West Seattle, Washington
13 Tuesday
The aerial imagery is from Arbor Heights Elementary, just before school got out for the weekend. Staff and students assembled on the playground in the shape of a heart, as a sign of support for the survivors in Parkland, Florida. The image was made with a drone piloted by a parent volunteer.
ADDED SATURDAY: Here’s the official photo:
There was a (Komodo) dragon in the kitchen with South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Pastry and Baking Arts students and faculty today!
That’s Chef Instructor Christopher Harris with the finishing touches on what’s actually a cake “for a very lucky four-year-old’s birthday party this weekend,” as SSC’s communications director Ty Swenson explains.
The real-life Komodo dragons are native to Indonesia and grow to about eight feet long.
P.S. The program does do work like this by commission – “generally ¼ to ½ what a retail cake artist would charge,” per SSC.
(Photo by Gary Jones)
Seen in Elliott Bay this afternoon: Above and below, USCGC Polar Star, the heavy icebreaker just back from a three-month-plus mission to Antarctica, as previewed here last night.
(Photo by Don Brubeck)
And below, Zhen Hua 33 has finished delivering the drydock Evolution to Vigor on Harbor Island – its appearance without cargo startled at least a few people into thinking it was a sinking ship:
No photo, but someone texted about a passing submarine today, too.
(WSB photos)
When we reported last November on the first-anniversary party at Ounces, North Delridge’s taproom and beer garden (3809 Delridge Way SW), we showed you the newly unveiled rendering of what has since taken shape in the outdoor space that was formerly under a tent. Now, it’s almost finished! We stopped by for a followup.
Above are Ounces co-proprietor Laurel Trujillo and the architect of their project, North Delridge-based Parie Hines of LD Arch Design (WSB sponsor). We talked with them at Ounces on Thursday afternoon. They say this will be mostly complete within the next two weeks or so.
Laurel assembled the tabletops; an Ounces bartender did the welding; and the contractor is Avid Builders, making it an all-West Seattle project.
(If you’re a fan of the old “spool” tables, don’t worry, a few of them are outside the structure on the north side.) The finishing touches will enable the space to be enclosed when need be – including garage doors on the way for both the north and south sides, and permanent material on the roof (which currently has a temporary covering):
Laurel says that after she shared her vision for the replacement of their former tent, “Parie nailed it” in one take. It includes some inspiration from Hines’s design for the West Seattle Nursery expansion. Laurel says you can watch for news of a grand opening when it’s all done in four to six weeks. But the timing will be a bit of a balancing act because she’s expecting something else in about six weeks – her first child – she and husband Andrew Trujillo are about to become parents as well as co-proprietors and spouses.
P.S. If you haven’t been to Ounces lately, or even if you have, you can get a peek at the project tomorrow when they host a St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt – starting at 1:30 pm.
FRIDAY: Just heard from Southwest Pool – it was originally expected to reopen tomorrow after almost three weeks of maintenance, but they won’t be ready to go because it’s not heating up fast enough for the water to be warm enough for Saturday swimming. They’re hoping to be able to reopen on Sunday, instead. (We’ll check in again tomorrow.)
2:26 PM SUNDAY: As noted in comments, we’ve verified that the pool did reopen today. (Here’s its schedule.)
In case you haven’t already seen this in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar for tomorrow – it just might be Saturday’s most unusual event:
West Seattleite and local TV host Brian Callanan will be hosting an event, “Understanding Audiobooks,” at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center on Saturday, March 17, at 10:30 am. Brian has been a narrator for Audible for the past three years, and he’s holding the discussion session to talk about his work and how audiobooks are produced. Award-winning author Wendy Terrien (for whom Brian has produced three audiobooks) will join him for the event. Come by for a fun discussion, some coffee, and a free book or two for the lucky readers/listeners who show up!
From Alex:
We did our usual jaunt to Starbucks on California & Fauntleroy this morning. 7:40 ish, parked in the parking lot as usual – side lot – closer to Subway. Full daylight. not there 15 min. Smash & grab in that pretty public lot, in a spot very close to the street (California). Took my daughter’s stuff – a bag not on the seat, in the wheel well. An older iPad – but the bag itself was special. We just got it on ‘girls’ day’ at the Museum of Flight – a WWII P52 warhawk bag – the girl loves WWII planes. It was a really sad morning – a sad morning for West Seattle. I don’t think I would be this much taken aback if this had happened overnight on the street :(
We’re checking for the police report #, so you can refer to it in case you happen to spot Alex’s daughter’s bag tossed aside somewhere.
