West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
So many things that should be basics for students are now “extras.” So, along with raising and educating kids, parents and teachers have to be crowdfunders and event planners, among other things. Some schools’ core communities have resources to draw on … some don’t. In the latter category is the little elementary school in a wooded corner of Puget Ridge, Sanislo. Its longtime tagline has been “the small school with big ideas.” One big idea: Ask the wider community for support. Rebecca Evans hopes you’ll answer the call:
Sanislo Elementary’s Tropical Nights annual auction is next Friday, June 9th at 6 pm. WE HAVE ONLY SOLD 40 out of 200 tickets! While desperation is not really my thing, I’m afraid we will really let the students down if I don’t make a serious call for help.
We are a Title I school and are already limited on financially capable parents, community support and attendees to combat this. Other neighborhood schools in the area have the capability to raise anywhere between 80-120k at their auctions…we have a goal of 5k.
Underserved students have a much higher chance of resorting to unhealthy activity in life like violence, crime, and drugs when not supported otherwise. With 70% of our students receiving free or reduced lunch, a high percentage of refugee families trying to assimilate to a new environment, and an 18% homeless rate, our students are, statistically, primary targets for these outcomes.
Through your support, we have the ability to re-direct mindsets, perceptions and natural barriers to success by providing educational and enrichment EQUITY to help ALL our students become contributing community members by way of support services and enrichment programs.
Please consider supporting the youth in your community by purchasing a ticket and joining us for a night of great fun, food, and music.
We have Two Story Zori, a popular Island band who will be performing and lots of fantastic items for bidding!
You can purchase tickets at www.sanislo.org, where you can also donate to the school’s efforts, even if you aren’t able to make the event!
Please please please consider being a part of changing the narrative! The difference you can make through this small contribution could be life-lasting for our students.
Tickets are only $10 online in advance, including a drink, and the party’s at the legendary Highland Park Improvement Club.
Half a year ago, we told you about the plan for the former Alki Huddle to become Hawks Nest West. After extensive remodeling of the space at 2806 Alki SW, The Hawks Nest is finally ready to open its Alki expansion – in “soft open” mode tonight, and then officially opening at 3 pm tomorrow (Thursday, June 1st). We stopped by for photos late today.
Like its sibling establishment in SODO – and as you would guess from the name – Hawks Nest West has a sports theme.
Here’s a photo of the menu. It will be open 3 pm to midnight for the first two weeks, we’re told, then 11 am to midnight, with weekend brunch to be added soon.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The supermarket’s shelves are mostly bare.
The chain’s CEO stood among them, looking around, and was … happy.
That’s the unusual scene we encountered this afternoon at PCC Natural Markets-West Seattle (WSB sponsor), which has hours to go before closing for the site’s redevelopment, including its new store, almost twice as big. Cate Hardy, PCC CEO and West Seattle resident, explained that the empty shelves represent a gift of sorts – they put much of the merchandise on sale in hopes of selling as many items as possible to the store’s loyal, local customers, instead of doing what a supermarket chain might do instead, just load up the leftovers and truck them to another store.
Our photos tell the story of just how much has been sold. The last prepared foods, Hardy noted, were cooked a few hours ago – the deli wasn’t sold out yet when we visited at mid-afternoon, but the store’s closing early tonight – 10 pm – and we can’t guarantee you’ll find much of anything if you visit this evening. The produce section, for example, was not only mostly bare, the center display stands had been moved out.
As Hardy walked us around the store, she noted that much of its equipment will be set up in the new Burien store opening next year. Many staffers are moving to other stores; Corinne, West Seattle manager for four years, isn’t – she told us she’s “semi-retiring.” For now.
She and other staffers have special West Seattle pins in commemoration of the soon-to-be-demolished store. Hardy observed that the “energy level is high” despite the looming shutdown, and that’s what we observed too.
The store had a Staff Appreciation Day party two weeks ago, with food trucks (including vegan Plum Bistro). And this afternoon, a mini-bash with (organic, of course) corn dogs and ice cream was happening in the upstairs break room. That’s also where employees are signing the wall:
They’re also proud of the cards and other messages they’ve received expressing appreciation:
Before customers exit the front door, they’re seeing this sign, with the reminder of other PCC stores, plus delivery options – Instacart and Prime Now – that will bring PCC merchandise to customers in West Seattle.
