West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
About 20 West Seattle Elementary students will have a lot to talk about on their way to school today – one day after a high-profile visitor accompanied their Walking School Bus. Governor Jay Inslee is trying to encourage the “Healthiest Next Generation,” and walking is of course part of it. WSE’s principal Vicki Sacco accompanied him:
One of the walkers had a bit of a shoe problem – and the governor stepped in to help:
Back on the move, Inslee greeted a crossing guard:
And there was time for autographs:
Parting words from the governor:
Also part of the event, Feet First, which advocates walking and biking to school safely – read about its initiatives here.
(City photo of Fauntleroy ex-substation site)
Another City Council committee has a West Seattle issue on its agenda tomorrow: As first mentioned here last week, the council’s Energy Committee meets at 9:30 am tomorrow at City Hall with an agenda including a briefing on City Light‘s surplus West Seattle (and vicinity) substations. Mary Fleck from the West Seattle Green Spaces Coalition will be part of the briefing; she tells WSB it’s one of two presentations downtown tomorrow, and they’re inviting West Seattleites to come to either or both, to support the goal of “slowing down the ‘disposition’ process because the best future solution may be to ‘re-purpose’ the land for public use rather than to sell it to the highest bidder for development.” The second presentation is at 3 pm tomorrow before the Urban Forestry Commission in Seattle Municipal Tower room 2750 (700 Fifth Avenue). Meantime, at two of the sites, City Light has crews working this week on what it says is necessary cleanup work because of soil contaminants – the Andover site on Pigeon Point and the Fauntleroy site in Endolyne. Fleck says that while WSGSC is disappointed that SCL removed trees at two sites including Andover, they’re encouraged to hear that the cleanup work at Fauntleroy will use “vactoring” to try to save trees while removing other vegetation.
Since Mayor Ed Murray took office two months ago, he hasn’t made an official West Seattle appearance that we’ve heard of, but that’s changing later this week. His office has announced that the mayor will come to Hiawatha Community Center on Thursday afternoon for “a press conference to discuss his recommendations for a park-funding ballot measure.” As noted here February 28th, the advisory committee working on that issue is recommending creation of a special district to raise extra park money, instead of a fixed-term levy, as has been used in the past. The mayor’s Thursday appearance is not a public event so far as we know, but we’ll be doublechecking on that and will update if that changes.
At left, that’s Michael Hoffman, proprietor of Liberty Bell Print and Design and founder of the West Seattle Car Show. We’ve just learned that Mr. Hoffman died of a sudden illness last night at his Arbor Heights home; he was 47 years old. For 13 years, Mr. Hoffman owned what was founded in 1973 as Liberty Bell Printing, located in The Junction until moving it out of a storefront three years ago. Susan Melrose, director of the West Seattle Junction Association, shares this tribute:
The news of losing our friend and colleague Michael Hoffman will be received as a tragic loss for our community. Michael’s spirit of kindness, consideration, humor, and charity has touched so many people in so many ways. He has left a positive imprint on West Seattle that will be remembered. Here in The Junction, we will remember and honor Michael with the deep appreciation that he so genuinely deserves.
Mr. Hoffman founded the street-closing Junction Car Show in 2008 and continued to organize it annually; last year’s edition was the sixth annual show. No word yet on a memorial service; we’ll update with whatever we find out.
Another sign of impending spring – Tony’s Market is open under the red/green/white tent at 35th/Barton. We’d been checking in every so often, but WSB tipster KB caught the start of business today before we did, and shared the photo. It’s the fourth year that Joey Genzale has reopened the produce market his fondly remembered dad Tony Genzale ran for so many years. We’re checking on hours/days and will add those details a bit later.
