West Seattle, Washington
28 Wednesday
ORIGINAL 3:37 PM REPORT: We’re checking on reports of police activity in The Junction – one tipster says scanner traffic indicates a man was held up at gunpoint:
Just heard on scanner, citizen reported being held up at gun point in parking lot at Jefferson Square – he was getting out of his car when a man came up, pointed gun at him and robbed him of his cellphone and (I think) wallet.
Dispatcher reported suspect description: 5’10-6″, blue jeans, baseball cap, armed with small handgun. … Listening now to cop try to locate the caller/victim who might be inside the Safeway.
Working to verify. Another e-mail says at least one chopper, possibly a news helicopter, is overhead. Steph subsequently e-mailed to say her husband …
… just had a freakin’ foot cop jump in his car and ask him for a ride to track down some creep! The cop had his gun and badge out and (he) whipped him around and then the creep came out of some bushes and the cop says, “that’s the guy!” and (he) hits the brakes and the cop jumps out and takes the creep down! The cop jumped in his car around the shell station at Fauntleroy SW & SW Alaska. The cop instructed him to about 41st where he jumped out and met another cop chasing the creep too. Go West Seattlites!
We’ve just arrived in the Jefferson Square vicinity (and 41st, east of there) and are NOT seeing any current police activity. Checking with SPD now by phone to see if this is something that’s wrapped up.
4:48 PM UPDATE: Just talked to Detective Jeff Kappel in the SPD Media Unit. He says a man reported getting held up at gunpoint at Jefferson Square – then changed his mind about cooperating with police, saying he didn’t want to file a report and didn’t want help, so police at that point had no choice but to chalk it down as a “provided assistance” call.
(looking through the aquarium’s front hall, back at the crowd gathering to watch)
ORIGINAL 2 PM REPORT: We’re at the Seattle Aquarium along with a few hundred political, business and community leaders to watch Governor Gregoire sign the Alaskan Way Viaduct deep-bored tunnel bill into law. The event’s scheduled to start in a few minutes; West Seattle-residing political leaders scheduled to be here include King County Council Chair Dow Constantine (who we’ve already seen) and Mayor Nickels; political theater outside included anti-tunnel mayoral challenger Michael McGinn talking with reporters, calling this a multibillion-dollar boondoggle and saying it’s not too late for the city to pull out. More as it happens.
2:23 PM UPDATE: The speeches are under way before the actual signing. After the mayor spoke (iPhone photo above), the governor said it took “guts” for legislators to approve this. To those who say it can’t be done, she said bluntly — “Watch us.” She opened by declaring, the era of The Viaduct “is over.” For emphasis, she repeated it: “It’s over. It’s over.” And she went on to say it would have been hard to anticipate a year ago that this history-making day would arrive. She stood at a podium next to the aquarium’s fish-filled wall, with about 20 political leaders surrounding her, and acknowledged many others, including members of the Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee who reviewed options over more than a year (though ultimately, their process ended with a recommendation different than the one proceeding now, West Seattle’s SAC reps Vlad Oustimovitch and Pete Spalding both support the deep-bored tunnel).
(WSB video of the bill-signing, added 2:46 pm)
2:31 PM UPDATE: The governor just signed SB 5768 – the tunnel bill – into law. A long round of applause followed. Everyone here has just been invited to a champagne reception – as for us, we’re catching the 3:20 King County Water Taxi back to West Seattle. Looks like more bill signings are ensuing here at the Aquarium as well. Meantime, the state hopes to start building the tunnel next year – to finish it in 2015 – and to keep The Viaduct up, as long as it’s deemed safe, until after the tunnel opens, at which time it would be torn down.
3:02 PM UPDATE: Official statement from Council Chair Constantine, just e-mailed (note he’s in our video):
“I was honored to join Governor Chris Gregoire for today’s signing of Senate Bill 5768, the legislation to fund the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep-bore tunnel and surface roadway improvements.
“First, I think we have crafted a creative solution to a longstanding problem. A new elevated freeway would not have been an acceptable solution. I am glad we have moved beyond the antiquated practice of forcing freeways through cities. The Alaskan Way Viaduct has long been an ugly, noisy wall separating downtown from the waterfront. Its removal is a first, necessary step in reconnecting our central city.
