West Seattle, Washington
14 Sunday
Half a dozen highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar for the rest of today/tonight:
‘FILL THE BOOT’: The annual Muscular Dystrophy Association donation drive with Seattle firefighters includes one West Seattle site, until 7 pm and again 9 am-7 pm daily through Friday:
(WSB photo)
Firefighter Patrick Dunn from Station 37 was in the Junction when we stopped by this morning. (California/Alaska)
DELRIDGE FARMSTAND: The Delridge Grocery Co-op‘s weekly farmstand continues, 3-7 pm in the lot at the Shell station south of Delridge Library. (5441 Delridge Way SW)
SOUTH DELRIDGE COMMUNITY GROUP: 7 pm at 2 Fingers Social. Agenda includes a discussion with the 9201 Delridge storage project’s architect. (9211 Delridge Way SW)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm in the conference room just inside the entrance to the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. Agenda info is in our calendar listing. (9131 California SW)
OUNCES TRIVIA: Free trivia at 7 pm, with prizes, at Ounces. (3809 Delridge Way SW)
‘GEEKS WHO DRINK’ TRIVIA: 8 pm at Whisky West (WSB sponsor). Details here. (6451 California SW)
WHAT ELSE? Our complete calendar is here; if you have something to add, please e-mail us the info, the earlier the better, westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Seven years before getting its own plaza, the Alki Statue of Liberty became a gathering point for the community on 9/11. Ten years after the attacks, an anniversary gathering filled the plaza. Other anniversaries are quiet, like today, the 17th:
We stopped by a little while ago and found that lone bouquet at the base of the statue’s pedestal.
A free weekly writing workshop for kids starts tomorrow at the library in Admiral and the leader tells us there’s still room:
Sign up now for the free semester-long writing workshop for kids, “Write YOUR Story“! Starts Wednesday, September 12th.
Free writing and book-making workshop for kids ages 8-12, Wednesdays, 4:30 to 5:30 pm, from 9/12/18 to 12/19/18. SPOTS AVAILABLE! Now enrolling, space limited. Price: $0. Classes to be held in meeting room of the West Seattle (Admiral) Public Library located at 2306 42nd Ave SW. Please note that this event is not sponsored by The Seattle Public Library.
Write YOUR Story workshops: check out our site!
Taught by writer-designer Julia Douthwaite Viglione, emeritus professor of French literature, Univ. of Notre Dame, with the help of West Seattle writer Ann Perrin.
In this workshop, participants creatively explore and expand their sense of self by thinking and writing about their life – past, present, and future. Students will receive individual attention and gradually realize how easy good writing can be when approached cooperatively.
Fall 2018 theme: perseverance. Books we will read: 1) Rascal and Gert Bogaerts, “Socrates” (1992); 2) Patricia Polacco, “Thank You, Mr. Falker” (1998). 3) Christine Ross, “The Whirlys and the West Wind” (1993).
To enroll, or to get more information, call 574-400-9362 or email juliawsea@gmail.com.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:06 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported so far in/from West Seattle.
STADIUM ZONE: Mariners host the Padres at 7:10 pm.
99 CLOSURE NEXT WEEKEND: As announced last week, southbound Highway 99 is scheduled to close between the Battery St. Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge from late Friday night until early Monday.
(September 2016 WSB photo)
For the next four days, you’ll see firefighters in The Junction … on a special call: Collecting donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. California/Alaska is one of five spots around the city where the annual Fill the Boot drive will be happening 9 am-7 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (September 11th-14th). More info is on SFD’s Fireline website; if you choose to donate, here’s what your dollars will help do.
(WSB photo, 2013)
Almost 10 years after a fire shut down the Alki Homestead, its food future has been announced. Not fried chicken. Just out of the WSB inbox:
Mike Easton and his wife Victoria are expanding their Italian reach to West Seattle. The couple has taken over the old Alki Homestead and is turning it into an Italian dinner destination near the shores of Elliott Bay.
