(2011 WSB photo of ex-Fire Station 37)
When we checked in with Colliers International vice president Arvin Vander Veen last week regarding the sale of 87-year-old ex-Fire Station 37 in Sunrise Heights, he told us the deal would close this week, and to watch the public records. We did, and while checking online records last night, we noted that the sale was registered. The former fire station’s new owner also owns a business in The Junction, where WSB contributor Katie Meyer went this morning to see if she would talk with us about her plans for it. She told Katie that she does not want to comment, nor does she want to be identified. We have a request out to the city to ask about the purchase price, as it was not part of the public document; as reported previously, minimum bid was $250,000, and Colliers requested a second round of offers from the highest bidders in the original round. Since the former fire station is a city landmark, its new owner would have to get city Landmarks Board approval before altering any of its landmarked features; it’s in a single-family residential zone. The city gave final authorization to the sale plan last fall, one year after the new Station 37 opened a few blocks south.

1:03 PM UPDATE: The city says the ex-station sold for $613,000. Minus commission and closing costs, that means $579,807 into the city’s Fire Levy Fund. (added) City spokesperson Katherine Schubert-Knapp explains, “Levy proceeds and other funding, such as the sale of former fire stations, are being used to upgrade, renovate and replace 32 neighborhood fire stations, among other things. Seattle voters approved the levy in November 2003. (It will be funding future WS upgrades at other stations including 32 and 36.)

(WSB photo from April 22nd)
It was high noon on a sunny Sunday last month when a man walked into John’s Corner Deli at 35th/Webster, robbed the store, and got away. Now, two and a half weeks later, there’s news of an arrest – from SPD Blotter:

… Detectives received information from Yakima possibly identifying the suspect. The suspect was already in the Yakima County Jail on a different matter. A robbery detective showed the victim a photo lineup and the suspect was positively identified. The detective travelled to Yakima and took custody of the 39 year old suspect. He was brought back to Seattle where he was interviewed and then booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Robbery. The Robbery Unit will continue to investigate this case.

Read the full SPD Blotter report here.

11:56 AM: Police are rushing to 35th/Webster where an armed robbery has just been reported. We have this description so far – white male, around 6 feet tall, in his 30s, black/gray hair, black baseball cap, black jeans, dark vest, green T shirt, unshaven (with “a little” facial hair), tinted gray sunglasses, last seen running north “and then headed back east” from the area, per the scanner. More as we get it.

12:20 PM UPDATE: At the scene (adding a photo), we have confirmed with police that the business robbed was indeed John’s Corner Deli – not the first time. No injuries reported. In addition to the robber description above, police say they are looking for an apparent accomplice driving a getaway vehicle (there was one scanner report of a possible dark SUV headed east on Holden).

12:52 PM UPDATE: No word of any luck so far finding the robber/s.

MONDAY UPDATE: We just called SPD to ask for any additional details. Aside from what’s reported above, two things – one, confirmation that the robber WAS armed; he “removed a handgun from his waistline, pointed it at the clerk, demanded money from the till, the victim handed over an undisclosed amount of cash and the (robber) fled the store,” Det. Mark Jamieson tells WSB. There’s also a different description of a POSSIBLE getaway vehicle – white early-to-mid ’90s Buick or Oldsmobile.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

After two community meetings in the past five days, residents of Sunrise Heights and Westwood know exactly which planting strips the county is eyeing for potential “bioswales” to keep rainwater from causing combined sewer overflows (CSO) at Barton Pump Station, miles downhill – specific spots along the 31 blocks identified in early March.

They also know how the county hopes to keep them from “ponding” during all but the heaviest rains – through a complex underground “underdrain” system.

But some remain skeptical that the “green stormwater infrastructure” project will not be Ballard Roadside Raingardens, The Sequel, though the project manager insists it won’t.

The ghost of that problem-plagueed city project has long loomed over this county plan, despite reassurances, promises, and explanations of how the two situations differ. There were more of those Wednesday night at the first gathering inside Westside School (the second meeting was Saturday at High Point Community Center), even as project manager Mary Wohleb tried to keep Ballard from being the proverbial elephant in the room.

Early on, Wohleb said: “I want to talk straight on about Ballard – it was fast-tracked, less than 4 months from study to construction. We’ve been studying this for almost a year, (and have a) clear understanding of soils, technology, how to take the water into underdrains and move it on down, way deep, far away from people’s homes so we can control the bioswale overflow … Having said all that, I understand this is a change, and that’s scary, and you’ve heard some nasty things …”

Chief among those “nasty” things – at least in context, for residents – would be residents having heard that the soil right beneath their homes is drainage-challenged “hardpan” – just like Ballard. Right beneath it, though, engineers say, is a different type of soil, “Vashon Advance Outwash,” and that’s what the county plans to drain this soil into. “We’ve been taking time to understand this neighborhood,” said consultant Steve Burke from SVR Design Company.

