10:19 AM: Thanks for the tips – multiple readers say Xfinity has confirmed an outage in north West Seattle affecting, at last report, up to 2,000 customers, reported to be affecting internet and TV, with the cause listed as “network damage.”
12:44 PM: Commenter “Onion” says below that their service resumed about 10 minutes ago.
Lots of possibilities today including Ash Wednesday events – here are highlights, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WALKING FOR WELL-BEING:10 am Wednesday walks leave from 47th/Fontanelle (so if you didn’t see this in the calendar in time, here’s a reminder for next week).
TODDLER READING TIME AT PAPER BOAT: 10:30 am at the bookstore. (4522 California SW; WSB sponsor)
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE & COMMUNITY ASH WALK-BY: Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds) has a noon Ash Wednesday service and, whether you attend that or not, a comunity “walk-by” 1-2 pm where you can walk up to the church exterior and be marked with ashes. Info on both here.
ASH WEDNESDAY AT ADMIRAL CHURCH: As reported here Tuesday, tonight’s 6 pm Ash Wednesday service at Admiral Church‘s temporary location (3050 California SW, enter at 42nd/Hanford) is the first service that will be led by the church’s new pastor Rev. Jermell Witherspoon.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT RUN: Get moving at midweek on the weekly 6:15 pm group run with West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) tonight – all welcome, all paces!
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: West Seattle’s longest-running open mic! 7:30 pm signups for the weekly event at The Skylark. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
KARAOKE AT ADMIRAL PUB: Sing at the pub starting at 8:45 pm, after trivia. (2306 California SW)
Planning something that’s open to community participation/observation? Please send us info so we can add it to West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Chief Sealth Boys Swim & Dive had an outstanding performance at the Sea-King District Championships this past weekend!
The team finished 3rd overall with 160 points, competing against schools from across the district. Our swimmers posted 21 personal records throughout the weekend, demonstrating the hard work and dedication they’ve put in all season.
Most exciting, we’re sending athletes to the State Championships:
• Two individual events qualified for state. (Theo Franzen)
• Our 400 Free Relay team secured their spot with a thrilling 0.54-second victory over Renton in the final event. (Cole Peloza, Theo Franzen, August Truman, Dominic Melanese, David Ohta, and Nico Balducci)
Thank you to all our swimmers, families, and supporters. Best of luck to our state qualifiers as they prepare for the championship meet this Friday!
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
It’s a vinyl barrier, about 300 feet long, installed last fall as a test, to see if it could help keep water in the part of the historic peat wetland, which has been a source of concern over the years as it’s run dry. Now, the simple sight of standing water thrills those who’ve worked on the problem for years. Through a tangle of branches, here’s what we saw Monday on the south side of Roxhill Park:
This water is evidence the test barrier is working. And the rain that fell Monday brought more water to the wetland, while dousing us during a mini-tour with Sharon Leishman of the Duwamish Alive Coalition and Danielle Devier of Seattle Parks. They were two of the key participants in a 2021 online meeting we covered laying out the plan for “fixing the bathtub via blocking groundwater from leaving it, with a barrier – not just to save the bog, but to save the park, where trails and bridges have been sinking as the bog dries out.
They explained how the vinyl barrier was deemed to be the least damaging way to block it – they wouldn’t have to tear up so much of the bog in the process. Leishman stressed the collaboration that led to the plan, including Natural Systems Design and the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, which has been organizing volunteer restoration-work parties in the park – look closely at this photo and you’ll see a tiny starter clump of grass planted during one of those events:
Bog restoration projects are more common outside the U.S., we learned during the mini-tour, and they also serve an educational purpose – to teach people about peat’s role in carbon sequestration. All the harvesting of peat that’s sold or gardens is releasing a lot of it. So what’s happening at Roxhill Bog is just a start – more of the bog could be restored, and an outdoor education lab could follow, for example. Past surveys have shown area residents have an intense interest in access to more natural areas, and they hope to see some of them at the celebration Thursday, 10:30 am to noon, which will include art, speakers, and most importantly, guided bog tours so you can see and hear about all this firsthand,
Clouds staged a double feature this afternoon, both dark and bright. The first two photos are from David Hutchinson – the very dark wall of clouds to the east, eventually followed by a thinner dark line to the west:
At sunset, they also made room for a burst of color – Brooke Gosztola is one of the photographers who caught that:
Penny photographed this pink breakthrough:
And April K caught the colors fading:
Following all that, we’re already in the 30s, and a rain/snow mix remains a possibility until early afternoon, the forecast says.
