day : 24/04/2008 14 results

Video: Elliott Bay Water Taxi crew practices for Sunday start

April 24, 2008 10:30 pm

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| Elliott Bay Water Taxi | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

Thanks to marketing director Maureen Black at Argosy Cruises for answering our inquiries about when we might catch the Sightseer — aka the Elliott Bay Water Taxi, now operated by the new King County Ferry District — in action prior to its season debut this Sunday; as a result, we caught the crew in action doing touch-and-go practice at Seacrest this afternoon. Here’s a longer clip from our visit to Seacrest:

Rides are free all day Sunday; the EBWT will start running that morning (8:30 am from downtown), but the real fun at the dock will be the official launch-day festivities noon-2 pm, with West Seattle’s King County Councilmember Dow Constantine emceeing (he can be a lively host, as evidenced at the 34th Legislative District Caucus earlier this month) and Argosy CEO Kevin Clark also scheduled to appear.

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Admiral project @ Design Review tonight: Quick topline

April 24, 2008 9:56 pm

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| Development | West Seattle news

“Early design guidance” tonight for 2743 California (city project page here), replacing a duplex between PCC and California Place (the white building with apartments over businesses including Freshy’s): Not much controversy. A few new details – the “medical offices” are expected to be primarily dental, three floors over “basement” parking. Design Review Board members had a lot of questions and recommendations, but they did advance the project to the next stage. More tomorrow, including the interesting caveat that came up about half a dozen times.

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Another review next week for Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza

April 24, 2008 8:58 pm

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| Alki Statue of Liberty | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

It’s not online yet but the agenda for next Thursday’s city Design Commission meeting (at City Hall downtown) came out today via e-mail, and the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza project will return that day for another review. The same commission had a long list of suggestions when they saw the project for the first time three weeks ago; read about them in our report from that meeting. FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE: This review has been delayed – we’ll let you know when it’s rescheduled.

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“Strange doorknocker” story turns up on TV

April 24, 2008 8:44 pm

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| West Seattle online

Thanks to Margaret for sending that shot of her TV screen showing WSB while the reporter credited this site for the original “strange doorknocker” story (first report here, second one here) — which channel 7 decided to follow up on tonight. Actually, credit goes to Larry Carpenter (Alki Community Councll, Log House Museum, and West Seattle Community Recognition Award winner) for the original report – he told us a couple hours ago that channel 7 had interviewed him; we missed the newscast but after Margaret’s screen-shot came in, we found this text version (no video so far) online. WSB is described in the online writeup only as “a West Seattle blog,” but 7 still deserves props for crediting the source — last week another station we won’t name lifted our coyote photos without permission or credit (we saw it and called, and they fixed it for a later run; this website’s contents are copyrighted so permission is required to republish our photos). 9:51 AM UPDATE: Re: the door-knocker story, KIRO updated the web version this morning (without us even having to ask) and it now credits us properly (with a link too). Thanks!

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Charlestown Cafe update: Repair work hasn’t started yet

April 24, 2008 5:02 pm

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| Charlestown Cafe | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

We just checked in again with Charlestown Cafe owner Larry Mellum; in our last update three weeks ago, Larry’s co-owner Ron Hanlon told us they were still awaiting the final go-ahead for work to start, and they couldn’t set a reopening date yet. Today, Larry tells WSB that the work required for the restaurant to reopen post-Feb.-4-fire still hasn’t begun:

The project has not yet started. We have been waiting for our Landlord and their insurance carrier to get the required construction proposal and deposit back to the contractor. To date that has not happened due I believe to some administrative glitches within their operation. … We are as anxious as you to get the Charlestown going again. Thank you again for all of your support.

Whenever the work starts, the cafe owners say it’ll take at least four weeks from that point to get it finished so the Charlestown can reopen. (You can always find the latest WSB coverage of the Charlestown Cafe situation atop this archive.)

