West Seattle schools: Author Paul Owen Lewis @ Arbor Heights
(Photos courtesy Mark Ahlness – more on the AH Elementary Facebook page)
February is a most literary month at many West Seattle schools, with writing/reading events dotting many a calendar. Tonight, for the second consecutive night, we bring you a story about an author visiting a local school – this time, Northwest author Paul Owen Lewis at Arbor Heights Elementary. It’s the third time he’s visited AH, according to longtime teacher Mark Ahlness, who says Lewis’s first visit was in 1998 – that would have been before EVERY student currently enrolled at AH was born! He spoke to assemblies as well as to classes:
Mark says, “As always, he was dynamic, entertaining, and inspirational. A great day that the kids will remember!”
West Seattle Hi-Yu: Winning pin; looking ahead to Tea time
Summer will be here before you know it, and West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival volunteers/members have a lot to do. Notes from last night’s Hi-Yu membership meeting: This year’s Senior Court Queen Kayli Schulz was on hand in the West Seattle Hi-Yu sash, and is getting closer to receiving her crown. It was announced at the meeting that when she is coronated at the Hi-Yu Spring Tea and Auction on March 18 (2 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy, ticket info here), she will be crowned by the reigning Miss Seafair, Veronica Quintero.
Also shown at last night’s meeting – Diane Szender‘s winning design for the Hi-Yu trading pin – which you can look for at this year’s summer events, since it’s sold to the public as well as provided to royalty to trade with their counterparts from other festivals:
Diane explains that the goal was to incorporate the past pin design (which you can see on the Hi-Yu Facebook page) into the new one. Riley Fredericks also proposed a pin design (she’s behind this year’s float theme too).
Other discussions last night included fundraising logistics. Planning for the Tea is on track with donated auction items, and table captains, though they’d still love to have more donations. Other fundraising strategies are being brainstormed.
And the Hi-Yu Float is still in need of a storage site. Its undercarriage is in Everett at the moment; volunteers are going to help with locations to store supplies and build components, but Hi-Yu still would love to have a space donated where Seattle’s last remaining community-promoting float could be kept for easier access, maintenance, etc.
DESC Delridge project: Advisory committee sets public hearing date; Design Review moved up to March 8th
There’s one more week to go for public comment on the land-use-permit application for the DESC Delridge project (details here). And we just discovered tonight that the tentative date for the project’s next Design Review Board meeting has been moved up two weeks to March 8 (West Seattle Senior Center, 8 pm). But those are not the only opportunities you have for input on the proposed 66-unit homeless-housing project at 5444 Delridge Way SW. We’ve reported before on the community advisory group formed as part of the process – and tonight, its first public meeting has just been announced for February 21st. The official announcement was sent by Pete Spalding, who is co-chairing the group:Read More
Road relief: SDOT cancels Spokane St. Viaduct lane-reduction plan
(Spokane St. Viaduct work zone, photographed by Long B. Nguyen; click for longer/wider view)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The final phase of work on the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project will NOT require a lane reduction after all.
We talked with SDOT managers at the Muni Tower downtown this afternoon, following up on last week’s announcement at the Alaskan Way Viaduct South Portal Working Group meeting that the work on the east end of the West Seattle Bridge would require at least six weeks with one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes (reported here last Thursday).
Since then, SDOT says, they have figured out how to fit two lanes each way onto the new half of the SSV; they say they had been hoping all along to work that out, but it didn’t happen until after that briefing last week.
Right now, traffic in the project area between 99 and I-5 is flowing partly on new construction and partly on old:
In late March, when all traffic is shifted onto the new structure on the north side of the old one, the configuration will look like this:
SDOT also says they have NO daytime closures scheduled currently – neither weekend nor weekday – but reiterate that if any are necessary before the project’s completion in mid-summer, the notification and signage will follow the new guidelines spelled out in a report we brought you here last Friday. It resulted from a review of what happened Saturday, January 28th, with traffic backups much of the day because of what was supposed to be a weekend-long closure of the eastbound SSV, a surprise to many because there was no warning signage either ahead of time or during the shutdown.
We have more to add to this story – about the project’s overall status and some questions that have arisen along the way – but wanted to get this news out first; we’ll add the rest here shortly.
ADDED 6:30 PM: As promised, the rest of the story:Read More
West Seattle businesses: Eviction notice at Corner Store/Deli
Just four months after opening, the Corner Store and Deli in The Triangle is closed. The white and red posted flyers on the left side of the door are eviction notices and court documents that just turned up.
As some WSB’ers had pointed out in notes asking about the store’s status, it hadn’t been open much, if at all, lately; we don’t recall seeing its doors open for at least a week and a half. The space at 4415 Fauntleroy Way SW had previously long been known as Tervo’s Mini-Mart.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Alert neighbor helps nab burglary suspects
Earlier today we got a call from a woman who said she had tipped police off to burglars in her neighborhood, after seeing people running through her neighbors’ yard with what seemed to be loot – even dropping an XBOX game console at one point. We headed to the area, couldn’t find any police, but were pursuing a followup; SPD Blotter beat us to it by publishing the tale of how it unfolded:
On 2-7-12, at approximately 10:56 a.m., officers responded to the 1200 block of SW Myrtle St, to investigate a burglary in progress where the three suspects had fled from the house.
