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Live at West Seattle Summer Fest: Friday afternoon updates
July 10, 2009 12:18 pm
|    Comments Off on Live at West Seattle Summer Fest: Friday afternoon updates
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

(scroll down for frequently updated info and photos)

We’re here, facing KeyBank and the Food Court, and ready to cover the first afternoon of West Seattle’s biggest summer event. Come say hi and take the Summer Fest survey (only one page of questions and you’ll be entered for a $100 shopping-spree drawing). Above, a look down the Food Court. Much more to come! Full festival rundown here.

1:07 PM UPDATE: Time for more photos! GORGEOUS day out here. Lots of people but not too crowded, sunny but not too hot. Toward the north end of the Summer Fest zone, on California north of Oregon, near JF Henry, you’ll find Greg Whittaker from Alki Kayak Tours – modeling the rubber sunglasses he’s got on sale for $1 (down from $5!):

Not far from there is Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) – thanks to Lora for sharing her phone so we could participate in KUOW’s “The Conversation” this afternoon, during another of their roundtables with neighborhood-news site editors (we were asked about the King County Water Taxi and the Conner Homes Junction project). Check out Hotwire this weekend for free samples of a frosty drink!

Also on the north end, you’ll find the Art Dive tent just north of Oregon – on the south side of the tent, this metalcrafted mermaid is keeping watch:

2:07 PM UPDATE: Live music will be starting soon – remember there are two stages, the California stage at the north end of the festival, and the Alaska stage east of California, near the Junction Plaza Park site. We’ve talked to lots of great people already – the Hi-Yu Junior Court has come by, as they patrol the festival selling Hi-Yu buttons (help support what is arguably Seattle’s most robust summer festival – and the only one that still has a float that travels to represent its community). If you’re walking north, just look for the gingerbread house:

The steel-drum band, by the way, is The Toucans, and they just declared that they and Mudhoney are the only two bands at Summer Fest that started in 1988. (Mudhoney performs tonight after 8 pm, same stage that The Toucans are on right now.)

2:38 PM UPDATE: Alan Harrison from ArtsWest just dropped by with word of the deal they’re offering during Summer Fest – buy season tickets here, in person, during the festival, and you get $42 worth of goodies thrown in – a ticket to “Plaid Tidings” this holiday season and a $10 gift certificate. (Season tickets are $159 for six plays.) We’ve also gotten a visit from a multimedia class at the Delridge Community Center, youth 14-18 – you’ll be seeing some of their work here on WSB soon, and we’re really excited about that!

3:26 PM UPDATE: Lots of fun to be had on the fly – there’s been a cake-eating contest over by the Community Tent on the east-central side of the festival – tomorrow, we’re told, they’ll do it again with chocolate cake, so plan on that. Meantime, here’s video of the unicyclist who’s been doing stunts – and just keeping your balance on one of those contraptions seems like stunt enough – near our HQ:

5:19 PM UPDATE: We’re going to start a separate evening update with more photos – the live music is really rocking over here in the center of the festival – the Alaska stage (near the Junction Plaza Park beer garden, proceeds from which benefit the park construction fund) is just east of California.

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West Seattle Weekend Lineup: WS Summer Fest edition
July 10, 2009 11:20 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weekend Lineup: WS Summer Fest edition
 |   Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

wswllicon3.png West Seattle Summer Fest is happening RIGHT NOW! It rules the weekend, 10 am-8 pm today and Saturday, 11 am-7 pm Sunday, but we’ve got more to share too — like the Seafair Pirates Landing on Alki Saturday, swing dancing in Puget Ridge on Saturday night … more than 50 events in all, ahead in the full West Seattle Weekend Lineup, brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club … (And good luck to everybody riding the STP!!!!) …Read More

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Details: West Seattle Little League 9-10 All-Stars’ huge win
July 10, 2009 10:37 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

On the 4th of July, we brought you a quick update about the West Seattle Little League 9-10 All-Stars‘ huge district-championship win, propelling them into the state tournament (starting next weekend). Now we have not only that victory photo but also the full details, courtesy of Cami MacNamara:

West Seattle 9/10 Little League All-stars are the District 7 Champions!

On Saturday July 4th they started their battle against South Highline National Little League. Having lost to SHNLL on Wednesday, WSLL was coming up through the losers bracket and needed to beat SHNLL twice to earn the championship.

The first game was fantastic; WSLL beat SHNLL 18-5 in four innings with some red-hot bats and great pitching. Highlights included a bases loaded triple by Jack Page, an out of the park home run by 9 year-old Anthony Coats and a dominant pitching performance by Alex Parker.

