(Photo courtesy Terri Lindow)
BARTON STREET P-PATCH – “BEE” THERE! The new P-Patch in Westwood is taking shape in a big way – and tomorrow the gardeners are inviting you over, not for a work party, but for a chance to learn! A Master Gardener is coming to the P-Patch at 34th/Barton 2-4 pm Saturday “to educate people about mason bees,” says Terri Lindow, adding: “This is a great opportunity to learn about pollinating bees and to see the P-Patch. Our crushed gravel pathways are in and the construction is entering the last phase. We’d love to show it off!” Bring your own seating – all they’ll have is a few “pop-up shelters.”

SEATTLE CHINESE GARDEN: 1-4 pm Saturday, the Seattle Chinese Garden on the north end of the South Seattle Community College campus is presenting a talk about “The Cultures and Landscapes of Western Sichuan,” 1-4 pm. Julia Freimund says, “Two UW professors will be talking about the ethnic groups, the landscapes (so lots of photos!), and the earthquake recovery efforts in Sichuan province.” Here’s a flyer with details, including admission info.

Just received from the Gatewood Elementary PTA‘s 2011-2012 Board – that photo, and this explanation:

We are proud to show off our two new signs at Gatewood Elementary. They are located at the corners of Myrtle and Frontenac along Fauntleroy Way SW. This is the final piece of our Operation Imagination project that included a new big toy on the playground, construction of an amphitheater, and of course the goats, who helped us with our ivy problem. This has been many years in the making and many parents who started on the project have sense moved onto middle and high school. Big thank you to them and everybody still at Gatewood who have been so instrumental in this fabulous project. Welcome to Gatewood.

Many years indeed! Checking our archives, WSB coverage of those milestones stretches back to 2007 – including the goats’ visit in 2007 and the new “big toy” in 2008.

(Jason Rudolph with the inner workings of “Dook Larue,” the animatronic drummer of “Rock-afire Explosion“)
Story and photos by Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

If you’ve noticed recent activity inside the former Petco space in the Junction – Doug did, and tipped us off – here’s what we have found out:

Local resident and West Seattle business owner Jason Rudolph is currently renting the space for an indefinite amount of time to add additional staff for his technology company, Sound Advertising Group. It also gives him the room to work on “a little project that we’re doing just for fun – and if the community enjoys them, that makes it so much better!”

The project is the restoration of a 1980s animatronic band called the Rock-afire Explosion, formerly installed in a Showbiz Pizza restaurant.

Jason became inspired after seeing a documentary online that explained the history of the band, their designers, and the technology; the characters were still in use when Showbiz Pizza restaurants became Chuck E. Cheese outlets, and Jason remembers seeing them during his childhood in Federal Way.

Intrigued, he searched eBay – and connected with someone who had an entire set of the Rock-afire Explosion characters and equipment (fewer than 300 “bands” were originally created). The gear arrived from Florida this month, and Jason and his co-workers have been cleaning, testing, and updating the controls and software: “It’s actually much more nerdy than it is art.”

Charmed with the vintage gear that powers the animatronic characters, Jason and his co-workers are tinkering in their spare time with old lines of software code, drying out the air hoses that run to the control boards, and making trips to the hardware store to replace and upgrade some parts. With a backroom storing the full set of characters, parts, stage set pieces and equipment, they’re having fun as they go step by step.

When asked how long he’ll be renting the space, Jason replied that he doesn’t know for sure, but “..as long as we need it,” and he hopes to open the space down the road to participate in the West Seattle Art Walk.

More about the history of Rock-afire Explosion can be seen online here and here.

(If you’re just catching up on why the Junction space is vacant in the first place – Petco moved to newer digs inside Capco Plaza at 41st and Alaska three months ago.)

First, the suspected casing:

We live on the 1300 block of Sunset Avenue SW between 45th and 46th Avenues SW in North Admiral. On Friday, February 10th at 1:00 PM a young male (approx. late teens / early 20′s, apex. 6′ 1″ tall, 160 Lbs.) wearing a pair of slacks, and a stylish tufted long winter jacket and a Trucker’s- Style baseball cap repeatedly rang our doorbell and knocked firmly on our front door. This continued persistently for approx. 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. The dog was barking incessantly in response to the bell-ringing / knocking.

