West Seattle, Washington
29 Thursday
Chas Redmond sends word that the prototype for the West Seattle Walking Trails kiosks – many more to be seen soon around West Seattle, as we’ve been reporting for more than a year – is now complete, in its showcase spot right outside the Delridge Library. See the Flickr gallery here. (Great day for a walk!) It was just last June that the first phase of the project was recommended for almost $100,000 in Neighborhood Matching Fund money, as reported here; the next few will be placed in the Fauntleroy area, following a round of public meetings including this one.
A West Seattle note from the Budget Committee meeting: In the public-comment period that’s under way now, following the revenue-forecast presentation (docs now online here) we covered earlier, a petition has just been presented to council members, with signatures gathered at this weekend’s Gathering of Neighbors, urging continued support for library $ – saying these services are needed more than ever.
(WSB photo from 8:50 am run this morning, looking back toward West Seattle)
3,429 riders yesterday, is the word we just got — “a new record,” per the Water Taxi’s announcement on Twitter. (Our coverage from Sunday, with photos and video, can be found here.)
We’re in the 7th floor briefing room at City Hall, where media reps are about to get details on the city’s revenue forecast for the year. General Fund revenue looking $29.5 million short, according to the official news release. What that will mean for the city’s budget won’t be announced today, but this is a prelude. In addition, the Real Estate Excise Tax is projected to be down $11 million (different funds pay for different programs). They’re NOT expecting this recession ultimately to be as bad locally as 2001-2003, though. A few other factors they’re noting: A bit of deflation is more likely than inflation; the forecast personal savings rate is up, which may sound good but it means less sales-tax revenue in the short run.
10:15 AM UPDATE: Whole lot of numbers here but the bottom line is that they have more than $40 million in budget balancing to do, according to city finance director Dwight Dively (photo above), who will brief the City Council on all this within the hour. Some of it may be covered with the city’s rainy-day fund (explained in this city ordinance), but there’s no question that more cuts are to come (as had been warned for quite some time). He says the city is still in better shape than the county and state, regarding how badly it’s been affected and how much it will have to adjust. All this will be presented to the council Budget Committee at 10:30, if you’re interested in watching online or via cable (seattlechannel.org) – we’ll be heading down to see how it’s framed (and inquired about) there.
10:54 AM UPDATE: City Council Budget Committee is now getting briefed on this. Starts with “how did we get to this place” (national recession). Don’t worry, we’ll boil this all down later, but in case you are a numbers fan, we’ll do some play-by-play. The committee’s chair, Councilmember Jean Godden, has reminded those on hand that the budget-cut proposals will come from the mayor, but the council will not be rubber-stamping anything.
11:38 AM UPDATE: The handouts we got at the earlier briefing aren’t online so far but there is one list we thought you’d be interested in – some reasons for optimism, as the city sees it:
*Stock market up more than 20% from early March low
Home sales rose in February: new 4.7%, existing 5.1%
Single-family permits rose 11% in February
US retail sales rose in January and February (measured on month-to-month basis)
Orders for manufactured goods rose 1.8% in February
*Shipping volumes are showing signs of stabilizing (rail, truck, container, air freight)
11:42 AM UPDATE: The city has JUST posted the forecast docs online, same ones being presented to the council now, and seen in the media briefing we attended earlier. See them here. Wondering what this all may mean to you? We won’t have specifics till the mayor recommends budget cuts (likely to be made public within a few weeks), but for example: Capital projects, such as construction — roads, parks — paid for by the Real Estate Excise Tax, which is hurting big time, may have to be scaled back. Not the ones for which contracts already have been awarded, Dively clarified, but if there are proposals that haven’t gone out to bid yet – they could face the ax. Council President Richard Conlin is noting during the meeting right now, the drop in REET could mean a FIFTY PERCENT cut in those “capital projects.” (Not all road projects come from this, though – Dively said the ones paid for by Bridging the Gap, approved by voters a few years back, will not be affected.)
NOON: The first proposed cuts may be made public as soon as next week, according to the final words before the end of the official briefing (which has now segued into general public comment) – those would involve the Real Estate Excise Tax (1 1/2 percent)-funded projects.
