day : 24/02/2015 10 results

One week after announcing his run for the new District 1 City Council seat, West Seattle restaurateur Dave Montoure debuted his “stump speech” to a crowd of supporters at Easy Street Records.

He joked that he never expected he’d be doing an in-store performance someday at Easy Street, whose proprietor Matt Vaughan introduced him:

Here’s Montoure’s speech, hitting the themes he stressed in his campaign announcement last week:

His key points: Bringing “middle-class jobs to the peninsula,” especially by “reinvigorating … underutilized manufacturing and industrial land.” He mentioned repeatedly that he wants West Seattle to lead the city in “sustainable business practices” such as the food-composting program launched by businesses in 2008 when he led the Junction Association, and stepping up community-based policing, which he described as “a different shade of blue.” He dinged current city leadership for having no “game plan” for West Seattle’s transportation challenges, and for allowing public infrastructure to fall into disrepair while private investment such as development booms.

THE BIG PICTURE: Montoure is among 9 candidates so far for the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) seat. Filing deadline is in mid-May; the primary, from which two finalists will emerge, is August 4th, while the general election is November 3rd. In addition to enterprised campaign coverage, we also plan to cover as many open-to-the-public D-1 candidate speaking/Q-A appearances as we can, so that you’ll often see and hear from those vying for your vote in this first-ever election. Next one we know of is at tomorrow night’s Highland Park Action Committee meeting, 7 pm at HP Improvement Club, with candidate Amanda Kay Helmick on the agenda.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Looking for hit-run driver

February 24, 2015 9:01 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Quick West Seattle Crime Watch reader report tonight – the search for a driver who hit a bicycle rider and took off:

Heading north on 35th SW, just north of SW Findlay at approx. 6:15 am. Driver took off in a black automobile of unknown model & make. Passenger side view mirror torn off during collision into bicycle and rider. If anyone witnessed this incident or has any information about the driver, please contact police.

Here’s the incident number to mention if you contact police with a tip – 15-62400. The person who e-mailed is the bicycle rider’s wife; no major injuries, she says, but he was hurt and had to be seen at urgent care.

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How to make 35th SW safer? See the possibilities at March 10th, 12th meetings

February 24, 2015 6:14 pm

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| Transportation | West Seattle news

The dates are now officially set for two meetings at which you can see and comment on the proposed design alternatives for the 35th SW Road Corridor Safety Project, just hours after SDOT director Scott Kubly told the City Council Transportation Committee he expected an announcement within a few days. From the project website:

Please join us at our upcoming Design Alternatives Review meetings:

Tuesday, March 10, 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Neighborhood House, Room 207, 6400 Sylvan Way SW

Thursday, March 12, 3:15 to 5:15 PM
Southwest Library, Second Floor Meeting Room, 9010 35th Avenue SW

Here’s our coverage of the project kickoff meeting last October. Thanks to Chris Stripinis from the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council for the tip.

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Traffic alert: 2-week lane closure ahead at Fauntleroy terminal

February 24, 2015 4:00 pm

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| Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Heads up for Fauntleroy ferry-terminal users and people who drive/ride/walk in the area: The wrapping-up-soon Barton Pump Station Upgrade Project just north of the terminal will close the north lane at the terminal for two weeks around the clock, starting next Monday (March 2nd). It’s “to enable construction on a retaining wall,” says Annie Kolb-Nelson from King County, adding: “Flaggers will be onsite during busy commute times to guide traffic.” P.S. Full details are on the newest flyer.

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Wondering where the boat is? King County now has ‘Water Taxi Watch’

February 24, 2015 2:27 pm

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| Seen at sea | Transportation | West Seattle news

(Screengrab from Water Taxi Watch)
Wondering where your Water Taxi is? Just announced:

The King County Marine Division (KCMD) is excited to announce that we have gone live with our Water Taxi Watch system.

Water Taxi Watch, modeled after Washington State Ferries’ (WSF) very popular VesselWatch, allows you to track vessels on our routes in real time, including their position, speed, and direction. You can also find arrival and departure schedules and other useful information on the site. Hopefully the next foggy morning you are down at the dock and cannot see your vessel, you will be able to use this new tool to track the status of your boat.