(Photo by Long B. Nguyen, taken around 1:30 pm Monday)
Big night for community meetings – and you are always welcome. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, since we didn’t get the usual daily preview published before today’s council meeting:
HIGH POINT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 6 pm, trustee meeting at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center. Agenda:
Call to order & introductions
Cultural Competency Training: China
Approval of February Minutes (Penny)
Treasurer’s report (Pam)
Review of new procedures, new forms for funding requests
Insurance payment progress from HOA/SHA
Tax time
Committee Reports
Bee Enclosure grant report
Bee Festival
Keep High Point Green
Women in Action update
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways
David Johnson, Child Development Manager, Neighborhood House, speaking on Gracious Space and Peace Making Circle
Report on SDOT “walk around”
(6400 Sylvan Way SW)
WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: Want to run for a spot on the board? Be at tonight’s meeting. 6:30 pm, Neighborhood House’s High Point Center. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
BLOCK WATCH MEETING AT THE STAIRS: As previewed here, neighbors want to make a set of stairs and the surrounding area safer, and are meeting at 7 pm. (4516 SW Hanford)
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, NEW LOCATION: Tonight’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting at 7 pm – previewed here – is at a new location, The Sanctuary at Admiral. (42nd/Lander)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: All welcome at the monthly board meeting, 7 pm in the board room at historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. (9131 California SW)
DENNY INTERNATIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL PTSA: 7 pm at the school, including principal Jeff Clark‘s “state of the school” update. (2601 SW Kenyon)
CHIEF SEALTH INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL PTSA: 7 pm in the Confucius Room on campus, including an update from principal Aida Fraser-Hammer on the rest of the school year. (2600 SW Thistle)
(UPDATED 2:58 PM with archived meeting video; POST-HEARING TOPLINE: No committee vote until April 8th)
9:34 AM: We’re at City Hall for the alley-vacation hearing (process explained here, same as ‘street’ vacation) for 4755 Fauntleroy before the City Council’s Transportation Committee. Standing room only. Supporters are wearing purple stickers with slogans; opponents are wearing yellow stickers with slogans (photos added):
Live coverage ahead – you also can watch the stream via Seattle Channel (click “play”) in the window below (UPDATED 2:59 PM – THIS IS NOW THE ARCHIVED VIDEO OF THE MEETING):
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has opened the discussion by playing a message on his voice mail – he got the robocall that project opponents sent around West Seattle last night. “It told me to call Tom,” he said, drawing laughter.
9:39 AM: First to speak, project opponent Deb Barker, who was the voice of the aforementioned robocall.
She is a community organization leader and former Design Review Board member. She says the public benefits in the project package are not enough. She talks about the setbacks and says the alley vacation overall will “waste public land for profit.”
Next, project supporter Sharonn Meeks, also a community-organization leader. She notes she was “involved in this project way before it began” – that included being on the Triangle Planning Group. She calls the site “a blighted grayfield.” She says scrapping these proposal would cost time and “an excellent developer.”
IF READING FROM HOME PAGE, CLICK AHEAD TO READ THE REST OF OUR AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGE
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(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
There are your cameras for Tuesday morning. Biggest advance alert is the second of this week’s four scheduled overnight Highway 99 closures to finish the Spokane St. Overcrossing, 9 pm-5 am again tonight, both ways between East Marginal Way and S. Atlantic – details here.
8:43 AM: Governor Inslee‘s been walking to West Seattle Elementary School this morning, as previewed here Monday:
Full report on WSB later!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What Monday’s only witness at the Morgan Junction murder trial explained as a police interrogation tactic was on display, raw, in video shown to jurors.
It was a continuation of the video playback begun on Thursday afternoon, from defendant Lovett “Cid” Chambers‘s 
session with police in a downtown interview room in the early morning of January 22, 2012, hours after he fired the shots that killed Travis Hood (photo at right).
A shouting crescendo eventually was reached through both Chambers’ professed inability to remember exactly why he fired those shots and detectives’ insistence that his memory lapse was manufactured.
That dominated the day, which began with one juror leaving the trial.
3:41 AM: If you’ve been awakened by a big fire response in North Delridge – it was a dispatch for a possible house fire in the 4700 block of 26th SW (map). However, radio communication indicates it was a “porch fire,” and that police put it out before firefighters even got there. Most SFD units are being canceled.
4:14 AM UPDATE: But now there’s more to the story: This is a suspected case of arson, and at least one person is in custody. (More in comments.)
We can’t pass up the chance to note that exactly two months from today, May 10th it’s the 10th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, coordinated/presented by us here at WSB on the second Saturday in May, 9 am-3 pm. It will as always be a day for garage/yard/group sales all over the peninsula. Registration will open in early April; we’ll give you a heads-up here and plenty of reminders, once the date is set.
This Friday and Saturday, you have two great chances to get in the mood for garage/rummage saling – the twice-yearly two-day sales at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor) and West Side Presbyterian Church. Find info on the Tibbetts sale here; on the West Side sale, here. Both begin at 9 am Friday.
Since the first sunset of Daylight Saving Time 2014 last night was out of sight behind thick clouds, tonight was the first REAL sunset since we set the clocks ahead for the spring and summer. And we have two beautiful views – from James Bratsanos, above, and Will Pro, below:
P.S. Check the sunset time – or sunrise, or moonrise, or moonset, or high/low tides, among other things – any time, via the WSB West Seattle Weather page.
Thanks to everybody who tipped us about a big police response earlier this evening near Delridge/Thistle. It was about the pickup truck in the foreground. Police confirm it was reported stolen, and that they have a suspect in custody. Scanner traffic indicated that its owner had called police while following her stolen pickup southbound on Delridge.