When I got to the front-door to answer it the person in question had stopped ringing the doorbell / knocking and had quickly vacated our front porch walking briskly southwest down Sunset Avenue SW toward a recent model, light gold colored, four-door Mercedes Benz (Lic. AFV 4—) parked with the engine running two-houses down.

I yelled, “Hey Buddy.” The person in question did not stop, or turn around; but quickened their pace to the waiting Mercedes Benz. The front-passenger-door to the Mercedes Benz swung open and the person in question got into the vehicle which sped off southwest down Sunset Avenue SW.

I immediately called the 911 number for the West Seattle PD, who dispatched 2 patrol cars in the area. In addition, two separate patrol cars did stop by our home to confirm our suspicions that our home / neighborhood was being cased by subjects known to them.

(We don’t publish full license plates except at a vehicle owner’s request, but the partial should be enough for you to know it if you see it.) Second, a break-in on Beach Drive, reported by Block Watch captain Adele:

Sometime between 8:30 am and 2:00 pm yesterday, a home in the 5400 block of Beach Drive was entered while no one was home and laptop and other items were stolen. Police were notified and came to interview neighbors about anything suspicious that had been observed. The neighbors have all been notified to be on alert for cars and people that neighbors do not recognize. If any further information is available, please notify police at SW Precinct.

P.S. If you didn’t make it to the public-safety forum in North Highline – some West Seattleites did – and want to know how it unfolded, here’s our report on White Center Now (including video of the entire hour-long gang briefing/primer).

(Dr. Kathleen Saturay at center, with Reshvin at left and Angie at right)
“I am extremely excited to be part of your community. I’m Dr. Kathleen Saturay and I have just opened my practice in the West Seattle Dental Center at 3255 California SW. I have been providing dental care in the Seattle area for the last three years and received my DDS from Loma Linda University. I offer comprehensive dental care and treatment for the whole family, especially for children & young adults. Angie, Reshvin, Glenda and I are focused on our passion for dentistry and allow each patient the time necessary for a comfortable and productive visit. This ensures my young patients understand that having a healthy smile is a good thing, and pretty easy, too. I have been a West Seattle resident for many years and wanted to base my first practice in my ‘hometown,’ so when the opportunity presented itself, it was one I was not going to pass up. Because of my firm belief in children’s oral health, I am currently accepting DSHS, all insurance plans, and will customize financial arrangements for those families in need.

“Currently I am accepting new patients, and my office hours are Monday and Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, Saturdays from 8 am to 2 pm. Let me show your children how easily a healthy smile can be part of their lives through brushing and flossing, and of course, regular visits to my office. Oral hygiene visits can be fun, full of great tips and an excellent way to establish positive homecare. We’ll be waiting for you! Find us online at drsaturaysmiles.com or call to make an appointment at 206-935-0100. Keep smiling!!”

We thank Dr. Kathleen Saturay for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

>(Fauntleroy Expressway at top of page; aerial photo by Long B. Nguyen; expanded view here)
Just in from SDOT - they need to close the Fauntleroy Expressway, the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge, for a full day on Sunday, February 19th, as the earthquake-safety project continues. The closure actually will start Saturday night, February 18th, and run as late as midnight Sunday night. Here’s the announcement, just in:

Fauntleroy Expressway and SW Avalon Way Closures, Feb. 13-19
Full closure from Saturday night through Sunday night

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will close the Fauntleroy Expressway (from 35th SW to the Delridge ramps at the west end of the West Seattle Bridge) during the night next week, February 13-17, as previously announced, and also during the weekend beginning Saturday, February 18, at 9:00 p.m. until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, February 19.

During these closures the following detours will be in effect:

· Westbound motorists traveling to West Seattle via the West Seattle Bridge will be directed to use the Delridge Way SW off-ramp.

