West Seattle, Washington
24 Saturday
Volunteers tabled and walked along Alki today in honor of World Water Day — to make sure you know that something we take for granted — a clean, safe water supply — is still elusive for way too many people worldwide. Find out more here (including info about an event at Seward Park on May 30th, in which participants will try to walk 5 kilometers carrying 5 gallons of water — which water1st.org notes is “the average walk made by women and children in poor countries who lack access to safe, convenient water supplies”). Another day of awareness with local involvement is just two days away — World TB Day on Tuesday, with local students helping put on a big event downtown:
The World TB Day event Tuesday night at Town Hall is free – and promises to be an eye-opener. Full details here. If you thought tuberculosis was a thing of the past – this King County-specific information alone will cure you of that notion. (The local rate, in fact, hit a 30-year high in 2007.) Student organizers also have been sending out TB info via Twitter – follow their tweets (and see the archives) at twitter.com/worldtbday.
Last time “possible snow” was mentioned fleetingly in the “forecast discussion,” this happened. (Was that really only A WEEK AGO?) So in the interest of “no surprises,” we’re noting that it’s mentioned fleetingly here in the regional overview for tomorrow:
ONCE AGAIN…PRECIP TYPE MAY BE TRICKY DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS WITH LIGHT OFFSHORE FLOW…TEMPS IN THE LOWER 30S AND LOW SNOW LEVELS. COULD SEE LIGHT SNOW IN THE LOWLANDS…ESPECIALLY THE HOOD CANAL REGION.
Last year, we had a few brief bouts of spring snow, including one as late as April 19th (here’s the proof).
(Saturday evening photo by David Hutchinson, taken near Don Armeni)
VIADUCT REMINDER: The second of the Alaskan Way Viaduct‘s two 12-hour inspection shutdowns is scheduled 6 am-6 pm (note that they often end “early” on the 2nd day) today, while the Battery Street Tunnel is to remain closed till 5 am tomorrow; go behind the scenes during shutdown day 1 in this WSB report.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Daffodils and goat-meat sausage are among the items on today’s “fresh list” for the market (see the complete list here), 10 am-2 pm in The Junction, 44th/Alaska – while you’re there, look for the Junction Plaza Park volunteers, who continue to gather pledges of volunteer help to get the park done.
WEST SEATTLE EDIBLE GARDEN FAIR PLANNING MEETING: 1:30 pm, Duwamish Cohousing – join the group that’s getting ready for an event to show the whole peninsula how to get involved in growing food. (More info in this preview we published Friday.)
Also today – World Water Day at Alki, a free concert at Hope Lutheran, the Hi-Yu Spring Tea, and more – full list in the Sunday section of our West Seattle Weekend Lineup.
We dropped by the beautiful Duwamish Longhouse this afternoon in the middle of the Fry Bread for Justice fundraiser – unfortunately, they were between batches of fry bread during our visit, but Pam at Nerd’s Eye View tells a great yarn from her visit. (They’re planning more Fry Bread for Justice events – keep an eye on the tribe’s website.) And tonight, the finale of the Winter Movies on the Wall series – “Napoleon Dynamite,” preceded by a tater-tot-eating contest – just a bit of which was caught on video:
Nine entrants – not bad! The tater tots – and the $25 gift-certificate prize – were donated by Skylark Cafe and Club (WSB sponsor). Keep an eye out for more news soon about the popular Summer Movies on the Wall series, which will start in mid-July – outdoor movies every Saturday night for six weeks, beginning July 18th.
There’s word of a breakthrough in West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen‘s work on the issue of what to do about a city-owned parcel at SW Manning/Admiral Way near The Bridge that’s best known for its sequoia tree, which has a 4-foot-diameter trunk:
The 14,000-square-foot site was originally purchased in 1961 as part of the West Seattle Bridge right-of-way; several years ago, it was targeted for potential sale as surplus property, but neighbors and community activists expressed concern, saying it still had potential for public use. Now, there’s a plan in the works to not only keep it off the market, but to have it transferred to the Parks Department, which wasn’t interested in the site in years past, but is now. That “public involvement plan” is on the agenda next Tuesday morning for the council’s Parks Committee, which Rasmussen chairs; here’s what will be proposed as a next step:
A) A public meeting should be scheduled in the vicinity of the property. Notice of the meeting will be provided to all citizens who have previously submitted comments, as well as property owners and residents living within a 1200-foot radius of PMA No. 4273, community organizations, and others who might be interested.
B) The meeting will consider uses put forward by the community, including but not limited to the following: green space, park area, sculpture garden, off-leash area, mini skate park, flower garden, or P-patch. The proposed transfer of the property to the Department of Parks and Recreation will also be discussed. Other issues may include concerns about the tall Sequoia tree located in the northeast section of the property, the sloping nature of the parcel, and the pace of residential development in the neighborhood.
