West Seattle, Washington
03 Thursday
Snow? What snow? A few flakes didn’t stop 15 hardy people from volunteering their time this morning for the annual — every year since 1993! — cleanup of Fairmount Ravine, which runs along Fairmount Avenue, including under the Admiral Way bridge. John Lang told WSB they were glad to find less trash this year, and not surprised to find a whole lot of spray-paint cans. (You can see some of the paint vandals’ handiwork in our photos from last year’s cleanup.) They’re also working to clear invasives like ivy from the big trees along the slope.
If you look really closely – that blue jacket is being worn by one of the volunteers who was all the way up the slope under the bridge when we stopped by. Tully’s and Admiral Safeway donated coffee, hot chocolate, and donuts. (Congrats also to everyone who volunteered in today’s other work parties, including Lincoln Park and Camp Long; we include work parties in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup every week – they’re usually on Saturday mornings/middays and a great way to kick off the weekend.)
(WSB photo from Friday)
This was reported in comments on our Friday coverage, and it’s confirmed in this discussion on the Northwest Dive Club forum: The man who suffered some kind of health problem while diving near Seacrest yesterday afternoon — resulting in an emergency medic response that closed Harbor at Fairmount for a while — has died. This post from a friend who was there when it happened tells the whole story. Though the official cause of death is still pending a report from the Medical Examiner, which won’t be out before Monday, all current accounts say it was apparently a sudden health problem, not a diving equipment problem or other accident.
ORIGINAL 10:44 AM UPDATE: The meeting room at Alki Community Center is standing-room only again as the second design workshop for the proposed California Place Park project (WSB coverage archived here, newest to oldest) gets under way. “Today is about concepts,” says landscape architect Karen Kiest as she begins her presentation of possible designs for potential improvements to the park. She has asked not to be interrupted (which she was last time). (15 minutes into the meeting, that’s only happened a couple times.) 11:12 AM UPDATE: Kiest has finished her presentation. The crowd stayed quiet and is now discussing the project in small groups. We have electronic copies of the four proposed options and will use them in our full report; here’s a PDF of what is being reviewed at the tables now, showing all four (plus a look at the “southern triangle” of SDOT-owned land that is southwest of the park and across Hill). 11:34 AM UPDATE: If you are near Alki Community Center you may see medics – someone is having chest pains in the lobby and 911 has been called. 12:04 PM UPDATE: The meeting ended at noon as scheduled. Much different than last time – no disruptions – tables had lots of suggestions and feedback – short round of applause at the very end. Most popular idea, reclaiming the northern section of the park parcel which apparently was paved over long ago and isn’t even currently recognizable as part of the park. Full story to come later. (We counted almost 100 people there, by the way, including two tables of very young kids working on art – also very quietly! – during the meeting.)
SATURDAY NIGHT NOTE: The full story is still in progress. Barring breaking news, will be done by 11 pm, likely sooner.
(refresh/scroll down for the newest updates)
(video added 9:18 am from outside WSB HQ)
FIRST REPORT, 8:30 AM: Just switched from rain to snow here in Upper Fauntleroy. Forecast links etc. to come. Photos, road reports., etc., very much appreciated as the day goes on if this continues – editor@westseattleblog.com and, if you’re not by a computer at some point, be sure to have 206-293-6302 handy. First photo in from Holly in Seaview:
Pamela from Nico and Zoe Toys shares this photo from upper Morgan Junction:
8:53 AM NOTES: As pointed out here the other day, we had late-March snow last year, so this is not so unusual. We wanted to note that there are MANY MANY MANY activities scheduled around West Seattle today, indoor and outdoor (here’s the direct link to the Saturday list on our West Seattle Weekend Lineup), and if any plans change because of the weather, please e-mail/call us so we can announce that here. One of today’s biggest non-entertainment events is the California Place Park design workshop at Alki Community Center, 10:30-noon, and tonight’s highlights include the first Winter Movies on the Wall showing, “The Mummy,” 7 pm at West Seattle Christian Church’s new activity center (doors open 5:30 pm, BYOC[hairs]).
