West Seattle, Washington
27 Tuesday
In our Wednesday night coverage of the Washington State Ferries Draft Long-Range Plan hearing in Fauntleroy, we showed you video of SDOT’s Ann Sutphin telling WSF that the city opposes the proposal to expand the West Seattle dock. She read a letter Mayor Nickels wrote to WSF; this morning, we have a copy of that letter — you can read it in its entirety here. Also a reminder — as mentioned in our Wednesday report — WSF has extended the deadline for public comments to Monday, so you still have time to read the plan and send your thoughts (wsfplanning@wsdot.gov).
This is just out of the WSB inbox, from Daphne, who wanted to alert others to what happened at her home near Hill/41st (map) a little while ago:Read More
Thanks to MarkB for that video from tonight’s West Seattle High School winter concert – where students played the drums donated to them as a surprise gift last spring by the WSHS Foundation (as reported here). Many other student musicians performed tonight – MarkB also e-mailed this photo to share:
He even sent along the concert program.
Jason Gruenwald (assisted by son Idaya) was one of the speakers advocating for West Seattle’s Cooper Elementary School during tonight’s final public hearing on proposed Seattle Public Schools closures, to be voted on by board members one week from tonight. (Clip added 11:04 pm) Said Shekuna spoke on behalf of the Somali immigrants whose children attend Cooper, saying the school is providing them some of what they could not get in that country, so why would the district want to take that away?
Note the signs displayed as he spoke, declaring Cooper (for its academic success) should be a “model, not a target.” Also speaking tonight, Cooper teacher Ruth Solnit, describing Cooper as “a school on an upswing”:
(Clip added 12:37 am) Cooper parent Steve Ball said the school would be fuller if its “reference area” were redrawn – especially given the growth in High Point and along Delridge:
And the board heard from Cooper parent Brittany Abbott (who spoke at the board’s regular meeting the night before, too):
Though there was talk of lawsuits and “no” votes at re-election time, overall, tonight, there were no headlines and no announcements, just a last chance for people to have their say about schools all over the city facing closures and changes. If board members want to propose changes to the current plan (linked from the SPS “Capacity Management” page), president Michael DeBell told them last night that those changes should be submitted to Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson by noon next Tuesday; the vote is scheduled for a special board meeting next Thursday night. West Seattle’s board rep Steve Sundquist told concerned parents at his monthly coffee gathering yesterday morning (WSB coverage here) that he won’t make up his mind till next week; if you would like to speak with him about the closure plan (or any other education concern), he is having another informal gathering this Saturday, 1 pm, at the Delridge Library. All seven board members’ e-mail addresses are here.
In addition to the Washington State Ferries Draft Long-Range Plan public hearing in Fauntleroy (WSB coverage here) and the last Seattle School Board meeting before the school-closure vote (WSB coverage here), we have coverage for you from one more Wednesday night event — the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council monthly meeting, which included updates on a multitude of local events and projects, as well as a leadership change, and more details on the upcoming Gathering of Neighbors – read on:Read More
Brian at TouchTech Systems in The Junction sent that photo Wednesday – he’d noticed this car parked in the pay lot at 42nd/Edmunds (map) for a while, with wheels, until yesterday morning. He notified the owner, and by late afternoon, the car was gone. Same kind of theft happened to Drury‘s husband’s car – read her story, and Amy‘s burglary report, just ahead:Read More
That’s part of a poster you’ll see soon at local businesses, according to Teri Ensley of Furry Faces Foundation (F3), in a drive to help the hundreds of dogs rescued from “puppy mills” north of Seattle. Here’s what’s needed, and how you can help:
300+ Dogs and Puppies Seized From Three Puppy Mills
Furry Faces Foundation, [F3], and multiple West Seattle Businesses are teaming to collect donations of supplies to assist with the care of the dogs and puppies that have been seized from three puppy mills. It appears that these puppy mills are part of a puppy mill ring and F3 wouldn’t be surprised to see more seizures in the near future. Thank you for caring and helping these animals.
Everett Animal Shelter and Saving Pets One at A Time need help with the following supplies:
• Dog and puppy food – preferred types are Canidae, Natural Balance or Nutro Ultra lamb/rice, small bites
• Wee Wee pads
• Grooming tools and dog toys
• Freshly washed blankets, towels, beds and crate pads-all sizes
• Dishes—stainless steel preferable (for sanitation reasons)
• Liquid laundry detergent and bleach
• Paper towels
• Monetary donations for veterinary careThe following West Seattle businesses are accepting the above donations. Please check back frequently as more businesses will be added soon.
