West Seattle, Washington
17 Sunday
As reported here previously, today was announced as the new Brickyard BBQ restaurant (2310 California SW)’s opening day – so we went by a short time ago to see if they had already swung open the doors – not yet, but we were told by those working on finishing touches that they’ll open today at 4. They’re almost exactly across the street from another new restaurant, Porterhouse, which is now in its third week of operation.(WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
A month and a half after our reports (1st article here, followups here and here) on the $4 million problem with leaky waterproofing material atop the new covers at Myrtle and Beacon Hill Reservoirs, its replacement is in place, according to Seattle Public Utilities. We checked in after Chas Redmond sent the photo you see above, showing the hot-asphalt material that is being used instead of the material that turned out to have hundreds of leaks (with a long process ahead to determine the cause, who’s to blame, and who ultimately picks up the bill). SPU’s Elaine Yeung tells WSB, “The application of the new waterproofing system is complete at Myrtle. The next steps will be the acceptance testing. Then beginning the week of September 8th, the contractor plans to start installing the drain rock and soil. Hydro-seeding to establish grass is planned to occur later in September.” The now-underground reservoir has remained in service throughout this process, according to SPU, which also has stressed that the leaks in the original waterproofing material did not pose any health risk. Once the reservoir work is finally complete, the site will be turned over to the Parks Department for development of a new park site (more info on that here; public design meetings wrapped up last year).
Just received that aerial photo from Pauline Sugarman at DKA, which is leading the new Denny Middle School/renovated Chief Sealth High School project – she calls it the “first aerial photo” of the project and included the construction update that’s going to neighbors and other interested parties:
Last month, July, 2009, the Project 1 contractor completed the retaining wall along the east property line as well as continued work on the sewer line along with east property. Grading for the north parking lot was started and will be completed by the first week of August.
This month, August, 2009, work for Project 1 will include site asphalt paving at the north parking lot and east road.
For Project 2, installation of the short aggregate piers will be completed by the end of this month. The Project 2 contractor is starting the interior renovation of the main classroom building for Chief Sealth. Foundation work will also be starting in August along with site work including grading, excavation and underground utilities for the new Denny school.
Installation of some storm sewer piping and connecting to the existing sanitary manhole in SW Kenyon Street, 260 feet east of the SW 26th Avenue intersection will take place August 10th through the 21st. The new utility will serve the new Denny Sealth campus scheduled to open in fall, 2010. No other utilities will be impacted by this work. Pedestrian and vehicle access to homes adjacent to the work zone will be maintained during the street closure. Detour signs will be up to direct all other traffic during construction hours.
Visit the BEX website bex.seattleschools.org/chiefsealth.html to see photos, construction news and more.
Please contact the Denny/Chief Sealth project manager, Robert Evans, at (206) 658-2731 or email at revans@heery.com if you have any questions or concerns regarding this construction project.
Sealth is scheduled to reopen in a year; move-in for the new Denny is planned for 2011.
The West Seattle Weekend Lineup will be out later this morning, but first a couple quick reminders about three events:
****Pharmaca (WSB sponsor) in The Junction has declared today Natural Mom and Baby Day — with freebies including consultations, samples, and child-health seminars (10-11 am, on immunity-boosting; noon-1 pm, allergy remedies; 3-4 pm, DHA’s and brain health), and special offers; full details on Pharmaca’s West Seattle store page (which also lists other upcoming events, like flu shots).
****The third 4-day run of Delridge Produce Cooperative’s “Mobile Market” free-produce pilot project begins this afternoon – 3:30 to 7:30 at 9050 Delridge (where we visited them on Day 1). Go get free fruit/vegetables and fill out a (fast) survey.
****Tonight at Providence Mount St. Vincent, jazz by Cheryl Serio wraps up this year’s Summer Concerts at The Mount series (WSB sponsor) — you can watch or listen to her music here for a preview. Food and drink are on sale at 5; free concert starts at 6; bring your own chair and/or blanket.
