Highland Park Action Committee: New leaders; jail deadline
That’s the Highland Park Action Committee‘s new chair Dan Mullins, presiding for the first time at HPAC’s first meeting of the year tonight. (New vice chair Nicole Mazza and treasurer Shawn Mazza couldn’t attend, but you can see them in this photo on the HPAC website; as we reported following the last HPAC meeting, the previous officers decided not to run again — former chair Dorsol Plants is about to kick off his City Council campaign – website in the works here.) Dan’s first report as chair revolved around plans to have a brainstorming session for the community to looking into getting city matching grants for various projects – such as replanting parking strips, doing cleanup in the greenbelt, maybe a kiosk in the Highland Park Improvement Club parking lot to distribute info about HPAC, the HPIC building, and the neighborhood. He also mentioned that Habitat for Humanity is doing a build-a-thon in September and they’re looking for people to sit on a steering committee (more info to come on that). On the hottest HP topic of the past year, Becca Fong says THIS FRIDAY is the deadline for comments on the potential environmental impacts of sites proposed for a new regional misdemeanor jail – including the West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way site. More info on that at the jail-project website. Becca says any citizen concerns about air, water, soil effects will have to be followed up on by the city, so if you have them, send them. (She’s willing to answer questions about the process, highlandparkparadise@gmail.com.)
2 school notes: Sealth “groundbreaking”; closure amendments
GROUNDBREAKING: Work’s been under way for months now on the Chief Sealth High School upgrades that are going in prior to construction of a new Denny Middle School on the CSHS campus – and tonight there’s word of a “groundbreaking celebration” for the next phase of work, set for March 12th. More details later this week, according to the project-management team. The project website has some toplines about what’s been happening this month; see them here.
CLOSURE AMENDMENTS: As reported previously, if any Seattle School Board members plan to make amendments to the “final recommendations” for school closure/changes currently slated for a Thursday vote, they’ve been asked to turn in said amendments by noon tomorrow. We checked with the Seattle Public Schools communications office to ask if any such amendments would be then made available to the media before they’re published on the district website (which is supposed to happen Wednesday). Got the answer this afternoon: No.
Welcoming a new WSB sponsor: Pharmaca in The Junction
(West Seattle Pharmaca Team: Jessica, Dava, Angela, Matthew, Joanna, Meranda, Brian)
Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy — which took over the old Morton‘s spot in The Junction last spring — has been on the WSB sponsor team since early in the month but we just got the staff together for a photo so we could introduce them to you along with sharing information they’d like you to have regarding what they’re all about: Pharmaca became the first integrative pharmacy in the U.S. back in 2000. This model brings a full-service pharmacy and complementary treatment options together under one roof so customers can enjoy the best of both worlds. Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy is changing the way people think about their health by offering traditional pharmacy services and alternative remedies under one roof. Stores feature the best in natural products, certified staff members, safe cosmetics, fair-trade gifts and more. Band-Aids never kept such good company! Integrative medicine is now embraced by 75% of medical schools, including such prestigious names as Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Duke, Yale, and the Mayo Clinic. From acupuncture to aromatherapy, these institutions are exploring methods of treatment beyond standard western medicine. Pharmaca customers get a choice when it comes to their health care. For example, they offer several ways to stay healthy during the flu season:
*Flu shots can be scheduled for those who want to receive immunization
*Preventive supplements like Echinacea come with free advice from our expert staff
*Prescription medications are available if your doctor recommends treatment
Expect total care when you come to Pharmaca. Your body—not to mention your mind and spirit—will thank you for it. Pharmaca is in West Seattle at 4707 California Avenue SW (map; at the Alaska Junction, next to the Farmers’ Market lot; formerly Morton’s Pharmacy), 206.932.4225. Hours are Monday–Friday 9 am-7 pm, Saturday 9 am-6 pm, Sunday 10 am-6 pm. (Online, you can find a list of the special in-store events they have coming up.) We welcome Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy to the WSB sponsor lineup, listed here along with info on how to join the team.
