day : 14/06/2018 10 results

Sunset sailaway for the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) tonight. Thanks to everyone who messaged us to let us know; the photos above and below are from James Tilley.

It’s been about four weeks since the carrier returned from two months of exercises.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Fish heist

THURSDAY NIGHT: That screen grab is from security video that Seattle Fish Company in The Junction (4435 California SW) told police shows someone stealing $6,000 worth of newly delivered fish early today. The report texted to us said the fish was taken right after Ocean Beauty dropped it off around 7:30 am. If you have any information, the theft report filed with police is 2018-216072.

FRIDAY MORNING: The fish has been recovered; here’s our followup.

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HAPPENING NOW: West Seattle Art Walk, June 2018 edition

June 14, 2018 6:16 pm

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| West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

6:16 PM: It’s on! You are invited to get out and enjoy the June 2018 West Seattle Art Walk right now. We featured this month’s map and venue list in our daily preview – one of this month’s featured venues is Click! Design That Fits (4540 California SW; WSB sponsor), with three watercolor artists in the house tonight, and Click! shared the photo. Remember that food and beverage venues are on the list too, some with specials you can enjoy while out on the Art Walk. More to come!

7:51 PM: On the other side of the street, we stopped by CAPERS (4525 California SW), which is spotlighting painter Magdalena Cooney:

While you’re there, wish proprietor Lisa Myers “happy anniversary”:

CAPERS has been in business for 33 years!

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FOLLOWUP: Fact-finding visit in advance of mayor’s now-postponed Highland Park visit

June 14, 2018 4:26 pm

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| Highland Park | Safety | West Seattle news

(WSB photos. Foreground from left, HPAC vice chair Gunner Scott, mayor’s rep Kyla Blair, HPIC board member Kay Kirkpatrick, pas HPAC co-chair Michele Witzki, HPAC chair Charlie Omana, Dutchboy Coffee’s Jenni Watkins)

Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s promised visit to Highland Park has been postponed – Highland Park Action Committee still meets June 27th as usual, but will feature other guests. However, a member of her staff, Kyla Blair, kept her date to meet with HPAC leadership and other community advocates to scout out top concerns – particularly the SW Holden/Highland Park Way traffic mess.

We were invited to go along with the delegation as they walked Blair down from Highland Park Improvement Club (12th/Holden) to the problem-plagued intersection during the Wednesday morning outbound commute. They got to show her, firsthand, driver cut-throughs on side streets (above, SW Portland) to escape the logjam at the intersection.

And they told the story of the roundabout that has gone unfunded, despite a state grant application that had high-profile support plus more than 400 community members’ petition signatures. The mayor’s assistant got to see students and others crossing Highland Park Way without benefit of a crosswalk.

The roundabout saga is just the latest in 80 years of traffic concerns at the intersection, as shown in city records – and in WSB coverage (a few high-profile crashes were brought up). Overall, there’s long been a “lack of city investment” in Highland Park, as HPAC chair Charlie Omana described it. “It’s a historically redlined neighborhood,” vice chair Gunner Scott added. Durkan’s predecessor Ed Murray visited for one of his Find It, Fix It Walks last year, but little has resulted. Meantime, as noted along the way, both Highland Park Way and Holden are seeing redevelopment, further adding to traffic.

Though the actual walk on Wednesday morning had to be limited to the Highland Park Way/Holden visit, there was also discussion about the need for improvements at 16th/Holden; Jenni Watkins, in her second year of operating Dutchboy Coffee at that intersection, talked about seeing crashes and helping people who got hurt. Before long, Blair had to get back to City Hall, and promised she’d convey what she heard. Meantime, Omana will be booking a new date for the mayor’s visit.

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DEVELOPMENT: It’s all about the rowhouses – including a project inspired by tiny houses

June 14, 2018 2:43 pm

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| Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Two rowhouse reports today:

PIGEON POINT PROJECT: The eight-unit rowhouse project on the former City Light substation site at 21st/Andover has taken shape in an eye-catching way. An inquiry into a neighbor’s question led us to look more closely at the project, and we found the site plan noting that each of the eight units would be 600 square feet – far smaller than the average for-sale project, so we sought further details from the designer, Cleave Architecture and Design, whose Justin Kliewer replied:

As you mention, they will be small units, but the slope of the site allows them to be spread over two floors and a mezzanine, each of which looks out over a maple grove and includes a small deck. The developer is planning to integrate some clever built-in storage ideas, spiral stairs, and other ways of making the small space livable. We approached the project with a similar mindset as a tiny house, and are excited to try out these smaller units as a way of providing a lower-cost home ownership option.

The project’s on-the-record address is 3855 21st SW [map]. County records show Greenstream Investments bought the 8,000-sf ex-substation site for $185,000 in October 2016; it was originally listed as seeking “a minimum bid of $400,000” until the broker selling it for the city changed that to a “major price reduction” a few months before the sale.

And from today’s Land Use Information Bulletin:

NORTH DELRIDGE ROWHOUSES: Today’s notice opens a comment period for a 9-unit rowhouse proposed to replace a 113-year-old house 4308 26th SW, in the rapidly redeveloping neighborhood north of the Delridge Community Center Park. 9 offstreet parking spaces are proposed. The notice (PDF) explains how to send a comment; the deadline is June 27th.

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Seen under the bridge: Harbor/Spokane work begins (with new detours ahead); new signal-box art appears

June 14, 2018 1:26 pm

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| Seen around town | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts | WS culture/arts

Seen on our way back from low-low tide photos:

HARBOR/SPOKANE WORK BEGINS: As previewed earlier this week, work is now under way on the Harbor/Spokane project. That lane – westbound Spokane to north/westbound Harbor – will be kept open during peak pm commute hours, 3 to 7 pm weekdays, per SDOT, but remember that continuous work is planned this weekend.