Info-packed meeting Thursday night for the South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition, one of West Seattle’s two crime-and-safety-focused groups (the other is the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council). From crime trends in the area (southeast West Seattle plus north White Center) — including a crime police are hoping more victims will report — to what can be done about problem properties, here are the highlights —Read More
ORIGINAL 3:38 AM REPORT: We’ve been monitoring scanner traffic about an incident on the westbound West Seattle Bridge, described on the 911 log as a freeway medic response. Via Twitter, KIRO says it’s a rollover and says both directions are closed. According to what we’re hearing on the scanner, the driver in the vehicle that rolled — believed to have been traveling at high speed — was found in the passenger seat, “unresponsive,” and is now undergoing CPR. 3:46 AM UPDATE: Also per the scanner, one lane of The Bridge is open westbound; eastbound is completely open. (Image at left is latest “live” pic from camera pointed east of the crash scene) UPDATE 7:15 am: Northwest Cable News is reporting the incident as a fatal accident. 8:46 AM: Here’s the short blurb from SPDBlotter, confirming that the 27-year-old driver died. 2:39 PM UPDATE: The county Medical Examiner has just updated the hotline with its daily list of cases investigated, but concluded the list with “there is nothing to release at this time” regarding this crash, so as of right now, the driver’s identity still has not been made public.
The biggest group to play the first-ever Admiral Neighborhood Association-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha was also the last to play … Thursday night, the West Seattle Big Band performed the finale in the series of six free outdoor concerts — one of which moved indoors – remember the thunderstorms two weeks ago?) — no sign of rain tonight, aside from singer Stephanie Cortes crooning “Somewhere Over the Rainbow“:
WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli, who provided the previous two photos, promises video we’ll add here later today (Friday). First, here’s our pic of the last of six great audiences:
We’re glad to have been able to be among the sponsors (all listed here) of this first-ever season – coordinator Katy Walum did say it was “the first” so we’re hoping that means it’ll be back for an encore next year! (Photo added Friday – Katy receiving well-deserved flowers and kudos from ANA president Mark Wainwright)
If you have ideas for this or other Admiral events, get involved with the Admiral Neighborhood Association – it’ll be back to regular meetings next month, 7 pm Tuesday, September 8th, in the Admiral Church basement meeting room.
We’ve reported before on Girls on the Run of Puget Sound, an after-school empowerment program that’s expanding in West Seattle this fall. Tonight, Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District welcomed a crowd of shoppers for a special evening event during which 10 percent of sales went to GOTR; a sparkling-wine tasting offered extra effervescence – a quality we’re sure you’ll find in its volunteer coaches (more info here on how to become one of them).
Busy night around West Seattle – we made it to four events, and here are photos from one of them – the North Delridge Neighborhood Council‘s ice-cream social at Cottage Grove Park. Holli Margell provided the photo above – that’s Lisa Keith, who organized the event, painting Cooper Margell‘s face, while dad Casey Margell helps him hold still. Next, a photo we took – can’t have an ice-cream social without ice cream:
Lisa notes, “The weather was perfect for ice cream, angel food cake, peach crisp, and blackberries picked along Longfellow Creek. We welcomed neighbors who moved to Delridge just this summer, to the lovely Gerthrie, who has graced North Delridge for over 40 years. … It was lovely to have a chance to relax, talk, and enjoy each other’s company.” Now, another photo from Holli – the “bubble bucket” was a hit with the younger attendees:
And we couldn’t resist snapping the whiteboard with upcoming North Delridge Neighborhood Council events:
Note those are both in the week ahead: You can join the Adopt-A-Street cleanup on Saturday morning, and then Wednesday at 6:30, the NDNC monthly meeting is at Olympia Pizza (5605 Delridge; map) instead of the library, since it’s in the middle of furlough week.
Just wanted to let you know — we have an avalanche of e-mails and calls regarding planes taking a different flight path heading west, and apparently lower than usual, over West Seattle tonight. The first phone call we made, to a regional FAA operations center, did not yield any information, and Boeing Field operations says nothing’s unusual there either. Still checking! (Tammy at Boeing Field did say the “flow” of flights switched between north and south – but that isn’t unusual, she said.) By most accounts, there were at least three planes that flew out this way, between about 7:30 and 8:15. ADDED 9:06 PM: Nothing definitive yet – this seems to be over (let us know if you see/hear otherwise) – if no answers emerge tonight, we will keep checking tomorrow. To summarize why this caught people off-guard, here’s an e-mail quote from Karen: “It didn’t last long, maybe four to six planes. We were sitting on our deck looking directly at the bellies of those planes. They looked legally high enough but made us uncomfortable.” ADDED 10:54 PM: In comments, WesCAddle offers a partial explanation (three comments, starting here).