Il Nido, which means “the nest” in Italian, will join the Easton flock, complementing the brisk lunch service at Pioneer Square’s Il Corvo (“the crow”) with a more substantial sit-down, family-friendly dinner experience in a historic log cabin that has been feeding the West Seattle neighborhood for generations. “It’s going to be sort of our permanent, home-base restaurant,” says Easton. “The nest just seemed to make perfect sense.”
The iconic Alki Homestead was initially built as a residence in 1903. It transitioned into a family restaurant in the 1950s and earned landmark status in 1995. In (January 2009), a fire shut down the old structure, which remained untouched until 2015 when it was purchased by Dennis Schilling, who began the long restoration process.
“We really want to try to bridge the gap between the 100-year-old feel with a little bit of the 21st century,” says Easton. That includes beautiful live edge, chunky full slab tables supplemented by more modern chairs and fixtures throughout the 3,000 square-foot space.
The signature river rock fireplace in the main dining room is getting rebuilt to its original standards. And an intimate bar with half a dozen seats will be added to the front lounge area. At Il Corvo, we tried to create a space that wasn’t stuck in any time period,” says Easton. “Il Nido should also have that timeless feel.”
In addition, the original neon art-deco Alki Homestead sign will be reinstated atop the restaurant after a successful refurb by Western Neon (this Thursday).
The menu at Il Nido will be absolutely Italian, driven by market produce. “I really like to create a menu that makes vegetables truly shine,” says Easton. It’ll also be a place that will allow Easton and his crew the opportunity to create a bit more of the delicate, intensive handmade pastas that they just haven’t had time to make. “You don’t see tortelli or ravioli on the menu at Il Corvo very often because it would take an army of people to make enough to put it on as a lunch special. Thankfully, we’re so busy, we don’t have the time to do that.”
As for when Il Nido will be open for business, Easton says it all depends on the restoration process. “I’d love to see it open in time for spring, but that’s a pretty ambitious goal.”
Il Nido will be open for dinner five nights a week, along with weekend brunch.
Our archive of Alki Homestead coverage is here. That includes coverage of the 2009 fire, the subsequent changing of ownership, celebration of the building’s history including the 2015 “group hug” photo, and the removal of the aforementioned sign for restoration two years ago.
4:34 PM: SPD has just warned that 2nd/Spokane and roads “in the area” will be closed for hours – a pedestrian died after being hit by a train, and detectives are investigating.
5:42 PM: Still closed – the image above was taken a few minutes ago from the nearest SDOT camera, showing where Spokane is taped off at 2nd.
6:54 PM: The road has now reopened.
If you saw police under the West Seattle Bridge around 4 pm Thursday afternoon – they were involved in a rescue just detailed on SPD Blotter, with the body-cam video you can watch above. Here’s how Det. Patrick Michaud tells the story:
Some jobs call for a ladder, others call for 13 tons of steel, 127 horsepower (net, of course) and a quiet, but powerful hydraulic system.
Witnesses called 911 Thursday afternoon to report a man on a ledge in the 2600 block of SW Spokane Street.
Officers found the man standing on a ledge that they estimated to be six inches wide, occasionally slipping. Fearing for the man’s safety, Officer Morgan Irwin, whom you may remember from the time he commandeered a jetski, spotted a nearby backhoe driving down the road. Officer Irwin ran over to the driver and asked him for help.
The driver was able to position the machinery below the 48-year-old man, allowing him to safely jump inside it.
Once he was on the ground, medics took the man to the hospital for a medical evaluation.
Officer Irwin could not be reached for comment about what he planned to commandeer next.
Two West Seattle Food Bank updates:
‘A GRAND AFFAIR’: Just four days to go until the WSFB’s fall fundraiser cocktail party at The Sanctuary at Admiral. We just checked with the Food Bank and yes, tickets remain for the Roaring ’20s-themed (costumes encouraged but not required) Friday night party. You can get yours online through Thursday or at the door Friday, starting at 6:30 pm. $85 gets you a night of casino-style gaming (“$10,000” in chips, with a chance to win prizes!), hosted beer, wine, and “heavy appetizers,” and more. (Themed cocktails, too. And did we mention Husky Deli ice cream? Jack Miller will be there with Praline Swirl?) The Sanctuary is in a city-landmark former church a 42nd SW/SW Lander in The Admiral District. P.S. Co-sponsors of Friday night’s party include WSB.
