West Seattle, Washington
08 Thursday
More bike thefts in West Seattle Crime Watch, plus a boat stolen – and found – as well as some miscellaneous reports. First, about Shane’s bike:
I wanted to report my mountain bike stolen late last night, (Aug. 12th), from my garage, (2400 block of SW Edmunds), and see if anybody sees it in the next few days. I mistakenly left my garage door open last night, so I’m partially to blame. All that was taken was my Specialized Enduro Expert bike, blue with some distinctive orange stripes on the frame that are not very visible in this photo, (did not have the fenders on it anymore). May still have a sticker on the side of it that said “You laugh because I’m different, I laugh because you are all the same.”
Ahead, the ski-boat saga – and various reports from a local block watch:
Read More
New info tonight about this weekend’s big Delridge Day festival (with WSB among the co-sponsors) – here’s what Holli Margell is sharing tonight:
Only 4 more days until the Delridge Day Festival takes over Delridge Park on August 18th from 11 am-3 pm. Here’s a short preview of what’s happening, and when:
– The Music Stage has a full 4-band lineup from 11 am-3 pm: Ellis Brothers, Moongirl, Sidesaddle Cowboy, and from the North Delridge Neighborhood, Low Land High.
– Skate Competition prizes have been counted and there’s plenty of decks, hats, shirts and other swag for lots of contestants. Registration starts at 10 am, closes at 11 am for competition. Parental signature (minors only) and helmets required for entry. A $15 registration fee includes Festival Shirt.
– Kids Zone has a Face painter and Balloon Artist booked. Bouncy House and Picnic Games are ready!
– The vendor-booth area is up to 60! You’ll see local artists, businesses, and non-profits. Bring some cash for a new plant start, local art or books. Youngstown Flats, the new development on 26th, will be giving out free Ice Cream tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis until they run out.
– We need your help to make it an amazing day! A completely volunteer led festival, we depend on volunteers for event day to help the event run smoothly. Any time you have to give is helpful from setting up tables for an hour in the morning to picking up trash after the festival in the evening. If you can help make it an awesome event with your time, please e-mail delridgeday@ndnc.org or visit http://tinyurl.com/ddvolunteer for more details.
To check out more about the festival, Skate Competition, Food Truck Chow Down, Kids Zone, and Vendors, visit the webpage: www.ndnc.org/delridgeday
The park is along Delridge south of Genesee, adjacent to the Delridge Skatepark and Delridge Community Center.
Just added to the Southwest Design Review Board schedule: Another apartment-building proposal for Avalon Way. This one is planned for 3078 Avalon Way (map), on a site that currently holds half-century-old multiplex units.
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
The proposal is for a 7-story building with 65 residential units and 77 underground parking spaces. The developer is the same as the 30-unit apartment building planned at 3829 California SW, which means this is likely the project foreshadowed in this WSB comment. Its Early Design Guidance meeting is tentatively set for one month from tonight, 6:30 pm September 13th, at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon in The Junction).
Got a question, complaint, compliment, concern, to share with Mayor Mike McGinn and/or city staff? You have another chance coming up on August 28th, two weeks from tomorrow, at Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle). It’s following the usual format – a “community information fair” with local organizations and institutions tabling 5:30-6:30 pm, then a youth performance TBA at 6:30 pm, and Q/A with the mayor and staff from 6:40 till about 8 pm. His last one here was in May at the Senior Center of West Seattle (WSB coverage here). And in March, he had one at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (WSB coverage here).
Sometime before Saturday, King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division plans to put up a fence around the future site of its Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project – a million-gallon tank across from Lowman Beach. That will precede demolition of the county-purchased homes/apartments on the site. “No parking” signs line both sides of the Lowman Beach section of Beach Drive this week, and the fence is scheduled to be up by Saturday (August 18). That’s the day the county plans a community “painting party” – 10 am-3:30 pm:
You are invited to help paint the mural that will cover the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Facility construction site fence for at least the next year. The Nature Consortium’s teaching artist will be onsite to explain mural design and help painters get started. Materials and templates will be provided, but wear your painting clothes! Families and children of all ages are welcome, and there is no obligation to stay for the whole day. You can paint for a while, enjoy a snack and then go enjoy the rest of your Saturday.
