West Seattle, Washington
11 Wednesday
Update from the Fauntleroy Community Service Agency: The crowdlending campaign to raise money for remaining work at the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse has just passed its $500,000 goal! This is for the second phase of repair work, involving roof, painting, gutter/downspouts, and earthquake-resistance retrofitting. As reported here last month, the campaign launched in connection with Semble hit the halfway mark within its first week; by the start of this week, it was three-quarters of the way to goal; and today, it passed the half-million mark. FCSA hopes to get the work done before fall rainy season arrives.
(WSB PHOTO: M/V Evergreen State idled at Vashon)
1:55 PM: Traffic was already expected to be heavy on the Washington State Ferries Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth runs today, because of a big event on Vashon Island, and now there’s word of a complication – a boat breakdown (the un-mothballed M/V Evergreen State) has put it on a two-boat schedule. Check here for the latest alerts.
10:54 PM: Late night now, and it’s still a two-boat schedule. We’ve seen some of the results firsthand, having to go to Vashon for a family-related event this afternoon, and finally on the boat back home right now (the Issaquah departed Vashon for Fauntleroy via Southworth about 10 minutes ago). No word if there’s any chance this will be fixed tomorrow, so if you’re planning a trip on the “triangle” route Sunday, add extra time to your plan.
For so many people with so many recyclables that can’t be put out for curbside pickup, the twice-annual Fauntleroy Church “Recycle Roundup” dropoff events are highly popular. That’s why we’re sharing mega-early news of the date for the next one: 9 am-3 pm Sunday, September 21st, church parking lot @ 9140 California SW. See the newly updated “what they’ll accept” list here.
(Wednesday photo by Dylan Grace-Wells: EarthCorps crewmember beginning to blaze a path through intensive wild clematis and ivy)
Southwest of the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, a green but threatened treasure is finally getting long-planned TLC – not just a round of weekend work parties, but instead, the toughest restoration project in the Fauntleroy Creek Watershed: Work has begun in the Kilbourne Ravine, announces Fauntleroy Creek watershed steward Judy Pickens, the project coordinator. After the final permit was procured, EarthCorps crew members were booked to get going with the project during two work days this past week.
The work along the middle reach of Fauntleroy Creek, between California SW and 45th SW, will focus on getting rid of invasive vegetation – aka weeds – and restoring appropriate vegetation. This in turn will accomplish goals including controlling erosion, filtering runoff, and reclaiming the ravine as wildlife habitat.
It’s a 2 1/2-acre site that is a mix of private- and city-owned property, classified overall as an “environmentally critical area.” But it’s infested, as are many of our greenspaces, with invaders including Himalayan blackberry and English ivy, as well as wild clematis and other invasive shrubs/trees. Judy reports that the work plan for the first week included:
*Cutting all clematis, especially where growing up trees, to prevent flowering and seeding this season
*Cutting blackberry (where growing in larger patches without native plants) in preparation for future spray treatment
*Pulling clematis away from native plants in preparation for future spray treatment
*If time allows, begin cutting ivy off native trees (survival rings)
*If time allows, begin treating invasive trees (holly, cherry laurel) using injection lance
*Hauling out garbage and debris as needed.
Fighting the invasives benefits more than the ravine itself – it also reduces their spread to nearby property. According to the project FAQ, this is the start of six years of work. But that will honor a legacy that is many decades old; according to Seattle Parks, its part of the ravine was donated by Dr. Edward C. Kilbourne, who established the Washington Dental Association. (Perhaps, then, it is fitting that some of the extensive work just to get to the point where restoration work can begin, sounds to have been a bit like pulling teeth.)
But Pickens and other intrepid volunteers/advocates have been at it a long time, with achievements including the restoration of Fauntleroy Creek itself as a salmon creek, so they’ve been taking it milestone by milestone, including two years of fundraising work which has yielded $55,000+ so far. Pickens notes support from “the Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund, a grant-making fund created by the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and administered by the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment.”
P.S. If you pass the ravine and notice rappellers – that’s what it’ll take for some of the work, given the steepness of the slopes!
Last night at The Hall at Fauntleroy inside the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, potential investors gathered to find out more about the crowdlending push intended to bring in the final half-million dollars needed for fixing up the nonprofit-owned building. As mentioned in our preview, the Fauntleroy Community Service Agency is working with Bellevue-based social-investment facilitator Semble. FCSA’s Kevin Wooley explained that the project’s only been up on the Semble website a week, and they’re already more than halfway to their goal.
Wooley told the ~30 people in attendance that most of the money would go toward the ongoing roof-renovation project, and they hope to raise it within a month in order to get the roof work finished before the rainy season. A few other jobs are included, all work that FCSA promised would be done after its purchase of the former Seattle Public Schools property four years ago. Semble reps explained at the gathering that it’s an investment, not a donation, and interest will be paid – information on the project’s Semble webpage (see it here) includes the prospectus, FCSA financials over the past three years, and the interest rate, all of which you can take into account before deciding whether to become a lender.