Just back from the Southwest Precinct Advisory Council meeting; we’ll publish our full report tomorrow, but tonight we wanted to bring you two updates of note from the meeting, presented. by SW Precinct Capt. Krista Bair and Lt. Wes Collier:
HIGH POINT GUNFIRE: Police said the incident January 14 that involved at least 60 shots was determined to have been “targeted.” But the woman who was injured was not an intended target. They added that enough people in the vicinity had security cameras – registered with Connect Seattle – that investigators have been able to identify some of those involved. Arrests were not mentioned, though.
(Reader photo, last month)
WEST DUWAMISH GREENBELT ‘ARSON’: They said the early January fire that gutted a van in the greenbelt, first categorized as “arson” due to a suspected “incendiary device,” was not. It turned out that the stolen van had been started “in a creative manner” and whatever was involved in that is what was mistaken for a fire-starting “device.” The city’s Unified Care Team helped coordinate getting the burned-out van removed before it attracted further activity.
The next event at the past-and-future Highland Park Improvement Club site is one week from Saturday – pick up free compost – 10 am-2 pm February 28. HPIC’s announcement says, “In partnership with Seattle Public Utilities, we will be offering free compost from Lenz Enterprises for members and neighbors to pick up. Bring your shovels and buckets to the HPIC parking lot to swap seeds, share extra plants, load up on compost, and help your plants and neighbors thrive! There will be free coffee on-site. One load per household, please.” RSVPs not mandatory but appreciated – go here!
The New Year’s celebration – welcoming the Year of the Horse – is happening all week at the Vietnamese Cultural Center in West Seattle (2236 SW Orchard). The center is usually open to the public on Saturday afternoons, but this week it’s open to visitors daily, noon-2 pm, through Friday. The big celebration, also open to all, is Saturday (February 21), starting at noon, with a lion dance and flag-raising ceremony, no charge for admission.
King County is doing nighttime survey work to learn about conditions below the ground in (northeast West Seattle). Work began on Monday, February 16, and will continue through Friday, February 20. To do this work, crews will temporarily close lanes during work hours. At least one lane will be open to trucks and vehicles at all times.
We are completing this work at night to avoid daytime traffic impacts. Please watch for signs and equipment and follow directions from flaggers.
This work will help King County design new facilities to help reduce pollution and keep our local water clean.
When
Work began on Monday night, February 16, and will continue through Friday, February 20
Work hours Monday through Friday, 6 pm to 6 am the following day
Where
Along West Marginal Way Southwest and Southwest Spokane Street (see map above)
What to expect
Crews lifting maintenance hole lids and taking measurements at each survey site
Temporary lane closures during work hours
At least one lane open for vehicles at all times
Work happening at one location at a time
Construction equipment and trucks, cones, and portable lights on site
Engine noise, hammering, and vibrations while crews are working
Clean sites and reopened lanes once work is complete
Why
To learn about conditions below ground in North Delridge
To help design facilities that will help reduce pollution in the Duwamish River
Here’s our summary and toplines, including two brief West Seattle mentions toward the end.
“You ready for this?” she began, warning it might be her longest speech ever.
Her trademark phrase “This is YOUR city” was heard shortly thereafter.
