West Seattle, Washington
18 Wednesday
Story and photos by Wendy Hughes-Jelen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Girls were giggling and having fun Friday night trying on fancy dresses, dreaming about prom and other events where a formal gown is needed.
Neighborhood House High Point Center‘s YELS program (Youth Empowerment Leadership Strengths) held a prom dress donation drive this last month in an effort to gather together dresses for girls middle and high school age living in the High Point neighborhood. A donation solicitation here on WSB helped bring in a total of more than 100 dresses in West Seattle.
A dressing room was set up in the corner using rolling white boards. Dresses were pre-sorted for appropriateness, and some have been set aside to donate to the Ruby Room, which holds boutique days for girls to come in and work with a Personal Shopper to get ready for a special event, like prom. This is a chance for girls getting ready for prom to pick up a free dress and some accessories.
Aparna Rae, the YELS coordinator, said it started with just a couple of dresses being donated by someone. Somehow it then flowered into this huge room being filled with silk and taffeta and lace. Since many of the youth in High Point lack transportation, the YELS program essentially brought a dress boutique to them.
Anything leftover from the giveaway will be given to the nonprofit Ruby Room for its collection. And don’t worry, ladies, there’s still a chance for you to find something fancy for yourself! Ruby Room is holding a Dresses for Divas (D4D) $10 dress sale at Cherry Consignment as part of West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day. Dresses that were too mature or too casual for prom-age girls are available, first come first served, 9 am to 3 pm May 14th, cash or check only. (It’ll be on the map, which will be available in a week – giving you seven days lead time to plan shopping!)
Can the new synthetic turf at Walt Hundley Playfield, next to High Point Community Center, be marked for youth soccer as well as adult soccer? That was one question brought up tonight at Southwest Library, during Seattle Parks‘ only scheduled community meeting for the $1 million Parks and Green Spaces Levy project (though this field wasn’t originally on the levy list, its new turf will be paid for with savings from four others – including Delridge – that were). Project manager Ted Holden said it would cost $28,000 more to set up the field for youth soccer; West Seattle Soccer Club reps were there and said their demand is growing, so they need all the field space they can get. (That led to a side discussion about field-scheduling issues; Parks reps said that would have to be discussed separately.) Otherwise, there wasn’t much controversy – no lighting issues, as existing lighting will be kept; along with soccer interests, there was some advocacy for lacrosse as well. When someone asked about baseball, Holden said that’s not feasible, since the field is too small, and there are two grass/dirt lots nearby already. Construction is expected to start sometime this summer and be done by fall; though this was the only scheduled meeting, your comments are still welcomed by e-mail and phone – you can reach project manager Holden at 206-684-7021 or ted.holden@seattle.gov.
It was a big, but short-lived, Seattle Fire Department response in the 5900 block of High Point Drive SW (map) about an hour and a half ago – the last unit was rolling away barely 20 minutes after arrival – and that’s because it turned out to be not just a “food on the stove” call, but one without “extension” (meaning, the fire did not spread beyond the stovetop problem). Thanks to Mike Daigle for the photo!
(THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE, 7:16 AM: Seattle Police says the motorcyclist did not survive)
9:49 PM: Traffic is blocked right now in at least one direction on 35th SW in the Findlay/Juneau area (map) for a medic response at a crash scene. Initial scanner reports said a car and motorcycle were involved. More shortly.
9:56 PM: 35th SW is currently blocked both ways at the scene, and SW Juneau is being blocked as well. And the scanner indicates the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is responding, which means both that someone is apparently seriously hurt and that the road will be at least partly closed for some time.
10 PM: We are at the scene. A wrecked motorcycle and vehicle are in view. The scanner indicates one person is receiving CPR while being rushed to Harborview Medical Center. Some traffic is getting through southbound, but northbound 35th and westbound Juneau are being taped off. Avoid the area TFN.
10:08 PM: Authorities at the scene confirm the person taken to the hospital is the motorcycle rider. The driver of the car (photo just added, above) was not hurt seriously, if at all. Given the hour, we may not have significant updates on the crash’s cause/victim’s status before morning, but we’ll be checking, and we’ll also check back on the road-closure status.
11:56 PM: Adding that clip from the scene, before the investigation team arrived – a little bit of perspective to where the motorcycle and car ended up. We drove through the area about 15 minutes ago; the northbound lanes remain blocked while investigators work, as does westbound Juneau east of 35th, and 35th traffic is being allowed through the southbound lanes, with northbound and southbound alternating.
1:34 AM: Police just announced (relayed via scanner) that 35th SW is fully open again at the scene.
7:16 AM: Seattle Police have just confirmed what a WSB commenter has posted – the motorcyclist died. Det. Mark Jamieson says he does not know the man’s age, nor that of the woman driving the car with which the motorcycle collided. He says the motorcycle was traveling northbound and the car traveling southbound, turning left (eastbound) onto Juneau, when the two collided.
7:33 AM: Det. Jamieson has published the police summary to SPD Blotter; it adds that witnesses told police the motorcyclist was traveling “at a high rate of speed.” Meantime, we are checking WSB archives for the last deadly crash in West Seattle; so far, we aren’t finding one more recent than this March 2010 incident at 37th/Admiral.
Two days after the City Council finalized $1 million for synthetic turf at High Point’s Walt Hundley Playfield, the date’s been announced for a community meeting: April 27, 6:30 pm, Southwest Library (35th/Henderson). The project now has its own webpage, too.
Seven months after the High Point playfield was named in honor of the late Walt Hundley, the first African-American Seattle Parks Superintendent, something else new is officially on the way: Synthetic turf. As reported here back in December, the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee (currently chaired by West Seattleite Pete Spalding) decided to allot $1 million for the project. That allocation won final City Council approval this afternoon. We’ll be checking with Parks on the project timetable.
That’s kid-geared band The Board of Education in concert on Alki last August, with video by Christopher Boffoli for WSB. You don’t have to wait till summer to see them again – they’ll be performing at High Point Community Center a week from Saturday, 10:30 am on March 19th. This is just one of many big springtime events coming up at your West Seattle city-run community centers (including the egg hunts the day before Easter Sunday) – you’ll find them all in the new spring brochure, which is available as a PDF here. Back to the concert – advance tickets through HPCC are $3/person; it’ll be $5 at the door.
(Photos and video by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
As West Seattle Elementary School fifth-grader Allamagan Anod returns to school today, he has an extra reason to be proud.
He wrote an essay that won a school contest!
West Seattle Elementary, you might recall, is in the first year of an intensive improvement plan. One year after landing on a list no school wants to be on, the school is “soaring,” as new principal Vicki Sacco recently told WSB. That’s not the result of her work alone – her staff is generating innovative ideas as well as emphasizing stepped-up academics.
This is where WSES school counselor Laura Bermes comes in. She suggested an essay contest to help inspire better attendance – fewer absences, fewer tardies. After all, the more you are at school, the more you will get out of school.
The theme: Attendance Matters. It’s not just an emphasis for high schools, as they work intensely to keep students from dropping out. It’s a value that elementary schools work to instill as well.
Laura asked if WSB would be interested in publishing the winning essay. (Of course!) So the essay’s appearance here is part of the prize package, along with a pizza party for the winner’s whole family. The winner (and two runners-up) received certificates too.
Participation wasn’t mandatory, but Laura reports it was sizable. Essays were evaluated for criteria including thoughtfulness and – most important – what life could be like with an education. We were there as Allamagan read his essay to classmates Friday afternoon:
Here’s what he wrote:
“When I first came to America, I lived in San Diego for about two years. I went to a school called Porter Elementary School. I was nervous about the first day of school because it was my first time going to school in my life. I never went to school when I was in Africa. When the teacher was talking, I didn’t understand what she was talking about. Then, when I wanted to use the restroom, I didn’t even know how to say it. But now, I am starting to learn how to speak English, because I never gave up. Now, I see myself driving a beautiful car, coming from my important job as a lawyer, and donating money to build a park for children to enjoy. To keep that dream, I must go to school every day and never be late!”
Laura also is tackling attendance problems by working with parents/guardians. When a student has an unexcused absence, a letter is sent home requesting “a meeting mandated by the school,” she explains. At that meeting, the importance of regular attendance is explained, and a school magnet is given , with information including how to contact the school. The family is also offered the chance to discuss any issues affecting attendance, and how they might be resolved. Laura says these meetings are working well, with a dramatic reduction in the number of second-time unexcused absences.
She’s optimistic that, once everyone is clear about the necessity for good attendance, it will improve exponentially. If the students’ enthusiasm regarding the essay contest is any indication, she is on the right track.
P.S. Here’s a look at Allamagan’s essay, with the drawing that accompanied it:
P.P.S. A “best picture” winner was chosen too – here it is, by Ashley:
Congratulations to the students and staff of West Seattle Elementary!
