HELPING: 10-year-old’s bake sale for Ukraine
For the next two hours, until 6 pm – or until sold out if that happens sooner – cookies and cupcakes await you at 10-year-old Gwendolyn‘s bake sale to support World Central Kitchen’s work in Ukraine. You’ll find her at 44th SW and SW Othello [map], kitty-corner from West Side Unitarian Universalist. Laurel sent the announcement and says Gwendolyn is selling “traditional iced and plain sugar cookies and vegan, gluten-free chocolate cupcakes. Everything is nut-free. Price: “We are using a Pay What You Will model. We accept cash (with limited ability to make change), Venmo and PayPal.” Gwendolyn says, “I thought it would be a nice thing to do. I recently donated some money to World Central Kitchen to support Ukraine but I felt like I still needed to do more.” You can help her do just that!
DEVELOPMENT: Flying mini-houses
We received some questions today about a big deployment of cranes and trucks that took over a block in Gatewood for most of the day, 41st SW between SW Southern and SW Rose. Workers on scene told us they were there to place a prefab DADU (Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit, aka “backyard cottage”). The company involved in this installation was Abodu; permit filings say this DADU was planned to be just under 500 square feet. We weren’t there for the actual placement but it likely looked a lot like this one in Highland Park in early June:
Thanks to Kay for that photo. Same company built that DADU too.
FAREWELL: Gatewood Elementary kindergarten teacher retiring after 32 years
The last week of school closes the book in many ways. Among them: Educators’ retirements. Michelle Green Arnson sent this word of a momentous departure from the Gatewood Elementary community:
As this school year comes to a close, beloved kindergarten teacher Nancy Carney will be retiring after 32 years at Gatewood Elementary. Mrs. Carney is a true institution, having worked with five different principals, three decades’ of colleagues, and countless young students. Her warmth and enthusiasm has made her classroom a welcoming space for learning and growth for so many children, while her boundless energy and seemingly limitless patience has astonished and inspired a new crop of parents every year. Mrs. Carney will be missed more than she can know!
If you would like to join Room 4 and the broader Gatewood community in wishing Mrs. Carney a very happy retirement, you can post messages, memories, and photos here: kudoboard.com/boards/4Mr9nfx4
HAPPENING NOW: Gatewood Elementary’s online auction
In the mood to shop? Buy something a local business donated to help a school! Bidding is on right now to benefit Gatewood Elementary – here’s the announcement:
Bid Now on the Gatewood Online Silent Auction!
The Gatewood Elementary Online Silent Auction is on now, and anyone can bid! The theme, Gatewood Literary Society, celebrates our students through the lens of magical books, well-loved stories, and never-ending imagination. On top of sporting events, great gift packages by local businesses, excellent wines, award-winning beers (like this rare find you can’t get in Washington State) and cabin rentals – we have an array of imaginative books to encourage your child’s love of reading.
All proceeds go to the Gatewood PTA and supports our West Seattle Community. You can start bidding here: gatewood2022.ggo.bid
Bidding continues through Friday (May 6th).
READER REPORT: Why go north to see tulips? Visit Gatewood Gardens
Something else you can do today in the sunshine – visit “Gatewood Gardens”! Sally Hardwick sent the photos and report:
Aaron Smith and Michael Starling have been bringing neighbors together on a stretch of California Ave SW between SW Portland Street and SW Monroe Street and through their love of gardening. The whole neighborhood got together and planted bulbs on a few cold rainy days last fall—and the effort and wait was worth it!
This is the second year of daffodil and tulips putting on a spectacular show. I have people stop all the time gushing about the beautification of my parking strip, or “boulevard” as Aaron calls it. As one passerby commented, “We’ve got our own tulip festival right here this year, who needs to go to (Skagit)?!” It really is jaw-dropping, especially considering how it looked before Aaron and Michael stepped in to help. Their planting enthusiasm and generosity is beyond measure!
I am really fortunate to be a part of this group of people who have formed a tight community on a busy street as result of Aaron and Michael’s gardening projects, which included a recent succulent-planting party, summer perennial-planting projects, and of course the star of the show, spring tulips and daffodils! I feel a real sense of community since these efforts began. One neighbor just said, “I love it that we all look out for each other”. We have formed a group text chat, which allows us not only to talk about upcoming plant projects, but also ask “does anyone have a cup of sugar?” when in a pinch. It really is wonderful.
Go for a walk or a drive to take a look, or check out the Instagram page for gorgeous photos!
We also reported on the displays last year, after hearing from another neighbor.