This project was funded by a Federal Transit Administration technology grant and is a collaborative effort between WSF and the King County Marine Division. Please visit our website at kingcounty.gov/watertaxi for a link to this exciting new feature!

(Note: The site currently lists the vessel’s estimated arrival time. This is an estimate based on the scheduled crossing time added to the actual departure time and does not account for weather or other delays during the crossing)

The direct link is here – it’s hosted on the Washington State Ferries website (you’ll notice that it lists WSF vessels as well), and as noted in the announcement, is reachable via a button from the Water Taxi homepage.

SIDE NOTE: While there’s no official announcement from the county yet (we’re checking), BikeVashon says the first new Water Taxi, M/V Sally Fox (which will be on the Seattle-Vashon route), is expected to be dedicated March 28th.

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Signups start for free language classes at Seattle Chinese Garden

February 24, 2015 1:16 pm

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| Puget Ridge | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Signups just started for popular free classes at the Seattle Chinese Garden on Puget Ridge – the next session of the Community Chinese Corner:

Experienced Chinese teachers and student assistants lead these fun classes for all ages. Learning activities include talking about food, playing cards, and painting. Co-sponsored by the Seattle Chinese Garden and the Confucius Institute of the State of Washington. The sessions are free, but donations are welcome. Go here for more information.

The classes will be held alternate Tuesdays, March 24-June 30, 4:30-6 pm in the Chan Center at the garden, which is just north of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor). You can register online by going here. (2012 photo by Pollyanna Wang)

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Followup: West Seattle project updates, Highway 99 lane closure concerns @ Transportation Committee

February 24, 2015 11:26 am

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| Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Just wrapped up at City Hall, SDOT director Scott Kubly‘s briefing for the City Council Transportation Committee, chaired by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen. We previewed it here last Friday when his written updates arrived along with the meeting agenda; some changes and additions in the briefing, monitored via Seattle Channel‘s live webcast (update: here’s the archived video):

99/AURORA LANE CLOSURES: WSDOT has been warning about weeks of lane closures on 99 just north of downtown, starting as soon as March 7th, because of foundation installation for future messaging signs; Kubly said it appears southbound traffic will be affected the most. City Councilmember Mike O’Brien expressed concern that RapidRide E Line will be caught in the delays and wondered if the project could be postponed until additional transit service starts in June. “(The signs) are for a tunnel that’s been delayed 2 years,” he pointed out. This might all be brought up at next Monday’s council briefing meeting.

FAUNTLEROY BOULEVARD: As previously reported here, design for the Fauntleroy Boulevard project between 35th and Alaska is paused at 60 percent until a decision is made about undergrounding utilities, which would add ~$6 million to the price tag.

Rasmussen told Kubly he’ll be meeting with City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco, including a tour of the area, and Kubly offered to join them.

35TH, ROXBURY SAFETY PROJECTS: The official dates for the next meetings on these West Seattle projects will likely be in mid-March, not the potential early March dates mentioned in Kubly’s written report; the announcements are expected within a few days. Speaking about citywide corridor safety projects in general, Kubly said the problem to be solved is that the city’s road network was designed in the ’50s and ’60s for just one transportation mode, the car. So what’s happening now is “not really a war on cars, (but) trying to (re)design our streets to reflect the diversity of ways people want to get around Seattle,” and increasing safety since the current road designs encourage speeding.

47TH/ADMIRAL SIGNAL: With construction starting soon, Rasmussen mentioned concerns about notification of how parking removal will affect Alki Mail and others in the area. Kubly said that notification had first gone out last August that parking would be removed within 50 feet of the intersection (as noted on the project page).

Earlier in the meeting:

TRANSIT BOARD: The committee voted on the resolution creating a new 11-member citywide Transit Advisory Board, which goes to the full council for final approval next week. One topic of discussion – how to ensure that it will have representatives from around the city? Geographic representation is “not mandatory, but aspirational,” observed Rasmussen. O’Brien suggested tweaking the resolution language to further encourage geographic diversity.