The victim called 911 when she observed the three suspects flee out the back door of her residence. Officers quickly arrived in the area and began a search. One suspect was located within minutes, a few blocks from the scene. The other two suspects were quickly located and positively identified by the witness.
All three suspects are male and 18-years-old. The trio was processed and booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Auto Theft and Burglary.
The suspects drove a stolen Honda to the scene. The Honda was recovered and held for processing by detectives.
Another reason why police make the request over and over again – if you see something suspicious, please call 911!
Followup: District about to explain new STEM elementary
Since the Seattle School Board‘s vote last month to create a new “option” elementary 
focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), to open this fall in a temporary home at the former Boren Junior High (left), many have asked – when will the district provide specifics about the plan for this school?
This afternoon, we have new information after following up with district spokesperson Lesley Rogers. She tells WSB, “A letter will go out to families in West Seattle this week announcing plans for the school, as well as a state for an open house” to be held before “open enrollment” starts February 27th. (We’ll add a copy of that letter when we receive it from the district communications team.) Rogers also says the district is creating a website for the new school, “hoping to get that up and running soon.”
The new school is also bound to be a topic tomorrow, when West Seattle’s school-board rep Marty McLaren holds her next community-conversation meeting, 11:15 am-1:15 pm at High Point Library (34th/Raymond).
Community-center changes: No more individual egg hunts
As spring nears, more people will be visiting local city-run community centers, possibly for the first time since major operational changes took effect. At Hiawatha Community Center this past Sunday, we talked with Parks’ Lakema Bell, who wants to remind you the changes come with a regional management structure change – she is one of two senior employees running this regional group, and they request “patience” while everything shakes out. Center hours are listed here. One BIG change will be noticed by hundreds of families this spring – no more individual community-center egg hunts like this one:
(Hiawatha 2010 egg-hunt photo by Jason Grotelueschen for WSB)
Lakema tells us that the former Southwest Community Center, which is now a Teen Life Center and future Neighborhood Service Center (we reported last month on the timetable for the NSC to move in), will play host to one major egg-hunt-and-more event this spring that will replace multiple smaller events. It’ll be a regional event on April 7th at the Southwest site, with staggered egg hunts for various age groups – on the athletic fields around the complex if the weather’s OK, indoors if not. They’re planning to make a festival of it by including a 1K fun run and a musical performance by West Seattle-based kindie-rock superstar Caspar Babypants. Full details are still being finalized – right now it looks like 11:30 am-3 pm with $5/person admission – but since it’s just two months away, you might want to mark that calendar now.
West Seattle Tuesday: From trivia to trees to PTSA meetings…
(Schmitz Park Bridge at sunset, by Steve Mohundro via the WSB Flickr group pool)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
LIBRARY STORY TIMES: Three this morning at libraries in West Seattle (babies/toddlers/preschoolers), and one “family story time” tonight – all listed on the Seattle Public Library Calendar of Events.
TOUR THE ORCHARD: Health and Harvest Tours begin at Community Orchard of West Seattle, 2-4 pm on Tuesdays.
WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY ORCHESTRAS : Tuesday night is rehearsal night, all detailed here, for returning AND new WSCO musicians; rehearsals at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle).
PATHFINDER K-8 MIDDLE-SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 6-7:30 pm tonight, 1901 SW Genesee. (Full tour/open house schedule on the school home page.)
CHIEF SEALTH IHS PTSA: Tonight’s a general meeting at 7 pm in the school library. The agenda includes updates from the principal and regional director of schools, as well as what the meeting notice describes as: “a facilitated hour-long workshop on communicating with your teen … (with) an interactive experience for all participants.” Tickets also will be on sale for the third annual Seahawk Spirit Dinner and Auction on March 3rd.
WEST SEATTLE HS PTSA: Also meeting tonight, 7 pm, with meeting highlights including updates from the school administration plus the latest on events including Senior Night and the West Seattle 5K.
NIGHTLIFE: Skylark Café and Club acoustic open mic night, starts 7 pm … Rock music/pop culture trivia at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 8 pm … “Geeks Who Drink” pub quiz at The Wing Dome in The Junction, 8 pm … Trivia at The Bridge, $2 registration beginning at 8 pm and play starting at 8:30 pm. … Free pool at Beveridge Place Pub, plus discounts on bottled Belgian beer … Starlight songwriter showcase at Shadowland, 9 pm.
West Seattle development: 1st listing, post-Triangle-area upzoning
For the first time (that we have seen in public listings, anyway) since the recent Triangle-and-vicinity upzoning/rezoning was finalized by the City Council, one of the upzoned lots has been put up for sale. It’s a 11,500-square-foot site on the east edge of The Junction at 4731 40th SW (map), south of Bank of America. County records say it is owned by the Andresen family; the listing says it is offered for $1.6 million. Here’s the flyer; it notes that the property was rezoned to NC3-85 (the latter is the maximum height) in December, 20 feet higher than previously allowed, and the listing says, “New zoning will allow density of plus or minus 70 units with views from upper floors.”
| 9 COMMENTS