West Seattle, Washington
20 Friday
When the city Parks Department started its first tour of meetings last fall to ask for input on a potential Strategic Plan, we covered the Southwest Community Center version of the meeting in late November (read the story here). After going back to Southwest CC to check in on the second round of meetings last night — three more in West Seattle in the next six days for your chance to have a say — we can tell you how these meetings work, what you’ll hear, what the Parks employees say they want to hear from you, and even some parks-related revelations that emerged last night:Read More
SNOW? We’ll believe it when we see it, but here’s the forecast discussion.
WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY: 1 more week to sign up! Do it here.
“MASTER OF DISASTER” MAP: Pigeon Point just added. Click on your nearest site here.
TWITTER: Scroll to see the widget we just added to the WSB sidebar for our “feed” (we’re “westseattleblog”); plus, find breaking citywide news here.
Yeah, it’s supposed to be cold on Saturday (and probably sooner). That’s not going to stop the hardy West Seattle souls planning a huge slate of events we’ve been telling you about (see the Events page for most of ’em, and the West Seattle Weekend Lineup at midday Friday for even more), and here’s another one we wanted to preview — the Duwamish Alive! Earth Day festivities planned for Saturday:Read More
34th & Morgan is the High Point intersection – on the way to West Seattle Elementary – where we caught this school-crossing close call on video in January:
Neighborhood leaders and pedestrian-safety advocates have been trying to get that situation improved for a long time; in the story that originally accompanied that clip, we detailed some of their concerns. Then on April 1st, we told you about Denise Sharify, who works in High Point for Neighborhood House, pleading with the City Council’s Pedestrian Safety Committee to take action; we followed up the next day. Now tonight, we just got cc’d on this letter she wrote to them:
Dear Mr. Licata, Ms. Drago, Ms Clark, Mr. Conlin and Mr. Burgess:
I was walking to High Point this afternoon and discovered that Jim Curtin of SDOT was measuring this intersection for a temporary crosswalk. New student crossing signs will also be moved to appropriate locations. Two new signs to restrict parking were installed last week and Leah, the crossing guard reported that it is making a big difference for pedestrians and drivers. In addition, Mr. Curtin informed me that the half traffic light at 35th and Raymond will be changed to a full traffic light which is desperately needed.
I cannot thank you enough for you support and your commitment to making our pedestrians safer in this neighborhood. We will invite you to a celebration after the crosswalk is painted (and when the weather is nice).
Thank you very much,
Denise Sharify
Jim Curtin is the newly reassigned SDOT “community traffic liaison” who was part of the West Seattle Community Safety Partnership briefing we covered two nights ago. (The 35th/Raymond light upgrade is mentioned in that report; that addresses some of the challenges Councilmember Nick Licata witnessed firsthand during a High Point tour with Sharify and others [WSB video coverage here].)
(2007 West Seattle Summer Fest, photo courtesy Chas Redmond)
Third and final update from our recent chat with West Seattle Junction Association president Dave Montoure (of West 5) — some advance scoop on this year’s West Seattle Summer Fest, coming up July 11-13. Last year, you may recall, Summer Fest was retooled with the help of input requested from WSB readers (your input is popular, by the way, the Chamber of Commerce is reviewing everything you had to say on this recent development/business thread). This year, more new features are on the way:Read More
We called earlier this afternoon to check on the status of the new Beveridge Place Pub (slightly delayed by a little red tape), and the person who answered the phone said they were expecting to find out by late afternoon if it was thumbs up for opening — Just checked back minutes ago and learned they got “thumbs up,” so they opened the new location (just north of the old one) immediately, and starting at 6 pm, they want you to know, it’s “Georgetown Brewers’ Night.”
That’s a look inside Puget Sound Key and Lock in Morgan Junction while owner Michael Dein was there this morning to talk to news crews about what’s happened since the firebombing 4 weeks ago. As you can see, the view hasn’t changed much. But he’s managed to keep working by going mobile — he talked about that, and about how little time he would need to get set up again, once his landlord’s insurance coverage (for the structure, not his destroyed business) comes through:
Dein will be on hand for the fundraiser/raffle event that WSB Forum Community members are having Saturday night at Admiral Pub. One more clip … in which he shows the rock he says the firebomber(s) used … plus raffle/fundraiser details (including the list of what’s up for grabs so far!) … ahead:Read More
Thanks to the WSB Forum and the WSB inbox for bringing in the info on these: Easy Street is participating in Record Store Day this Saturday; 12 West Seattle restaurants are participating in Dining Out for Life next Thursday (participants are listed on the DO4L site as well as in this WSBF thread).
