Fauntleroy Community Assoc.: Roads, raccoons, redevelopment
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Quick updates from tonight’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting: ROADS — New 12-foot-wide “traffic humps” are on the way to 47th at Roxbury (Google Street View/map above), at two spots, 9600 block and just south of the 9800 block — this is meant to slow speeders who often approach 60 mph heading downhill. RACCOONS — Following up on previous “raccoon latrine” discussions (WSB coverage here), the county Health Department‘s sending out a mailer later this month, with information on how to keep raccoons out of your yard. REDEVELOPMENT — The location is now set for the Dec. 4 joint FCA/Morgan Community Association meeting about the big project proposed by The Kenney; meeting will be at Fauntleroy Church (WSB sponsor), time not yet finalized. MoCA‘s Cindi Barker was at tonight’s FCA meeting for further planning discussion and how best to utilize the participation of a city planner. ALSO — A review of last month’s Fauntleroy Fall Festival, which Martha Callard says had the biggest turnout ever; the community bus-shelter-painting project during the festival “exceeded expectations,” she added. … Local historian Ron Richardson talked about Thursday’s time-capsule project — which is open to anyone who wants to participate, in West Seattle and all over the city. FCA plans to offer contributions including a copy of the documentary “The Fauntleroy Story: 100 Years of Community.” (For more info on the Fauntleroy Community Association, explore its website at fauntleroy.net.)
Wanted: West Seattle puppy-raisers and puppy-sitters
OK, who could resist a face like that? We told you earlier this year about the new local group raising guide-dog puppies to help blind people, and Sue Bonney e-mailed WSB tonight to say they are “looking for people in the community that may be interested in raising or puppy sitting these special puppies.” (She also provided the photo you see above.) More details: “Adult and youth volunteers train future guide dogs who enhance the mobility of people who are visually impaired. These adorable Labrador puppies and their volunteer raisers can be seen all over the county. The rewards of volunteering are enormous. Join our Puppy Raising Program. No prior experience is necessary.” For more info, you can call Sue at 206/330-7999 or e-mail her: seedogs@mail.com
West Seattle Crime Watch: Is this burglary loot yours?
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One day after the Southwest Precinct announced arrests in the “BB Gun Burglaries” — in which BB-type guns were used to shoot out windows to enable burglars to enter — we have more information, and half a dozen photos police want you to see. Detective Ed Garcia, lead investigator in this burglary series (and others), shared six photos of recovered items that police hope to match with their rightful owners. Read on to see the other photos and the list of recovered property, and to get more information about who was arrested in the burglary spree, how, and who else is still being sought:Read More
West Seattle Weather Watch: Official briefing; wind advisory
Just found this on the National Weather Service’s Seattle website – they’ve put up the PowerPoint presentation from the official “hazardous weather briefing” delivered a bit earlier today. See it here. (Still awaiting updated forecasts — should be out any time now — but that “briefing” indicates the rain won’t be quite so bad here in the metro area, half-inch to an inch by tomorrow afternoon.) 3:48 PM UPDATE: The updated forecasts and advisories are coming online now – a wind advisory is in effect starting at 10 pm (read about it here), for starters, and it says 45 mph gusts are possible.
Getting chummy off Alki Point
Seems like a distant memory, but the sun WAS out for a while Monday morning – and these photos sent by Alki’s Bob Bollen (thank you!) are proof. He spotted the Endurance and Quandary out fishing Monday morning off Alki Point. According to this state bulletin, it’s chum-salmon time. (But we will completely confess to being fishing-expertise-deficient, despite having extensively trawled the state and tribal websites, so if you think/know these vessels were doing something else, please advise!)
Welcoming a new WSB sponsor: Citilights Electric
Next time you check out the WSB Holiday Happenings page – with frequently updated listings for holiday bazaars, performances, and much more – you’ll see a new sponsor atop the page: Citilights Electric, residential specialists who want you to know this about their business: “Citilights Electric offers full-service electrical contracting. Our electricians are certified, trained professionals able to work in a high-pressure environment 
while utilizing their multi-tasking skills. This assures you that your electrical project is given the enthusiasm and expertise you deserve and expect. We strive daily to provide our customers the highest quality and greatest value. Superior workmanship, fast, dependable service, and complete customer satisfaction are what you will experience as a customer of Citilights Electric. We appreciate the opportunity to bid your next electrical project or troubleshoot your electrical problems.” For a list of some of the services Citilights Electric provides, check out this webpage. Citilights Electric invites customers in West Seattle and vicinity to call 206/937-8495; you can also send inquiries from the company’s website. WSB thanks Citilights Electric and our other sponsors for their support; for the current lineup and info on how to be part of it, just start here!
Development dirt: Where does it all go?
(October 2008 photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
Driving by the Fauntleroy Place (Whole Foods) project daily, we started pondering a goofy little question once major excavation began: When you dig a big hole like that, what happens to the dirt? Since we (and other small news organizations around Puget Sound) work with the student journalists at the University of Washington News Lab, we offered them the assignment. Read on, to see how the answer turned out to be not as simple as you might think:Read More
“Reinventing” The Kenney: MoCA-FCA community meeting set
It’s been three months since our first report about the “reinvention” plan that would demolish that historic building and most of the other structures at The Kenney, in a $150 million plan that leadership of the retirement complex says is essential to its future success — at the project’s first Design Review Board meeting last month (WSB coverage here), CEO Kevin McFeely said, “… without this, we are not going to be able to survive financially.” At the end of that meeting, we reported that reps from Morgan Community Association and Fauntleroy Community Association were talking about co-sponsoring a community meeting before The Kenney’s next Design Review session. Now the date for that meeting is set: December 4th. Time and place are still being finalized, but MoCA’s Cindi Barker says the city planner assigned to the project, Michael Dorcy, “will be there the first 30-45 minutes to give a recap of all the process steps the Kenney must move through” and provide other information the community needs to know regarding . The date’s being driven in part by the possibility that The Kenney might return for that next DR meeting on December 18th. We expect to get more information at tomorrow night’s FCA meeting (7 pm, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse).