We’ve mentioned it before, it’s on the WSB Events calendar, and now it’s just two days away, so it’s reminder time – this Wednesday night, local Kiwanians will be at the White Center Food Bank to receive your donations. Not only does the WCFB help fight hunger in WC, it’s also accountable for assisting everyone in West Seattle south of SW Myrtle who needs food-bank help:
Members of the Division 26 Kiwanis in Seattle would like to invite you to bring non-perishable foods to the White Center Food Bank on Wednesday evening, April 8, 2009 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. Members of the Kiwanis will be stationed outside the food bank at 10829 8th Avenue SW [map] under a canopy to collect your donations.
Kiwanis International is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.
The White Center Food Bank says the most needed foods are Hamburger Helper and Rice-a-Roni type products as well as canned meat (not tuna), canned fruit, cereal, and jelly. The White Center Food Bank serves a diverse ethnic population so ethnic foods are always welcome. The food bank also accepts $5 and $10 gift cards from Safeway, QFC or Albertsons. Cash donations can be sent to the White Center Food Bank at 10829 8th Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98146. To donate online, go to www.whitecenterfoodbank.org.
Kiwanis Club of West Seattle president Michael LaFranchi stopped by our table at the Gathering of Neighbors on Saturday and mentioned that club members also were at two local grocery stores that day, collecting food. Donations to the WCFB and West Seattle Food Bank count extra through the end of this month because of the Feinstein Challenge, so everything you give includes a built-in bonus.
(Video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)
That clip from Friday’s tour of Delridge-area problem properties (previous coverage here) starts with resident Lisa Keith explaining how she’d hit a brick wall with the city rules that prohibit police from going into even a known vacant home without the owner’s permission; she is followed by Skylark Cafe and Club (WSB sponsor) owner Jessie Summa-Kusiak, whose popular venue is across Delridge from a squatter-ravaged vacant home; and finally, a few words from Tim Burgess, who along with fellow councilmember Sally Clark also joined the tour.
The question for Lisa, Jessie, and North Delridge Neighborhood Council co-chair Mike Dady, who organized the tour after years of trying to get something done about the problem, is – what happens now? Getting the attention and presence of two councilmembers, two city department heads (Diane Sugimura from Planning and Development and Stella Chao from Neighborhoods), the mayor’s public-safety liaison Julien Loh, and city council candidate David Bloom is a big first step, but it would be all too easy for status quo to reign in its wake. Read on for more details, including a post-tour exchange:Read More
Thanks to Lina Senzer-Rose for sharing the sea lion photo taken by husband Scott Rose – many others who rode the King County Water Taxi (our major coverage of today’s kickoff is here) probably got a good look too! – One more weekend note, Scott C tipped us that lane lines on The Bridge have been re-striped – this photo doesn’t quite do it justice, but we verified ourselves they’re strikingly brighter. Knock wood that we aren’t in for further rounds of road-eroding weather badness.
We had one other bit of road news – we’ve published so much news this weekend that you might have missed it or not gotten to it yet – the Fauntleroy Way repaving contract was awarded, and the bid came in low enough that they will be able to stretch the repaving southwestward to SW Holly. We’ll be checking this week for updates on when that work’s likely to start.
Thanks to MargL (via e-mail) and Mark (via Facebook, where we are WS Blog) for those photos of the double-take-inducing Jefferson Square time/temp sign this afternoon. It may feel dramatically warmer, but so far we haven’t seen official temperatures beyond the low 70s. (And more 70s tomorrow!)
We got a note about this last night but couldn’t confirm it with Seattle Police till today: A clerk at Bartell Drugs in Jefferson Square was hurt during a strong-arm robbery Saturday afternoon. According to Officer Mark Jamieson from the SPD media unit, it happened just before 4 pm yesterday – the robber hit the clerk in the face, reached into the till and grabbed money, and ran away, last seen running onto 41st SW on the east side of Jefferson Square. Jamieson didn’t have information on whether the clerk had to be taken to the hospital (Fire Department medics did treat him at the scene), but he does say no one has been arrested; there are conflicting descriptions of the robber/attacker — white or Hispanic male, 5-6 or 5-7, wearing a blue plaid shirt and jeans. This was a “strong-arm robbery” instead of an “armed robbery,” Jamieson explains, because no weapon was seen or implied, but force was used. (Thanks to Elise and Mary for sending notes asking about this – both had family members who were at the store right after it happened.)