Admiral District: Mud Bay; 2611 Calif. Ave SW (dog food & supplies only)
The Junction:
Hotwire Online Coffeehouse; 4410 Calif. Ave SW (dog food & supplies only)
Petco: 4732 California Avenue SWAlki: All the Best Pet Care; 2820 Alki Ave SW
Morgan Junction:
Pet Elements; 6701 California Ave SW
The Wash Dog; 6400 California Ave SWWestwood Village: Pet Pros; 9033 25th Ave SW
From the Washington State Ferries service bulletins: “The Klahowya is currently 15 minutes behind schedule due to a Coast Guard request for vessel assistance. This will affect the 4:05pm from Southworth, the 4:40pm from Fauntleroy and possibly later sailings.” According to WSF Vessel Watch, the Klahowya is at or near the Vashon dock right now; we’ve got a call out to the Coast Guard to ask what’s up.
No, it wasn’t here in West Seattle. Just happened onto this mention of Eddie Vedder making a cameo at the Tractor Tavern (in Ballard) on Tuesday night on the Mayor’s Office of Film and Music‘s new blog-format website. (Full story seems to be at RollingStone.com.)
Good to hear about booming business, giving the continued tough news from other quarters, so here are two more updates:
SECOND “FRIENDS”: Doris Goulet, owner of the popular Junction craft store Friends and Company, is opening a second location in Issaquah this spring; thanks to Michael at Liberty Bell Printing for the tip. *Added later* Doris also has written about the big news on her website. (Another Junction business that’s expanding is Cupcake Royale, which recently announced it’s opening a fourth location, on Capitol Hill.)
CAFE REVO “LOOKING FINISHED”: Still awaiting an exact date (co-owner Sofia Zadra Goff tells WSB final inspections have just begun), but Cafe Revo – the new Italian restaurant in the Luna Park business district on Avalon – has been sending updates saying they’re almost ready to open. You can see lots of new photos of the completed interior on this page of the CR website.
Checking on the Junction megaprojects’ status, we just talked with Leon Capelouto, the longtime West Seattle businessman whose mixed-use building is well under way between 41st and 42nd on Alaska (previous update, last September). First: Both QFC and Office Depot are moving forward as the major retail tenants, and are likely to open this summer — Capelouto tells WSB that QFC will open first, Office Depot shortly thereafter. Negotiations are still under way for potential tenants in the remaining smaller retail spaces in the complex. While the project’s main name is Capco Plaza, he says there’s a new name for the 157 apartments that will be atop the stores: Altamira (which has the stirrings of a website here) – you can see it on the project’s east side:
The apartments are likely to be ready to occupy around November, a few months after the retail spaces open. Right now, Capelouto adds, construction is going well; the roof’s on the building and the brick’s being put on (as you can see in the photo above, taken this afternoon).
We’ve been updating you on the city’s work to repaint stripes worn off local streets/bridges during last month’s snow, and to clean up leftover sand – here’s the latest update from SDOT:Read More
They’re already co-owned, and now they’re going to be co-located: The 3221 California SW (map) branch of Prudential Northwest Realty is moving to Jefferson Square, to join forces with the branch that’s located there (photo left), and one of the local PNW realtors, Alice Kuder, tells WSB the biggest part of the move is happening tonight, including a meet-and-greet for the more than 100 new co-workers to get to know each other. She says the move is “exciting”; the two are under the same ownership already anyway. More info expected a bit later today. The branch on California SW was Cayce and Gain Realty before merging with Prudential in 1996. ADDED 11:56 AM: We have comment now from the company’s owner, Chris Pauling, who says Don Bereiter will lead the newly combined office, and enclosed a news release – read on to see it:Read More
One of our fellow contributors at White Center Now (the only place you’ll find White Center news, opinion, information updated 7 days a week), Justin from Full Tilt Ice Cream, reports on other local food from time to time, and today he’s written about Rosticeria y Cocina El Paisano – read it here (and catch up on what else the WCN team has been covering, including Ricardo from Cafe Rozella musing on the Microsoft job cuts’ impact)!
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: 6 pm tonight, it’s the first South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting of the year, St. James Place, 9421 18th SW (map). 6:30 pm, it’s the Southwest Design Review Board meeting for 2743 California SW (medical/dental-office building going in just north of PCC), West Seattle (Admiral) Library branch. Also at 6:30, at Seattle Public Schools HQ in Sodo, the final public hearing for the citywide closure proposal that involves three West Seattle schools/buildings (archived WSB coverage here). At 7 pm, at the new Duwamish Longhouse, the world premiere of “Angeline,” a documentary film on the life of Princess Angeline, daughter of Chief Seattle. Also at 7 pm, the Seattle Parks Board gets an updated briefing on beach fires, park HQ downtown (as reported here yesterday – looks like status quo for this year).
