West Seattle, Washington
09 Monday
Give SDOT credit for proactivity: After our report yesterday that the city’s proposing cutting down travel lanes on Fauntleroy Way between Alaska and California – from two each way to one each way plus a center turn lane, in conjunction with anticipated repaving – SDOT offered up a key interview before we could even ask: Eric Widstrand, the man who will recommend to SDOT leadership whether this should go forward. We talked this morning, and here’s what we found out:Read More
Another followup to the Fauntleroy arrest early Sunday, following one break-in, another attempt, and a helicopter search: Court documents obtained from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office list the charges now filed against 41-year-old Richard Lovejoy, the convicted rapist caught after that search. Read on for details of the charges, including more information about the evidence prosecutors say they have against him:Read More
That’s the final score, just in from WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand at Civic Stadium in Bellingham, covering the high-school-football playoff game in which the Wildcats (now 9-2) have just lost to the Ferndale Golden Eagles (now 11-0). Patrick says the stadium was jammed – more than 5,700 people (that’s about half the population of Ferndale, which is 11 miles north of Bellingham). Full report later.
The Parks Department has announced its annual volunteer awards. Among the winners: Libby Carr of the Seattle (Alki) Statue of Liberty Plaza Project and Ken Shaw for his Schmitz Preserve work. Among the runner-up nominees, Westcrest Park Off-Leash Area steward Steve McElhenney (of “Bassets for Obama” fame).
Last night in the WSB Forums, member “Bigmark” posted e-mail he had received seeking support for a soccer complex on Port land along Harbor Avenue. “Has anyone heard anything about this?” he asked. We sent an inquiry the person who had sent the mass e-mail that “Bigmark” received – and finally got more information tonight, including the Request for Proposal cover photo shown above. Turns out the soccer field is one of the latest proposals for the so-called “CEM site” – which we last reported on in July of 2007, when Jack Block came to the Alki Community Council to advocate for a residential/urban proposal for the site; our coverage from that meeting indicated that was one of two primary competing proposals, with the other being boat storage. But now, a soccer complex is in the mix, at least for some CEM land – here’s what its supporters have to say:Read More
Driving through The Junction this afternoon, we spotted the lamp-post wreaths going up. Just in time for various holiday events happening this weekend (as you can see in the latest West Seattle Weekend Lineup). It also gives us a chance to mention that the dates are set for Junction fun you can enjoy before, during, and after shopping trips, as the West Seattle Junction Association (WSB sponsor) reminds you to “Live Local” this holiday season, and beyond. An hour of fun is planned for the West Seattle Junction Christmas-tree lighting, 5 pm December 6, including music and giveaways – dozens of Junction merchants are offering free tickets (available starting next weekend) for December raffling of thousands of dollars in gift certificates, and the tree lighting event will include an announcement of some of the winners (as well as holiday music and surprises). You’ll also see Junction fun on the following Sunday afternoons: December 7, 14, 21, with carriage rides and lots more – instead of picking just one “Hometown Holidays” weekend like last year, they’re spreading out the holiday joy.
The photo at left is from “Bullshot Crummond” — which Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) is presenting at Youngstown Arts Center tonight, tomorrow night, and Sunday afternoon — and as you’ll see in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup, to be published a little later today, it’s one of THREE live-theater productions on the peninsula this weekend: 
In addition to this being the second and final weekend for “Bullshot Crummond,” it’s also closing weekend for “Black Gold” at ArtsWest, and the first of two weekends for a West Seattle High School Drama Club production — plus many local merchants are having special events this weekend to kick off holiday-shopping season – that’s all among more than 50 (!!!!) West Seattle and WS-linked events on our handy list ahead:Read More
Pathfinder K-8 PTSA folks say everybody’s welcome; it tackles one of the toughest topics a parent faces, in the relatively early going – when do you start talking to your kids about the “birds and the bees,” as the age-old euphemism puts it? 6:45 tonight at Pathfinder; more details online.