9:04 AM: National Weather Service still says “accumulation” not expected to pass an inch, but “snow showers” are still in the forecast off and on for the next few days. Meantime, remember that as reported here late yesterday, King County promises to use Twitter and a blog-format site to get the word out about any Metro trouble – and just reported this:
We aren’t yet seeing any impacts to transit or roads in King County due to snow but we’ll let you know if it happens
You don’t have to sign up for Twitter to check updates online, as long as you have the direct link – for example, we’re at twitter.com/westseattleblog and King County is tweeting bus updates at twitter.com/kcnews. (Our latest Twitter update also appears in a box that’s in the lower section of the WSB sidebar.) We’re also on Facebook (as WS Blog), where someone just dubbed this round of snow “March Madness”! Funny, Cliff Mass posted half an hour before the snow started that it was still too warm for snow at sea level.
9:27 AM UPDATE: Roads are still bare/wet even up here (300′ or so). From Gatewood, NerdsEyeView author Pam sends this photo (frosted duck decoy):
If you need to check The Bridge and other key roads before heading out, remember the WSB Traffic page has cams and a link to area “traffic incidents” – go here.
9:58 AM UPDATE: We’re off to Alki for the park meeting, will report on any notable weather sightings along the way, but it’s REALLY lightened up here – likely to be off-on for a long time to come.
10:33 AM: Between Fauntleroy and Alki, barely a sign of snow. Even on big grassy areas like Alki Playfield (photo taken about 10 minutes ago):
Thanks to Greg for sharing that photo of the Friday night sunset. Will the cloudbank behind it bring snow today? The National Weather Service “forecast discussion” late Friday night suggests the Eastside and North Sound are most at risk. But famous forecaster Cliff Mass says it could happen anywhere, maybe as soon as mid-morning.
(Toplines: Rite-Aid pharmacy robbed 8:35ish pm, robber thought to have fled into nearby apt., SWAT team called out, determined after 11 pm he wasn’t there and is still at large)
(photo added 9:48 pm)
ORIGINAL 9:10 PM REPORT: Thanks to Manuel for the first tip – and the phone’s just started ringing too – we’re en route to check out the “heavy police presence” around Rite-Aid south of The Junction (map). One report says it’s a search for a robbery suspect, and police may soon be stopping traffic in the area. A “command post” is being set up in the area to manage the operation – scanner says police are going to route traffic “around the Rite-Aid.” 9:17 PM UPDATE: 42nd SW also is blocked at Dawson, a block east of Rite-Aid. 9:21 PM UPDATE: Talked to police at the scene – they confirm a robbery attempt at the Rite-Aid pharmacy, and the robber may be holed up in a nearby apartment building – that’s why police are bringing in reinforcements. Again, avoid the area. Just received a note from Nick, who was there just after it happened:
I just got back from filling a prescription at Rite Aid on Calif. The place had been held up just seconds before I got there. Probably around 845 pm. I first heard the store manager on the phone with 911 telling the police about the robbery, saying the suspect had ducked into some apartment buildings across the street.. When I went into the back to the pharmacy, the young pharmacist was on the phone talking to 911, clearly shaken up. When she got off, she told me a man had jumped over the counter, surprising her. “you can’t be back here,” she said she told him. He then brandished a gun, took some medicine and fled. I heard the store manager then say that he had given chase, thinking the guy was a garden variety shoplifter and not knowing he had a weapon. i walked out of the riteaid to see about 4 or five police cars. the cops were putting on their flack jackets, all carrying shotguns or semiautos. one guy in assault gear (helmet, etc) was walking around an apartment building with his weapon drawn. scary stuff.
The SWAT team has arrived. Photos shortly. Information as it develops. Again, California and 42nd are both blocked at Dawson – don’t know about points west (let us know if you are seeing anything over there). (short video clip added 9:53 pm, SWAT team members gearing up)
9:39 PM UPDATE: We just checked the extent of where traffic is blocked off. California/Brandon on the south (by West Seattle Nursery) – over to 45th on the west, 42nd on the east, and then up to Dawson on the north. So if you need to get between north and south West Seattle, you’re going to have to veer either all the way west toward the water or east toward 35th or Delridge.
10:01 PM UPDATE: Police have moved the roadblock another block north, to Hudson, so that’s the new northern edge. Here are the boundaries, roughly (the red triangle marks the Rite-Aid):
10:21 PM: No play-by-play to report because what we’re hearing on the scanner is all tactical stuff that “live” media don’t report in case it gives something away to the person who’s being sought. But it’s still a very “active” scene, and co-publisher Patrick is there with the rest of the media while your editor here monitors the scanner and posts updates as they are heard, or called in by P., or e-mailed by WSB’ers.
