Alki Community Council: ‘New blood’ helps debate Beacon’s future
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The turnout was the biggest news from tonight’s Alki Community Council meeting.
As mentioned here earlier this week, the group is taking a serious look at its future – and more than 25 people answered the call to join in that scrutiny by showing up to join in. “I see a lot of new blood,” offered ACC’s Larry Carpenter from the sign-in table at the back of the room. Some of it, he explained later, included members who hadn’t come to meetings in a while. He said membership is currently at 132, down from a peak of 390.
Like other print publications, the ACC-published Alki News Beacon has gone through some changes in recent years.
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The WSBeat: Thwarted theft followup; suspicious pipe-carrying…
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers – first case includes an update on a reader-reported incident earlier this week
*A watchful neighbor prevented the theft of a package from a 35th Avenue front porch on Monday. She scared off the thief, who had apparently been following a UPS truck on its route and making off with the deliveries. Followup since 1st WSB story on this: The suspect’s car was found later that day run off the road into the brush at Fairmount and Admiral Way SW. There were no keys in the ignition and no sign of the driver. Its license plate had been stolen in North Seattle, and the car, itself, had been reported stolen somewhere in Seattle on December 22nd.
*An officer driving by a construction site on Avalon Way early Monday was suspicious when he passed two men carrying bundles of pipe along the road. He became more suspicious when, after pulling a U-turn to observe the pair, he discovered that one of the men had disappeared. (He turned out to be a transient with a history of copper-wire theft, found later, out of breath, and carrying the same type of electric tape that had been used to bind the pipe bundles.) The remaining fellow’s story didn’t check out, and a grocery cart nearby was filled with a hacksaw, gloves, and welding ground cables (which contain copper). The pair was interviewed and released from the precinct pending location of a victim.
Nine more summaries ahead:Read More
Will Parks scrap the West Seattle driving range? Review almost done
Seattle Parks is about to decide whether or not to go ahead with the controversy-beset West Seattle Golf Course driving range. Last time we checked with project manager Garrett Farrell, to find out what was next after last year’s public meetings (most recent one, October) and unpopular design concepts, he suggested checking back in mid-January. So we did. Though Farrell wasn’t available for comment today, Parks leadership fielded our question and sent this answer through spokesperson Dewey Potter, saying they’re almost done with a review that might lead to the project being canceled completely :
You probably know that this project is the first project under the 2009 Golf Master Plan. The intent was to locate a new driving range west of the clubhouse along 35th Ave. SW. Unfortunately, as we moved into the detailed design and engineering phase, it became apparent that the location presented a number of unforeseen problems.
Our design team developed an option to locate the driving range closer to the clubhouse at the fairway for hole #9. This location would necessitate reconfiguring the hole and several pathways. Through three public meetings, the design team has tried to design the driving range in a way that preserves the integrity of the existing course and contains the overall project costs. As you know, the fairway 9 location has stirred some controversy and opposition by many West Seattle golfers.
Late last year ago Acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams and Acting Deputy Eric Friedli met with staff and closely reviewed:
1) the proposed plans for the driving range and related changes to the course
2) the public input received through the public review process
3) the costs and available funding for the project.
We have asked staff to conduct an additional review and analysis of the driving range project in the context of the entire Golf Master Plan for our review in January. After review of the project it is entirely possible that we will not press ahead with the West Seattle driving range project. We want to make sure that if the project does move forward it is consistent with the history of the course and meets the needs of the golfers; if it does not go forward, we will adjust the overall Golf Master Plan in a way that meets the needs across all our municipal courses. Eric met with the West Seattle Golf Men’s Club on January 12 to get a better understanding of their concerns.
The review should be complete in the next week or so and we will schedule another public meeting to present and discuss it with the golf community, and we’ll let you know when that meeting is scheduled.
The three design concepts proposed so far came out in August (concerns included a potential 90-foot-high net), September (concerns included potential alteration of 2 existing holes on the course), and October (concerns included potential changes to 3 holes).
No formal ID yet, but family says Bainbridge body was Jeremy Peck
(Wednesday photo by Tristan Baurick/Kitsap Sun; used with permission)
3:07 PM: Following up on yesterday’s discovery of a body washing up on Bainbridge Island (WSB coverage here), drawing the interest of Seattle Police: Though the King County Medical Examiner told us a few minutes ago that they’re not formally identifying the body that washed up on Bainbridge yet – they just brought it to their facility today – other sources including KIRO-TV say the family has been told it’s 24-year-old Jeremy Peck. We just talked with Seattle Police Det. Mark Jamieson, who told WSB that while they also have not been officially notified it’s Jeremy, if and when they do get that notification, what they do next still depends on what the cause of death turns out to be – whether it was homicide, accidental, or suicide. It’s been exactly two weeks since our first story on Jeremy’s disappearance; family and friends say he was last seen early the morning of December 24th.
5:07 PM UPDATE: The Medical Examiner’s Office puts out a daily media update each afternoon; today’s update ends with a note that the “the body (found) in Puget Sound” will be examined tomorrow (Friday).
West Seattle schools: Floor-level excitement @ Community School
There’s excitement under every footstep at the Community School of West Seattle. Sarah Airhart shares the photos and the news, along with words of thanks:
The Community of School of West Seattle wants to let everyone know that after a year of planning, auctioning, fundraising and grant writing and 3 weeks of being closed to remodel, our new Marmoleum floors and children’s bathrooms are finally IN.
