West Seattle, Washington
09 Monday
We’ve been tracking the Admiral Theater‘s evolution in recent months (scroll down its category page for archived posts); today, there’s a nice feature about the Admiral in the P-I. Reporter Kery Murakami had asked us, while working on the article, if we had any Admiral memories; as we told Kery, unfortunately we don’t — unless you count having watched “Garfield The Movie” there a few years back and almost fainting with laughter at the clumsy product-placement overkill — but we’re glad Kery found some West Seattleites who do. The Admiral will be jumping tonight, by the way, with the “Rocky Horror” Halloween bash, featuring live music from Sister Hyde, 9:30-2 am, $15.
Getting into and out of West Seattle via the high bridge will be a logistical challenge this morning, 1-10 am, because the city’s closing most on- and off-ramps to get storm drains in shape for winter. Full details here.
Every city-run community center in West Seattle had a Halloween/Fall carnival tonight; we stopped briefly at Southwest Community Center to check out the decor:
The signature event at the adjacent Southwest Pool happens this Sunday — a Halloween family swim at 2 pm, with pool games including the chance to swim among floating pumpkins. (Family swim means kids under 12 must have parents in the water with them, regardless of how well the kids can swim.) Tomorrow afternoon, it’s West Seattle’s best-known Halloween event — trick-or-treating in The Junction, 1-3 pm. See the WSB West Seattle Weekend Lineup for dozens more fun options. Side note, one thing that’s got us a shade unsettled this weekend — the Saturday night before Halloween is traditionally the night the clocks get set back, but not this year (good news for partiers); that’ll happen on Saturday night 11/3 (technically Sunday morning 11/4).
Several West Seattle projects turn up in the latest edition of the city’s Land Use Information Bulletin:
JUNCTION MEGA-PROJECT BEHIND PETCO: A land-use decision is in for this 7-story, 136-apartment, 5K-sf-retail project, to be called “Mural” (more info here on the developer’s website). Construction permits are the next step.
4116 CALIFORNIA: Land-use decision on a 4-story, 40-apartment, ground-level-retail building proposed here. (map)
3636 BEACH DRIVE: Application filed to officially reclassify this one lot into five; townhouse permit already issued for this site. (map)
WEST SEATTLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH ADDITION: The land-use decision is in for a three-story structure adjacent to the church. (The project is explained on the church’s website.)
We’ve said it dozens of times and want to say it again today: West Seattle Blog works because of you. The photos, the information, the tips, the rumors, the questions, the comments, the announcements, or even simply reading WSB and using the info to become more involved in community events and concerns … thank you to everyone who contributes in every way. That said, we have a big shoutout today to someone who agreed to cover the White Center/South Delridge Community Safety meeting for WSB last night, when we realized neither WSB editor could go. Here’s his report, full of information that might be of value to you even if that’s not your end of WS, including more on the latest West Seattle crime trends:
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By Evan Baumgardner
WSB contributor
This was my first time attending a Community Safety Meeting. I have to say, it was a real eye-opener for me, and I highly recommend checking one of these out if you haven’t yet. …Read More
(Photo: Fairmount Springs traffic-island decorations along Fauntleroy.) ‘Tis the weekend before Halloween, and all through the peninsula … Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), nothing rhymes with “peninsula.” Let’s just get to the 47 events lined up for you this weekend, many of which are Halloween-themed, so get those costumes ready:Read More
The work to fill the Upper Fauntleroy sinkhole/gully (atop the Thistle hillside stairs, at Thistle/Northrop) is going well, according to an update we just got from Seattle Public Utilities senior engineer Jim Lee; photo above is from less than an hour ago. Jim e-mailed WSB with this update for everyone in the area:
The gully has been mostly filled in, except for the north head of the gully. We are planning on filling it in with Control Density Fill (CDF) and then starting sidewalk repairs. This should occur either today (if we are lucky and the crews can get CDF today) or by Monday (more than likely). Until then, the sidewalk and stairs will be closed. The temporary bridge was removed on Thursday so that crews could clean up all of the sidewalk concrete that had fallen into the gully.
