West Seattle, Washington
14 Saturday
That’s video of Grace Puffert (speaking) and Mary Griffin, Seattle Lutheran High School students introducing their senior-project fashion show Sunday afternoon at the SLHS gym. The benefit for Providence Mount St. Vincent, where the two volunteer, raised about $800 and drew enthusiastic applause and cheers throughout. We first heard of the project more than two months ago, when the students posted about their project in the WSB Forums, looking for classic fashion to be loaned for the show; we interviewed them shortly afterward; then we checked in on their dress-rehearsal show; and finally, Sunday was the big day. And what a production – with almost 30 models! The show kicked off with this Edwardian look loaned (and made!) by Morgan Community Association‘s Cindi Barker, who was watching from the front row:
Phil Yovetich and Alex Meyer served as the emcees, talking their way cheerily through an entire century, including these ’70s looks (with music to match):
And who could have a “Fashion Through the Ages” show without ’80s-height shoulder pads?
We happened to sit next to Grace Puffert’s proud grandmother and grandfather, Miriam and Larry Puffert, who live at another of West Seattle’s major senior-living centers, The Kenney. Miriam Puffert told me that Grace’s interest in fashion dates way back – relating the story of an outfit her granddaughter “designed” at age 9, which grandma went on to make for her. Grace plans to study fashion merchandising in college, while Mary told us she wants to study psychology. Congratulations and good luck to Grace and Mary, and to ALL West Seattle’s graduating seniors. (By the way, Storey Squires from The Mount, speaking before the fashion show, said that of the 200 or so volunteers there, more than 40 are youths!)
This came to us recently in our postal mailbox (address here, in case you ever need it). Though it was dated late March, a few weeks before we received it, the timing is still good because of the Feinstein Challenge, in which food-bank contributions through the end of this month are potentially worth more than face value. Anyway, we haven’t contacted the young sender so we’re omitting his surname and phone number … but his request is one that any of us can act on, at any time of the day or night:
Tracy Record, Co-Publisher/Editor
West Seattle BlogDear Ms. Record,
There are so many people desperately in need of food. I am Tyler … an 8th grader at Our Lady of Guadalupe School and I am trying to help the West Seattle Food Bank fight against hunger. Every week the West Seattle Food Bank gives food to five hundred hungry families. The people in need are single parents, the working poor, fixed-income seniors, and children. With the decline of the economy this horrible problem is growing right here in our West Seattle neighborhood.
Would you please inform your readers about the West Seattle Food Bank’s need for food and money donations? The West Seattle Food Bank needs canned protein items (tuna, peanut butter); baby food; formula and diapers; fresh produce; fresh milk, cheese and yogurt; and nutritional supplements, such as Ensure. Donated money helps the food bank with operating costs like insurance, rent and helps purchase bulk food items. People need to know how important it is to help their community and the people who live in it. If people are not informed about how important it is to donate food and money many will remain hungry. Please contact me if you have any questions. …
So please inform your readers about the West Seattle Food Bank’s mission to fight against hunger and how important it is to serve your community. The West Seattle Food Bank needs donations and only the community can supply them. If your readers donate food and money to the West Seattle Food Bank they will be helping the community, feeding those in need, and improving lives.
Thank you for your support,
Tyler (…)
And thank YOU, Tyler, for taking the time to write a letter about this. To donate online to West Seattle Food Bank, go here. Also note, May 1st is the WSFB fundraising gala Instruments of Change; ticket info here. Plus: The White Center Food Bank serves West Seattle south of Myrtle; you can donate online to WCFB, too, by going here.