ADDED 12:58 PM: Also just got word that the West Seattle High School music department’s winter concert is tonight, 7:30 pm, WSHS Theater, all welcome – and it’s free!
This morning, we have another report on the results of West Seattleites stepping up to help others – the inauguration-commemoration shoe drive kicked off by “Bob Loblaw” in the WSB Forums. The photo shows a member of the Loblaw clan — seventh-grade student at Madison Middle School shown helping sort the shoes (with community-service credit as a bonus!). Bob writes:
West Seattle’s generous souls donated a total of exactly 100 pairs of shoes, boots, sandals and other footwear during the week-long drive. All will make their way shortly to those who truly need them. Big kudos go to those who stepped up, especially the participating businesses, Hotwire and Full Tilt. It goes without saying once again that West Seattle rocks!
Fauntleroy resident Brian Bershad was one of 31 people who gave Washington State Ferries an earful last night during the final stop on WSF’s tour to gather public comment before taking its Draft Long-Range Plan to state legislators.
As we have been reporting over the past few months, the Fauntleroy Community Association has led the charge of concern over WSF’s decision to dump the concept of running Southworth ferries to downtown, which was previously under consideration since so much of the drive-off traffic arriving at Fauntleroy is headed that way anyway. Total turnout for tonight was about 125, and half of the 31 speakers asked WSF to reopen the idea of having a Southworth/(Downtown) Seattle run. Without it, the ferry system is now looking at expanding the dock and adding overhead passenger walkways. Fauntleroy Creek volunteer overseer Judy Pickens said dock expansion could harm the creek’s fragile salmon runs; pollution was one of the concerns voiced by others, along with potential Cove Park encroachment, view loss, noise, increased traffic, and transit-coordination challenges. Also expressing concern : A city representative, SDOT’s Ann Sutphin:
WSF reps had one notable announcement before night’s end: They’ve extended the time for public comments on the draft long-range plan by a few extra days; instead of ending tomorrow, it’ll end Monday. Read the full plan here; it contains two basic options – Plan A is similar to the current level of service; Plan B would include cuts, such as reducing Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth to two boats. Both would be sailing in a sea of red; WSF says A has a $3.5 billion shortfall over the next couple decades, while B is just under half that. To e-mail your comments: wsfplanning@wsdot.wa.gov
After the Seattle Animal Shelter confirmed on Tuesday that one of its officers rescued that coyote from the precarious Jack Block Park (map) perch where Chris Weinmann photographed it on Saturday, we had the same question you did … how did the officer pull that off? So we asked SAS boss Don Jordan if he could put us in touch with the officer, and today he did. Quite the story – read on: Read More
(added 10:35 pm, Cooper parent Raymond Williams and daughter facing the board)
We’re at district HQ in Sodo, where the School Board is about to start its last regular meeting before next week’s scheduled closure vote (agenda here). No action is scheduled tonight, but at least three of the 20 public speakers in the first hour are listed as speaking on behalf of Cooper Elementary, so we will post quick notes about their speeches and any other major developments regarding the West Seattle closure proposal (or the other programs, such as the citywide APP top-level-gifted program, affecting WS families). For the first time in a while, it’s NOT a standing-room-only crowd (so far). 6:04 PM UPDATE: Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson is sharing a few reminiscences from her (personal, board member Cheryl Chow points out) trip to DC for the inauguration – she just returned this afternoon. She also mentioned her phone chats yesterday afternoon (WSB video coverage here) with Highland Park Elementary and Gatewood Elementary students. After that, following the Pledge of Allegiance, board president Michael DeBell – who’d noted it was the first one under the new administration – said, “That feels good.” 6:12 PM UPDATE: The presentation that will be made by Dr. Goodloe-Johnson after public comment (which has just begun) is online; it includes answers to questions raised by board members as part of the closure discussions – one is “Where would Cooper students be reassigned?” See page 12 of the presentation for the full list; highlights: the largest group, 104, would be expected to go to Gatewood, with the second largest, 65, to West Seattle Elementary. The presentation also answers a question about Cooper capacity and whether Pathfinder would fit:
Cooper has 26 homerooms and 1 PCP. After additional PCPs, Special Ed Self-Contained and Resource Room, Cooper has 21 homerooms. Pathfinder requires 2 homerooms per grade for K-8 which is 18 homerooms. This leaves 3 homerooms to expand the special program to middle school as well as provide an additional PCP for middle school and accommodates some of the
Cooper students from the Cooper reference area.