“Secondly, I am proud to have been involved in helping to negotiate this solution. I made many trips to Olympia over the last year to meet with Governor Gregoire, former County Executive Ron Sims, Mayor Greg Nickels and legislative leaders as part of the Viaduct Oversight Committee. The deep-bore tunnel and a surface boulevard—combined with improvements to the Spokane Street Viaduct and the creation of a new stadium interchange for State Route 99—will maintain access for West Seattle and South King County residents to and through downtown Seattle. And, critically, because the tunnel will not share the alignment of the old viaduct structure, we also have the opportunity to maintain traffic on the SR 99 corridor during construction.
“I support this solution and will work to implement it.
“The challenge to Seattle and King County is to provide the other surface and transit improvements needed to make local transportation work. We now must consider how this work will be funded, how quickly it can be implemented, and how we will be able to sustain the needed transit service in the future.”
Adding one other clip from the event – the governor’s message to tunnel skeptics – may still be processing so please be patient:
One such skeptic, mayoral candidate Michael McGinn – we talked with him outside the event – will add that later.
Out of the WSB inbox, from Amber:
I just wanted to let you know about a hit & run near 16 th Avenue & SW Dawson St [map]. A drunk driver (assumedly) plowed into my father in law’s car that was parked in front of our house sometime early Monday morning (possibly around 4:00 or 5:00 am). The car is totaled and there were no skid marks on the street so they didn’t even try to stop. The police stated that they do not come out for a non-moving violation, just write up a report based on the call. It’s a long shot but if anyone knows anything it would really help. Thanks!
The non-emergency number, if you have any information, is 206-625-5011 (you can find that highlighted on the WSB Crime Watch page if you ever need to find it fast).
If you happened to drive by 35th/Holden within the past hour and wondered why a fire station was on the lawn of the old house across from the Chevron station – Engine 37 was temporarily on special duty, making a visit to its future home, where ceremonial groundbreaking was celebrated for the new Fire Station 37, which will look something like this (photograph replaced Tuesday night with digital copy of rendering):
Not only was the Station 37 team on hand —
— so were Mayor Nickels, Fire Chief Gregory Dean, West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, and Brenda Bauer, who handles projects like this as director of Fleets and Facilities:
The mayor explained why this particular fire-station project is a special one for him personally:
Councilmember Rasmussen wondered if a somewhat secret feature of the old station would be moved to the new one:
The crowd also heard a few words from Pablo Lambinicio, chair of the Delridge District Council:
Other well-known West Seattleites in attendance included the peninsula’s two Neighborhood Services Coordinators, Ron Angeles (Delridge office) and Stan Lock (Junction office). We talked with project managers afterward; right now, the city’s evaluating bids for the construction but hasn’t awarded a contract yet, so don’t expect to see backhoes pulling up any day now. Once the new Station 37 is built and occupied (second half of next year), the city will sell the current 84-year-old Station 37, which must be preserved because it’s an official city landmark:
The new site is a few blocks south of the old one at 35th/Othello; the new station will be about 9,000 square feet, more than double the size of the old one, and the project cost has been estimated at about $6 million. ADDED 8 PM: The city tells us the top three bidders, whose bids are being reviewed right now, are Harmatta Construction Inc., Kirtley – Cole Associates, and OPUS.
One more reminder – today’s the day: Not only is this a rare chance to help design a playground (backstory here) – it’s a rare opportunity for children to be part of the process as well as grownups. 4 pm today marks the start of an all-ages afternoon and evening – with free dinner! — helping shape the new playground that Delridge Community Center will get this summer, thanks in no small part to KaBoom, which helps local communities get new playgrounds that — with volunteer help and community support – are built in a day. The design discussions start at 4 pm with a “kids’ meeting” for their ideas on what they want to see; 5 pm, spaghetti dinner; 5:30 pm, adults’ meeting (with child care provided!). North Delridge Neighborhood Council co-vice-chair Betsy Hoffmeister is hoping for a big turnout – the bigger the turnout, the more support for the new playground, and the more ideas for what it’ll be like, the merrier! Just show up at the community center and jump in.
That’s a photo we took outside Sanislo Elementary just before the morning bell today; at left is Jen Cole from the pedestrian-advocacy group Feet First, and at right, the man she describes as a “walking celebrity,” Mark Fenton from the PBS series “America’s Walking.” He joined a group of Sanislo families and Highland Park neighbors in a “walking school bus” this morning, traveling more than a mile from 11th/Thistle to Sanislo @ 21st/Myrtle, and then talked with students and parents outside the school. Along the route were a couple of crossings that have been high on local radar for safety improvements, including 12th/Holden in front of Highland Park Improvement Club – here’s our video as we crossed that busy route to and from eastern West Seattle:
While at that crossing, Highland Park Action Committee chair Dan Mullins, who was along for part of the walk, pointed out it’s one of the spots where HPAC’s new Traffic Committee (WSB story here) is working on safety improvements — that’s him on the left side of this next photo from the start of the walk:
You can see Fenton speak at Union Station downtown (map) tonight, 6 pm, during an event as part of the city’s Pedestrian Master Plan launch, spearheaded by SDOT (whose Jennifer Wieland joined this morning’s walk too).
