West Seattle, Washington
09 Friday
Speaking of pools … We noticed while researching the Colman Pool update that the Southwest Pool website has information on both an upcoming closure and the grand-opening event for the Neighborhood Service Center that is moving from Delridge to the former SW Community Center adjacent to the pool. Just as we were inquiring with the city, they sent a news release, which includes the Delridge NSC closing date (April 10th) as well as the SW NSC opening date (April 17th) and the pool maintenance closure (March 26-April 15) – read on:Read More
(Photo by Long B. Nguyen; click image for larger view)
Not that you’re likely to be thinking about outdoor swimming in this unsettled weather anyway, but – we just checked on the Colman Pool renovation project’s progress after receiving that new aerial view from Gatewood pilot/photographer Long B. Nguyen. Almost two months after we first reported that work was revving up, project manager Garrett Farrell tells us that they’re now pouring concrete, and the pool’s walls will be restored in that process. (In February, we published an aerial view of how the pool looked in torn-up mode.) We asked Farrell if the $1.4 million project was still going according to schedule. His reply: “No surprises, but the weather has been a challenge. Mother Nature has slowed us but not pushed us off track. We are still on track for June 30 opening.”
For almost 2 months now, we’ve been tracking license applications, to see who in West Seattle plans to sell hard liquor once privatization takes full effect on June 1st. Another wave of applications has just appeared on the state Liquor Control Board‘s website.
Newest West Seattle applications: Metropolitan Market in Admiral (WSB sponsor), Bartell Drugs (Admiral and Jefferson Square stores), Walgreens (16th/Roxbury and High Point stores), Target (Westwood Village)
Previously reported West Seattle applications: West Seattle Thriftway, QFC (Junction and Westwood Village stores), Safeway (Admiral, Jefferson Square, Roxbury stores)
This is not likely the final list of who’ll be selling liquor in West Seattle – sales can’t start before June 1st, and qualifying businesses can apply at any time. Meanwhile, the fate of the current state liquor stores remains unsettled. The auction for the locations’ licenses continues; bidding started at $1,000, as reported here March 8th – the Westwood-location license is up to $3,050 (as of right before publication of this story, anyway), while the Junction-location license bidding is up to $5,100. Bidding is also open for all locations’ licenses together, and that’s now at $266,700. (And one final note – the legal fight over the liquor-privatization initiative isn’t over yet.)
ADDED 2:48 PM: Since PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor) is the only currently-in-business West Seattle grocery store that hasn’t applied for a license, we checked with the company to see if they’re planning to. Spokesperson Diana Crane’s reply: “The straight answer is that we’re still considering this opportunity and haven’t reached any decisions yet.”
(WEDNESDAY UPDATE: The dance has been canceled due to lack of ticket sales. 5K is still ON!)
Two West Seattle High School fundraiser reminders this morning – The WSHS Class of 2014 has organized a Father-Daughter Dance for elementary-school girls and their dads, coming up this Saturday night, 6-9 pm. More details are in the event’s listing on the WSB calendar. Also, today marks exactly two months till the West Seattle 5K on May 20th; it’s the run/walk along Alki that is the unofficial kickoff to summer (here’s hoping), and precedes the annual “car-free day,” aka Seattle Summer Streets (here’s our latest report on this year’s plan). The WS 5K is a presentation of the West Seattle HS PTSA. Online registration is open; you can sign up online right now! (WSB is co-sponsoring again this year, and there’s room for more sponsors.)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
LIBRARY STORY TIMES: 11:30 am, it’s Baby Story Time at the Southwest Branch of the Seattle Public Library (35th/Henderson); 7 pm, it’s Family Story Time at the Delridge Branch (Delridge/Brandon). More info on the SPL Calendar of Events.
HEALTH AND HARVEST TOUR AT THE COMMUNITY ORCHARD: Today’s another weekly tour at Community Orchard of West Seattle, details here (6000 16th SW, northeast side of the South Seattle Community College campus on Puget Ridge).
