West Seattle, Washington
03 Thursday
(added Wednesday afternoon, Junction Plaza Park rendering)
(Susan Melrose of the Junction Association and Isaac Cohen of Seattle Parks Foundation)
From Tuesday night’s first meeting of Friends of Junction Plaza Park, designed to get the long-semi-dormant park project across the finish line: Three women are giving the group a jump start: There’s Susan Melrose, who’s been helping Junction merchants bring new energy to the business district in her role as director of the West Seattle Junction Association; Erica Karlovits, who helms the Junction Neighborhood Organization and co-chairs the Southwest District Council; and Katie Hjorten, who we last heard from publicly when, as chair of Friends of Ercolini Park, she helped celebrate that park’s dedication west of The Junction last July. After the meeting, we asked her, why get involved with another park? Read More
(WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli, added 1:41 am)
FIRST ITEM: Big callout — as is par for the course if a “fire in building” is reported/suspected — but it turned out to be a small fire. WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli checked out the call in the Montridge Arms apartment building at 9000 20th SW (at Henderson) and says it was “food on the stove” — firefighters told him a man left food cooking and went out, then came home “just as firefighters were about to kick down his door.” Crews are just wrapping up at the scene.
SECOND ITEM, ADDED 1:58 AM: Christopher happened onto a significant police presence at Delridge/21st while heading away from the apartment-fire call:
Sgt. Foster at the scene told Christopher that a “juvenile” had shown up at the Southwest Precinct claiming he had been physically abused by his father; a subsequent hospital investigation showed signs of “excessive discipline,” so police followed up and took the father into custody. No other details available so far.
First, this note went out last night on the Pigeon Point neighborhood list:
Two cars in the 4100 block of 20th Ave were car prowled, a van at the very north end of 20th Ave was burglarized and a vehicle was stolen from the corner of 21st Ave and SW Genesee. [map]
Then tonight, Pigeon Point neighborhood organizer Pete Spalding sent this followup:
Just wanted to give everyone a quick update of what I have learned in the last 24 hours. It seems that at a minimum there were 11 vehicles that were either car prowled, vandalized, burglarized or stolen on Sunday evening/night. Most of these were on 20th Ave SW and the one that was stolen was on 21st.
Pete also reminded Pigeon Point’ers that this is a good time to organize a Block Watch if you don’t have one already, and a good time to meet with yours if you do. (Benjamin Kinlow, crime-prevention coordinator at the Southwest Precinct, is the person to contact about setting one up.)
As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child – and in the case of this story, it takes a village of fundraisers to rustle up the money for programs to help kids. The West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) gathered fundraising volunteers at The Hall at Fauntleroy tonight for the Partners With Youth Campaign “victory celebration”: More than $202,000 raised, close to the $205K target (half of the total $410K goal, with the other half raised by the Y’s Board of Managers). This money goes to keep YMCA programs accessible to kids, teens, and families in West Seattle, Vashon, and South Park. Tonight’s event brought together volunteers to report their individual achievements – those who exceeded certain personal goals got T-shirts – the photo above shows Katie Taylor, director of the Y’s afterschool program at Madison, calling out goal-exceeders’ names. (The Y website offers online-donation opportunities, by the way.)
We’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor: Envision Homes. Every time a new sponsor joins, we offer them the chance to tell you about their business, so here’s what Envision 
Homes wants you to know: “In 2000, we started Envision Homes, with the basic idea that we envisioned homes that were energy and resource efficient, clean and low toxic, durable and well crafted … to leave a legacy of responsible and conscience building. For the last nine years, our dedication to sustainable building has continued to gain momentum. (We love what we do.) We are small and personal, passionate about sustainable building, exceptional project managers and proud craftsmen. Our fees and hourly rates are very competitive, but mostly, our value is compelling. Our competitively priced lead carpenters are friendly, efficient, creative and clean. They also act as site supervisors, dedicated to each client. Our clients enjoy focused site supervisors who are proud builders, share our commitment to environmentally friendly building practices, and build positive client relationships. We believe the experience of the project is just as important as the result. But what really sets us apart is our dedication to sustainable remodeling, our continuing education on building sciences, our involvement and sponsorship of major local sustainable building organizations, public, college and outreach speaking and lecture programs. Each client gets the full benefit of our product and application knowledge in making informed decisions about their project, in all aspects of residential building sciences, renewable energy and materials, all of which is included in our very competitive GC fee.” Envision Homes is currently sponsoring the WSB Crime Watch page, where you will see their ad banner; you can find them online by going here, and you can call Envision Homes at 206-356-7853. We’re glad to have them on the WSB sponsor team, listed in its entirety here, where you’ll also find information on how to be part of it.