VERITY’S DONATION DRIVE: Last Thursday, we mentioned the Verity Credit Union (WSB sponsor) roadside collection in The Junction for the WS Food Bank.
How generous were passersby? Very! Verity’s Pete Spalding sends the photo of West Seattle branch manager Jaime Gonzalez and this update: “We were able to raise $1,565.70 during the two commute drive times that our employees were out in West Seattle last Thursday.”
Today we welcome Moving Minds Dance as a new WSB sponsor! As with all new local sponsors, they get the opportunity to tell you about who they are and what they offer to the community:
Moving Minds Dance is a recreational dance program shaped by the teaching philosophy “we can learn all things through dance” and a mission to create a world that encourages creative thought and joyful curiosity. The company, directed by Ciara McCormack Greenwalt, began offering classes in Queen Anne in 2014 and made its way to West Seattle and Youngstown Cultural Arts Center just a year and a half ago. Ciara first came to Youngstown as an instructor for Flourish Dance Project, and she fell in love with its vibrant and welcoming community. When Flourish ended in March 2017, she knew she had to step in and continue its legacy nurturing joy, artistry and community through dance.
This year, Moving Minds is excited to be presenting new curriculum-integrated dance classes. Just like at other dance studios and after-school programs, young dancers will learn different dance techniques and prepare combinations for performances. But these classes stand apart by applying real-world topics to technical training, encouraging students to become more curious and truly think creatively about their world. Each season, all classes will focus on one guiding theme to discover through dance. This year’s themes will include social-emotional skills and inclusive communities in the fall, physics and anatomy in the winter, and storytelling and literacy in the spring. With classes offered for students as young as 18 months (Dance Together) up to 9 years (Formative Level), families can be assured that each topic will be presented at a developmentally appropriate level for each child.
One overarching goal at Moving Minds Dance is to develop dancers who are humans first, with a deep capacity for joy, wonder, strength, intelligence, poise, and kindness. This goal is achieved through the program’s unique classes, where every moment is an opportunity to learn both about dance and being human, and through a friendly network of students, parents, and teachers. Families frequently remark on how much their kids enjoy Moving Minds Dance classes, the positive rapport the teachers have with students, and the significance of a warm, personal approach to doing business. The mark of success for Moving Minds is simply seeing students light up – eyes bright, minds open, and bodies moving expressively. 
Students’ growth into confident, helpful, passionate humans is the heart of this program.
Ciara McCormack Greenwalt, director of Moving Minds Dance, has been training in multiple styles of dance for over 23 years and holds a BFA in dance from Stephens College. She began teaching in 2008, moved to Seattle in 2013, and has since taught all over the metro area, including spending two years as a teacher and administrator at Sweet Pea Cottage Preschool of the Arts. In addition to running Moving Minds Dance, Ciara teaches for the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Community Education Department, Spectrum Dance Theater, and Evergreen City Ballet. She also performs with Intrepidus Dance and serves as Vice President for the Dance Educators Association of Washington.
For more information about class offerings and schedule, visit movingmindsdance.org or contact Ciara directly for more information by emailing movingmindsdance@gmail.com or calling 206-504-1138.
We thank Moving Minds Dance 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.
Saturday night, we received a few messages about a police search, guns drawn, near California/Alaska in The Junction, including the photo above. We weren’t able to find out at the time what the search was about, but we found an incident number and requested followup information today. SPD tells WSB that a man with a gun was reported to have threatened a group of people. No shots fired, no one hurt, but officers found and arrested a suspect. The 40-year-old man remains in jail, under investigation for potential charges including unlawful use of a weapon for intimidation.