WORLD WATER WEEK AT CHIEF SEALTH: For a second year, Chief Sealth International High School is spending the week focused on issues regarding water availability and safety and its effects, including the food supply. Events start today – here’s the district news release. After school today, at 4:30 pm, a group of East African students from Sealth has organized a three-on-three teen basketball tournament to raise money for famine relief, across the street at Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle).
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING & FOOD FEST: 6 pm tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW), neighborhood residents are invited to the annual Food Fest, with samples from local food/beverage establishments (free, aside from the no-host bar), an opportunity to join or renew your membership in FCA ($25/year) and help elect the new board. Details here.
‘LIVE ART BASH’: At Mind Unwind in the Admiral District (2206 California SW), 6-9 pm. From proprietor Krystal Kelley: “Live Art Bash is an idea. Here is how we think it will work: Bring your art or project or music that you have needed inspiration to get started ….or finished ….for 3 hours every Tuesday, Artist J. Conrad Nivens is providing the space, you make the magic! The idea is to get together and create art in a fun, collaborative environment. BYOB if desired and all art supplies you may need. Come with an open mind and a project and leave with new ideas and inspirations!! FREE.”
MURRAY CSO-CONTROL PROJECT DESIGN ADVISORY GROUP: The advisory group working on the sewer-overflow-control project for the Murray basin – which feeds the pump station at Lowman Beach – will meet again tonight, 6:30 pm at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW). The agenda and related documents can be found here; topics include landscape design and community feedback on the early drafts of facility design.
FREE CONCERT: The Symphony Orchestra from West Seattle Community Orchestras will visit Bridge Park Retirement Community (3204 SW Morgan) in High Point at 7 tonight. The group’s announcement says, “The concert will include several orchestral classics including the second movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, a movement from Haydn’s Symphony No. 88, and selections from Porgy and Bess.” It’s free and WSCO says people from the greater West Seattle community are invited to come too!
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: Monthly meeting tonight, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room (Delridge/Webster). The WSCPC is open to the public, and police leadership is in attendance, which means not only will you hear about crime trends, you have an opportunity to bring up neighborhood concerns. More information on the WSCPC website. Tonight’s special featured speaker, after discussion of West Seattle crime trends/concerns – will focus on insurance-fraud crime, with guest speaker Scott Wagner from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
COMMUNITY LABYRINTH WALK: At The Hall at Fauntleroy, you’re invited to the first quarterly community Labyrinth Walk, 7 to 9 pm. More info in the event’s entry on the WSB Events calendar.
PARENTING TALK: In the Schmitz Park Elementary cafeteria at 7 tonight, Dr. Jody McVittie will present “Beyond the Battles: A Positive Parenting Approach to Sibling Conflict.” Free; child care available in the gym.
It’s been in the works for months, and now the CoolMom “Think Outside the Car” campaign is about to get rolling. CoolMom’s Terri Glaberson says you’re invited to a kickoff event 10 am-2 pm April 28th in the parking lot at Westside School (WSB sponsor). It’ll be a big celebration with food, music, and kids’ activities (including, Terri says, a Cascade Bicycle Club Rodeo and “Undriving”). Right now, they are looking for a graphic designer/videographer to help on the project – a “temporary paid position,” as she explains it; find out more here.
The family of Dorothy Campbell Hansen, gone at age 93, shares this remembrance:
Dorothy was born March 6, 1919, to Alexander and Catherine MacKinnon. Dorothy moved to West Seattle on her marriage to John in 1945. She lived on Chilberg Avenue SW for 66 years. She entered into the presence of her heavenly Father on March 9, 2012.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, John, and 3 brothers: Allister, Jack and Donald. She had 3 children: Catherine (James), John (Carolyn), and Heather (James). She had 8 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. A memorial service is planned at First Presbyterian Church in Seattle. Details to be announced later. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to First Presbyterian Church, Missions Fund, 1013 8th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, or Washington State Services for the Blind.
