day : 17/07/2015 12 results

(Photo by Lura Ercolano)
A show in the sky as we head into another big weekend of summer fun – with 90ish highs forecast to return.

(Photo by Greg)
Thanks for sharing the photos! (editor@westseattleblog.com)

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West Seattle Grand Parade 2015: Getting ready to roll!

July 17, 2015 8:32 pm

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| West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

Just hours until the West Seattle Grand Parade, and that means it’s time for last-minute prep! One of the entries you’ll see features representatives of local community councils – among them, Morgan Community Association, whose leaders have been working on the hats they’ll wear – here’s one modeled by president Deb Barker:

Since the group is MoCA for short, therefore coffee cups – get it? Meantime, local businesses will roll down the parade route too, including Potter Construction (WSB sponsor):

Potter shared the photo of Fran and Karl Coy decorating the truck for tomorrow. (Any other parade-eve photos to share? E-mail us! editor@westseattleblog.com)

In all, more than 90 entries are set to walk, march, roll, and motor on down California. We have late word that kid-entertainment favorite Bubbleman will be among them – along with unicyclists, trampoline jumpers, cannon-firing pirates, marching bands, drill teams, all sorts of fun. New to West Seattle? Don’t miss it! Not new to West Seattle? Don’t miss it! A few reminders from our previous publication of the parade-daybasics:

WHEN: 11 am start from California and Lander, headed to California and Edmunds, about a mile and a half. (Bus reroutes, parking restrictions, and road closures are staggered.)

BUT FIRST: The Seattle Police and Vancouver (BC) Police Motorcycle Drill Teams are first. So if you’re going to watch from the north end of the route, be in place 10:30 or so.

GET OUT ON THE ROUTE, #1: Run the parade route before the parade by participating in the Float Dodger 5K, 9:30 am start from in front of West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), 2743 California SW. If you’re not registered yet, you can sign up before the run.

GET OUT ON THE ROUTE, #2: Be in the Kiddie Parade! It leaves California/Genesee at 11 am, headed down the south end of the parade route.

REMEMBER THE ROUTE CLOSES: As early as 6 am in some spots – take a close look at your nearest NO PARKING sign – parking restrictions kick in on the bus-rerouting streets, as well as the route itself.

WHO’S WHO: Marty Riemer announces the parade in The Junction; County Executive Dow Constantine is Grand Marshal. Former West Seattle Big Band director Donn Weaver is the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community recipient. Judges are in various secret spots along the route, and award winners will be announced afterward. See you there!

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Emergency repair work this weekend at Murray CSO Control Project

July 17, 2015 6:31 pm

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| Utilities | West Seattle news

The biggest piece of equipment at the site of the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project across from Lowman Beach needs emergency repairs, according to King County, so they’re going to work on it this weekend. That’s explained in the alert notice you can see above (or here, if you can’t see the Scribd embed). It means the site will be “busier and noisier” than it usually is on weekends, with work starting at 9 am tomorrow. The project involves a million-gallon storage tank that’ll reduce combined-sewer overflows into Puget Sound and is scheduled to be finished next year.

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City seeks dismissal of developer’s lawsuit over assistance for tenants of to-be-demolished West Seattle Junction building

July 17, 2015 4:28 pm

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| Development | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

A new development in the lawsuit filed by a West Seattle development firm over the city’s contention that it owes compensation to tenants of a Junction apartment building it plans to demolish: The city has filed a motion to dismiss the suit, saying that since it hasn’t even moved forward to enforce the compensation issue, it’s too soon for the developer to sue – first it would have to challenge the enforcement action, if that ever happens.

SeattlePI.com broke the story of the lawsuit last month; it was filed by an entity of West Seattle-based development firm Blueprint against the city and against the tenants of 4528 44th SW (King County Assessor’s Office photo, above).

As first reported here last November, that 8-unit building is proposed to be torn down and replaced by a building with about 60 apartments. (The microhousing project passed the first phase of Design Review in March.)

The city issued a Notice of Violation on June 5th against Blueprint 4528 LLC, saying that it was violating the city’s Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance by not obtaining a Tenant Relocation License, which could have enabled compensation to the seven tenants as required if demolition is displacing renters; the company replied that the tenants weren’t being displaced by demolition, because they all have leases that expire in December, and the project won’t start until after that. The city’s filing for dismissal says that the company should make that case if and when enforcement is sought, not before that: “Other than being frustrated that the city issued a NOV, Plaintiff is not harmed by the NOV, or for having to wait for the City to take enforcement action,” the filing says.