This win forced a second game and WSLL played equally as well in this contest. Great bats and excellent pitching were again the story. ALL the players were feeling confident and playing beautifully. David Johnson pitched masterfully and the big highlight was a game winning triple by Jacob Terao to secure the 13-3 victory, again in four innings.

The WSLL team is managed by Derek Page and coached by John Coats.

The players are Jack Page, Anthony Coats, Matt Dietz, Thomas Sobotta, Anthony Goss, Alex Parker, David Johnson, Grayson O’Neil, Jacob Terao, Cameron Paskett, Ethan Chen, and Adam Wickler.

From here, the boys will go on to represent District 7 at the Little League State Tournament Starting beginning July 19th at the Valley Ridge Fields in SeaTac. For details, check out www.westseattlelittleleague.com.

You can also follow WSLL on Twitter, @wslittleleague (we’re at @westseattleblog for frequent human-powered updates, @westseattlenews for an automated feed of links to WSB stories as they’re published).

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Thinking about pet adoption? Big King County event tomorrow
July 10, 2009 10:07 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway | Pets

This is not in West Seattle but the folks at King County Animal Care wanted to get the word out far and wide, so they even sponsored WSB for the week, knowing animal lovers abound in West Seattle, and we want to make sure you’ve heard about it: The county’s Super Pet Adopt-A-Thon is tomorrow, 10 am-4 pm, at the Kent Animal Shelter (here’s a map), with adoptable pets from all over the state, as well as pet experts on site offering behavior advice and more. Full details here.

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West Seattle Summer Fest: Getting ready for Day 1
July 10, 2009 8:46 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Summer Fest: Getting ready for Day 1
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

On Alaska east of California, that’s the “Alaska Stage” where Mudhoney will headline tonight, and many others during the three days of West Seattle Summer Fest (sponsoring and co-sponsored by WSB), which starts at 10 this morning. It takes a village to put on a street festival – and the streets are abuzz this morning with people setting up – on California north of Oregon, here’s the Art Dive tent:

And at California/Alaska, this is the tent where you will find WSB, the festival-presenting West Seattle Junction Association, volunteers from the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce at Information HQ, and the Friends of Junction Plaza Park – we’ll be on the west side, the KeyBank/Easy Street/food court side:

Festival guides will be available on site – you can also use the vendor, music and entertainment lists and maps on the Summer Fest website to make a plan before you come down. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, The Junction’s the place to be — hours are 10 am-8 pm today and Saturday, 11 am-7 pm Sunday.

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Homecoming day: USS John C. Stennis, seen from West Seattle
July 10, 2009 7:58 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

As previewed earlier this week, the carrier USS John C. Stennis returned to Bremerton this morning after a six-month deployment. Gary Jones shares the view from West Seattle shores, in the pink light of very-early morning. He writes, “Ahoy and welcome home, USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74).”

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Video, photos: West Seattle Summer Fest eve, & Art Walk sights
July 10, 2009 2:40 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

That may be the most exciting sight in the pre-West Seattle Summer Fest hours: Posters at Easy Street for the live music that’s sparked regional buzz – Mudhoney headlining Friday night’s live music (part of a slate on the Alaska stage, east of California, that starts at 6; Mudhoney’s expected after 8). By early Thursday evening, with tents and road barricades up, The Junction already looked like Festival Central:

And the relocated kid-fun zone (in front of Curious Kidstuff) already sports its climbing wall:

That’s a key point to remember about this year’s Summer Fest: The kid zone’s now in the Alaska-Edmunds block; the stage that was at that end of the festival is now the “Alaska” stage by Junction Plaza Park and its fundraising beer garden. There’s still another stage and beer garden on the north end. Individual restaurants/bars are setting up sidewalk cafes, too, like this one:

Elliott Bay spilled out into the street tonight, and like last year, brought in The Bubbleman to enchant kids of all ages – here’s video of his “countdown to bubbles” (and then of course, the bubbles too):

Also happening in The Junction (and elsewhere) Thursday night – the West Seattle Art Walk – check out muralist Jimmy Gersen painting to the beat inside the former north-side-of-Capers space (which as shown here Wednesday will be a video arcade during Summer Fest):

We found live outdoor music too – here’s video of The Spoils playing outside West 5:

Now, to the art. Most of the Art Walk displays are also continuing at the venues through the month, so you can drop by even if you missed it. At Keller Williams Realty, work by Cara Granger Astorquia:

At Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor), artist Karol Sample‘s work:

South of The Junction, at Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor), it’s work by William Hass:

Endolyne Joe’s, another WSB sponsor, like Ventana, just joined the Art Walk starting this month – here’s info on its display:

Look for a separate feature later today on the exhibit at The Kenney. Of course, there’s art aplenty at Summer Fest Friday-Saturday-Sunday as well – look for the Art Dive, organized by Twilight Artist Collective, north of Oregon.

