3rd time’s the charm for BlueStar’s 5020 California SW project
That’s the night view of the BlueStar project, still known as Spring Hill (but maybe changing), that just finally finished a Design Review process that exemplified how public comment and concern CAN make a difference. As some point out, the final chapter isn’t written until the building is built — but so far as this stage of the process goes, concerns from neighbors and criticisms from reviewers were not only heard, but also incorporated in the design approved tonight. Here’s a summary along with a few more views from the official presentation – plus the only real low note of tonight’s meeting before the Southwest Design Review Board:Read More
West Seattle scenes: High Point cultural lesson; Art Walk night
The centerpiece of tonight’s High Point Neighborhood Association meeting was a presentation about Somali/East African culture – including Gurey Faarah (pictured) talking to attendees. Non-Somali speakers on hand got a bit of a language lesson too (sample, from a handout distributed tonight: “Nabad miyaa” means “how are you?” – literally “are you at peace?”). All this, under a peaceful moonrise (which we photographed near the meeting scene at the Commons Park Amphitheater):
High Point doesn’t currently have a venue in the West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk, but almost everywhere else in West Seattle does, from Delridge to Alki to The Junction and beyond. WSB video cam #1 (celebrating its first anniversary tonight!) was along for the ride at Twilight Art Collective, where Grayface (Christopher Hydinger on keyboards, and Space) played:
Then we strolled up the street for a look at art we thought WSB dog fans might enjoy – canine portraits at Clementine by Janet Wold:
Next West Seattle Art Walk is October 9th.
Northwest Hope and Healing’s Alki Beach Run: Sign up now!
That’s a photo from last year’s Northwest Hope and Healing Foundation 5K run/walk – in ’07 it was at Lincoln Park, but this year it’s at West Seattle’s other big shoreline park – Alki – and it’s coming up later this month! Tonight we welcome Northwest Hope and Healing as a WSB sponsor, as they work to continue spreading the word about what they do and how your participation in this year’s Alki Beach Run 5K walk/run can help. NWHH has a unique role in the fight against breast cancer and the work to help those who are battling it: It’s a low-overhead nonprofit (one employee, who works part time), based in West Seattle, that reaches out to newly diagnosed patients all around the metro area. Last year alone, Northwest Hope and Healing helped 1,000 local women who each found themselves among the 1 in every 8 women diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives. Director Shari Sewell explains that NWHH “provides financial assistance for non-medical needs like child care, counseling, transportation, meals & emergency rent to women receiving breast cancer treatment at Swedish Medical Center. In addition, our signature Healing Baskets are given free of charge to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients … over 3,000 of our Healing Baskets carried a message of love, life, and HOPE.” The money raised in the Alki Beach Run will help NWHH continue to spread that message; the 5K is set for Sunday, September 28, on a course between the Alki Statue of Liberty and Anchor (Luna) Park (here’s a route map on the NWHH website), with check-in on race day at 8 am at Alki Bathhouse, the run starting at 9. You can pre-register online right now by going here, or in person at Capers in The Junction. There are prizes for the 1st and 2nd-place finishers, too, provided by Salty’s on Alki (other prize categories include largest team and top fundraisers). Read more about Northwest Hope and Healing at its website, then go here to sign up for the Alki Beach Run (which is open to walkers, too), September 28 (two weeks from this Sunday).
Here again is the link where you can pre-register now; if you need to find it again later, just look for the Alki Beach Run logo ad in the right sidebar on all WSB pages.
West Seattle education leader makes history
Just got word that South Seattle Community College (which we hope you know by now is really in eastern West Seattle) will be looking for a president – because its current leader, Dr. Jill Wakefield, has just been chosen as the college system’s first-ever female chancellor. Here’s the announcement sent by Patricia Paquette of the Seattle Community Colleges:
The Board of Trustees of the Seattle Community Colleges voted today to name Dr. Jill Wakefield, President of South Seattle Community College in West Seattle, as the next chancellor of the multi-campus district.