Rasmussen’s committee meets at 9:30 am Tuesday at City Hall downtown; if you can’t be there in person, you can watch live on cable channel 21 or online via Seattle Channel.
Video, photos, and text by Christopher Boffoli
WSB photojournalist
WSDOT maintenance crews closed the Alaskan Way Viaduct for 12 hours today for its semi-annual inspection and repairs, and are scheduled to do it again 6 am-6 pm tomorrow.
And as West Seattle drivers no doubt cursed the increased congestion as they navigated alternate routes off the peninsula, a select group of lucky people donned hard hats and reflective vests for walking tours of the 56-year-old structure. Transportation Department organizers said that the weekend’s public tours were open to anyone who signed up, though they filled up quickly. Hundreds of people were scheduled to tour the Viaduct this weekend and many more were put on waiting lists.
In addition to the public walking tours, a media tour was organized for first thing this morning, and WSB went along for a closer look at what’s being done this weekend – not just the inspection, but also some work related to the Viaduct’s proposed replacement.
Read More
From Michael:
We unknowingly left our minivan unlocked last night (3/20/09) and this morning the contents were strewn about our front sidewalk. It appears nothing was stolen, but they went through all the bags and glove box. Location 34th Ave SW between Andover and Charlestown [map].
ADDED SATURDAY EVENING: From Dano:
Just wanted to share that I too, just felt the sting of theft…. I live on Alki Beach, and my beautiful concrete Buddha statue was stolen right off my street side patio. It makes me sad… I guess the person who stole it needed its peaceful presence more than me…..But still, I am sad.
As you probably noticed in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup, lots of work-party action in local greenspaces today, as is the case most Saturdays – but if you can spare some time TOMORROW, here’s a request we just received:
My name is Sam Westler and I go to Chief Sealth High School. A group of students along with myself are hosting a work party to remove the invasive plants in the West Duwamish Greenbelt. We are working from 10-4 on Sunday March 22nd, and we would like to get the word out to as many people as possible. Everyone is welcome to come help out. We are meeting in the Cooper Elementary School parking lot at ten.
If you haven’t been to Cooper, which is on Pigeon Point, here’s a map.
The Alki Masonic Hall in The Junction went Wild West last night for the Sanislo Elementary PTA’s Jamboree, raising money for programs at “the small school with the big ideas,” as the PTA website calls it.
Thanks to Dartanyon for sharing pix from the Sanislo dinner and auction. Two other photos to share this morning – the Olympic Mountains are “out” in all their snow-frosted (albeit hazy) splendor, and as Shannon observed in the note accompanying the pix, that doesn’t always last long:
Thanks again to everyone who e-mails photos (and news tips!) to share – we’re reachable many other ways too, all listed on the WSB Contact page.
Reminder – The Viaduct is closed till 6 pm for the first day of its semiannual inspection; the Battery Street Tunnel is closed around the clock till early Monday morning. But why leave West Seattle? Highlights from the latest West Seattle Weekend Lineup include:
SCOUTING FOR FOOD – You may have received a door hanger about this; we reported on it two weeks ago. Local Boy Scouts will go door to door to collect food donations to help fight hunger; if they’re not in your neighborhood, you can still take donations to the West Seattle Food Bank (map) 10 am-2 pm.
FRY BREAD FOR JUSTICE – 10 am-5 pm at the new Duwamish Longhouse (map) – $20 donation, food and entertainment to help the tribe raise money to keep fighting for federal recognition.
CASUAL INDUSTREES SALE – This sassy West Seattle clothing business doesn’t have a regular storefront but it’s opening the doors for a big sale this weekend – 6205 SW Admiral (map), 10 am-6 pm today.
FREE MOVIE – “Napoleon Dynamite” is the grand finale of the first-ever Winter Indoor Movies on the Wall series presented in The Junction by local businesses (including WSB!) – free (but bring money for concessions and nonprofit-benefiting raffle), 7 pm, the new West Seattle Christian Church activity center (map), bring your own chair(s), doors open at 5:30 pm.
“ECLECTIC” MUSIC – That’s how guitarist Andre Feriante described the show he and others will present in the Admiral Theater‘s Listening Room series at 9 tonight ($12).
Much, more more in the WSWL.