(Sanderlings, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Welcome to Monday. We begin with a holiday:
ROSH HASHANAH: Jewish New Year celebrations are under way and we have two listings of events in West Seattle:
–Kol HaNeshamah (WSB sponsor), here
–Torah Learning Center of West Seattle, here
Also on our calendar for today/tonight:
WEST SEATTLE YMCA REOPENS: The facilities-improvement week is over and it’s back to regular schedule for the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor)’s main branch in The Triangle. (3622 SW Snoqualmie)
GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE: If you can donate blood, consider visiting today’s mobile blood drive at Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s Walmesley Center, 1 pm-7 pm (closed for a break 3-4 pm). More info here. (35th SW/SW Myrtle)
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE CAMPUS TOUR: Thinking about studying at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), where the next quarter starts in just two weeks? Take this afternoon’s tour! 1:30 pm – details here. (6000 16th SW)
ATTENTION, WOULD-BE ENTREPRENEURS: If you’re considering starting your own business, there’s a lot you need to know. (Trust us.) Experts and mentors will be at Delridge Library 6-8 tonight to tell you all about it. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
EVENING BOOK GROUPS: Tonight at 6:45 pm, the groups at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW) and at West Seattle Library (2306 42nd SW) meet. SW is reading “The Sisters” by Mary Lovell; WS is reading “Tender at the Bone” by Ruth Reichl. All welcome.
Something to add to West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Chief Sealth International High School hopes someone has room and time to host a visiting teacher. Principal Aida Fraser-Hammer explains how it would work:
As in years past, Chief Sealth International High School is looking for a host family for the guest teacher from China for all or a portion of the 2018-2019 academic year. His name is Wenyi Tang and he has already begun working directly with students in the Chinese classes – from 1st year to the highest level of IB Chinese 6th year. He will introduce these students to traditional, contemporary, and innovative instructional strategies practiced in Chinese classrooms while he learns about our methods, culture, and ideas. He will also participate in cultural, educational, and social interactions within the school and community. Wenyi will help the CSIHS community to become more familiar with the Chinese culture and vice versa, and we are excited to welcome him to our school.
Should you choose to host Wenyi in your home, your family will enjoy a unique cultural experience – fun and exciting for both kids and adults! If you cannot host for the entire year, it is possible to co-host with other families. Possible share times are September- December, January-March or April-June. Host families are only asked to provide a bedroom for Wenyi as well as breakfast and dinner. Transportation costs, insurance, and general expenses are paid for by SPS or the sister school in China.
Thanks for considering this opportunity to host a guest teacher by offering Wenyi a place in your home; this can be a great experience for practicing Chinese and learning about the culture. The Chinese Guest Teacher Exchange Program is an excellent experience for the guest teacher, the school and the families that host.
Please contact us at 206-252-8550 or aifraserhamm@seattleschools.org, with any questions about the program or about being a host family.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:06 AM: First full week of school, last full week of summer … no incidents reported so far in/from West Seattle.
SMALLER BOAT ON WEST SEATTLE WATER TAXI RUN: As announced last week, the Spirit of Kingston is filling in today for Doc Maynard.
99 CLOSURE NEXT WEEKEND: As announced last week, SB Highway 99 is set to close between the Battery St. Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge from late Friday night until early Monday.
7:45 AM: If you are near the bus stops by Easy Street or on a C Line bus, keep an eye out for a stuffed Curious George monkey lost by a child on the spectrum. 206-681-7309
One more community meeting to recap from this past week before we head into a new week: The Southwest District Council.
Featured guests at this month’s meeting were from SDOT and The Whale Trail.
AVALON REPAVING/RECHANNELIZATION: Two project reps summarized where the design stands now for the project (see our most recent coverage here). They said there’s still time for feedback on the proposal before design is finalized. They heard two major concerns – one, from Avalon residents who are worried about the rechannelization plan’s removal of the center turn lane, given its use by business and delivery vehicles as well as for turning; two, from Luna Park businesses about the loss of street parking. SDOT plans to add limits to street parking that currently has no limits, in order to encourage turnover. Luna Park Café owner John Bennett says the situation is already challenging even before this project, and the transit lanes that currently replace parking from 6 to 10 am should end at 9 am instead.