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West Seattle-rooted Derby Brats’ July 25th bout in Everett
July 10, 2009 1:45 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle-rooted Derby Brats’ July 25th bout in Everett
 |   Announcements

The poster says it all:

Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets.

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Disaster training at Alki Masonic Temple on July 22
July 10, 2009 12:55 am
|    Comments Off on Disaster training at Alki Masonic Temple on July 22
 |   Announcements

From Alki Lodge 152‘s Rick Dusatko:

On July 22, at 11:30 am, at Alki Masonic Temple, 4736 40th Ave Southwest, we are inviting the community to come to a Disaster Preparedness presentation put on by the Red Cross.

I know it is at a difficult time for those who work, but if you can make it, it will give you many ideas for some simple things you can do around the house to prepare for an emergency. The program will last approximately an hour and a half, including a Q&A. Literature will be available. The program will be downstairs in the dining hall.

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Update: Driver runs away after crash at Avalon/Genesee
July 10, 2009 12:10 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news

Here’s a map. The call went out as “heavy rescue” but officers have said on the scanner that “nobody’s trapped.” Going out to check the scene but in the meantime, a good idea to avoid that area. Till back at HQ, we’ll update via Twitter with any news from the scene – check here. 12:36 AM UPDATE: Just back, did not appear to be major after all – one damaged car is on the north side of Genesee by the apartments close to the Avalon top of the hill, but the street’s not blocked and the fire units are all gone. Poilce reportedly are looking for a hit-run driver – whether from this car or another one, we don’t know yet. 2:23 AM UPDATE: Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith confirms the driver of the crashed car “ran away from the scene” and is not in custody yet – he adds that the car had a “punched-out ignition” which drew added curiosity, though the car’s status has not been completely verified so far.

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West Seattle door-to-door alert: “Refused to provide ID”
July 9, 2009 11:35 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Door-to-door alert | West Seattle news

Out of the WSB inbox from someone who lives in the 5900 block of 38th SW (map):

A tall, young, dark haired Caucasian guy appeared at my front door this afternoon (Thursday) at 4:30 and said he represented “GE” but his uniform polo shirt said a different company name (“Pivotal” or “Pinnacle”?). He asked if I was the homeowner, which immediately irked me, and then asked if I attended the “community meeting at the school” about security in the neighborhood, etc. etc. He wanted us to post a sign in our yard advertising his security services; I never saw any signs though he did carry an official looking folio which he never opened. He refused to provide a business card or identification which made me suspicious.

City law requires ID and licenses for door-to-door solicitors – here are the rules (find them any time in the resource section at the bottom of the Crime Watch page).

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West Seattle traffic alert: Road hazard near The Junction
July 9, 2009 10:47 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

From a cameraphone, but it still clearly told the tale of a dangerous spot in The Junction – which may see extra traffic during West Seattle Summer Fest this weekend – the photo came from Jim Edwards, as did this report:

You know the sign that says “motorcycles use extreme caution” — you better heed it here. Just north of Alaska on 42nd Ave SW. Part of the Capco site work. It is wide enough to catch a scooter or motorcycle tire. A bicycle will flip for sure. SPD non-emergency notified about quarter past nine. This is the detour route for the weekend too.

As mentioned here in a related context recently, if there is a major road hazard, the city also advises alerting 206-386-1218. UPDATE: Jim just called and was told the plate’s “already been reset.” Still – be careful in this spot.