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Traffic alert: Bonair closure next week

April 24, 2008 4:31 pm

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| Transportation | West Seattle news

Just in from the city Transportation Department:

A contractor for a private development will close the 2100 block of Bonair Drive SW in West Seattle to traffic next week to repair the roadway. The street will be closed between Alki Avenue SW and Halleck Avenue SW (map) for four to five days. Drivers will need to use an alternate route.

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Junction Association Pet Fest update: New category

April 24, 2008 4:22 pm

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| Pets

Just in from Louis Lujan @ Next to Nature, sponsoring the “ugliest dog/cat” contest for this Sunday’s Pet Fest in The Junction and now adding something new:

Pet Fest Contest UPDATE!! New Category!

Guess what, West Seattle?… Paw for paw, the West Seattle neighborhood has the best looking pets anywhere! Haven’t found an ugly one in the whole lot, but we’re still holding out. To provide better opportunity to the vast majority of West Seattle pets, a “Most Beautiful Pet” contest will be held in addition to the “Ugliest.” Your pet is free to use props to show off their true quality. Here’s a hint – the Judges are 5th graders!

So we want to see uniquely homely AND good-looking pets at Pet Fest this Sunday…

Bring your homely OR handsome hounds and pets to the Pet Fest tent near 44th and Alaska this Sunday. The judging will begin at 12, noon. A panel of local school kids is standing by to determine “West Seattle’s Ugliest – and now – Most Beautiful Pet”!!

Our revamped contest is still free to enter, and there’s a growing prize package for the winners. Go to the Next to Nature table at Pet Fest to sign-up. The festival gets rolling at 10 a.m., so you can start signing up then, just make sure you’re signed up by 11:30. Each contest will be limited to 20 entries on a first-come first-served basis. We anticipate
mostly dogs since they usually do best in these public festival settings, but if your cat, bird, ferret, cow, or koala is comfortable with crowds they’re eligible for the contest too.

See you at Pet Fest this weekend! There will be great nutritional and health information, adoptable dogs and cats, pet portraits, and more!

Coupled with the first-ever Sustainability Festival May 4 (featured in our previous post today), that marks two consecutive Sundays with “first-ever” festivals in The Junction.

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Sustainable West Seattle gets ready to make history

April 24, 2008 1:51 pm

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| Environment | How to help | West Seattle festivals

That photo is courtesy of the members of Sustainable West Seattle, who gathered for a group shot outside Camp Long before their monthly meeting this past Monday night — a meeting like no other in their less-than-one-year history, because it’s the last one before SWS presents its first-ever Sustainability Festival, coming up Sunday, May 4, 10 am-3 pm in The Junction. A little while before that photo was taken, we sat down with three SWS leaders to talk about the festival (and how it’s not too late for you to pitch in, especially if you have some time this weekend) – read on to see why they, and many other folks around West Seattle, are so excited about it:Read More

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West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day hits the century mark!

April 24, 2008 1:00 pm

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| Community Garage Sale Day

Our 100th registration is just in for the 4th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day on Saturday, May 10th — thanks to everybody who’s decided to join in! One community, one day, (now we can say) more than 100 sales around West Seattle — including some group/business/school/organization sales — As soon as registration closes tomorrow night, we’re getting down to the next round of fun stuff: Mailing info packets to participants, making the second round of posters promoting Garage Sale Day itself (we’ve had registration posters up for two weeks, and of course they had the sale date too), and sharing information about The Big Day — if there’s something really unusual or interesting about your sale (and you are registered for WSCGSD, of course), e-mail us at garagesale@westseattleblog.com — remember we’re planning “Best Sign” and “Most Unusual Item” contests too. Again, registration’s open till tomorrow night; go here to sign up online (or to get a mail-in form you can print, but please get it in the mail ASAP). If you’re just coming in on this, WSB is sponsoring WSCGSD now because its creators @ Megawatt closed down earlier this year and needed new presenters for their signature events (we took on WSCGSD, the Gathering of Neighbors is being organized by DNDA). May 10, whether you’re a shopper or seller, mark your calendar!

