New neighbors moving in — will they be fresh out of prison?
A neighborhood in Sunrise Heights, in the 32nd/Holden area (map), is nervously watching a newly rented house. It’s been rented by an agency called Sound Mental Health, to use as housing for some of its clients. And one of the programs from which those clients might come is the Re=entry Housing Pilot Project — a relatively new, state-funded program (described here) to help people make the transition from jail/prison to the rest of their life. Of course, once they’ve done their time, they have to go somewhere. But these neighbors are worried their street isn’t the right “somewhere” – partly because of schools and day-cares nearby, and 10 small children on the block. But they also wonder why they got no notice – till this happened, as explained by Bill:
A couple of my neighbors were in front of their house doing yard work when they noticed two young people walk up to the house that is right next door to them. They knew the house was recently for sale and/or for rent so the said “hello” thinking that these might be their new neighbors. What they quickly learned was that they were actually County employees doing a site inspection for the house because this home had been leased out to the County to house 5 convicted felons who will be released from prison. The County employees stated that these were not sex offenders but simply “convicts who committed violent crimes, domestic abuse, are recovering drug addicts or have mental health issues. Our neighbors quickly informed the rest of our block about this and we just had a neighborhood meeting (over the weekend) to discuss this. Nobody in our neighborhood was contacted by the County or anyone else for that matter to inform us that felons convicted of violent crimes would be moving in right next door to us.
We’ve learned a lot more since that first note came in — including the fact those weren’t county employees — an explanation of why neighbors didn’t get notice – and whether felons really might be moving in, ahead:Read More
Fauntleroy Place site demolition update: Facade still standing
At day’s end, when the heavy-equipment operators parked their rigs for the night, that’s what was still left at the future site of Fauntleroy Place — a massive mountain of debris, and the shell of the ex-Schuck’s/Hancock Fabrics building’s east-facing facade. Crews started tearing into the building around 10:40 this morning, as we showed you here; we checked back around mid-afternoon for another video clip — the progress here was coming from inside the building (keep an eye on the background for chunks falling down, especially one pulled from up top about a minute into the clip):
So there’s more work to do tomorrow. And as mentioned before, the newest Fauntleroy Place design gets a public hearing before the Southwest Design Review Board at 8 pm August 14th (two weeks from Thursday), at High Point Community Center.
Chief Sealth High School renovations: Major work begins
That’s a look inside the old Chief Sealth High School commons, where the old floor’s just been pulled up for replacement – one of many renovations that will be taking place in the next 2 years. At the back of the photo, the old cafeteria’s blocked off for hazmat work including getting out the type of old pipes that were wrapped with asbestos insulation way back when; the new cafeteria and commons will be a shared facility with the new Denny Middle School to be built on the Sealth campus, and while that’s not fully opening till a year after Sealth students return in fall 2010, project manager Robert Evans says the new cafeteria and commons will be ready in two years. We met with Evans and other key leaders from the Sealth/Denny project at CSHS this afternoon; full details of what’s happening now, what’s happening next, and the latest on the process to determine the future of the Denny site, coming up.
Update: Blue Angels just landed in Seattle
Just before landing: Here’s our video of the traditional Museum of Flight flyby:
Please forgive us this non-West Seattle digression; it’s an annual thing. We’re at the Museum of Flight side of Boeing Field, where the Blue Angels have just landed for their Seafair appearances. You can see the planes through the fence on the south side of the Museum of Flight (right up against Boeing property) any time during their stay here; they’ll go up twice on Thursday to practice maneuvers, then do a practice version of their full airshow on Friday, and “the real thing” over Lake Washington Saturday and Sunday. As we’ve written here before, there’s a lot to see if you come to the MoF and watch the takeoff and landing (such as the “walkdown”) – and since the airshow site is just over the ridge east of the MoF, you get to see some flybys too. They land one by one (which is why the photo above shows just one), but then they taxi in a group – here’s how that looked, peering through the chain-link fence between the MoF parking lot and the west side of the runway:
Later this week – the Seafair fleet arrives (sailing in Wednesday, tours start Thursday). Two of the ships that are coming are identified on this Navy page.