(Lincoln Park photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli – we hear the fish are here too)
Just got a note from Sam, who reports seeing “hundreds of salmon … dozens leaping through the air as they feed” at the Harbor Island pier. Checking around online, fishing writer Mark Yuasa at seattletimes.com (WSB partner) reported this week that pink salmon are entering the area “in the millions.”
Noelle asked this question via Facebook:
Is the Metro bus stop in front of the new QFC going to be put back after construction is finished? The stop used to be right infront of the middle of that lot along Alaska, across the street from Jefferson Square’s stop.
On behalf of Metro, Linda Thielke provided the answer, and we’re sharing it here in case anyone else was wondering the same thing:
SDOT has agreed to let the stop go back in if it can be at least 20′ back from the intersection. Looks like that will be possible once the construction is all finished.
(As reported recently, QFC is hoping to open that store September 16th.) As many WSB stories begin with questions as with more-classic “tips” like “something’s on fire” – so questions are always welcome, editor@westseattleblog.com (or other means of contact, all listed here).
The server-management company for partner site White Center Now is doing emergency maintenance so that site’s offline – there are two significant stories mostly of White Center import that we want to note here in the meantime: First, King County Council Chair Dow Constantine says Evergreen Pool in White Center (map) will close on September 1st – its temporary reprieve is ending and a deal with a private operator to take it over (WhiteWater Aquatics, which made a presentation at the last meeting of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council) is not done yet, though talks continue, and, he says, “I am confident that a long-term agreement can be negotiated between King County Parks and White Water Aquatics and I will be working to facilitate the reopening of the Evergreen Pool as soon as possible.. Second: Hicks Lake, which is at Lakewood Park in White Center (map), has a toxic algae bloom, according to county spokesperson Doug Williams, who says:
We just got results back from the state Department of Ecology that confirms a blue-green algae bloom at Hicks has surpassed the safety threshold. While there aren’t likely too many people swimming there right now, it’s possible that people could let their dogs swim and/or drink from the lake. Not a good idea!
Williams says they have posted warning signs, and those signs will stay up until two consecutive weekly samples show the water’s safe again.
For anyone heading southbound from West Seattle: Thanks to Laura for the tip on a power outage in the White Center area. Seattle City Light‘s outage hotline lists two outages – one that could be described as White Center, affecting 4,000 homes/businesses, and another in Burien with about 3,000. The one in Burien is blamed on a fire, according to the hotline, but the other one is listed as “cause unknown.” More to come. 4:08 PM UPDATE: City Light’s latest news release now calls these one outage – here’s the full text:
A fire associated with a power outage in Burien and unincorporated King County has increased the number of customers affected by the outage to about 7,100 homes and businesses.
The fire is burning in a wooded utility right of way south of S 96th Street and west of Des Moines Memorial Drive. Power lines were reported on the ground in the area and at least one utility pole was burning.
Seattle City Light deenergized the power lines to allow firefighters to put out the blaze. City Light crews were dispatched to restore service once the fire was extinguished.
The cause of the outage was not immediately known. City Light expects to restore service to most of the affected customers by 5:30 p.m. by routing power around the damaged area. An estimate for full restoration of service will not be available until crews are able to inspect the damaged equipment.
The general boundaries of the outage are SW Barton Street on the North, SW 167th Street on the South, Glendale Way S on the East and Puget Sound on the West.
If that entire area is out – which is seldom the case with boundaries listed like this – that would include some of West Seattle. We’re off to check the area south of Barton, east of Puget Sound. 6:47 PM UPDATE: City Light says all but 200 of the affected homes/businesses have their power back.
ROXHILL ELEMENTARY BARBECUE: Thanks to Donn for spotting this on the Roxhill school marquee along Roxbury – school barbecue today, 4:30-6:30 pm. (Lots of back-to-school events in the days ahead; let us know about yours!)
SEE THE WEST SEATTLE “COVER DOG” CANDIDATES: West Seattle-headquartered CityDog Magazine will announce its Cover Dog winner soon; meantime, photographer J. Nicole Smith from Dane + Dane Studios has posted her gallery of all 100-plus “candidates” from the West Seattle Thriftway shoot (8/16 WSB photo above, also featuring Richard and cover-dog hopeful Lulah) – see the picture-perfect pooches here.
FUN TO BE FRUGAL: That’s the name of a new website written by West Seattle resident Nora Laughlin. She e-mailed to let us know about it; we’ll be adding it to the feeds for this WSB page too, but in the short run – you can browse her entries about coupons and other deals.