Since becoming a community-owned facility four years ago, the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse has made major progress toward taking care of necessary repairs and other upgrades. Now there’s one more hurdle to cross – and the schoolhouse’s managers are doing it via crowd-loaning, which will cost less, and enrich community connections more, than the traditional method of money-borrowing. You are invited to come find out about it tomorrow night (Wednesday, July 23rd) in The Emerald Room at The Hall at Fauntleroy on the south side of the schoolhouse:
The Fauntleroy Community Service Agency invites you to hear about a groundbreaking, socially minded investment opportunity while learning about plans for updates to our Schoolhouse.
We have partnered with Semble, a Washington-based business that is helping non-profits significantly lower the cost of capital projects by calling on their own communities to become investors, rather than using more traditional financing
sources. Come learn how you can become an investor in the future of the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse and preserve its rich heritage. (This is not a donation but rather an investment that will earn you a rate of return.) We hope to see you!
For a preview, browse the schoolhouse project’s Semble page. That’s 7 pm tomorrow, with light refreshments, at 9131 California SW.
That photo was taken on the grounds of the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, shortly after its 1917 opening. Though it’s not in service as a public school any more, it’s part of the heart of the Fauntleroy community, and that’s why planning is already accelerating for the schoolhouse’s centennial celebration. Fauntleroy communicator/community advocate Judy Pickens shares this information on how to help, starting now:
The Fauntleroy Schoolhouse will turn 100 in 2017, and a planning committee is laying the groundwork for several events to honor “A Century of Serving the Community.” Here’s how you might help:
§ Photos and memorabilia from your time at the school, either donated or loaned.
§ To build a database, your full name, contact information, and year(s) you were a student or staff member at the school.
§ Centennial event planning. If you would like to help, meet at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 31, at the Original Bakery.
If you can help with any of the above, please email faunt.schoolhouse100years@gmail.com.
The first centennial event will be an open house next May. Grander celebrations will follow in 2017.
The schoolhouse (file photo above) has been community-owned since the purchase from Seattle Public Schools was completed four years ago.
In case you also noticed the small yellow helicopter circling/hovering over Gatewood/Upper Fauntleroy (almost directly over WSB HQ for a while, so we grabbed a bit of video), thanks to Shannon for noting in a Twitter discussion that it was a tour-company helicopter. (Photo added, shared by Rey via Facebook)
(Vocalist Sarah Ackers, scheduled to sing with the WSBB this Friday)
Friday will be a swinging night in Fauntleroy – and you’re invited to be part of it. In case you haven’t seen the “Swing Into Summer” dance listing in the WSB Calendar yet, here’s a preview shared by Judy Pickens:
Swing dances (Charleston, Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, etc.) are what enlivened the nation during the Roaring Twenties and carried it through World War II and Korea. Now they’re enjoying a comeback for the fun of it as well as for the exercise. The West Seattle Big Band, Fauntleroy Community Association, and Fauntleroy Church are sponsoring a “Swing Into Summer” dance on Friday, June 13, 7 pm in The Hall at Fauntleroy. If you don’t know swing, check out the primer at youtube.com/watch?v=e7djJUwE9z8. You’ll see that knowing just two or three steps will get you on the floor, then come a half hour before the dance to practice with an instructor.
Choose dance clothes that are easy to move in – roomy slacks and shirt for the men and a comfortable dress for the women (add pretty underwear under that dress if you expect to twirl every which way!). Build your outfit from the shoes up – leather soles and a snug style that you won’t dance out of.
Tickets are $15 at brownpapertickets.com or at the door. Reserve free childcare at jackie@fauntleroyucc.org and plan to purchase refreshments at the dance.
Whole lot of spring cleaning going on in West Seattle – and not just to get ready for May 10th’s WS Community Garage Sale Day. If you were part of last Sunday’s Fauntleroy Church recycling event, Judy Pickens says you were part of something big:
A steady stream of vehicles (estimated at 400 – a record) brought 10.5 tons of old appliances, computers, lawn mowers, and other recyclables to Sunday’s Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church. Everything is well on its way back to the resource stream! The church’s green committee will sponsor another roundup in September.
Inbetween recycling roundups, the South Transfer Station in nearby South Park takes some things you can’t put out at curbside. The city website also has a lookup tool you can use to see what’s recyclable and what’s not.