Designer chosen for Delridge skatepark, 2 days before 1st meeting
Just out of the WSB inbox from Nancy Folsom:
Kelly Davidson, Project Manager for Seattle Parks and Recreation, just sent
me the news that Grindline (http://grindline.com/cgi-bin/view.pl) has been
selected as the DCC skate park designer.
It’s great news. I was fortunate to be on the interview board last Tuesday
along with Matt Johnston–SeattleSkateParks.Org, Susan Golub–Seattle Parks
Projects & Planning, and Kelly. All the candidates were strong, but I felt
Grindline was the strongest. The company is local to West Seattle and is
passionately committed both to the sport and to the Delridge neighborhood.
I hope the community brings their most positive ideas Wednesday night for
the first public design meeting. This development has the potential to be a
stellar community resource. As neighbor, I want this to be a fantastic
project, and it will take all of us working together.
The meeting is Wednesday from 7:30 – 9 p.m. at Delridge
Community Center, 4501 Delridge Way SW.
Final phase of demolition at Fauntleroy Place site under way now
(video no longer available due to Blip.tv shutdown)
WSB was there about 10 minutes ago as the backhoes finally started tearing up the former Hancock Fabrics/Schuck’s building at Alaska/Fauntleroy/39th that will be the site of Fauntleroy Place (Whole Foods, a new Hancock store, and almost 200 apartments). Demolition work at the site started last week and has proceeded relatively slowly because crews have cleared a lot of recyclable material from the interior. (Video added 11:43 am.)
West Seattle Gas Price Watch: New “highest,” tie for “lowest”
Lots of changes in our latest West Seattle-wide survey of gas prices: The highest price in West Seattle as of late last night is seven cents lower than the highest price exactly a week earlier; one station has dropped its price more than twice that much; and four stations are now tied at the low end, while the highest price is not where you’d expect to find it. Text and map versions of the survey, ahead:Read More
Aerial alert: Blue Angels arrive in Seattle on Monday
For our fellow Blue Angels fans as well as those who appreciate advance notice of possible loud flybys (with Boeing Field relatively close to West Seattle, etc.) — we have word from Seafair that the Angels are flying in around 11:30 am tomorrow, after a weekend airshow in Twin Falls, Idaho. Their official practicing doesn’t start till Thursday but you may see one or two flying in the interim, for special media flights and so on; once again this year, there’s a local pilot on the team — Lt. Cmdr. Craig Olson, a native of Kirkland. (Also remember, I-90 will have closures Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the practices and airshows; dates and times are listed here.)
Bag fee vote tomorrow – looking for bag-buying suggestions tonight
Tomorrow afternoon at its 2 pm meeting, the City Council is expected to vote on the bag-fee and foam-ban proposal — you can read the full details here. If it’s approved as currently written, it’ll kick in the first of next year, and you’ll pay 20 cents for every nonreusable shopping bag you get at the store. So you may be in the market for reusable bags if you don’t have them already. No shortage of places to buy them – got one to recommend? (In addition to every supermarket imaginable, we know of at least two other places: WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits sells Envirosax for $9.50; PB&J Textiles told us a few months back about bags they were selling for $4 at the time – haven’t checked lately if the price/availability has changed.)
“Stuff the Bus” final hour: 20,000 diapers and room for more!
We’re back in The Junction, where we revisited the WestSide Baby “Stuff the Bus” diaper drive for an update as it goes into its final hour – they were just about to pass 20,000 diapers (way to go, West Seattle!!!!), and there’s still room for more – even if you’ve been by once, maybe you have time to make another run? Look for this big yellow bus on 44th south of Alaska, alongside the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, where lots of friendly WestSide Baby volunteers are there to greet you and take your diaper donation till 2 pm:
Stil time to get a free car-seat check in the nearby Wells Fargo parking lot, too, courtesy of SafeKids-South King County. WestSide Baby is expecting to help local families in need with THREE-HUNDRED THOUSAND DIAPERS in all, before the year’s out – so even if you don’t see this till Monday (or later), check the WestSide Baby website to find out how you can help them help local families (with lots of other essentials too) any time of year.