She said it’s an important time to look at history as we are in troubled times, while also acknowledging the confluence of important occasions – Black History Month, Lunar New Year, Ramadan, and overall “a season of reflections and new beginnings,”
She insisted she is not viewing the city through rose-colored glasses, but with hope. “You have to make the decision every single day to keep moving forward.” She said the double murder of teenagers in Rainier Beach was the most difficult thing that has happened so far in her term, and that the loss needs to lead to change, to protect people. “We have to do better for our kids. … Hopes are not enough …. My job is to take action.” She said an “intensive stabilization plan” for the affected commmunity is in the works, too. “But we can’t just react and stabilize … we have to get to the roots of the problem,” She said, without details, that a new gun-violence action plan will help with that, “tailored to the needs of our neighborhoods and our communities.”
Next, she moved to homelessness. “We simply do not have enough housing, shelter, and services for everyone who is living unhoused.” She said, “We’re doing some things right,” helping thousands each year. But if you look around the city, you will agree, she said, that our approach to homelessness has not been successful. “We cannot keep moving people from place too place and call it successful.” She said encampment removals will continue but she wants to minimize harm to people in encampments as well as “taking seriously” safety and access to public spaces. She brought up her quest for expanding emergency housing and shelter. “I know we have a big hill to climb,” but she vows to add 1,000 spaces this year “and we are well on our way.” (She did not mention specifics such as the Glassyard Commons RV lot/tiny-house village planned for West Seattle.)
Next topic – ensuring that Seattle is ready “to respond to threats from our federal government.” To be ready for any possible ICE surge here, the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs has been bolstered. And a new webpage is available at seattle.gov/stand-together. She said organizing “the strongest possible community response” is vital, as observed by a staff member who went to Minneapolis to learn about their response when ICE arrived in force.
Regarding the controversy over city’s plan for more surveillance cameras, she said there are strong arguments on both sides – crime victims’ concerns, privacy advocates’ concerns – for leaving them up or not. For now, “my team will continue to dig in” to figure out what’s the right thing to do, with no particular deadline.
On to the affordability crisis, “you should not need a six-figure income to live here.” But she said the “economic squeeze has been going on so long, it’s hard to believe we can do anything about it.” She talked about past solutions such as the creation of Pike Place Market. “Affordability is not just a poor person’s issue, young person’s issue,” it reaches “high up the scale.”” She announced an Affordability Agenda with four key emphasis areas:
-affordable housing
-affordable child care
-affordable food
-affordable city to build a small business
She said more than 6,000 people already have answered her Renters’ Survey. “We have heard about people forced to move every year because the rent keeps going up, and more. She reminded that it’s open through Friday, and then she will work with the City Council. She said she’s hearing from property owners and managers too.
And builders – she says more housing must be built and she looks forward to work with many groups “to move forward bolder policy … we need to build a ton of housing” but added that she’s aware this won’t necessarily make housing more affordable “any time soon” so she is working on other ways to help with that.
On to social housing, which is advancing because of a City Council vote last week that will move $115 million into the Social Housing Developer’s operations. Social housing will “give us a new tool to expand our non-market housing,” as approved by voters.
Regarding child care, she acknowledged the much-publicized parental help she’s received, but “right now there are so many gaps for so many children, and our whole society pays the price.”” She said Seattle is seen as a national leader but “that’s a little unnerving as any parent will tell you there’s still so much to be done.” She talked about making it easier to build child-care facilities and building more family-size housing. Preschool and child care should be “treated as public goods, accessible to all” like K-12 education, she declared.
On to food, she talked about grocery-store closures though these stores “are essential community assets.” Programs like Fresh Bucks – which 17,000 participants use – help boost access to food. She said her administration is still exploring the idea of a “public grocery store” but has no specifics yet.
As for small businesses, she said she recently lunched with a group in the ID and heard a horror story about a two-year permit process. “I know some businesses never open” because of permit waits, not to mention high rents and other factors, She said taxes and minimum wage aren’t what she hears businesses complain the most about, but rather red tape as well as issues like public safety and homelessness. She wants small businesses to apply for currently available programs.