READER REPORT: Suspected swooping
Every so often, we get reports like this one from Tim:
Writing to let you know I was ‘swooped’ by—what I believe was a Barred Owl (last night around 10:45) on 37th Ave between Southern and Rose in Gatewood. [map]
White and speckled underneath, it had a large wingspan, narrowly missed me, then landed on the nearby rooftop. It watched as I walked, then motioned to dive again before I quickly got inside. Having read a previous article on WSB, I can now see I was doing everything wrong: hat and headphones (luckily, I recently had my COVID ponytail cut off)!
Last such report we published was in September. Here’s what you need to know about owls (check the “preventing conflicts” section).
UPDATE: Emergency response in Gatewood
11:06 AM: SFD is in the 8300 block of California SW for “a rope rescue response for a man on scaffolding about 20′ from the ground with minor injuries.”
11:17 AM: This is at a house that’s been undergoing remodeling for months. The rescued person will be taken to the hospital. California is full of emergency vehicles just north of Thistle; they should clear within 45 minutes, we’re told.
11:52 AM: All clear.
WEST SEATTLE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: Stars of the show
Gatewood gets brighter by the night! Tonight’s featured lights are by Krista, who sent photos of her display on the northwest corner of California and Portland [map], highlighted by the stars. Krista’s advice: “The view is better when heading northbound on California rather than southbound.”
You’ll find all this season’s spotlighted light displays archived here; if you have lights to suggest – yours or someone else’s, with or without photos – westseattleblog@gmail.com; thank you!
Once you’ve grown a quarter-ton pumpkin, what do you do with it?
You enter it in the Elysian Brewery Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off, of course:
That’s what Trevor did, after growing the pumpkin in his Gatewood garden:
He says “sunshine, good seeds, a lot of water, and some special care – that may be unique to the pandemic” enabled the pumpkin to swell to 500 pounds.
So then there was the matter of how to get it to Georgetown for the weigh-off. Trevor says his entire block on 37th SW came together to help:
The pumpkin contest was a prelude to Elysian’s Pumpkin Beer Festival. The winning pumpkin was 1,575 pounds. But Trevor’s was no less impressive, He credits family support, too,
(Thanks to Trevor for sending the photos and report!)
Gatewood Elementary reports morning intruder
Gatewood Elementary dealt with an intruder early this morning, according to a message from principal Kyna Hogg to families. Thanks to the parents who forwarded us the principal’s email:
I want to share an update on an incident that occurred at our school today. This morning, we had an unknown adult enter our building before students arrived. Gatewood staff immediately notified both the Seattle Police Department and the SPS Safety and Security team. There were no students in the building at the time this occurred.
The individual stayed on campus (outside) during arrival with staff present the entire time, waiting for additional support to arrive. Students did not interact with this individual while outside.
Please know that we take safety in our building very seriously and the security and wellbeing of our students is our top concern. Our Safety and Security team is working with SPD to investigate and identify next steps. As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
We asked SPD about the incident. Here’s what Det. Valerie Carson tells us: “Officers were called around 7:45 am for a woman causing a disturbance at a school and then in the area around the school. Police determined the woman needed mental health services and had her taken by private ambulance to the hospital for evaluation.” This is the second time this year Gatewood has reported an intruder on campus, after an incident in June.
UPDATE: ‘Scenes of violence’ response in Gatewood for shooting victim
5:42 PM: Big emergency response near California/Portland [map] in Gatewood; the call is classified “scenes of violence.” We’ve just arrived to find out what’s happening.
5:47 PM: According to police, one person was shot in the leg. Officers on the scene tell us they believe it happened somewhere else “south of here”; the driver of the vehicle the victim was in pulled over in this neighborhood to call for help. They’re still trying to find out more about the circumstances.
6:05 PM: If you’re noticing a helicopter, that’s just TV, not law enforcement.
6:17 PM: SFD says the victim is an 18-year-old man who’s been taken to Harborview Medical Center and was in stable condition when transported.
6:56 PM: Update from SPD:
At 5:23 p.m., a woman in the 7800 block of 44th Avenue Southwest called 911 to report her 18-year-old son had been shot in the leg. When police arrived, the victim told officers the shooting had happened in Burien and he then drove himself home to West Seattle. He refused to provide any additional information about the incident. SPD officers coordinated with King County Sheriff’s Office deputies, but a shooting scene was not located.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Racist vandalism at local school
Gatewood Elementary was vandalized overnight with what the principal described in email to families as “horrific racially-charged graffiti.” Principal Kyna Hogg wrote that, before students arrived for the day, “Our team took immediate action and covered the graffiti (until it can be permanently removed), we called 911, and informed the SPS Safety and Security team.”