Puget Sound Energy, which provides natural-gas service to West Seattle (and gas & electricity in many other parts of Western Washington), 
has just made a deal to be acquired by a Canadian consortium. The PSE site has the official announcement plus a “here’s what we think this means to you” letter describing this as a “merger” with “infrastructure fund partners who are focused on the long term.” We were trying to remember how long it had been since Puget Sound Energy bought Washington Energy, which was Washington Natural Gas when we moved here; 1997, per the company history page.
Before we all get immersed in the day’s news … the latest WSB Reader Recommendation Request. (You can find all previous RRRs here.) Nancy writes:
I’m hoping the WSB community can suggest a good place for nails, both natural and acrylics. A really good, affordable place is key to the all-important Saturday afternoon ritual enjoyed by women (and men!) all over town. A place I’ve been going to for a couple of years is lacking, and I’m looking for a new place.
The high points of any worthy nail establishment should include cleanliness (above all), efficiency, be affordable (i.e. a regular manicure under $25!), and it would be great if you could understand what the technician is saying, and they you. I mean, when we’re talking about avoiding drawing blood from my hands or toes, I would rather not have to repeat myself.
Click the comment link under the headline to share your recommendation(s). Thanks!
In celebration of “great vis,” this blogging diver went out at night this week in West Seattle waters and reports seeing not just one Giant Pacific Octopus, but six, “within a 25-yard area.” A photo of one is included (scroll down to the entry dated today).
Howden-Kennedy Funeral Home founder Dick Kennedy has been laid to rest, less than a week after passing away at Providence Mount St. Vincent, so close to his well-known business at Fauntleroy/Alaska. The P-I just posted an article about his memorial service; here’s Mr. Kennedy’s obituary on the Howden-Kennedy site.
Thank you so much to the WSB-land photographers who have just sent us photos of tonight’s amazing full moon, the biggest of the year. Seacrest seems to be the hotspot — first, that’s where Dawson took this shot:
Next, three photos by Christopher Boffoli, starting with another Seacrest view of downtown and Elliott Bay:
This one, Christopher notes, carries the actual color temperature of the moon as seen from The Junction around quarter past six tonight:
Bonus photo — moonless, but gorgeous view of Rainier, Salty’s, and the Water Taxi:
From West Seattle photojournalist Matt Durham:
Today at approximately 9:45 a.m., a seal pup was rescued next to the Don Armeni Boat Launch. The seal pup was suffering from an injured fin and was not mobile. Two parks department employees, along with a seal rescue group (did not acquire its name), corralled the pup into a large dog crate and transported the seal to a facility where it will receive medical attention.
At this point there is no information linking this seal pup’s injury to the fisherman [from last weekend’s reports] or his net. This cannot be ruled out though. …
Yesterday morning (Wednesday), while I was running, the parks department was at the Don Armeni Boat Launch waiting to assist the removal of an adult seal carcass from the landing. That is four seal casualties in less than two weeks.
One of those seal deaths was reported only at WSB.
From Amanda, who provided the original WSB report on the water-pipe “sinkhole” that slowed things down on Avalon overnight and into the morning, as well as a morning update — here’s her final photo from above, showing the finishing touches:
Amanda says the water finally came back on too, after about 16 hours. (Utilities crews had to turn it off to stop the gusher that created the hole in the first place.)
OPEN HOUSE: West Seattle’s only non-public high school, Seattle Lutheran HS, invites interested families to find out more about SLHS, 6:30-8 tonight, more info here.
DENNY/SEALTH, THE NEXT MEETING: Another community meeting tonight at 6:30, Chief Sealth HS library, as part of the planning process for the Denny/Sealth combined-campus project; more info here.
FIGHTING CRIME: The recent concerns at Westcrest Park are among a variety of topics expected to come up at the White Center/South Delridge Community Safety meeting tonight at 6 o’clock, St. James Place (9421 18th SW).