We reported Thursday about a stirring of hope that some high-level city attention may finally be given to a problem that’s been plaguing the Delridge area in its redevelopment throes: Even as some of Delridge’s old homes make way for new construction – particularly townhouses – some houses sit abandoned for years, and become magnets for trouble — like the one above, which sits prominently over the northbound Delridge approach to The Bridge. While, as we reported last night, the city says it was cleared and “secured” a few weeks ago, the proprietor of nearby Skylark Club and Cafe (WSB sponsor) pointed out in a new e-mail discussion (including city councilmember Sally Clark, who promised to come tour the area) that it was also reportedly “secured” last year, too (after a small fire we reported here, attributed to transients). And North Delridge Neighborhood Council co-chair Mike Dady says he would like to see this lead to changes that can help areas beyond Delridge, too:
My hope is that we will see Council Member Clark and Diane Sugimura follow through and visit Delridge within the next couple weeks. But my greater hope is that we don’t just have a band-aid or quick-fix put on wound that is affecting not just Delridge, but many other parts of the city. These are properties that are in the hands of absentee property owners, speculators or developers who allow them to sit vacant, completely unattended or monitored, and looking like, well…..looking like a pile of you-know-what and attracting problems that are in some cases beyond the imagination.
It seems to me that the City Council and the Mayor’s Office needs to revise the Seattle Municipal Code to allow quick demolition and removal of problem prone structures as it is nearly impossible to keep trespassers out of vacant building, even if it is boarded up with plywood, lumber and lag bolts. Allowing houses without water service turned on and functional plumbing to become de facto shelters for transient or homeless people is not an acceptable solution to that very separate and difficult issue.
To allow these dilapidated properties to remain as is, for many, many years in some cases, creates a public safety problem, wastes citizen energy and is a drain on DPD, SPD, SFD and KC Public Health budgets and staff time.
Sincerely,
Mike Dady
North Delridge Neighborhood Council Co-Chair
It’s not just the vacant houses that he’s concerned about, but also the occupied ones that are literally trashed outdoors – like this junk pile spotted recently behind a multiplex in the 4800 block of Delridge (map):
The discussed city-involved tour of Delridge hasn’t been scheduled yet, to our knowledge, but we will continue to follow up. You can also bet this will be on the next NDNC agenda – the council meets the first Wednesday of each month, so that’s 6:30 pm April 1st, Delridge Library.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: A date for the tour is now set for early April, according to Mike Dady, and at least one citywide media outlet may be along, after reading about it here.
Two words: Chocolate fountain.
That alone may have been enough to recommend the annual West Side MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) Spa Day today at West Side Presbyterian Church. Any and all of the group’s 65 members were welcome to come indulge in free pleasures donated by local businesses – from that chocolate fountain and other treats, to chair massages …
… and hair help …
… and lots more. As event coordinator Leah Barham put it, if you have little kids (she has a 3-year-old and a first-grader) you don’t tend to take time to take care of yourself, so Spa Day gives MOPS moms a chance for a relaxing break. Without the kids – they were in another area of the WSPC building. That’s also how MOPS runs its meetings, 1st and 3rd Fridays, October through May – while the moms get together, the kids are having a good time in the MOPPETS program. Lots more about MOPS at the group’s website; meantime, read on for a list of the businesses that supported today’s event (Leah says they’re grateful for so much generosity even with the challenging economy):Read More
Reminder – It’s twice-yearly inspection time for the Battery Street Tunnel and Alaskan Way Viaduct; the tunnel was scheduled to close as of 11 pm tonight and stay closed till 5 am Monday; The Viaduct is to be closed 6 am-6 pm both Saturday and Sunday.
That sonar-equipped, self-propelled seafloor-mapping device caused a stir along Alki Avenue this afternoon, then again tonight. Around midafternoon, its owners say, it failed a test; then someone apparently mistook it for an overturned kayak and rescuers briefly responded. It wound up on the beach in the 1300 block of Alki — where some passersby wondered if it were a “torpedo” — and there it stayed till a crane could be brought in a short time ago to retrieve it:
It couldn’t just be carried off the beach, its owners explained, because it weighs 1300 pounds. (Here’s a little more about it.) So they had to summon the crane (and police came out to be sure it could get close enough to the seawall, safely). 9:12 PM UPDATE: Adding video of the crane operation. (Note, the mapping device achieves liftoff about 49 seconds in.)
911 log just closed a “fire in single-family residence” call in the 1800 block of SW Trenton (map) — it wasn’t a fire after all. WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli checked it out and says: “Only one engine on the scene now – SFD told me there was a wood-burning stove with something left in it, and the smoke surprised the residents.”
That’s according to Deborra, who has a good view of it from downtown. There was construction work south of the West Seattle exit, but it was supposed to be done by 3:30, so not entirely sure that’s it – just know that heading southbound on 99 will take you longer, if you’re leaving any time soon. 5:35 PM UPDATE: SDOT sends this advisory – it IS related to the road work:
SDOT is working to address traffic backups on southbound Highway 99 this afternoon.
