Yet more budget news: Metro fare increase partly delayed
Latest government-budget news with potential direct effects on you: Just got word from the county that it’s figured out how to delay the second half of a proposed 50-cent bus-fare increase till 2010. So that would mean a 25-cent increase next February, 25 more cents at the start of 2010. Here’s the official announcement:Read More
Junction development: “Alley vacation” gets Thursday hearing
Also just out of the inbox, the Seattle Design Commission meeting agenda for this Thursday — and it includes a design review of the “alley vacation” proposal for the Conner Homes two-building development at 42nd/Alaska/California. (Previous WSB coverage here, including links to our original report and Charlie Conner’s response.) The commission meets all day at City Hall; this item is scheduled to come up at 2 pm. The “alley vacation” is being requested so that Conner can use the underground portion of the alley and create one big parking area for both buildings, but there’s been concern, including a petition drive, that the closure time required by the project would harm alley-using businesses to the south. (Final approval on the request would have to come from the City Council.)
City budget: Final committee votes; next big vote in a week
Next Monday, the City Council takes its final vote on next year’s budget; today, they’ve just issued the official announcement that they’re done with committee votes. We’re currently combing through the fine print in all the various documents on this page — for example, one item up for consideration today involved a chunk of money coming out of the “skatepark implementation” budget line, so we’ll be checking to see if that will affect the Delridge project, while also looking for other potential local effects – stay tuned. 4:26 PM UPDATE: Here’s what we’ve found out so far: The Delridge skatepark $ could indeed be in jeopardy because it was supposed to come out of that budget line, which has been cut $600,000 for next year, $100,000 for the following year. Also, there is some question about whether the Fauntleroy paving project (which as a side effect spawned the three-lane proposal that we reported, with a followup, last week) might be in jeopardy too – the council has moved some budget $ to a north end project (Linden) that has been decades in the making. The ultimate decision is up to SDOT leadership, we’re told, but since Fauntleroy was the last proposal added to the budget, it would run the risk of being the first one cut.
Alki Point antenna appeal decision: Partial victory for neighbors
The decision is in for the appeal of the city’s approval of a proposal to expand a group of cell-phone antennas atop the Soundcrest Apartments (photo above) at 6609 SW Admiral. (WSB was the only news organization with a reporter at the daylong hearing last month at which neighbors argued their appeal of the decision – here’s our report from that day.) It’s a partial victory for the neighbors – deputy Hearing Examiner Anne Watanabe reversed the “conditional use” approval, saying the applicants didn’t present information to show if this was truly the “least intrusive” location possible for the antennas, consistent with city code. However, she affirmed the “determination of nonsignificance” under SEPA (a state environmental law). We’ll be reading through for further details; we’ll also be seeking opinion from the applicants as to what they plan to do next. Meantime, here’s the full text of the Hearing Examiner’s decision. ADDED 4 PM: Jim Borrow, the neighbor who led the appeal presentation in the Hearing Examiner’s hearing room at the Municipal Tower last month, tells WSB he’s still reviewing the decision.
New owner for Washington State Ferries wi-fi: Boingo
The company that launched wireless internet access on Washington State Ferries routes including Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth, Parsons, has just been acquired by Boingo, best known for wi-fi service in airports. Here’s the announcement. This excerpt indicates monthly subscriptions will be cheaper:
The Ferries Wi-Fi network will be moving to a Boingo-branded start page, where commuters and tourists will be able to purchase Boingo AsYouGo day passes for $7.95, as well as Boingo Unlimited for $21.95 per month. Boingo Unlimited is a monthly service that provides Wi-Fi access throughout the Americas and can be used at any Boingo location. For current subscribers to the Washington State Ferries Wi-Fi, the monthly subscription will be a decrease in price from $29.95, and will now include the ability to connect to any hotspot in the Boingo Roaming Network.
Update: King County Ferry District budget passes, no tax hike
ORIGINAL 11:15 AM POST: Just started in the King County Council chambers. Live on cable channel 22 (and online). This is where they are to vote on approving the budget for, and reauthorizing the property-tax levy to run, 
the King County Ferry District, parent agency of the Elliott Bay Water Taxi (and Seattle-Vashon passenger ferry). 11:34 AM UPDATE: The Ferry District’s $19 million budget for next year has just passed – with councilmembers (sitting as Ferry District directors) noting that it’s reduced from the original plan, because it will include the same levy level as this year, instead of seeking the one percent increase allowable by state law. Adding a few more details shortly. 12:01 PM UPDATE: A full news release is expected shortly, at which time we’ll post separately. In the short run – King County Councilmember Dow Constantine‘s staff explains the tax-rate decision actually means a reduction from this year: The total amount to be collected is the same as last year, so with an increased amount of taxpayers, that means a small drop in the rate. Water Taxi fares will stay the same as this year, and the budget includes more than $2 million for dock improvements at Seacrest (which may not wind up costing that much), which will be discussed in the January 15th public meeting we first reported here a week ago.