West Seattle Elementary School is in the middle of the first year of its mandated improvement plan – and new principal Vicki Sacco tells WSB there are encouraging signs, but they need a bit of help. First, her update on the progress:
The winter MAP assessment results came back and our school is soaring! Data in both math and reading have exceeded expectations and typical student growth for every grade level.
We recently visited WSES and will be reporting on some of the ways they’re evolving. But one thing they desperately need for those inspired young learners – more books:
We’ve spent over $20,000 of Title I funds to purchase classroom libraries this year and our students are devouring the books. To maintain this momentum we need more books for our students.
What kind? “Any and all appropriate books for elementary aged students would be welcomed. In particular we need biographies, chapter books and early learning books. Our older students (4th and 5th grades) enjoy non-fiction books as well.” If you have books to donate, call the school literacy coach, Brenda Ball, at 206-252-9450. Or drop them off (next week is midwinter break, so you’d likely have to wait till a week from Monday) at the front office (6760 34th SW).
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
It wasn’t a ribboncutting or “speechifying” occasion – just a casual gathering in the breezeway between Northwest Art and Frame and Puerto Vallarta in The Junction on Monday afternoon, to dedicate the three-panel art installation now gracing the breezeway, with the placement of a plaque:
Among those on hand for the occasion: Maureen O’Neill and Ron Davis from Parks, Roxanne Brown, Brian Judd, and Rebecca Hall from High Point Community Center, which partnered on the project, with a Seattle Housing Authority grant. It all started last summer, when we covered two milestones along the way: In August, we showed you the panels being created, and then the three panels being installed. 40 local youths between 10 and 17 took part along the way, choosing to tell the story of their “Past, Present, and Future”:
Here’s what the dedication plaque says:
As youth, we envision a diverse world that accepts everyone without judgment and allows us to explore our options. Our work is open to interpretation – we hope to inspire and open your eyes to the diversity and aspirations of the youth living in the West Seattle community.
So don’t just breeze through the breezeway – stop and take a look:
According to Liz Schroeder (above) from the West Seattle Junction Association, also involved with the project, the next step for beautifying the breezeway – which is privately owned (yes, the owner gave permission for the murals) – is new surfacing for the walkway.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
High Point homeowners got a high-level apology last night.
Tom Tierney, executive director of the Seattle Housing Authority, faced a meeting of the HP Homeowners’ Association “with some apology and a little embarrassment that I let stress grow in this community to a point where you all feel like you need to come out on a Thursday night.”
That stress had spawned a list of concerns that frustrated homeowners wanted to see addressed. It also clearly had sparked some changes already, with new faces in on-site management, such as property manager Terry Hirata, who took over a few months ago.
Top of last night’s list was a change in plan for a prominently vacant High Point corner, a change first made public in a story here on WSB exactly one month ago: The new plan for about 90 townhouse units at 35th and Graham instead of the mixed-use apartment/retail building that had been under review in 2008.
On this day when many kids aren’t in school, a reminder about a before- and after-school program at one of West Seattle’s city-run community centers. From Brian Judd at High Point Community Center:
Through a partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Associated Recreation Council, High Point Community Center provides a licensed School Age Care Program for our neighborhood children. The program offers a caring and creative learning environment for children ages 5-12. We provide care in the morning from 7:00 am-9:00 am and from 3:00-6:00 pm in the afternoon. During the Breaks and Holidays we also provide camps as well as a summer program! Our daily schedule offers various projects and activities that range from cooking to jewelry making, homework time, games and snacks. The staff is energetic, encouraging and are looking forward to working with your children!
Before School Care: $175
After School Care: $275
(Addition child Discount: $10)Please contact us at: highpoint.childcare@seattle.gov to learn more about our program.
High Point Community Center
6920 34th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98126
(206) 684-7422
>
One month ago, we broke the news of a new development plan for the northeast corner of 35th/Graham (map), site of a recent cleanup/excavation project. Seattle Housing Authority confirmed they were pursuing a townhome/live-work development rather than the large mixed-use building, with apartments and ground-level retail, proposed back in 2008. At the time, SHA told us they would have more information this month – and that additional information has just beenmade public. It’s in a news release on the SHA website, which overall addresses two different High Point developers. The portion explaining 35th/Graham identifies the prospective buyer:
… Intracorp is in the final stages of negotiating an agreement with Seattle Housing to purchase the vacant lot at 35th Ave. and (SW) Graham St. Over the next three years, Intracorp expects to build up to 90 townhomes along with some neighborhood retail.