PCC is scheduled to reopen in 2019 as the only retail tenant in the Madison Development Group project on the site, which also will include 100+ apartments and 150+ offstreet parking spaces, including the existing surface corner lot west of the alley.
LOOKING FOR BACKSTORY? This WSB report from 11 months ago, when PCC finalized its spot in the new development, has a lot.
We heard much of this unfold on the scanner early today, but not enough for a report until the Block Watch captain sent this in:
:We reported, and SPD arrested, a car prowler on our block, 8800 block of 42nd Ave SW, last night/this am @ 12:30 AM.
From our front window we observed a man getting out of the car that is not working parked across the street … This was suspicious as that car does not move. The suspect moved down the block, zig zagging, trying every car and getting into some and sitting – probably stealing. By this time we had called 911. SPD response was within 3 min. They were able to apprehend the suspect … and they took him to jail. Hope he spent the night thinking about his actions! … Please keep a sharp eye out for any suspicious behavior and don’t be shy about calling 911. Their quick response time was commendable. We had no less than 8 SPD cars on the block within a few minutes of our call.
Response times, of course, can vary depending on what else was going on … before that, it was pretty quiet in this area. There was also a big response this morning when a neighbor near 25th/Roxbury called in a report of someone entering a house through a window .. the house turned out to be “registered as vacant,” according to police-radio traffic. We don’t know how that one turned out.
Speaking of strengthening crime prevention and safety in your neighborhood – Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Burbridge just sent word that registration is open for this year’s Night Out – Tuesday, August 1st:
National Night Out registration is officially open! Registration remains open until 5 pm on Monday July 31st. Community members can visit seattle.gov/police/community-policing/night-out to register and access printable invitations, street closure signs, and logos for your event.
Night Out is a national event promoted in Seattle by Seattle Police Department Crime Prevention. It is designed to heighten crime prevention awareness, increase neighborhood support in anti-crime efforts, and unite our communities.
As mentioned here last week, Seattle Public Schools reps will be at Louisa Boren STEM K-8 tomorrow night for a meeting about the possibility that the district will seek to move the school to another building.
The STEM community has since received more elaboration from associate superintendent Flip Herndon about what’s being considered and why. He says that as the district plans its February 2019 BEX V ballot measure, with possible school renovation/reconstruction projects including Alki and Lafayette Elementaries, they’re assessing what they have for interim sites – and finding the inventory lacking. Boren had long been an interim site, Herndon notes, and is bigger than what’s left around the city. His statement says Alki and Lafayette might be rebuilt at the same time, and that would “require a site to accommodate more than 1,000 elementary students.” Herndon’s message continues:
Current possibilities on interim locations would still be John Marshall (in use until 2021), Original Van Asselt (in use 2018-2020), Roxhill, Schmitz Park, Webster (won’t be open for any use until 2020).
The possibility of having Boren used as an interim site, as it has been in the past, would clearly have an impact on the STEM K-8 School and any move would require that any new space would be able to meet the facility needs of the program, which would include lab spaces and rooms that are able to meet the academic needs of all students. We realize that there are some concerns about needs at any site they include spaces to support CTE programs, science, two PE teachers, athletics, seven special education programs, preschool, technology integration, and middle school programming in general. Furthermore, STEM K-8 will have experienced dramatic change and growth for four consecutive years through 2017-18. Moving to a facility with significant limitations will disrupt efforts to build consistency and stability in a new K-8 program. Timing is a challenge as well. Work has to be done in preparation for any site, interim or not, in the 2017-19 timeframe to be prepared for school needs. We are also looking at the balance of options within clusters of schools. We are trying to make sure every middle school attendance area has additional options for students and families.
We are having the conversations now so we can get the perspective and understanding of impacts before we make any final decisions on how we will be able to accommodate our physical capacity needs for the next 10-20 years. These decisions and conversations are not taken lightly and they are helping to have SPS be able to meet multiple demands from multiple communities. We are looking at making some decisions, at the earliest, in October 2017 and at the latest January 2018.
