West Seattle, Washington
30 Tuesday
(Cameraphone added 5:23 pm, generator truck at Lowman Beach)
Just got word from King County Wastewater Treatment that, as often happens in power outage situations, this one triggered an overflow at the Murray Avenue pump station by Lowman Beach. The county estimates 40,000 gallons of wastewater overflowed for about 15 minutes before they got a portable generator going so the normal pumping could continue. They’ve posted signs on the shore, however, warning of possible contamination. (Added: We talked with Annie Kolb-Nelson at the county; she confirms Lowman still doesn’t have an emergency generator – that’s part of the CSO projects, with a meeting coming up March 29.) Read on for the full news release:Read More
No indication of serious injuries but Mike and Wendy both have sent us word via Facebook of the crash at 41st/Admiral, affecting westbound traffic on Admiral – Wendy says it looks like cars are being rerouted down 41st, so if you’re heading back into West Seattle that way, heads up. 4:19 PM UPDATE: Traffic’s moving westbound on Admiral, one lane, slowly.
(scroll down for the latest updates)
(sailboat under tow between northern Lincoln Park and Vashon – that’s what drew the helicopters)
2:22 PM: Just went out a few minutes ago in Upper Fauntleroy. The forecast had called for wind up to 25 mph and it’s been kicking up for about the past half-hour. So far we have outage reports from Morgan Junction and Westwood (35th/Trenton), too. California/Fauntleroy intersection is out but it looks like it doesn’t go further north of the California/Graham intersection. Morgan Junction businesses appear to be out. We also have word of a sailboat that’s run aground and is getting battered by wind north of Lincoln Park, toward the south end of Beach Drive. (added 3:51, Rod’s photo of the sailboat – at left with the tug, with Coast Guard to the right)
Meantime, we’re also monitoring power reports via Facebook and Twitter – north West Seattle seems OK so far.
2:36 PM UPDATE: More than 2,700 customers affected, according to City Light (boundaries listed here, though they’re not always precise). And an update on the sailboat – it’s being towed in. We’ll have visuals in a bit. Other areas affected by the outage, according to WSB’er reports, include High Point. If you’re wondering about the helicopter(s) – they were/are checking out the sailboat situation.
2:48 PM UPDATE: Just talked to Scott Thomsen in City Light’s media department. Ours is the latest wind-related outage – some elsewhere in the city have been fixable fast, when crews determine where a wire went down or a tree went into a wire – this one hasn’t been traced to the source just yet so it’s too soon to say exactly how long it’ll take for the power to come back. (A concurrent and similarly sized outage in Greenwood was fixed within minutes, according to City Light’s latest online update.)
2:58 PM UPDATE: FYI if you’re not in West Seattle – at work off the peninsula, etc. – the wind has died way down, though the power’s still out (again, it seems to be Morgan Junction/Upper Fauntleroy/High Point/part of Westwood/Gatewood, etc. – no reports of outages on the northern half of the peninsula).
3:10 PM: Power just came back on in High Point, according to both David Ginsberg via Twitter and also what we saw while passing through 35th/Morgan. Still out here at HQ. Again, still seems that north West Seattle was relatively unscathed – a flicker here and there, and Gretchen at Square One Books (WSB sponsor) in Jefferson Square said they also lost it briefly – plus, in comments, Angel says all’s well in the Puget Ridge area. Morgan Junction business area — at least around the intersection — is BACK ON, says Angela, who’s at Tully’s (wi-fi too, she reports).
3:56 PM: Hour and a half now, for those of us still out. Gatewood/south Morgan Junction/Upper Fauntleroy/part of Westwood still the main spots – Beveridge Place (the actual street/neighborhood by the pub of the same name) says they’re still out. Also note that some intersections are still affected, like 35th/Holden, so if you come this way, drive carefully. No formal update from City Light yet but we’re about to call and check in to see if they’ve traced the longrunning part of the outage. As for the weather, Rhonda from The Mortgage Porter (WSB sponsor) points out that a wind advisory remains in effect for the city till 6 pm – though things have been quiet here for quite some time now.
