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  • The Kenney

    SEEKING STABILITY: The Kenney’s new status

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    BLUE ANGELS: They’ve arrived in Seattle

  • Box

    BOX WITH BACKSTORY: New tribute portrait

West Seattle Weather Watch: Snow’s still on the way
December 11, 2008 9:26 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Our favorite ex-co-worker meteorologist (Channel 13’s Walter Kelley) says it’s definitely going to be snowing for “everybody” around the metro area starting sometime tomorrow night, so now we really believe it. An official Winter Storm Watch is in effect, in fact, according to the National Weather Service’s forecast. How much? Hard to say, of course, as always. Sounds like you should be able to get home from work safely before any snow hits (as long as you don’t work, say, Everett northward, which is expected to see snow first).

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Seattle Police go public with crime stats from first half of ’08
December 11, 2008 9:13 pm
|    Comments Off on Seattle Police go public with crime stats from first half of ’08
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

If you hadn’t already followed the SPD Blotter link from the WSB Crime Watch page, here’s the crime-stats page it links to. We’re just starting to read this and will add any noteworthy trends (although from ongoing coverage, we’d wager it’s pretty easy to guess what’ll turn out to be the major category bedeviling our side of the bay, and likely others).

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Happening now: West Seattle Art Walk, holiday edition
December 11, 2008 6:45 pm
|    Comments Off on Happening now: West Seattle Art Walk, holiday edition
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news

That’s artist Lisa Pettit, one of dozens of local artists showing their works during tonight’s West Seattle Art Walk – which you can enjoy at any or all of more than 40 venues, all over WS, till 9 o’clock tonight (full list here). Lisa’s showing drawings and etchings at Brunette Mix, which is on Oregon just west of California (see more of Lisa’s art at her website; her work is on display at the salon all month). On the other end of the heart of The Junction, you’ll find WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli at Ama Ama (WSB sponsor), where his imagery is being displayed on the flatscreens over the bar. Wherever you go — meet an artist, enjoy art and refreshments, holiday-shop, and have fun under the full moon!

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Two Alaskan Way Viaduct “hybrid scenarios” made public
December 11, 2008 3:23 pm
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation

(meeting now concluded at 5:35 pm- to recap, the two “finalist” scenarios just made public are “surface/transit hybrid” and “elevated bypass hybrid” – 6:54 pm update, all the materials presented today/tonight are now posted online – here are graphics of the two options)

(above photo added 3:45 pm, just after Executive Sims, Gov. Gregoire, and Mayor Nickels sat down)
ORIGINAL 3:23 PM POST: We’re at City Hall, where state, county, and city leaders are about to be officially briefed on the final scenarios for the Alaskan Way Viaduct Central Waterfront replacement. We’ll post first word of what they are, as soon as we get it – we’ve all just been allowed into the briefing room, where the officials (elected and otherwise) are gathering. The mayor, governor, and county executive haven’t come in yet – city council Transportation Committee chair Jan Drago is here, though, as are the officials who’ve led this project for the three agencies, including SDOT director Grace Crunican, WSDOT’s Ron Paananen, and Metro’s Ron Posthuma. (There’s a name card for West Seattle’s King County Councilmember Dow Constantine, too, so we’re expecting to see him.) They say they’re not handing this out in print ahead of time – so we’ll type and post as announcements are made. For reference, here are the 8 scenarios that have been under consideration to date. A spokesperson is telling reporters that TWO scenarios will be unveiled here momentarily. 3:37 PM UPDATE: Still awaiting the briefing. Councilmember Constantine’s here now; he notes this is actually a regular monthly meeting that the leaders from the state, county and city have been having for quite some time – he and City Councilmember Drago participate as chairs of their respective councils’ Transportation Committees.

BULLETIN: The final scenarios are L, “surface/transit hybrid” – with two roads along the waterfront – and M, “elevated bypass hybrid” – with two elevated bridge structures side by side. More details to come.

3:45 PM UPDATE: The governor, county executive and mayor are here now. It appears there is no TUNNEL of any type involved in either of the scenarios.