Comcast announces new speed, new price levels
Comcast’s Shauna Causey (a West Seattleite) forwarded the news release on these changes launching next month (mid-December in WS, she says) – you might be interested, if that’s your ISP: New megafast, costlier service (up to $139/month) plus potential speed improvements at current service levels:Read More
Video: 4532 42nd SW demolition is underway
(added noontime, photo by Christopher Boffoli)
ORIGINAL 9:14 AM POST: Just started a few minutes ago. More to come… ADDED 9:45 AM: iPhone photo:
10:33 AM UPDATE: Uploading video now. Big house, so the job’ll take a few hours. WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli took over at the scene so we could head back to HQ. For past coverage of this site, click here (archive of all mentions, newest to oldest – going back to 2006). A few people who stopped by to watch the demolition this morning in the early going had memories to share – one woman said she needed to go call someone who was born there 75 years ago, when it was a hospital. ADDED 10:48 AM: Video from the “first bite” (to be followed shortly by a clip from further along):
(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)
ADDED 10:56 AM: This clip is from about 20 minutes into the demolition work, as part of the upper story was torn away. As soon as this part was done, a massive cloud of paint etc. flakes wafted across the street to where we were watching, and beyond. Going to have to bring a mask to the next demolition.
(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)
Here’s the rendering of the future project, from the last Design Review Board meeting June 13:
You can see the entire presentation from that meeting here. Meantime, though the passages marked by these types of demolitions certainly can evoke nostalgia, that’s not the case for everyone, particularly when structures like this are left to deteriorate and be vandalized: One neighbor who came by in the early going — who said he’d lived in the area a long, long time and pointed toward the homes further north in the block that will come down for the 42nd/Oregon project — grinned, looking at the demolition work, “It’s about time.”
Sunday night miscellany: Job listings; Holiday Happenings
JOB LISTINGS: The latest listing in the West Seattle Jobs Offered section of the WSB Forums (where you can post West Seattle-based job openings FREE) is from Cafe Revo, whose upcoming opening is so fervently anticipated that some forum members are already laying the groundwork for a meetup. See the CR job listing here. Also, thanks to the fine folks who have applied for the first-ever WSB job listings (as posted here) – we’re starting interviews this week, and there’s still time to get resumes in.
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS: More additions to the list this weekend, as the weeks to come get busier and busier: We now have a variety of Santa sightings (The Junction, Westwood Village, Admiral Theater, Delridge Community Center) as well as dozens of dinners, concerts, shopping events, Christmas-ship stops … we’re updating the page as often as possible so if your event’s not listed, send us the scoop! Thanks!
West Seattle jail-site fight: Next chance to comment
Both the city and county are in the throes of budget discussions and decisions, and the coming week is pivotal. For those interested in the question of whether the city will build a new jail for misdemeanor offenders — potentially, on one of two southeast West Seattle sites that are on the current “final four” list — there’s word of a budget-related comment opportunity, from Danina Garcia of Real Change, which has been working with jail opponents citywide:
On Monday the city council will have a series of budget meetings to discuss and vote on the “green sheets” before coming to a final budget decision. One of the things before the council is a budget proviso. This proviso would put a hold on 3 million of the 4.5 the mayor requested to move forward on the jail in 2009. This 3 million could not be spent until a panel, which would include people from outside the government, investigated and reported back on whether and how a new jail could be avoided completely, while increasing public safety and public order, if investments were made into preemptive social services, pre-arrest diversion programs and pre-booking programs. There will be a brief public comment period available before the start of business at 9:30 am Monday morning in City Council chambers.
The budget decisions are pretty much all going to be made on Monday; the final vote by the budget committee and then by the full council later in the week are procedural and largely formalities. So this is a prime opportunity to put a stop on expenditures that we don’t need and that will damage neighborhoods and lives.
If you can’t attend the council meeting, there are multiple ways to comment on this issue (or any other) – you’ll find all the info and links you need, by going to the City Council‘s main webpage.
Follow-ups: 3 ways to help = 3 West Seattle success stories!