(Our favorite bird! Steller’s Jay, photographed by Mark Ahlness)
Here are highlights for your mid-March Friday, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FRIDAY AFTERNOON AT THE MOVIES: “Lust for Life” from 1956 is the movie this afternoon, 1 pm, at the Senior Center of West Seattle. (4217 SW Oregon)
DAVE HOLO TRIO: Music at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), 5-8 pm, New Orleans jazz with a view! (1936 Harbor SW)
ORCHESTRA CONCERT: Tonight you can enjoy the West Seattle Community Orchestras‘ Wind Symphony and Percussion Ensemble in concert, 7 pm at Chief Sealth International High School Auditorium. From the former’s rehearsal, conducted by Anton Coleman:
(Thanks to WSCO for that video from a rehearsal for tonight’s concert!) Admission free; donations accepted. (2600 SW Thistle)
STEVE ITTERLY: Singer-songwriter performs at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
GET QUIET: 7-8 pm at Our Lady of Guadalupe, all welcome for quiet “prayer, meditation, adoration.” (35th SW/SW Myrtle)
WATCH THE SUNSET: 7:16 pm tonight, the first Friday of Daylight Saving Time, per the WSB West Seattle Weather page. Robert Spears shared this from last night’s sunset:
Also tonight:
AFTER-HOURS STOMP: 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall, Arthur Migliazza and Carole J. Bufford perform “a knockout musical road trip.” Ticket info is in our calendar listing. (7904 35th SW)
PREVIEW THE WEEKEND while seeing what else is up today/tonight, via our complete calendar!
(WSB photo, Thursday morning)
For reasons from development to storm damage and beyond, trees are taken down in West Seattle (and elsewhere) often. But removals seldom generate the notice and concern that has resulted from one tree being taken down in North Delridge on Thursday – a big cherry tree in the front yard of a small house on the east side of Delridge Way SW by Dakota. After receiving questions about it, we stopped to take the photo above while passing through the area as a tree service worked on the removal yesterday morning. This photo from Google Street View shows what the tree looked like while fully leafed out:
Last night we did research to see if the property had a development proposal or recent sale. No on both counts. And we happened onto a social-media discussion with numerous laments about the loss of the tree. We have since reached the house’s owner via e-mail, and here’s the reply we received this mornig from Jodi Opitz:
I knew I would hear about this and almost posted a sign for the public. It was a heartbreaking decision to fell the tree; I’ve avoided this for a few years. The tree had definitely run its life-course and was becoming dangerous from internal rot and fungus running the entire trunk.
I’ve had more than one arborist look at the tree in order to make an educated decision on this, I’ve owned the house since 1993 and have always loved the tree even with its considerable damage over the years to all my plumbing and concrete due to its root system.
So did many who passed by. If you were among them, now you know.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:45 AM: Thanks for the tips. Emergency responders are being sent to a crash on the bridge. SDOT describes it as “blocking the left eastbound and left westbound lane at SW Avalon Way.” The most-recent caller tells us it’s by the pedestrian overpass.
6:57 AM: Another tipster says this has pushed out the jersey barriers, which would add time to the crash-clearing work.
(SDOT image of bridge crash scene, via Twitter)
7:14 AM: Still blocking, per SDOT. So avoid the Fauntleroy bridge entrance, as that’s the section affected.
7:37 AM: Metro just sent a late alert that the 7:20 am Route 57 didn’t run.
8:03 AM: Two more problems – police are headed to a crash at 11th SW and SW Elmgrove, no injuries reported. And there’s a medical callout to 42nd and Admiral – a vehicle/pedestrian collision is reported.
8:09 AM: The pedestrian’s injuries are not major and won’t require SFD medic-unit transport, per scanner.
8:19 AM: Per Bill‘s tweet from the scene, the Admiral/42nd incident is at the southeast corner.
8:24 AM: And in case you were wondering, still no “all clear” from the bridge crash scene.
8:43 AM: After two hours, SDOT says, the bridge crash scene IS now clear.
(January 2018, Polar Star in Antarctica, photographed by Chief Petty Officer Nick Ameen)
The Seattle-homeported U.S. Coast Guard heavy icebreaker Polar Star is one of a kind, and it’s coming home tomorrow after more than three months at sea. You’ll see it off north West Seattle before its scheduled arrival on the downtown waterfront at 4 pm. It’s been off supporting Operation Deep Freeze in Antarctica, which the announcement describes as “the U.S. military operation to resupply the U.S. Antarctic Program.” It had a tough time, with flooding and engine-failure problems during the mission, which involved “cutting a resupply channel through 15 miles of Antarctic ice in the Ross Sea and escorting supply vessels to the continent.” It’s 399 feet long and 41 years old, and, the Coast Guard says, “expected to reach the end of its extended service life by 2023.” The Coast Guard recently announced it’s issuing a request for proposals to build new icebreakers.
