day : 13/09/2011 11 results

More than missing the sun on this cloudy day just past, tonight we’re missing the moon – so many nights in a row of watching it this past week-plus, as it set, glowing-coal red, behind Vashon, then as it rose golden in the sky, almost full, then finally full, from the Olympics. So here are two views from this week’s full moon: Above, Booker‘s view from The Junction last night; below, Anne from Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) shares the view from over the Duwamish on Sunday night:

If you too are a sky-watcher – note that our experimental WSB Weather page has moonrise/moonset/sunrise/sunset times. (Our reader survey last spring included many requests for expanded weather information, so we’re tinkering with this before serious fall/winter weather hits. You can also reach the page by clicking the temperature icon on the sidebar, under the bridge cam.)

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West Seattle street safety: Arbor Heights guards – and police

September 13, 2011 8:40 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Arbor Heights | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Two updates on safety near Arbor Heights Elementary School:

First: Thanks to the parent volunteer who shared that photo of the new group of AH crossing guards, sworn in by teacher Margaret Boitano at this week’s all-school assembly. We’re told that almost half of this year’s fifth-grade class trained last spring and are serving as crossing guards now – so keep an eye out for them if you’re driving in the area before/after school. (Safety news from other schools? Let us know!)

Second: Arbor Heights is featured in the latest roundup of Seattle Police Aggressive Drivers Response Team patrols – with four speeders and a “no proof of insurance” citation listed in the SPD Blotter writeup (which includes the latest ADRT efforts from other parts of West Seattle, including the bridge and W. Marginal Way SW).

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Own/operate a business in the Admiral District? You’re invited

September 13, 2011 7:35 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

In hopes of strengthening Admiral District businesses by bringing them together, just as the Safeway redevelopment brought a new dynamic to the area, the Admiral Neighborhood Association shared a letter and survey with more than 120 businesses this past summer (as reported here). The survey results are now compiled, and ANA, along with the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, invites Admiral business owners/merchants to a special meeting to both look at the results and talk about future possibilities. The formal invitation is here; it’s at 4 pm next Monday, September 19th, at the Porterhouse; again, it’s just for Admiral business owners/merchants, who are asked to RSVP to info@admiralneighborhood.org.

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Followup: Delridge Neighborhood Service Center closure plan

September 13, 2011 5:47 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | West Seattle politics

On the ground floor of Brandon Court, just north of the Delridge Library, the former DNDA offices are vacant – since they consolidated operations at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – and now there’s a proposal for the city to clear out of the Delridge Neighborhood Service Center next door.

We first reported this yesterday, when Mayor McGinn, Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, and acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams came to High Point to unveil their vision for how city-run community centers will operate next year. As part of that plan, the Delridge NSC – the only one left in West Seattle, after the Junction NSC closed in June – would close and move into the Southwest Community Center in Westwood. There were no Department of Neighborhoods reps available at the High Point media briefing to elaborate; the Delridge closure wasn’t even confirmed until more than an hour after our followup question at the briefing. But today, DON director Bernie Matsuno sent a followup note to Delridge Neighborhoods District Council chair Mat McBride and Southwest District Council co-chairs Susan Melrose and Tony Fragada. Through McBride, it was shared with us to publish publicly:

Yesterday morning, the Mayor and Councilmember Bagshaw held a press conference announcing recommendations for community center operations in the City’s 2012 budget. Among the recommendations presented, there was discussion on how community centers could be used in different ways, specifically noting the Southwest Community Center. In essence, it was proposed that the upstairs area of the Southwest Community Center serve as the home of the Neighborhood Service Center (NSC) serving West Seattle residents.

As you know, DON, as well as all other city departments, was asked to take budget reductions for 2012. Because of our economic reality, the Mayor wanted to look at how the City can do business differently while still preserving city services. By using an existing city-owned facility (in this case, the community center) for an NSC instead of renting a space, it makes the City more efficient and accessible, while saving the City money. And the assistance and support that our Neighborhood Service Center provides to West Seattle residents will remain intact at this new location.

However, opening this new location will mean the closure of the Delridge Neighborhood Service Center. While this proposed new location is further south, no reduction in Customer Service Representatives will occur. It will also not affect our Neighborhood District Coordinators; Steve, Yun and Ed will continue to support the West Seattle community.

I know this is yet another change for West Seattle, but this recommended model will save money while preserving services and is part of a longer-term vision of using city facilities to provide multiple services and activities for our community members. The Mayor will share the details in his proposed 2012 budget to be presented on September 26.