2nd “Stuff the Bus” update
We’re heading back to get a look at how things are going in the second half of today’s “Stuff the Bus” diaper drive … but in the meantime, WestSide Baby‘s executive director Nancy Woodland called with an update: More than 16,000 diapers as of noon! STILL room for lots more. Get down to 44th just south of Alaska (next to the West Seattle Farmers’ Market) before 2 pm.
Happening now: Alki Art Fair, day 2 (with sunbreaks!)
It may look gray outside, but at the second day of the Alki Art Fair (stretching along the promenade from both sides of the Bathhouse), sunbreaks are happening and so is everything from live music (above, the Forget-Me-Nots, one of the acts playing this morning) to a silent auction (note the banner fluttering in the photo background at right) to kids’ activities like an art tent and a bouncy house. If you can’t quite shake the autumn-ish mood brought on by the clouds, we found at least one booth with handmade sweaters on sale:
Suzanne de la Torre (headquartered on lower Queen Anne) is selling her handmade creations – one of many artists whose wares you can admire, and if you are so moved, purchase. Other apparel for sale at the event includes Alki Art Fair T-shirts, past and present:
T-shirts and tank tops will run you $15 (look for the tent on the water side of the Bathhouse). The Alki Art Fair continues till 5 pm today.
1st “Stuff the Bus” progress report: Almost 10,000 diapers!
We’re in The Junction, where we just dropped by WestSide Baby‘s “Stuff the Bus” diaper drive to see how things were going after the first hour – they had just passed 9,500 diapers! But that’s just enough to cover the back of the bus (photo above) — LOTS of room for more – lots of “westside babies” (and toddlers) are counting on you! Any kind of disposable diapers will do – go buy a package or two (or more) and get ’em to the big yellow bus (with lots of happy volunteers swarming around it) at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market by 2 pm. And remember, just to the north, the Wells Fargo parking lot (enter from 44th northbound, sign shown below) is where you can get a free car-seat check during the diaper drive:
New in West Seattle? Need a map to 44th/Alaska? Here you go. And if you can’t quite get to the Farmers’ Market, there are five other dropoff spots, including Red Cup Espresso (hand ’em over at the drive-thru window!) on the west side of California just north of Oregon, and Eats Market Cafe in Westwood Village (full list here).
West Seattle wildlife watch: Almost baby-seal season
Thanks to Susan Grossman of Singing Pixel Photography for sharing that view of a watchful harbor seal. Reminds us that we need to check with the Seal Sitters to see how their roster’s shaping up for this season, since birthing season starts in August. If you see a baby seal on the beach, remember — leave it alone and keep your distance; its mom is probably just off looking for food, and human interference with the baby lessens the chance of a family reunion. We published a lot of great pix and video last year, but all from a safe distance, thanks to zoom.
West Seattle Hi-Yu float wins award in Seafair Torchlight Parade
That’s WSB video of the West Seattle Hi-Yu float going by during tonight’s Seafair Torchlight Parade, from our vantage point across from the Rainier Club about two-thirds of the way down the parade route. The Hi-Yu folks had extra reasons for those big bright smiles — the Luna Park-themed float won the Smile Award during judging for tonight’s parade. (Full list of winners here.) We’ll add a few more West Seattle moments and parade observations later, but wanted to get this news up first (in case you missed our post to Twitter during the parade). ADDED VERY EARLY SUNDAY: Those assorted extras, including a clip of parade grand marshal Sig Hansen from “Deadliest Catch” (no West Seattle link that I know of, but having had some family ties to the fishing industry, it was interesting to see a fisherman treated like a rock star!):Read More
Feeling bookish? Two West Seattle library notes
MEET THE NEW BRANCH MANAGER: Julie Enevoldsen from Friends of Southwest Branch Library writes to invite everybody to the branch on Monday night, 6:30-7:45, to meet the new branch manager, Theresa Mayer. Light refreshments will be provided at the event in the upstairs meeting room; the Southwest branch is on the southeast corner of 35th/Henderson (here’s a map).