THE WHALE TRAIL: Executive director Donna Sandstrom elaborated on some of what she’d said the night before at her organization’s latest Orca Talk (WSB coverage here). She is on Governor Inslee‘s task force trying to help the dwindling Southern Resident Killer Whale population and noted that its draft report is due in a few weeks. She reminded attendees that saving the orcas doesn’t just involve increasing the salmon population so they have more food – reducing boat noise, which gets in the way of their fishing, is a fast way to help them.
The SRKWs’ plight – including efforts to help ailing J50 – could have a silver lining in that they’ve raised awareness about the whales to a level not seen in more than a decade, and she hopes that can be converted to action. Sandstrom also offered a primer on The Whale Trail and said they’re reaching out more than ever to local community groups – like the SWDC – to get more help and support. Watch for upcoming events (the next Orca Talk, for example, is October 2nd – details to come).
The Southwest District Council meets first Wednesdays most months, 6:30 pm at the Senior Center/Sisson Building (4217 SW Oregon).
9:56 PM: If you have to head out any time soon – heads up, there’s a crash on the eastbound high bridge. Just got two reader reports, plus we heard SPD dispatching, describing the location as near the 99 exit. So far no SFD dispatch so there’s no indication of serious injuries.
11:20 PM: No updates on this, and the camera pointing that way on the bridge isn’t working, so we are hoping no news is good news.
11:57 PM: Now there’s a dispatch – SFD *is* being sent this time – for another crash on the eastbound bridge at 99. (added) Two people are reported to be injured.
Produce does not need to be flawless to be delicious. You probably already know that. The point was reinforced at the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle booth at today’s West Seattle Farmers’ Market, as vendors contributed entries for the “Ugliest Produce” contest. Market shoppers voted with beans. And the winner was …
… a tomato from Kittitas Valley Greenhouse.
Thanks to Lisa for the photos! Fun times at West Seattle’s Puget Ridge Edible Park this afternoon – making cider with the WS Tool Library‘s cider press, singing along with local musicians …
… and getting some work in before fall arrives in full force.
That’s Stu Hennessey with the young volunteers. Want to help at PREP? 4-6 pm Sunday, October 14th is the next scheduled work party. The park is at 5265 18th SW.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
More tiny houses and a permanent camp manager were among the updates at a brief meeting of the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee this afternoon.
C2C – at 9401 Myers Way S. – is the only city-sanctioned encampment in West Seattle; the city requires each of the sanctioned encampments to have one.
Community Advisory Council members present were chair Willow Fulton, a nearby resident; Judi Carr, a resident of Arrowhead Gardens (where the committee meets); Aaron Garcia of the White Center Community Development Association; Cinda Stenger of the Westside Interfaith Network and Alki UCC; and Grace Stiller of Weed Warriors.
Present from camp operator LIHI were Josh Castle. C2C manager Eric Davis announced he will soon be in that role as a LIHI employee, after about a year. (That drew a round of applause at meeting’s end.) Davis is a camp founder and managed C2C in a paid position under the original camp operator Patacara, but the camp changed operators during a time of controversy and Davis’s position did not become a job again until now.
He presented the monthly update on the city-sanctioned encampment: 45 residents (34 men and 11 women), four of them new, six moved out for jobs/housing/family reunification; one moved out for treatment; no one was barred during the month.
No City of Seattle rep this time – Tom Van Bronkhorst of the Department of Neighborhoods, the usual rep, was absent. Fulton had hoped for a city rep to be present as usual because on the city side of Myers Way – not at/in C2C, she made clear – there are new problems including vehicles in various states of disrepair/demolition.
She feels that such dumping/activity is a magnet for more trouble – “people see it as a dumping ground because it looks like a dumping ground” – so she feels the city should patrol the area regularly rather than wait for complaints. Davis said that vehicles are being stripped at 2, 3 am and yes, he said, the camp has called police to report it. “They just need someone to drive up and down there for six months to get it under control, midnight to six am.”
Fulton says it would be great to have a camera of some sort in the area.
Liz Giba of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council suggested working with King County Sheriff’s Office White Center storefront Deputy Bill Kennamer. Fulton noted that the problems seem to be on the Seattle side and the city and county law-enforcement agencies seem to pass problems back and forth “like a hot potato.”