The community-center proposal also will be discussed when the City Council’s Parks Committee meets at 9 am September 15th (at City Hall downtown), and when the city Parks Board meets at 7 pm September 22nd (at Parks HQ downtown).

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West Seattle power-outage update: ‘Equipment failure’

September 13, 2011 4:17 pm

| 9 COMMENTS

| Fauntleroy | Utilities | West Seattle news

(Updated screen grab of City Light outage map – click here for a “live” look)
ORIGINAL 4:17 PM REPORT: Just got a note from Eddie, who says they “heard a big explosion … south of Fauntleroy ferry dock,” and are without power. The City Light map says 165 customers in that area are without power, and the cause is listed as “equipment failure,” with hopes of getting the power back by 7 pm. More as we get it.

4:25 PM UPDATE: Now up to 335 customers affected. We’re headed for the Fauntleroy/Endolyne business district to make sure they’re OK. (Update – they are, power IS on in the business district; the map above is from City Light’s website, and suggests the outage area starts just south of there, and is mostly west of 45th/Marine View Drive.)

6:21 PM UPDATE: The City Light map reverted to 165 customers (homes/businesses, though we believe this is all residential) so we’re going with that. It also has changed the restoration estimate to 2 am. And we’re hearing there is a Comcast outage in the area as well.

6:47 AM UPDATE: Still not fixed, according to the SCL map, which is back to the 335-customer estimate, and listing early-afternoon restoration. We’ll be checking directly with the utility’s media team as soon as they’re reachable this morning.

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Unusual ‘tour’ comes to West Seattle tomorrow: Home dialysis

September 13, 2011 4:02 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Health | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Flash Media Services)
That’s Jim Smith, who lives in Indianola, on the Kitsap Peninsula, but is stopping here in West Seattle – not too far from home – tomorrow and Thursday, during his national road trip to “educate the public about home dialysis,” according to a media advisory we received today. Jim is a Northwest Kidney Centers patient, and he’ll be visiting the West Seattle Kidney Center at 4045 Delridge Way SW in his motor home, equipped with a home hemodialysis unit from NxStage. Spokesperson Cynthia Flash explains that you’ll be welcome to talk with him “while he dialyzes himself in the comfort of his motor home. Home hemodialysis allows patients to decide when and where to dialyze, and also allows them to dialyze more often during the week, which is better for their long-term health than the typical three-per-week schedule for patients going to dialysis centers.”

She says this technology isn’t new, but stil isn’t widely used, either, but can allow dialysis patients more freedom: “Jim is able to travel the world with his mobile dialysis machine. He went on a week-long Caribbean cruise with his wife Claire last year and he’s also traveled with the machine to Bermuda, Jamaica and Canada. Jim has even outfitted his motorcycle with a trailer to haul the dialysis machine!” She says Type II diabetes and high blood pressure led to Jim’s kidney failure four years ago, and he has been a dialysis patient since then. You are invited to visit him in the motor home outside the Kidney Center 2-6 pm both days, tomorrow and Thursday.

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Another birthday celebration Saturday: Hiawatha’s centennial

September 13, 2011 2:46 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| Fun stuff to do | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

(A moment in early Hiawatha history: Kids at play in 1912)
So many big events around West Seattle this Saturday! We’ve talked about the Delridge Day/Delridge Skatepark Grand Opening festivities and Holy Rosary’s WestFest (which starts Friday night; here are the newest details) – and there’s one more festival-grade celebration: the Hiawatha Community Center/Park Centennial. You’ve probably seen the posters and signs for various events 11 am-5 pm; we just checked in with Seattle Parks to get a more-specific schedule, in case you want to do some early weekend-planning:

11 am: 5k walk/run, Olmsted Presentation, Pickleball Tournament
Noon: Class Demos, Olmsted Park Tour
12:30 pm: 3 on 3 Tournament
2 pm: Mayor McGinn will welcome the crowd; community members speak; barbecue starts; face-painting; jumpy toys; Balloon Buffoon
2:45 pm & 3:45 pm; Live music

We know Trevor Ras and Boomerang Summer are on the bill (they sent their own announcement today. So while you’re enjoying all the West Seattle festivities on Saturday, stop by and wish Hiawatha a happy birthday, too. Might even be as much fun as this:

(Another moment in early Hiawatha history: Skookum Club Stunt Night, 1913)

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Also about to be built: SW Cloverdale sidewalk in Highland Park