(WSB publishes obituaries at no charge; send text and photo to editor@wsb.blackfin.biz)
In the neighborhood along SW Spokane by the west end of the West Seattle Bridge, a neighbor who goes by “Shout” reports a bizarre case of vandalism late Monday night. He says the utility installation up on the slope was being pounded on by somebody who sounded as if they had a sledgehammer. “Shout” called police, and though they appeared to him to have checked out the area cursorily and left, the would-be vandal did stop… but not before scuffing up the facility (see the photo above).
Also tonight, for those keeping an eye on the case: The indecent-liberties trial of alleged Lincoln Park attacker Duane Starkenburg has been pushed back a couple more weeks because of factors including lawyer scheduling. It was supposed to start this month – but now a new date of April 2nd has been set.
(Click for larger view)
Landscape design for the county’s Murray Basin sewer-overflow-control project, across from Lowman Beach Park, is at the “30 percent” stage – and the current draft will be reviewed Tuesday night by the community Design Advisory Group. Their meeting at 6:30 pm Tuesday at Fauntleroy Church also is scheduled to review community feedback on the “refined preliminary facility design concepts” for the facility itself. The full agenda and related documents are linked from this page. The project is centered on a million-gallon underground tank to keep stormwater and sewage from spilling into Puget Sound when the pump station across the street gets overwhelmed; it will be built on land across the park that is now the site of residential properties the county is buying.
(Sunday night photo by Karen Sykes)
Seattle Parks has just shared the response it is sending to people who have voiced concerns about safety along Beach Drive, in the aftermath of the so-far-unsolved murder of Greggette Guy, found dead offshore in the 3800 block one week ago today, remembered at a waterfront vigil and walk last night (WSB coverage here).
Thank you for getting in touch regarding the recent unsolved murder in West Seattle, and expressing your concerns about the safety of a stretch of Beach Dr. SW in the area where the young woman was found.
Following … is the text of a timely and thorough response to Sandi Repetowski from Capt. Steven Paulsen of the Seattle Police Department’s (Southwest) Precinct. In it he:
· Describes the low crime statistics for the area
· Recommends walking with a buddy and not alone
· Reports on his visit to the Alki Community Council meeting on Thursday, March 15
· Describes SPD’s plans to respond to the event with more patrols and its summer emphasis plan that they carry out from the third weekend in April through September
· Offers to have the SW Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator, Mark Solomon, conduct an assessment using Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles.
[editor’s note – the following is the SPD letter]
Thank you for taking the time to write in regard to your concern of lighting and general public safety in the area of Beach Drive SW. I am unable to provide any information in regard to the tragic homicide – in order not to compromise the integrity of the investigation, but I can provide you with some information that may assist you and your neighborhood.
I feel confident to tell you that Schmitz Park and Me Kwa Mooks Parks are safe. Activity in the parks does increase during the warmer weather months as it does the activity along Beach Drive and Alki. The particular area where the homicide occurred (along the beach) is also considered quiet and safe. The best advise we can provide our citizens is to always walk with another person and to be aware of your surroundings.
911 calls for the area are considered very low. In the past 15 months, the following 911 calls from citizens have been received…(the geographical area is from Alki Point to just south of Mee Kwa Mooks Park):
51 calls for suspicious persons (most of these occur during the day and during the warmer weather months)
25 calls for False residential alarms
21 calls for disturbances
11 calls for mental complaints
10 calls for Domestic Violence
8 calls for Harassment/assault/threatsMe Kwa Mooks Park (same 15-month window)
5 Parks Exclusions for inappropriate behavior
3 suspicious persons calls
3 fireworks complaints
2 complaints of noise disturbances
2 complaints of Mischief/Nuisance.
Note: No calls for Drugs or Graffiti (not that it is not occurring, just that folks are not reporting it)On Thursday, March 15th, I attended the Alki Community Council Meeting. I updated the group on our annual summer emphasis plan that pertains to Alki and neighboring City Parks. The plan starts in or around the 3rd weekend of April and continues through September.
In regard to the recent homicide, I told the group that the Seattle Police Department is putting forth all the necessary resources in order to resolve this tragic event. I also provided a briefing on the quiet nature of the neighborhood and that they will see an increase in patrol cars in the area. I advised that the additional patrol cars will not change or help solve the homicide, but more for neighborhood peace at mind, given the fear a crime such as this creates for a normally quiet/tranquil neighborhood.