Along with the community-painted art, which will be on the Beach Drive side of the fence, King County’s Doug Marsano tells WSB that Urban Artworks will produce art panels for the Lincoln Park Way side.
“Wow!”… “Awesome!”… “I never knew this place existed!” Paublo Smith from Pink Gorilla Games, one of the newest WSB sponsors, says those are “the first three things we hear from people.” They expanded to add a West Seattle location earlier this year, and here’s what they’d like you to know:
When you are looking for classic/retro games in Seattle, Pink Gorilla Games “simply is the first place to look,” explains Paublo. “We are a small local company that has a great loyal community willing to share their knowledge and passion for gaming. The people of Pink Gorilla are not ‘Fan Boys’ of any one gaming console, genre, or series. At Pink Gorilla, you know the item has been cleaned, tested, and guaranteed.” Pink Gorilla Games sells, buys, and trades all video games and also sells board games and tabletop games, trading-card games such as Magic the Gathering, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! etc., and has plenty of imported and domestic video game memorabilia.
“People seek us out as there is nothing quite like us. People still love their vintage game consoles. And they want a clean, organized, trusted place to buy, sell, and trade classic stuff, from Atari and Intellivision, to oddball things like Atari Lynx and Virtual Boy, to the newest of the new, like Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita, to the upcoming Nintendo Wii U.” Paublo adds that Pink Gorilla Games customers “return simply because we care about what we sell. Which is why we clean and bag/protect and organize all the old games the way that we do.”
Pink Gorilla Games may be new to WS (their other two stores are in the International District and U-District), but they’ve jumped right into the community, participating in West Seattle Summer Fest and co-sponsoring the recent festival in Morgan Junction. That’s where their West Seattle store is located, at 6053 California SW. You’ll find them online at pinkgorillagames.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/PinkGorillaGames, and by phone at 206-462-0801. (And check out their WSB discount coupon to save $!)
We thank Pink Gorilla Games for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
12:27 PM: En route to a house-fire call in the 9300 block of Forest Court SW, which is near Fauntleroy Park. Most of the units are being canceled, so it’s not major. More to come.
12:48 PM: Finally got there to check (it’s on a secluded dead-end street). Kitchen problem – “food on the stove,” as the official Fire Department term for such incidents puts it. No serious damage, no injuries, SFD tells us.
That’s Cal Prinster, who along with dad Gordon Prinster has just made it to New York City – but not by plane or train or car or even motorcycle: They just finished pedaling cross-country! We told you about their plan just before they left back in June; here’s that story. This morning we heard from Gordon, who also shared the photo:
We arrived in Lower Manhattan – slightly thinner – on 8/11/12. We pedaled 3,639 miles in 49 days. It was an unbelievable adventure. We’re now lounging under a tree in Strawberry Fields on a perfect day in Central Park.
Gordon adds that he and Cal – who starts 7th grade at Madison Middle School in 3 weeks – are “looking forward to thanking everybody that gave to pbtfus.org.” That’s the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, for which they raised money with not only this trip but also their 1,732-mile bike ride to the Mexican border last summer. (You can still donate – just follow this link, and please mention Cal Prinster as the “honoree” so they can keep track of everyone who donated in honor of their ride.)
(Bunny rabbit photographed at Jack Block Park by David Hutchinson)
Just a few things on the calendar for tonight:
SOUTHBOUND VIADUCT/99 CLOSED TONIGHT: 9 pm-5 am, as noted in our night-by-night list of this week’s traffic alerts (see the full list here).
STANDUP PADDLEBOARDING: Monday is “ladies’ night” at Alki Kayak Tours (at Seacrest, 1660 Harbor Ave.), starting at 6 pm.
NORTH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: Meets tonight at 6:30 pm, continuing its tradition of outdoor summertime meetings, gathering this time at Dragonfly Pavilion. The agenda, including updates on this Saturday’s Delridge Day festival, is linked from our calendar listing.
NIGHTLIFE: Pub-quiz night at Shadowland in The Junction (California/Oregon), 8 pm. (Anything else we’re missing? editor@wsb.blackfin.biz – thanks!)
2 reader reports of bike thefts – including this one just in from Jenny:
Just wanted to report that a yellow Cannondale mountain bike was just stolen from our home about 30 minutes ago now. We heard the thief on our porch and then looked out the window and saw him ride off with it. This is on 41st SW between Edmunds and Hudson. So discouraging!!!
And Elena‘s Specialized-brand women’s road bike (blue, white seat, blue-striped tires) vanished from “inside a closed and locked gate in a condo building on Alki Point” late last Thursday/early Friday (she’s hoping for tips at mystolenbike123@gmail.com).
(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
3:04 AM: Big response for what so far sounds like a relatively small fire in the 2600 block of Alki 59th SW. It’s already “tapped,” per the scanner, and most of the units are being canceled. Thanks to everyone who has called and texted. More to come.
(That photo and next two, courtesy Josh & Ali Daniels)
3:20 AM: Crews are already checking the ventilation of the building where the small fire happened and getting ready to let residents go back in, according to radio traffic. Our crew is almost there to doublecheck on the scene. The reason it sounded so big is that the initial callout for a “fire in building” call is always big – 15 units, in this case – easier to get everything going and then pull back, rather than to get there and find out you need more.
3:34 AM: Our crew at the scene talked with the building’s owner, who confirmed something we had heard via scanner in the early going – the fire is believed to have been a case of floor solvents spontaneously combusting – he says one of the tenants had been doing some floor work. No injuries reported, and everything’s wrapping up at the scene, which is on 59th immediately north of the Alki Playfield tennis courts.
4:09 AM: Thanks to Josh & Ali Daniels (who run JayLee Photography) for sharing some photos taken before we got there – including the one above this line, showing how smoky the scene was for a while.
9:29 AM: The official Seattle Fire account is here – only added detail is that damage totaled $500.
West Seattle’s Gatewood Elementary is one of four schools citywide whose speed zones have been chosen by the Seattle Police Department for fixed speeder-catching cameras. That’s according to an SPD report to be delivered during this Tuesday’s meeting of the City Council Transportation Committee. The report explains:
The radar-based devices will issue tickets only when the school beacons are flashing (during school hours). Speed violators will be issued tickets with variable fines that will match the cost of a ticket that would otherwise be issued by an officer.
According to the report, the camera should be up and running before school starts September 5th; we’ll be checking this week on installation status.
The same document (which is dated June 11th) includes a status report on the city’s “speed van,” which was first shown off outside Gatewood almost four years ago (WSB coverage here). The report details multiple problems that plagued the van and forced its replacement last spring, while noting the new one is much simpler for officers to use, and had double the “capture rate” once it was deployed before last school year ended.
UPDATE, 4:44 PM MONDAY: Just talked with SPD’s program manager for this, who says, first of all, they have since updated the memo – the fines are not variable; they are fixed – $189. The camera will be on Fauntleroy, and will be installed sometime in the next few weeks.
For late-night and early-early-morning drivers, here’s our weekly night-by-night list of the major closures most likely to affect West Seattle drivers on Highway 99 and the West Seattle Bridge (Spokane Street Viaduct section) this week:
TONIGHT (Sunday night 8/12)
*Alaskan Way Viaduct/99 – Closed southbound between the north end of the Battery Street Tunnel and the West Seattle Bridge for pre-tunnel reinforcement work, 9 pm-5 am. Also note, if you drive 99 north of this stretch, this is the last night for a closure that’s lasted longer than a month. From WSDOT:
Beginning Monday, Aug. 13 at 5 a.m., the right lane of southbound SR 99 will reopen between Republican and Harrison streets. The lane, along with access to and from southbound SR 99 from nearby side streets, closed in late June to allow crews room to relocate underground utilities in preparation for construction of the SR 99 tunnel’s future north portal.