Welcoming a returning WSB sponsor: Square 1 Books (sale!)
This season, the businesses that comprise the West Seattle Junction Association (WSB sponsor)invite you to “Live Local” — and at the top of the list, that means “Shop Local.” 
You’ve got a great chance to do that this weekend with a variety of open houses and other special events – and one of them is at at a longtime Junction store, Square 1 Books, which rejoins WSB as a sponsor to get the word out about its Anniversary Sale. To celebrate 21 years of serving West Seattle as an independent bookseller, Square 1 is offering 21% off everything this Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Square 1 Books is at Jefferson Square, a few doors south of Bartell Drugs.
Crime Watch update: 1st hearing for Fauntleroy burglary suspect
During a brief hearing this afternoon in a courtroom at the King County Jail downtown, a judge “found probable cause” to keep 41-year-old Richard L. Lovejoy (left) in jail until a hearing Wednesday on what, if any, bail amount should be set for him. Lovejoy is the convicted rapist arrested early Sunday morning (WSB coverage here, including victim’s story) in Fauntleroy, where he is suspected of breaking into a home shortly after trying to break into the Colman Pool building in Lincoln Park. Thanks to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office media liaison Dan Donohoe for providing us with the document used at today’s hearing (which we attended, though the suspect himself did not actually appear); it says in part:
Suspect Lovejoy broke out two windows at the Colman Pool in Lincoln Park. The sound woke up the on-site caretaker, who confronted the suspect as he tried to enter via a broken window. The suspect ran off into the park and officers were unable to locate him. A truck registered to suspect Lovejoy was located illegally parked at the entrance to the Lincoln Park beach service road at 7171 Beach Drive SW. Several hours later, a report of an occupied residential burglary came out several blocks away. The suspect (Lovejoy) in that instance was captured.
The report goes on to say that a witness from Colman Pool identified him as the same suspect in that earlier break-in attempt, and later in the document, under the section that asks whether law enforcers would object to the suspect’s release, it says “Do not release. Suspect is a convicted felon and sex offender (and is on active Department of Corrections supervision).” His sex-offender status emerged in the comment thread on our followup report; we found him in the public lookup system, registered to an Arbor Heights address, and that’s where the photo you see at above left comes from. The document from today’s hearing also lists his criminal history as including: Rape, escape, drugs, harassment, domestic violence.
Day/time set for next WSHS playoff game – and a bus invite
We reported late Friday night that Ferndale was next up for West Seattle High School after the Wildcats’ playoff win against Enumclaw. Now we know the game’s set for 7:30 pm Friday in Bellingham, and we’ve just received an invitation to pass along for WSHS alums:
Hello Alums,
Okay…we’re getting another bus to go to the State Playoff game this coming Friday! WSHS plays Ferndale in Bellingham, 7:30 p.m.
The price for bus (a coach bus – not a school bus) and ticket to the game will be $23 per person and leaves WSHS parking lot at 3 p.m. (traffic will not be fun!) But, what a great way to travel to the game! The bus to the Metro playoffs was filled and it was a great way to go to the game and support our
local high school football team.
If you are interested, please email me or leave a voice mail by 3 p.m. Wednesday, November 12th to save your spot and I’ll put your name on the list.
Christy Rowe
206-932-6953
carowe@blarg.net
Update on West Seattle’s BB gun burglaries
This just in from the Southwest Precinct‘s Lt. Steve Paulsen – even more burglary arrests (besides what we reported the past two mornings):
The Southwest Precinct is pleased to announce to the community that the suspects in the BB-Gun Residential Burglaries have been arrested.
Several suspects have been identified/arrested. Over the past 2-3 weeks, Southwest Precinct Detectives and Patrol officers (all three patrol shifts) have been working together in tracking down leads as well as processing trace evidence in order to identify the subjects involved. The burglaries have been mostly in the Highland Park/Westwood neighborhoods. Recent followup work has tied these suspects to the Beacon Hill neighborhood as well.
Detectives have also recovered several items of victim’s property and are working closely with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office to ensure that the cases are adjudicated in court.
Most if not all of the suspects have affiliation with Asian Street gangs. All but one of the subjects are juveniles and none live in the West Seattle community.
This has not been a good week for West Seattle-area Burglars. Thanks again to our observant citizens who report suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.
School Board agenda: Fauntleroy vote, school-closure notice
We reported Friday night on the plan for this Wednesday’s Seattle School Board meeting to include a vote on the proposal for changing the public-notice requirements when school closures are to be proposed; the district says it needs the changes because it must move quickly on the next round of closure proposals (the list is due out 11/25). Among other things, they’re cutting community newspapers out of the formal (paid) advance-notice-publication process and just including them on the “outreach” list (we can’t help but notice even the “revised” policy seems outdated because it has no mention of online-only local-news operations like WSB, and in fact doesn’t mention ANY websites aside from the SPS site; at least we are on the SPS media list so we get and publish these notices anyway). If you have anything to say about the changes, you should read the entire policy and send your thoughts to the board, or show up on Wednesday night. Meantime, the posted agenda for that same meeting (6 pm Wednesday, district HQ in Sodo) also includes a vote on the $1.8 million deal to sell the Fauntleroy schoolhouse to the Fauntleroy Community Service Agency (first reported here a month ago).
Not only is West Seattle home to the city’s 
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