The only Restricted Parking Zone in West Seattle right now is in Fauntleroy (here’s the map). Some Junction residents would like 
the next WS RPZ to be in their area (that discussion’s been under way more than a year), so the city’s current process of revising the rules is of intense interest – and that’s why it’s on the Junction Neighborhood Organization agenda tonight (6:30 pm, Ginomai, 42nd/Genesee). SDOT’s Mary Catherine Snyder told the Southwest District Council last week that comments on the proposed revisions will be accepted till this Friday, May 15th (more on how to comment, here). The SWDC expressed concern about many of the major changes that are proposed, particularly the ones that could preclude a Junction-area RPZ, including an increase in the minimum size of a proposed RPZ. Snyder told the SWDC that SDOT management will still have discretion about where to set up a zone — but council co-chair Chas Redmond said, “I’m really concerned about the City of Seattle moving to a one-size-fits-all solution when one size DOESN’T fit all.” While the SWDC drafts a letter to the city voicing its concerns, the voices of neighborhood groups like JuNO matter too, so be at tonight’s meeting to be part of what happens next. Also on tonight’s JuNO agenda: “View corridor setbacks” proposed for Junction development.
Photos to share from more of what West Seattle students (and their teachers!) are up to: That photo is from Pathfinder K-8, where PE teacher Lou Cutler has assembled a Performing Team — hula hoops, jump rope, juggling and more — to go entertain local audiences, with a special focus on seniors. That photo’s from the Senior Center of West Seattle stop; their next stop is Bridge Park in High Point this Friday. Meantime, Explorer West Middle School shared photos of its students joining with 4th graders from nearby Roxhill Elementary on a trip to Seola Creek for cleanup and rehab work:
Thanks to Explorer West science department chair Kristin Moore for sharing the photos. Besides cleanup and restoration, the students also got to hear from a Seattle Parks rep regarding native/non-native plants and the local ecosystem.
At tonight’s meeting of the city Skatepark Advisory Committee, a big step was taken toward cobbling together the money needed to build the Delridge Skatepark, even though its original funding was pulled from the city budget: With Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher and two managers in attendance, 
as well as what one committee member called “the largest number of people we’ve ever had in this room over the age of 12,” the SPAC voted to recommend moving a quarter-million dollars in Parks Levy money to Delridge. The $250,000 was originally earmarked for a “skate spot” at the future Myrtle Reservoir park, but as committee member Matthew Lee Johnston of West Seattle (center, in photo at left) noted, multiple community meetings last year turned thumbs down on the idea of a skate feature at Myrtle. It’s still in the citywide Skatepark Plan and could resurface someday if money appeared from elsewhere, but for now, if the necessary approvals ensue, it’s going into the Delridge pot. First, the Parks Levy Oversight Committee will have to give its blessing; then, City Council approval, which also would be needed to seed the Delridge Skatepark funding with $500,000 saved from other Parks projects (first revealed at a Parks Board meeting last month). However, with the community support reiterated tonight — Pete Spalding spoke on behalf of the Delridge District Council and the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council (he’s on the Levy Oversight Committee too), while Nancy Folsom spoke on behalf of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council – department leadership didn’t think that would be much of a problem. “Everybody’s blown away by how amazing the process has been,” Johnston noted. However, he called for one additional demonstration of community support: Fundraising. The site apparently can support a skatepark of up to 14,000 square feet; it’s being designed right now to 10,000 square feet because that’s what the original budget would have paid for, but Gallagher says $750,000 would buy 12,000 square feet. Perhaps the community could chip in enough to cover the rest of the way to 14K, Johnston suggested. West Seattleite Mike Shaughnessy – a former SPAC member – said he supports the maximum possible size for the skatepark, as he could imagine it becoming overcrowded quite quickly. Meantime, the design process continues – two meetings already have been held, and project manager 
Kelly Davidson said she hopes to schedule the third meeting soon. First, the money matters have to be worked out; Parks executive Kevin Stoops said the Levy Oversight Committee likely will be asked May 26 to consider the Myrtle-to-Delridge transfer. Also ahead in late May, Folsom said a Request for Proposals will be published for the art project that’s proposed to be built by the skatepark site at the northeast corner of the Delridge Community Center playfield/park. Though it’s not technically part of the skatepark, designers are working with art-project planners, Folsom said.