· Eastbound motorists on Fauntleroy Way SW will be detoured at 35th Avenue SW and will be directed to the West Seattle Bridge via SW Genesee Street and Delridge Way SW.

Additionally, northbound traffic on SW Avalon Way will be restricted February 13-19 during these dates and times:

· Monday, February 13, through Friday, February 17, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
· Saturday, February 18, starting at 6:00 p.m. until Sunday, February 19, at 11:59 p.m.

During these times the following detour for SW Avalon Way will be in place:

· Northbound motorists traveling on SW Avalon Way will be detoured to eastbound SW Spokane Street. They will then be directed to perform a U-turn at 26th Avenue SW onto westbound SW Spokane Street and then north on Harbor Avenue SW. Northbound trucks and Metro buses traveling on SW Avalon Way will be flagged through the work zone.

These closures are required as part of the seismic retrofit of the Fauntleroy Expressway in order to make it more likely to withstand the force of a major earthquake. The work is funded by the “Bridging the Gap” transportation levy approved by Seattle voters in November 2006.

For more information and a map of the detour, visit SDOT’s project website.

North Delridge neighborhood leaders have long been pushing for a traffic signal at Avalon Way and SW Genesee – and now if all goes according to SDOT‘s schedule, it’s just months away. In comments following our report on a contradictory-but-brief discussion of its status at the Southwest District Council meeting, two commenters said that signal is actually planned for installation this year. So we asked SDOT for official confirmation. Communications director Rick Sheridan‘s reply:

SDOT will install a full traffic signal at Avalon Way & Genesee, which will cover all legs of the intersection. We will additionally install new curb ramps to improve access for pedestrians and the disabled. The work is tentatively scheduled for the third quarter of 2012.

The status of another signal long sought by West Seattle neighborhood activists, at 47th/Admiral, has NOT changed, however. We asked Sheridan about that too:

We did reevaluate all signal requests in December 2011. Given limited funding for signal improvements, this location did not rate high enough compared to other locations where a signal would be beneficial.

SDOT has implemented several enhancements at 47th and Admiral to improve safety. These include curb bulbs on SW Admiral Way to shorten the crossing distance, high-visibility signage overhead and roadside to warn drivers, and flashing beacons. We also installed “stop lines” and signs to direct motorists where to stop if a pedestrian is using the crosswalk. We have also measured vehicle speeds approaching the crosswalk from the east, and the data shows good compliance with the posted speed limit on Admiral. This corridor is also equipped with radar speed signs at each end to educate drivers and enhance compliance with the posted speed limit.

The fifth anniversary of the deadly crash at 47th/Admiral was marked in November by a rally (WSB coverage here) organized by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, which continues to lobby to get a light.

From WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand, covering the game at Sealth:

It was a steadier Chief Sealth team that managed to score less while more consistently controlling the ball as they went on to beat Bainbridge Island on Thursday night, 52-44. Both teams played each other very tight through the first half and both came out flat after halftime. Sealth was the first team to get the wheels back under themselves in the third. The Seahawks controlled the boards and moved the ball down the floor nicely. Bainbridge got close near the end of the game, but fouls and a couple of long-range cross-court passes had Sealth widen the gap from three to eight points in the last minute of the game, which was enough for the win.

Here’s the scoring breakdown, from our partners at the Seattle Times. Sealth’s next game is at Nathan Hale, 7 pm Saturday.

(Photo by Doug Branch, from the WSB Flickr group pool)
Before we get too much further into the day – highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

SSCC VALENTINE WINE RELEASE AND SALE: At the Northwest Wine Academy on the South Seattle Community College campus, 1-5 pm today and tomorrow, featuring the pouring and releasing of “a limited edition 2009 Syrah Clone 4 pack.” Also, chocolates made by the SSCC pastry department.

WINE AND CHOCOLATES: Tonight’s tasting at Bin 41 Wine in The Junction is a pairing with Theo’s Chocolates. Details here.

