West Seattle, Washington
24 Wednesday
More preparation today for the new school year that starts on September 5th, less than two weeks away: Chief Sealth International High School‘s new portable classrooms are being moved into place on the west edge of the campus. On Wednesday afternoon, we photographed the two that had just arrived (above); today, the other two are moving in.
As reported here in June, they will house 9th-grade language-arts and history classes, according to Sealth principal Chris Kinsey. He announced in June that 2012-2013 enrollment was projected to be more than 1,300, about 100 beyond last year, which was already above capacity (and according to a Seattle Public Schools report published this week, 115 students are on its waiting list [total for all grades/programs]).
(Photo by Don Brubeck, looking toward Harbor Island after last night’s sunset)
Belated edition of highlights for today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
TRAFFIC ALERTS: The 1st Avenue S. water-main work is expected to continue into this evening (we’ll update this story if it’s done sooner). Again tonight, late-night/early-morning drivers need to be aware of two scheduled closures (from our weekly day-by-day/night-by-night list) – southbound 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct closed 9 pm-5 am, and eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct closed 10 pm-5 am.
WEST SEATTLE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN’S POTLUCK PICNIC: Still time to pick something up to bring and go join WSDW‘s lunchtime event. 11:30 pm at Lincoln Park; details here, including what to bring.
TEENS – MAKE YOUR OWN JEWELRY: 1 pm at Southwest Library (35th/Henderson); info here.
WINE, MASSAGE, SNACKS: Siren Song Wines and Shanti Salon and Spa (both WSB sponsors) in the Admiral District are teaming up for an event tonight that involves everything from wine-tasting to massage. 6-8 pm; ticket info and full details here.
SHOP LATE IN THE JUNCTION: The special summer hours continue at participating Junction merchants (listed here) – including Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor), which has a Sunshine Sale (summery items – check them out here) continuing through month’s end.
‘HIAWATHA HELPS’ BARBECUE, BEFORE AND DURING THE CONCERT: Benefit barbecue dinner 6-8 pm tonight at Hiawatha Community Center, before and during the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha show. Menu/prices here.
CASPAR BABYPANTS AT SUMMER CONCERTS @ HIAWATHA: Our area’s biggest family-music star is tonight’s performer at the Admiral Neighborhood Association-presented free concert (second-to-last show of the year), 6:30 pm on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center.
Live music at local nightlife establishments too – part of what else you’ll find on the calendar!
Cancer is a relentless killer that has touched almost everyone’s life – and in addition to its primary effects, it leads to a sense of hopelessness, an agonizing wish for researchers to find a cure, to pinpoint a cause, anything to bring a cancer-free world closer. Next month, you can do something to help, beyond wishing and hoping. The American Cancer Society has launched a new round of its nationwide Cancer Prevention Study, a research program that dates back to the 1950s, to identify risk factors that can aid in prevention. Your participation now may save someone’s life someday. To make it easier to participate, the ACS will have an enrollment site here on September 22nd, 10 am-1:30 pm at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor); they’re getting the word out now so you can make an appointment for that day. Read on to see how:Read More
4:20 AM: Big response to 11200 block of Marine View Drive. Via the scanner, crews are saying it’s a “small fire in the garage” of a home.
4:45 AM: Added photo from our crew at the scene. Over the radio, the fire has been called as “tapped.” No report of injuries so far.
4:59 AM: According to SFD spokesperson Lt. Sue Stangl at the scene, the smoke detector went off, awakening the homeowner, who called 911 and got everybody out safely. They don’t know yet what caused the fire, but she confirmed it was contained to the garage – lots of smoke, not a lot of flames. We’ll follow up later, after investigators have had a chance to figure out how it started.
5:28 AM: They figured it out fast. Lt. Stangl just tweeted that the fire has been ruled “accidental/electrical.”
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB; above, Bamboo bar manager Erika Pirzadeh, speaking)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Tonight’s community meeting at Bamboo Bar and Grill was preceded by a completely different kind of meeting – one called by authorities and agencies because of what happened outside Bamboo early Sunday.