Directly addressing business leaders, bigger ones – she said “affordability is not government’s responsibility alone.” Her message to “Seattle’s employer community” was “we want you at the table” to discuss solutions, “Seattle has always been a city of builders,” building innovation and solutions and more. She wants their help in building “a world-class city that we can all be proud of.”
Mayor Wilson said she didn’t list potential price tags for what she mentioned because first, it’s time to reach consensus and “set the stage to achieve even more …. so let’s start from a place where we agree.”
She listed upcoming events and plans that she said would be steps toward becoming that world-class city that she is certain everyone wants this to be. This is where the West Seattle mentions came in. Reopening Hiawatha Community Center this Saturday is one step toward the city she wants to build – she’ll be there on Saturday – and she also mentioned the upcoming reopening of South Park Community Center., “Community centers are such an important part of” the city. She also name-checked Sound Transit’s Crosslake Connection, opening in March, and then briefly mentioned light rail extending to West Seattle and Ballard. Other transit, she said, must be restored to pre-pandemic levels. She also mentioned the World Cup games this summer, the newly opened waterfront park, an upcoming new exhibit at Woodland Park Zoo, a new Rainier Beach skatepark, the Garfield Superblock.
“I’m not naive …. I know there will be outrages of the week on social media … but I’ve never been more hopeful or excited about what we can accomplish.” She sees the hope around the city, “yes, we can do big things.” And she sees hope in “all the people who make city government run.”
Summarizing, she said, “everything we build” helps build hope, too. She wants her term to be judged on whether people “are excited to live here,” whether this is “a welcoming city” – and to get there, she wants to see people open up to recognize that “another world is possible.” In a year, she says, she hopes people will believe “this city is the best city in the world.”
Three weeks after we first reported plans for an RV “safe lot” and tiny-house village planned for state-owned property in southeast West Seattle, prospective operator LIHI has just sent the official annnouncement, It answers a few of the questions we’ve been pursuing, including who the previously unnamed “religious” spoonsor is. Here’s the announcement in its entirety (which erroneously describes the site as in South Park):
The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) is pleased to announce plans to open Glassyard Commons, an RV safe parking lot, on state-owned property in South Park, West Seattle. The property is located at 7200 2nd Ave. SW by W. Marginal Way SW.
Glassyard Commons will have space for 72 RVs, 20 tiny houses, and community facilities. The land is owned by WSDOT and comprises 169,757 SF or 3.90 acres. Because the Glassyard Commons site is located on public property, the goal is to lease the land long-term for RV safe parking. LIHI’s previous safe parking site in Interbay, Salmon Bay Village, had to close in May 2025 as the private owner is constructing a sports facility for pickleball.
“The target population for Glassyard Commons are homeless people who have no other option but to live in old, unsafe RVs. The goal is to secure permanent housing for vehicle residents and to dispose of the RVs. LIHI works with households to sign over their RVs for demolition and removal. We do not want to see dilapidated and fire prone RVs sold or recirculated in the community. We thank the Seattle City Council for their leadership in funding RV safe lots and tiny house villages as an innovative solution to the homelessness crisis,” states Sharon Lee, LIHI Executive Director.
“I’m excited that the Glassyard site is on track to open mid-year. My district has the highest proportion of lived-in RVs in Seattle, and my support for this project was conditional on priority access for RV residents already living in District 1. I’m grateful for the collaboration of the City’s Human Services Department, Mayor Wilson, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, and WSDOT in moving this forward. LIHI’s model, which has proven successful in other tiny home village locations, focuses on helping people transition permanently into long-term housing with wraparound support services. I look forward to supporting them and their continued success,” states Rob Saka, Seattle City Councilmember, District 1.
The largest concentration of RVs on city streets is located in Council District 1, including South Park and Georgetown, Districts 6 and 7, which include the areas around Interbay and Ballard. LIHI is partnering with UHeights to conduct outreach to RV dwellers throughout Seattle. LIHI’s target is to open the Glassyard Commons in time for the FIFA World Cup.