(Photo: Screengrab from this morning’s Seattle Channel webcast)

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West Seattle Tuesday: Crime prevention; math help; cooking coaches; WSHS PTSA; more…

February 24, 2015 10:12 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle Tuesday: Crime prevention; math help; cooking coaches; WSHS PTSA; more…

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Monday photo by Don Brubeck)

Highlights of what’s up today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

MATH BUDDIES: 4 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library, K-5 students are invited to this drop-in, first-come-first-served program matching them with high-school-student volunteers to work on math – details here. (2306 42nd SW)

TEEN GRUB CLUB: 4 pm at High Point Community Center, teens cook for teens, exploring “healthy eating and cooking habits” – details here. (6920 34th SW)

WEST SEATTLE BLOCK WATCH CAPTAINS’ NETWORK: 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct, WSBWCN plans updates from SPD and a briefing on preventing/deterring property crime. All welcome – you don’t have to be part of a Block Watch to be there. (Webster/Delridge)

COUNCIL CAMPAIGN KICKOFF: One week after announcing he’s running for the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) City Council seat, Dave Montoure is having a public campaign-kickoff event tonight, 6:30 pm at Easy Street Records in The Junction. (California/Alaska)

WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL PTA: 7 pm at the school library, it’s the next general meeting of the WSHS PTSA, with agenda highlights previewed in the school’s online newsletter. (3000 California SW)

FAMILY STORYTIME: 7 pm, the whole family’s invited to Delridge Library – get there early because space is limited. (5423 Delridge Way SW)

FREE COMMUNITY/NEIGHBORHOOD LEGAL CLINIC: For this clinic sponsored by the King County Bar Association at the Senior Center of West Seattle, appointments start at 7 pm – you have to call in advance for one; details are in our calendar listing. (Oregon/California)

BLUES, BINGO, TRIVIA, KARAOKE, SONGWRITER SHOWCASE … all part of the nightlife lineup – check out the venues and details on our full calendar.

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Future college student in the house? Application time for scholarships offered by Rotary Club of West Seattle

February 24, 2015 9:28 am

| Comments Off on Future college student in the house? Application time for scholarships offered by Rotary Club of West Seattle

| Rotary Club of West Seattle | West Seattle news

This is the time of year when most college applications are in and students await acceptance letters. Then there’s the matter of how to pay for college. The Rotary Club of West Seattle is inviting applications right now for its annual Gambriell Scholarships, awarded to two or three local graduating seniors:

Here are the requirements:
· Available to any graduating high school senior student.
· Based on financial need and academic merit.
· Student would not otherwise be able to attend college without these funds.
· Preference given to West Seattle residents.

This year each recipient will receive $3,000 to $5,000, depending on number of recipients.
· Funds must be used on tuition and fees to accredited post-secondary educational programs.

The deadline for applications is fast approaching: April 15th, 2015. Recipients will be chosen by April 30th, 2015. Please e-mail Dotty Hughes, dotty.hughes@wafd.com, for an application. Applications may be returned by email, given to any West Seattle Rotarian, or mailed to the address on the application form.

The Rotary Club of West Seattle utilizes five avenues of service: Club, Vocational, International, New Generations and Community. The club’s foundation board (West Seattle Rotary Service Foundation) allocates funding annually to each avenue of service for projects. The Gambriell Scholarship is one of the Community Service projects of the club.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday updates; Admiral Way paving

February 24, 2015 6:43 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. No trouble spots in our vicinity so far. One big road-work reminder:

ADMIRAL WAY PAVING: SDOT will be working between Olga and 34th, starting around 7 am, just south of Admiral Way Viewpoint. They’re hoping to finish the work in just one day, according to the update we published Monday, and expect to keep one lane open each way.

Looking further ahead:

HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE ON SUNDAY MORNING: One more thing to add to the lookahead list we included here yesterday – the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K will close part of Highway 99 just north of downtown for a few hours on Sunday morning. Details are in this update from SDOT.

7:11 AM: Checking travel times from the city map – these are from the Admiral Way hill:

SR-99 Offramp 4 min.
1st Ave Offramp 5 min.
4th Ave Offramp 6 min.
I-5 NB/SB 6 min.
Stadiums via 1st Ave 8 min.
Stadiums via 4th Ave 10 min.
South Lake Union 14 min
Lower Queen Anne 16 min.
Green Lake via SR-99 21 min.
Ballard 22 min.
Shoreline via SR-99 27 min.

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