This afternoon, we’re welcoming the “Reinvent Yourself Workshop” as a WSB sponsor. Seven area entrepreneurs are presenting the workshop this Sunday in West Seattle – read on for their official announcement:
Seven dynamic entrepreneurial women join forces on Sunday (August 30) to lead a half-day workshop aimed at self-improvement. This interactive session, titled “Reinvent Yourself Workshop: 7 Ways to Transform Your Life,” will provide local women with the tools they need to bring out the best version of themselves.
Each of the seven presenters will share inspiring tips and assist participants in setting realistic goals that result in pivotal life changes. Workshop attendees will have an opportunity to win a Total Transformation Package valued at more than $2,000. The package includes services related to nutrition, fitness, personal and professional growth, home organization, skin care, hair care and personal style.
This is a unique opportunity for West Seattle women to interact with local experts who have built successful businesses around their abilities to increase self-awareness and facilitate positive transformation. The roster of presenters includes Chieko Watanabe, business and life coach; Michelle Babb, MS, RD (WSB sponsor), nutrition and lifestyle educator; Karen Pfeiffer Bush, professional organizer and owner of Housewarming; Bonnie Katz, personal trainer and owner of Fitness Together (WSB sponsor); Trudy Muller, skin care specialist and owner of Envy on Alki; Melissa Wooley, hair stylist and owner of Pure Hair; and Mary Beth Logsdon, style consultant.
The workshop takes place this Sunday (August 30) at Merrill Gardens in West Seattle from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Space is limited and seats are filling fast. For additional information or to register, please visit www.reinventyourselfworkshop.com.
Thanks to the “Reinvent Yourself Workshop” for sponsoring WSB! All sponsors – with links to their websites, and info on how to join them here – can be found on our Advertise! page.
Topping this afternoon’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup – police confirm that a house at 17th/Barton [map] was shot at, describing it as “random vandalism,” not a case of someone being targeted. We got a text about shots heard in that area early yesterday but had no confirmation until we checked with police following a note from Adrienne, who says her neighbor’s townhome was shot at. Police say no one was hurt. Ahead, several more reports, starting with the case of the huge, now-missing tire:Read More
Thanks to Kacy Bear for sharing that photo along with news from the Seattle Public Library‘s Breakfast of Champions event downtown this morning, celebrating winners of the SPL Summer Reading Program. Pictured above are two of the local winners, West Seattle (Admiral) branch’s Catherine Evans and Southwest branch winner Ptolemy Bear (Kacy’s son); Kacy says the programs also list winners Maia Glass-Quicksall from the Delridge branch, Aliyah Mohamed from the High Point branch, and from nearby South Park, Duy Ly. We’ll check with SPL to see if there’s info on how much they read. Congratulations to all! (Side note – remember all city library branches will be closed from Monday 8/31 till reopening Tuesday 9/8.) 1:49 PM: SPL spokesperson Liz Kaune tells WSB the final numbers haven’t been tallied yet – that information is expected to be made public after the libraries reopen in early September.
Though we don’t do a lot of open-ended discussion here on the main page – the WSB Forums always have lots of that going on – we’re just back from KUOW, representing partner site White Center Now in a discussion of the just-approved-by-voters North Highline South Annexation during “Weekday,” and toward the end of the program, host Steve Scher (iPhone photo at left) turned the discussion to, what’s next for the un-annexed area – most of White Center? A caller (not from West Seattle or WC) said he felt many neighborhood groups around Seattle are against it; Mayor Nickels had supported it (and we’re checking with the two finalists for his job regarding what they think), but the City Council voted 8-1 against endorsing an agreement with Burien and other agencies that would have given Seattle exclusive rights to consider the area through the end of 2011 — members said they weren’t necessarily against annexation, but weren’t so sure about the terms of that agreement. During this morning’s broadcast, Burien City Manager Mike Martin said his council hasn’t decided yet whether (and when) they want to pursue White Center. So what do you think – assuming that White Center has to become part of a city one way or another (which the county has made clear, as is the case with all unincorporated urban areas), should it become part of Seattle? Or Burien?
With the new school year less than 2 weeks away for most local students, it’s also time for a lot of volunteering to rev up again – and some organizations are looking for new help, like this tutoring program that asked us to help get the word out again this year – here’s the announcement:
Become a volunteer tutor with the Youth Tutoring Program! A great volunteer opportunity in West Seattle!