10:33 PM UPDATE: There’s activity at the scene – a chopper was there for a while – and police are coming out of the apartment building, heading toward the Rite-Aid across the street. Patrick is with the TV crews at the scene and there’s no clear information yet exactly what has happened. He’s seen two women in handcuffs – the robber was reported to have been a man, but there also was scanner traffic at one point an hour or so ago indicating a “separate incident” that police were handling inside the building.
10:55 PM UPDATE: There’s reportedly been an arrest — Patrick is trying to confirm the circumstances and that this is believed to be the robbery suspect — and California should reopen shortly.
11:01 PM UPDATE: Traffic back to normal and police leaving. Still working on confirmation of exactly who they have and whether nobody else is believed to be at large.
11:06 PM UPDATE: A captain at the scene tells us the robber IS NOT in custody. Two people who were detained have been released. This may explain why we heard scanner traffic earlier asking how much of a lag there had been between the actual robbery and the call to police. Have seen this happen before, where a suspect is believed to be holed up somewhere – then turns out not to be. We have a call out to the on-call media officer to try to double-verify this, given that it conflicts with what one other media organization reported.
11:17 PM UPDATE: SPD media unit Officer Renee Witt just called. She confirms: The suspect IS NOT IN CUSTODY – so he was not in the apartment after all. We don’t have a description to share, at this point.
11:37 PM UPDATE: Lt. Ron Smith at Southwest Precinct also confirms the robber was NOT in the apartment, when the SWAT team finally got in. He also confirms the account published above of what happened — pharmacy was robbed, robber showed a gun. So at this point, the search hits a dead end for now — robber still on the loose.
12:12 AM: Adding a few photos before we close this out: First two are from WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli:
Co-publisher Patrick took this next one – the bus at right was brought in for potential use if residents had to be evacuated from the apartment building the robber was thought to be holed up in.
(December photo courtesy Austin)
Just in from King County, Metro says it’ll use Twitter and a blog-format site to get the word out about bus trouble if that snow happens as forecast – read on:Read More
The National Weather Service has moved up the snow possibility to tomorrow afternoon, and from thereon out, the word “snow” isn’t out of the metro-area forecast until TUESDAY. See for yourself here.
(WSB photo from 2/28/08 Junction walking tour)
Last Saturday, we reported on the first SDOT Community Parking Program walking tour of The Junction, gathering information about the parking situation, not just on the main business-district blocks, but also the surrounding area, as the next step in the city review that will decide — among other things — whether pay stations and Residential Parking Zones will be installed. This afternoon, the time and date are now finalized for the next one, 11 am March 18; you can still RSVP to be part of it — junctionparking@seattle.gov.
(photo added 3:14 pm)
Avoid the area – big police/fire response to a medic call, we’re on the scene and gathering info – traffic is blocked – this is near the Fairmount intersection. At least one person is being worked on by medics. 3:05 PM UPDATE: Police tell WSB that the person is a diver but they weren’t sure whether this was a diving accident or a medical problem such as a heart attack. 3:21 PM UPDATE: Traffic still blocked at Harbor/Fairmount – we’ll advise when it reopens.
3:53 PM UPDATE: Clear to traffic again. The diver was rushed to Harborview Medical Center but we don’t have condition information so far.
Big event of the weekend, the first Winter Movies on the Wall series starts with “The Mummy,” 7 pm Saturday night – then hours later, spring forward – set your clock one hour ahead at 2 am Saturday night/Sunday morning. But you’ll never miss that hour of sleep, just too much to do: A solar job fair in The Junction, the annual Fairmount Ravine cleanup, a swap event on Saturday, a fashion show Sunday, and a jazz benefit Sunday night, all among more than 40 events listed ahead in this edition of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup (sponsored by Skylark Cafe and Club):Read More
(Westenders Scooter Club representing! Just part of the 2008 Sustainable West Seattle Festival)
Also just out of the inbox, word that Sustainable West Seattle is taking applications for vendors and sponsors through March 23 for its second annual Festival, 10 am-3 pm Sunday, May 3rd, in The Junction. Last year’s first-ever SWS festival was a huge hit. Go here to get the application and find out more. (They’re looking for volunteer help for the festival too – call Stu Hennessey at (206) 767-9366 or volunteer@sustainablewestseattle.org)
Just out of the WSB inbox, Shay explains why she woke up to a 3-wheeled car, and wonders if anyone else in the area got hit – read on:Read More
Thanks to Gary J for sharing photos of eagles around Alki Point; it’s “eagle season,” as he put it:
Maybe the one at right is the juvenile eagle seen on Beach Drive recently (as reported here)? Anyway, thanks again to Gary J – send us your photos, news tips, stories to share, any time – editor@westseattleblog.com – or if it’s something too urgent for e-mail (or you’re away from a keyboard), call 206-293-6302 day or night, 24/7. (More wildlife later – a new coyote concern to share.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Just under 24 hours from now — at 10:30 Saturday morning — three potential designs for possible changes at California Place Park in North Admiral will be made public.