Wakefield will assume responsibilities on January 1, 2009, upon the retirement of the current chancellor, Charles H. Mitchell. She will be the 17th chancellor and the first woman chancellor in the history of the District.
The chancellor is responsible for overall operations of the state’s largest two-year college district, educating more than 50,000 students at Seattle Central, North Seattle and South Seattle Community Colleges; the Seattle Vocational Institute; and five specialized training centers located across the city.
Wakefield has been at SSCC for 30 years, serving as its president since early 2003.
Followup: New timeline for city’s Junction parking review
We’ve been keeping you up to date on plans for the city’s “community-parking review” in The Junction — which ultimately will lead to a decision on whether changes are made in management of the parking spots managed by the city (pay stations? Residential Parking Zones on nearby streets? status quo?). We published our first report last February, when WSB went to the Municipal Tower downtown for the first media briefing on the plan; then in May, the city Transportation Department (SDOT) told us it expected to start the review in September — and in our May update, we included the West Seattle Junction Association‘s call for your comments on the parking situation. Now that it’s September, we checked with SDOT – and here’s what communications director Rick Sheridan told us about the parking review’s status, and how you’ll get to have a say:Read More
9/11, seven years later
We found those three neighboring homes on 26th SW near Westwood Village, displaying flags on today’s anniversary. No official West Seattle commemorations that we know of (please advise if you’ve heard of one) – we will be visiting the Alki Statue of Liberty later to see what’s happening there, given its informal role as a remembrance location, dating all the way to the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. On this date last year, the recast statue made its debut in a ceremony that was both an unveiling and a tribute (WSB coverage, including video, here); a year earlier, on September 11, 2006, the old pedestal stood empty, as the original statue (now at the Log House Museum gift shop) had been taken away so the recasting process could begin.
City Council to get West Seattle Junction development briefing
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(Updated version of WSB clickable Junction/Triangle development map)
Heard about this after last night’s 34th District Democrats meeting (full report on that is still in the works), and it’s just been confirmed by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen: Toward the widely voiced concern that the Junction and Triangle areas be looked at in a “big picture” sense while so much development roars forward, Rasmussen is asking Junction developers (here’s our report on their West Seattle Chamber of Commerce appearance yesterday) and leaders of the Chamber and the West Seattle Junction Association to be at the September 22nd City Council “briefing” session. Also invited: along Representatives of city agencies including SDOT (transportation) and DPD (planning). Rasmussen staffer Brian Hawksford explains, “The purpose would be to have the developers describe their projects to the Council in an informal setting and to explain how they hope the city can be helpful in the overall improvement to the streetscape.” Rasmussen himself elaborates:
I see all of the development that is being planned in the Junction area as a tremendous opportunity to create one of the greatest residential and commercial neighborhoods in the City. For that to happen it is important for the developers and the City to work together to insure that design of the buildings, landscaping, transit planning, traffic management, parking and pedestrian walkways are all coordinated and complementary. The City can play a major role to insure that the coordination occurs. Recently I met with representatives of the Fairmount Community Council and they too see this potential. I would like as many people who are interested to participate.
I know it may be difficult for the public to attend this meeting during a weekday here at City Hall. The meeting is planned to be held here … because I would like the Council to understand the importance of this effort. It will be televised and can be viewed online as well. If people would like more meetings to be held, we can do so in West Seattle.
The meeting’s at 9:30 am September 22nd at City Council chambers downtown. It will be shown live, as are all such council sessions, by the Seattle Channel — channel 21 on cable, or seattlechannel.org online.