What looks to be a record-setting month of salmon-fry releases at Fauntleroy Creek has begun. On the warmest day so far this year, Roxhill Elementary students came to the creek after school today to release salmon they’d been raising:
Longtime volunteer Dennis Hinton was there to assist the students in carefully transferring the little salmon into the creek:
Creek steward Judy Pickens has drawn up the schedule for the next four weeks and tells WSB, “We expect to see at least 600 students this year in a record 20 releases.” Then in the fall, there’s another round of volunteer activity in the annual watch for returning salmon – last year was pretty much a bust, while the year before set a record.
Across the street and up the embankment from the Fauntleroy ferry dock is a semi-hidden gem – the Fauntleroy Creek fish-ladder viewpoint. It’s been there since the restoration project 15+ years ago, and right now it’s getting a little bit of TLC – Judy Pickens shares the photo and the following description of what’s happening in it:
Al Zurowski prepares the promontory at the viewpoint above Fauntleroy Creek for new decking. He and fellow carpenter Bill Miller with Seattle Public Utilities are replacing deteriorating decking installed when the viewpoint and fish ladder below it opened in 1998. The viewpoint will be busy starting Thursday as 600+ students come to the creek during May to release coho fry.
Judy is a watershed steward and devoted volunteer who will be busy during salmon-release season too, and she says the viewpoint work – expected to last all week – should “give everyone a much-safer platform for viewing the fish ladder.”
It’s on – rain or shine as usual! Dozens and dozens of types of items – see the list here – are being accepted, for free, at the twice-yearly drop-off Fauntleroy Church Recycle Roundup, with 1 Green Planet on site, filling trucks with the types of recyclables you just can’t put out on your curb, until 3 pm today. Drive/ride/walk up, drop off, move on. (If there’s a line when you get there, please be patient, urges this commenter.) And one more time, since this is a change from past Recycle Roundups, we’ll remind you that they’re not taking TVs – but they ARE taking more than 65 other types of items. The church is at 9140 California SW, but you can’t get there by just driving south from the California straightaway – here’s a map; heading eastbound, it’s uphill from the ferry dock, or westbound, just take Barton, which curves to (briefly) become California SW by Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (which is across the street from the church).
We’ve answered a few inquiries about King County Sheriff’s Office and Medical Examiner vehicles/personnel at the Fauntleroy ferry dock Saturday evening, and in retrospect should have mentioned this here while it was happening: They were investigating a crash that killed a motorcycle rider on north Vashon and closed Vashon Highway for a few hours. KCSO told the News-Tribune that the northbound rider apparently was hit from behind while waiting to make a left turn.
After our recent reminder about tomorrow’s Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church – a popular twice-yearly dropoff event – sharp-eyed commenter PSPS noticed something new on the list of what will and will not be accepted: TVs. Judy Pickens confirmed that and shares this reminder:
You may have noticed (or more likely missed) that this Sunday’s Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church will not be accepting televisions (CRT, LCD, or plasma). You can, however, bring computer monitors.
As a collector for the E-Cycle Washington program for environmentally responsible recycling, 1 Green Planet gets paid by manufacturers for TVs dropped off at its warehouse, not for community events such as the semi-annual roundup. The closest E-Cycler where you can drop off your derelict TV is Burien Goodwill (1031 SW 128th).
The Recycle Roundup is in the church parking lot, 9 am-3 pm tomorrow, 9140 California SW (map).
SATURDAY, 1:20 AM: Happening now in east Fauntleroy, information via scanner: Police are searching for one or more people who broke into Super Deli Mart at 35th/Barton a short time ago. Someone called 911 to say they thought they saw intruders stealing merchandise; police arrived moments later and reported a smashed window, with a cash register believed to be missing as well. Possible suspect description: White male, 30s, blue jacket, blue jeans.
SUNDAY, 11:39 AM: We asked SPD media relations if there had indeed been an arrest. And yes, there was – they’ve just posted a short note on SPD Blotter; the K-9 team found the 23-year-old suspect in the 9200 block of 35th SW.
11:33 AM: A rescue offshore in Fauntleroy has delayed ferries to and from the terminal. Heidi, onboard one of the ferries, says “a sailboat went turtle” and tweeted photos including:
Coast guard and ferry crew sweep in! #rescue #sound #west seattle pic.twitter.com/q05EaySLPj
— Heidi W. Skrzypek (@heidiskrzypek) March 29, 2014
@wsferries awesome sailboat rescue this ride! Good eyes, first mate. pic.twitter.com/AXA5i4lqmE
— Heidi W. Skrzypek (@heidiskrzypek) March 29, 2014
Scanner traffic indicates a person has been rescued from the water.
11:43 AM: The Seattle Fire crews have just left the dock. The Klahowya, which was assisting, finally has made it to Fauntleroy. No information so far on the rescued person’s condition.
1:28 PM NOTE: Though the rescue is long over, the ferries on the route are still running behind – check here for updates.