3:52 PM UPDATE: They have finished background review and are now moving on to explain more about these scenarios. Reminder, these are new HYBRIDS with elements of the original 8 – they had said, and we had reported, all along, that they would not choose 2 of the 8, but take elements of some of them and make “hybrids” for final review.

3:57 PM UPDATE: A few more details on Scenario L – Alaskan Way would become one way southbound with three lanes and a bike lane; Western would (starting near Yesler) be one way northbound with three lanes and a bike lane, connecting to Battery Street Tunnel.

4:03 PM UPDATE: Turns out they’re STILL in background. More on the “elevated bypass” scenario – two independent bridge structures side by side, two lanes in each direction, connecting to B-Street Tunnel at north, new south end project at King Street. Also noted, a Delridge RapidRide bus route would be part of this. Also noticing – the INTRO copy on this page says “further analysis will be done on investigating a bored bypass tunnel.” (added) Just got more printouts. The explanation on the tunnel is, “The bored tunnel was not carried forward due to its high cost. However, it does have advantages associated with avoiding some of the construction on the central waterfront. The agencies will continue to investigate the costs of the bored tunnel as a future project that could be constructed if the I-5/surface/transit hybrid alternative is agreed upon.”

4:16 PM UPDATE: In response to Mayor Nickels’ question, WSDOT’s David Dye explains the two elevated structures would be somewhat separated and slightly different elevation – one could be built alongside the existing structure, so it would be ready to take on some of the traffic when the existing viaduct comes down, then the other structure would be built after the existing viaduct is demolished. As for whether they would be taller than the current one – WSDOT’s Ron Paananen says that could be determined in the design process. As we’ve mentioned on partner site White Center Now in the past few minutes, both scenarios also mention “expanded park and rides” in White Center and Burien (as well as Shoreline).

CONTINUE TO READ RUNNING COVERAGE POSTED DURING MEETING, BY CLICKING AHEAD:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Two quick updates
December 11, 2008 3:16 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Crime Watch: Two quick updates
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Two updates from the Southwest Precinct: Lt. Steve Paulsen says still no arrests in the 14th/Cambridge “violent mugging” reported here yesterday. We also inquired about a reader report of intense police activity around quarter till 4 this morning at 35th/Cambridge; Lt. Paulsen says it was the second time police have been to that address in two days, and describes the incident as “an occupied burglary to rip off a Marijuana Grow farm. A weapon was fired at the intruders, no injuries. Homeowner was arrested.”

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Welcoming a new WSB sponsor: Budget Blinds
December 11, 2008 2:40 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Triangle | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle online

(Budget Blinds‘ West Seattle team: Back row, left to right: Nathan Westrand, Parrish & Kendra Hammer, Brian Read. Front row, left to right: Danica Corwin, Paige Beck, and Angela Stocker)
The business community in West Seattle continues to diversify – and one of the latest examples is our newest sponsor, Budget Blinds of West Seattle, in the Triangle area. As always, we offer new WSB sponsors the chance to tell you something about their business – here’s what Budget Blinds wants you to know: “Budget Blinds of West Seattle is independently owned & operated by local residents Parrish & Kendra Hammer. As one of over 1,000 franchises in North America, Budget Blinds has been ranked #1 in the window-covering industry by Entrepreneur Magazine since 1998. The West Seattle franchise has consistently ranked as one of the top twenty Budget Blinds franchises in North America during 2008. Parrish & Kendra moved to West Seattle in the Fall of 2004 from Colorado, and they are the proud parents of two daughters, Sasha and Tahlia, who attend Alki Elementary School. Parrish & Kendra are strong supporters of the local community, teaming up with WestSide Baby for their annual Stuff the Bus diaper drive, and NW Hope & Healing, to name a few, and they are members of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the BNI Chapter. With a beautiful showroom in West Seattle, Budget Blinds has a wide variety of products and fabrics to look at, and choose from, including some unique exclusive products. Whether it’s interior or exterior, standard lifting operations or motorized, they have solutions to fit your specific needs.” You can find Budget Blinds in West Seattle at 3518 SW Genesee (map), right next to Buddha Ruksa; Budget Blinds‘ phone number is 206-932-2655. We welcome Budget Blinds of West Seattle to the WSB sponsor team; the current lineup is here along with information on how to become part of it!