(For perspective – top of graphic is east, Fauntleroy Way frontage; ‘not a part’ is the Masonic Hall site)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Phones have been ringing, mailboxes have been jumping. Few political-candidate campaigns have been as intense as the campaigning going on in West Seattle in advance of a City Council committee hearing tomorrow.
And it’s all over a bit of bureaucracy that seldom gets much notice – an “alley vacation” (a process explained here). When a private property owner/developer asks the city to “vacate” a part of a publicly owned alley or street, City Council approval is required, and if it’s given, the property owner/developer has to pay the city fair-market value for the land involved. Before the project gets that far, it also has to show “public benefits” that will be part of the project.
(Recent West Seattle projects for which alley vacations were approved include Spruce, the former “Hole”; Admiral Safeway; the Equity Residential project at California/Alaska/42nd; and Capco Plaza at 42nd/Alaska/41st.)
Tomorrow morning, the City Council’s Transportation Committee – chaired by West Seattleite Tom Rasmussen – will consider the alley-vacation request for 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW, recently named The Whittaker, a proposal for ~370 apartments, ~600 parking spaces, and a Whole Foods Market (in addition to other TBA retail). It’s asking to buy part of the alley on its site, while also dedicating space to a “midblock connector” that the city calls in effect a “private alley.” The application was filed in February of last year (here’s the story we published then).
4:30 PM: Just in from King County via text – the West Seattle Water Taxi will NOT run for the rest of the afternoon/evening because the Spirit of Kingston has a mechanical problem.
9:41 PM UPDATE: It’ll be back to normal Tuesday morning, the county says.
If you see a little extra commotion at and near West Seattle Elementary in High Point tomorrow morning, it’s because Governor Inslee will be visiting. We just got word he’s joining a Walking School Bus headed for WSE tomorrow morning. Along with students, the Walking School Bus will be joined by school leaders including WSE principal Vicki Sacco, pedestrian advocates from Feet First, and health-care advocates. The governor’s office says this fits right in with his Healthiest Next Generation initiative.
(Photo courtesy Denny-Sealth Performing Arts)
A major mission of the West Seattle Big Band is to support music programs in local schools, and once again this school year, its musicians have performed on the same bills as local middle- and high-school groups. Another one’s coming up in less than two weeks, as announced:
BIG BAND DINNER DANCE MARCH 22! Denny-Sealth Performing Arts presents an evening of great food and dancing to the sounds of the Denny International Middle School Jazz Band, the Chief Sealth International High School Jazz Band, and the West Seattle Big Band!
Dinner features Otis Pimpleton’s Louisiana-style BBQ chicken with baked beans, potato salad, and mixed vegetables; a vegetarian lasagna option is available upon request. A dessert dash will be included as part of the event which takes place in the Chief Sealth Galleria from 6-10 pm. Tickets are $25 for dinner and dancing and must be purchased in advance. A limited number of dance-only tickets will be available at the door after 7:30 for students with ID. All proceeds benefit the Denny and Sealth jazz bands.
Tickets are available online – just go here.
Two development/real-estate notes this afternoon:
4040 DELRIDGE FOR SALE: Development in North Delridge has continued to heat up, and another parcel is for sale; the listing has appeared online for 4040 Delridge, 6500 square feet on the east side of the street, near the busy Delridge/Andover intersection. The $270,000 listing touts the site as “Neighborhood Commercial [zoned] vacant land. The perfect location for development. POD housing, live/work lofts, retail w/residential above.” Its specific zoning is NC1-40.
4050 30TH SW LOT-SPLIT APPROVAL: The site at Avalon/Yancy/30th has been planned for townhouses for more than five years, but went idle when the recession hit in the late ’00s (see the site’s history here). Now it is reactivated, and today’s city Land Use Information Bulletin includes word that the city has approved officially classifying the site as four lots – see the decision here. This site also has been on the market; this online listing says a sale is pending.
(WSDOT photo, added 3:27 pm)
WSDOT has just announced results of the recent Alaskan Way Viaduct inspection, and says they’ll need a followup inspection as a result:
Washington State Department of Transportation bridge engineers have scheduled an additional in-depth inspection of the State Route 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct on Saturday, March 22.
During the viaduct’s most recent inspection on March 1, engineers observed new cracks, as well as movement and widening of existing cracks along girders and supports near Spring and Seneca streets. While the viaduct remains safe for travel, engineers need a second inspection to gather more information about the cracks before they can make repairs. The inspection requires a one-day closure that will take place Saturday, March 22. Details of the closure will be available soon.
During the March 22 inspection, engineers will conduct an in-depth evaluation of the area, perform tests to determine how the cracks respond to heavy loads on the viaduct, and look for other issues. They will also install monitoring devices on the columns to track the movement and growth of the cracks over time. They will use this data to help identify potential repairs. If additional work is needed, such as filling the cracks with epoxy, further closures will be required.