In a few weeks, the West Seattle High School baseball team plays at Safeco Field – a tradition linked to fundraising via selling tickets every year to a particular Mariners home game, below cost. Parent Steve Joseph wants you to know they have tickets left for this year’s game, 7:10 pm Tuesday, July 31st, with the M’s playing the Houston Astros. Tickets are $40 for the 100 level, $20 for the 300 level. You can contact Steve if you’re interested in buying tickets – stevejoseph82 (at) gmail (dot) com.
P.S. The team’s game at The Safe this year is at 12:30 pm April 7th. Admission free!
P.P.S. The baseball team also has a spaghetti dinner/silent auction fundraiser 5-9 pm March 24th at West Side Presbyterian (3601 California SW) – tickets $10 at the door, kids under 3 free.
You have until 7 pm to go wander the halls at Gatewood Elementary and admire art created by its students.
Parent volunteers pitched in to help set up the display. And if you admire any of it enough to think you might want to take it home – it’ll be auctioned off at tomorrow night’s fundraising auction! These next works, by the way, are garden art by kindergarteners who studied bugs all year and drew pictures of bugs which were then copper-embossed and set into a cedar frame.
And as mentioned in our West Seattle Thursday preview today, the Yummy Box food truck is on hand during tonight’s Art Walk too.
Gatewood is at 4320 SW Myrtle.
(One sheet with all 5 “early themes” depicted as possible routes – see each individually in the story below)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The people who are on the front lines of filtering your feedback on West Seattle light rail got their first look last night at five possible variations of the route/stations – not a “final five” by any means, but what had emerged, Sound Transit staffers explained, as “major themes” in the feedback review so far.
This happened at the second meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Group appointed to help determine a “preferred alignment” for the West Seattle and Ballard extensions of ST light rail
As the meeting began, 19 of the 29 advisory-group members were present, including, from West Seattle, community reps Deb Barker (who is on the board of the WS Transportation Coalition and president of the Morgan Community Association) and Brian King (who is with WS Bike Connections), as well as Hamilton Gardiner of the WS Chamber of Commerce, Greg Nickels (“former mayor and longtime transit advocate” is his self-intro), and Walter Reese from Nucor Steel.
Their seating in the Sound Transit board room at Union Station downtown was changed, notably, for this meeting – instead of sitting up in the board’s”U” as facilitator Diane Adams called it, the group members were placed around square tables in the center of the room. “This meeting is going to be much more interactive,” she explained. That was a foreshadowing of the review of the “early themes” for the line.
First:
1:11 PM: Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes so far today:
CONFIRMED GUNFIRE: A texter asked this morning about an incident very early this morning on Avalon in which they heard what sounded like shots and then saw police show up and put out markers. According to the SPD Twitter log, gunfire was confirmed at 35th/Avalon, no one hurt. We’re working to get any further details.
PROWLER ON VIDEO: From Matthew:
We caught this prowler on video trying to find a way into our garage yesterday. As you can see he tries the window and then goes around to the door but it was locked. Luckily my wife came home right about then and that’s why he slinks out of there like the rat he is. We called it into police but people should be on the look out for this guy. Wearing what looks like a yellow vest and Seahawks ski cap. We live on Erskine and 45th Ave SW near the Alaska junction.
P.S. Questions/concerns to bring to local police? The next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting is coming up next Tuesday – 7 pm March 20th at the precinct (2300 SW Webster).
(ADDED) REPEAT CAR PROWL: Also received this afternoon, from Dan: “Last night for the second time in the past 3 weeks. our car was prowled at 42nd and Thistle. Car parked in the driveway and was broken into; they took misc items.”
(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
11:02 AM: “I could do that all day!” So exclaimed Mayor Jenny Durkan after spending a few minutes reading to Delridge preschoolers this past hour.
The mayor reads the pirate story. (Where are the @SeafairPirates when you need them?) pic.twitter.com/IBED8JomO7
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) March 15, 2018
The book: “Pirates Don’t Change Diapers.” The occasion: She visited the preschool at the Immigrant and Refugee Family Center as a backdrop for announcing the ongoing growth of the levy-funded Seattle Preschool Program, which she subsequently did at a portable podium set up elsewhere in the building.