The Alki Beach establishment’s future depends on how it respond to both meetings.
The community meeting brought about 20 people, including several Bamboo managers and staffers, to the back of the restaurant/bar. Hours earlier, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office had filed two assault charges against the man arrested following the Sunday fight that turned into a shooting (here’s our report).
During tonight’s meeting, Bamboo management insisted that while the establishment’s “new” owners (who weren’t present) have actually owned it for almost a year and a half, they have been making changes since a new general manager – longtime West Seattleite and hospitality-industry veteran John Theofelis (below center) – took over a month and a half ago, and will do more.
“We’ve been making changes, but nobody knows if they are too scared to come in here,” Theofelis told WSB before the meeting.
During the meeting, more than one attendee said security presence would make a difference, as Bamboo acknowledged they did not have a security guard on hand Saturday night because they felt that, without live entertainment that night, it wasn’t needed.
They also acknowledged that both groups involved in the clash – which, court documents revealed today, left one victim with a bullet lodged close to his heart – had been inside Bamboo earlier. Employees say the groups had been “cut off” but had not shown signs of trouble or conflict in time for them to make any sort of proactive call to police.
First: What the authorities are doing. While the Seattle Police Southwest Precinct had two representatives at tonight’s meeting – Operations Lt. Pierre Davis and Community Police Team Officer Ken Mazzuca – the major news came from the City Attorney Office’s precinct liaison, assistant city attorney (and West Seattleite) Melissa Chin.
Late in the meeting, she rose to discuss the Code Compliance Team meeting held at Bamboo earlier in the day, explaining that participants included police and fire representatives as well as the city’s Director of Nightlife and the state Liquor Control Board.
On August 31st, friends and family will gather to remember Ray Sargent, a longtime West Seattleite who died at home in Arbor Heights last week at age 84. They tell us he was known as “the Mayor of Luna Park Café,” where he was a regular, and where he made news in October 2011, saved after a heart attack. He recovered from that, but then was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. The staff of Luna Park was part of a celebration of his life that he was able to attend before he died – that’s when the photo at right was taken. (And the family hopes that those touched by Ray or by the café’s support will go to Luna Park for a meal in his memory.) We have a formal obituary for him, followed by a few more thoughts from his daughter – read on:
With a community meeting at Alki’s Bamboo Bar and Grill less than two hours away, charges have been filed against the man arrested in connection with the fight and shooting outside Bamboo early Sunday (previous WSB coverage here and here). 27-year-old Michael Helmer of Kent is now charged with first-degree assault and fourth-degree assault – the former for shooting one man, the latter for attacking another. The court documents include the full narrative of what police believe happened – we will add that to this story shortly. (WSB photo from early Sunday)
UPDATED 4:32 PM: The full narrative, minus the names of witnesses and victims, is ahead:
Two theft reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon – if you have information on either, please call police. First, from Scott G:
I just wanted to get the word out that my 1990 Chevy Pickup was stolen from my driveway near 34th Ave SW and SW 108th St sometime last night between midnight and 8am.
It was dark red (I think Burgundy is the official color), is a full-size pickup with a king cab, and is distinctive in that the passenger side rear window sliding window is missing and is duct taped over with white plastic (not theft-related).
Plate # is B97040L.
There was a child’s car seat in the back seat, and the side and rear windows are tinted.
Also, the joke is on the thieves, in a sense, because it doesn’t run well at all. I think it is only running on 7 cylinders, and sounds really rough and is fairly loud (as most older 8-cylinder trucks are).
I’ve reported it to the police.
And from Shoshanna:
My husband and I are both public school teachers with two young kids and not a lot of extra money. Today we came home and saw that someone had stolen our double bike stroller from outside our apartment. It was parked under the stairs of our building and not visible from the sidewalk. We use it often and are very saddened that it was taken. It is a Schwinn double bike stroller, bright yellow color.
We live in a quad-plex on 44th and Alaska.