No response by Blueprint 4528 LLC is on file yet; the dismissal motion was just filed on Wednesday afternoon. A hearing on the motion is set for September 2nd.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Fauntleroy Way backups again today

July 17, 2015 3:50 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(“Live” view from WSDOT camera looking northbound on Fauntleroy Way)
Thanks to SmokeyCretin and Erin for reports that southbound Fauntleroy Way has been backing up again this afternoon from the ferry dock as far as The Kenney (WSB sponsor). Various complicating factors today: As mentioned in our morning traffic/transit report, there’s a swim meet at Colman Pool again today (tomorrow too, so it’s closed to the public); also, the Vashon Island Strawberry Festival starts tonight, meaning more westbound traffic. So if you don’t absolutely have to use that stretch of road, don’t. Also keep in mind the WSF alert for next Monday and beyond, when they’ll be downsizing to a 2-boat schedule.

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THIS WEEKEND: Mediterranean Fantasy Festival shakes up Hiawatha

July 17, 2015 3:06 pm

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| West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photo: Rachel George dancing at 2014 MedFest)

Once again this year, right about the same time the West Seattle Parade heads south from California/Lander, nearby Hiawatha Community Center starts shaking with this year’s Mediterranean Fantasy Festival, MedFest for short. It’s two days of dancing on outdoor (east lawn) and indoor (gym) stages, plus vendors and food, free admission – 11 am-7 pm Saturday and 11 am-5 pm Sunday. The list of who you’ll see and when starts here.

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SATURDAY: Come celebrate Cove Park & Barton Pump Station

July 17, 2015 1:12 pm

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| Fauntleroy | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

More reminders about all the cool stuff happening in West Seattle this weekend – this one’s at the top of our list tomorrow afternoon between the West Seattle Grand Parade and West Seattle Outdoor Movies: Ribbon-cutting celebration for the restored pocket-beach Cove Park and upgraded Barton Pump Station, just north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock. 2-4 pm, including tours of the pump station (wear closed-toe shoes if you’re interested in taking the tour). Thanks to Phil Sweetland for the photo of posters made by local kids to remind everyone about tomorrow’s celebration!

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The WSBeat: Phone scam; mistaking Morgan for Tukwila; and more

July 17, 2015 11:07 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle police | WSBeat

By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

This edition of The WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases that (usually) have NOT already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, and many are not crimes, but might at least answer a lingering question such as “what WERE all those police doing on my block?” Or on the bridge, or the beach, or …

*After hearing about a suspicious phone call that a senior-citizen customer received, a pharmacy employee took the initiative to call 911 to report a potential scam. The customer had been told to wire $850 in order to claim an $840,000 prize. Officers warned the would-be victim how to protect himself against such schemes. A records check showed that the man had been victimized this way in the past.

*Early on the morning of the 12th, a woman awoke to a crashing sound in her apartment in the 6000 block of California Ave. SW: A stranger was climbing in through the window and blinds. After stumbling around the room for a few moments, he took his leave by climbing back out thru the same window. As officers were taking the victim’s statement, the “incredibly intoxicated” suspect returned and explained that he thought this was his house in Tukwila. (He had spent the night drinking at an Alki Beach bar.) He was released pending possible charges and was transported to his home.

Ahead – nine more summaries, including the case of the naked man in the parking strip:

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West Seattle Friday: Movie, music, games, Shakespeare … free!

July 17, 2015 9:58 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Bewick’s Wren – photo courtesy Arlene Rubin Photography)

With a huge weekend of summer fun on the way – Friday is off and running in lower-key, but still fun, style. Here’s a sampling:

HANDS-ON WILD SCIENCE IN HIGHLAND PARK: 10:30 am, Highland Park Improvement Club, for kids 5-12 – details here. (12th/Holden)

LAST-MINUTE SIGNUPS & PACKET PICKUP FOR FLOAT DODGER 5K: Not registered yet for tomorrow’s fun (costumes encouraged!) Float Dodger 5K before the West Seattle Grand Parade? Do it at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) during this afternoon’s registration/packet-pickup event, 3-7 pm. (2743 California SW)