In regard to street lighting and/or Lighting near parks, I am more than happy to have our Crime Prevention Coordinator – Mr. Mark Solomon do a Crime Prevention Environmental assessment for the neighborhood. Mark is able to work closely with our Parks Department, City Light and SDOT folks if additional measures are needed.
Again, thank you for taking the time to write us in regard to recent events. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact Lt. Pierre Davis at 206-233-2033 or Community Police Team Officer Ken Mazzuca at 206-386-1088.
Sincerely,
Captain Steven Paulsen
Seattle Police Department
Commander, Southwest Precinct[editor’s note – the remaining text is how Parks closed its letter]
We appreciate suggestions for improvements to the site, and I’m sure SPD will consider them in the context of the CPTED assessment, which will involve Parks and Recreation, City Light, and Seattle Department of Transportation staff.
Thank you again for taking time to write, and we will let you know when the assessment is complete.
Speaking at last night’s vigil (the video is in our report), Ms. Guy’s father Gregg Smith referred to the area as a “deathtrap.”
ADDED 11 PM MONDAY: A Southwest Precinct sergeant, questioned about the case’s status at a neighborhood meeting in Arbor Heights tonight, said he had no new information that could be shared – but sought to assure those on hand that “a lot of resources” were being applied to the unsolved murder. (The meeting otherwise had nothing to do with the Beach Drive situation- it was a “living room conversation” meeting arranged by the local Block Watch captain a month earlier – and we’ll be writing the full story about it on Tuesday.)
The Alliance for Education has announced this year’s Philip P. Swain Excellence in Education Award winners. Of the six winners citywide, two are from West Seattle!
Huong Nguyen teaches math at West Seattle High School. From the nomination form sent by principal Ruth Medsker:
‘Ms. Huong’ works tirelessly to ensure that all students entrusted to her succeed. She teaches Intensified Algebra, which is our most supported extended block math class, Algebra I and Advanced Placement Calculus. Ms. Huong is blazing the trail at West Seattle High School for Standards Based Grading. She is currently in the process of developing performance rubrics to help students understand what their learning outcomes need to be. When students do not meet standard on a learning target, she provides additional support for the student to relearn the skill and opportunities to demonstrate mastery. An example of her relentless push to standard is a letter she is sending home to families this week. Each Algebra student who has a C or lower and a MAP score of 240 or less is getting a letter and a call inviting the student to after-school tutoring/support. Our data shows that these students are just under where they need to be pass the Algebra End of Course Exam.
Also, she “has invented a math tool to help students learn basic numeracy skills. The Numero Cube System helps students learn place value, base 10 number decomposition, Factoring, Multiplication/Division, among other things.”
From Denny International Middle School, meet Swain Award-winner Leticia Clausen, photographed with some of her students:
From Denny principal Jeff Clark‘s announcement:
It is a great pleasure to announce that Ms. Leticia Clausen is a winner of the 2012 Philip P. Swain Excellence in Education Award! It was an honor for me to nominate Ms. Clausen for this award for the following reasons:
When Denny became an international school, Ms. Clausen quickly volunteered to serve as our dual-language Spanish teacher. This program is intended to give our scholars, who are fortunate enough to already speak Spanish, a chance to learn social studies and language arts in Spanish at school. This approach will help our students to be bilingual and bi-literate, while mastering academic concepts in both languages.
Even though we were starting this program without curricular materials in Spanish, Ms. Clausen was excited to start right away (without a year for planning). She did this for one reason: she knew this was what was best for our kids and knew that they didn’t have any time to waste.
We are now in our third year of Spanish dual-language. Remarkably, Ms. Clausen teaches this block class at all three grade levels! The program is flourishing—academic achievement is rising—and our families are thrilled to have this opportunity!