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New West Seattle Whole Foods sign: More rumor debunking
December 11, 2008 1:09 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Development | Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

Just spotted this while heading through the Fauntleroy/Alaska/39th intersection, and pulled over to grab a pic. The sign appeared after a day in which we checked yet another “is the project dead?” rumor — several WSB’ers sent us the link to an online report in which a writer (without a quote to substantiate) claimed “new stores were on hold” — we subsequently contacted the regional Whole Foods spokesperson, who promptly responded that report was wrong and had even omitted information she said she had given the writer to clarify a company memo he’d received, and YES, the West Seattle store is still on schedule. (As we reported here a week ago, after checking yet another round of rumors with both Whole Foods and with developer BlueStar.) So now — a sign. As we noted in last week’s story, BlueStar explains that the reason you’re not seeing active construction work at the site right now is that they’re between “phases” and will resume early in the year (that’s when they say the big crane will show up, too). The project continues to evolve behind the scenes as well; BlueStar’s project manager, Easton Craft, tells WSB today, “Based on the uniqueness of the current economic climate we are able to create some value engineering opportunities that will reduce the overall project budget. We plan to take full advantage of those opportunities. Conducting the value engineering exercise will have no discernible impact on the design of the project. We have now gone through the MUP [Master Use Permit] process twice and are excited about the current design. We are also very happy with our General Contractor, Ledcor Construction. They have been and continue to be a valued asset to this project and an excellent team player in this process.” (All WSB coverage of this project is archived here.)

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Thursday midday notes: Holiday help, entertainment, and more
December 11, 2008 12:15 pm
|    Comments Off on Thursday midday notes: Holiday help, entertainment, and more
 |   How to help | West Seattle schools | WS miscellaneous

Lots of quick time-sensitive mentions before some major stories start breaking (for example, the narrowed-down list of Viaduct options will go public around 3:30, if it’s not leaked sooner, and WSB will be there for that). The following is in no particular order – lots of great stuff going on:

HOLIDAY FOOD DRIVE: Another local business has one going – Dave Newman State Farm Insurance Agency (WSB sponsor), 3435 California SW, drop off a nonperishable food donation any time they’re open, 9 am-5 pm Mondays-Fridays.

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT: Larry Knapp sent a note to say he’s on piano at The Bohemian tonight, 6-9 pm. (Also live music tonight, as there is almost every night, at Skylark Cafe and Club [WSB sponsor], starting at 9 – Donerail, Otherwise, Lyons Mane, Skylark’s calendar page has times and links to musicians’ websites.)

PATHFINDER SCHOOL CRAFT AND GIFT SALE UPDATE: We mentioned this several hours ago. Now we have the exact time frame for today’s sale: 1-3 pm and 6:30-8:30 pm. (Here’s a map to the school.)

ANOTHER HOLIDAY DRIVE FOR PETS: We mentioned Furry Faces/Purrfect Pals/Pet Elements yesterday. Now there’s word that Stella Ruffington, which like PE is in Morgan Junction, is a dropoff spot for the Seattle Dog Daycares Association pet food/toy drive for Lifelong Aids Alliance, through the end of the year.

SCHMITZ PARK ELEMENTARY HOLIDAY DRIVE: Schmitz Park PTA co-president Julie Foster wrote with word that Schmitz Park is sponsoring a Joy of Giving holiday drive to benefit Treehouse, which she describes as “an amazing local organization helping our community’s foster kids.” Joy of Giving wish lists are available at the school and online at www.treehouseforkids.org – Julie suggests printing them out, passing them around, and then get the gifts (new, unwrapped toys, clothes or cash donations) to the school by 12/19. Contact her with questions: jul.foster@hotmail.com

“PLAID TIDINGS” SHOW ADDED: If you haven’t already seen them at ArtsWest, maybe you saw their sampler at the West Seattle Junction Tree Lighting last Saturday – the guys from Plaid Tidings are rockin’ The Junction and tickets have gone so far, ArtsWest just added two more shows: 7:30 pm the next two Sundays, December 14 and 21. Tickets are available online.