The group that obtained a $15,000 city grant to pay for those designs to be created, Friends and Neighbors of North Admiral (FANNA), says the format of tomorrow morning’s workshop will be similar to the last one — a presentation by landscape architect Karen Kiest, followed by small-group discussions at tables around the room.
The design workshops under way now follow a series of public meetings in various formats and under various auspices, dating all the way back to the first word of potential changes, presented at the Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting last June.
FANNA created a website several months ago to make its case. Opponents of park changes do not have an organized online presence, but have mounted a major in-person campaign in the neighborhood, including a seven-page handout.
In comments after our report on the first design workshop in February, Lance wrote:
I was given the packet for the “no change to park” and they make some very valid arguments. Also some of the facts in it seem legit. I’d like to see some actual evidence that this information is false. Seems like there’s a bunch of people so polarized to either side as to not see whats real or not. I’ve already shown my opinion from a cost standpoint but if these “facts” are true, how can this park project even be moving forward? If I were a city parks representative I’d want to investigate both sides and see what really went on. To make a genuine opinion I’d like to know what’s real and what’s made up. Real info folks not just something you heard or whatnot.
We hadn’t seen the “packet” and said so. Lance in turn offered to scan and e-mail it, which he did. It has not appeared anywhere online that we know of. Here’s a screengrab of the cover:
You can see the 7-page document here, as provided to us by Lance.
Not long after he provided it to us, park-change opponent Jan Bailey provided us with printed copies of supplementary documents, even before we asked for them – she gave them to us at the last ANA meeting.
So, looking at all those, here’s a breakdown, with information from our past coverage, online research, and/or responses from FANNA, received from Matthew Slye. We will say in advance, if there is a point you think we missed, that interests you, please leave a comment and we will follow up.
First, Seattle Public Schools announced a March 12 groundbreaking ceremony for the next phase of the Sealth/Denny construction project; then they announced last week it would be postponed till they had the permits all in hand; now, Tom Redman from the district tells WSB they’ve just decided to save the money and not have a groundbreaking event after all, in favor of spending the $ on “two big community celebrations” when Chief Sealth reopens in 2010 and when the new Denny Middle School on the Sealth campus opens in 2011.
From the official National Weather Service forecast issued for the metro area early this morning:
SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S TO MID 30S. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH…EXCEPT NORTHWEST WIND NORTH PART. SUNDAY…PARTLY SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 40S. SOUTHWEST WIND NEAR 10 MPH. SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS. LOWS IN THE MID 20S TO LOWER 30S.
As for today – mostly sunny! By the way, Scott C noted that the city put what appeared to be a “thick” layer of deicer on the West Seattle Bridge overnight.
Don’t just have a garden – much less a yard – how about a “backyard wildlife habitat”? A unique four-part workshop to show you how is just days away, so here are the details one more time:
Backyard Habitat Workshop at Camp Long
Join Woodland Park Zoo, National Wildlife Federation, Seattle Audubon, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Washington Native Plant Society at Camp Long for this informative workshop on creating a backyard wildlife habitat. Meet experts and get hands-on experience that will show how to attract birds and other wildlife to your backyard, select and care for native plants, recognize and remove invasive plants species, conserve water, manage your backyard without the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides, place feeders and bird houses, get your backyard, schoolyard or community garden certified as a Backyard Habitat.