[photo by Christopher Boffoli]
First posted on Twitter by Monica Guzman from the P-I’s Big Blog, but we found out via this “retweet” (forwarded link) – Xconomy Seattle reports on coffee haunts “where innovators meet up.” West Seattle isn’t represented. C’mon, we’re not innovation-less over here! Are we? (For what it’s worth, while we of course are mega-fans of WSB sponsor Hotwire Coffee for the beverages, it’s too cozy for meetings when it’s not outdoor-table season, so we have had recent meetings at the Junction Uptown, Morgan Junction Caffe Ladro, Morgan Junction Tully’s, Coffee to a Tea … And you?)
Photographed within the past hour, that’s West Seattle High School athletic director George Foster giving WSHS varsity football players the scouting report on tonight’s playoff opponent, the Ferndale Golden Eagles, before the Wildcats’ bus hit the road for Bellingham. Also handed out before the trip, lunches provided by the WSHS Foundation:
What’s the lunch of champions, you ask? We know it included peanut-butter bagels and Gatorade. Speaking of champions, check out the new patch:
As mentioned earlier, WSB will be in Bellingham tonight to cover the big game – short in-progress updates as they happen at twitter.com/wsbbizdev (which will display in a red box you’ll see on the sidebar here later) and the halftime/final scores here on the main page, also as they happen. ADDED 1:03 PM: We shot video of the team boarding the bus. Nothing dramatic but we like to share the unprocessed video when we can:Read More
That’s one of the iconic images from the coverage we dubbed Freeway Fright ’07 (all archived here) — the August 2007 I-5 lane closures that could have caused gridlock backing up into West Seattle, but didn’t because of commuter action like what’s shown above (an Elliott Bay Water Taxi run on Day 1 that carried about 200 people; photo was provided that day by the staff of County Councilmember Dow Constantine). The state Department of Transportation‘s communications team just won the National Partnership for Highway Quality‘s 2008 Gold Award for Public Communications for its effort to get the word out about Freeway Fright ’07 before and during the road work. They really did do a great job in reaching out to the public via myriad news sources (including WSB even though that was months before we became a full-fledged business) so we wanted to congratulate them, although in turn, their news release announcing the award congratulates YOU: “The project’s success really came from the public choosing to travel different routes, try public transit, work from home or defer their trips,” state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said. Speaking of the Water Taxi, looks like the King County Ferry District reauthorization vote is indeed happening next Monday (11 am); keep your Water Taxi support messages flowing in to info@kingcountyferries.org.
Following up on the Parks Department rule proposal – which didn’t make it out of last night’s Board of Park Commissioners meeting (WSB coverage here) – SPD Blotter has posted a letter from Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske addressing the question “Is nudity illegal?” Bottom line: no easy answer.
No more new-car dealerships in West Seattle – so if you want to buy, you have to go elsewhere, and two of your options have just joined the WSB sponsor team — though new-car sales is just part of what they do — Honda of Seattle and Toyota of Seattle. We always offer new sponsors a chance to tell you about their business, and here’s what they’d like you to know: “Since 1986 and 1991, Honda of Seattle and Toyota of Seattle, respectively, have been a family-owned business and an active member of the Downtown Seattle community. Our tagline says it all… we’re located ‘Close to Home. Close to Work.’ Whether online at HondaofSeattle.com or ToyotaofSeattle.com, or in person, we invite you to experience our hassle-free sales environment. 
As a family-owned business since 1986, we’re honored to give back to the downtown Seattle community that has supported our growth. We’re in the people business, so our sponsorships and donations benefit people of all ages – from Seattle Schools that educate our future work force, to Senior Services that cares for people in their golden years. Each year, we collect food and funds to feed hungry people in the Puget Sound region. We continue to devote a major part of our philanthropic budget to the uncompensated care program at Harborview Medical Center. We invite you to visit, have a cup of coffee, and discuss how we can satisfy your transportation and service needs.” Location and contact info for Honda of Seattle is here; location and contact info for Toyota of Seattle is here. We welcome them to the WSB sponsor team, whose support helps us bring you 24/7 West Seattle news, information, and discussion; current lineup is here, along with info on how to join!