Salmon Bay Village demonstrated a successful track record of moving people out of RVs into tiny houses, and then moving into permanent housing with the help of on-site case managers. 87 people were sheltered at Salmon Bay Village and 67 RVs were removed from the streets of Seattle. LIHI had a 60% success rate of moving people into housing, which is a high ratio compared with other forms of shelter.
Within the next month, LIHI will host a community meeting and reach out to neighbors and community members to discuss plans for Glassyard Commons. A Community Advisory Committee would be set up to include businesses, neighbors, and faith organizations. These monthly meetings will be open to the public. The New Hope Missionary Baptist Church is the religious sponsor of Glassyard Commons.
The 20 tiny houses serve a critical need. The 8’x12’ tiny houses are heated, insulated and furnished. As many RVs are in poor condition, people are eager to move out of them. Mold, inoperable appliances and the risk of fires continue to plague older RVs. Glassyard Commons will include a shared kitchen, dining, community gathering place, hygiene facilities, showers, laundry and case management offices. All community spaces and a number of tiny houses are handicap accessible. Staff is on-site 24/7 and a fence will surround the property with a security pavilion at the front entrance to control who goes in and out.
There is a lack of RV and vehicle safe parking spaces in Seattle. A large percentage of unhoused individuals, close to 50%, have spent time living in vehicles. Ideally, other safe parking and village sites would be located in Seattle to address the need. The city reports that the Unified Care Team, which conducts outreach to resolve encampments, has only 5 dedicated beds available daily to offer citywide.
We’ll publish date/location information on the promised community meeting when we get it.
P.S. The actual address where you’ll find this in permit files is 7201 2nd SW, not the 7200 in the news release.
What a time for a pastor to start a new gig: Rev. Jermell Witherspoon‘s first sermon as the new pastor of West Seattle’s oldest church will be on Ash Wednesday.
The title: “Do You Want to Be Made Well?” (From John 5, 6-10.)
That is not a reference to “fixing” anyone. In fact, one of the first things we discussed in a chat with Admiral Church‘s new pastor on Monday was the difference between being an “affirming” church and a “welcoming” church. It’s easy to say everyone’s “welcome,” he explains, but not so easy to find a place that will affirm you as what and who you are.
But before we get into that, a bit about who Rev. Witherspoon is.
He’s the new minister called by Admiral Church after the departure of Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom. He’s from a family of ministers, though he grew up in “the Pentecostal space,” he says, so his family’s churches are “directly opposite” from what he’s been preaching, teaching, and exploring for more than seven years, most recently at Liberation UCC downtown.
UCC = United Church of Christ, same denomination as Admiral Church (along with Alki UCC and Fauntleroy UCC, making UCC the only denomination besides the Catholic Church to have three congregations in West Seattle). Rev. Witherspoon also worked with the Disciples of Christ denomination “to help churches become open and affirming.” When he chose to enter the ministry, “being a queer man, I felt the call for something more .., I said, ‘God, I want to continue to be a Christian, but I need you to show me a way that’s life-giving for me.’ I found UCC believed a lot of the things that I believed,” including standing for justice and inclusion.
Back to the difference between welcoming and affirming. Too many churches, he says, say you’re “welcome” because “we gotta get you in here and then get you saved! We’ve created a space where people have to be everything other than what God has called them to be … God manifests in so many different ways … you’re coming here so you can help to change US so we can live more like what God has called us to be … and affirm who God has called you to be.”
So how does that sound from the pulpit? “Our sermons must be relevant culturally, present-day relevant with all the craziness happening around … you gotta name what’s happening and name the hope that is there, that’s part of the gospel … not just despair but also beauty, resurrection … hope that the things we all have to go through in life, that we’re going to find a way to make it better … we have agency, and we are the hands and feet of God working in the Earth.”