From Abby Suplizio with West Seattle CoolMom.org, via e-mail: The first-ever CoolMom Toy Swap/Sale at Camp Long on Saturday had an “amazing turnout,” according to Abby (WSB photo at left from our Saturday “happening now” report), and she adds: “The end of the day numbers were that we raised $475 (enough for 600 meals) specifically for the West Seattle Food Bank. We sold $2,000 worth of toys (initial estimate) AND dropped off nearly 25 boxes of toys to WestSide Baby. Nancy (Woodland, of WestSide Baby) was overjoyed that so many families were going to get Christmas this year! We all felt really good at the end of the day!” (More about CoolMom at coolmom.org)
From KSJ and the Beer Church via a comment on last night’s Turkey Bowl report (which included the food-donation photo at right): “We made just over $3,000 and while we didn’t have a scale big enough to weigh the food we filled a van. Thanks to everyone who came and bowled, particularly our local pubs and breweries: Georgetown Brewing, Big Al’s Brewing, Elliott Bay Brewing, Rogue Issaquah Brewhouse, Dog and Pony, West5, and Beveridge Place.” (More about Beer Church at beerchurch.com)
And a few days ago, we got a results report on last weekend’s cat adopt-a-thon at Southwest Community Center. Via e-mail from Megan with the Seattle Animal Shelter “Fabulous Felines” team e-mailed: “13 kitties, including two adults and one special needs cat, found their forever homes.” According to another message we received, that included the two whose photos were at the top of our “happening now” report that day.
SIDE NOTE: Whenever there’s an event (like the 3 above) lasting more than a couple hours, we try our best to get there to take pix and post “happening now” coverage, after sharing advance word via regular WSB features such as the Events calendar, the West Seattle Weekend Lineup, and (seasonally) the Holiday Happenings list. But we also welcome you to send photos during your event (and pix/success stories afterward) – cameraphone photos are often usable too – editor@westseattleblog.com (you can also share via Flickr – where we’ve set up a West Seattle Blog group – Twitter and/or Facebook — all our current contact info is on this page). Thanks!
Trapped driver rescued from crash near 47th and Andover
From WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli:
Christopher reports:
Call went out as a “rescue automobile.” A vehicle driven by a single occupant apparently came down Andover at a high rate of speed, lost control and bounced off the curb before striking a parked van. The owner of the house said he was inside at the time and only heard the sound of the impact. They came out to find the driver trapped in his car with the airbags deployed. SFD responded and pulled the man out the passenger side before strapping him to a backboard and transporting him to the hospital. He was conscious as they loaded him into the ambulance.Police would not say if alcohol or drugs were a factor. Police were still on the scene at 9 a.m. waiting for a tow truck to remove the car.
To give you some perspective, here’s a photo from Nick (thank you!) who got the bird’s-eye view:
here’s a map of the area where this happened.
West Seattleite “on the run” to raise $ to fight blood cancers
While freshening up the Blogs page overnight — its centerpiece is an automated digest delivering the newest posts from 100 blog writers around West Seattle — we added a few sites, including 13 in 12. This time, it’s not one we happened onto during, oh, say, a Google Blog Search (our usual means of discovering West Seattleites in the “blogosphere”) — we got a note from the author’s wife. Rachael e-mailed us to say, in part:
I’m not sure if this is WSB news-worthy, but I think it’s a pretty cool thing my husband is doing. He has participated in the Big Climb fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for 3 years, but recently our good friend was diagnosed, so he’s taking it one step (or many steps depending on how you look at it) further with this new challenge (13 races of marathon distance or more in 12 weeks).
Rachael’s husband, Nic, already keeps a personal blog — so 13 in 12 is an addition, and it just launched, including a list of the 13 events he plans to participate in, starting with one in Gig Harbor the day after Thanksgiving. Not only can you follow his progress along the way to achieving “13 in 12,” you can also make a donation (all money goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) from a link on the page (which also has a postal-mail address if you’d rather send $ that way). Good luck, Nic!
Another week of double-digit price drops – with most prices about a full dollar lower than a month earlier. Read on for our list of West Seattle gas stations’ prices (for regular and premium) as of a few hours ago (with comparison numbers for previous weeks/months):
As your official West Seattle Helicopter News Source – we just wanted to mention we just saw the four helicopters go by too (west to east, just north of us in Upper Fauntleroy). It’s Military Appreciation Day at the 
Brussels sprouts on the stalk! That’s one of the newest items you might find at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market today, according to the “ripe ‘n’ ready” fresh sheet (
| Comments Off on Yet more budget news: Metro fare increase partly delayed