Meantime, the STEM PTA is making its case about why the school needs to stay at the location designated its permanent site in 2013, rather than make a move considered likely to be to the former Schmitz Park Elementary campus:
• In its current location, STEM is able to serve all of West Seattle. By contrast, the boundaries of Schmitz Park’s northwest location would negatively impact equitable access to the school for students in the community.
• STEM is the only option school in the Denny Middle School service area, and has a geographic zone aligned with West Seattle Elementary. That geozone would change if the school moves to Schmitz Park, which means placement of students from the less diverse, more affluent neighborhoods of West Seattle would take priority over students living in the central and south areas.
• The current capacity of the Schmitz Park building is 216 without portables. The public voted to approve the BEX IV levy, in part, to get children out of portables. Moving a school from an adequate site to one where 60% of students would be in portables disregards the wishes of the taxpayers and the goal of the District to provide permanent classrooms for West Seattle’s growing student population.
• STEM provides a unique project-based curriculum. The high demand for this type of curriculum, as demonstrated by our projected 2017-18 enrollment of 539 (and waitlist of 189), will continue to grow and can only be accommodated at Boren. STEM’s Special Education families depend on the valuable services offered at the school – any disruption to these services is unacceptable.
• Schmitz Park was designed as an elementary school and does not have the physical infrastructure to support middle-school programs and activities.
• A move to Schmitz Park will create logistical hardships for families living in the southern neighborhoods of West Seattle, increase transportation costs for the school district, and increase vehicle traffic in the residential neighborhood surrounding the location.
Thursday night’s meeting is at 6:30 pm at STEM K-8 (5950 Delridge Way SW).
If you own property, your new valuation notice(s) will arrive sometime in the next few months. And prepare yourself for possible jumps – the areas of King County where the average valuation has gone up double digits, the county assessor says, include these:
· Boulevard Park / White Center – 18.6%
· High Point / Highland Park – 15.8%
· Eastern West Seattle – 13%
Here’s the full news release (and note the part about appraisers – the county doesn’t want you to be startled if one visits you):
The King County Assessor’s Office has begun the annual process of mailing valuation notices to over 700,000 property owners. Notices will continue arriving to property owners through September.
In most areas of the county, property values are up again this year. Higher valuations, however, do not necessarily translate into higher property taxes, said Assessor John Wilson.
“Most people don’t realize that the fluctuating value of your property has less to do with changes in your tax bill than do measures approved by voters,” said Wilson. “Decisions made by voters, in terms of approving special levies; and by elected officials in terms of adopting budgets, determine the total amount of tax to be collected in your area; the value of your property determines your share of that total amount.”
Wilson continues to encourage property owners to sign up to receive their annual property valuation notice via email instead of through the USPS. This electronic valuation notice program is convenient for property owners, will save money for the Department of Assessments, and is environmentally friendly.
To sign up, go to kingcounty.gov/assessor and click on the Go Paperless window for details. Paperless notifications saves taxpayer dollars in staff time, materials and postage.
Property owners who believe their assessment may be incorrect, can appeal to the Board of Equalization (BOE). This must be done within 60 days of receipt of the 2017 valuation notice. Details are available (here) – the BOE (is here).
State law requires each county assessor to revalue property annually, and to conduct an on-site physical inspection of each property at least once every six years. Property values are determined by certified appraisers who assess property based on comparable sales, various attributes of a particular property, and/or income generated by the property.
You can also check your county-determined property value online via the King County Parcel Viewer.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
11:46 AM: Seattle Fire has just increased the size of its response to an incident at 41st and Oregon. It’s described as an injured person on the 2nd floor of an under-construction building. We have a crew on the way.
11:53 AM: SFD says the person they’ll be rescuing from the project – which is the under-construction Quail Park (WSB sponsor) at 4515 41st SW [map] – is a man about 40 years old with a leg injury.
11:56 AM: SW Oregon is blocked between California and 41st because of the emergency response. Our crew has just arrived; we’ve added a photo showing the blocked street. SFD is using a ladder truck to bring down the patient so he can be taken to the hospital.
12:10 PM: Our crew reports the man is safely down and in the medic unit.
12:26 PM: He’s in stable condition, according to SFD, which told us that there were early indications the injury happened when something fell on him. The state usually investigates work-site injuries and we will be checking with them. Meantime, our crew says SW Oregon just reopened.