4:20 PM: Two hours out now. Just checked back with City Light’s Scott Thomsen – he says 1,650 customers are still without power in the West Seattle area – crews are working along Gatewood Road and “bringing people on behind them” as they go along – no formal ETA for everybody, though. Also note that any “official” boundaries you see listed anywhere, even on the City Light site, are only approximations – that’s why the firsthand reports that you provide are so important – and we do our best to go out and verify, too. They do not have equipment enabling a precise read on exactly who is out where – that’s technology they’re working on for the future.
5:02 PM: Our power briefly flickered back on – then off. At the same time a few minutes ago, High Point went off again – then, we’re told, back on. Meantime, King County Wastewater Treatment reveals that Murray Pump Station at Lowman Beach lost power and overflowed – see that story here. And the sun’s out. We’re checking now on major intersections without power – 35th/Thistle, for starters.
5:40 PM: We’re back! How about you?
6:30 PM: City Light confirms “all but a few” are back. They’re blaming the outage on “part of a tree.”
As previewed here last Sunday, today is “soft opening” day for Bin 41, the new wine shop in The Junction (between Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy [WSB sponsor] and KeyBank). We stopped by a little while ago to photograph Bin 41 proprietors T. Frick and Jon McNamara. They’re open till 7 pm today (hours are listed on their Facebook page) but “grand opening” festivities start April 1st.
Talked with Seattle Public Utilities‘ Andy Ryan a little while ago to follow up on the Seaview water break that turned into a gas-line break (as chronicled here last night). First we asked about the timeline and response, since commenters had wondered about that: Ryan says they got the call at 11:05 am yesterday, “water in the street.” It was “logged as priority 8” – one step down from level 9, which requires response within an hour; in this case, he says, it took a crew two hours, and they arrived at 1:03 pm. One commenter wondered about furloughs (the city is requiring some because of budget cuts); that had nothing to do with it – it was a union crew, and they’re not affected by furloughs. As for what broke the water main – it’s a 71-year-old line, which is not old by SPU standards; it’s cast iron and they can last up to 200 years. Ryan says it appears a rock got lodged between the water line and a sewer line running right beneath it. So why did repair crews wind up rupturing a gas line? “A new gas main had been placed there but wasn’t accurately marked on the map,” Ryan says, “so our crews found the old one, but the new one wasn’t where it was supposed to be – and got ‘nicked’. Our maps are usually pretty good.” Again, as we reported at 5:30 this morning, the repairs were complete and water service restored in the early-early-morning hours. (Monday evening photo courtesy Doug B)
The official 2010 Census form just arrived at WSB HQ (that’s our unofficial mail “pile” at left). If you have any questions about yours and want to talk to someone in person, today also happens to be the first day for a special “assistance center” set up at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) in West Seattle – 11 am-7 pm today and tomorrow, and the next two Tuesday-Wednesday pairs. Full details here.
(Photo by Greg Wright – the unofficial WSB flagship flower, Darwin’s barberry, blooming at Don Armeni)
KING CONSERVATION DISTRICT: Today you can vote for one of five candidates (one, Kirk Prindle, is from West Seattle) to fill the open seat on the KCD’s Board of Supervisors – but you’ll have to go to one of the in-person voting spots, listed here; the closest one is downtown. (Wondering what the KCD does? It’s explained here.)
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: Joining forces with your neighbors for a Block Watch is a big topic planned for tonight, with Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Ben Kinlow as the special guest at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s monthly meeting. (And have you checked out the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network on Facebook yet?) Also be there to hear straight from police what’s up (and down) with local crime stats, and to ask them your questions. 7 pm at the precinct (Delridge/Webster).