Brian Presser at TouchTech Systems in The Junction sends word that the crane at Mural, Harbor Properties‘ mixed-use building across from Jefferson Square, “is coming down” – and included that photo — clearly no acrophobes in that group! We showed you the crane’s arrival nine months ago; Mural is scheduled to open in April. (added 10:33 am) Here’s a crane piece, ready to be trucked away:
Meantime, WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli has an update on 4532 42nd SW, the doomed house a few blocks north of Mural:
That’s one of Christopher’s archive photos of the house, whose storied past includes service as a hospital. It’s been tabbed for demolition for a while – we were told of a late October target, and have seen a backhoe in position behind the house for a while; Christopher says the “heavy equipment” has shown up today – updates to come. (To see what’s going in at 4532 42nd, see the second half of this WSB report.)
One online writer calls it the “marquee matchup” of the playoffs’ 1st round: The West Seattle High School Wildcats (9-1) are in Bellingham tonight to face the Ferndale High School Golden Eagles (10-0). Here’s a fairly straightforward preview from the Bellingham paper; the P-I calls Ferndale “the best team nobody south of Everett has ever seen.” The game’s at 7:30 pm at Bellingham’s Civic Stadium; WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand will be there to continue his coverage of the Wildcats’ best season in decades (previous reports are in our WS & Sports archive), including Twitter updates during the game (twitter.com/wsbbizdev, or/and watch the extra Twitter box we’ll add to the sidebar here) and a full report afterward. (P.S. Seattle Lutheran‘s in the state playoffs too, playing Naselle at Sammamish on Saturday afternoon; more on that and other sports later.)
Thanks to Jason for that photo from the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth run tonight, looking back at the moon over Fauntleroy. Last pitch – if you took pix, saved items, or otherwise acquired/created/compiled something to submit for Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza time-capsule consideration, you have till year’s end to turn it in (details here). ADDED FRIDAY MORNING (BUT TAKEN THURSDAY): Wanted to be sure to include a photo of Andrea Mercado from the Log House Museum/Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which is coordinating the time capsule – Don Kelstrom got this photo of Andrea taking a call from someone yesterday about a capsule contribution:
Side note, the annual membership meeting of the SWSHS is tomorrow (more here); its annual fundraising gala dinner and silent auction is a week later (11/22; more here).
Two quick toplines from tonight’s city Board of Park Commissioners meeting: The nudity rules we covered yesterday are mostly toast. The board, led by vice chair Jackie Ramels of Alki, asked for more information on what complaints really had resulted from events for which permits had been issued (such as the World Naked Bike Ride, September photo at left shared by Mac), and suggested revisiting that in a few months; separately, they also asked staff to take a closer look at a possible clothing-optional beach. Dozens of people concerned about the proposed nudity rules showed up, but didn’t testify because this was a briefing, not a public hearing. Meantime, the plan to seek proposals for private operation of West Seattle Stadium moved forward. Read on for those details:Read More
Two notes from the West Seattle fine-dining scene: First, if you missed previous coverage, Beato Food and Wine closes after tomorrow. Second, Spring Hill has announced a few changes – one addition on Sundays, and one special offering on Mondays, which means SH will now be open 7 nights a week — read on:Read More
Two quick mentions — part of what’s making this a hot Thursday night in West Seattle, even with fall chill in the air: 6-9 pm, West Seattle Art Walk, more than 40 venues, get the map and the details – lots of artists’ receptions and other fun features – by going here. Then at 9:30 at Bamboo on Alki, it’s the second-to-last week for “Alki Idol” – Tonight the field is cut to 6 finalists who then compete next Thursday night for more than $1,000 in prizes. Tom Hutyler hosts, DJ Christopher Mychael does karaoke.