From our review of the past week’s reports at the Southwest Precinct:
A 41-year-old Highland Park woman got a warning from police after leaving her two-year-old daughter alone in the family car while she shopped at Westwood Village Target. Police were called after passersby saw the little girl alone in a Nissan Frontier, strapped into a rear-facing booster seat, car doors locked, all windows rolled up except for one cracked open half an inch. While one officer went in to ask the store to put out a page, another stayed at the car to figure out how to get the child out. The mother answered the page and told police, according to the report, “She was asleep and I didn’t want to wake her up”; meantime, another officer set off the vehicle alarm and noted that the child got out of her seat, crawled across the cab, played with the gear shift, and opened a door for the officer. After police explained to the mother “in great detail how much danger she put her child in by leaving her unattended in a vehicle … (and) explained the exceptionally high levels of auto theft that occur in the area,” they let her go with a warning, but said the report would be forwarded to CPS. In fact, five auto-theft cases were among the other West Seattle reports we reviewed, as was a 7-11 robbery, and more – read on:Read More
On behalf of West Seattle Little League, Cami MacNamara wants you to know: “West Seattle Little League is still accepting registrations for Big League Baseball, 17-18 years of age. Season begins mid-May (after regular-season high-school ball) and runs through late June. One to two games per week and double-headers on Sundays. Our combined All-Star team won the State Tournament last season. Please visit our registration page and sign up today!” You’ll find that page by going here.
If you see this before 8:30 or so, there’s still time to get to the Camp Long Lodge for a night full of bicycling presentations as the monthly Sustainable West Seattle meeting morphs into Bike-a-palooza – we took the above photo right outside the lodge, where all sorts of bikes – including The Green Car Company’s electric bikes – are on display (GCC is offering test rides, too!).
Thanks to Jim for the tip – the stoplights at 30th/Roxbury (map) are out right now (and no temporary “stop” signs had been set up when we went over for a photo shortly after his tip came in) – because of the evening sunshine, the glare might fool you into thinking you have a green light; we’re checking to make sure somebody’s reported the outage.
The Pathfinder K-8 PTSA asked us to remind you that they’re welcoming any and all interested West Seattle-area families to a presentation about Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Puget Sound author/psychiatrist Dr. Vern Cherewatenko (from Amen Clinic Northwest) will speak in the Pathfinder cafeteria (50th/Genesee; map) at 7 pm Wednesday. It’s free, but they would love to get a head count, so if you can RSVP, they’d appreciate it (marvalee_ahlen@yahoo.com or 206-829-8850).
Today, we welcome one of our newest WSB sponsors, Jen Flynn‘s Four Legs Photography. Jen brings her fine-arts-photography background to taking pictures of people’s pets. 
She says that experience helps her find your pet’s character and capture it on film. Jen does both dog and cat photography in the owners’ homes and occasionally in parks or at the beach [photo at left is C & P Coffee‘s “shop dog” Adie]. When working in a client’s home she says she is careful not to bring her equipment in immediately so that she can get to know the dog or cat she’ll be photographing. Prior to an appointment, Jen also has several tips on how to get your pet’s energy out and still look fresh for a picture. She says that taking this time to establish herself in the pet’s home has led many of her clients to say they were amazed their pet sat still to have a picture taken. Jen also works with several animal rescue and adoption groups and she’s involved with the Northwest Photographic Center. Her work has been seen in West Seattle at Next to Nature in the Junction and at The Kenney during February’s West Seattle Art Walk. She has an upcoming show at Plasteel Frames in June, and she is a frequent contributor to West Seattle-headquartered City Dog Magazine. You can find Four Legs Photography online at fourlegsphoto.com, or call Jen at 206-890-8295.
Thanks to Four Legs Photography for choosing to grow their business and support 24/7 West Seattle community news, information, and discussion by sponsoring WSB; this page has our full sponsor list and info on how to become part of it!
Warm weather got you in the mood for golf? A big decision about the West Seattle Golf Course‘s future is days away. Thursday, the Seattle Board of Park Commissioners is scheduled to make its final recommendations on the citywide Golf Course Master Plan. After previous hearings and discussions, what’s known as “Option 4B” (see a summary of costs and timetables here) is in the forefront; under that plan, the first two elements slated for construction in West Seattle would be a double-level driving range ($3.4 million) and cart paths ($155,000), both scheduled for planning/design next year and construction in 2011. As shown in the Parks schematic above, the driving range would be on the western side of the golf course, south of the stadium and parking lot. Four other improvements — clubhouse, cart barn, maintenance facilities and perimeter trails — would be scheduled, under that “option,” for planning/design in 2013, construction in 2014. The Parks Board meets at 7 pm Thursday, department HQ at Denny Park (map); full documentation for this agenda item, and other agenda topics including athletic-field scheduling and park operating hours citywide, is linked from the board’s webpage.