WESTSIDE SYMPHONETTE: West Seattle’s community orchestra has a mini-concert at 7:30 tonight at Gatewood Elementary to raise money for the Gatewood and Roxhill music programs. Admission/donation $1 – they’d of course love to get more – and bring some $ for Gatewood’s bake sale, too. Here’s the full preview.
(Looking toward Mount Rainier from Genesee Hill; photo by Chas Redmond)
ORGANIZING MEETING FOR GENESEE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP: Tonight’s the big night for Genesee Hill (and environs) residents to come help organize a neighborhood council so the area’s voice will be louder, and so that neighbors can join forces to fight problems, address concerns and celebrate successes. 7 pm at PCC West Seattle (WSB sponsor).
LOVE AND LOGIC PARENTING: A 7-week class starts tonight at Arbor Heights Community Church; call Leah at 932-5045 for registration info. And finally:
ORCAS???? Christopher Boffoli got some of the West Seattle/Vashon visitors’ spouts on video Monday – check out the clip. Will they be back today? We’ll let you know if we hear anything. Other places to watch for occasional real-time alerts: The fabulous Orca Network‘s Twitter feed and Facebook page.
Followup to last night’s 1st report on the West Seattle workshop for Mayor McGinn‘s “Youth and Families Initiative“: The gathering was hosted by Denny International Middle School, whose music director Marcus Pimpleton led his Seattle All-City Band in a rousing warmup for the event. An estimated 300 people – which would be the largest crowd at any of these meetings so far – heard the mayor explain his inspiration and hopes for the initiative:
As happened at other gatherings, participants broke into small groups to discuss questions, particularly “What would you like to see in five years – what should Seattle look like then?” The “achievement gap” was mentioned frequently; though Seattle is considered one of the most-educated cities in America, several speakers said, our schools seem to have a tough time keeping up. Another frequent mention: More data-gathering is needed to find out which programs work and which don’t. And there were calls for helping figure out how kids who are falling behind can get a boost to catch up. Next steps: The fifth and final kickoff workshop is next Monday night at Garfield Community Center; right after that, it’s a month of Community Caucuses. The city’s not setting the times and places for these – they’re asking who wants to host them; find out more here. And a Youth Summit is planned at City Hall on April 8th; RSVP here.
Along with everything else going on tonight, we were at ArtsWest for a special event announcing the six productions that will comprise its 2010-2011 season – and celebrating what’s under way in this season (the clip above is from its next show, “Tell Me on a Sunday,” with Danielle Barnum singing and Kim Dare on piano for tonight’s mini-preview). We published the 2010-2011 announcements on Twitter as they happened – but if you weren’t following along, here’s the quick list:
“Reasons to be Pretty” by Neil LaBute
“Evil Dead: The Musical“ – beware the “splatter zone”!
“A Tuna Christmas” (the holiday show – no “Plaid Tidings” this year)
“Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight“ by Lauren Gunderson
“Distracted“ by Lisa Loomer
“Shipwrecked“ by Donald Margulies
ArtsWest leader Alan Harrison told the theater full of fans that it’s going to be a “rollercoaster” season – in a good way. More on that, on the shows, and on special ticket deals, ahead (added early Tuesday am).Read More
7:31 PM: We’re covering two events right now – first one up, the West Seattle workshop for Mayor McGinn‘s Youth and Families Initiative, which started at 7 pm at Denny International Middle School. The Seattle Schools All-City Band (photo above) – led by Denny/Sealth maestro Marcus Pimpleton – has made an appearance, too. We’re adding photos, and will have a report on the workshop later. 8:32 PM UPDATE: A member of the mayor’s staff estimates the turnout at about 300 – which would make it the biggest one of these meetings held so far. Among those on hand, School Board members including West Seattle’s Steve Sundquist, in our photo with Denny principal Jeff Clark:
Thanks to food correspondent (as well as photojournalist par excellence) Christopher Boffoli for pointing this out: Swinery proprietor Gabriel Claycamp just announced on Facebook that his West Seattle store is reopening April 1st. It’s been closed about four weeks for remodeling that involved required electrical work.