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New possibility for Admiral Safeway project: Flexible workspace
July 9, 2009 7:20 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

Is West Seattle ready for “flexible workspaces”? That’s what James Tjoa is trying to figure out, and he would love to know what you think. He is working on the residential side of the project that Admiral Safeway has proposed for redeveloping its site, and exploring an idea that came up in response to concerns voiced at previous Design Review Board meetings: Adding to the “density” of the residential section along 42nd (top-center of that rendering from last fall, which we use just as a reference) by turning part of that section of the building into workspace. The space in question involves about 18,000 square feet around what will be Safeway’s loading dock – Tjoa says they realized that having living units atop and alongside the loading dock wouldn’t be optimal anyway, with noise and other concerns. They took a look around West Seattle, and while there’s ActivSpace on Harbor Ave, there’s no flexible workspace of note in the business-district centers. The “flexible space” concept is very much in the roughing-out process, he explains — some of it might be small spaces for just one person (150 square feet?), some bigger (up to 700?). And he says they’re open to hearing thoughts on the concept of “shared space” too – one of those places where you pay a fee to have the right to use a desk on a drop-in basis. In addition to the density concern, Tjoa says this concept could solve another of the criticisms brought up during previous Design Review meetings – there was a “green wall” there by the loading dock, and now he says the workspace could come all the way down to the sidewalk and “activate” the area facing 42nd as a result. According to Tjoa, some additional parking would be added beyond what was previously envisioned – some underground parking on that side of the building, in addition to what’s proposed for the Safeway roof. As they continue roughing out this concept, they’re also wondering what people might want – a conference room? bike storage? or? If you’ve got some thoughts about what this kind of space would need, he would love to hear from you at james@jamestjoa.com or 206-726-6230 … or leave a comment on this story. As for the entire project’s official status – it’s been through two Design Review meetings (most recently in November), and the next one is not yet scheduled.

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Happening now: West Seattle Art Walk, Summer Fest eve edition
July 9, 2009 6:01 pm
|    Comments Off on Happening now: West Seattle Art Walk, Summer Fest eve edition
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news

Here’s the map – more than 50 venues (highlights here), one likely near you. Art everywhere, treats many places, music in some spots. Till 9 pm – have fun!

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Admiral Neighborhood Assoc. concert series: Help needed tonight
July 9, 2009 5:03 pm
|    Comments Off on Admiral Neighborhood Assoc. concert series: Help needed tonight
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

No, the concerts aren’t starting yet, but the promotion is: The Admiral Neighborhood Association invites anybody who can spare some time tonight to meet up at 6 pm at the Admiral Theater to fan out and put up posters for the concert series (which WSB is co-sponsoring) – first concert is two weeks from tonight, July 23rd! (Here’s the full lineup.) You can check out Art Walk stops along the way, too (map and more here).

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West Seattle Summer Fest tomorrow! More previews, more parking
July 9, 2009 4:01 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

10 am tomorrow, West Seattle Summer Fest kicks off, with three days of celebration in the heart of The Junction. Just in — Steve Huling is opening up his site along Fauntleroy, south of the Shell station, for extra Summer Fest parking. Meantime: The beer gardens are in the works, including the one by Junction Plaza Park that’ll raise money to finish its construction (photo above). And tonight at 6, the street closures kick in, which means a fun time to walk in the middle of the street – during the monthly West Seattle Art Walk (6-9 pm) and afterward – but also means detours (and Jonathan French tells us parking-enforcement officers are on the prowl already). A few more notes: When you stop by to say hi at WSB Summer Fest HQ at the northwest corner (facing Easy Street) of the big tent in the center of California/Alaska, take a minute to fill out a survey (just one page, on a laptop!) about your Summer Fest experience, and that’ll get you entered in a drawing for a $100 Junction shopping spree. … See the T-shirt at right? You’ll be able to buy it from the Delridge Playground project volunteers at Summer Fest, $15. They’ll be in the “community tent” near Super Supplements, raising money to feed volunteers during the big playground-building day July 17 (a week from tomorrow!), also raising money by selling $1 lemonade and $2 raffle tickets (prizes including a sunset sail cruise and a walk-on role for a child in the national show “BizKid$”). You can stop by and see the playground design, too … Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) will be down from the Admiral District to have a Summer Fest presence. From the Click! website: “You can come to the Click! booth and get 20% off Smersh Design Jewelry and Orla Kiely Handbags, and take home a coupon for 15% off your next purchase at Click! Design That Fits.” … Junction retailer Capers sent word of Summer Fest deals too: Owner Lisa says, “Capers encourages everyone to ‘represent’ the neighborhood with their new shipment of West Seattle hats and t-shirts. They are featuring outdoor furniture at 50% off list, selected pillows $9.99, and ‘Mary’s Deals’ all weekend. Hope to see y’all at the Festival.” Hmm, there’s two T-shirt mentions so far. Ready for a third? We may have a T-shirt announcement of our own tomorrow. Stand by. Meantime, if you’re at Summer Fest late Saturday, hang around to check out the Home Alive! benefit at Rocksport (more details on Facebook). Keep sending the Summer Fest scoop – we’ll write more tonight and we will start previewing when the sun rises tomorrow, as well as packing up to be based on site from the moment it opens at 10 am Friday. Official Summer Fest website – with vendors, music, entertainers, maps, more — is here. P.S. Just as we were finishing this, we got a note about these folks:

Jessica sent the note, saying:

I wanted to send you a quick heads up about a unique West Seattle group that will be performing at Summerfest tomorrow on the California Stage at 3 pm. They’re called Pillow Army, and they are an avant chamber-pop group that includes cello, violin, and flute. They have unusual, complicated musical parts that would be of interest to anyone curious about the merger of classical and pop sensibilities. They also have somewhat daring and unconventional lyrical content, such as the song “Chicken Wants Her Beak Back”‘ which is a fun, upbeat song with a sneaky message decrying factory farming. They also do a mean cover of the Walrus, by the Beatles (which has beautiful string parts).

“Chicken Wants Her Beak Back” is the song in the video. Pillow Army’s MySpace site is here. Live music starts 2 pm tomorrow – all listed here (including Mudhoney headlining tomorrow night at 8:10!).

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Swee Swee Paperie says its Junction store is “going on vacation”
July 9, 2009 2:21 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news


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Just in via the Swee Swee Paperie e-mail list — its Junction store is closing:

Summer is the season filled with fantastic days of sun and fun to glorious nights of long dusks, watching the sun slowing go down only to begin again in just a few short hours…

Well that got us thinking.. we are a little tired and we could use a little relaxation too, so with a little saddness in our hearts, we wanted to let you know that swee swee paperie and studio is going to take a little vacation at the end of July. We are going to use this time to relax, rethink and re-evaluate. It has been the most amazing three years, and we wanted to thank you for all of your support and appreciation of fine paper good and wrapping.

Now, do not think we are leaving you high and dry for those necessary paper fixes…we are revamping our online store and will be offering a wonder selection of goodies there. Look for our e-store reopening in September. The corporate gifting and wrapping is still going strong. And any custom work that we can help out on will be available as well.

The e-mail penned by owner Ann Conway says a big sale starts tomorrow, including “the antiques and fixtures that have adorned our store.”

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King County hiring freeze proposed
July 9, 2009 12:24 pm
|    Comments Off on King County hiring freeze proposed
 |   Announcements

From King County Council Chair Dow Constantine‘s office:

Metropolitan King County Council Chair Dow Constantine today called for a County hiring freeze through the end of 2009, a step that could save an estimated $15 million, including approximately $1 million in general fund spending.

“We must cut spending immediately to offset costs for essential ‘lifeboat’ programs that were only granted partial-year funding in this year’s budget,” said Constantine. “Leaving positions vacant will provide funds to be used in next year’s budget, which has already been projected to have a shortfall of almost $50 million.”

Due to the public safety and public health nature of their positions, the proposed freeze would not affect the hiring of personnel in four key areas:

· The King County Sheriff’s Office,
· Corrections officers in county correctional facilities,
· Health care providers in county correctional facilities and county health centers,
· The King County Superior Court, King County District Court, or King County Prosecutor’s Office.

Although exempt from the proposed hiring freeze, the legislation encourages the responsible department heads or separately elected officials operating these agencies to consider suspending the hiring process for administrative positions not directly associated with the provision of public safety or public health services.

A provision is also included to allow hires by the County Executive in cases where the department can show that keeping a position vacant would actually increase costs to the county.

“The Council voted last December to ratify the Executive’s declaration of a budget emergency,” said Constantine. “With tax collections in decline and economic indicators showing more hard times ahead, we need to take immediate, decisive action to protect public services.”

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West Seattle Eagles’ Make-A-Wish golf tournament
July 9, 2009 12:20 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Eagles’ Make-A-Wish golf tournament
 |   Announcements

Just received this announcement:

West Seattle Eagles lodge is sponsoring the 13th annual Make-A-Wish golf tournament:

August 29, 2009
(In memory of Craig Wilkerson)
This year’s event will be held at Jefferson Golf Course, at 4101 Beacon Ave. S.

Those of you who would like to help, may sponsor a golf hole, play golf, or donate prizes for raffles.