Update from Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen on the house fire in the 8100 block of Delridge (here’s our coverage from yesterday): Investigators have determined how it started — accidental, blamed on a “malfunctioning light fixture.” Nobody was hurt, but Delridge was closed from Holden to Thistle for a few hours because of the major fire-crew presence required to extinguish it.
That’s what channel 7 TV wants to know. So they’ve pitted West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth High School against each other in a “bracket” of their online High School Spirit contest. Voting starts at 5 pm; here’s the link.
The miracle of portable technology – you can take advantage of brilliant sun and not stay out of touch. We were actually photographing the flotilla of brant in the background, when we caught the beachgoer in the foreground. Elsewhere on Alki, crews were getting the tennis courts in shape for summer:
If you “follow” WSB on Twitter (@westseattleblog, or, if you are just checking in via the Web, twitter.com/westseattleblog), you may also have seen this photo link we tweeted – beach umbrella sighting!
ADDED 2:50 PM: One more it’s-warm-and-everybody’s-out photo, this one from Cass:
She added, “It’s all in the perspective …” (Which certainly can be said for many things!)
We usually do not publish complete “tags” on WSB, as it’s believed publicity may further encourage tagging vandals, but this time, police actually are asking us to show you these two photos in hopes you might be able to solve a costly crime: One month after we first told you about a break-in and vandalism spree at the permanent Chief Sealth High School site (WSB coverage here and here), currently closed for renovation work, Southwest Precinct Detective Nick Bauer tells WSB the damage now totals $200,000; much of that damage was from a fire set by the burglar(s), but they also broke windows, skylights, and even some equipment in the library. Believed to be linked to the break-in: Graffiti vandalism on the roof, as seen above and below:
What police are asking is this: If you have seen graffiti/tagging in a style resembling either of these photos – or if even better, you have any idea who the “writer(s)” might be – please give them a call. CrimeStoppers of Puget Sound is a good place to start, since you can tip anonymously: 206-343-2020 or 800-222-TIPS. SPD also has a non-emergency line, 206-625-5011. Just one of the ways in which your tip could help: Police can check their databases for known taggers, and if it turns out that something you have seen has already been linked to a certain offender, that may help them make the connection that cracks this case. Side note: The white blob in the top photo is our edit to block a profanity; investigators wonder if “f— the merger ” might be a reference to the end result of the work that is under way now, not only renovating CSHS but also building a new Denny Middle School on the same campus.
Published this morning at seattletimes.com and seattlepi.com: Stimson Bullitt died over the weekend at his home in south West Seattle. He was well-known in the region for a variety of endeavors including conservation activism and running KING-TV in what was considered its heyday, a time when it drew national fame for quality local news broadcasts and other programs; he was a son of its founder, the legendary Dorothy Stimson Bullitt. 
He also founded Harbor Properties, which currently has three project sites in West Seattle, the almost-open Mural Apartments (WSB sponsor), the future mixed-use Link at 38th/Alaska, and the motel site (no design proposal yet) at 36th/Alaska. And one more note: As is written on his own website (from which the photo at left was taken), “Among honors he has received, perhaps the best known was Nixon’s ‘Enemies List’.” Stimson Bullitt was less than 2 months away from his 90th birthday.
NEW COFFEE SHOP: A year in the making, Coffee at the Heights opens this morning (more info here). [Photo of barista Cheryl, on duty at midday, added 12:46 pm]
CITY BUDGET CUT PLANS: Proposed general-fund cuts outlined by the mayor last Friday will be discussed at the council Budget Committee meeting, 10:30 this morning (you can watch live via Seattle Channel, cable channel 21 or seattlechannel.org).
BIKE-A-PALOOZA: That’s what Sustainable West Seattle is calling the bicycling presentations and exhibits assembled for tonight’s monthly meeting, 7 pm, Camp Long (more info here).
TEAM DELRIDGE: 6:30 pm at Youngstown Arts Center, as part of the King County Food and Fitness Initiative — come talk about strategies for the Fitness & Built Environment.
* Do you feel safe walking in the Delridge neighborhood?
* Do you use the stairs along Delridge Way?