“We are going to be moving it down and away,” is how Wohleb put it.

In the absolute heaviest of rainstorms, there could still be “ponding” from one to 12 inches of water, which the county says would clear out within 24 hours. Residents remain worried about the possibility children could fall in and drown, since it is often warned that a small child needs only an inch or two of water to drown, and many of these streets are on the way to, or near, facilities such as E.C. Hughes Playground or Westside School.

“High Point has never had a person fall into its bioretention swales,” Wohleb noted. A High Point photo was shown as part of the presentation:

And about the concerns that someday money might run out and King County would suddenly abandon maintenance of the “bioswales”? “This is a facility,” she declared. “We are responsible for maintaining our facilities. We’re starting to put together a maintenance plan.”

She was joined at the meetings by consultants, primarily from SVR Design, which worked on the High Point project.

This all comes more than two years after the county’s Wastewater Treatment Division initiated the state-mandated process of figuring out how to cut down on the CSOs from pump stations including Barton; in December 2010, it announced that the “green stormwater infrastructure” plan was its choice for the “basin” feeding Barton, while for the basin feeding Murray Pump Station at Lowman Beach, it would instead put in a huge new underground storage tank (for which it has purchased and will demolish a block full of residential properties across from the city-owned beach park). This is the first time the county has tried this kind of project, and that too has caused trepidation among residents.

This round of meetings came at the end of the “preliminary design” phase; the county expects to start construction next year. The meetings were formatted with a presentation up front – here’s the complete PowerPoint that was shown (large PDF) – and then small-group breakouts, neighborhood by neighborhood, so that the targeted locations could be discussed with people who live on those blocks.

During the presentation, one Wednesday attendee requested the chance to ask a question in front of the whole group, but was told “this isn’t really the forum for that.” Attendees were directed to the small groups. The county says the questions it collected will be posted online, though.

Questions we heard on Wednesday night included “how will the pipes (underdrain) not clog?” (Answer: Crews will have access to cleanouts.) “How were streets chosen (or excluded)?” Arterials were left out because of “permitting and restrictions on traffic flow,” for example, while a few streets got a pass because they “have a separate storm system.” A wide planting strip was considered ideal – that’s what we saw, for example, last Monday night, when meeting with concerned neighbors in the 7900 block of 30th SW:

One concern in that conversation: What about the trees? The briefers promised that “preservation of large existing trees is a priority,” as well as that they would “protect large trees on private property adjacent to the right-of-way.” But “small or unhealthy trees in the right-of-way may be removed or replaced.” The 30th SW neighbors had noted a recent visit by workers measuring to see if tree trunks were at least six inches wide; it was explained in the small-group discussion, that’s a city standard. One more tree note: Some of the underdrain boring would go UNDER the trees and their root zones – at least five feet down, says the project team.

The curb cuts for private driveways – the section that goes over the sidewalk – would be dug up while the underdrain is being installed, though project-team members say that wouldn’t take more than a day or two at each site. And then there are the potential curb bulbs (also marked on the very dense schematic at the end of this large PDF), which would jut out five feet into the existing street.

More uneasiness seemed to center on the “steppable zone” between bioswale “cells.” It was described as about six feet wide, with landscaping you could “step” on, “pretty easy to cross,” according to Jennifer Lathrop from SVR.

“(The rendering) shows a car blocking the ‘steppable zone’,” one resident pointed out.

Jennifer acknowledged that could happen.

The “cells” would have a failsafe, in case of that mega-storm – which could send the water back out into the street and into a drain that would connect to the combined-sewer system, if there was just no place left for the water to go.

The small group we observed on Wednesday night included the block along 30th where we met neighbors two nights earlier. In twos and threes, they stepped forward to the rendering on the wall depicting their specific block, to find out where the bioswales might be placed, and why those specific planting strips were chosen. “It’s custom,” explained SVR’s Peg Staeheli. “The detail changes on every block.”