MONDAY UPDATE: A little more info from SPD – the clerk’s injuries were NOT severe enough to require hospitalization, though according to Sgt. Sean Whitcomb, the report says she was punched in the face and “pushed.”
ORIGINAL 12:55 PM REPORT: Thanks for the calls; we’re on the way to check out the “fire in building” call at the condos in the 10200 block of 47th SW (map). 1:34 PM UPDATE: As you can see from the map link, this is pretty much the southwestern end of West Seattle, so it took a while to get there. Fire personnel at the scene say the fire was contained to one unit at the large condo complex that’s at that address; nobody was home at the time; they don’t know yet what started it and are still determining the extent of the damage.
MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: Dana Vander Houwen from SFD sends word of what investigators found: The cause, she says, was “accidental – caused by an overheated plasma television (it ignited the wooden wall surface it was mounted on). Nobody was home at the time of the fire. The damage estimate was $150,000.”
ORIGINAL 12:20 PM REPORT: Huge crowd here at Seacrest for the season-kickoff party celebrating the return of the King County Water Taxi (which actually started its 2009 runs a few hours ago, as shown in our earlier coverage). King County Council Chair Dow Constantine – who’s got a touch of laryngitis – is speaking right now, joking that when they decided to start the season a month earlier, they figured the weather would be bad. Guess what!
That’s the big crowd on board as the KCWT left a few minutes ago. Free rides all day – lines are long – parking’s tough (“a nightmare,” one man complained into his cell phone as he walked by) – so take the free shuttle bus. (As Constantine is mentioning right now, the shuttles now have distinct numbers so you can tell which shuttle is going where – a point of confusion in years gone by, whether the bus was going to Alki or The Junction.) Free treats and live music down here, too, in addition to the free sunshine.
ADDED 1:12 PM: More from the party – here’s the fireboat putting on a show a few minutes ago:
Also just had a Coast Guard chopper flyby, though maybe just a coincidence:
And some video – County Council Chair Constantine with the weather remark we mentioned above:
Plus a photo from Constantine’s Twitter stream, as he walked down to get on board:
2:52 PM UPDATE: Party’s over, more photos to add – first, at the other side of Constantine’s round trip, he chatted with other riders as they disembarked:
Yet another megaline awaited the next sailing, with a reminder in the foreground that Seacrest is also home to Alki Kayak Tours:
At the head of the line, bottom of the steel ramp that meets the wooden floating dock, a feathered greeter:
Besides the rebranded Water Taxi and shuttle buses, you’ll see the new sign at Seacrest too:
The free rides continue till the last run of the night, which is at 7 pm; here’s the schedule. Then the weekday schedule kicks in tomorrow (and the weather is expected to be spectacular – we’re glad to hear it, since we have a couple stories to cover downtown in the morning – no need to take the car!).
4:18 PM: Last addition, a clip of the fireboat’s spray show:
And dozens more photos of today’s event are up on the Ferry District’s Flickr pages, here.
A shimmering morning at Seacrest Pier, as the King County Water Taxi arrived less than half an hour ago for the first time under that name and the first official time this year. Today’s big party is noon-2 pm, with giveaways and entertainment; free rides are all day (here’s the schedule); parking is already tight at and around the pier, so take the shuttle or be prepared for a walk.
This may be the second-to-last time we get our traditional “first arrival” video – next year, if all goes according to plan (including dock improvements after this season ends 10/31), the Water Taxi is supposed to start running year-round. P.S. You can find the Water Taxi schedule linked atop the WSB Traffic page.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Here’s the most recent fresh sheet. 10 am-2 pm today at 44th/Alaska.