Two chances to get answers about The Kenney’s big project
Last month, we brought you in-depth details of the $150 million redevelopment project on the drawing board for The Kenney, the longtime retirement community in Fauntleroy. (Read our story here.) Today, we get word from The Kenney’s CEO Kevin McFeely that two meetings are set next week to discuss the project with, and answer questions from, neighbors and other area residents/community leaders: 6 pm Wednesday at Fauntleroy Church (with official invitations going out to everyone within a half-mile radius), 6 pm next Thursday (9/18) at The Kenney (targeting local neighborhood associations and business groups). The project also is tentatively scheduled for its first Design Review Board hearing — which is a public meeting too — at 8 pm October 23rd (location TBA); here’s the city’s project page.
Another preview: Saturday highlights
WEST SEATTLE GATEWAY CLEANUP: Even if you’re not one of the hundreds of volunteers joining in this huge cleanup effort, you should know that it will shut down a lane on the Fauntleroy end of the The Bridge, so that participants will be safe – the cleanup is happening from Walking on Logs till 35th/Fauntleroy, but the lane closure will start before there. Hours are approximately 9 am-3:30 pm. (Here’s our most recent preview.)
NEIGHBORHOOD MATCHING FUND CELEBRATION: A whole lot of projects around our part of the city (and elsewhere) wouldn’t have happened without the city chipping in NMF money. The program is celebrating its 20th anniversary and throwing parties around town including one Saturday, open-house style, 10 am-2 pm at Youngstown Arts Center.
BARBECUE CHAMPIONSHIPS: Once again this year, the Evergreen State Barbecue Championships are happening on Alki this weekend. Saturday-Sunday are the official days but you are likely to see setup happening (and a lot of RVs) starting Friday night. Last year when we covered this, a big question was “does anyone SELL food?” We have word of at least two vendors – one of which is a sponsor, Tom Douglas Restaurants, which says it’ll be selling “Rub with Love BBQ Salmon Sandwiches with Arugula and Fennel Mayo.” We don’t have precise hours for vendors but on Saturday we’ll report what we find out at the scene.
ANOTHER BARBECUE: Village Green Perennial Nursery (WSB sponsor) is having its annual halibut barbecue, with live music, noon-3 pm Saturday; we wrote about it in this White Center Now post about the fishing trip that brought in the halibut!
PLAYGROUND PROJECT: Supporters of a “playscape” in Admiral’s California Place mini-park plan a neighborhood ice-cream social starting at 3 pm (the park’s at California/Hill; here’s our most recent coverage of the proposal).
FUNDRAISING CAR WASH: Just got word the West Seattle High School girls’ volleyball team has one in the parking lot, 10 am-2 pm Saturday. Lots more events, and you’ll see them in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup tomorrow.
Happening tonight: Art Walk; “Sawtooths”; Design Review; more
ART WALK NIGHT! It’s the second Thursday of the month, which means tonight’s the night for the West Seattle Art Walk — more than 30 venues all over West Seattle, all listed here (including these WSB sponsors: Click! Design That Fits, Hotwire Coffee, M3 Bodyworks, Dream Dinners, Seattle Wellness Programs). 6-9 tonight. You can even enjoy the first hour and a half or so, then move on to:
SECOND WEEKEND FOR “IN THE SAWTOOTHS”: Burnt Studio Productions (WSB sponsor) starts its second of three weekends for “In the Sawtooths,” tonight and Saturday night at Youngstown Arts Center. Read more about the production here, including a special discount offer for WSB’ers. (And after you see it, Burnt Studio would love to hear your thoughts here!)
DESIGN REVIEW FOR 5020 CALIFORNIA: If board members don’t have serious concerns, this may be the last public design review for the mixed-use project at California/Dawson (see the planned presentation here). 6:30 pm, Hiawatha Community Center.
HIGH POINT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY MEETING: Should be a beautiful night to gather at Commons Park Amphitheater to learn about Somali/East African culture 6-7 pm, then discuss other neighborhood issues after 7.
Bored with your ringtone? West Seattle legend and fish-n-chips mogul Ivar Haglund can be on your phone instead. As part of its 70th-anniversary festivities,
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