6:55 PM UPDATE: Three Cooper advocates have just spoken – Raymond Williams (video atop this post), and Molly Usry (first clip below) and Brittany Abbott (second clip below).
They reiterate the point: “Cooper does not meet the criteria for closure.” It is the main theme we have heard in meetings at and about Cooper, and on the CooperSchoolWorks.com website: Cooper is doing well academically, compared to schools with similar demographics, and shouldn’t be broken up, they say. They were preceded by a speaker who got a standing ovation, a Summit K-12 student named Jacob Looke, who testified against the proposal to close his school, struggling to get through tears, after explaining that he had been a social outcast most of his life, until he started attending that alternative school. 7:18 PM UPDATE: The superintendent is now running through her presentation, which starts with a list of actions to close “education gaps.”
8:35 PM UPDATE: The closure discussion is almost done for the night; board president DeBell says that if any board member has a change to propose to the superintendent’s final recommendations, they should get it to her in writing by noon next Tuesday, then it will be posted to the district website by noon next Wednesday. (The board vote is a week from tomorrow, during a meeting at which there will be no public testimony, since the last public hearing – with 40 speakers signed up, and the list now full – is tomorrow night, as DeBell reminds all.)
(from illustrated highlights of the new proposal; see the full version here)
6 months after it was unveiled, with a West Seattle architect on hand for the occasion, the much-watched “Multi-Family Code Update“ – centered on changes to the rules regarding townhouse design – has moved from the mayor’s office to the City Council. Here’s the official announcement:Read More
Our new leadership in DC is challenging us all to reach out and help each other – and we’ve got a stack of ideas to share with you – many are already on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar, but we want to shine an extra spotlight too – for starters, Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) still has appointments available for its annual “Have a Heart Day” on Sunday 2/8 — here’s what it’s all about:
Illusions Hair Design is raising money for West Seattle Helpline – benefiting many families in our community – and Pencil Me in for Kids – benefiting hundreds of local grade-school kids each year – through its annual fund raiser “Have a Heart Day.” Since 1994, Illusions has opened its doors the Sunday before Valentine’s Day, donated staff time performing haircuts at reduced cost, and donated ALL monies raised to local charities. This year’s event will be on Sunday February 8th, from 12-5. Please call (206) 938-3675 to schedule an appointment, or visit www.illusionshairdesign.com to learn more.
Illusions, by the way, is currently featuring a photography display that you are welcome to stop by and check out during regular salon hours Mondays-Fridays, through the end of February – the debut show of Marybeth Coghill (here’s some of her work on Flickr).
Earlier today, we shared the final report on the diaper drive Katy Lloyd organized; now, we have a report on the blanket-making event Linda Tepe and Nancy Ross spearheaded on Monday at Fauntleroy Church, which also benefited the local families helped through WestSide Baby:
Our event was a huge success!
Through the USAService.org website I had allowed as many as 50 people to sign up. The event was filled by last Friday. Additionally, 8 friends told me they would attend. Instructions from USAService.org told me to expect no more than 60% of those to turn out, but incredibly 57 signed in.
People brought their friends, co-workers and children. There were people of all ages from babies on up to some in their 80’s: there were high school and college students; a group of 10 from Starbucks corporate; 3 woman brought their young daughters to help; a man and woman brought their daughters; and some young women brought their boyfriends. And 2 babies did quality control, making sure the blankets were soft enough and modeling some of the creations.
We made 130 baby blankets, 107 buntings and an unknown number of adorable hats that one of the volunteers created with the leftover remnants.
Our event was very “green”: not even the smallest scraps of that fleece were thrown away because one the volunteers, who also volunteers for the Humane Society, took those little scraps to make cat toys for her feline friends.
The 40 odd bolts of fleece fabric that we used had been donated to WestSide Baby by BlueStar. BlueStar had purchased the leftover inventory from Hancock Fabrics before the groundbreaking for the Whole Foods project and then turned around and donated the goods to a number of charities, including WestSide Baby.
Thanks again to everyone who shared their stories from Day of Service (and also, yesterday, from Inauguration Day/Night). Share your stories and/or photos with your West Seattle neighbors, whether it’s breaking news or happy news, by sending whatever you have to editor@westseattleblog.com … thanks!
Desiree is not only upset about something that happened to a friend of hers, she wants to make sure it doesn’t happen to you, so she e-mailed WSB to share the story, so you know what and who to watch for – read on:Read More
| 8 COMMENTS