ALMA Y AZUCAR @ SALTY’S: Live music tonight with a spectacular view as the weekend gets going at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), Latin and Jazz favorites with Alma Villegas (Alma y Azucar), 6-8 pm. (1936 Harbor SW)

MOVIE NIGHT AT HPIC: Doors at 6 pm, movie at 7 pm, bring your family/friends/neighbors to Highland Park Improvement Club; free (but bring $ for concessions) – info here. (12th/Holden)

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: Greenstage presents “Macbeth” at High Point Commons Park, 7 pm. Free! (Lanham & Graham)

GERI’S ALL-AGES GAME NIGHT: 7:30 pm, go play – free! At Kenyon Hall; details here. (7904 35th SW)

SO MUCH MORE! Just take a hop over to our calendar.

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Open house tomorrow to show off Fire Station 11’s million-dollar upgrade

July 17, 2015 8:37 am

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| Highland Park | West Seattle news

Just announced by the Seattle Fire Department: You’re invited to an open house 11 am-1 pm tomorrow at Fire Station 11 in Highland Park (northeast corner of 16th/Holden) to see the results of its million-dollar safety upgrade. See the details here. (The time is concurrent with the West Seattle Grand Parade, but if you want to go to both, our tip – watch the parade from the start of the route at California/Lander.) SFD has two other projects under way in West Seattle – upgrades at FS 29 in Admiral and a complete rebuild of FS 32 in The Triangle; both are at interim locations as a result.

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Highway 99 tunnel’s newest schedule: Digging again by year’s end?

July 17, 2015 8:14 am

| 29 COMMENTS

| Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news

(WSDOT-provided photo: Working on machine’s ‘main bearing’)

With a big reminder right in the middle of its announcement – “The state is not able to verify the contractor’s schedule” – WSDOT went public this morning with the newest projected schedule for the resumption of Highway 99 tunneling. It says contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners believes it will be digging again in late November, almost two years after its machine stopped, with a projected opening date of spring 2018. The schedule document made public by WSDOT is dated last month and goes through the tunnel-machine repairs piece by piece; WSDOT’s news release (read it in full here) quotes an STP executive as saying they couldn’t tell how long the repairs would take until they took the machine apart. It also says the cause of the damage discovered after the machine was shut down in December 2013 “has not been determined.” While the repair work continues, so does work on the tunnel’s portals, and WSDOT is showing off south-portal progress to media crews this morning.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday updates; weekend alerts including West Seattle Grand Parade, Float Dodger 5K

July 17, 2015 7:36 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Standard outbound commute so far, as Friday morning proceeds. Reminders for your Saturday:

GRAND PARADE & FLOAT DODGER 5K TOMORROW: On Saturday morning, California SW will close from The Admiral District to The Junction for the West Seattle Grand Parade, preceded by the Float Dodger 5K, until the end of the parade in early afternoon. No-parking signs should be in place on side streets to be used for parade staging and for Metro rerouting (see those reroutes on the Metro website), starting as early as 6 am Saturday. (P.S. Hiawatha Community Center, at the start of the parade route, also hosts the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival all weekend – so be aware it’s a VERY busy, as well as fun, place!)

FARMERS’ MARKET ON SUNDAY: The West Seattle Farmers’ Market returns to California between Oregon and Alaska on Sunday, its home since mid-June; the market hours are 10 am-2 pm, while the road closure is set for 7 am-4 pm.

CITYWIDE WEEKEND ALERTS: If you’re wondering what else might affect you as you travel around the city this weekend – tonight, for example, there’s a big soccer match at the CLink – here’s the SDOT alert.

8:19 AM: If you’re going to Lincoln Park today – try the bus. A caller says that with a swim meet at Colman Pool today (it’s closed to the public as a result, and that will be in our daily preview later this morning), the parking lots are filling/filled. (We’ll be checking on this shortly.)

ONE MORE WEEKEND ALERT: In White Center, this weekend brings the Jubilee Days street festival on 17th SW south of Roxbury and, on Sunday, the parade (see the route here).

9:00 AM: Crash reported at 35th/Avalon. Don’t know the severity yet.

9:20 AM: We sent a crew to check it out, since SDOT cameras in the area are broken, but in the meantime, we’ve heard via scanner that the intersection IS OPEN.

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