(Photo by Doug B, added 7:43 pm)
6:38 PM: Thanks to our friends at Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) for the tip – a water break at 49th/Brandon in Seaview is affecting traffic and neighbors. Brandon westbound is closed at 48th, and 49th southbound is one lane at Brandon, where crews are working. Not sure how many homes are without water, but we just got a note from Steve at 49th and Findlay who says it’s out at his house (that’s a block south of the break). 7:41 PM UPDATE: There’s also a gas leak in the area (49th/Canada), and one commenter says it is related to the water-line repair work. So if you don’t have to go through this area – stay away TFN. (Thanks to the neighbors who are posting on-the-scene updates in the comment section.) 9:39 PM UPDATE: We’re at the scene – it’s a 16-inch water line that’s broken. At least one TV crew (KING5) is there too. Working to get the latest info. 9:51 PM UPDATE: SFD says the gas line work should be wrapped up in an hour. Here’s one of the pieces of heavy equipment that just arrived:
10:25 PM UPDATE: We’re heading back out there to check again, but while there a short time ago, SFD stressed that while the smell is bad, the gas that leaked is NOT at anything approaching a dangerous level. 10:42 PM UPDATE: From the scene – the gas line is fixed. Now the water work resumes, and that’s expected to take all night. Water is out from Brandon south to Graham, though we don’t have a count of how many homes are affected. We do know seven homes lost gas service, according to SFD Captain Mike Milam:
5:30 AM: As Wsguy also confirms in the comments, the water is back on – we just went down to check on the situation; one crew is left, filling in the hole:
Quick update on the state liquor store opening in part of the former Famous Footwear space in Westwood Village: Passing through WV just now, we saw center manager Stuart Crandall, asked him if a date was set yet, and he replied, “March 26,” adding that the sign is scheduled to go up tomorrow. This store is meant to replace the one that closed a year and a half ago in Morgan Junction.
What you see here on WSB isn’t always everything we spend the days and nights doing … there’s also our content streams on Facebook and Twitter … and we are blessed with plenty of phone calls and e-mail to answer. Often we handle questions that don’t ever turn into stories, because that’s just part of the job. But when more than a few people e-mail or call with the same question, that tends to be a hint it’s time to share the answer on the site too. So — We’ve heard from several people in the past week wondering what’s up (or not) with the Whole Foods (and Hancock Fabrics, and residential, etc.) development site at Fauntleroy/Alaska. Here’s what we know: Whole Foods’ regional spokesperson Vicki Foley told us recently that they will not have news any sooner than June, which is when she said their lease on this site expires. So at least until then, their official line is still, they remain committed, etc. Meantime, the big legal battle over the site itself is not yet resolved. (It’s been a year since we broke the news that the first suit had been filed – months after work at the site halted in late 2008.) There have been a few small rulings along the way – mostly involving whose claim has preference over whose, so there have been some “partial summary judgment” decisions, but the consolidated case is not yet resolved and has not yet gone to trial. We check the online file for the lawsuit almost every day, just in case something big happens; there are so many parties to the case, requiring multiple notifications every time any action is taken, that the file is REALLY big. As we wrote in September of last year, the note to the site is now held by 3922 SW Alaska LLC, which had moved at that time for “judicial foreclosure”; we haven’t found any evidence it’s happened yet.
This afternoon we’re welcoming Freedom Systems as the new sponsor of the WSB Crime Watch page. Freedom Systems isn’t just a security-system company, though – take a look at their website and you’ll quickly see the other services they offer. As per WSB tradition, new sponsors get the chance to tell you about themselves and their business. 