LAST BUT BY NO MEANS LEAST — WSB FORUM MEMBERS INVITE YOU TO A POTLUCK BENEFIT PARTY THIS SUNDAY!!! If you haven’t already been following this on the WSB Forums (which are celebrating their first anniversary this month), Forum members are organizing a holiday get-together this Sunday and want to invite ALL WSB’ers to be part of it. It’s a potluck and also a benefit. 3 pm Sunday 12/14 at Big Al’s Brewing in White Center – upstairs, so all ages are welcome. Read on for the full list of what to bring along, including how to join in helping folks for the holidays:Read More

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Fri.-Sat. snow, Sun. megafreeze
December 11, 2008 10:55 am
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

The National Weather Service’s latest “forecast discussion” has the closest analysis of what’s on the way, and while the Friday night snow likelihood is not PROJECTED to “accumulate” in the city, for Saturday they say “an inch or two” can’t be “rule(d) out.” Read the forecast discussion here (it’s usually updated three or four times daily – gets a bit technical but has better context); elsewhere, meteorologist Cliff Mass calls it a “difficult” forecast but says never mind about those short-lived wind worries. Even more than snow, the coming low temperatures have local government agencies worried (down to 20ish here Sunday morning!) – so they’re redistributing “protect yourself” type information like this.

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Happening today/tonight: Jam-packed Thursday
December 11, 2008 6:34 am
|    Comments Off on Happening today/tonight: Jam-packed Thursday
 |   WS miscellaneous

Besides the holiday edition of the West Seattle Art Walk, as mentioned in the previous post, here are some highlights for the next 16 hours or so:

ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT: The Stakeholders Advisory Committee meets again at 4:30 pm. During last week’s media briefing, reporters were told the list of 8 “scenarios” for replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct‘s Central Waterfront section would be narrowed to 2 or 3 hybrids today. That should happen when, or before, the SAC gets together for the second time this week, at City Hall.

COOPER CLOSURE? A 6:30 pm meeting is planned at Cooper Elementary, now facing the possibility its “program” will be eliminated so the building can become the new home for Pathfinder K-8 (two weeks after Arbor Heights Elementary was proposed for that role).

SOUTH DELRIDGE/WHITE CENTER COMMUNITY SAFETY COALITION: Crimefighting and safety advocacy for southeastern West Seattle and neighboring White Center, 6 pm, Boys and Girls Club @ 9800 8th SW

PARKS BOARD: Several items of West Seattle interest on the agenda tonight, including an update on the reservoir-lidding program (with a future park at Westcrest; read the briefing paper here) and a change in parks-naming policy (read the proposed policy here), 7 pm, Parks Department HQ at Denny Park downtown.

SMALL AND SIMPLE AWARDS: 6 pm, Alki Elementary, the mayor and others will honor local organizations that are receiving the Department of Neighborhoods‘ latest round of Small and Simple Awards (including basketball-court improvements at Arbor Heights).

WEST SEATTLE TRAILS WORKSHOP: As part of a larger DON grant, signs and kiosks are going up around West Seattle to help walkers and bikers find their way – and you are invited to help shape the art and information they’ll contain. Camp Long Lodge, 6:30 pm – children 6-12 welcome to come along and to enjoy a nature class about owls during the meeting.

More in the WSB Events calendar (reminder, if you have an event coming up and it’s not there or – if more appropriate – on our Holidays page, PLEASE let us know so we can add it! editor@westseattleblog.com)

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West Seattle scenes: Big night for holiday parties
December 11, 2008 2:19 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle people

Salty’s on Alki is done up to the Christmas nines inside as well as out, as you can tell from that photo taken during Wednesday night’s West Seattle Chamber of Commerce holiday party (with WSCoC executive director Patti Mullen at center). That was the biggest party in West Seattle north; as for West Seattle south, 34th District Democrats gathered to celebrate both the holidays and recent victories — not just the presidential and governor elections:

Left to right, the three local state legislators who won their races – all unopposed – last month, 34th District Rep. Sharon Nelson, Sen. Joe McDermott, Rep. Eileen Cody. (By the way, Sen. McDermott is the new assistant floor leader; Rep. Cody leads the Health Care and Wellness committee). One more elected official on hand — long after we left the party, Pathfinder K-8 parent Leslie Harris sent this photo of Hizzoner buying a handmade wreath from PF parent Brent Morgan:

The Pathfinder community also is selling handmade gifts at a Craft Fair on campus tonight, and continuing to sell wreaths in The Junction on Hometown Holiday Sundays, as we showed you last weekend. Meanwhile: In The Junction and beyond, tonight’s biggest holiday event is one you can enjoy at more than 40 locations all over West Seattle: The holiday edition of the West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk, 6-9 pm, venues and artists listed here – and you can see the map fullsize here. WSB sponsors that are participating (in order of their numbers on the map): Hotwire Coffee, Wellness at The Junction (you’ll see that as 8 Limbs Yoga on the map), Dream Dinners, Click! Design That Fits, West Seattle Nursery, M3 Bodyworks, Seattle Wellness Programs, Skylark, and Ama Ama Oyster Bar and Grill (where WSB contributing photographer Christopher Boffoli‘s fabulous images will be displayed on the flatscreens over the bar during the 6-9 Art Walk hours).

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Remembering longtime West Seattleite Josephine Mahon
December 10, 2008 11:39 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Though we don’t have an official “obituaries” section right now, once in a while somebody sends us one. In this case, James Mahon e-mailed WSB to say his mom died this week and “as a West Seattle resident for over 50 years, she should probably get a notice posted in your blog.” Services for 81-year-old Josephine Mahon are planned on Friday – read on for the obituary and photo sent by her son:Read More

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West Seattle Christmas lights, 12/10/08
December 10, 2008 11:24 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Genesee Hill | High Point | Holidays | West Seattle Christmas lights

Thanks to Denise Davis, who sent that photo with word her husband Duane Davis “is finally done” with elaborate holiday lighting that’s been a couple weeks in the making, unmissable from 46th and Genesee (map). Next photo’s courtesy of Wendy Hughes-Jelen, who spotted biker Santa at Hans’ VW Repair, 35th and Graham (map):

Got a photo? Or a Christmas-lights address you think we should go photograph? Please let us know – thanks!

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Wells Fargo robbery getaway driver gets 4-year sentence
December 10, 2008 11:00 pm
|    Comments Off on Wells Fargo robbery getaway driver gets 4-year sentence
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Posted tonight by the P-I: 44-year-old Kevin Palmer, getaway driver in the Admiral Wells Fargo heist that was followed by a downtown standoff and shooting, has been sentenced to 4 years in prison and will testify against the accused robber, 51-year-old Douglas Cox. Here’s our running coverage from while it was all unfolding on July 1st.

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Admiral Neighborhood Association: Park, preparedness, more
December 10, 2008 6:07 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

admiralogo.jpgThe school-closure-related meetings already reported here weren’t the only newsworthy, West Seattle-related events happening last night; we had a reporter at the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s monthly meeting too, and she’s sent in an update including the latest on California Place Park — read on:Read More

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Happening now: Holiday event at Curious Kidstuff
December 10, 2008 5:53 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Holidays | West Seattle businesses

WSB sponsor note: Right now, till 9 pm, it’s a holiday savings event at Curious Kidstuff in The Junction — 25 percent off everything in the store. (You may have seen advance word on the Curious Kidstuff coupon that’s in the first-ever WSB Coupons, downloadable here.) Till 8 pm, you can bring along your child (5 and up) and give her/him a chance to play at The Little Artist upstairs, while you, um, help Santa.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Updated snow forecast
December 10, 2008 4:45 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weather Watch: Updated snow forecast
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Latest from the National Weather Service gets right down to, or should we say “up to,” elevation: Snow level in Seattle on Friday night, 400 feet. Read the forecast here. What’s particularly interesting is that a big event is happening at about 500 feet elevation Friday night, olgandsky.jpgin the vicinity of the highest point in West Seattle (also the city’s highest point) – 35th/Myrtle, where Our Lady of Guadalupe invites one and all to its Community Christmas Tree Lighting (7 pm; 2007 tree at left). One more weather note – A comment on today’s earlier post provides a reminder that one of Seattle’s best-known non-TV meteorologists has his own website; here’s what Cliff Mass says about the upcoming wintriness.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Two people “violently mugged”
December 10, 2008 2:02 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news

We’re checking with the Southwest Precinct for any more info on this, including whether anyone’s been arrested. But we didn’t want to wait any longer to share the original reader report, from Zack:

Two of my neighbors were violently mugged last night in Highland Park as they were walking home. The mugging took place at the intersection of 14th and Cambridge [map] around 7:30 pm. The muggers worked in tandem. One approached the couple asking where the closest bus stop was, while the other hid out of sight. The first mugger wrestled one of the victims to the ground, using a blade of some kind to cut open the victim’s pants and remove his wallet. The other mugger stepped out from behind a car and flattened the second victim, ripping her purse and handbag from her. The muggers fled in a vehicle heading south. The muggers made off with both of the victims’ wallets, a lap top computer, and various personal items (including house keys). Within minutes, the criminals had attempted to use the victims’ credit cards at a gas station with a 98116 ZIP code.

The victims described the assailants as Asian Pacific Islanders or Samoans in their early 20s. The muggers did not have any distinguishing features or marks. They were both large men.

The victims are friends. My wife took them to the hardware store last night to buy replacement locks. Needless to say, we are all shaken up over this. The violent nature of the crime is particularly disturbing. The police who responded said that as the economy worsens, they are seeing a rise in these types of snatch and grab crimes.

Please alert your readers to call the police the first moment they notice any suspicious looking vehicles or people in their neighborhood.

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Holiday help: Don’t forget the furry family members
December 10, 2008 1:37 pm
|    Comments Off on Holiday help: Don’t forget the furry family members
 |   Holidays | How to help | Pets | West Seattle news

That’s the Pet Angel Tree at Pet Elements in Morgan Junction – we got word of it from Teri Ensley at Furry Faces Foundation, who e-mailed WSB this writeup about three holiday-pet-help opportunities that are all “on site” at Pet Elements, in conjunction with F3 and Purrfect Pals:

Holiday Pet Food Drive: People of all income levels have pets that are near and dear to them and there is a spike in the surrender rate of pets to shelters because of tough economic times. Therefore, Melanie Wells, owner of Pet Elements, is sponsoring this pet food drive in conjunction with seven other small independent pet supply stores. She says that by helping people with pet food, we can help these animals stay with their humans instead of being surrendered to a shelter.

Pet Angel Tree: People can show off their beloved companion by putting a photo and/or name on Pet Angel Tree. Ribbons, cards, scissors and other ‘ornament’ accessories are provided. There is a suggested donation of $5, however, it is not mandatory. Any donations will support Furry Faces Foundation’s ‘Oliver’s Fund’, which assists animals, whose humans are financially restricted, with unexpected Veterinarian bills and healthy pet food…because everyone deserves unconditional love.

Cat Sponsorship Holiday Cards: Purrfect Pals has wonderful Holiday cards with photos & stories of their permanent resident cats that people can give as a gift to their animal loving family members and friends. The cards are a wonderful, green gift and only a $25 donation. Purrfect Pals is an excellent rescue group who teams with many other groups, including Furry Faces, because we all want the same thing–happy, loving, permanent homes for animals. (and of course, spay/neuter).

Pet Elements is at 6701 California (map). Any other pet-helping holiday opportunities? Let us know and we’ll add them to the WSB Holidays page! (P.S. Teri also sends word that the recent “Catsino” fundraiser for F3 [WSB coverage here] raised more than $1,200 on behalf of “It’s Hip to Be Snipped” spaying/neutering work.)