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New way to get a 4-year degree without leaving West Seattle

April 24, 2008 11:41 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Just announced today: South Seattle Community College and City University of Seattle are partnering for a program that will enable students to get a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with all four years of studies taking place on the SSCC campus in east West Seattle. SSCC says the deal will be finalized at a ceremony next Tuesday; here are the details released this morning.

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It’s not just YOUR grocery bill that’s rising …

April 24, 2008 10:34 am

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| How to help | West Seattle news

You’ve heard the national-news stories about the rising price of staples like rice and wheat … and you’ve seen it when you go to the grocery store. But if you think your budget is tight, try running a food bank and trying to maximize every last fraction of a cent. Local food banks are hurting worse than ever as a result – not just from having to pay more for the food they buy, but also because the higher prices are sending more families their way for help — but the bright spot is that, donating to them in the next week not only will help with the crunch, it will also help them qualify for matching funds as part of a national “challenge” we’ve mentioned before. Here’s an update from Eve Holt at West Seattle Food Bank:

April 30th is the last day for donations to the West Seattle Food Bank that can be submitted for matching funds from the Feinstein Foundation’s $1 Million Challenge.

Donations of food and cash are especially needed right now because of rising food prices. Most of what the Food Bank has to buy is costing more and there has been a significant increase in the number of families coming to the Food Bank for help.

Checks may be mailed to West Seattle Food Bank, 3419 SW Morgan, Seattle, WA 98126. Credit card donations can be made by calling Eve Holt at (206) 932-9023 or online at www.westseattlefoodbank.org. A list of suggested food donations can also be found on the organization’s Web site.

The Food Bank’s first-ever Instruments of Change fundraiser is coming up one week from tonight, by the way. One other note: Part of southern West Seattle is served by the White Center Food Bank, which is also participating in the challenge; find its donation info here.

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1 month till Day 1 @ Colman Pool, which’ll be busier this year

April 24, 2008 8:35 am

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| West Seattle parks | WS & Sports

(May 2007 photo of the plywood that covers the Colman Pool windscreen during the offseason)
Exactly one month from today, it’s the first 2008 day of operation for Colman Pool at Lincoln Park, one of the city’s two outdoor pools. Colman Pool will be open weekends only from May 24 till 7-day-a-week operations start June 14. Starting soon after that, it will be busier than usual, because West Seattle’s other pool — Southwest Pool, east of Denny Middle School — is scheduled to close mid-June through late September for three months of work.

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Happening today/tonight: 3 West Seattle highlights

April 24, 2008 7:09 am

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| Denny-Sealth | How to help | West Seattle parks

DINING OUT FOR LIFE: 12 West Seattle restaurants are among those participating in the Lifelong AIDS Alliance fundraiser (find the list here, some are participating at lunchtime as well as dinnertime).

DESIGN REVIEW FOR ADMIRAL PROJECT: 2743 California on the north side of PCC, proposed for a 3- to 4-story medical-office building (here’s our report on the project from 3 weeks ago), 6:30 tonight, Southwest Precinct meeting room (official meeting notice here).

FINAL PARKS PLAN MEETING: 6:30 pm, High Point Community Center, last of 7 West Seattle meetings where you can tell city Parks staffers what you think the department should focus on in the next five years. (Here’s our report on last week’s Southwest CC version of the same meeting.)

More West Seattle events for today, tonight, and beyond, can be found here.

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Morgan Junction apartment building for sale

April 24, 2008 12:21 am

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| West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

It’s called “Gatewood Apartments” but this 22-year-old, 16-unit building at 6547 42nd SW (map) is in the heart of Morgan Junction, right behind Thriftway. Just listed at $1,950,000. (This isn’t in the listing, but city records show an “unresolved” condo-conversion application from 2006.)

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