We’re all sadly used to seeing those e-mails that try to trick you into giving up personal/bank info – but this kind of fraud doesn’t happen quite as often by phone. However, it happened to Kris and her husband, and she e-mailed WSB to share a warning with you:Read More
Last Friday, we got a sneak peek at this year’s West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival float as it prepared to head north for its first parade of the year in Sequim. Tonight, Hi-Yu vice president and float chair Deena Mahn sent photos from the parade – including one (below) of the award won by the “How Sweet It Is” float – and news about how things went:
Plenty of hard work and a challenge up until the moment we got there but we are very proud to have received the Chairman’s Award! Next weekend we will be in Port Townsend for the Rhody Festival.
We would like to extend a very special thank you to Life Church on 35th and Cloverdale, who allowed us to park and work on our float in their parking lot; they were so gracious and took care of our float in one of the windstorms! Also many thanks to everyone who helped in constructing this beautiful float, we are so excited for all of the many upcoming parades.
That’s the subject line Jeff wrote on his e-mail about the break-in at his house in the 9200 block of 20th SW (map):
It happened sometime Sunday sometime between 1 and 9 pm while we were away for Mother’s Day festivities. They broke in through the dog door in back of the house. They had to be pretty small since the dog door isn’t very big. They stole an iPod and Dewalt drill.
And that wasn’t all, Jeff found out after the first note – $1,500 in jewelry too. They did call police; of the response, he told us, “Officer Sperry responded quickly, made a report and dusted for prints around where
the iPod was taken from. I can’t say enough about how helpful and reassuring he was during such a stressful time.”
Spotted these officers pulled over briefly during a Harbor Ave ride, near Salty’s, this afternoon. When we talked with Southwest Precinct Capt. Joe Kessler a week ago about Alki police-presence plans, he mentioned the possibility of bike patrols again this year, so we’ll be checking on whether this might have portended that. ADDED 7:32 PM: A tipster tells us SPD has a mountain-bike training class this week, with officers from other departments as well as new SPD bicycle officers and parking-enforcement officers involved.
Read on for the official announcement:Read More
Since our first short report on a major crash just east of West Seattle last Wednesday, friends and schoolmates of the driver who was seriously hurt, 16-year-old Chief Sealth High School student Coreena Wolford, have been posting updates and tributes in the comment section (read them starting here). Among other things, friends posted that she was on her way to Concord Elementary in South Park that day, for the final session of a program in which she was volunteering to read to younger students. Her name and condition haven’t been made public until now, but friends have just forwarded the link to a Caring Bridge website that has been set up as the official source of information about how she’s doing, with all postings approved by Coreena’s family: You can see the site here. We’ve been asking for any information we can share about a fund to help with her recovery, and her friends tell us that information should be available soon. Meantime, the new website says she was scheduled for more surgery this afternoon.
This has been a big year for church milestones around West Seattle – and the next to celebrate its centennial is Holy Rosary in The Junction. Read on for the announcement of its Homecoming Mass and Luncheon planned for June 7, with tickets available now:Read More
When we showed you The Kenney‘s latest design sketches after a community meeting last week (WSB coverage here), all we had were photographs of a projection screen – but there’s good news if you’re tracking this project – now you can see the sketches clearly online, along with other information about The Kenney‘s new design-review proposal, the one that saves the iconic century-old, cupola-topped Seaview Building. The info and drawings are all viewable here, three days before the project’s next Design Review Board hearing, which is coming up this Thursday, 6:30 pm, at the Senior Center of West Seattle.
The King County Council has officially put the proposed annexation on the August 18th ballot. The official announcement is online at our partner site White Center Now. Even if approved, this would still leave most of White Center as an unincorporated area; an agreement worked out with Burien and Seattle executive branches’ participation was supposed to give Seattle dibs, but the Seattle City Council voted against that deal.
In addition to other previews we mentioned earlier, a few more things to mention for tonight, and tomorrow:
TRIVIA ON ALKI: Just got word that Christo’s on Alki is hosting Monday night trivia tonight – 8 pm – with the Voice of the Mariners, West Seattleite Tom Hutyler.