* Have you ever walked Longfellow Creek?
* Is the current bus system useful for your needs?
* Are the sidewalks safe? For children? Strollers? Elderly?
Lots more – for today/tonight and way beyond – on the WSB Events calendar.
Thanks to JayDee for that view from Sunset Avenue SW, looking out toward Alki Point, with Blake Island in the background. Next: Ground-level on Alki, we spotted this bird a few days ago, and have been meaning to ask aloud if it’s yet another eagle-in-transition:
Different kind of creatures onstage this past week at West Seattle Montessori School (WSB sponsor) – congratulations to the preprimary performers who put on “Three Billy Goats Gruff”, and thanks to Jennifer for sharing the photo:
Last but not least, we published a photo tour last week spotlighting a new WSB sponsor, Mural Apartments in The Junction — a few days later, Brian sent us this photo, with appliances-in-waiting seeming to mirror the windows above:
Thanks to everyone who shares photos via WSB, whether breaking news or interesting sights – yours are welcome any time at editor@westseattleblog.com (including links to Flickr or other types of galleries, as long as you tell us it’s OK to publish)!
As reported two months ago, the homeless shelter that moved into West Seattle Church of the Nazarene at 42nd/Juneau in March of last year was supposed to move to Ballard — but its planned new temporary home in Ballard fell through. Now, according to this story posted tonight at seattlepi.com, the shelter’s West Seattle stay has just been extended again — to June 1st — because parent organization SHARE hasn’t found a new place for it. The article also says the Community of Christ Church in Highland Park recently “evicted” a shelter it had hosted for seven years.
James sent photos with this explanation:
I was walking through Solstice Park with my baby and dog and noticed a bunch of skinny-tired donut (360 skid-out) tracks in the groomed gravel of the lookout. Following the tracks, they led to the culprits fixing their scooters up the trail.
He says the riders were 3 male teenagers/young men: “… the broken (scooter) was blue.” One of the other two, he says, had a license plate that starts with 78 and ends in 52; he says some of the ruts left behind in this small park, formerly known as Lincoln Park Annex — uphill east of the tennis courts across from Lincoln Park’s north end, and also home to a P-Patch — were almost half a foot deep.
James says he did call police to report this. Motorized vehicles, including scooters, are prohibited on Seattle Parks trails.
On the brink of 100 sales signed up now for the 5th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day – schools, churches, estate sales, block sales, private homes, the “group sites” at Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) and C & P Coffee, a great mix. Registration deadline is next Saturday night – get your online registration in by 11:59 pm Saturday, or make sure your mail-in form gets to us by Saturday’s delivery (so mailing it no later than Thursday is a good idea) – The Big Day, with sales all over West Seattle is 9 am-3 pm, Saturday, May 9th, and the map will be available earlier than ever this year (starting with distribution at the WSB table at the Sustainable West Seattle Festival [WSB sponsor *and* we’re a festival co-sponsor] Sunday 5/3 in The Junction). Want to register, or just find out more? The official Garage Sale Day site is westseattlegaragesale.com (you can browse the site for coverage of last year, too, to get a taste of what it’s about and how it went).
School may have two months left to go but as thousands of West Seattle families know, it’s prime time to get summer-camp options lined up. Here’s one: Registration is open now for this year’s Basketball and Life Skills Camp at Chief Sealth High School, but it’s not just for high-school students – it’s open to incoming second through ninth graders, both girls and boys. Sessions start June 22; here’s the brochure. This came to us, by the way, from Sealth’s Sam Reed, who will be CSHS athletics director next year, taking over from Nels Enquist, who Reed explains been in that role on an interim basis after retiring as assistant principal.
(WSB cameraphone photo added 12:37 pm)
FIRST REPORT, 12:21 PM: On our way to a single-family residence fire call in the 8100 block of Delridge (map). Huge callout; more details momentarily.
12:25 PM UPDATE: South of the fire, Delridge is blocked to traffic at Thistle. Don’t know yet where it’s blocked on the north. The fire is centered in the basement, according to the scanner, and has just been declared “under control,” but not entirely out yet.
