill Park Skatespot was formally announced. Our video shows the entirety of today’s 10-minute announcement. As noted in our preview from yesterday, construction on the skatespot is planned for next spring. Dyrdek is in town for a show at KeyArena this weekend – as he explained at the announcement, some of the features from the skateboarding setup made for the show will be saved and used in the Roxhill construction.

Triangle’s future: Advisory group tonight; District Council last night

Tonight, the West Seattle Triangle Advisory Group is scheduled for the second meeting in its Phase II – which is focusing on land use (zoning). The frame grab above is from the group’s first Phase II meeting last month, at the heart of the presentation you can see in full here: Should higher buildings be built in The Triangle (and the area spilling over the area to its west dominated by ex-car lots)? Here’s how that same presentation saw that area as it exists now:

Tonight’s meeting is at 6 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon). The public is welcome, and there’s a time for public comment, if you have anything to say about the area or the process. (Other documents, including renderings for possible “massing” of future development, are linked from this page on the city’s Triangle website.)

But what’s happening so far is not sitting well with the Southwest District Council, whose monthly meeting last night again included a discussion of discontent with the process. There was also some concern about how what’s been discussed at previous SWDC meetings has been conveyed – if at all – so for tonight, they were planning to prepare a statement to get those concerns on the record, including questions about whether the area’s key stakeholders have truly been included in the process (at most of the meetings, property owner/business owner participation has been fairly light), and whether the “concepts” are in line with the area’s longterm goals.

The council also discussed a report that a public-comment period will start later this month when draft streetscape proposals from the Phase I are made public, including the “Fauntleroy Boulevard” concept that has long been under discussion – and that proposal has reportedly undergone a dramatic revamp from the previous concept of a tree-lined boulevard, because bicycle lanes have been added, according to SWDC co-chair Susan Melrose of the West Seattle Junction Association. SWDC’s Morgan Community Association rep Chas Redmond called the reported bike-lane additions an “11th-hour move” that he says would not be in keeping with the city’s longstanding Bicycle Master Plan. The road proposal also is likely to come up at tonight’s meeting

Don’t want yellow pages? Seattle’s new opt-out kicks in

Just in case you haven’t already seen this a hundred other places – and, since in the case of one company, it’s time-sensitive if you want to opt-out for this year – Seattle’s new system to “opt-out” of unwanted yellow-pages deliveries is now up and running. To sign up and opt-out, go here.

Viaduct squeeze followup: Metro’s West Seattle commute tips

Back on Monday, when WSDOT issued its two-week warning of the impending Big Squeeze on the Alaskan Way Viaduct between the West Seattle Bridge and the stadiums (our reports are here and here), Metro told us they would have info out by week’s end, regarding how this would affect Metro, Water Taxi, etc. And now it’s here. What follows the jump is the Metro news release, which is somewhat generalized, but we have followed it with West Seattle-specific tips provided courtesy of Linda Thielke at the King County Department of Transportation:Read More

West Seattle Trader Joe’s: The land-use approvals are indeed in

For those following this project step by step: The land-use decisions for the West Seattle Trader Joe’s are indeed published today, as we reported the other day that they would be. Here’s the one for the main part of the project; here’s the one for additional parking spaces. Both include “determinations of non-significance” meaning no formal environmental review is needed. Both decisions (the docs with the fine print are linked from the notices our links point you to) have a 2-week window now for potential appeals; the construction permit also would have to be granted before work could begin, but permit-wise, they are two-thirds of the way there.

Reminder: South Park Bridge celebration today/tonight

May 5, 2011 10:51 am
|    Comments Off on Reminder: South Park Bridge celebration today/tonight
 |   Fun stuff to do | South Park | West Seattle news

Quick reminder since we didn’t have the standard morning-preview roundup today: The celebrating starts at 1:30 pm in South Park, with ceremonial groundbreaking for the new bridge, and continues into the afternoon and evening. Here’s the preview we published yesterday; here’s information from allaboutsouthpark.com. It’s clear they would love a show of support from their West Seattle neighbors (and everywhere else!). We’ll have updates from SP this afternoon as it unfolds.

South Seattle Community College Garden Center opens today

(Photo by Amy Converse)
Since this day got off to an unusual start with two breaking stories (which will be updated as the day goes on with any new information that’s available), we’ll be reminding you about the day’s notable events one-by-one rather than the usual roundup. First: The South Seattle Community College Garden Center opens today, and shared this announcement:

The Puget Ridge Garden Center at South Seattle Community College’s spring opening is (today) (May 5th) from 11am – 3pm. Hurry in for a great selection of perennials, edibles, annuals, trees, shrubs, and more! The Garden Center is a hands-on teaching facility for students of SSCC’s Landscape Horticulture (LHO) program and all sale proceeds help support the program. We’ll also be open May 7th, 19th, and 21st, plus June 2nd and 4th (all 11am – 3pm). You can also like us on Facebook (here)
or follow us on our blog at pugetridge.blogspot.com.