That’s the video we mentioned in our earlier report on King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg‘s presentation today to the Rotary Club of West Seattle; as soon as we saw it, even before Satterberg finished speaking, we sent a note to his media liaison to ask if we could have a copy to share with you – it is quite the gripping clip, with video and audio from inside a police car as officers worked to stop the driver of a stolen car, who sped throughout West Seattle one night in November 2007. Not sure if this has been made public before – we were still working in TV news then, and don’t remember having seen it – nonetheless, it’s worth a look. As Satterberg observed, “This is why auto theft is not really a nonviolent crime – it’s amazing (in this case) that no one got killed.” (As for what happened to the guy arrested at the end of this – that’ll be another followup.)
As we reported in coverage of last month’s 34th District Democrats meeting, West Seattle State Sen. Joe McDermott thinks you should be able to register to vote all the way up till Election Day. But that’s not a popular idea, yet, so he is heading that way incrementally: The Senate has approved a bill he’s co-sponsoring, to move the in-person voter-registration deadline a week later, to 8 days pre-election. According to a Legislature news release, the 8 states allowing Election Day registration have voter participation averaging 10 percent higher than other states. His bill, SB 5270 (status and other links here), now moves to the House.
That’s King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, special guest at this afternoon’s meeting of the Rotary Club of West Seattle at Salty’s on Alki. He shared what he described as a “remarkable” story — one that might cheer you up a bit, if the off-and-on deluge of Crime Watch reports tends to leave you worried. Satterberg said the crackdown on car theft has brought dramatic results – and he says that’s particularly important because car theft is seen as a springboard to other crimes; someone steals a car to go commit burglaries, or worse. Read on to hear about the numbers he listed, what else he told the Rotarians, and after that, a few notes about what they’re up to:Read More
SSCC (West Seattle’s only college) just sent this out and wanted to make sure you knew:
Thanks to a generous donor to the South Seattle Community College Foundation, we have an opportunity to offer a special scholarship round to award two full scholarships (3 quarters each) to two students who have been in the U.S. Foster Care System.
Because it can be challenging to contact students who are eligible for this scholarship, we encourage you to let all students know it is available so they can determine whether or not to apply.
The application deadline is Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 4:00 p.m. in the Development Office, Room RS-01.
Application is available online; call 206 764-5809 for additional information.
(photo added 2:22 pm)
Dave Brewer e-mailed to share this alert:
On the 2900 block of SW Avalon Way, a section on the east side of the street that used to have no-limit parking is now a 2 hour zone. My assumption is that it has to do with Cafe Revo, directly across from the area.
Riders in my van pool (as well as at least three others that I am aware of) have been parking in this area during the work day for a couple years, so a warning to any others who have been doing the same.
Further up the hill (across from Ola, animal clinic, and beyond), is still unlimited.
We’ll be checking with SDOT to find out more, and see if anything’s in store for other areas of West Seattle.
Just in from Seattle City Light – a warning that a familiar phone scam is making the rounds again – read on for the official news release:Read More
(video added 2:06 pm, SLHS gym sendoff for the teams just before 1 pm )
An update this morning from Bil Hood at Seattle Lutheran High School (which is on the northeast edge of The Junction):
Our basketball teams are heading to Spokane this afternoon for the State Basketball Tournament in Spokane.
The boys get started tomorrow night at 5:30 v.s the number 2 team in the state, Napavine. The girls follow at 9 vs. the number 2 girls team, Colfax.
There are links at www.SeattleLutheran.org to live audio and video feeds from the games as well as a cell phone text service that will send you the scores as they happen.
GO SAINTS!!
ADDED 2:06 PM: Video of this afternoon’s sendoff for the teams, before they left SLHS.
P.S. FROM ORIGINAL REPORT: One other high-school basketball note – we told you yesterday morning that Chief Sealth is in the running for its match vs. Cleveland to be chosen channel 7’s “Game of the Week” if it wins a webpoll – last hour to vote – go here (right sidebar). ADDED 2:05 PM: Thanks for voting – they won. Now, they’re trying to sort out exactly what that means – what kind of showcase the game will get – we’ll keep you posted.