WHAT’S NEXT: The project team is moving into “final design.” In early summer, they plan to come out to the neighborhoods, block by block, to meet with residents about specific locations, while continuing to evaluate the locations revealed at the meetings. Later in the summer, a workshop to look at the plants proposed for bioswales – then “continuing to work on final design with you.” In the meantime, they promised to continue adding information to the project website (which starts here). And here’s the timeline shown as a graphic in the public-meeting presentation:

(7900 block of 30th SW)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Tonight, Sunrise Heights/Westwood residents are expected to find out if the county thinks the planting strips in front of their homes are the best prospective sites for raingardens to reduce sewer overflows miles away.

The plan has been two-plus years in the making, as the county’s preferred solution to the problem of Puget Sound overflows from the Barton Pump Station near the Fauntleroy ferry dock – but only now is it becoming less abstract, more real, as final decisions get closer. And that is worrying the people who live in the 7900 block of 30th SW, who have asked County Executive Dow Constantine to stop the project.

After the county announced two meetings for tonight and Saturday morning, resident Sabrina Urquhart sent a “media advisory” to make sure the meetings would be covered.

We asked if she and her neighbors would be willing to talk in advance about their concerns. So a small group gathered in her living room Monday evening – joining Sabrina were neighbors Heather, Jim, and Kevin.

In addition to the public meetings that have been held about the project, this block has had two private meetings with county reps, they say – in May of last year, and again this month. They say they’re worried that the county is proceeding with the plan despite the discovery that their soil has much in common with the soil in the Ballard area where a city “green stormwater infrastructure project” went infamously wrong. In their letter to Constantine, the neighbors write:

• Managers for the project found the same impervious soils in West Seattle as in Ballard’s failed rain gardens. They plan to address this with under drains and deep wells — but have no proof that doing so will work — and that it won’t create new issues underground. Our city streets already have problems with storm drains clogging from debris running down the street. This demonstrates the proposed design will not work and drains will clog. No matter what yellow or red flags the team encounters, they continue to railroad the Barton project through — with no guarantees that their plans will succeed.

Sabrina pointed us to a website with Ballard photos that the neighbors fear could be the shape of things to come, though they say the county has assured them this will be different. Those assurances also were voiced at a public meeting one year ago – where a city rep was even in attendance to field questions about the Ballard woes. The county said its advance testing and exploring – which we’ve covered along the way – would give them information that wasn’t obtained in advance of the city’s Ballard project. It’s been more than a year since the testing has brought scenes like this to area neighborhoods:

(WSB photo from March 2011)
The research also has included surveying residents to discover more signs of drainage trouble – asking who has trouble with water in their basements, for example. And today – in advance of tonight’s meeting – the county has updated its website to add a page of information about what the testing revealed; it mentions the low-drainage soil type, but says a lower layer should help with drainage.

Sabrina and her neighbors say the drainage challenges apply to their block and in their view should have ruled them out. But they say they have been told that the “infrastructure” could include a drainage system that would channel the water from raingardens/swales to a holding zone somewhere nearby – and they worry what it would take to dig the holes for those pipes. From their letter to the county executive:

• Managers for the project initially said they would not place the bioswales onto properties already experiencing water issues—but now plan to do so. They cannot guarantee that existing water drainage problems (flooded basements, standing water in water meters in planting strips, etc.) won’t worsen due to the project. Instead, we’re being asked to retain more water adjacent to our properties.

Another issue for the neighbors: The county, as it noted very early in the process, has not done this before. This would be a first. Again, from their letter:

• Managers for the project could not cite a single example of where the proposed design is installed and working. Pieces and parts are being pulled together from other projects, but as a whole, the proposed Barton project design has not been tested. This would be a very costly and risky experiment — of citizens’ lives and tax dollars.

• Project Managers point to other “rain garden” examples (e.g. High Point) that do not match our neighborhood. High Point was built from scratch with permeable sidewalks, a retention pond, etc. The Barton project would be a retrofit in an old, established neighborhood. The only previous — and disastrous — example we have of this is Ballard.

They also are concerned about children falling into standing water, pointing out that their neighborhood is near playgrounds and schools.

Several neighborhood representatives plan to be at tonight’s meeting and Saturday’s meeting (the county says the material to be presented at each is identical) to make sure their concerns are voiced. And they wanted to reiterate, they are not opposed to the sustainability goals of this project – but it seems to them like an experiment that may well not yield the results it’s supposed to, and will instead carry a high cost.

What’s next? We’ll find out starting at 6:30 pm at Westside School (7740 34th SW) tonight.