The Swain Award description, as also shared by Denny’s principal: “The yearly award is given to Seattle Public Schools secondary teachers or counselors who exemplify the qualities and values that distinguished Mr. Swain’s years of community stewardship. Teachers or counselors who are nominated are staff who inspire a love of learning in students while helping them reach their highest academic potential.” All six citywide winners will be honored at the Alliance’s community breakfast March 29th, and each receives a $1,000 prize.
If you listen to over-the-air radio, you might have noticed this already – the “translator” signal for KPLU in West Seattle has moved. The station is sponsoring WSB this week to make sure the word gets out to everyone. Here’s their announcement:
KPLU’s long-time translator serving West Seattle listeners at 88.1 FM has moved its frequency to 92.1 FM.
The move was necessitated by a new station licensed to Ocean Park, Washington that signed on at 88.1 FM in December 2011. At that time, KPLU submitted a license application to the FCC to move its West Seattle signal to a new frequency, which was granted in February 2012.
Because of terrain and distance, some KPLU West Seattle listeners are able to hear the station at its main frequency of 88.5 FM. KPLU is advising listeners who have difficulty hearing the station at 92.1 FM to try listening at 88.5 FM, or online at www.kplu.org.
KPLU encourages listener feedback at 800-677-5758 or info@kplu.org.
(Photo courtesy Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering and Events)
Another West Seattle event to greet spring – tonight, as mentioned earlier, it’s Solstice Park sunset viewing; the equinox itself is late tonight, and then for tomorrow night, this has just been announced:
Please join us at The Hall at Fauntleroy for our first quarterly community Labyrinth Walk 7 to 9 PM on Tuesday March 20th as we welcome the Spring (Vernal) Equinox. The Labyrinth, The Hall at Fauntleroy’s newest addition, is an extraordinary tool for transformation. Using the principles of sacred geometry, and defined as a singular pathway that leads to the center and then back out again, retracing the same path, a Labyrinth can open us to change in body, mind and spirit. It provides a sacred space; inviting walkers to set aside the cares of the world and enter into deep reflection (to discover something about ourselves). The destination is not important – this is about the journey (life).
If you are going to tomorrow night’s Fauntleroy Community Association membership event/Food Fest/board election, this is just a room or two away – but you don’t have to be from Fauntleroy to attend. The Hall is in the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse at 9131 California SW>
(Photo copyright Christopher Boffoli)
A toast, if you will, to West Seattle’s Christopher Boffoli, who’s just found out he’s nominated for a national James Beard Foundation Award – Christopher explains the Beard Foundation honors are considered to be “the Academy Awards of Food.” (Here’s the full list of nominees – as far as we can tell, he’s the only one from West Seattle this year.) Christopher’s internationally featured series of photographs – known in various contexts as “Disparity” or “Big Appetites” – has brought him a nomination in the Journalism/Humor category, specifically as featured by The Kitchn. The awards will be announced May 4th in New York City, which is where Christopher has a solo show coming up at Winston Wachter Fine Art in June; that show, in turn, has an “NBC First Look” crew coming to his studio this week to shoot a feature story.
The photo is NOT the finished product – it’s a picture taken last week by SDOT‘s Marybeth Turner, while crews were working on the Duwamish Trail, used by bikes and pedestrians in the West Marginal Way SW vicinity. Today, she reports, “Our paving crews have finished repaving the Duwamish Trail along W Marginal Way SW for now. There is some finishing work that they will do when the conditions are drier.” (We published a heads-up about the work after getting an alert from bicyclist Dave – thanks again! – last week.)
Just four months till this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour on July 15th – and the poster-contest winner has been announced!
WSGT is pleased to announce the winning artist in our First Annual Poster Artwork Contest: Sheila Lengle of LengleArt with her entry “Ode to Picasso.” Sheila’s winning piece [above], along with over a dozen runner-up entries, will be on display at Windermere Realty in The Junction during the May 10, 2012 West Seattle Art Walk.