Remember our August discussion about the Morgan Junction Short Stop sign adding “adult DVDs”? Until “West Seattle Dishes to Die For,” it was the talkiest WSB post ever. Now, a new chapter in this sign’s story — crash damage that even took off part of the word “adult.” Evan Baumgardner sent the photo (thank you!); the folks at the store told Evan this happened when a delivery truck hit the sign.
Just drove through – traffic is moving in both directions, without flaggers, once more — though a crew is still at the scene finishing up some work. Thanks again to the folks who live in the area who added updates to previous posts!
We have discussed this in fits and spurts from time to time but in recent days, two separate e-mails have come in, questioning the rationale for the 30 mph speed limit along the Admiral slope north of The Bridge. Our answer to both has been “it’s a low speed limit because of the houses on the east side of Admiral” but perhaps someone in WSB-land can address the situation more specifically. In the latest e-mail, WSB reader Kelly writes:
[My question] relates to the 30mph speed limit on Admiral Way to and from the bridge. Currently, we have a contractor working on a remodel of our bathroom and he received a $200 ticket on his way to our house the other day. I’m aware that this stretch of road is a notorious speed trap, but I’m wondering if anyone knows why the speed limit is only 30 mph? Was it previously higher?
It just doesn’t make sense to me. There are no cross-streets, cross-walks or any dangerous obstacles that I’m aware of. 30 mph seems absolutely ridiculous. It’s next to impossible to even keep a car at that speed limit going down the hill without riding the brakes the entire way (if you have an automatic).
Does anybody know of a legitimate reason for the 30 mph speed limit (besides being a cash-cow for the city)?
All opinions, facts, and memories welcome in comments.
Seattle Weekly spotlights some of the city’s last true taverns in this article from the latest edition and this online slideshow, including West Seattle’s own Poggie and Tug. (The article’s author, Mike Seely, lives in WS.)
Gorgeous nearly full moon in the western sky this morning. 1000 year headache (one of the dozens of sites on our Other Blogs in WS page) has two excellent pix.
The hole shown in the post below is definitely a sinkhole – just drove by, traffic at that spot on the Avalon slope is down to one lane, because of repair work (as of 6:20, it wasn’t even filled yet), with flaggers on both sides of about a two-block stretch directing traffic. Here’s the flashing-light proof:
All this is happening just west-southwest of here. 7:20 AM ADDENDUM: Amanda, who sent us the original report very early this morning, just told WSB she and others in the area have been without water since about the time we posted that first report. So this definitely involves water pipes.
Just in from Amanda on Avalon:
Amanda sent that photo along with this:
I live in an apartment on Avalon and around 11:35 pm a sink hole or something appeared in the street. Water was rushing down the street from the hole. I saw a huge puff of smoke appear but didn’t think much of it, just thought it was a car exhaust but then I saw all the water. The cops came and then some sort of utility truck is here now. Should be fun for the morning commute if they don’t get it fixed tonight.
This is on Avalon about halfway between 35th and Harbor Ave. We’ll check on it in a few hours.
On Election Day — when four Seattle School Board seats will be decided, including the open seat for West Seattle’s District 6 (Maria Ramirez vs. Steve Sundquist for the seat Irene Stewart is leaving) — the board’s highest-profile hire of the year happens to be coming to West Seattle, and inviting you to lunch:
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson Ph.D.
Cordially invites you to lunch and an informal community gathering in School Board District 6Tuesday, November 6, 2007
11:45-1:15 p.m.
Denny Middle School library
8402 30th Ave SWLunch is available for purchase for those who RSVP by Nov. 1
$3.50, exact change please
Choices include Chicken Caesar Salad
Turkey Sandwich on Hoagie RollRSVP with your lunch choice to Pat McKenzie at 252-0200 or
pmckenzie@seattleschools.org
This community gathering is open to anyone in District 6. Please feel free to let your District 6 friends, neighbors and colleagues know about this gathering.
You should know, Denny actually is quite famous for its food.
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