EARLY TOMORROW MORNING: Feet First is organizing a “walking school bus” event tomorrow morning from Highland Park playfield (11th/Thistle [map], meet 8:10 am) to Sanislo Elementary. Families and other interested neighbors are encouraged to join in; what one Feet First organizer calls “a true walking celebrity” will be along too – Mark Fenton from the PBS series “America’s Walking.”
LATER TOMORROW MORNING: Reminder – as reported here 2 weeks ago, the groundbreaking for the new Fire Station 37 is happening at 35th/Holden, 11 am tomorrow, with the mayor in attendance; here’s the official invite. (The old station won’t be put up for sale till next year, once the new one is done and occupied.)
TOMORROW AFTERNOON: Governor Gregoire signs the viaduct/tunnel bill in a ceremony at 2 pm, Seattle Aquarium.
TOMORROW NIGHT: It’s one of those mega-nights for neighborhood meetings – Junction Neighborhood Organization meets at 6:30 pm, Ginomai, 42nd/Genesee, and parking’s on the agenda (particularly the Restricted Parking Zone changes that were also discussed at last week’s Southwest District Council meeting); Admiral Neighborhood Association meets at 7 pm, Admiral Church; Fauntleroy Community Association meets at 7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy.
ALSO TOMORROW NIGHT: Outstanding students from West Seattle are among the two dozen-plus citywide to be honored at the Mayor’s Scholars Awards downtown tomorrow night; we first reported on them in late March.
That’s the scene from last July, on the day the Seafair Pirates invaded Alki. Exactly two months from today, they’re scheduled to return, in the first big event of the Seafair season – the Pirates’ Landing is set for July 11. And exactly two days from now, Seafair is offering a one-day-only discount-advance-ticket deal for two of its highest-profile admission-required events: This Wednesday, May 13, 9 am to 9 pm only, Seafair is selling hydroplane race/air show tickets for $6 and Torchlight Run entries for $6. (The price is in honor of Seafair celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.) You have to make the purchase online, that day and those hours ONLY – through either seafair.com, or (hydro/airshow only) ticketmaster.com/(Torchlight Run only) active.com. (The Seafair Pirates’ Landing, we should note, is free – just be sure to arrive early for a prime spot on the beach.)
With Zeek’s Pizza into its second week in Morgan Junction, 
it’s time to look ahead to West Seattle’s next scheduled restaurant opening: A spokesperson for Fresh Bistro, the Herban Feast-borne restaurant going into the ground floor of Mural Apartments (WSB sponsor) west of Jefferson Square, confirms that May 22 is the date the restaurant is set to open. You can see a “sample menu” here; for those who’ve been clamoring for late-night dining, note that, as proprietor BJ Duft told us in our preview story last November, it’ll be open late – per its website, till midnight Fri-Sat, till 11 pm Mon-Thurs.
(Twitpic of Atlantis launch by @jesszuber)
ORIGINAL 10:54 AM NOTE: Just minutes till Atlantis is scheduled to lift off with West Seattle High School Class of ’72 grad Gregory Johnson piloting: Watch live here. UPDATE: 11:02 am, Atlantis has just taken off. 11:13 AM UPDATE: Via Twitter, NASA notes that Atlantis arrived in orbit eight minutes after liftoff. We’ll add liftoff video here as soon as we find an embeddable version.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
12:15 PM UPDATE: Added MSNBC video.
Today, we welcome our newest sponsor, West Seattle pet-care provider Lady Di, Pet Chaperone. 
It’s a WSB tradition to welcome new sponsors by sharing more information about their businesses; Lady Di‘s been in the pet-care business in West Seattle for 14 years. Currently, she offers doggy day care in a real home environment. The dogs have a complete living room, with comfy furniture, dog beds and a TV, which were all donated by Lady Di‘s clients. There are also inside and outside areas for small dogs, and the day care features a live-in manager to look after your pets. Lady Di offers in-home visitation for pets as well. If you’re going out of town, you can schedule an interview with Lady Di. During the interview, Lady Di takes time to get to know you and your pet, and to learn about what needs your pet might have while you’re away. In-home visits are available for dogs, cats, birds, fish, and exotics. Her visiting staff is bonded and insured. Lady Di, Pet Chaperone is a member of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the West Seattle Junction Association. Online, you’ll find Lady Di at seattlepetcare.com; by phone, 206-938-4222.
Thanks to Lady Di, Pet Chaperone for supporting 24/7 community news, information and discussion by sponsoring WSB; our full list of sponsors is here, as is info on how to join them!
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