This year’s tour is Sunday, July 15, and showcases 9 fabulous local gardens. Our featured lecturer this year is West Seattle gardener and author Lorene Edwards Fornker, who was also a gardener on last year’s tour. Proceeds from the tour support our 2012 beneficiaries: The Bloedel Reserve, Neighborhood House YELS, Highline Botanical Garden, Kubota Garden, Barton Street Community Garden, Community Orchard of West Seattle, Seattle Chinese Garden and ArtsWest Theatre.
Sponsorship accounts for more than 50% of tour revenue and we are currently in the last few weeks of our sponsorship drive. We would like to encourage local businesses and individuals interested in sponsoring the WSGT and supporting our 2012 beneficiaries to become a 2012 sponsor. The sponsorship commitment deadline is April 1.
Photos and descriptions of this year’s gardens along with sponsorship information, lecture topic and beneficiary information are currently posted on our website westseattlegardentour.com.
Sheila’s artist statement for the contest included this: “I’ve been an artist since the first time I put crayon to paper, and have been lucky enough to have been in and out of a variety of creative businesses during my 64 years. At this state of my life I want to work hard, paint a lot and market my work so I can be an artist who makes a living. … I’m self-taught thus no rule guides me. I feel so free to create. I’ll paint whatever, whenever and with anything I want…rather like a spoiled child. I think that’s a passion. I’m thrilled to feel this way and want to for the rest of my life.”
P.S. As for the tour itself, ticket books will be $15 per person (children 12 and under are free), available in June, while ticket vouchers will be available online from brownpapertickets.com, starting next month.
From the “very early warning department,” we have an alert about a “multi-agency open-water search-and-rescue drill” next Monday that might be visible from here. We’ll file it into the calendar, but if that’s your field of interest, you might want to know even sooner, so read on:Read More
Just got a heads-up about work that might cause some backups on southbound Highway 99 if you’re heading this way in the early afternoon: The steel plates at Holgate need to have a few things “tightened up,” so the right lane will be closed approximately noon-2 pm. We asked if those plates will ever go away, since they’ve been a source of concern for a while – they’re actually lids for “vaults,” but the closure for inspection and maintenance work NEXT WEEKEND may include replacement with new lids that “aren’t so bumpy.”
Spring arrives in just under 13 hours. Here’s hoping it behaves. Looking at the calendar for today/tonight:
‘LOW BRIDGE’ ALERT FOR LATE TONIGHT/EARLY TOMORROW: As part of ongoing construction work, access to the westbound “low bridge” will be blocked overnight tonight, as SDOT explains here – 10 pm to 5 am.
WEST SEATTLE COOKING CLUB: 3 pm, Beveridge Place Pub. This time around, the West Seattle Cooking Club meets at Beveridge Place Pub – with “mushrooms/fungus” as the theme.
GREET SPRING AND LEARN ABOUT THE EQUINOX: West Seattle’s own NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen has organized yet another sunset-watching event to mark the equinox (she does them for solstices too). You’re invited to a gathering at Solstice Park (uphill from the tennis courts at Fauntleroy/Webster), starting around 6:45 pm (a little while before sunset, which gives time for Alice’s always-fun presentations demonstrating what an equinox really is). Here are full details in our Sunday preview.
HEALTH CARE FORUM: 7 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle. Sustainable West Seattle‘s community forum looks at health care, under the title “One Community At A Time.” From their announcement:
Our health-care system is both more expensive and has lower quality than other industrialized countries. Many describe this as a sick care system because significant is not spent until after you get sick. Communities are now developing alternatives that cost less and move people toward whole health. By focusing on prevention and early intervention we can also drop the costs of health care. Our speaker is Dale Jarvis, a health-care consultant and West Seattleite who has worked at fixing the health-care system in 20 states since the federal health-care law passed in 2010. Dale will describe health-care reform ‘triples’ and ‘home runs’ that can fit Seattle’s neighborhoods. Join this discussion of a new health-care ecosystem for West Seattle.