Meantime, Stenger said Alki UCC has completed eight more tiny houses for the camp and has money to build five more. The camp now has 31 tiny houses and 22 tents. (City funding covers platforms holding either tiny houses or tents, but not the structures themselves.) On September 22nd, the camp will host a celebration and blessing of the eight new houses, starting at noon, with music and food. (All welcome!) She also said she’s working on “the shower issue” (as discussed at previous meetings, camp residents are hoping a mobile shower vehicle can visit more often) and “might have a solution for that.”
Castle noted that the County Council has taken its vote on whether to give lodging-tax money to the Mariners or to affordable housing, and says more was shifted to the latter than originally proposed. (The final vote is on September 17th; the committee approval on September 5th was to allocate $165 million more lodging-tax dollars to affordable housing than originally proposed.)
Absent any further community concerns, or formal agenda items, the meeting adjourned after half an hour. Next one will be 2 pm October 7th, also at Arrowhead Gardens (9200 2nd SW, a few blocks north of C2C).
The photo is from Matt Hedlund: “My wife Meagan and I stumbled onto a pretty low tide at Alki today and it was awesome. Here’s a picture of a baby octopus.” Per our favorite chart, the tide was out to -1.2 feet at midday. Tomorrow just before noon, -0.6 feet, and after that we are headed into the time of year when the minus tides are after dark, until spring.
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After 19 days of testimony before city Hearing Examiner Ryan Vancil, the appeal of the HALA Mandatory Housing Affordability upzoning is now in his hands. Friday was the last scheduled day of testimony – the 19th, in sessions spread across 2 1/2 months – in the appeal challenging the city’s Final Environmental Impact Statement on the plan. We listened to audio from the hearing’s conclusion to find out what happens next: Both sides have deadlines to submit their wrap-up briefs to Vancil, and he indicated he doesn’t expect to announce his decision before November.
HALA MHA would upzone commercial and multifamily property citywide, plus residential property in “urban village” areas, with developers allowed to build higher/denser as a result, while being required to include a certain level of “affordable housing” in their projects or to pay the city a fee to fund construction somewhere else. (Check the interactive map here to see how/whether any particular site would be affected.) The coalition of more than 30 neighborhood groups that filed the appeal last November (plus some individual challenges that were heard concurrently) contends that the FEIS is inadequate for a variety of reasons and wants the city to have to go back to the drawing board and work directly with neighborhoods to address their specific challenges and conditions. Until the appeal is settled, the City Council’s vote on HALA MHA – a proposal initiated before Jenny Durkan was elected mayor – is on hold. They’ve had a multitude of meetings and hearings on it, including in-district hearings that concluded with one June 5th in West Seattle (WSB coverage here). Meantime, documents in the appeal case, as well as minutes (detailing who testified but not the substance of their testimony) and audio, can be found here. The Hearing Examiner (whose role is explained briefly here) has the city’s final say in matters brought before him; a court challenge would be the next step.
11:39 AM: Thanks to Ryan for the tip. California SW is wet just north of Admiral Way because of a water break. Seattle Public Utilities has a crew on scene investigating but they haven’t yet scoped out what repairs will be needed.
3:07 PM: Just came back to check. A repair crew is on scene and working in a big hole in the northbound lane.
The next 2 Sunday mornings bring big running events – one of which will close the streets:
COSMO 7K ON SEPTEMBER 16: This run benefiting Northwest Hope and Healing was postponed from last month because of wildfire smoke. It starts at the Alki Bathhouse at 9:30 am on September 16th and will close Alki Avenue for a while. Registration info is here.
ORCA HALF ON SEPTEMBER 23: This half-marathon benefiting The Whale Trail happens in “the parking lane, sidewalks, and on the Alki Trail,” starting at Lincoln Park and concluding at Don Armeni Boat Ramp. According to the Orca Half website, registration is closed because they’ve maxed out. The runners will start in waves between 8 and 9 am on September 23rd and the course will close at 1 pm.
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