But what about the seemingly prevailing sentiment of this time, that churches are dying? Rev. Witherspoon sees the hope for churches in that “we are co-creator with God.” Rather than ask God “what are you doing?” he suggests, “God says, ‘what are YOU doing? How are you being in the Earth in the ways I’ve called you to?” That, he insists, is “important as we invite people to church (who may have been) ostracized, pushed out of religious spaces … We have to stand as public apologies for the way others have been handled … we have to demonstrate the good of God.” Not, he says, the path of some churches that “have these big humongous spaces, seeking money and fame, condemning people to hell, scaring people into donating huge sums … Jesus’s way is not the most popular, but the way that leads to life.”
Speaking of spaces, we should mention that Admiral Church is currently in a cozy one, what they call their chapel, a light-filled but relatively small space at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church. They moved in because, as we’ve been reporting for several years, they chose to partner with Homestead Community Land Trust to turn much of their 4320 SW Hill campus into housing, with the church’s future home for services and the community groups they’ve long hosted.
(2024 rendering of concept for what you’d see turning off California onto Hill)
Admiral Church’s Anita Shaffer, who invited us to meet the new pastor, says groundbreaking is expected before year’s end, and construction could last up to two years, so they hope to be in their new home before the end of 2028.
And Rev. Witherspoon is looking forward to it. “When we shift into our new church, that will be so electrifying and so affirming, people will be called to come, we will listen to the spirit of God – I’m looking forward to that.”
First, he’s looking forward to the task at hand – leading Admiral Church into the season of Lent. He begins work with a reservoir of admiration for what they’ve already done: “When I … realized how brave Admiral was, what spirit was calling them to do, desiring growth not just in number but in consciousness … it seemed like the perfect setup … I can be a co-creator with the community to figure out what spirit is calling us to do next … there is potential to build community in a deeper way.”
But why do that through church? we asked. The pastor sees it as “the power of collective community, building something that honors one’s neighbor and honors one’s God … I think there will always be a call to be called to each other … definitely a space for a church like this.” And yes, he acknowledges that some churches have caused harm – “we’re doing some of that correction at Admiral and that’s one of the reasons I’m here.” He hopes to “co-create” “a place where you feel safe and honored and loved … like minds and different minds… a space where everybody can feel like they are somebody.” And, a place of hope. Including his hope, “that the spirit of Admiral becomes contagious to the community.”
He will be involved in the community beyond the church as well, including the organizations that Admiral has hosted, such as West Seattle PFLAG, meeting tonight, and others in the community at large, including the Westside Interfaith Network. As for that Ash Wednesday debut, tomorrow’s service is at 6 pm; Admiral’s temp home at St. John’s is at 3050 California SW.
COMMUNITY STAY-AND-PLAY: Here’s where you CAN bring your little one for free drop-in play today – the new location of Alki Co-op Preschool at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), 11 am-1 pm. Join in a collaborative art project! Details in our calendar listing.
NEW CLOTHESLINE LOCATION: Today is scheduled to be the first official day for clients at the new West Seattle Clothesline location (5444 Delridge Way SW).
POSTCARDS4DEMOCRACY: New postcard-writers as well as returnees are welcome at this weekly advocacy gathering, 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor). Sign up here before you go, if this is your first time.
STATE OF THE CITY: Mayor Katie Wilson‘s first State of the City speech is expected to start around 11:50 am, with livestream viewing via Seattle Channel.
(added)VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: Open special hours this week for the New Year’s holiday, noon-2 pm. (2236 SW Orchard)
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration on the corners at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t bring your own.
PRAYER VIGIL AT ALKI STATUE OF LIBERTY PLAZA: Nondenominational gathering, 5:30-6:30 pm, as previewed here. (61st SW and Alki SW)
UKULELE PLAYERS: Monthly evening meetup in West Seattle, 6 pm. Our calendar listing has email address you can use to find out where they’ll be tonight.
COMMUNITY MEETING WITH POLICE: 6:30 pm tonight, everyone is welcome for the every-few-months Southwest Precinct Advisory Council meeting with police to discuss community-safety concerns and hear updates. In the precinct meeting room. (2300 SW Webster)
OPEN CHOIR REHEARSALS: 6:30 pm Tuesdays at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (3940 41st SW), come sing with the Boeing Employees Choir, even if you don’t work for Boeing – email in advance to RSVP.