TASTING EVENT AT METROPOLITAN MARKET: From Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor): “Celebrate the week of Valentine’s Day by raising a glass and toasting the occasion with all of the romantics in your neighborhood. Join us for a complimentary Sparkling Wine and Champagne tasting paired with either Hama Hama Oysters or Crab Cakes served with spicy pink aioli. Dessert tasting includes Chocolate Covered Strawberries, French Macaroons that will give you the sweet taste of Paris, and Crème Brûlée topped with Theo’s Chocolate.” 5-7 PM, 2320 42nd Ave SW.

‘ONCE UPON A MATTRESS’: “Once Upon a Mattress,” presented by West Seattle Montessori (WSB sponsor), Chief Sealth International High School auditorium, 7 pm

‘SEUSSICAL’ SOLD OUT! We’re told the Alki Elementary musical featured on WSB yesterday is now sold out, both shows, but in case you happen by West Seattle High School tonight and wonder what’s up – the show’s in the WSHS Theater at 7 pm.

BLUEGRASS AT KENYON HALL: Convergence Zone Bluegrass Band, 7:30 pm, details on the Kenyon Hall website.

(Photo courtesy ArtsWest)
FINAL WEEKEND FOR ‘ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT’: Tonight is the third-to-last performance of the current production at ArtsWest, which describes “All Through the Night” as “Shirley Lauro’s explosive and highly theatrical World War drama about German gentile women fighting for survival from inside the Third Reich.” 7:30 pm tonight – tickets available online at artswest.org or via phone at 206-938-0339.

Glass-art “babycakes” like that one, created and donated by Avalon Glassworks, will be part of the fundraising fun on Sunday, when WestSide Baby takes its annual Benefit Tea to the Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center for the first time. WS Baby executive director Nancy Woodland confirms there’s still some room left if you haven’t already procured your ticket – but she also says the expected turnout so far already has made history – more than 500! Want to join them, 2-4:30 pm Sunday, for tea, treats, auction fun, and guest speaker Kathy LeMay? The WestSide Baby website has ticket info. (Never been before? Here’s our coverage, with photos and video, from last year.)

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
35th SW is open again in the 4800 block, near Providence Mount St. Vincent, after being closed for a while because of an overnight crash. Christopher Boffoli covered it for WSB. He says a Prius going southbound hit a light pole – bringing it down, along with wires, which required City Light attention:

Police told Christopher the driver wasn’t hurt, but was under investigation for suspected DUI.

The crash happened just before 3 am.

Wednesday night, Seattle Lutheran High School celebrated its senior basketball players – and senior cheerleader Valerie Reid, above – while closing out their regular season at home against Rainier Christian‘s teams. Ahead, our summary of the games – Lutheran won both – and photos of the senior athletes:

First, the summaries, and then the photos, all by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand:

Seattle Lutheran closed out its regular season Wednesday with two wins over Rainier Christian. While the girls’ varsity found themselves in control from start to finish of their 41-33 win, the boys varsity started off in the hole before they exploded in the second half – with they wound up taking the game 57-36. Early in the boys game, RC’s Christian Buck set himself up as a one-man wrecking crew. In the first quarter, he ran off nine points, three of those on a long-range shot, that put the Mustangs up 14-7. Things changed rapidly as Lutheran seniors Jordan Webb and Colin O’Brien began to convert Rainier Christian’s possessions into steals. By the time coach Brett Kapels sat his seniors for the night, they’d controlled the rebounds and pace of the second half of the game. Webb was the top scorer for either team with 21 points. Rainier Christian’s Buck had 17.

Earlier in the evening, the girls-varsity game became something of a jousting match between Rainier Christian’s Emily Jazbutis and Lutheran’s Jillian Smith. Jazbutis ran off three baskets in rapid succession, only to find her scoring matched by Smith. Smith also managed her team’s control of the ball. By the time the third quarter was one minute old, she had stripped the ball from the Mustangs. She ended the night with 15 points.

And now, the Seattle Lutheran/Shorewood Christian team’s senior basketball players, in alphabetical order. Ali Bigliardi:

Amy Jacobs:

Monica Keller:

Colin O’Brien:

Nick Savas:

Jillian Smith:

Terrance and Tyrrell Walker-Hampton:

Jordan Webb:

Sean Xu: