Fat Tuesday in West Seattle: Paczki mania at Metropolitan Market
Meet “paczkis” (pronounced “POONCH-keys”). They’re a Polish donut, traditional on Fat Tuesday as Polish Catholic homes’ kitchens were cleaned out of all the bad gluttonous stuff you’re not supposed to have around for Lent. They’re also on sale at Metropolitan Market – and a big crazy event was staged late this morning at the Admiral store to start a new Fat Tuesday tradition. It was supposed to be a paczki-carrying race around the store, and eating contest, but the morning rain forced a change in plan – eating contest only. Competitors came from all around the locally based Metropolitan Market chain; when they were done stuffing their faces, there was a tie, so there had to be an “eat-off” featuring the coaches who’d been cheering the original paczki-eaters on – here’s the entire one and a half minute “eat-off” (the guys in referee shirts, by the way, are Metro Market top brass):
(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)
The winners: The team from Queen Anne’s Metropolitan Market. Admiral’s home team came in second (led by Preston, whose campaign-style sign you can see in this photo):
P.S. If you’re looking for other signs of Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras spirit, Talani at Stor-More (WSB sponsor) on Yancy east of Avalon sends word via Facebook that you can stop by for free beads (and candy!).
Longer or shorter hours at your favorite park? Changes proposed
As mentioned briefly toward the end of our report on the Elliott Bay Water Taxi year-round Seacrest dock briefing coming up at this Thursday’s city Parks Board meeting, the board is to be briefed about another notable item: A proposal to change operating hours at many of the city’s parks. Right now, 4 am-11:30 pm is the “standard” for most city parks, but as the briefing paper (see it here) notes, “several dozen exceptions” have been made over the years, and that’s led to some confusion, among the other problems listed in the document’s explanation of why park hours are now under review:
The purpose of this review is to consider 1) standardizing park operating hours so there is less opportunity for confusion about what the operating hours are, 2) alleviating actual and perceived safety issues – alcohol use, graffiti, and noise, 3) demonstrating Parks intention to be good neighbors by limiting negative impacts on our park neighbors, and 4) providing Seattle Police an additional tool for resolving issues in parks. Parks has an ongoing interest in being good neighbors and alleviating late night problems in our parks. Operating hours is one tool available to us and Seattle Police to address issues of noise, graffiti, and alcohol use.
The proposal suggests these hours:
Regional* (Alki and Lincoln Park included) – 4 am –11:30 pm year round
Neighborhood / Pocket – One hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset
Downtown – One hour before sunrise –10:00 pm year round**
Parks with Indoor Facilities (Pools, community centers, ELC’s) – Parking lot hours would coincide with facility operation hours or surrounding park hours, whichever is later.
Boat ramps, Boulevards – Open 24 hours a day
Lighted Athletic Complexes – Governed by lighting / scheduling protocols
To compare the proposed hours with current park-hours exceptions, take a look at the briefing paper, starting on page 5. Among the potential changes under the proposal, Alki, as a “regional park,” would have earlier and later hours in summertime, moving to 4 am-11:30 pm year-round; right now, that’s when it’s open Oct. 2-April 14th, with the hours 6 am-11 pm the rest of the year. According to the briefing paper, public meetings will be scheduled around the city in March and April to talk about the proposed changes; then a public hearing is expected before the Parks Board on May 14th, and a vote on May 28th.
Update: Federal money for Spokane Street Viaduct widening?
ORIGINAL 12:26 PM REPORT: According to citywide reports today, the mayor says that when legislative leaders announce this afternoon which projects they plan to earmark for distribution of federal “stimulus” money, the list will NOT include two major city projects – including $25 million sought for the Spokane Street Viaduct widening project adding more lanes to, and changing the ramp configuration of, the stretch of the West Seattle Bridge between 99 and I-5. We have a message out to the mayor’s office to ask where the money is supposed to come from otherwise, or if this would put completion of the project in doubt (early stages have already begun, with the work along lower Spokane St.); the other project that’s reportedly being aced out of stimulus $ is the “Mercer corridor” work planned for the south end of downtown. ADDED 2:41 PM: The mayor’s official statement on the Legislature’s announcement – AND FOLLOWING IT, A 4:06 PM ADDITION: Now there’s a statement that the mayor’s gotten some hope from the governor: AND FOLLOWING THAT, A 5:34 PM ADDITION FROM TWO COUNCILMEMBERS WHO ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THE MAYOR’S REVELATION EARLIER:Read More
Happening tonight: Viaduct/tunnel, Healthy Youth, Little League
VIADUCT/TUNNEL: Tonight’s the open house at Madison Middle School – drop by any time between 5:30 and 7:30 pm, express your opinion, ask questions, and get a closer look at exactly how it’s envisioned that traffic flow between West Seattle and downtown (and points beyond) will work under the current proposal. (A similar open house happened in Ballard last night; here’s coverage from our fellow neighborhood-news site MyBallard.com; disclosure, WSDOT has an ad running here through tonight to promote the open house.)
HEALTHY YOUTH PARTNERSHIP: At left, coordinator Renae Gaines and chair Phil Tavel, in a photo we took at the last meeting of the Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership, which works to make sure West Seattle-area kids and families have the information they need to grow up safely — in particular, to stay away from alcohol use and abuse. As we reported before the last meeting, the group conducted a West Seattle-wide survey (results here) that turned up some interesting discoveries, including the fact that anti-drinking messages also need to be targeted at families with elementary-age children — before they get into middle school, where peer pressure and alcohol availability can intensify. Tonight’s meeting is at 7 pm at Madison Middle School, and the more people-power they can get to help spread their message throughout the community, the better.
WEST SEATTLE LITTLE LEAGUE: There’s another opportunity for in-person registration tonight – thanks to Cami MacNamara for sharing the news:
West Seattle Little League will be holding the LAST in person registration this evening from 7–9 PM at West Seattle High School , Room 212 ( 3000 California Ave SW ). Please visit http://westseattlelittleleague.com/registration.html for registration forms and payment information. If you are mailing in your registration, all registrations MUST be postmarked by today, February 24th, 2009!
Pogo’s odyssey: A lost-dog search takes a wrenching turn
The Hoffmeister family of North Delridge is searching for Pogo, their Papillon, so relentlessly and creatively, they’ve already traced her trail … to a new dead end.
Of all the pets we’ve posted to the Lost/Found section of the WSB Pets page, Pogo’s odyssey is the most agonizing one since the theft and recovery of Butch the Shiba Inu three weeks ago (original WSB report here; followup here).
And according to what Betsy Hoffmeister and family have discovered since Pogo disappeared Friday night, Pogo and Butch seem to have something in common …Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: Car-prowl confession, and much more
We’ve just gone through the last week’s worth of West Seattle police reports from the Southwest Precinct, so we can bring you summaries of notable incidents. We start with the arrest of a teenager who confessed to car prowling (described by local police recently as the most serious current crime trend): Early Friday morning, police answered a call about two suspicious males leaving a driveway at 32nd and 97th. When they got close to the area, they saw two people take off running as soon as the patrol car was within sight; the two, ages 18 and 14, were stopped behind Roxbury Lanes/Casino. As an officer patted down the older suspect for weapons, he felt various items which the suspect said was change he’d taken out of a gray SUV a few blocks away. A wallet also turned up, and the suspect said that had been taken from a vehicle. After being placed under arrest, the 18-year-old told police he had gone into five vehicles in all, but said that the 14-year-old had not gone into any of them. The 18-year-old was booked into the King County Jail for theft. (The jail register says he got out 36 hours later, with bail having been set at $475; it also lists a two-day jail stay for the same suspect less than two weeks earlier, for investigation of car prowl.) Ahead – car prowls that did NOT result in arrests (so far), a purse-snatch attempt in Morgan Junction, a 50 mph drunk-driving suspect in a 30 zone, a fence-jumping shoplifting suspect who needed medical attention, and much more:Read More
“Cookies do good work”: West Seattle Scouts’ Bronze Star project
(Members of Troop 2092 outside Rainier House, with some of what they donated)
Over the weekend, we showed you West Seattle Girl Scouts getting ready for their annual cookie sales, and some WSB’ers joked about the calories. Local Girl Scout mom Tracie Luthi e-mailed WSB to make sure everyone knows cookies are about a lot more than indulgence and calories – the sales are the main fundraiser for local troops, and they do some amazing things with the money, including this one that Tracie tells us about:
West Seattle Girl Scout Troop 2092 has been working on their Bronze Star award, which is the highest award a Junior troop can earn. These Fifth and Sixth graders chose furnishing an apartment at the new Rainier House as their project. The Rainier House is housing through the Downtown Emergency Service Center, which helps vulnerable mentally ill homeless people transition to apartment living.
The apartments are opening this week on Rainier Ave. I believe there is an opening ceremony (today) for the building as a whole, and on Tuesday 50 new residents move in. The troop set up the apartment (Sunday) afternoon with items they purchased with their proceeds from last year’s cookie sales. Cookies do good work!
You can read more about Rainier House in this Times article published today; as reported in our cookie-arrival story Saturday, cookie sales start this Friday (if you want to buy some and have trouble finding them, this webpage can help). Plus, you’ll hear a bit more about what local Girl Scouts are up to, after we cover a “World Thinking Day” event tomorrow night during which the Scouts will be taking action to help improve the health of people half a world away.
2 school notes: Former astronaut at Madison; WSHS logo search
First, Madison Middle School will host a distinguished visitor this week — the first African-American astronaut to walk in space, Dr. Bernard Harris, is visiting this Friday, as the first stop on a national tour. Seattle Public Schools says he’ll be making a special interactive presentation and will help spotlight problem-solving through math, science, and engineering. According to this bio page from his time at NASA, Dr. Harris is a veteran of two space flights, in 1993 and 1995.
Second, from the West Seattle High School e-mail list:
The West Seattle High School Alumni Association is seeking a special logo commemorating 100 years of WSHS graduates, which will be imprinted on tee shirts, water bottles, and possibly mugs and key rings (to be determined). Contest is open to any former and current students of WSHS.
To be considered, the logo entries should be limited to 3 colors: blue and gold with white OR black contrast, no reference to any mascot (no Indians or Wildcats), and should include references to 100 years, 1910-2010, or the word centennial. Entries must be submitted on 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of paper.
Deadlines for submission: June 1, 2009 for current students, Oct 1, 2009 for alumni. The winner will be awarded a modest prize (also to be determined), aside from the honor of being selected. Any questions, please contact me. Thank You!
Karen Dobbs
President, WSHSAA
kswdobbs@comcast.net
Neighborhood alerts: Mail theft; suspicious security soliciting
Two items to share this afternoon – first, from Keri:
Just wanted to send out an alert for my area neighbors (Morgan Junction area at Mills Street) that in the last two weeks I’ve had mail stolen from my mailbox and a package taken from my front porch. This is the first time in the year I’ve been here that this has happened
Second, from Corey:
I live in the Seaview neighborhood. Two teenage girls came to my house in the evening last week inquiring if we have ADT. I asked them what they were looking for and they were kind of vague. I mentioned this to a neighbor and they had visited them as well. My neighbor had called ADT asking if they were sending people around concering their systems and they said no and that they would not send people around in the evening. These girls are targeting houses without security systems and if anyone encounters them they should call the police so they can at the very least investigate.
At the bottom of the WSB Crime Watch page, you’ll find resource links for both deterring mail theft and dealing with solicitors.
2 for your calendar: Highland Park tonight, tunnel tomorrow
HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: If you live in southeastern West Seattle (map), come meet your neighbors and get involved with your neighborhood. Tonight’s monthly HPAC meeting is open to all, at 7 pm at the Highland Park Improvement Club (11th/Holden).
VIADUCT TO TUNNEL? One month after the new plan to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct‘s “mile in the middle” Central Waterfront section was announced, many questions remain – and your best chance to get in-person answers, right here in West Seattle, is tomorrow, 5:30-7:30 pm, Madison Middle School. This is an “open house,” NOT a sit-down-for-two-hours meeting, so any time you can drop by during that time frame, reps from the state, city, and county will be there to talk with you. That includes questions about transit and other projects, as well as the tunnel itself. (Disclosure: The Viaduct project is currently running a paid ad on WSB to promote this meeting.)
Burnout backlog: Thousands of street lights await repair
If a street light’s burned out on your block, go ahead and report it, but don’t expect it to get fixed fast. 
We’ve just learned there’s a big backlog of burned-out lights: 3,500 of Seattle City Light‘s street lights are awaiting repair. We got the tip from a White Center resident (City Light’s territory stretches south of the city limits) who said he’d called to report a burned-out light in his area and was told it could be six weeks. City Light’s Mike Eagan confirms that’s true: “There are many more trouble streetlights reported this time of year and the current estimated turn-around time for repair is 32 working days.” He says SCL replaces 21,000 street lights every year (that’s a fourth of the city’s 84,000 lights). The long wait time is a big change from what Eagan reported at local meetings we covered last year (including this one in July), when he said it was down to a matter of days. But he also tells WSB that one particularly dark stretch of West Seattle street that had been the source of many complaints — Delridge near Trenton — now has the lights back on. To report a burned-out light, use this online form or call 206-684-7056.
Friends of Junction Plaza Park: How you can help finish the park
(August 2008 photo of park site at 42nd/Alaska)
Earlier this month, in our coverage of the Southwest District Council‘s latest meeting, we mentioned a preview of the upcoming Junction Plaza Park campaign, from West Seattle Junction Association executive director Susan Melrose. This morning, we have full details of the plan to finish the park – purchased with city ProParks money in 2005 — and how you can help. Susan says a group called “Friends of Junction Plaza Park” is being formed to head up the project, with leaders including Junction Neighborhood Organization president Erica Karlovits and Friends of Ercolini Park chair Katie Hjorten. The group will apply for a city Neighborhood Matching Fund grant of $100,000, to be applied toward the $350,000 needed to finish the park. Where you come in: Commitments of community support and volunteer hours are needed, to qualify for the grant – just like so many other projects that have benefited from the NMF, including Ercolini. And Susan says they only have about a month to get those commitments lined up; you don’t have to make a big commitment, she says: “We have exciting ways for people to help out with the park, and we’re looking to bring the community together – looking for small commitments of volunteer time to involve a wide section of the community.” You’ll see volunteers out at places such as the West Seattle Farmers’ Market to talk with people about volunteering for the Junction Plaza Park project, and you are invited to the first Friends of Junction Plaza Park meeting: 6:30 pm March 3, Senior Center of West Seattle. Susan stresses, they’re not looking for “huge” commitments – a little help from a lot of people will turn the long-planned park from dream to reality. If you have any questions in the meantime, or want to extend an offer of help ASAP, please contact her by e-mailing susan@wsjunction.org.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Car theft near Ercolini Park
Just out of the WSB inbox from David:
Our car was stolen last night from the 4800 block between Alaska and Oregon, just two houses away from Ercolini Park [map]. I’m wondering if you have any other reports of thefts in the area, and if not, if you can post in the crime watch section so people are aware of it. It is a gold-colored 1999 Audi A4, so let me know if anyone sees it driving around!
No other reports in to us so far, but sometimes Crime Watch reports bring out news about something else happening nearby. David has called the police to come out and take a report.
Back to school – and time for more West Seattle tours, too
It’s back to school today for Seattle Public Schools students, after the weeklong “mid-winter break.” And since open enrollment is later this year because of the closures/changes, more school tours are coming up too. Allison Carver from the Alki Elementary PTA e-mailed to flag us to added Alki tours, including one tomorrow morning and two in March; they’re listed here along with other upcoming tours at West Seattle North elementaries (WS Elementary has one this week too), while West Seattle South elementary tours are listed here (this week’s schedule includes Arbor Heights, Concord, Gatewood, Roxhill, Sanislo). Pathfinder K-8 has tours (in K-5 and 6-8 sections) this week, listed here; middle schools are listed here (Madison has one this week and Denny has more next month); for high school, West Seattle and Chief Sealth have tours next month.
Update: High Point house fire ruled accidental, blamed on wiring
(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
ORIGINAL 10:08 PM REPORT: WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli is at the “fire in single-family residence” call at 30th SW/SW Bataan (a High Point street so new it’s not even on Google Maps, but we did find this). He says it’s a fairly sizable fire, lots of smoke visible, no flames. Photos and more info shortly.
(WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
10:22 PM UPDATE: From Christopher at the scene: “Firefighters from several companies seem to have the blaze extinguished. The building that was on fire is unoccupied new construction. Firefighters seem to be taking down a ceiling on the first floor of the structure to expose the source of the fire.” He adds that the house that caught fire appears to have been close to completion, but not done yet, with stickers still on the windows. From the scanner — the incident commander is going to start clearing some units to leave the scene. Also, the online fire-call log has revised the address to 6423 30th SW (map). Christopher also confirms, nobody hurt. 10:50 PM UPDATE: Seattle Fire spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen has now released an update: First firefighters on the scene saw flames through the house’s windows; the fire was mostly concentrated on the second floor – still no word on the cause or the dollar amount of the damage, till investigators can get in and look around.
(photo by Tony Bradley)
11:50 PM UPDATE: In her latest media update, Vander Houwen says fire investigators have determined this was an accidental fire, caused by an electrical-wire problem. Damage is estimated at about $50,000.
Parks “briefing” online for year-round Elliott Bay Water Taxi plan
As reported here a few days ago, this Thursday, the city Parks Board will get a briefing about the proposal to run the Elliott Bay Water Taxi year-round from Seacrest “temporarily,” till its permanent home is found. This is the next step toward final Parks approval of the plan, which then would enable county-funded dock improvements to be built later this year, to be in place for year-round operations to start in early 2010. The “briefing paper” that will be presented to the board is available online now; it says Parks staff recommends approval of the plan, and recaps “overwhelmingly supportive” reaction at the Alki Community Center open house last month (WSB coverage here), while mentioning a few more points:
*Final decision expected from the King County Ferry District by the end of June
*Project then would go out to bid in July
*Construction should be done sometime in December
*Divers’ ongoing concerns about Seacrest will be addressed – the briefing paper says:
Some divers would like to see mitigation at the park for increasing water-taxi service at the site. They have always had safety concerns about the shared use at this site, but we are anticipating that the improved dock configuration will be much safer for the divers as it moves the water taxi boat further from the diving area. A group of divers is going to work with King County Councilmember Dow Constantine on assistance in providing some amenities for divers at the site. In the past few years, a diver shower and safety buoys have been added as mitigation at Seacrest.
Public comment is not scheduled to be taken on this item at Thursday’s Park Board meeting (7 pm, parks HQ downtown); a public hearing is set for March 12, with a vote on March 26, and Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher getting the final say after that. Side note: This week’s Parks Board agenda has another item likely to be of wide West Seattle interest — a proposal for changing parks’ operating hours — that “briefing paper” is online now too, and we’ll write about it shortly. (Side note in another direction: While checking links for this item, discovered the King County Ferry District has a “blog” site now, and it was running a web poll asking what you think county-run passenger-ferry service should be called — Water Taxi? Water Bus? Foot Ferry? Passenger Ferry? The poll appears to be closed as of this writing, though.)
West Seattle mom’s quest to help kids with autism, including hers
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“Autism is treatable, and health insurance should cover that treatment.”
That’s how Allison Dennis summarizes her quest, which — on the night we spoke in her Upper Fauntleroy living room earlier this week — had just taken her to Olympia, to try to change a local legislator’s mind.
Allison’s preschooler son Jack is autistic, diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS, in semi-short).
He is getting therapy – which can make a huge difference for those with autism – but it comes at a significant cost. Allison and other parents and advocates are trying to get the state to change the rules about which treatments insurance companies must cover and when, but they are facing an uphill fight.
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