This is a four-part workshop:
– Tuesday, March 10, 2009 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
– Tuesday, March 17, 2009 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
– Tuesday, March 24, 2009 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
– Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.Cost: $75 (or $140 for couples); scholarships available for members of West Seattle Garden Club and local neighborhood associations
To register, please see the zoo’s website:
http://www.zoo.org/educate/adult/workshops.html
(Pictured from left are: Meredith Lang, Hope Lutheran 8th grader; Tori Hammond, 7th grader; Erin Salle, 8th grader; Anika Lidstrom, 8th grader; Meghan Espinoza, 6th grader; Olivia Wake, 7th grader. They were coached by teachers Kristin Tarabochia, and Kim Hood)
We received that photo of Hope Lutheran basketball-team members from Bob Matthews, along with a tribute he wrote in honor of their recent effort. Read on to see what he wants you to know about them, and the lesson they taught:Read More
(WSB photo from February 13 sidewalk-project site tour)
Three weeks after touring the Alki Point sidewalk-completion/traffic-calming project zone with Alki Community Council leaders and other neighbors (WSB coverage here), SDOT project manager Sandra “Sam” Woods met with the contractor today to discuss the schedule, and here’s the verdict: The contractor Construct Co. has decided that the Alki project will be the first one it tackles from the package of projects in the same bid (which also include the Snake Hill work in Delridge). No exact date yet, but Woods says it will be “this month,” and they will likely be back out in the neighborhood shortly with another round of notices. She also notes that no-parking signs will go up at least three days before the equipment starts arriving, and she says it’s likely – though not certain yet – the contractor will start work on the Beach Drive end of the project. (To see the full set of plans, go here.)
Scores are all in now: Chief Sealth boys’ basketball team lost to Seattle Prep tonight in Bellevue, 60-47; in their consolation-round games against North Beach this afternoon in Spokane, the Seattle Lutheran boys’ team lost 66-51, the girls won 55-47, and play Orcas Island at 12:30 pm tomorrow. ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: The Sealth boys have one more chance to get to the state tournament — they play O’Dea at 11:30 am Saturday morning, again at Bellevue Community College.
We first showed you that photo back in October, in this story about Family Promise of West Seattle, the peninsula’s only agency helping homeless families, with a day center and arrangements for night lodging. Board member Donna Pierce e-mailed today to invite you to a benefit brunch:
West Seattle Blog readers are cordially invited to “Delivering on the Promise,” a brunch benefiting Family Promise of Seattle, this Saturday, March 7, from 10:30 AM ’til noon, at Fauntleroy Church. Brunch begins at 10:30, and a program follows at 11. Please come hear about Family Promise’s work in our community, coordinating a network of congregations and volunteers that provides fellowship, temporary housing and food for newly homeless families, while staff provides case management, advocacy and direction to help guests access the housing and employment resources they need to regain independence. Admission is free, and donations supporting the organization’s mission will be solicited during the program. RSVP 206-388-9170 or fundraiser@familypromiseofseattle.org
(added 5:12 pm, newly released rendering of proposed western Conner project building at California/Alaska)
That’s Conner Homes boss Charlie Conner speaking briefly to the Seattle Design Commission this afternoon at City Hall, before commissioners’ third review of the “subterranean alley vacation” that’s needed for his project to have one underground parking garage shared by its two proposed 8-story buildings at California/Alaska/42nd. Any kind of “alley vacation” — allowing a land owner to take public property — generally requires the owner/developer to offer some kind of “public benefit” in return; as Conner recapped in his remarks, that’s the part that commissioners hadn’t been so sure about, though they signed off on the design concept during an earlier meeting. The extensive discussions of the previous reviews — which we covered here and here — were not replicated today; project architect Peter Greaves of Weber Thompson recapped a few elements in which he had responded to commissioners’ previously voiced concerns, and the commission gave its approval with few comments/questions. This isn’t the final approval for the alley vacation; SDOT’s alley-vacation specialist Beverly Barnett told WSB after the meeting that her work on it is not yet done, and once her department has a recommendation, it goes to the City Council’s Transportation Committee. The Conner project has an even bigger date before then – next Thursday, 6:30 pm at High Point Library, what could be the final Design Review Board look at the entire project. We have images from today’s presentation, courtesy of Weber Thompson, and will add them later this afternoon.
ADDED 5:06 PM: For starters, here’s the full Conner presentation (5 MB PDF). Also just added the first image from that presentation at the top of this report – a new rendering showing what the western building of the project might look like.
ADDED 6:36 PM: Jump ahead for more images made public today, and a few more details from this afternoon’s Design Commission meeting:Read More
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