We’re at Concord Elementary School — which is in South Park but is part of Seattle Public Schools‘ “West Seattle South” grouping — where a celebration is just wrapping up in honor of the recent designation of Concord and Denny Middle School as “international schools.” Above, you see members of the Denny steel-drum band and masked Concord second-grade dancers, who performed for dignitaries including Denny principal Jeff Clark, Concord principal Sandra Scott, and Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson. More highlights in a bit, along with details on specifics of exactly what this designation means to these two schools. (Clark, by the way, has ties to both schools – he mentioned he’s best known at Concord as “Gabe’s dad,” because his first-grader is in the immersion program, which now serves kindergarteners and first graders and will add second grade in the fall.) ADDED 11:46 AM: More from this morning’s event, including video: Read More
Just scheduled for Design Review (tentatively) on April 9, a proposal by Transitional Resources to build a new four-story, 16-unit mixed-use building on one of the properties it owns along SW Avalon (2988; Google Street View above). We profiled Transitional Resources here last year before their annual spring “garden party” gathering volunteer help for the site where they grow certified-organic herbs and produce; as we described TR in that story, it’s “an organization that provides residential and drop-in services for more than 100 people every month who are working on having productive lives while dealing with mental illness.”
Seattle weather star Cliff Mass says the “models” are suggesting possible snow this weekend. The National Weather Service mentions it briefly too in the latest “forecast discussion.” We did get snow LAST March – found lots of photos in the archives, including this one shared by Karen in Westwood on 3/28/08:
It’s the rectangle of grass on the northwest corner of Alaska/42nd, at the foot of one tall building now, with more in the works across Alaska. Tonight, you are invited to share the next step toward turning Junction Plaza Park from future park to developed park: The newly energized Friends of Junction Plaza Park will gather at 6:30 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle, a block away from the park site. Recent reports here about the project have drawn comments wondering why the price tag to finish the park is $350,000; even if you’re among the skeptics, bring your questions and ideas – what’s needed even more than money is a pledge of volunteer time to get the job done. (Park-vision rendering, above left.)
(video added Tuesday, Alan Harrison discussing AW’s mission)
Just back from ArtsWest in The Junction, where the 2009-2010 season was announced tonight with a first-of-its-kind onstage event. Four of the six productions are Seattle premieres (and one is a National New Play Network World Premiere). The six are: “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Carol Roscoe, 9/9/09-10/3/09; “Measure for Pleasure” by David Grimm, directed by Christopher Zinovitch, 10/21/09-11/14/09; “Plaid Tidings” returns for the 2nd consecutive holiday season 12/2/09-12/27/09; “Love Song” by John Kolvenbach, directed by Kate Witt, 1/27/10-2/21/10; “Sunlight” by Sharr White, directed by Vanessa Miller, 3/10/10-4/3/10; “Tell Me on a Sunday” (Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s one-woman show, starring Jessica Skerritt with Zinovitch directing), 4/28/10-5/23/10. ArtsWest executive director Alan Harrison told the announcement audience that despite the economy’s troubles, ticket sales for 2008-2009 are up 30 percent from a year earlier, and even art sales are up. (Meantime, ArtsWest’s next production of the current season, “History Boys,” opens this Wednesday.)
WEST SEATTLE PHOTOGRAPHER REVISITS EXXON VALDEZ, 20 YEARS LATER: We’re having a tough time realizing it’s really been two decades since the Exxon Valdez catastrophe in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. But our memories, as a then-TV-news producer in San Diego, writing short stories from 2,000 miles away, are nothing like those held by Natalie Fobes (shown at left, photographed in Siberia), a West Seattle-based photographer who was one of the first on the scene of the spill in 1989 and spent three months chronicling how it affected wildlife and people. People for Puget Sound is sponsoring a presentation by Fobes and Cordova, AK, author-activist Dr. Riki Ott at 7 pm Thursday at REI’s flagship store downtown. In addition to looking back, they will look ahead to what’s being done, and needs to be done, to make sure nothing like this can happen again. More info, including how to get tickets, is on this page of the PPS website.
ORGANIC BEER: Elliott Bay Brewing Company‘s e-newsletter sent out today revealed another milestone in its organic brewing:
ORGANIC Beer NOW in West Seattle!!!
-On February 2, 2009 Elliott Bay Brewery and Pub became only the second brewery in King County to be awarded organic certification for its beers. While we’ve been brewing with organic grain for a number of years now, we decided to seek certification for our year-round house beers and a handful of our seasonal recipes.
-Look for USDA labels on the board above the bar and on our tap handles that will designate which of our current draught selections is certified organic.
COMMUNITY-BUILDING INSIGHT: Fauntleroy Church‘s “Re-creating Community in our Day” series continues Wednesday night, 7 pm, with Bill Grace, founder of the Center for Ethical Leadership. Simple supper by donation at 6 pm, presentation at 7. (Next week’s guest speakers are your WSB co-publishers, so we hope to see you there then too.)