And now the announcement. pic.twitter.com/HjpscaRLnN
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) March 15, 2018
She noted that the program is now four years old. In fact, its original announcement also happened in West Seattle, with then-Mayor Ed Murray and then-Councilmember Tim Burgess talking to reporters and community members in May 2014 at the amphitheater behind Neighborhood House High Point. The four-year levy passed later that year, and is up for renewal this fall. We asked the mayor about that; she said the details are still under development. Meantime, from the media materials distributed at this morning’s event, here’s the list of sites joining those already participating in the city program:
(Delridge Community Center had a different preschool program, not part of the SPP, until early this year, when it was abruptly closed for low enrollment.) We’ll be adding more info about all this later, including video of the mayor’s entire announcement – meantime, she invited interested families to check out the program’s enrollment website at seattle.gov/applyspp.
12:58 PM: Here’s the official city announcement; added above this paragraph, our full video of today’s announcement, also including the city’s Director of Education and Early Learning, Dwane Chappelle. Regarding applications, note that the city is welcoming applications from families of all 4-year-olds regardless of income level, as well as 3-year-olds whose families’ income qualifies.
(Serene morning view from The Arroyos, photographed by Anjanette Nelson-Wally)
Happy Thursday! Lots going on …
MAYOR IN WEST SEATTLE: For the third time in three weeks, Mayor Jenny Durkan is making an official visit to West Seattle. At 10 am today, she’s announcing an update to the city-funded preschool program at a facility in the 6500 block of Delridge. So if you notice media vehicles, that’s what’s going on.
A CAPPELLA CONCERT: The group Under Construction from Harvard University will perform a free concert in the chapel at The Mount at 1 pm today and everyone is welcome. (4831 35th SW)
GATEWOOD ELEMENTARY ART WALK, WITH FOOD TRUCK! You’re invited! 5-7 pm, come to Gatewood Elementary and admire the displays of student art for free – and if you want to have dinner, bring some money for the Yummy Box food truck that’ll be on site! (4320 SW Myrtle)
RESOURCE FAIR AT DENNY: 5:30-7:30 pm, starting with a light dinner, and including activities for kids, Denny International Middle School families are invited to come find out about “housing resources, health information, tutoring information, college scholarships, and much more!” (2601 SW Kenyon)
WEST SEATTLE TIMEBANK: Potluck dinner and informative guests – that’s what you’ll find at this gathering, 6:30-8 pm at the Senior Center/Sisson Building. (4217 SW Oregon)
SUMMER FEST COMMUNITY CONVERSATION: 6:30-8 pm, drop by Great American Diner and Bar in The Junction for a conversation with the West Seattle Junction Association about WS Summer Fest. Ideas? Concerns? Questions? All welcome. (4752 California SW)
SUB POP AT ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Tonight’s 7 pm ACC meeting at Alki UCC will include reps from Sub Pop Records talking, and answering questions, about the August 11th megaparty. (We covered Tuesday’s Admiral Neighborhood Association briefing here.) All welcome. (6115 SW Hinds)
AT THE SKYLARK: 8 pm, Speak Easy, Thom Joseph, Glass Souls perform. $8 cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
SEE WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON … by browsing our full calendar here.
Just in case you notice this over the next two weeks and wonder – we’re sharing the official announcement:
Starting on Monday, March 19, King County’s Spirit of Kingston will provide passenger-only ferry service between Bremerton and Seattle while Kitsap Transit’s Rich Passage 1 is in dry dock for repair work. RP1 is expected to return to service on Monday, April 2.
Under an agreement finalized on Monday, the Spirit will substitute for RP1 during the two-week period and return on April 2 to its current role as a backup vessel in King County’s fleet. Should King County have an emergent need for its backup vessel during the two-week period, the Spirit will revert to King County for its Water Taxi service.
While the Spirit has capacity for 149 passengers, Kitsap Transit plans to board 118 passengers, the same capacity as the RP1, to minimize any potential for schedule delays or impact to beaches in Rich Passage. Kitsap Transit’s Marine Services Ambassadors will continue to process fast-ferry passengers in Bremerton and Seattle. Kitsap Transit will have a representative on the Spirit of Kingston during the two-week period to hear from passengers and relay any concerns.
Kitsap Transit does not anticipate any material changes to its fast-ferry schedule. Fast-ferry customers
should continue to contact Kitsap Transit’s Customer Service Office with any questions.During the two weeks the RP1 is at Foss Shipyard in Seattle, all four of the RP1’s engines will be replaced or rebuilt, and the hull will be painted. The repair work is anticipated to cost about $590,000.
While we’re talking Water Taxi, we should also remind you that the seven-days-a-week spring/summer schedule is now two weeks away.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:01 AM: Good morning. No incidents or traffic alerts in West Seattle or on the outbound routes so far.