(Video and photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
New information today on the Genesee-area garage/pickup-truck fire last night covered by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli (here’s our original story). We heard today from homeowner Kristiana Lockman, who says, “We lost both the truck and the garage, which will have to be torn down and replaced.” Her husband owns WEdesign (WSB sponsor); she says the fire is believed to have been caused by “the spontaneous combustion of rags (in the back of the truck) that were used to stain a client’s deck,” and we have confirmed that with Seattle Fire spokesperson Lt. Sue Stangl.
Kristiana adds, “We’re very relieved that we were home when it happened and that no one was hurt. And we’re immensely grateful to the two teams of firemen who responded quickly. They were efficient, kind and went out of their way to be helpful, even helping my husband board up the garage and the fence that was cut into before they left. … We’re grateful they do what they do so well.”
The city just sent an update on the water-main repairs that have kept northbound 1st Avenue South reduced to one lane south of the stadiums since early Tuesday. Repairs are now expected to last at last until tomorrow night. Read on for the update:Read More
Just in from Seattle Parks:
On Tuesday, August 28, Parks and Recreation’s Metal Shop will install a new pier ladder at Seacrest Park. Because a crane is needed to install it, Parks will need to close the parking lot from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. or when the work is finished. During the closure, King County Metro buses will park on the street rather than loop through the parking lot, and crew will work between the water-taxi runs, which take place once an hour. Parks apologizes for the inconvenience, and thanks parking-lot users for their patience.
11:54 AM: King County has been working to get approval for higher capacity on its two Water Taxi vessels (as first mentioned in January) – and County Councilmember Joe McDermott says that permission has just been received. The West Seattle boat, Rachel Marie, and Vashon boat, Melissa Ann, had been certified to carry up to 150 people each; now, each is certified for up to 172. Councilmember McDermott says the 5:30 pm sailing to Vashon last night was the first to utilize the new capacity, carrying 163 people; the island trips, he says, “regularly sell out.” During all of last year, 130 trips sailed at the 150-passenger capacity, between the two runs, and without the capacity increase, McDermott says, this year would have beaten that.
7:11 PM NOTE: The county sent a news release about this late today – see it here.
Just in – U.S. Senator Patty Murray will be at Husky Deli in The Junction tomorrow afternoon to “join with local business owners to support extending tax cuts for middle class families,” according to a media advisory we just received. The advisory adds, “Senator Murray will be joined by local small business owners and middle-class families who will urge the House of Representatives to pass this bill so middle-class families and small-business owners can get the tax certainty they deserve.” The business owners listed in the news advisory include Husky owner Jack Miller and Merryweather (formerly Leisure) Books owner Mary Clark; the event is scheduled for 1:15 pm. You can read the text of the bill in question, S. 3412, here. This will be Sen. Murray’s third West Seattle visit in less than a year; she was here three months ago to speak during Civics Week at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor), also the site of her October 2011 visit with fellow Sen. Maria Cantwell to discuss job training.
Seattle Public Schools‘ 2012-2013 school year begins exactly two weeks from today. As the year gets going, new Superintendent José Banda plans “regional meetings” to meet families and commnity members – and he is offering in-person meetings one day a month, too. Details on both, ahead:Read More
(Fishing from Seacrest at sunrise, photographed last Friday by Paul Swortz and shared via Flickr)
From the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar listings for today and tonight:
TRAFFIC ALERTS: As mentioned earlier this morning, the 1st Avenue S. water-main work isn’t finished yet (we’ll update this story when it is), plus there’s a noontime Mariners game today, so SODO will be busy. Tonight, there are TWO scheduled closures (per our weekly day-by-day/night-by-night list) – southbound 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct closed 9 pm-5 am, and eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct closed 10 pm-5 am.
HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARM STAND: Fresh-vegetable sales continue weekly at the stand alongside the organic mini-farm at 32nd and Juneau, 4-7 pm Wednesdays (through September). More info here.
COMMUNITY MEETING AT BAMBOO BAR AND GRILL: 5:30-7:30 pm, in the aftermath of the fight/shooting incident outside Bamboo (2806 Alki SW) last Sunday morning (WSB coverage here and followup here), its management/ownership is organizing a meeting “to share the steps that we have been taking to promote a safer environment and to hear any suggestions West Seattle locals may have to offer.”