FREE HOME-BUILDING/REMODELING WORKSHOP: Longtime WSB sponsor Ventana Construction is offering another one of its free, no-strings workshops for anyone and everyone thinking about remodeling or custom home-building. Call 206-932-3009 to have them save a spot for you. The event is at 6:30 pm Thursday at Ventana HQ north of Morgan Junction.
Whenever a new sponsor joins WSB, we publish a special welcome with information the sponsor wants to share. This time around, we’re welcoming the Southwest District Council, with a special emphasis on one of its work priorities — emergency preparedness. The SWDC’s next meeting is this Wednesday night, so it’s a good time to share more information about it. First, an explanation: The Southwest District is one of 13 neighborhood districts in the city, created by City Ordinance in 1988. (The rest of West Seattle is in the Delridge Neighborhoods District.) Each district has a district council made up of representatives from neighborhood/community councils, business groups, a variety of other community-based organizations, non-profit human-service organizations, or arts/cultural groups. District Councils advise the city on services, initiatives, and programs, such as the Neighborhood Street Fund/Cumulative Reserve Fund and Neighborhood Matching Fund Large Projects applications, and provides a forum to inform, discuss, and encourage civic engagement and community-building. The Southwest District Council meets 9 or 10 times a year on the first Wednesday, at 7 pm – usually January, February, March, April, May, June, July (when needed), September, October, and November – at the President’s Board Room at South Seattle Community College on Puget Ridge (map). The District Council is staffed by the Southwest Neighborhood District Coordinator, Stan Lock with the city Department of Neighborhoods. Read on to find out about SWDC participants – and how the emergency-preparedness push (with a new website) can make a difference for your family:Read More
Mandy e-mailed us from the 10000 block of 31st SW (map), where car prowlers have struck twice – read on:Read More
(WSB photo from 9/7/08 “Car-Free Day” on Alki)
We first reported here in late January that May 31st had been designated as Alki’s “car-free” day this year. Last Friday, we brought you a few more details from the mayor’s office, plus a link to the full citywide list for what’s being called, this year, Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets. Today, the “official” citywide announcement is finally out, so if you want to read it – including an interesting choice of who was quoted on behalf of West Seattle – read on:Read More
Alki’s David Hutchinson sent three beautiful photos of that bird along with the story of how he and wife Eilene Hutchinson encountered and helped it:
A week ago on Thursday, my wife and I were driving home along Alki Avenue when something streaked in front of our car. It collided with a truck heading the opposite direction and tumbled to the street. Thankfully, there was not much traffic at that time and we were able to retrieve it, take it home, and place it in a pet carrier. It turned out to be a Merlin, a small falcon about 10 inches long.
David continues:
We called Woodland Park Zoo, and they referred us to the Sarvey Wildlife Center up in Arlington. Their purpose is to “help our wildlife population continue, and assure immediate medical attention, food, and shelter for injured and orphaned wildlife.” They operate with volunteers and are funded through donations.
We dropped the Merlin off and during the past week, they rehydrated it, started it on solid foods, and made sure it could fly and was in good health. This past Friday, we received a call that is was ready for release. We brought it back to Alki and released it at the playfield north of Alki Elementary which is only about 1 block from where we had rescued it. It immediately flew to one of the large trees that line 59th Avenue where it sat for a long time sunning itself and grooming before flying away.
Thanks to David for sharing the story and photos. You can find out more about Sarvey Wildlife Center, by the way, at www.sarveywildlife.org or 360-435-4817.
RIGHT NOW: Chief Sealth PTSA is asking for help getting the Chief Sealth-Cleveland basketball game chosen as channel 7’s “Game of the Week.” Take a sec to go to this page and vote (in the right sidebar).
TWO REMINDERS FOR SATURDAY: Daylight Saving Time kicks in Saturday night/Sunday morning, 2 am (set your clocks an hour forward). Third year it’s been this early. That happens hours after the first Winter Movies on the Wall showing: The next three Saturday nights, West Seattle Junction merchants (and other co-sponsors including WSB) present an indoor winter version of the popular summer movie series. Free! Inside the huge new West Seattle Christian Church activity center, on 42nd south of Genesee (map), doors open 5:30, “The Mummy” starts at 7; here’s the official site.
QUESTION (added 10:49 am): We’ve now received two reports of a “weird, loud whooshing noise” late last night – both from east of California, south of Admiral. No clue what it was but both notes are from quite reliable sources, so we’ve no doubt SOMETHING was heard. If you have any idea, please post a comment or e-mail us, editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
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