PENGUINA DESIGNS’ OPEN STUDIO: One of our newest WSB sponsors, Penguina Designs, invites you to an Open Studio event today — 11 am-5 pm, 4726 50th SW (map).
EASTER IS ONE WEEK AWAY: We’ve added a few more updates to our page listing Easter and Holy Week church services in West Seattle – see it here.
WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY, SECOND DAY OF SIGNUPS: Between the Gathering of Neighbors in-person sign-ups and online registrations, the 5th annual WSCGSD is off to a roaring start. We’ll have news later today on where you can pick up mail-in forms if you need ’em, but in the meantime, you can register online at westseattlegaragesale.com (or print out a mail-in form from there). The big day is Saturday, May 9, with sales all over West Seattle (and if you don’t have room for your own but have stuff you want to sell, talk to Lora at Hotwire Coffee [WSB sponsor], who is opening her courtyard – she’s already signed up for a group sale but will be doing sub-signups (so if you’re going there, sign up with her, not us) for a donation that’ll go to WestSide Baby.
First: West Seattle photojournalist Matt Durham from mattdurhamphotography.com shares that photo, along with this explanation:
Saturday evening, a team of die-hard cricket players took the beach at Alki. The “batsman” stands in front of a “wicket” and tries to hit runs from the “bowler” (pitcher). The game, cricket, has some similarities to baseball. There are eleven players on a team and batsman tries to score runs the bowler throws from an opposite wicket. The game can last an afternoon or several days.
Second, West Seattle resident Bill Bacon sent this photo, taken at Myrtle Edwards on the downtown waterfront, as a semi-rare closeup look at one of the river otters that live in Elliott Bay (and are often seen, in and out of the water, over here):
Thanks to Matt and Bill for sharing the photos; as you know if you’ve been here more than once, we are thrilled to share your photos and video as well as pix and clips we get ourselves while covering the news, so keep editor@westseattleblog.com in mind … thanks!
Every Friday in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup, we include listings for Saturday morning work parties at West Seattle’s greenbelt treasures, from well-used parks to tangled greenbelts. So who are the intrepid volunteers who show up to help tend what so many of us take for granted? We sent a new WSB contributing reporter out this morning to meet one group and find out how much progress they’re making.
By Jonathan Stumpf
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The first Saturday of every month is like most at Lincoln Park: Dog-walking, jogging and baseball make up the bulk of activities in this 135-acre urban forest. But among the shrubbery and trees, a group of individuals — the Friends of Lincoln Park — are performing an activity that is vital to the park’s future: the removal of invasive plant species.
The Friends of Lincoln Park is a volunteer group led by West Seattle resident and trained forest steward Sharon Baker. For three years she has been leading individuals into Lincoln Park to help with the removal of invasive plants like English holly and ivy, Himalayan blackberry, Stinky Bob, nipple-wort and clematis, with hopes of reclaiming the forest for the native plants.
Today, nine volunteers are on hand for this work party to help with removal of Stinky Bob and blackberry in the north end of the park. While Baker is not a botanist by trade, she did take an intensive course on plant identification through the Native Plant Society. “I know enough to be dangerous in the park,” Baker says. This knowledge is passed along to her group of dedicated volunteers—this is the first event for only one volunteer—and they begin ripping the blackberry and Stinky Bob from the undergrowth.
We just couldn’t wait till tomorrow morning — went to the downtown waterfront tonight to get photos of the new trim and new logo on the newly rebranded King County Water Taxi. Tomorrow, of course, you can see it in person …
… free rides all day, and while the big party at Seacrest Pier (map) is noon-2 pm (with the fireboat Leschi scheduled for a spray show around 12:45), the Water Taxi sails its full schedule on day 1, which means you should see its first arrival at Seacrest around 8:45 am. P.S. If you’re trying to remember what the Water Taxi USED to look like, here’s a WSB photo from last fall:
Talking with King County Council Chair Dow Constantine at the Gathering of Neighbors today, we’re pretty sure he mentioned a new look for the shuttle buses too, so we’ll be watching out for that tomorrow morning as well. ADDED 11:07 PM: Well, we don’t even have to wait till tomorrow for THAT – turns out the King County Ferry District has a Flickr stream with an entire sequence of photos of the shuttle-bus rewrapping — see it here (as well as more pix of the Water Taxi’s new look).