ADDED THURSDAY EVENING: More info on upcoming Alki Trail closure/detours:

Starting Monday, June 18, crews will close part of the Alki Trail in order to remove sections of the sidewalk and road in preparation for the safety improvement work at the intersection. This phase of work is expected to take 3 weeks (construction dates and duration are subject to change). We wanted to share with you the Alki Trail detour information for people walking and biking.

People walking and biking will be detoured around the work zone as appropriate. The detour routes are:

Eastbound bikes on the Alki Trail

Continue south, past SW Spokane St, to SW Avalon Way
Left onto SW Yancy St
Left onto 28th Ave SW
Right onto SW Andover St
Continue east, across Delridge Way SW, and onto the trail
Detour signs will be posted along this route. A temporary crossing will be added for people biking to cross from the Alki Trail to the west side of Harbor Ave SW. Once on Harbor Ave SW, people biking will merge with traffic and continue following the detour to SW Avalon Way.

Westbound bikes on the Alki Trail

Detoured south toward 22nd Ave SW
Right onto SW Andover St
Left onto 28th Ave SW
Right onto SW Yancy St
Right onto SW Avalon Way
Continue north onto Harbor Ave SW to reconnect with the Alki Trail
Detour signs will be posted at the east end of the trail, directing people biking toward 22nd Ave SW.

People walking eastbound and westbound on the Alki Trail

A uniformed police officer will direct people walking at the intersection of Harbor Ave SW and SW Spokane St

Please note: Bikes will not be able to access the walking detour route and must follow the signed bike detour route.

(back to original story) Nearby, under the bridge, along SW Manning, we noticed this:

NEW SIGNAL-BOX ART: The rose-covered signal box is signed by Desmond (aka Graves) Hansen. It’s not mentioned on his Instagram page or elsewhere that we’ve found, so we don’t know yet if this is the finished work or, like the box at California/Graham, another tribute portrait might eventually be painted onto it. As mentioned here earlier this week, he’ll be painting a mural of and at the Morgan Junction Community Festival this Saturday, starting at 1 pm, at Morgan Junction Park [map].

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WAY OUT: Low-low tide on West Seattle beaches

June 14, 2018 12:15 pm

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| West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

12:15 PM: Our photo is from Duwamish Head, where low-low tides like today (-3.5 feet about 15 minutes ago, -3.7 at 12:42 pm tomorrow) reveal hints of West Seattle history, like the site of the Luna Park amusement park, destroyed by fire ~~more than a century ago~~. If you go exploring, tread lightly!

12:24 PM: From there, we headed to Constellation Park south of Alki Point, one of two locations where you’ll find Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists, until 1:30 pm today. As our photo shows, you’ll also find a lot of people – the almost-summer low-low tides bring out school field trips, too; we’ve seen several buses, even all the way from Issaquah.

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West Seattle Art Walk, student films, airport meeting, and more for your Thursday

June 14, 2018 10:54 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle Art Walk, student films, airport meeting, and more for your Thursday

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Great Blue Heron, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

REALLY LOW LOW TIDE: Out VERY far today – to -3.5 feet at 11:55 am. Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists are out again at Constellation Park (63rd SW/Beach Drive SW) and Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) – today, until 1 pm.

AIRPORT PLAN MEETING: If you’re interested in air traffic over our area – Sea-Tac’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan open house/presentation meeting tonight should interest you. The Port of Seattle, which operates the airport, says, “This meeting is highly recommended for anyone living near the airport, especially those concerned with growth, and the subsequent increased noise and pollution.” Child care and interpretation available. It’s happening 4:30-7 pm at the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Georgetown Campus, Room C122. (6737 Corson Ave. S.)

WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: Starting at 5 pm, it’s the West Seattle Art Walk‘s June edition! Here’s this quarter’s walking map/venue list:

Here’s the list of spotlighted artists and venues for this month. WSB sponsors participating include Click! Design That Fits (4540 California SW), featuring a group show with watercolor artists, and Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW), where it’s your last chance to see the spring show by Jessie Summa Russo.

CHIEF SEALTH 10TH GRADERS’ SHORT-FILM FESTIVAL: As previewed here on Wednesday, 10th graders at Chief Sealth International High School are presenting their first-ever short-film festival, and you’re invited! Three screenings tonight, with different films (and panel discussions) at each one, 5, 6:30, 8 pm in the Sealth Auditorium. (2600 SW Thistle)

WORDS, WRITERS, WEST SEATTLE: Eric Wagner talks about his book “Penguins in the Desert,” centered on his time studying the largest penguin colony outside of Antarctica. 6 pm at Southwest Library, co-presented by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. (9010 35th SW)

‘ON BEING GENDERED’: Free three-session workshop begins at Admiral UCC, 6:30 pm – info, including how to register, is in our calendar listing. (4320 SW Hill)

WSHS CONCERT: Second of this week’s two concerts by award-winning student musicians, 7 pm at West Seattle High School: Classical Favorites featuring the WSHS Concert Band and Orchestra. (3000 California SW)

OPEN MICROPHONE: Musicians and singers of all genres welcome at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)

THERE’S MORE! See our complete calendar.

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Flag Day 2018: Stars and Stripes in place in The Junction

June 14, 2018 9:40 am

| 1 COMMENT

| Holidays | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

American Legion Post 160 members have just placed the West Seattle Junction flags in honor of Flag Day. This commemorates the date in 1777 when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States of America. The Junction flags will be up until about 4 pm today. Also, in case this is a service you can use: “American Legion Post 160 is also accepting natural material worn United States flags that are in need of proper disposal. Feel free to drop them off at our post home at 3618 SW Alaska St.”

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