(Added: WSB photo, part of the area where vandalism was covered up)
District spokesperson Tim Robinson tells WSB the work order for permanent removal is already in and work should happen soon. Gatewood has been hit with racist crime before; we reported earlier this year on the fourth theft of a Black Lives Matter banner from the school fence, The racists won’t win, Hogg assured families: “I believe it is important to continue to emphasize that Black Lives Matter at Gatewood Elementary School and throughout Seattle Public Schools.”
FOLLOWUP: Metro will bring back Route 22 on weekdays this fall
(WSB photo, December 2020)
Bus stops along two West Seattle Metro routes have been bagged like that for the past half-year. This September, one set of stops will reopen. Metro plans to continue “suspension” of Route 37. But it is planning to bring back Route 22, which runs between Arbor Heights and The Junction. This was not in the tentative plan Metro had presented to a County Council committee earlier this year, but it was added by the time Metro returned to the council’s Environment and Mobility Committee last week. (Here’s the presentation, which notes that the Route 22 restoration was added to its fall plan because of survey feedback.) We didn’t hear about it until local transportation writer Ryan Packer mentioned it in a WSB comment discussion; we followed up with Metro spokesperson Jeff Switzer, who confirmed, “Route 22 will be returning with weekday service with the fall service change, operating between 6 AM-9 PM. Similar to service levels pre-pandemic, service will be hourly.”
WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen blue Jamis bicycle
The report and photo are from Jonathan:
Seeking the help of our West Seattle neighbors to locate my daughter’s powder blue bike. Her Jamis Coda Sport, size 18”, was stolen from the back yard of a friend in the 3600 block of Othello, late night Saturday (June 26) or early morning Sunday (June 27). The bike had a gel-style white front LED headlamp and red LED rear light.
Here’s a stock photo of a similar bicycle. We’ll add the police-report number when it’s available.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Assault arrest
If you saw or heard a sizable police response in Gatewood this afternoon, here’s what was happening: Police were called to a potential person-in-crisis situation near 37th/Rose after 3 pm and say they ended up arresting a woman for allegedly assaulting a family member and two officers. None of the victims were hurt badly enough to require hospital care, police say. The 52-year-old suspect was booked into King County Jail.
Gatewood Gardens: Flowers and neighborliness in bloom
(Photos courtesy Krista Billinghurst)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
You don’t have to have a sprawling valley full of farm fields to celebrate flowers.
The West Seattle neighbors who created “Gatewood Gardens” have done it with boxes and borders along a busy city street.
Walking in Gatewood, we had seen the flowers but didn’t realize they were part of a unified neighborhood project until an email from Krista Billinghurst. She explained that the pandemic stay-home time inspired neighbor Aaron Smith to plant tulip and daffodil bulbs along a 2-block stretch of California Avenue SW – including her corner (at SW Portland) where, she said, “he asked if he could plant some tulips in a garden box we had on our parking strip. It was an overgrown mess of weeds that I’m sure everyone was tired of looking at.”
The results drew attention from passersby.
Read More
FOLLOWUP: At least one more day of work for Gatewood tower takedown
(Wednesday photo courtesy PSERN)
We reported Tuesday that the old emergency-communications tower at Myrtle Reservoir Park was finally coming down, more than a year after its replacement went up next to it. By the end of Wednesday, the old tower was in pieces on the ground. But the Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network says at least one more day of work is ahead: “There will be demolition work – jackhammering – off and on throughout the day, Monday, April 19, and potentially on Tuesday, April 20. The Project team greatly appreciates the patience of neighbors during these challenging times as we work with multiple partners to finish.” The upgraded emergency-radio network was authorized by a countywide ballot measure approved six years ago. This is one of more than 60 towers comprising the network, which is about to start.a major testing phase. The West Seattle tower is at the city’s highest elevation.
FOLLOWUP: Old communications tower at Myrtle Reservoir Park about to come down
Thanks for the tip! Almost.a year and a half after a new communications tower went up at Myrtle Reservoir Park, the old one it’s replacing is finally coming down. The crane on the right side of our photo will be used to take down the old tower (above right) by Friday, according to the Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network. As explained in our November 2019 coverage;
PSERN will primarily be used by law enforcement, fire fighters, and other emergency personnel to communicate with each other during E-911 activities – from small incident responses to major emergencies like earthquakes. The PSERN system is comprised of 61 radio towers engineered to provide the best coverage available using direct, line-of-sight technology between towers to communicate with each other, in combination with other technologies.
The cost of the new West Seattle tower – at the city’s highest elevation – was estimated at $800,000, a fraction of the PSERN’s nearly $300 million cost. Voters approved the creation of PSERN by passing a ballot measure in April 2015; this slide deck from a 2014 discussion has more of the backstory. We’ll be checking back on the demolition as the week goes on.
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