This section of the viaduct is more than a half-mile north of the current location of the SR 99 tunneling machine. While the cause of these cracks is still to be determined, it is not related to tunneling activity.
No other significant changes to the viaduct were observed during the March 1 inspection. …
Read the entire news release here; see the Viaduct’s inspection history here.
Thanks to Matthew Olson for the photo of one of West Seattle’s wonderful waterfowl – a harlequin duck. Floating on into the calendar, we find:
TODDLER INDOOR GYM: If it’s rainy this morning/afternoon, this drop-in gym, 10 am-1 pm, might be a good alternative; at Hiawatha Community Center. (2700 California SW)
SPRING SALE STARTS AT WEST SEATTLE CYCLERY: Brad Loetel at West Seattle Cyclery (WSB sponsor) in The Junction says the shop’s spring sale starts today and continues for a week, with “great prices and discounts on everything in the store” (open today 10 am-7 pm):
50% OFF MSRP: 2013 Bikes, Sugoi Clothing and Closeout Accessories
20% OFF MSRP: All 2014 Bikes in Stock
20% OFF MSRP: All Clothing and Accessories in Stock
20% OFF All Tune Packages and Service Parts
20% OFF All Service Parts used for A La Carte Service
(4508 California SW)
HOMEWORK HELP AT LOCAL LIBRARIES: Three months left in the school year – if the student in your life needs some help, Seattle Public Library homework help might be in order. Today, it’s available at 3 pm at High Point Branch Library, 4 pm at Delridge Branch Library.
NORTH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: 6:30 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, the NDNC’s agenda includes Giulia Pasciuto, city researcher on the study featured here a week ago about women and food access in the Delridge area, plus Seattle Police Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon, focusing on Brandon safety issues. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
RELAY FOR LIFE TEAM CAPTAIN MEETING: 6:30 tonight, it’s the first team captains’ meeting for this year’s West Seattle Relay for Life, the all-night event that raises money to fight cancer. It’s happening in the science lab at Seattle Lutheran High School – just look for the signs. (41st/Genesee)
(Photo substituted 9:27 am for traffic-camera image that was here previously)
8:32 AM: Huge response, including units from across the bridge, rushing to 3922 SW Alaska – the Spruce construction site. The callout is for a “major natural-gas leak.” Updates shortly.
8:50 AM: Added the traffic camera showing emergency vehicles on the north side of Alaska.
8:58 AM: Our crew says Puget Sound Energy has just arrived, and workers from the site are across the street by Trader Joe’s until they get the all-clear:
Traffic IS getting by.
9:13 AM: Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore says crews shut off the gas before PSE arrived. No injuries reported.
(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Monday! Traffic watch is under way. And we have major closures this week:
HIGHWAY 99 OVERNIGHT CLOSURES: Tonight is the first of four overnight closures for Highway 99, both ways between East Marginal Way and S. Atlantic, 9 pm-5 am, including the ramp from the West Seattle Bridge to northbound 99. This work will basically complete the Spokane St. Overcrossing (former Timber Bridge) south of the West Seattle Bridge, as explained here.
Speaking of Highway 99 …
TUNNEL-TOLL TALK TODAY: Aside from the ongoing tunneling trouble, WSDOT continues working on the issue of what toll(s) to charge once the tunnel is open. The committee working on that is leaning toward a recommendation that would be around $1.25 peak periods/$1 offpeak, and today, the concept will be presented to City Councilmembers in a 2:30 pm briefing. See the slide deck here. The briefing will be during the council’s meeting as the Committee on Central Waterfront, Seawall, and Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program, and you can see it live via the Seattle Channel, online or on cable.
8:36 AM: As noted in a separate story, there is an emergency callout at the Spruce construction site (former “Hole,” 3922 SW Alaska), likely to mean backups right there at Fauntleroy/Alaska TFN.
11:15 AM: One more piece of Highway 99 news – a followup inspection will close the Alaskan Way Viaduct on Saturday, March 22nd, WSDOT has announced.
12:42 PM: Westbound lower bridge is backed up, according to multiple sources in Twitter – Steph says it’s a broken-down semi-truck.
You might have heard by now about the 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the far-northern California coast a little more than an hour ago. It could be seen on at least two official seismographs in West Seattle that are part of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network – above, the online display from the detector at the Alki stormwater-treatment plant; below, the one at Holy Rosary (which is a bit busier):
So far, no word of notable damage from the 10:18 pm quake 50 miles west of Eureka, California, according to former WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams, who lives and works there now. For us, yet another wakeup call – do you have your go bag? Know where your communication hub is? Browse westseattlebeprepared.org next time you can spare a few minutes.
P.S. Thanks to Skies Over West Seattle correspondent Alice Enevoldsen for the tip about the local seismographs,
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