During the 9 years that Jo Ann Yockey has been head of school at Westside School (WSB sponsor), enrollment has doubled, from 130 to 268, and a middle-school program has launched, among other achievements. Now, Yockey is moving on to a new challenge, with a new job starting in July at Abiqua in Salem, Oregon. Her successor, Kate Mulligan, chosen by Westside’s board earlier this year, was at the Sunrise Heights campus this morning, visiting from her current job at Hualalai Academy, a K-12 school in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. We stopped by the school as Mulligan, at left in our top photo with Yockey, was finishing a school-community meet-and-greet. It’s a big week at Westside for other reasons – one of which you can glimpse toward the right side of the photo, a sign about the 23rd annual auction coming up Saturday. Even if you’re not going – you can bid in the online auction, continuing through Thursday night – the listing/bidding site is here.

Also happening at Westside, as we found out from communication/development director Jana Barber, who showed us around, new raised beds for an edible garden:

Barber says a grant from the Medina Foundation is helping fund the garden, where the students will grow food to donate to the West Seattle and White Center food banks, and they’re already raising seedlings in classrooms for short-season crops they hope to be able to harvest before this school year ends in June. Also growing inside the Westside building – this year’s baby salmon:

Westside second-graders raise salmon ever year, and these baby fish will be released into Fauntleroy Creek this spring.

(WSB photo of test site at 34th/Trenton, March 2011)
Fifteen months after announcing its plan for “green stormwater infrastructure” to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) at Barton Pump Station by the Fauntleroy ferry dock, the county has narrowed down the potential sites where it might place raingardens and swales to keep stormwater from overwhelming the system. (It’s been testing in the neighborhoods – with equipment like the truck above, as well as drill rigs – for the better part of a year.) Here’s the map showing which streets (in green) have been identified for closer study:

(Sorry, the streets weren’t named on that map, but you can see a larger version, along with the accompanying letter and “fact sheet,” by going here.) News of the map follows King County’s announcement of two meetings, March 28 and March 31, promising status updates. Read the announcement in full, ahead:

Two public meetings will provide status updates on a King County project to build green stormwater infrastructure to control combined sewer overflows (CSOs) from the Barton Pump Station in West Seattle.

The first meeting is on Wednesday, March 28, at Westside School, 7740 34th Ave. SW from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Another meeting with the same presentation material will follow on Saturday, March 31 at High Point Community Center, 6920 34th Ave. SW from 10 a.m. to noon.

Combined sewer overflows occur during heavy rains in older parts of Seattle where pipes designed long ago to carry both stormwater and wastewater fill to capacity. To protect public health and water quality for Lincoln Park users, King County is working closely with residents in West Seattle’s Westwood and Sunrise Heights neighborhoods to plan and build a system of swales and rain gardens to capture and reduce the amount stormwater that gets into the sewer system during heavy rains.

The meeting will enable neighbors to learn about which areas were selected for additional study, the process to identify these potential sites, and opportunities for future public input. People will also be able to ask questions about the next steps in the siting process and how to remain informed and involved as the project moves forward.

Additional information about the project is available at http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction/Seattle/BartonCSO-GSI.aspx, or by contacting Kristine Cramer at 206-263-3184 or kristine.cramer@kingcounty.gov.

One more postscript to the process, now in high gear, of selling the 87-year-old former Fire Station 37 (Othello/35th). Last Friday, we published an update with photos from a brief tour with broker Arvin Vander Veen – how about that mega-garage, above!? – plus the dates set for open houses and submittal of offers. Today, the brokerage, Colliers International, has announced the website for two ex-fire stations they’re representing, including 37, is live – seattlefirestations.com (with more photos). Again – the open houses are 10 am-2 pm March 10th and April 7th, with offers due by 5 pm April 20th.

A fireplace in a fire station! Somehow, you might think it would be the last thing firefighters would want to look at when they’re not out at a burning home – but on the other hand, everybody has to stay warm. The fireplace is inside ex-Fire Station 37, which as reported here last week, is now officially up for sale. We joined broker Arvin Vander Veen from Colliers International there (35th/Othello) this afternoon for a quick peek inside- and the latest information on how you can get a closer look, too.

(That’s the kitchen.) The open-house dates are now set, Vander Veer told us: March 10th and April 7th, 10 am-2 pm. The deadline for offers will be April 20th (as noted before, $250,000 minimum, cash, no contingencies). Since the former fire station is an official city landmark, you can’t change the outside without city permission, but there’s a lot you can do with the inside:

Vander Veer says he’s fielded about 100 inquiries so far, and many have been from people who think this would be the ultimate “man-cave” – and whatever the gender, imagine having a cavernous garage like this for your vehicles, or maybe some creative project you’re working on, or both!