MONDAY NIGHTLIFE: *Trivia with Tom Hutyler at Christo’s on Alki, 7 pm … At 9 pm at West 5 in The Junction, it’s another “Flat Earth Monday,” described as “featuring a line-up of some luminous Seattle talent spinning the rarest and fairest vinyl from deep within their respective LP collections. Rare soul, garage, dirty-funk, J Pop, jazz and a smattering of world-stage psychidelia will be spinning at the popular lounge in the heart of West Seattle.” Tonight’s DJ, West 5 co-owner Dean Overton aka “DJ Deanzig” … Karaoke with Kelli at Skylark Café and Club, 9 pm … Talarico’s has Karaoke @ 9:30 pm.
The chair of the City Council’s Transportation Committee joined West Seattle Greenways members for their conversation Sunday afternoon at Pearls on Delridge, as did greenways supporters from other neighborhoods including Beacon Hill and Phinney Ridge. Councilmember Tom Rasmussen – a West Seattle resident and bicyclist – encouraged the group to bring its ideas to the council, but stressed that coordination is vital – representatives from various neighborhoods will be most effective, he said, if they stress their common goals first, and individual neighborhood needs after that. He also acknowledged that the city budget remains a challenge, but clear priorities can help hurdle that. Rasmussen also discussed the Bicycle Master Plan update that the city is launching (an item related to it is on this afternoon’s council agenda, in fact), since creation of Greenways could figure into it. (What’s a greenway, you ask? North Delridge Neighborhood Council transportation chair Jake Vanderplas, a leader in the local effort, explains it on the NDNC website. As another local leader, Stu Hennessey, wrote in the announcement we published in January, West Seattle advocates are hoping to see greenways on 26th SW and 21st SW for starters.)
Winter officially ends when the spring equinox arrives at 10:14 pm tonight. But nobody told the weather it’s almost spring. A really cold night, following a rainy Sunday afternoon, has left some roads “slick,” as K describes the West Seattle Bridge as of moments ago. We’re keeping closer watch on the morning commute as a result; be careful!
8:50 AM UPDATE: Via Twitter, SDOT reports a stalled car on the eastbound bridge. No word on exactly where, but the traffic camera view (refresh for the newest image) shows the backup.
Southbound 35th SW was blocked for a while at Cloverdale late tonight because of the latest case of a moving vehicle hitting a parked vehicle. Like the crash we covered two weeks ago and two blocks away, no injuries reported this time around – the Fire Department wasn’t even summoned. But two patrol cars and electronic “flares” were being used to block off the scene till it could be cleaned up.
(Photos and video by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Against a heartbreakingly beautiful sunset – half the sky and water shimmering pink, the other half under dark storm clouds – more than 75 people gathered as a tribute to murder victim Greggette Guy, and a declaration that they would not be frightened away from one of West Seattle’s most beautiful places.
Seattle Police detectives were there too, low-key, in plainclothes, talking to people away from the crowd, still seeking anyone who might have seen something a week ago tonight.
And then there was someone no one expected – interrupting the moment of silence after participants had walked the length of Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook and back, identifying himself as Ms. Guy’s father Gregg Smith:
The safety concerns he voiced were top of mind for those who organized tonight’s walk and vigil on just hours’ notice, as well as those who came to join in:
Organizers circulated a sign-up sheet so that residents could find people to walk with in the days and weeks ahead, so no one would have to take a risk alone. Here’s what organizers, starting with nearby resident Judy Bentley, told participants; our video continues for 3 minutes as the walk begins:
Police have said they believe that Ms. Guy came to the Beach Drive shore a week ago for a walk, perhaps that same stretch of shore. Last Monday morning, a Beach Drive resident saw her body in the water near Harbor West Condos, the complex built in pilings over the water, and called 911. With boats and divers, public-safety crews brought it to shore (WSB coverage here); within hours, they described the death as “suspicious,” but it was not publicly declared a case of murder until last Thursday (WSB coverage here).
As evidenced by their presence tonight – and the flyers on every utility pole – police remain eager to hear anything you think might be relevant to the case. Here’s a closer look, if you haven’t seen the flyers in person:
Though not much has been said about Ms. Guy, 51, online research indicates she had been married for 30 years, with a 21-year-old daughter, and had long been employed by a South King County aviation-industry firm as a credit manager.
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