LAFAYETTE KINDERGARTEN PLAYDATE: With exactly two weeks to go until school starts, families of new Lafayette Elementary kindergarteners are invited to a playdate 5:30-7 pm – more here.
OPEN HOUSE: Arbor Heights Co-Op Preschool is holding an open house 6 pm today at Hillcrest Presbyterian Church – details and map here (including an RSVP request).
(Refresh page for newest image from SDOT camera at 1st/Holgate – work crew’s on the right)
Once again this morning, water-main repairs south of the stadiums are keeping northbound 1st Avenue South reduced to one lane. This is expected to continue throughout today’s morning commute, so if that’s your usual route, a detour – or, at least, plenty of patience – might be in order again today. And if you have to head through SODO at midday or early this afternoon, in either direction, take note that the Mariners have a day game (12:40 pm).
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports – both involving stolen items, from mopeds to boats to a pair of sunglasses. Both are ahead:Read More
If you’ve been saving up documents to shred – your next chance to get it handled is coming up this weekend, and it’s a fundraiser, too. Barb Charbonneaux is hosting a shredding event in the lot outside Implant Dentistry of Washington, 3720 California SW, this Saturday, 9 am-noon – that’s across the street from her office. She says it’s a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, with a $10 donation “per banker-size box. There will also be bagels, juice and other treats available for a donation. All proceeds go to LLS.”
WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli sends along this picture of fire crews responding to a pickup-truck fire in a garage in the 3600 block of 48th SW. We’ll have details later.
7:35 PM UPDATE: Christopher reports the fire was out when he arrived at the scene. The incident commander said there were no injuries, but the crew was checking for hot spots. Christopher also says the area was very smoky when he arrived and a fire investigator is on the way to investigate the cause.
The outside southbound lane is blocked on 35th at the scene of a two-car crash. One of the cars went onto the sidewalk on the southwest corner and into a hedge. An ambulance and tow truck are there; avoid the area for a bit.
(Refresh page for newest image from SDOT camera at 1st/Holgate – work crew’s on the right)
Just in from SDOT – an update on the 1st Avenue South water-main situation, followed by a slight change in the bridge-closure plan for tonight:
Emergency utility repairs to address a water main break will require the closure of roads and a sidewalk in the vicinity of First Avenue S and S Massachusetts Street until the evening of August 22.
In the overnight hours, a long lateral break occurred in a 16-inch pipe running north/south on First Ave S at S Massachusetts Street. According to Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), the pipe will be repaired and water restored to affected businesses by midnight tonight. However, the street repair and cleanup will extend through the evening commute on Wednesday, August 22.
As a result of the emergency repairs, the following right of way areas will be impacted through 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 22:
-One lane northbound on First Ave S from S Massachusetts St to Edgar Martinez Dr will be closed
-S Massachusetts St will be closed from S Occidental Ave to First Ave S
-The eastern sidewalk on First Ave S from S Holgate St to Edgar Martinez Dr will be closedA Seattle Police Department traffic officer will remain onsite throughout the repair and cleanup to assist with traffic.
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) advises motorists to use alternate northbound routes, such as Fourth Avenue S and Airport Way, to access downtown and south of downtown (SODO). Drivers and transit riders should additionally give themselves extra time to reach their destinations when travelling through this neighborhood. SDOT’s Travelers Information Map can also provide updates on traffic volumes and current conditions, and can be seen at: http://web5.seattle.gov/travelers/.
The Mariners game tonight against Cleveland starts at 7:10 p.m. and a crowd of 20,000 is expected. As a result of the First Ave S lane closure, much heavier traffic than usual should be anticipated. If possible, motorists not traveling to the baseball game are urged to avoid the SODO area.
Now, the bridge closure update, also from SDOT;
Southbound I-5 traffic to West Seattle on the Spokane Street Viaduct will be available until 11 p.m. this evening, in order to accommodate the large crowd exiting the Mariner game. It had previously been announced that the westbound lanes of the Viaduct from I-5 to SR 99 would be closed from 10 p.m. tonight until 5 a.m. Wednesday morning. However, the closure for westbound Viaduct traffic coming from Columbian Way or northbound I-5 will begin at the previously announced time of 10 p.m.