Catholic Community Services’ Youth Tutoring Program (YTP) is an after-school educational enrichment program for at-risk students in first through twelfth grade. These students live in low and mixed-income public housing communities in Seattle. Begun in 1991 as a partnership with the Seattle Housing Authority, YTP provides youth with a safe, positive, and stimulating environment to explore learning and experience academic and personal success.
Students attend the centers voluntarily and enjoy working with volunteer tutors-the heart of the program. Tutors work with an individual student for the one-hour tutoring session. In addition to offering academic support, volunteers serve as positive role models to the students and help strengthen their sense of self-esteem and self-respect.
During the tutoring session, tutors spend time helping the students with reading, homework (all subjects), and building math and language arts skills. No specific background is necessary, and there are a variety of resources at the tutoring center if you’ve forgotten the formula for the slope of a line or the difference between a gerund, participle, and infinitive! Volunteers must be currently enrolled in high school or have obtained a high school diploma (or equivalent).
Tutoring Centers are open 4:20-7:40 on Monday and Wednesday; 5:30-7:40 Tuesday and Thursday.
Volunteers tutor 1-3 hours per week on the same night every week.
Ideally, tutors work with the same student(s) every week.
There is a tutoring center close to you-in the High Point neighborhood of West Seattle!
Please visit our website to learn more about our program, how you can get involved and APPLY ONLINE TODAY! http://www.ccsww.org/ytp
Or call (206) 328-5659 or email volunteerytp@ccsww.org to request an application.
CONCERT SERIES’ SWAN SONG: Call it a BIG finale for the first-ever Summer Concerts at Hiawatha, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, sponsored by businesses and organizations including WSB: The West Seattle Big Band plays tonight on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center, 6:30 pm, free, b/y/o chair/blanket. Also tonight in the Admiral District:
GIRLS ON THE RUN! AT CLICK! Tonight, 6-9 pm at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor), a shopping and sparkling-wine-tasting event celebrates Girls On The Run of Puget Sound, an afterschool empowerment program that’s expanding in West Seattle this fall. Click! will donate 10 percent of tonight’s purchases to GOTR; lots more info here.
NORTH DELRIDGE ICE CREAM SOCIAL: Ice cream! Games! Meet your neighbors! The North Delridge Neighborhood Council invites one and all to its ice-cream social, 6:30-8:30 pm, Cottage Grove Park (here’s the invite we published last weekend).
SOUTH DELRIDGE/WHITE CENTER COMMUNITY SAFETY COALITION: Talk about issues of crime, safety, and nuisance properties with this dedicated group, 6 pm, St. James Place, 9418 18th SW.
Nine months after Dorsol Plants stood before the Highland Park Action Committee – which he chaired at the time — to say he was launching a run for Seattle City Council (here’s our 11/24/08 report), he stood before HPAC again last night to post-mortem his run. The clip above shows Dina Johnson presenting Plants with a certificate of appreciation; in the next one, you’ll see him spend about five minutes recalling what the campaign was like, and revealing who he’s supporting now:
With most of the votes counted, the most recent results show Plants finishing with 14% of the vote in the District 4 race – far behind leader Sally Bagshaw at 51%, but not that far behind second-place David Bloom at 18%, who (with Bagshaw) advances to the general (and who, as you heard if you watched the second video clip, Plants is endorsing). Plants, a U.S. Army veteran who currently works for a human-services agency, hasn’t announced his next political plan, but says there will definitely be one – “I’m not done yet.” (In the very short term, by the way, he’ll be celebrating his 25th birthday this weekend.)
It’s been a big week for Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle since our last report on their fruit-picking season, in more ways than one. For one, they’ll be featured on TV later this week – KING5 shot CHoSS volunteers harvesting plums at Margaret‘s house earlier this week. The story is tentatively scheduled to air tomorrow morning and noontime, according to Aviva from CHoSS, who adds:
Community Harvest would like to thank all the tree owners who have been donating their trees for picking. Since the posting last week, we have harvested over 1,000 pounds of fruit from 12 trees. We appreciate all the new harvest volunteers who have responded as well, and especially those folks who have picked their own trees for donation.
Tree owners do help – like Margaret’s daughter Hazel, walking here with a CHoSS volunteer:
Donated fruit goes to keep local folks from going hungry. If you can volunteer to help pick, and/or have a tree to “donate,” contact info for Community Harvest is on its website, gleanit.org. (Thanks to Margaret for sharing the pix!)
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