Major closures night-by-night for the rest of the week, ahead:Read More
(Photo by Robin Lindsey)
Somewhere on a West Seattle beach in the next few days, someone may again encounter Casey the pup, who was guarded by Seal Sitters volunteers today, and if you see Casey – or another pup – they want to be sure you call their hotline, 206-905-SEAL. Robin Lindsey tells Casey’s story:
Seal Sitters watched over a too-thin pup at Lincoln Park today, the pup returning to the water about 12:30 with the incoming tide. We anticipate that the pup will show up today or tomorrow on another beach or possibly again at the Park. This is an extremely challenging time for seal pups, either newly weaned and struggling or, occasionally, still nursing. The pup we had just a few weeks ago, Georgie, was definitely a nursing age pup and only perhaps a day or so old. We were not able to determine approximate age on today’s pup, nicknamed Casey, because we never got a look at the teeth via a yawn. The number of erupted teeth would let us know at least for sure if the pup was weaned.
We can’t thank Betsy and Judy enough for calling the hotline and keeping the pup safe until we arrived. Apparently there were a couple of off leash dogs near the pup when he was discovered. I know we say it over and over again, but dogs are a tremendous danger to weak and vulnerable seal pups – just within the past couple of weeks an off leash dog killed a pup on one of the area’s islands.
This is the beginning of the high season when pups will visit the shores of South Puget Sound beaches. September and October are typically our busiest months with weaned pups seeking sanctuary on shore. Our motto is “Share the Shore” – we hope West Seattle people will do so and give these little pups a slightly better chance of survival than the 50 percent norm. Seal Sitters MMSN so appreciates the support of our community!
You can find Casey’s story, and much more, on the Seal Sitters’ blubberblog.
ADDED: One more thing Seal Sitters hope you will keep in mind – There are spots around the sound where the pups are being born, and they too need to be respected and protected; boats and other watercraft can wreak a lot of havoc in these spots (which aren’t in West Seattle, but you or someone you know may use those waters). Read about that here.
A table full of trophies awaits the award ceremony at today’s Southwest Car Show and Family Fest, continuing till 5 pm. The cars are on display in the Southwest Teen Life Center‘s parking lot (2801 SW Thistle) –
– which is where you’ll also find the bouncy house, and other activities for kids and families:
Adjacent Southwest Pool is part of the fun, too, with a free public swim coming up at 4 pm.
When we stopped by West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) just after 1 pm to check in on the CityDog Magazine Cover Dog Search photo shoot, we found out that 36 dogs were already signed up, just after hour 1. Dogs of every size, as you can see in the photo above … and we even spotted a dog in a tie:
That’s Willie, dressed to the nines. Or at least the eights. At the CityDog table, Carol from Doney Memorial Pet Clinic – beneficiary of today’s $10 photo fees – and West Seattle-based CityDog founder Brandie Ahlgren:
Carol told us this is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for Doney, run by volunteers and supported by donations; the clinic takes care of pets for people in need who otherwise might not be able to afford that care. (She says she also gets big help in our area from White Center’s Puppy Perfectors.) Meantime, the photos are on till 3 pm – just head to Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy) if you see this before then. We’ll find out later this year if another West Seattle dog will grace the CDM cover next winter!
If you’re taking a bicycle to PCC Natural Markets-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) before 3 pm for the donation drive collecting bikes and parts for Togo, West Africa, say hello to Olowo-n’djo Tchala, founder and managing director of Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care. His company works with two cooperatives in Togo, generating fair-trade shea butter and coconut oil for their Thurston County-produced products. Alaffia has been collecting bikes since 2004 to help kids in Togo who otherwise have no way to get to school aside from hours of walking.
The Log House Museum/Southwest Seattle Historical Society have some big plans in the works, all coming up before the end of August, and you’re invited to all three. Their Ice Cream Social (featuring Husky Deli ice cream!) is on the calendar for August 19th, 1-3 pm, in the museum courtyard. SWSHS has also partnered with the Museum of History & Industry to offer a historical “Log House to Longhouse” biking tour on August 25th from 10 am to noon. And the same weekend, on August 26th, the Log House Museum is celebrating the opening of a new exhibit titled “Telling Our Westside Stories” from 1-4 pm. You can find out more about all three events here .