8:14 PM: Thanks to Eric Bell for photos taken at the dock – first, as the vessel came in with the person who was rescued:
That’s the M/V Klahowya, which helped with the rescue, in the background. Next, the Medic 32 crew working to get ready for transport:
Still no official word on how the victim is doing and exactly what happened.
After cutting trees as part of a soil cleanup at two of West Seattle’s six “surplus” ex-substations, over the objections of community advocates including the WS Green Space Coalition, City Light said it would try a different technique at the Fauntleroy and Genesee Hill sites – “vactoring” contaminated soil in a way that WSGSC was told should make cleanup possible without destroying the trees. Thanks to a reader tip, we learned this work is happening at the Fauntleroy site (just around the corner from the Endolyne business district-let) right now. Meantime, as noted in our most recent report, the Green Space Coalition is continuing to advocate for a larger community role in determining the sites’ future – rather than what has been the usual past path of seeing them sold for housing development. City Light has said it could send disposition-plan legislation to the City Council – which has the final say – as soon as the third quarter of this year.
9:51 PM: Seattle Fire has a fire response in the 4500 block of SW Director Place (map). The building is described in county records as a four-plex.
9:59 PM: Electrical problem, crews on the scene tell us. All over now.
Two community meetings tonight that we want to mention before it’s too late:
FAUNTLEROY ‘FOOD FEST’: Bites from local eateries are an incentive offered by the Fauntleroy Community Association to get nearby residents to its annual membership meeting, part information fair, part mingling opportunity, part election, as previewed here, all starting at 6 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy. (9131 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: WSCPC is scheduled to hear about crime trends from new precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske, and you’re invited to ask about neighborhood concerns. Also, special guests from SPD will talk about recruitment and background checks, as previewed here. 7 pm, Southwest Precinct. (Delridge/Webster)
(Click image for larger view)
That’s an aerial view of the Barton Pump Station upgrade project north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock, photographed this week by Long B. Nguyen. It’s a project of the King County Wastewater Treatment District, and they’re one of dozens of participants slated for the big annual membership meeting of the Fauntleroy Community Association this coming Tuesday (March 18th).
The meeting at The Hall at Fauntleroy is part info fair; at last Tuesday’s FCA board meeting, we were told confirmed participants include, besides KCWTD, Washington State Ferries, the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse Community Center, Fauntleroy Church, “Diver Laura” James with Tox-Ick.org, The Whale Trail, Seal Sitters, The Kenney (WSB sponsor), ArtsWest, the Fauntleroy Y (WSB sponsor), Morgan Community Association, and the Southwest Branch Library.
It’s also a chance for Fauntleroy residents to pay their annual FCA membership dues and vote for the board; and local bites are offered as an incentive – including The Hall’s own Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering, nearby Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor), Bird on a Wire Espresso, The Original Bakery, and Stuffed Cakes. It all starts at 6 pm; The Hall is on the south side of the historic schoolhouse at 9131 California SW.
(SCROLL DOWN for midmorning video update from SFD)
(Video shared with WSB by neighbors)
5:07 AM: Seattle Fire units are responding to the 9400 block of 45th SW (map) right now to check out a house-fire report. More to come.
5:15 AM: Crews on scene describe the fire as in a garage, according to emergency-radio communications. People in the area tell us flames are visible from a distance. Our crew is arriving.
5:27 AM: Crews report the fire is under control and that they have moved to a defensive firefighting mode.
5:33 AM: Just added video shared by neighbors, showing the fire at its height. Our crew at the scene has talked with the residents, who say they got out OK after somebody knocked on the door to wake them up and tell them about the fire in their garage, which is behind their house.
No injuries are reported.
5:55 AM: While the flames are out, the garage is still smoldering, and it’s too soon for fire crews to know what started the fire, and what damage was done to the vehicles in the garage. We’re told it’s part of an older structure that was on the site – the house in front is newer.
Traffic note: Metro says the fire response is rerouting RapidRide buses off SW Wildwood. Here are reroute details.
6:54 AM: Streets are reopening, so the buses should return to regular routing soon (confirmed by Metro, 7:06 am).
9:33 AM: We went back to the scene, where SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore told us the cause for now remains “undetermined.”
Moore told us more not only about the fire damage, but about why this location and situation posed some unique challenges to firefighters:
Just in from Judy Pickens in Fauntleroy:
The third annual Fauntleroy Chili Cook-Off needs one more chef to fill out the list of competitors – meat or vegetarian, your choice. The cook-off will be Saturday, January 25, 6 pm, hosted by Fauntleroy Church (9140 California Ave. SW). Call 206-932-5600 for details about putting your favorite recipe up against prior winners and other hopefuls hot to win the crown.
Lots of room for attendees, of course; those details are in our calendar listing.
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