They are so beautiful and we are so thankful to all our friends and families in and around the West Seattle community that made this happen. We raised $17,000 at our auction and were awarded a grant for $21,000 we worked hard and saved our pennies to make this happen. Any past alumni families (and anyone who just wants to come and look around) are invited to stop by to our Open House on January 22nd between 10 am and 2 pm – we can’t wait to show you what YOU helped make happen. It truly does take a village!
CSWS is at 9450 22nd SW.
WEdesign: Welcoming a new West Seattle Blog sponsor
Today we’re welcoming one of our newest WSB sponsors, WEdesign, which is taking the traditional WSB opportunity to tell you about what they do: WEdesign Inc. works with homeowners to design and install custom landscapes that fit their lifestyle and budget while promoting a healthy, sustainable relationship with the environment. 
We combine custom stone work and carpentry with edible landscaping, backyard wildlife habitat and drought tolerant plantings. Drip irrigation, low-voltage lighting, rain gardens and custom play spaces round out our favorite functional gardens. Clients appreciate most that our collaborative design process results in a landscape that meets their needs in an ecological way. Our installation team is well-trained and experienced, offering a high level of craftsmanship and responsive customer service. We pride ourselves in creating landscapes that homeowners and their families can enjoy for years to come.
WEdesign is a member of Seattle Tilth, the Coalition of Organic Landscapers and a 5-star EnviroStar business. For more than 12 years, owner Michael Lockman has been a member of the West Seattle community, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. You’ll find WEdesign online at we-design.net; e-mail michael@we-design.net or call 206-459-7022.
We thank WEdesign for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
One car leaves a trail of destruction in North Delridge
No injuries were reported, but a trail of destruction was left behind by one driver along 26th SW in North Delridge late last night. This morning, you can still see not only damaged vehicles (photo below) but also where the car hit signs, from a traffic circle to a corner (above) [2:10 PM NOTE: In comments, neighbors say the traffic circle, with the bent sign in the background, bore the brunt of last night’s street damage, and the tire tracks etc. at right are from a previous crash].
One neighbor, Ruby, relates a firsthand account from her partner, who saw the whole thing:
She had just parked her car and was trying to retrieve her bag from the passenger side of the car when she heard a car coming down the street at a very high speed. (She guessed around 50 mph). She honked several times in an effort to say ‘slow down!’, and the car blew past her, launched itself over the traffic circle, wrecked into the Telecom truck, and hit a van on the opposite side of the street. She ran after the car trying to get a plate and thinking the car would eventually just stop because it had so much damage…. But it didn’t… it kept going and hit several more cars before the driver abandoned it somewhere south of the park.
A police search followed, ending with no indication of the driver having turned up (we have inquiries out again this morning to see if they ever did, and will add any information we get). Anyone who suffered damage is also urged to contact police, if they haven’t already. Ruby says they heard of at least four cars that were damaged; seven were mentioned by Chris, who tweeted about this last night.
ADDED 3:22 PM: According to Lt. Ron Smith from the Southwest Precinct, five vehicles in all have reported damage from this incident so far. He says that despite a search involving two K-9 teams, the driver and vehicle were not found, though a possible license plate was reported, so investigators are working on that.
Morgan Community Assoc.: CSO, SPD, SDOT …and a festival!
Will King County have to use “eminent domain” – taking possession of property, whether the owner likes it or not – to build a storage tank across from Lowman Beach Park, reducing combined sewer overflows (CSO)? The newest developments in the CSO project were a hot topic during Wednesday night’s quarterly Morgan Community Association meeting, which also tackled traffic safety and a request related to this summer’s Morgan Community Festival, plus a guest appearance by local police leadership. Details ahead!
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West Seattle Thursday: WSHS ‘Choice Night,’ Denny music, more
School events top our quick look at today/tonight’s highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar; it’s Choice Night/Information Night at West Seattle High School, 6:30-8 pm (new PTSA newsletter‘s online too); Denny International Middle School‘s winter concert is in the auditorium at Chief Sealth International High School, 7 pm; families interested in the new Bright Horizons child-care center that will open in Link (WSB sponsor) are invited to an information session at Cupcake Royale, 4-7 pm (more info here); also in The Junction, the local office of AAA Washington is marking its “Million Member Celebration” with a day of refreshments, discounts and contests, 9 am-6:30 pm (4701 42nd SW). … Tonight’s major community meeting: Alki Community Council, with Topic A “where do we go from here?” 7 pm, Alki UCC (here’s our preview).
TRAFFIC ALERT: Another closure tonight for the WESTBOUND Spokane Street Viaduct (the I-5 to SR-99 section of the West Seattle Bridge), 10 pm-5:30 am.
‘Break shame and silence’: Online survey needs more voices
Award-winning West Seattleite Bettie Williams-Watson is putting out the call tonight for more participation in an online survey with a very specific target group:
Greater Seattle area Black/African American girls and women, ages 14-25, about their impact experiences with domestic and sexual violence in predominantly African American faith communities (churches, mosques, temples or synagogues) in South, Central, or West Seattle.
It’s a project of her Multi-Communities (MIC) organization, with funding from a city grant. They’ve been seeking respondents since spring of last year and have extended the survey to February 10th in hopes of finding more. The official announcement cites federal statistics saying, “Black females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races,” adding, “The aim of this survey is to not only shed more light on these issues, but to break shame and silence, and increase individual and community awareness. What happens here impacts all of us. No one is immune from abuse.” Be forewarned, that the some of the questions in the survey are explicit; if you, or someone you know, qualifies to take it, Williams-Watson hopes you/they will. Here’s the link.
Just announced by the city:
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