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Fixing Fauntleroy (aka Fauntle-rut) Way: Today’s sightings
December 10, 2008 1:04 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

Heading north on Fauntleroy Way this morning, just before the straightaway that leads from Fairmount Springs to the Triangle area, we spotted Pothole Rangers in action, so we pulled over for a pic. Not far away, a relatively sizable group of people in safety vests was in position on both sides of the street – didn’t think much at the time, but when we returned southbound down the same stretch 2 1/2 hours later, what looked to be members of the same group were still on the move, this time up at Fauntleroy/Edmunds:

We’re checking with SDOT to see if there’s anything to say about what this delegation was doing, beyond inspecting curb cuts, which seemed to be the activity at that particular corner. Meantime, we’re also checking on the status of the decisionmaking/question-answering process on the big proposal involving that same stretch of Fauntleroy – “rechannelization,” as discussed at last week’s open house (WSB coverage here) as well as in several previous reports. 4:48 PM UPDATE: Here’s what Marybeth Turner from SDOT tells us:

City crews are constructing curb ramps in advance of the paving project. During the city budget process we had to stop and start the crews a few times when the future of the Fauntleroy paving was in question. They are getting ready to begin again and are meeting with Pavement Management staff and the Project Engineer to make sure they are built correctly.

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School-closure fight: Cooper Elementary’s “fact sheet” out
December 10, 2008 10:08 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Pigeon Point | West Seattle news | West Seattle school closure | West Seattle schools

Days after Arbor Heights Elementary was proposed for “program closure” in the “preliminary recommendations” from Seattle Public Schools leadership two weeks ago, its community prepared and released a “fact sheet” (WSB report here). Now, the morning after its official appearance on the potential closure list – its program, not its building – Cooper Elementary has created a “fact sheet” as well, so we wanted to share that with you. Read it here (7-page PDF) in its entirety. Among many other points, the document showcases some of Cooper’s programs, like these two:

*Cooper’s Bilingual Program serves a culturally diverse group of English language learners. Two bilingual teachers and three instructional assistants provide instruction and support to students and parents who speak Spanish, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Somali.

*Cooper’s Autism Program continuum serves 24 students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Eight students are served in Cooper’s general education classrooms with additional support and instruction provided by one special education teacher and 2 instructional assistants. Sixteen students are served in rooms 209 and 107, Cooper’s self-contained Autism K-2 and 3-5 classrooms. They are supported by two special education teachers and six instructional assistants. Additionally, Cooper’s resource room supports students with learning disabilities and developmental delays through both pull-put and push-in support.

The document also says closing Cooper’s program would eliminate the Earth Project (here’s its link on the Cooper site), which we’ve mentioned previously. Again, here’s where you can read the Cooper document in its entirety; the school is having a meeting tomorrow night – we covered the first Cooper meeting last Friday. Also, if you missed it last night, the latest “potential final recommendations” for school closures and changes citywide are summarized on the district website here.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Brace yourself
December 10, 2008 9:43 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Now that the end of the week is within sight, it’s time to start taking the forecasts REALLY seriously. Not only is cold weather, with possible snow, still said to be on the way, the National Weather Service says it’s going to get windy first – here’s an excerpt from the newest citywide forecast:

FRIDAY…WINDY. RAIN. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 30S TO MID 40S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

FRIDAY NIGHT…RAIN AND SNOW. LOWS IN THE MID 30S.

SATURDAY…CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE 30S.

SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS. LOWS IN THE 20S.

SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. LOWS IN THE 20S

Safety information for “cold and icy weather” also has just been linked to the Regional Public Information Network website; read it here.

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School-closure fight: Pathfinder K-8 meeting
December 10, 2008 9:27 am
|    Comments Off on School-closure fight: Pathfinder K-8 meeting
 |   Genesee Hill | West Seattle news | West Seattle school closure | West Seattle schools

As we have mentioned in previous coverage, we learned from the district last night that schools have the option to have “closed” (school community only) meetings if they are not widely advertised – one such meeting was held last night at Pathfinder K-8. We asked Pathfinder parent Eric Baer if he could provide us with some notes about what happened at that meeting, to share with you, since their school too is involved in the closure/change process that has rocked hundreds of West Seattle families (we also have new information this morning from Cooper Elementary – now facing the possibility of “program” closure — which we will publish shortly) – read on for a summary:Read More

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