Freedom Systems’ Jimmie Beem and Keith Sawka are both West Seattle homeowners. Their main goal: To provide customers with a sense of freedom and security. Jimmie says, “We’re excited to be a part of the West Seattle Blog and are dedicated to making our community a safer place. Both Keith and I own homes here in West Seattle and believe it’s important to do business locally in order to keep our community strong and growing. With over 5 years in business, we are very knowledgeable and passionate about security and electrical. We offer the latest in security technology, competitive pricing and provide exceptional customer service for our customers. Our customers consistently tell us that we are knowledgeable, fair, economical, and provide quality work. Our customers also appreciate that they can come to us for all of their electrical because we’re licensed Commercial and Residential Electricians.” Find Freedom Systems online at freedomsystemsinc.com – or call 206-274-9946.
We thank Freedom Systems for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
Yes, egging IS vandalism, already had that discussion. Two reports to share – read on:Read More
10:54 AM: Just got this note from Lori:
My son, Ian, is currently on the ferry from Fauntleroy to Southworth right now (10:40 a.m.) and is watching at least 3 orcas. He says they seem to be just kind of hanging out again between Vashon & Lincoln Park. They’re rather surface active. He saw quite a bit of tail slapping. He estimated them to be about 200 yards from the boat.
That follows the Friday and Saturday sightings (KING 5’s helicopter caught them on Friday – the video is included in our update). 11:28 AM: We’re on the south LP waterfront – no luck, aside from a sea lion sighting. 12:25 PM UPDATE: Finally gave up to head back to HQ – but we ran into Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail, who was on the phone with a contact on Vashon who had clear view of them off the north end of the island – perhaps a little too close to the Southworth side for viewing from here. Updates as we get them. 1:18 PM: Donna called – she can see them now from Lincoln Park, south side. 2:26 PM: KING5‘s helicopter got video again today – and we’ve embedded it atop this story. 5:10 PM: Rode the Fauntleroy-Southworth ferry round-trip at mid-afternoon in hopes of whale sightings – saw spouts in the distance off the Arroyos – but now we have word from Facebook friend Krista that they are heading north “toward Alki Point,” as of a few minutes ago.
A news release this morning brings word of a new business at 42nd/Oregon (map) in The Junction. Dr. Catherine Sparks has opened Bella Nouveau European Day and Medi-Spa in the stucco cottage where her clinic used to be (the Sparks Chiropractic Health and Wellness Center is now in a remodeled space next door. The announcement says Bella Nouveau “offers European and anti-aging facials, acne and rosacea therapies, brow and lash tinting, full-body waxing, acupuncture face toning, massage therapies, and specialized skin care therapies, along with a full complement of medi-spa services. ‘From Botox and Dysport injections, to Restylane, Radiesse, Juvaderm and more,’ (Sparks) said.” According to Dr. Sparks, the staff includes estheticians, medical doctors, massage therapists, and acupuncturists. She’s also started a new line of anti-aging skin products, Novelle Health and Beauty, which won Best-in-Show at the recent Northwest Women’s Show; you can read about the products here.
(Weekend photo by Eric Bell of fridgefoto.biz)
YOUTH/FAMILIES INITIATIVE WORKSHOP: Tonight’s biggest event in West Seattle – 7 pm, Denny International Middle School, Mayor McGinn expected to attend. See last night’s preview for full details.
SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE: Permaculture tops the agenda for SWS’s monthly meeting tonight – read all about it here. 7 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle in The Junction.
ARTSWEST’S NEW SEASON: Also in The Junction – since Monday is an off-night for the current ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) production “Sunlight,” it’s the perfect time to unveil the 2010-2011 season – 7:30 pm in the theater. Free, but call (206) 938-0339 to RSVP.
SUMMER FEST DEADLINE: Less than four months now till West Seattle Summer Fest, and TODAY is the deadline for local businesses to sign up if they want to get special West Seattle priority as the festival is planned. Application forms are linked on the Summer Fest home page; here’s our original announcement about the special application period – be sure to write “West Seattle Local” on the form.