(Sun through the trees along the track at Hiawatha, photographed last weekend)
Highlights for the rest of your Wednesday:
CAREER FAIR: Under way now until 1 pm at Bartell Drugs‘ corporate headquarters in West Seattle:
Interview on-site for: Pharmacy Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Pharmacist, Pharmacy Manager, Cashier, Receiving/POS Clerk, 2nd Assistant Manager, Assistant Manager, Store Manager. Entry level and management level roles available.
Bring your resumé. (4025 Delridge Way SW, #400)
LAST DAY FOR WEST SEATTLE PCC BEFORE CONSTRUCTION CLOSURE: After today, PCC Natural Markets-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) closes its current store in advance of the site owner’s redevelopment project, which will include a new, larger PCC store. Here’s our story from last week about your options during construction. (2749 California SW)
LOWMAN BEACH SEAWALL MEETING: The north seawall at Lowman Beach Park is crumbling. Seattle Parks is looking at removing it. Will the tennis court east of it stay? Parks invites you to learn, and comment, at an open house tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 6:30-7:30 pm. (9131 California SW)
THE BILLY JOE SHOW: 8-11 pm at Parliament Tavern: “Honky tonk for the soul with Billy Joe Huels of The Dusty 45s, featuring Robin Cady, Kohen Burrill, and guitar legend Rod Cook.” 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
WEEKLY OPEN MIC: No cover, 21+, 8:30 pm at The Skylark. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE … via our complete calendar.
It’s fun to be first!
On June 10th, you can claim that label just by participating in the first-ever Roll Hawks 5K at Lincoln Park, presented by the Chief Sealth International High School PTSA to benefit the school’s cross-country team. You can register right now by going here – all registered runners get “a T-shirt, bag of local discounts, and smiles along the entire course.” The Roll Hawks 5K is set to start at 9 am Saturday, June 10th, near the waterfront picnic shelters at the park.
In April, we published a warning from the Port of Seattle that truck traffic was expected to increase in May, especially at Terminal 18 on Harbor Island, as shipping alliances shifted. And indeed, we’ve been hearing concerns about backups, including onto the westbound bridge from the Harbor Island exit, early in the morning. Just before the holiday weekend, we asked SDOT what’s being done; just after it, spokesperson Sue Romero replied:
SDOT’s Transportation Operations Division is in regular contact with the Port of Seattle and Northwest Seaport Alliance about Terminal 18’s increased truck volume. The Port and Alliance send daily updates on changes made to help alleviate the truck volumes – especially in the early morning and after lunch time, when volumes can be high. Terminal 18 management now opens their gates earlier and are storing some 300-400 trucks on their property before they begin the day, to try and prevent early backups. They have also opened more entrances for truck intake on Harbor Island (Gates 2 and 4) instead of using only their main gate (Gate 1).
Portable signs, supplied by the Port of Seattle and the Alliance, have helped direct trucks to the additional gates, and SDOT is reviewing more permanent signage to help direct trucks to their destination and alleviate congestion. The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement team, as well as Port of Seattle Police and the Seattle Police Department, have worked to help clear choke points. We have also been in contact with the affected businesses on Harbor Island to help understand their own needs as truck traffic increases due to the altered patterns around Terminal 18.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, Terminal 18 management opened their facilities on Saturday and then took the unusual step of adding extra hours on Monday, Memorial Day, to help reduce the number of weekday deliveries.
We checked traffic cameras this morning for any signs of backups; none were in view. If you see recurrences, however early, please consider letting us know once you arrive wherever you’re going (unless you’re a passenger and can safely call or text) – 206-293-6302 – as we’d like to keep following up on this.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:52 AM: Good morning! We’ve checked around and are finding no current incidents in/from West Seattle.
NOTES: In the stadium zone, you’ll find Mariners traffic tonight, as the team starts a new homestand (7:10 pm vs. Colorado) … Looking ahead, the Highway 509 NB repaving project starts Sunday …
8:09 AM: SDOT reports a stalled vehicle on NB 99 north of the bridge partly blocking the bus lane.
8:36 AM: The vehicle’s been cleared to the shoulder, SDOT reports.
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