7:21 AM: At 7:19 we got the Metro alert that the 7:19 Route 56 wouldn’t run today.
7:40 AM: And at 7:38 we got the alert that the 7:32 Route 56 didn’t run.
7:56 AM: Thanks for the tips. Crash in the outside eastbound lane of the West Seattle Bridge. SDOT just tweeted an alert too.
8:36 AM: Bridge crash cleared.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The Fauntleroy Community Association‘s always-popular annual membership meeting – known as the Food Fest – is days away. And that was one of several major discussion items at last night’s FCA board meeting – as well as an unexpected announcement.
FAUNTLEROY FOOD FEST: The annual FCA membership meeting is set for 6 pm Tuesday, March 20th, at The Hall at Fauntleroy. So far, eight confirmed food vendors and a multitude of community groups. The bites are free but the big point of this gathering is for Fauntleroy residents, businesses, etc., to renew their annual memberships, and to vote for officers. FCA will also be collecting non-perishable food donations, so bring something for the White Center Food Bank (which serves West Seattle from SW Myrtle southward). The Seattle Police Mobile Precinct is scheduled to be there too for visitors to tour. And Gary Dawson, Fauntleroy’s longtime liaison with Washington State Ferries, says Jon Vezina from WSF will be the first WSF rep at the Food Fest in years. Stop by, ask questions about the forthcoming dock replacement, or anything else. They’re also considering having a HALA upzoning info table too.
JOSLIN BUILDING UPDATE: FCA continues to closely monitor the potential redevelopment of the 9250 45th SW site in the Endolyne business district (first reported here last October).
(WSB photos)
Congratulations to longtime WSB sponsor West Seattle Thriftway for achieving a milestone – 30 years in business! In our photo above are owner/co-founder Paul Kapioski (right) and assistant manager Brian Bixenman. When we stopped by the store for photos today – the first day of a two-week celebration – the first gift was given away! The independently owned store is randomly giving away free groceries 30 times, to 30 customers, in 14 days, during its #wst30for30 celebration. As explained by marketing manager Michele Grasso:
From March 14th through March 27th the store plans to randomly select a checkstand number twice a day, and 4 times on March 18th – its actual anniversary date. If you are in a transaction in the checkstand chosen, whether it be $5 or $500, the store will pick up your tab. We appreciate our community and customers so much and know we wouldn’t be here without them. Since only 2004, we’ve donated over $772K to local area schools and non-profits. In honor of our 30th anniversary we wanted a fun way to celebrate and give back directly to our customers at the same time!
While we were there – customer Mina became the first free-groceries winner:
Who’s next? Maybe you! West Seattle Thriftway is on the southeast corner of California SW and Fauntleroy Way SW in Morgan Junction.
On the same day City Councilmembers were scheduled to have their first official discussion about the newest move toward a “head tax” (backstory here), more than 300 businesses around the city – including 50+ from West Seattle (our count of the names we recognized) – have signed a letter expressing concern. Here’s the letter and those who signed it (note that while it is dated March 9th, to our knowledge it is just being circulated today, March 14th):
The letter is similar to one circulated to West Seattle Chamber of Commerce members yesterday, in the name of the city’s Small Business Advisory Council, with an invitation for signatures. The new proposal is from a task force co-chaired by West Seattle’s City Councilmember Lisa Herbold and WS-residing at-large Councilmember Lorena González. It is not yet in the form of proposed legislation – that is expected later in the year. We weren’t able to monitor today’s council committee discussion but hope to link it here when the archived video appears on the Seattle Channel website.
FIRST REPORT, 4:18 PM: After-school activities like athletics were in shelter-in-place mode for a while at the Chief Sealth International High School/Denny International Middle School campus but it’s just ended. Police were searching in that area of Westwood, they tell us, because of a secondhand report that someone might have been seen in the area with a gun. Nobody found, and again, the shelter-in-place is over.
UPDATE, 7:35 PM: We’ve just received from Denny principal Jeff Clark the letter that he and Sealth principal Aida Fraser-Hammer sent to families about the incident:
At approximately 3:30 pm today, two hours after Denny scholars had been released and one hour after Chief Sealth scholars had been released, we had a report of someone driving erratically on 27 Ave SW. School staff went up the hill to assess the situation. As a part of this disturbance, a car had hit a parked car. The police quickly arrived. As the police investigated, a report was made that someone had possibly seen a gun. As a safety precaution, the schools went into a shelter-in-place, securing the exterior doors and bringing in scholars who were still in the area. The shelter-in-place was lifted after the police had searched the neighborhood and deemed that the situation was now safe. Please let us know if you have any questions.
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