SCHOOL VISITS: Seattle Public Schools‘ “open enrollment” period continues till the end of the month. Most schools have scheduled “visits” (tours) continuing till then; this morning at 8:40 am, Pathfinder K-8 in Pigeon Point welcomes prospective K-5 parents. Here’s the full list of scheduled school visits districtwide.
Three meetings, averaging 200+ participants each, already have happened around the city – in the Rainier Valley, in Northgate, on Beacon Hill – to coax out citizens’ hopes and ideas for Mayor McGinn’s “Youth and Families Initiative.” Tomorrow (Monday) night, the fourth meeting will be here in West Seattle — with the mayor expected to appear — at Denny International Middle School in Westwood (map). To see what the previous meetings have been like – coverage of the first meeting is here, from the Rainier Valley Post; coverage of the meeting in Northgate is here, from Maple Leaf Life; there’s some coverage from last week’s Beacon Hill meeting in an overview story published tonight by our citywide-news partners at the Seattle Times. The city says this isn’t just ABOUT youth – they hope young people will participate as well as adults – all ages welcome at 7 pm Monday at Denny.
The advance announcement of Seattle Lutheran‘s “Global Connections” dinner/auction Friday night at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center promised “an announcement about future plans … that will have a lasting impact on our school and community.” While full details are yet to come, Head of School Adair Hinds said the main announcement was that they’ve received a “seven-figure donation” to launch a capital campaign for a building project affecting “both the school and community,” including “major upgrades.” Hinds told us a little more on camera, with SLHS Director of Advancement Bil Hood alongside:
This time last year, Seattle Lutheran and neighboring Hope Lutheran School had big news too – that’s when they announced that after decades of operating separately, they would begin to operate together as Seattle Lutheran Schools (WSB coverage here). That was just as an expansion/renovation project was wrapping up at Hope (WSB coverage here). Meantime, right now the extended enrollment period for the two schools (preschool-12th grade) continues; tour schedules and other info can be found on the schools’ website.
That sign on the door at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) is for a new first-of-its-kind service launched by Hotwire proprietor Lora Lewis – it’s Textwire; text Hotwire your beverage order and the time you’re arriving, and the drink will be ready when you get there. You have to pre-register so they have your name and, if you want, prepayment info on file – then, there’s a special text-only number you’ll be able to use to send the info. Sign up at hotwirecoffee.com or at Hotwire, and while you’re there – with three weeks till Easter, drinkable Peeps are in the house. 
Lora sent the photo at left and explained, “Our much anticipated Peeps drinks are back along with the ‘peep hunt’ for a third year in a row. This year we added a salted caramel lavender Peep beverage. Our Peep hunt is for the kids but let’s face it, who doesn’t like a treasure hunt? so all ages welcome. Find all the pictures of the Peeps at Hotwire and win, well, a Peep.” Four flavors are available – besides the salted caramel (etc.) there’s honey-vanilla, peppermint and strawberry-white chocolate.
Tuesday night, the Gatewood and Roxhill Elementary Schools‘ music programs will benefit from a mini-concert by Westside Symphonette at Gatewood – with the minimum admission price just $1 (they hope you’ll give more, of course). Here’s the plan, from Westside Symphonette’s Toni Reineke (April 2009 photo at right):
Concert in the Community
Come hear West Seattle’s very own orchestra, 45 members strong!
Program Highlights
Orchestra classics: Finlandia, Intermezzo from Hary Janos, Bugler’s Holiday (with a twist!)
Sing along: Sounds of Simon and Garfunkel
Special guests: Gatewood and Roxhill advanced strings and their coachesGatewood Elementary, 4320 SW Myrtle [map] in the cafeteria
Tuesday, March 16, 7:30 p.m.Sponsored by the Gatewood and Roxhill PTAs; funds will benefit both music programs
The Gatewood PTA also plans a bake sale, so bring $ for treats. (P.S. Westside Symphonette’s on Facebook now – you can join its group page here.)
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