For more information, contact Mary Lou Wilkerson at West Seattle Eagles -206-938-4426

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Update: Eastside woes aside, Conner says Junction “makes sense”
July 9, 2009 12:04 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL 12:04 PM REPORT: If you saw this report in today’s Seattle Times regarding an Eastside foreclosure on property owned by Conner Homes, the developer for the California/Alaska/42nd parcels in The Junction, you may have wondered about the status of Conner’s West Seattle plans. We have phone and e-mail messages out to company owner Charlie Conner requesting comment. We also are checking online land/court records and so far have not found anything unusual. The most recent official activity regarding the 2-building proposal was its final Southwest Design Review Board meeting April 23 (WSB coverage here). Note that the official owner of the Junction property is 4700 California LLC (for which Charlie Conner is the contact listed in state records), which bought it in 2000; county property records say $1.4 million was the price for the western parcel, $2.1 million for the eastern parcel.

1:30 PM UPDATE: Charlie Conner just called us back. Regarding West Seattle (where the photo shows him at a 2008 meeting for this project), he says, “Different project, different company. West Seattle very much still makes economic sense.” Why? conner.jpg“Anything that’s worth more than what you paid for it!” (Note the links above regarding these parcels having been purchased in 2000.) “The other (Eastside) projects don’t make economic sense,” though he is hopeful of getting one of them back. Conner added, “What I can tell you is, everybody that works for me is paid in full. Only people that I owe money to are the banks and a contractor i’m paying on a monthly basis … we delivered all the homes to the customers that had presales …I take my commitments pretty seriously.” So what’s the status of the Junction project? “The drawings will be resubmitted to the city.” And he says he’s hoping to meet “in the next couple of weeks” with “a few folks in The Junction” whom he says are still not happy “with the process … (I want) to talk to them about that and see what else we might do to make sure everybody likes what we’re doing, and then we’ll be moving forward with (Master Use Permit) approval and the alley vacation … so we’ll be ready to start next year.” We asked about financing? He says they “haven’t even looked” for it yet because of the market conditions. We also asked him about rumors that the site is or will be for sale. “Everything’s always for sale,” he said wryly. “Are there buyers out there who’d want to pay me what it’s worth? Probably not.” However, he reiterated, it is not currently listed for sale and they currently are “NOT marketing the property.” The city’s official project page for the current proposal is here.

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Fauntleroy Way road-rebuilding update: Revving up again Monday
July 9, 2009 11:29 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

Manuel e-mailed earlier this week to ask if there was a reason major work on the Fauntleroy Way road-rebuilding project had slowed, leaving rough edges between lanes, among other difficult spots. We asked SDOT for the latest, and they’ve just issued a complete update, addressing those edges and also the California/Fauntleroy intersection’s status – read on:Read More

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City Council to consider West Seattle Bridge name proposal
July 9, 2009 11:08 am
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Almost half a year ago, we brought you first word (January report here) of a campaign to name the West Seattle Bridge in honor of the late former City Councilmember Jeanette Williams, whose efforts helped make it reality. williams1.jpgA version of this proposal is finally coming before the City Council next Monday (2 pm), according to the office of West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who worked for and with Ms. Williams for many years. Here’s the resolution he is sponsoring to give it the secondary name “Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge.” Rasmussen staffer Brian Hawksford tells WSB, “The resolution requests SDOT to install signage at all approaches to the bridge. It will be similar to the signage on SR-520 that honors former Governor Rosellini. The secondary naming will mean that no maps or freeway signage will need to be changed and the costs will be minimal. The official name of the bridge will remain the West Seattle Bridge. We expect that there will be a dedication in a few months after SDOT completes its work.” He says there’s no exact cost estimate yet, and also notes that there will be a proclamation next week noting the 25th anniversary next Tuesday of the dedication of The Bridge (July 14, 1984).

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“Electronic reader board” proposed for Madison Middle School
July 9, 2009 10:18 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

From today’s city Land Use Information Bulletin – a public notice asking for people to be part of the “Madison Middle School Departure Advisory Committee.” Its purpose – to decide if land-use rules can be waived for this:

The Seattle School District is requesting a waiver (departure) to install an approximately 30 square foot electronic reader board sign on the east face of the gymnasium building wall at Madison Middle School, facing 45th Street, and approximately 12 feet 9 inches above the walkway. The purpose of the sign is to notify the school and neighboring community about school events and community items of interest.

For more details about who they’re hoping to have on the committee, and what its duties will be, here’s the full public notice. They want to receive letters from everyone interested by July 25. (The most recent school-related Departure Advisory Committee was set up to review components of the Denny-Sealth project.)

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