September 13, 2011 1:20 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Highland Park | Safety | West Seattle news

(“Before” photo from the city webpage for the sidewalk project)
A project announced in March, at a Highland Park Action Committee meeting is about to become reality: One block of new sidewalk, on the south side of SW Cloverdale, between 8th and 9th SW. SDOT‘s Doug Cox, who briefed HPAC six months ago, says today that work will start “in about two weeks.” The neighborhood has long been requesting this as a safety improvement for getting to nearby Westcrest Park, and now that more park space is being developed there in connection with the West Seattle Reservoir-covering project, $100,000 is being spent from the Bridging the Gap levy fund. Here’s the official construction-alert flyer (which says the work should be done by late October), and here’s an engineering document, for those who are interested in the most intricate details.

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West Seattle development: ‘Cooper at Youngstown’ construction about to start in North Delridge

September 13, 2011 11:15 am

| 25 COMMENTS

| Delridge | Development | West Seattle news

Developers of the revived/resold 26th/Dakota project came to last night’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting at Dragonfly Pavilion with a few big updates.

(From left, NDNC’s Kirsten Smith, Michael Taylor-Judd, Diane Vincent, developer Maria Barrientos, NDNC’s Amanda Leonard)
Maria Barrientos from Barrientos LLC said construction would start on the project (whose revival was first reported here a month ago) in a matter of days. (Also present was a rep from primary developer Legacy Partners, but Barrientos led the discussion.) And she revealed the 190-apartment building (designed years ago as condos, but then the market changed) now has a name: Cooper at Youngstown. (It’s close to the historic Cooper School, which in turn is now home to Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.) This morning, as we were writing this story, a news release announcing the impending construction arrived. Read on for more of what Barrientos had to say last night, plus that news release:Read More

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Clementine turns 5! And you’re the party’s guest of honor

September 13, 2011 8:41 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Clementine owner Linda Walsh, photographed Monday by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Happy 5th anniversary to Junction shoes/accessories powerhouse Clementine and its owner Linda Walsh! Her feisty, fashionable Junction shop was one of the first local businesses we tracked even from the butcher-paper-on-windows stage; our archives show that five years ago today, we noted that the lights were on and shoes/purses were on display at the then-about-to-open Clementine. Now, after five lively years, Linda, her team, and their legions of stylish fans are preparing for a party. 10 am-6 pm this Saturday (September 17th), as announced on Clementine’s site, not only will shoppers be offered cake and mimosas, they’ll also get a “mystery discount” – at least 5 percent, maybe as much as 50 percent. Stop by and help Clementine celebrate the Big 5 on Saturday; keep an eye out for more previews at clementines.com, or on Facebook, here. (What? Never been? 4447 California SW)

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West Seattle Tuesday: Live in Junction, Admiral, Fauntleroy?

September 13, 2011 6:43 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by WSB contributor Keri DeTore)
Community councils/associations are getting back to their regular meeting schedules – and tonight is one of those busy “second Tuesdays.” Three groups’ meetings are part of the highlights for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

JOB-SEARCH SUPPORT GROUP: “Notes from the Job Search” group at C&P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor; 5612 California SW), 11 am.

POOCHES TAKE THE PLUNGE: Dog Days of Summer swimming sessions – dogs only, pool is closed for people until next year! – at Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club, fundraiser for water-polo team continues every day this week, 5-7 pm, details here

COOKING BENEFIT: 22 of the area’s top chefs meet tonight at Salty’s on Alki for “Cooking with Class,” an event to benefit seniors at Providence ElderPlace and Heritage House at the Market. Participants who pay $125 each will learn cooking secrets and will join the chefs for food and wine, 6-9 pm. More info at www.seattledining.com/cwc – see if there’s any room left; call Connie at 206-283-9067 or connie@seattledining.com.

INTERESTED IN HEALTH/FITNESS? Advocare event tonight at The Bridge,
4439 35th Avenue SW, 6 pm to 7:30 pm – more details on the Facebook event page.

THREE COMMUNITY MEETINGS TONIGHT: The Fauntleroy Expressway Seismic Retrofit Project – updated at last week’s Southwest District Council meeting – is on two agendas tonight, Junction Neighborhood Organization, 6:30 pm, Ginomai (42nd and Genesee), and Admiral Neighborhood Association, 7 pm, Admiral Congregational Church (California/Hill). Also meeting tonight, the Fauntleroy Community Association, 7 pm at the schoolhouse (9131 California SW).