Thanks to Mike for letting us know that storefront in the 6500 block of California SW (map), the former home of Aaron’s Bicycle Repair, has swapped its “for lease” sign for a “coming soon” sign — Pilates Westside, says the sign. The company on the business license for that name and this address trace to this local Pilates instructor; we’ll be trying to track her down to find out more. (The bike shop, you may recall, moved a few doors south to the former liquor-store space; we checked recently with the Liquor Control Board to find out if it had secured a replacement West Seattle location yet, and the answer was no.) Morgan Junction’s the hot place to be, not only with this new business moving in, but with Zeek’s Pizza (opening in about a month, reiterates its website) and Feedback Lounge getting closer to opening a few blocks north, and construction well under way on the new park just north of the always-jumping Beveridge Place Pub. (Morgan Junction-area residents and businesspeople, by the way, are reminded that the Morgan Community Association‘s next meeting is 7 pm April 15th at The Kenney.)
Out of the WSB inbox – Deb Barker tells the story:
We had a bit of drama on 48th Ave @ SW Graham this afternoon with a sick or wounded possum lying in the middle of the busy roadway. Two strangers stopped to tend to the critter, getting it into a box, duct taping the box together and getting it into my car. (I was running back and forth setting up traffic cones, calling animal control, fetching gloves, tape, etc). I am hoping that my fellow rescuers read the West Seattle Blog so that they know that the critter was delivered to Seattle Animal Control on 15th West, and they were going to have PAWS take it. (I offered to take the possum to Lynnwood, but it sounded like PAWS was enroute anyway). Also, I have the sweatshirt and blue strapping ties that the rescuers left behind.
But most importantly, I want to thank both of the rescuers for taking time out of their day to stop and offer comfort and aid to a small creature. I’m sorry that the drivers along this street were mostly idiots who couldn’t be bothered to slow down while you crouched in the middle of the street protecting the possum. You are my heros – I am so honored to have met you – THANK YOU!!
Let me know if you’d like your belongings returned – the Blog will know how to reach me.
And indeed we do – e-mail us at editor@westseattleblog.com (other contact methods here).
That’s just one of the young performers from Youngstown Arts Center who drew a cheering crowd in the Chief Sealth/Boren cafeteria during today’s Gathering of Neighbors; just feet away, we had a ringside seat for the dancers, rappers, poets, and other performers, including the Inner City Ensemble:
What today’s event was truly about was the people. The people who came to find out more about West Seattle organizations and businesses – and the people who are busy making this an incredible community to call home – people like Chief Sealth students Sara Schendel and Sam Westler:
They are two of the students who’ve been working for months with Cooper Elementary students on a project in the adjoining greenbelt; they’re now working outdoors just about every weekend and are inviting you to join their next work party – 10 am-2 pm next Saturday (4/11) on the south side of Cooper. See our previous Gathering of Neighbors coverage here; we have yet more to tell you about — more great community events and news picked up during conversations today (thanks again to everyone who took the time to chat with us!) — coming up later.
From the WSB inbox, an update on the P-Patch plan in The Junction, and the above photo, with a call for action RIGHT NOW, if you are interested:
Friends of West Seattle Genesee P-Patch
Urgent! We need your help now! West Seattle has been an under-served community for p-patches, and in recent years has lost two of them. There are currently more than 100 West Seattle residents on a wait list for a p-patch plot. There are also no city-run p-patches north of SW Edmunds St. Here is a great opportunity for West Seattlites to come together and volunteer to help local residents in need of a plot. Currently, West Seattle p-patchers must seek sites outside of our area. We are looking for volunteers for the following tasks, especially if you already have the tools and know-how:
Demo a small section of concrete sidewalk and reclaim a few more square feet of garden space.
Build a hogwire fence (we will secure the materials).Haul away shrubs and brush in your truck.General labor such as digging, tilling, and taking out shrubs, brush, and 3 trees.