What a way to start the weekend: West Seattle-based kinder-rockin’ Caspar Babypants drew hundreds to High Point Community Center this morning. Our video shows this morning’s show-opening song, “Baby Bear.” There was at least one “Baby Seahawk” there too:
That photo was shared by Nicole via Facebook; she dubbed the most eager young concertgoers as “the baby mosh pit.” (added) Here’s a different view, shared by Tony:
Whether they moshed or bounced or boogied, the young concertgoers were offered treats by the PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor) Kid Picks crew, Clauda and Andrea:
The Caspar Babypants concert was part of High Point CC’s Fabulous Family Fun series, which has two more special presentations this quarter, both also at 10:30 am on Saturdays – a magic show on February 19th, and more music with The Board of Education on March 19th.
The folks at Hans VW Repair (6302 35th SW) confirm something we happened onto while browsing city records: They’ve applied for permits to open a coffee stand on their site. They expect going through the permit process to take a few months, so they don’t have all the details worked out just yet, but the process has begun. Their corner is becoming quite the hive of activity – it’s also where High Point Mini Market opened two months ago, and it’s hosted Marination Mobile since the other side of Graham turned into a cleanup site (and potential future home to 90 townhomes and live-work units, as reported here last month).
High Point seems to be a coyote hot spot these days. Sara sent news of the latest sighting less than an hour ago:
I was driving down 36th Ave SW (headed north) about 10 min ago and spotted what appeared to be a small coyote (heading south in the middle of the street) at Graham. Just checked the blog and didn’t see any other spottings. It was a tad scary, as 1) it was broad daylight and 2) we walk our dogs in that area frequently. Curious to see if anyone else spotted the lost coyote.
Wondering how to deal with coyotes – both when you see one, and in hopes you won’t? Here’s some advice.
(WSB video from August 2010)
Kids of all ages loved ’em at the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series last August, among other stops – and now West Seattle’s own Caspar Babypants (aka Chris Ballew and friends) has another local concert on the schedule. Got word from High Point Community Center tonight that CB will play HPCC (6920 34th SW) at 10:30 am Saturday, January 15th. Tickets are $3 in advance, $5 on show day.
(Photo courtesy Marco via Twitter)
After a few months of digging and hauling, most of the cleanup work is done at 35th/Graham in High Point (map), and as the photo tweeted Monday by Marco shows, right now it’s something of a lake. In the process of checking out “what happens next?”, we discovered a new development proposal for the site – two years after a flurry of activity for the previous proposal.
The new proposal turned up at the site’s official page in the city’s Department of Planning and Development system: 90 townhouses and live-work units. That’s dramatically different from the previous mixed-use proposal, last seen at a Design Review meeting more than two years ago. That plan had included 200 apartments and 16,000 square feet of retail. Regarding the new proposal,site owner Seattle Housing Authority‘s spokesperson Virginia Felton tells WSB they’re not ready to discuss it in depth: “We are in negotiation with a developer … I can’t provide details yet – we need to have the actual agreement in place first. We hope to have that accomplished in a month or so. We are excited at the prospect of seeing development move forward on this site and think this will be a very positive addition to the neighborhood.”
As for what’s happening on the site in the near future, following the stimulus-funding (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) cleanup of old petroleum contamination (as first reported here), Felton says, “The excavation will be filled in shortly – leaving a shallow depression to collect water so that the street is not flooded during heavy rains.”
In case you saw the big callout – either via the 911 log or via seeing (or hearing) the trucks race by – Christopher Boffoli checked out last hour’s fire response on 32nd SW in High Point. It closed pretty quickly and appeared to have been triggered by incense that got knocked over, according to what firefighters told Christopher. No notable damage, no injuries.
(WSB video by Cliff DesPeaux)
Caroling can be a hoot – as that group of neighbors/church friends found out as they serenaded part of High Point last night with a truly merry round of Christmas songs. Thanks to Fred for inviting WSB to follow along for last night’s musical meandering!
We’re at the Seattle Municipal Tower downtown, where Seattle City Light superintendent Jorge Carrasco is leading a media briefing about streetlight safety, in the wake of both the Thanksgiving Day electrocution of a dog who walked onto an electrified plate by a Queen Anne light, and a High Point incident revealed last night. 