5:35 PM UPDATE: Just got e-mail from Jordan’s mom, she has been found. ORIGINAL POST FROM LATE THURSDAY MORNING: That’s a recent photo of 14-year-old Jordan King, a West Seattle teen with Asperger’s Syndrome who was missing three days last month until a WSB reader spotted her at the White Center library. Now Jordan’s mother has e-mailed WSB asking that you be on the lookout for her again; Jordan has been staying at a group home in Burien and has not been seen since 11 pm last night. Her mother describes her as follows: “She may have been wearing black sweat pants and black tank top. Hair has been dyed blue. She is 5’3″ and about 140 lbs.” Call 911 if you see her. 2:30 PM UPDATE: We just talked to Jordan’s mom, who is out putting up flyers in Burien right now — she wanted to add that the investigation is being handled by the King County Sheriff’s Office (since this is outside Seattle city limits) and also that Jordan’s hair may be better described as streaked with multiple colors, according to staff at Sylvester Middle School, where she had just started attending classes yesterday.
Look for coverage from all four TV stations and the P-I – that’s who came to the arson-gutted Puget Sound Key and Lock site in Morgan Junction this morning for an interview availability with owner Michael Dein, updating what’s been happening with him and his business since last month’s still-unsolved firebombing, and looking ahead to Saturday night’s Admiral Pub fundraiser/raffle, organized by WSB Forum Community members. The Forum Community also organized this morning’s interview opportunity and was represented on-site by JoB and Kathy, seen in the second photo above, talking with the KOMO 4 News crew. Full WSB story, with video, to come in a separate post. 1:29 PM UPDATE: Here’s a link to the first TV story to appear online, the noon coverage from KING5’s Roberta Romero. 5:37 PM UPDATE: Here’s the P-I story.
Much smaller crowd for the city Parks Department‘s project manager on the Myrtle Reservoir park project, Virginia Hassinger, at the quarterly Morgan Community Association meeting at The Kenney last night — but for a few minutes, it was even more contentious than the testiest moments of the last public meeting specifically about the park project (WSB coverage here). Main reason: As Hassinger reiterated, and as we reported here and here, “the decision is made” to set aside an area of the Myrtle park for a future “skate(board) feature.” The most pointed questions for her tonight sought to zero in on who made that decision, when it was made, and why High Point Community Center — listed in the city Skatepark Plan as the other option for a West Seattle skateboard park — was ruled out.Read More
We told you Monday night about the abrupt cancellation of the Parks Department Strategic Plan public meeting @ Hiawatha, blamed on lingering fumes from the previous week’s floor refinishing work. Just got word from Parks spokesperson Malia Langworthy that a new date is set for that meeting — 6:30 pm Monday (4/21) — so check it out if you haven’t gone to one of these meetings yet and can’t make the one tonight @ Southwest CC, or Saturday @ Delridge CC, or next Thursday @ High Point CC.
Quick highlights for today/tonight from the Events page: Open houses with a takehome freebie @ Dream Dinners in The Junction … Alki-area residents’ chance to become Masters of Disaster (click here to look for your neighborhood’s event) … the fourth of six West Seattle meetings to let the Parks Department know if you think they’re heading in the right direction … P.S. In neighboring South Park, Parque Cesar Chavez is dedicated tonight, with an accompanying march to the SP Community Center … These events, and dozens of others for the weeks/months ahead, are listed here.
At least two reports will ensue from tonight’s Morgan Community Association (MoCA) quarterly meeting at The Kenney, starting with this one: If you visit Lowman Beach frequently, you’re familiar with that big white land-use sign that’s been up a long time for the 2nd phase of the county’s improvements to the underground pump station there. (Full explanation here.) MoCA president Steve Sindiong said tonight that the project is “on hold” for now, along with others, while Metro sorts out its funding situation and decides “which ones to go forward with, and which ones to hold till next year.” Sindiong says that decision is expected within the next month. (Next MoCA report, in the morning: A mini-showdown over the Myrtle Reservoir park project skateboard-feature decision.)
Those are a few of the photos that WSB contributing photojournalist Matt Durham took at last year’s “Snooty Walk” pet event put on by the West Seattle High School Class of ’09. This Saturday, the ’09ers are doing it again — and class co-president Sumeet Chadha wrote this to tell you a little more about the event:
This year the class of 2009 at WSHS is hard at work wrapping up the final preparations for the Snooty Walk on April 19th. It has been very hectic because our Advisor went on Admin. leave so the class has been working extra hard to bring everything together.