READING RECOMMENDATIONS: Librarians from Southwest and West Seattle (Admiral) branches recently provided the official Seattle Public Library systemwide blog, Shelf Talk, with some reading suggestions, based on what local readers are enjoying this summer; read the list here.
“Stuff the Bus” countdown: Parked and ready
The bus WestSide Baby hopes you’ll help stuff with diapers is now in place on 44th south of Alaska, where you’ll find it tomorrow, 10 am-2 pm, right alongside the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. Three things we’ve mentioned before that are worth mentioning again: First, Costco is matching donations diaper-for-diaper, up to the first 14,000, so your donation’s likely to count double. Second, during “Stuff the Bus,” WestSide Baby is offering free carseat checks at the Junction Wells Fargo parking lot across the street. Third, if you can’t make it to the Farmers’ Market, there are a few other dropoff locations during the “Stuff the Bus” drive — five of them, all listed here. This year they’re expecting to supply needy local families with THREE-HUNDRED-THOUSAND diapers – and hoping to bring in at least 20,000 tomorrow. See you there!
Seafair Torchlight Parade alert: Room’s running out fast
That’s the view Team WSB’s resident parade nut currently has – staked out on the Seafair Torchlight Parade route, across from the stately old Rainier Club at 4th and Columbia, which is about three blocks farther down the route than where we found curbside room at the same arrival time last year. Pet peeve: People who block off sections of sidewalk with ropes or tape, put their chairs out, and leave. Our code of parade stakeouts: Once you stake your spot, at least one person stays there (rotate out if you have to). The Rainier Club, by the way, has quite a party going – there’s a kid bouncy zone way off to the right side of the photo, and on the lawn at left, its entire lawn is planted with plastic pirate flags. (And they have blocked off what looks like 100 seats along the sidewalk.) Stakeout’s fun – you get to see the participants go by ahead of time – so far, a huge posse of bicycling Seattle Police officers, and a school bus with the Chinese Community Girls’ Drill Team. Anyway, we’ll be watching out for West Seattle parade moments – you can count on the Hi-Yu Festival float and West Seattle’s Most Famous Politician, plus Denny Middle School music director Marcus Pimpleton leading the All-City Band; other parade highlights will include the grand marshal, “Deadliest Catch” captain Sig Hansen, and the crowning of Miss Seafair at the start of the parade (contenders include 2006-2007 Miss West Seattle Hi-Yu Tricia Thompson). The parade starts at the Seattle Center end of 4th Avenue around 7:30 pm, but downtown will be tough to get through starting about an hour from now, since the Torchlight Run precedes the parade (and will close the northbound side of The Viaduct for a while). No worries, we’re still in position to cover West Seattle news tonight too, but here’s hoping for a quiet fun night on both sides of the bay.
West Seattle jail-sites forum: Process slowing, concerns escalate
That’s Eddie Sherman, from the second generation of family ownership at Pacific Plumbing Supply, a regional business headquartered next to the West Marginal/Highland Park Way site that’s one of two potential West Seattle locations on the “final four” list for a public jail. Those two sites were the focus of a three-hour city-organized public forum at South Seattle Community College today. One major revelation from the city officials and consultants who were on hand: The process is slowing a bit now that Seattle is looking at teaming with north- and east-county cities on one semi-regional jail; that means the next round of hearings, on environmental impacts, won’t be till fall (there was originally talk of those hearings happening next month). The concerns expressed by jail opponents, meantime, continue to expand. Hear more of those concerns, and see what happens next, ahead:Read More
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