If you have a group of young ones that you can lead in making garden stepping stones or would like to build short sections of picket fence panels, I want to hear from you!
This is the final weekend before the opportunity for you to contribute to your community through this project closes. Please contact me as soon as possible at wscc.grounds@hotmail.com or call me at 206-280-5015. Aaron, Genesee P-Patch coordinator.
Checked out a “medic response, 6 per” call to 35th SW/Marine View Drive (map) – just one vehicle left at the scene and no traffic trouble, but we then got a note with more to the story: Apparently a bicyclist was involved in the collision too and was taken to the hospital. We’ll let you know if/when we are able to find out more.
City Council President Richard Conlin has just spoken to the crowd that’s here in the cafeteria with us and some of the other participants at the Gathering of Neighbors (music and treats are back here too, all free) — the photo above is from a few minutes earlier, when he stopped to talk with Highland Park Action Committee leaders including chair Dan Mullins (left) – all the fun here is continuing till 3 pm at Chief Sealth @ Boren. Also from the HPAC booth – a collage display that Dina Johnson put together:
Lots of other neighborhood groups here too – we spoke with Andrew Mead of the High Point Neighborhood Association, Cindi Barker and Chas Redmond from the Morgan Community Association, we’ve also seen Matthew Slye with the Admiral Neighborhood Association, and Junction Plaza Park (where we chatted with Junction Neighborhood Organization president Erica Karlovits – they’ll be at the Farmers’ Market again tomorrow too – pledges of volunteer help are going well, now it’s time to chip in a few dollars to make the park happen):
We have talked to so many other cool people who are here – Larry Carpenter of the Alki Community Council just stopped by, the city’s Neighborhood Service Center reps Stan Lock (based in The Junction) and Ron Angeles (based in Delridge) are here, as are the Southwest Precinct’s Community Police Team officers – we’ve seen Officers Adonis Topacio and Ralph Wilson so far. Music is big here too – we’re next to the Glee Club, and Toni Reineke with Westside Symphonette has a table in the hallway:
The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce organized this along with Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (DNDA) so they’re here in force too – stop by the Chamber’s table and get one of their West Seattle Community Resource Guides:
Be sure to fill out the survey too; there’s a dropbox on our table. Also just dropping by: County Council Chair (and Executive candidate) Dow Constantine, who you will see emcee’ing the King County Water Taxi kickoff tomorrow at Seacrest, noon-2 pm (don’t forget the fireboat Leschi will be there at 12:45 – weather’s looking good so far).
1:32 PM UPDATE: Still an hour and a half to get down here to the Gathering of Neighbors. Music and food here in the cafeteria – lots of giveaways along the way – at the Stor-More (WSB sponsor), among other places:
Other WSB sponsors here include Ventana Construction (which is having another one of its free workshops next week):
Eagle Electric, too:
And Fitness Together:
We’ve picked up a few more stories along the way and will publish them in a bit – it’s 3 pm now, time to fold up and head back to HQ.
From the Gathering of Neighbors (continuing till 3 pm at Chief Sealth @ Boren, find us in the cafeteria, where free food’s available too!), where so many of the people we talk to often for WSB news stories are also here:
FAUNTLEROY PAVING UPDATE: Jessica Murphy from SDOT just stopped by our table. We asked if there’s word yet on whether the Fauntleroy Way paving project will stretch past California (see our previous report) – she says the bid was awarded a week ago and it WILL cover the full stretch, all the way to SW Holly. She’s here with updated flyers.
PARKS LEVY COMMITTEE UPDATE: Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding (above with wife Kerry Hughes) is here too, on behalf of the PP Neighborhood Council; he is one of three West Seattleites on the new committee overseeing how the money from last fall’s Parks Levy will be spent, and he tells us there will be a series of four public meetings citywide next month to get your thoughts on how to use the levy’s “Opportunity Fund” — dates aren’t set yet but will be soon, and he says one WILL be in West Seattle. So if there’s a park project you’d like to see happen (the Delridge Skatepark would be one proposal, since money to build it got cut out of this year’s budget)
More to come – including photos from the event!
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