12:34 PM UPDATE: Looks like Delridge may be blocked to traffic as far north as Holden, north of the fire scene. Still lots of smoke and the house is quite charred, according to our crew on the scene; medic units are there but do not appear to be treating anyone – firefighters have searched the house and not found anyone inside, as of “primary search.” From the scanner, fire was “well-involved in the basement” of the house but is now “knocked down” aside from some hot spots. We don’t have official word at the scene yet if anyone was inside when this started, but we talked to neighbors who say they haven’t seen anyone at the house in quite some time.
1:02 PM UPDATE: Firefighters say nobody was in the house when it started; nobody hurt; cause won’t be known for a while, but it definitely started in the basement. While the fire’s technically out, they’ll be on the scene for a while monitoring “smoldering debris” as well as investigating the cause, so Delridge traffic north of Thistle will still be difficult for a while – we’ll check periodically so we can update you when it’s fully open again.
1:48 PM ADDITION: We shot that video clip is when we first arrived at the scene – you can see some smoke for starters, then more after firefighters break out some of the windows (you can hear the glass breaking, then you see more smoke and steam from a front window); our camera also looked southbound on Delridge, to show how far down the line of fire trucks stretched. Property records show the 1,000-square-foot house, built in 1955, has had the same owners since 1997. We’ll add an update whenever an official cause is announced.
5:40 PM UPDATE: Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen says damage from the fire totals $225,000 – $150,000 to the structure, $75,000 to its contents. The cause is not yet determined; she says investigators still have to talk to a few more people.
While at Chief Sealth High School for the Honor Choir/Mariachi Tamale Dinner last night, we noticed that sign on a courtyard window. The Wednesday activity reminded us of the passion with which restoration workers describe the need to get invasives up and out of our forests, yards, fields, anywhere you see them. (Here’s a list and photos of what to look for.) Meantime, we also have an update from West Seattle Thriftway regarding their big Earth Day plan: Not only will the store bag everything in reusable tote bags (while they last) – and no plastic for the day at all (aside from the health-code-required produce and meat/freezer bags), even if you insist you don’t want a tote bag – but the Movin’ 92.5 “Ladies Room” team will have a contest in the Thriftway parking lot, noon-1:30 pm, giving away a three-wheeled ECO Car. Michelle from Thriftway explains, “These cars are still in preproduction … so the winner will be able to customize the car to their liking…interior, color etc. There will be a model of the car on-site. They have a pre-determined list of contestants [from an ongoing contest], but will be choosing a handful of on-site individuals to participate (maybe 10-15). It will be a mix of some ECO trivia and sort of a ‘Supermarket Sweep’ type game to incorporate our store into the challenge.” Here’s a video of the DJs’ test drive of the three-wheeled car:
Found that on their site’s page with more info, here. Thriftway’s Earth Day page is here.
SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE BIKE-A-PALOOZA TOMORROW: Looks like the 70s for Monday. 
So after work, get on your bike and ride over to Camp Long, where the monthly Sustainable West Seattle meeting at 7 pm tomorrow will feature Bike-A-Palooza, with speakers and exhibits as described here. Even if you’re not riding yet, but maybe mulling the possibility, there’s a lot to see and hear.
WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE BICYCLE TRAIL CLEANUP, MAY 23: As the official webpage for this cleanup asks, “Do you ever ride the trail to West Seattle or commute to downtown? It is a mess!” Check out the plan here; maybe you even know a business or group that wants to get involved. 
But even if you can “only” volunteer yourself, go here to sign up.
2ND ANNUAL WEST SEATTLE BIKE TOUR, JUNE 7: Tour “some of West Seattle’s most influential landmarks,” as the Southwest Seattle Historical Society puts it, 12:30 pm-2 pm Sunday 6/7 — going from the Log House Museum to the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, Anchor (Luna) Park, and the Duwamish Longhouse. The tour’s creator, museum assistant Sarah Frederick, says, “Much of the route is a bike path or part of the existing Alki Cultural Trail. Taking the history out of a museum and or standard educational setting is refreshing for the patrons. It’s wonderful to stand on the spot where something actually happened and bring it to life through stories.” To join the tour, it’ll be $5 museum members/$7 non-members – to sign up in advance, call Sarah at 206-938-5293 or e-mail shop@loghousemuseum.org.
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