Update: Police investigating body found on Harbor Ave shore
ORIGINAL 11:42 AM REPORT: If you’ve noticed police and yellow tape in the 1900 block of Harbor SW (map), here’s what’s happening: A body was found in the water. We just talked with Officer Mark Jamieson in the Seattle Police media unit and that’s all they can tell us right now – firefighters briefly answered a medic-response call to the area just before 11 am but it was clear they weren’t needed as the person (no description) was “DOA,” Jamieson says, adding that police are “actively investigating.” 12:42 PM UPDATE: To give you an idea of where this is, we added the photo above – it’s the industrial area between Salty’s and Jack Block Park. 1:16 PM UPDATE: Just checked with Officer Renee Witt at SPD, who tells us there was ID on the body indicating it’s that of a 38-year-old Seattle man. Too soon to tell how he died – that information will come from the County Medical Examiner. Officer Witt says the man’s body actually was found half in the water, half out, under a pier in the area, about 100 yards south of Salty’s. The first report came from a cell phone, apparently from someone walking in the area, she says. TUESDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: The daily update from the ME’s office confirms this was a case of suicide, cause of death listed as drowning. WSB policy is to not publish names (although in some of our past reports, family/friends have chose to disclose ID in comments) but public records for the name on the ME list suggests he lived in West Seattle.
More to the job than firefighting: Ex-Huling broken window cleanup
Thanks to Chris for the tip about that BIG broken window (tarped over in the second photo) at the ex-Huling/Gee sites on the south side of SW Alaska, east of Fauntleroy Way. Police were leaving as we got there, so we’re checking with the precinct about whether this involved a break-in or “just” a break, and will add that info when we get it. (Not only was the crew from Ladder 11 helping clean up and secure the scene, two of them subsequently spotted us in a mortifying bit of car trouble across the street minutes later – got stuck on an unnoticed curb while trying to make a fast getaway — and saved us with a push. Thanks, guys!)
West Seattle traffic alert: Bridge lane closure tomorrow
Just out of the inbox: “SDOT plans to close the lefthand, eastbound lane tomorrow (Tuesday January 27) from 12:00 noon to 2 p.m. During this closure a broken water line to a fire hydrant will be inspected.” A couple more bridge notes from Seattle City Light, by the way – they are still working on the street lights and SCL’s Mike Eagan tells WSB the ones on the Spokane Street Viaduct stretch (east of 99) should be done “within a week or two,” while burned-out Alaskan Way Viaduct lights will be fixed “during the next scheduled closure.”
2 park project updates: ARK Park, California Place Park
(WSB photo from August 2008)
Five months ago, we brought you first word of a proposal to create ARK Park on land owned by Arbor Heights Community Church. This morning, we have word of the first fundraiser for the project, which organizers told us last summer would be built entirely with church/community contributions. Co-organizer Loretta Kimball tells WSB her son Chad Kimball is headlining on the fundraiser – an evening of Broadway music, 7 pm February 9th at Roosevelt High School, including some of his castmates from “Memphis” (which opens this week at the 5th Avenue Theater). $15/person gets you the benefit concert plus a reception afterward. Here’s the official flyer, on the playground project’s website. Now, to North Admiral:
View Larger Map
Meantime, in North Admiral, the first of three design workshops for California Place Park is now a week away. When it was announced recently that the workshops would be held at Alki Community Center, some voiced concern about the distance; now, there’s word from the community group spearheading the project that they’ll coordinate rides to the workshops so no one is stuck without a way to get there:
Friends and Neighbors of North Admiral (FANNA) will be coordinating rides for neighbors to each of the community design workshops for California Place Park. We will match people up who have extra room with those who need a ride. For those who plan to attend the meeting and have an extra seat or for those in need of ride to the workshops, please e-mail info@californiaplacepark.org or call Kellee Jones at 206-684-7052. Requests for rides must be received by end of day Sunday, February 1st.
The three design workshops will allow the community to explore various ideas and design options for California Place. Karen Kiest, Landscape Architects, will lead these meetings. We are looking for ways to increase community use of the park by people of all ages, and create a naturalized and safe area for the neighborhood to enjoy now and for generations to come. As an option, a supervised area for childcare will be provided during each meeting. Please bring your ideas, your neighbors and your community spirit!
Meeting Location and Dates:
Alki Community Center
5817 SW Stevens Street
Tuesday, 2/3, 7 – 8:30 PM
Saturday, 3/7, 10:30 – 12 Noon
Thursday, 4/16, 7 – 8:30 PM
For more information about the improvements proposed at California Place please visit our website: www.californiaplacepark.org
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