Sizable basement, as well:

In case you’re just coming in on this story – the city built a new fire station a few blocks south, and is selling this because it’s considered surplus property not needed for any other city purposes.

P.S. Two years ago, a student journalist on assignment for WSB toured the now-ex-station before it closed; this report includes a video tour.

From Sunrise Heights, Laura shared the photo and note:

My daughter, Becca (age 8), is selling homemade mini-donuts to raise money for her favorite charity, WestSide Baby, this morning. We are at 34th and Holden across the street from the 37 fire station. We’ll be here until (at least 1 pm) or until the donuts sell out. 3 donuts for one dollar.

12:44 PM UPDATE: Laura mentioned on the WSB Facebook page that they were almost sold out – so if you haven’t gone, probably too late.

1:10 PM UPDATE: Becca raised almost $59, according to her mom.

People are invited to learn about King County’s progress on a project to control combined sewer overflows (CSOs) from the Barton Pump Station in West Seattle through green stormwater infrastructure.

A public meeting is planned on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at Westside School, 7740 34th Ave. SW. from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The announcement continues ahead:

Combined sewer overflows occur during heavy rains in older parts of Seattle where pipes designed long ago to carry both stormwater and wastewater fill to capacity. To protect public health and water quality for Lincoln Park users, King County is working closely with residents in West Seattle’s Westwood and Sunrise Heights neighborhoods to plan and build a system of raingardens to capture and reduce the amount stormwater that gets into the sewer system during heavy rains.

The meeting will enable neighbors to learn how fieldwork activities last fall influenced project design. People will also be able to ask questions about the next steps in the siting process and how to remain informed and involved as the project moves forward.

Additional information about the project is available at kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction/Seattle/BartonCSO-GSI.aspx, or by contacting Kristine Cramer at 206-263-3184 or kristine.cramer@kingcounty.gov.

The kindergarten classes taught by Marsha and Sarah at Westside School (WSB sponsor) helped make this Christmas merrier for lots of other local kids by collecting more than 170 toys during their annual Toys For Tots drive. Firefighters from nearby Station 37 picked up the donations, and that was part of the holiday giving at Westside, along with third-graders making baby blankets to donate to WestSide Baby:

Though today is still only midway through winter break, the school is looking ahead to what will be a busy time next week after classes resume – with a January 5th Middle School Information Night (6 pm), a January 6th tour (9:15 am) for families interested in preschool-4th grade, and an all-school Open House on January 7th (10 am-noon).

Following up on Monday’s story about John’s Corner Deli joining the Healthy Foods Here program – we stopped by for a photo as the FEEST (Food Empowerment Education and Sustainability Team) volunteers got ready to visit the surrounding neighborhoods with info about, and coupons for, the store’s new offerings. From left in our photo are Leoma, Katt, Dureti, Matthew, Celina, and Megan. (They wanted to get John’s owner David Ji in the shot too – but he was too busy with customers, and for a store, that’s a GOOD thing!)

If you live in Sunrise Heights, you may get a visit tomorrow from youth volunteers. Their mission: Getting the word out about what you see in the top photo – fruit and vegetables that are a brand-new addition to John’s Corner Deli at 35th/Webster. Yes, that’s the store known even by passersby as “the store with the cow on the roof.” Now it’s also the store with brand-new banners announcing what’s fresh inside:

Freshening up the John’s inventory, so to speak, is part of the city-and-county-sponsored Healthy Foods Here program, which currently also includes High Point Mini-Market, Delridge Deli Mart, and the High Point Walgreens. Tomorrow, members of FEEST – the Food Education/Empowerment/Sustainability Team – will be seeking out neighbors by canvassing the neighborhood, according to an announcement sent to WSB today. They’ll be equipped with coupons and information about John’s new produce offerings, meant as healthier options for those who live nearby and have no supermarket within walking distance. The volunteers from FEEST – who meet weekly at Chief Sealth International High School to cook with and learn about healthy food – are scheduled to gather at the store at 3:30 pm tomorrow before setting out.

My business was just robbed and I’m hoping to advise other businesses (especially along 35th) to keep an eye out.

I own Cafe Osita in the Sunrise Heights area of WSea (7349 35th Ave SW). White male, approx 18 – 25 yrs old, dirty blonde hair cut short (part on right side) wearing baggy jeans and oversized sweatshirt with graffiti graphics. Also has a black eye on right side and carrying a backpack. Came into shop asking for change, then hot water and then ice water. He managed to take a full tip jar off the counter while my back was turned. The police have been notified.