A contractor making emergency repairs on East Marginal Way South (Highway 99) had his crews off the street before 3:30 p.m. as required by his city permit; however, two traffic lanes were left closed to allow pavement to cure, resulting in traffic backups through downtown Seattle.
One lane was opened at 5 p.m., and the third lane is to be opened before 6 p.m.
(WSB photo taken in Admiral District, 12/21/2008)
Followup to the Seattle Times investigation of last December’s snow response and the suggestion that West Seattle got preferential treatment: The mayor’s office just sent a news release saying he’s asking for an ethics review of the Transportation Department – read on:Read More
“Napoleon Dynamite” wraps up the first-ever Indoor Winter Movies on the Wall (free!) series Saturday night in The Junction 
with “Napoleon Dynamite” — including a tater-tot contest! Before or after, you can check out the White Center Open Studio Art Tour – Saturday night’s also when Andre Feriante and friends perform a “Listening Room” concert at the Admiral Theater – Scouting for Food, Sanislo Elementary‘s auction, the Hi-Yu Spring Tea, World Water Day at Alki, and more, all among more than 40 events in this edition of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup (sponsored by Skylark Cafe and Club):Read More
Good news, the lighting at the I-5/West Seattle Bridge (Spokane Street) interchange is getting improvements. Semi-bad news in the short run, that means some ramp closures. They may not all affect you since some are from Columbian Way (the Beacon Hill end), but here’s the full list just in case:Read More
When the Duwamish Tribe dedicated its long-awaited longhouse on the eastern edge of West Seattle on January 3rd, lawyer Scott Wheat – seen in that WSB video clip from our coverage of the event – talked about the tribe’s legal fight for federal recognition. One thing they need: Money. So tomorrow – and two other dates in April and May – the tribe is holding all-day events under the title “Cecile’s Fry Bread for Justice” – Cecile is the tribe’s longtime elected chair Cecile Hansen, and we’ve heard that her fry bread is legendary. Other food, plus entertainment, and “surprises,” the tribe promises. (We also got a note this morning that they’re looking for volunteer help from people with food-handler permits.) 10 am-5 pm tomorrow at the longhouse, $20 donation at the door; more info here.
West Seattle is a hotbed of high-tech learning, with robotics programs at several local schools — and one of them, Seattle Lutheran High School, is the only West Seattle participant in a competition next week at KeyArena, the FIRST Robotics Microsoft Seattle Regional. Bil Hood from SLHS tells WSB, “There will be teams from all over the US as far as Florida, as well as Canada and even Turkey at the event.” SLHS is one of four Seattle-area schools scheduled to compete (Evergreen, just south of here, is part of it too); Bil shares this link to video of the school’s current robot. The theme this year, he explains, is the Moon (here’s a national-level explanation of the competition) — Bil explains that it “tries to recreate lunar gravity for the robots while they try and pick up moon rocks to load onto competitors’ robots.” Competition happens next Thursday-Saturday; here’s the agenda.
(From left, Delridge Produce Co-Op organizer Galena White, Nola [daughter of Jennifer Grant], board members Jennifer Grant and Ranette Iding, volunteer consultant Johnathan Oliver from Heart On My Sleeve)
The next big event for the volunteers working toward a Delridge Produce Cooperative is a community potluck (to which you’re invited!) one week from tomorrow, and they gathered to work on the plan last night at Pearls coffeehouse. Music, food, a raffle, and even a chili-making demonstration are planned for the event 11 am-2 pm (see the flyer on the Delridge Produce Cooperative home page) Saturday, March 28, at Youngstown Arts Center. Your role? Show up, with “healthy food” to share, and have fun. Meantime, co-op organizer Galena White recently wrote up a recap of how this all got started, in response to requests from other media looking into stories about the Delridge Produce Cooperative effort, and we want to share her story as an inspirational instance of one person who decided to stop “complaining” – and take action – see what she did, step by step:Read More
That’s Moon the cat. Moon needs someplace to stay – short term or long term. His person, Sherry, lost her job, then got evicted this week, according to Delridge resident Paul Boyarin, who met Sherry at her recent yard sale. Now that she’s staying at an emergency shelter, she can’t keep Moon with her; the neighbor who’s watching him can’t keep him; Paul himself is maxed out with four foster cats; and local cat rescuers say they’re full to capacity right now. So Paul wonders if anyone in WSB-land would be interested in taking care of Moon, who’s about three years old, described as “very friendly and sweet” and “a well-loved indoor cat.” If you can help, here’s how to reach Paul: pzalic@yahoo.com
| 1 COMMENT