Left to right, that’s Steve Pierce from SDOT (city), Ron Paananen from WSDOT (state), and Ron Posthuma from King County, as they delivered the latest briefing on data available as the three levels of government race toward a recommendation on Alaskan Way Viaduct] Central Waterfront replacement by year’s end. (They confirmed today, the timetable hasn’t changed.) The cozy briefing room downtown was crammed with media – this gratuitous TV-photographer shot is on behalf of Time Capsule Day:
Now, back to the information. Lots presented. You can read it all here, under “meeting materials.” But the bottom line: The most significant findings released today (and being discussed tonight with the Viaduct Stakeholders Advisory Committee) had to do with potential travel times under the range of scenarios (all detailed here, on page 12 and 13 in particular) under consideration. Some West Seattle-specific breakouts were available: For vehicles, the fastest scenario northbound from WS to downtown in the morning would be the “four-lane surface” Option A, with “demand management” potentially including a “cordon toll” to get into the city. That is estimated to take 20 minutes (7 more than today), but the fastest route back the other way in the afternoon/evening would be “integrated elevated” Option E (20 minutes southbound in the PM, compared to 13 right now). For transit, they envision the current 21-minute average trip from West Seattle to downtown only increasing by a few minutes under any scenario (to 21 minutes in the morning; that was the only estimate provided) – and they pointed out that means transit and vehicle time will be much more comparable in the future, perhaps enticing more people to try transit. Overall, if you evaluated only in terms of travel time, the briefers acknowledged that an elevated replacement would be the closest to what we have now.
WHAT’S NEXT: One week from today, one major missing puzzle piece will be public – the cost analysis of the potential scenarios. Then on December 4th, components from these 8 scenarios, evaluated on six principles, will be cobbled into what’s expected to be three final options, from which the eventual choice would emerge. (As Paananen put it this afternoon, “In the end we’re going to take these 8 and boil it down to more like 3, but these three will represent the best of the 8, not an exact replica of any one.”) Right now, $2.8 billion is available for the project – a third of it already committed to work that’s under way – so funding for the eventual choice isn’t even a done deal yet.
More photos just to capture the scenery on the day that’s being recorded for posterity — with contributions of “life as we lived it on 11/13/08” being accepted for consideration for inclusion in the time capsule that will be buried next year at the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, for opening on this date in 2058 (11/13 is the anniversary of the Denny Party‘s landing on Alki in 1851). Above, we didn’t pull over in quite enough time to get a head-on shot of what appeared to be a father and son on wheels – with their dog leading the way – liked the photo anyway. Minutes earlier, this shot from the Duwamish Head viewpoint looking back at the downtown skyline:
About an hour before that, we took this photo from the meeting room at Alaskan Way Viaduct project headquarters, 24th floor of the Wells Fargo building at 3rd/Madison downtown – we’re about to write up the West Seattle-specific results of the briefing we attended there – that report’s next.
“Time Capsule Day” continues till 11:59 pm, so if you see, receive, create something you might want to submit for consideration – this previous WSB post explains how to do that.
We promised the latest on Richard Lovejoy, the convicted rapist arrested in Fauntleroy early Sunday after a helicopter-involved search following one burglary and another attempt (here’s our Monday report on his first post-arrest hearing, which includes links to our previous coverage). This afternoon, we’ve heard back from King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe: Bail for Lovejoy was set at $75,000 for the burglary investigation (no formal charges filed yet), but he will not be released any time soon, according to Donohoe, because there’s a probation hold on him stemming from a 2004 domestic-violence conviction (felony harassment and violation of a no contact order). Donohoe tells WSB, “We will ask the sentencing judge in the 2004 case to schedule a sentence revocation hearing. No date has been set, but this hearing would take place in about one to two weeks,” and says Lovejoy will remain in custody at least till then.
Early this morning, WSB Forum members discussed hearing gunshots. We couldn’t find anything obvious on scanner/911 at the time. This morning, however, Seattle Police have posted a report on the SPD Blotter site; shots fired in the 20th/Henderson vicinity, nobody hit/hurt, but bullets pierced the wall of a home; no arrests reported so far. Just a reminder, any and all West Seattle entries from SPD Blotter are automatically posted on the WSB Crime Watch page as soon as the police department publishes them – you can check the Crime Watch page for the latest updates from SPD Blotter and WSB coverage, any time.
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