Though City Light’s account did not mention names, HP resident Wendy Hughes-Jelen identified herself in WSB comments as the person who called to report a streetlight that appeared to be having problems, after her Italian greyhound Sophia acted oddly around it. Carrasco says the pole she reported (on SW Raymond, near the one in our photo) was indeed found to have “voltage” on the pole – no one was injured, however. That has been repaired, and he says after immediate testing of a half-dozen poles nearby, crews also went out yesterday and tested all 170 streetlights in the High Point area to be sure there were no other problems; there weren’t, but the grounding system there will be evaluated, in case a “more robust” grounding system is needed, according to Carrasco. Other “similar” developments will be checked ASAP, he said – listing them later as Greenbridge in White Center, as well as two Seattle developments, Rainier Vista and New Holly. The problem that caused the voltage in the High Point pole, according to the superintendent, was a frayed wire. The pole carried 50 volts, said City Light staffers at the briefing, which Carrasco confirmed could have been a problem if a pet or child had touched it before it was fixed. The voltage involved in the Queen Anne dog’s death, they said, was 90.
Here’s what he mentioned regarding safety “going forward”: As of New Year’s Day, there’s a new grounding standard for all metal poles, and City Light will be accountable for all inspections from thereon out. “We operate the streetlight system – we need to be the ones making sure the streetlights are safe,” Carrasco said. (It was revealed in coverage of the Queen Anne dog incident that SDOT had some accountability for checking the lights.) He also discussed the decorative streetlights that are in place in some neighborhoods – saying it’s difficult for crews to keep track of the different grounding configurations. “We are going to reduce the number of options going forward,” Carrasco said, regarding those types of streetlamps, in order to reduce the chances of safety hazards. He also announced a plan to test all 20,000 existing metal-poled streetlights (the rest of the city’s system has wooden poles) for voltage between now and next May 1st, while noting that a just-completed inventory of streetlights has had crews visiting all of those poles fairly recently, with no problems detected at the time. “We had a human being in the past year touching every one of those poles, metal or wood, and no problems were reported,” he reiterated. (As part of the inventory process, a metal plate was attached to metal poles.)
If you see anything of concern with a streetlight or pole, Carrasco stressed, call City Light at 206-684-7056 (the number we mentioned last night); he says staff has been trained so that they will recognize signs of a problem requiring an immediate inspection. We are checking to see what hours that number is answered, and what to do if you see a potential problem after-hours. Bottom line, though, SCL says these problems are extremely rare, so – Carrasco insists – you do NOT need to be worried that every streetlight pole you see is a potential hazard.
(September 2010 WSB photo)
Three months after the city-owned playfield in High Point got its new name, Walt Hundley Playfield (the photo above is from WSB coverage of the September ceremony), it’s getting something else new: Synthetic turf. That’s one of the decisions made at last night’s Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee meeting; the money will come from savings in other projects, including the Delridge Playfield turf work that’s under way right now. Seattle Parks‘ Susan Golub says this is pending City Council approval. Tim McMonigle from the West Seattle Soccer Club tells WSB that High Point is one of the last two lighted dirt fields in the city (the other one, Washington, will get turf in this funding too). He adds, “This is great news … The Hundley field is centrally located in West Seattle, and is in a diverse area that will get a lot of use. The West Seattle Soccer Club is looking forward to Delridge coming online next month and to the Hundley conversion, as late in the season our grass fields can get pretty messy and frequently close. I’m sure there will be other sports organizations that will want this field developed with them in mind as well, much like Hiawatha and Delridge, so it is win-win for the West Seattle community.” The Hundley Playfield turf isn’t the only West Seattle news from last night’s Oversight Committee meeting – a separate story on Opportunity Fund decisions is coming up next.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight – first one from John in Gatewood:
I live on California Ave near Thistle Street [map]. We had a Christmas gift stolen off our front porch that was ordered off the internet and dropped by common carrier. I’ve heard of this happening but never experienced it until today. Probably happens more frequently than one would suspect. Just be aware there are bad guys out there. If it happened to us probably more will experience it this holiday season. Might want to warn W.S. residents. I’ve heard the crooks follow the trucks. Enjoy the Lego set, is all I can say. Hopefully someone who needs it more than our kids … eventually gets it.
Also tonight, Jen wanted to get the news out about an earlier burglary:
Not sure how to get this out, but our house was broken into today. We live at 32nd and Juneau [map], near High Point. It was between 10 am and 2 pm today. They threw a rock through the window, crawled through, and helped themselves to our electronics, jewelry, gift cards, etc etc etc.
Just want to get the word out and heighten awareness. Maybe it will help someone else going through what we are now.