We’re into the quieter heart of summer now – past most of the big festivals – a time to just enjoy the weather and the sights. Sunrise is still early enough that many of us miss it, but West Seattle photographer Danny McMillin – whose images you’ve seen here before – put together a video look during Saturday’s early morning “golden hour.” He says it’s for a contest on the video-hosting service he used, Vimeo, but wanted to share it more widely here, too (thanks!)
(“Anything Goes” at 3 today! Photo by Ron Dugdale, courtesy Twelfth Night Productions)
And now the full list of what’s up today/tonight …
BIKE-DONATION DRIVE: Adult-size bikes that work, and bike parts, are welcome at PCC West Seattle (WSB sponsor) today 10 am-3 pm, for the Alaffia drive collecting bikes for Togo – info here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, 44th/Alaska, with summer fruit including peaches among today’s featured produce.
WEST SEATTLEITES TO ‘STAND WITH THE SISTERS’: A bus leaves Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s new Parish Life Center at 11 today (Myrtle/35th) to head across town to today’s rally in support of the nuns’ organization – explained here.
SOUTHWEST FAMILY FEST AND CAR SHOW: At and around Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle), music, food, kids’ activities, and a car show, 11 am-5 pm.
WEST SEATTLE ULTIMATE FAMILY FRISBEE: Today and every Sunday (watch their FB page in case of changes), 11 am at Fairmount Playfield, Fauntleroy and Brandon.
IS YOUR DOG A FUTURE COVER DOG? West Seattle-founded CityDog Magazine is back at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) today for its annual photo shoot to track down a future “cover dog,” noon-3 pm. $10 fee supports the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic.
FIRST MATINEE FOR ‘ANYTHING GOES’: The Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) version of the Cole Porter classic is in its second weekend, and today’s the first Sunday matinee – 3 pm, West Seattle High School Theater.
LIVE MUSIC: On the schedule today – Faerabella at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 3-5 pm … The Limit Club and On The Make at Skylark Café and Club, 3 pm …
Two quick previews for Sunday – both special events at local grocery stores – from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
BICYCLE DONATIONS: Have a bicycle and/or bicycle parts you don’t need? PCC Natural Markets-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) is collecting them on Sunday, 10 am-3 pm, for people in Togo. More info here.
CITYDOG MAGAZINE COVER-DOG SEARCH: West Seattle-founded CityDog Magazine is once again looking for a cover dog via a series of photo shoots around Seattle, and Sunday is the annual visit to West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), noon-3 pm. $10 fee goes to the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic.
As of right now – about 8 pm – there’s still some room in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard (4410 California SW) for tonight’s upcoming free West Seattle Outdoor Movies show, “Iron Man” – that’s Hotwire’s Lora with preshow announcements. Local band Wrecking Yard is in the middle of its pre-show set:
Concessions and raffle tickets are on sale to raise $ for charity – cool pile of raffle items (including a couple we gathered as one of tonight’s spotlight sponsors – all donated by local merchants – candy from Atomic Boys, which also donated the bag that holds it along with classic comic books; plus a $20 certificate for Full Tilt Ice Cream and a certificate to get out on the lanes at West Seattle Bowl; and a $20 certificate from Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) in a handy reusable shopping bag. Even more raffle items from other spotlight sponsors, including a Sonicare toothbrush from dentist Dr. Wolff, Hotwire’s courtyard neighbor. Movie’s at dusk, so get down here if you’re not here already.
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
Like so many benefit 5K’s, today’s Breathe Deep Seattle walk/run in Lincoln Park was both a big-group celebration, and an intensely personal event. Breathe Deep benefits the lung-cancer-fighting LUNGevity Foundation, and the tributes to lung-cancer patients past and present were everywhere, like the one D.J. Vallaca wrote before the start:
… and the one worn in support of Ray Flores, whose Team Flores had dozens of members:
Extra inspiration came from survivor Eva Borsi, speaking before the race:
More scenes from today’s Breathe Deep Seattle 5K – including the top finishers, one of whom was half the other one’s age! – ahead:
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