(WSB video of Caspar Babypants at West Seattle Summer Fest last month)
More chances this week to enjoy outdoor entertainment before summer ends, starting with Caspar Babypants in the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series, which returns to the community center’s east lawn at 6:30 pm Thursday. This is the season’s second-to-last show in the Admiral Neighborhood Association-presented series (with co-sponsors, listed in the right sidebar here, including WSB and our sponsors PCC Natural Markets, Merrill Gardens and Life Care Center of West Seattle).
For two other outdoor series, this is the final weekend. Friday night, Rainbow of Hawaii will bring the spirit of aloha to the 2012 Summer Concerts at The Mount finale at Providence Mount St. Vincent (WSB sponsor). In the courtyard/parking lot on the south side of the building at 4831 35th SW, you can buy dinner/drinks starting at 5:30 pm (this week’s full-meal deal is a jerk-chicken sandwich with mango salsa, plus side/dessert, or you can buy a burger or hot dog), music at 6 pm. Then on Saturday, West Seattle Outdoor Movies concludes its 2012 run with “Top Gun“:
The 1986 hit has been back in the headlines because of director Tony Scott‘s recent death, but it’s been on the WSOM schedule since spring. The movie’s at dusk in the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), 4410 California SW. There’ll be live music for preshow entertainment, and free pizza from co-sponsor Pagliacci Pizza; the event sponsors also include Jackson, Morgan & Hunt, PLLC (WSB sponsor). Bring your own chair/blanket – and come early to stake out a spot!
More weekend (and beyond) events are listed on the WSB calendar – here!
Krista Fink from Puget Sound Blood Center is hoping you can help them solve a problem – with lives in the balance – someplace for them to park their donation-drive bus. Her e-mail to us tells the story:
In the beginning of September, on Tuesday, September 4th, we have two mobile units that are still open that I need to fill and I just can’t find a location for them. I am hoping that maybe you will put something on your blog and maybe someone will see it and think “hey maybe my church can host a blood drive” or a business, youth group, etc. If we can’t find these mobile teams a ‘home’- a place to go, set up, and serve willing blood donors, then we will be missing out on over 80 donations. Because each blood donation saves 3 lives, those donations would save the lives of up to 240 local patients.
Please allow me to explain. We have a large number of donors in West Seattle. However, we have very few blood drives. Aside from the bi-annual high school blood drives at WSHS, we have a bus that comes to Westwood Village and one that comes to Jefferson Square every month and twice yearly we have a little bus at PCC. I’m looking for groups that might like to host blood drives so that we can provide more convenient opportunities for all of our wonderful West Seattle donors to donate at. Here at PSBC, we don’t necessarily create community- we are a part of it, and we operate for it, but we rely on other communities- groups of people who are already connected together in some way or another- who will support us. Blood Drives are wonderful ways to bring communities together- you never know who receives the blood and it could be your neighbor, your friend, your coworker, or the mysterious woman, a stranger, who is always in the same line as you at the coffee shop.
We have 17 mobile units (teams that go to various locations for mobile blood drives) that need to be scheduled for a blood drive every day in order to simply have the opportunity to collect enough blood to meet the needs of our inventory and provide a stable supply of blood for the community’s needs. Summer is tough- it is full of cancellations and a lack of donations as people are on vacation, the heat, people are busy, etc.
Specifically, we have a big bus and a big inside mobile team. The big inside mobile team requires a space of at least 900 square feet, three electrical outlets, good lighting and restroom access. The bus requires a flat surface and approx. 70 feet of parking lengthways as well as nearby restroom access.
Like I said, blood drives do create value for those who organize them, and the donors themselves. It’s an investment back into the community. There are already so many wonderful, dedicated blood donors in the area and I’m hoping someone can help!
(added) Krista’s office number is 425.462.4384 – her e-mail is KristaF@psbc.org.
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