This year there are plenty of new events like, cutest couple, best dancer, and the obstacle course. Of course we are keeping some of the most fun events that we had last year such as, drooliest and best trick. Husky will be providing ice cream and volunteers will be cookin’ up hot dogs (pun) and hamburgers. We will also feature a bouncy toy.
We are going for more of a spring carnival feel with the bouncy toy. There will be a lot more to do while roaming around this year because we are setting up a “driveway fair” with a bunch of non-profits and sponsors coming to talk about their products.
It is $10.00 to enter a pet and all proceeds benefit WSHS class of 2009 in order to create a $5 prom. The money will also be used for graduation and other class needs.
We raised more than $1,400 last year and hope to beat that amount this year!
That’s this Saturday @ Hiawatha. Check out the Snooty Walk website for more, including event times. Organizers say it’s on, rain or shine!
THE GROUCHOS OF NORTHERN PIGEON POINT: Have been meaning to share West Seattle writer Mark Bourne‘s Grouchos writeup on Film.com, for anyone who didn’t catch it when it was aggregated on our More page.
WATER AND WALKING: Chas Redmond happened onto this city page re: the Westcrest Park reservoir’s history. He was doing research for this project; another public workshop’s coming up in South Seattle on April 30. Another project he’s involved in, West Seattle Walking Trails (originally reported here), is progressing — a grant application to fund some of the wayfinding kiosks has made it to the next stage of a process that has several more months to go; meantime, tomorrow he and Feet First reps will brief the Seattle Design Commission (agenda here) on the entire project.
WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY UPDATE: 40+ sales signed up so far for the 4th annual version of the big all-over-West-Seattle selling and shopping day May 10th, from individual sales to school/block sales — if you don’t want to register a sale because you’d have only have a few things to sell, there’s a location offering you space – get the latest WSCGSD info (including of course how to register) by going here (we’re updating that site, westseattlegaragesale.com, daily; if you have any questions before or after registering, please e-mail garagesale@westseattleblog.com).
Four days after a WSB’er e-mailed us wondering where the Alki fire rings had gone (we posted about it here), city Parks Department spokesperson Dewey Potter told us they’ve just been brought back — so freshly returned, in fact, when we subsequently dashed over to get a photo, we could still see the tire tracks in the sand. Potter also reminds us the rules ‘n’ regulations for beach fires can be found here.
If you bag the gas-powered mower, the city will subsidize part of the cost of an electric or push replacement:Read More
Camp Long‘s Sheila Brown is interviewed during “Sound Focus,” 2:20 pm. (Should be archived on the same site later if you miss it.) Incidentally, 6:30 pm tonight at Camp Long, it’s the next of six West Seattle meetings on the Parks Department’s draft Strategic Plan — your best chance to sound off on where you want the city parks system’s focus to be (more of something? less of something?) in the years to come.
Here’s the West Seattle version; unveiled today to accompany a mayoral news conference. (Some of what’s on the map is featured in our report from last night’s WSCSP meeting.)
That’s a quick look up at the steeple/bell tower at Fauntleroy Church, which is celebrating its centennial this year. As we told you two weeks ago, starting this Saturday, the church bell will be rung daily at noon for 100 days, counting down to the centennial-celebration weekend July 25-27. People are signing up in the church lobby to take turns ringing the bell during those 100 days, in honor of birthdays, anniversaries, you name it. We got a sneak preview of the bell-ringing with the help of the Fauntleroy Church parishioner who’s been a member the longest, David Galbraith — whose parents rang the bell on their wedding day in 1917! — and 4-year-old Eli Johnson, a student at the church’s Little Pilgrims School:
For all the coyote sightings we’ve posted here, we’ve never seen one ourselves till five minutes ago – crossing California south of Thistle, heading toward the Thistle greenbelt/staircase. (Photos courtesy intrepid Patrick the Sales Guy, who grabbed the camera and headed outside while your editor here stood transfixed at the window.)
Reminder that the city provided tips on coexisting with coyotes and urban wildlife at a presentation earlier this year; WSB coverage here. (It’s breeding season, so sightings are likely to be more frequent; follow some of the advice in that report and your chances of an unwanted run-in will be reduced.)
| Comments Off on Parks-plan meetings: What they want to hear from you