WOMEN’S MEDITATION CIRCLE: Weekly small-group meditation at Mama Be Well Healing Studio (4034-A California SW), 7 pm. Our calendar listing has info on registering before you go.
BINGO: Play free Tuesday night Belle of the Balls Bingo at The Skylark, 7 pm. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
If you are organizing an event, class, performance, gathering, etc., tell your West Seattle neighbors via our event calendar – just email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
New volunteer opportunity for teenagers! Here’s the announcement:
High-school students!
Do you want to represent youth as a voice in your community and gain valuable nonprofit board experience?
The West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA is looking for high school students to apply for our youth board positions, which begin September 2026.
Our Youth Board Members attend our local YMCA Board Meetings, learn about the Y’s programs and bring a youth voice to our work.
Steps:
– Fill out the application and include one reference.
– If you are selected for an interview, we will contact you to set it up in Spring 2026.
– The board service year is from Sept 2026 – June 2027.
Benefits to you:
– 15-20 volunteer service hours
– A letter of recommendation from our Board Chair
– Valuable experience serving on a nonprofit board
– Community connections
Timeline:
– Applications are due March 1, 2026
– Interviews for finalists will take place April-May 2026
– Youth Board Members will begin term in Sept 2026
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
The future of the former Seattle City Light substation across from Genesee Hill Elementary remains unsettled, more than a decade after the city decided to put it and other former substations up for sale. Tonight the nonprofit that formed in 2016 to try to buy the 50th/Dakota site, the Urban Homestead Foundation, announced it is ending its attempt to buy the site for educational/environmental use – but says the nonprofit Forterra will take the campaign on. Here’s what the UHF told its supporters tonight:
A new way forward to conserve the Dakota Homestead land!
We are pleased to announce that Forterra – Land for GoodTM, a well established land conservation nonprofit in King County, will be taking the Dakota Homestead project into the future, effective immediately. Forterra is committed to continuing the vision that so many of us in West Seattle have held for more than a decade. Urban Homestead Foundation will transfer its remaining financial assets (donations received) to Forterra in the coming months and dissolve our foundation in accordance with state law.
There are so many people to thank for bringing this work to successful completion.
● To the original dreamers whose passion for community, land use, and environmental education launched the mission and raised the rallying cry to preserve this piece of our neighborhood.
● To the City of Seattle, who continued to hold onto the property during our community-led efforts to purchase the land.
● To the numerous non-profit organizations and government agencies who pledged their support.
● And most importantly, to all of you, the individuals who donated time and money to our organization over the years. The financial seeds you planted will continue to grow.
We’d also like to acknowledge that this land is not just a parcel to be preserved, but a part of the ancestral home of the Duwamish people since time immemorial. In so doing, we’d like to express gratitude to the Duwamish people, past, present and future, for their stewardship of the land we live, work and play on.
For a small organization to garner such visibility and support across the city is a huge undertaking, and this partnership with Forterra to preserve the land is an incredible win. We couldn’t have done it without all of you – thank you.
Please take a moment today to visit the website of Forterra – Land for Good at <strong>https://forterra.org to learn about their mission. We think you’ll understand why we feel so strongly that our original vision will live on and be realized.
Finally, the work to preserve this property is not done yet! Forterra will still need to close the funding gap to complete the purchase of this land. Therefore, if you’d like to continue to support this project, you can donate directly to Forterra at the following link https://forterra.org/donate-web and specify “Dakota Homestead” in the “additional comment/notes” field.
Thank you all and see you in the community!
Sincerely,
The Board of Directors, Urban Homestead Foundation
We had inquired last September with UHF about the project’s status and while they acknowledged our inquiry at the time, they hadn’t been ready to comment until this announcement. We’re following up with them regarding the unspecified “funding gap” that remained, and we’ll be following up with Forterra tomorrow.
OTHER SITES: Of the other ex-substation sites the city declared “surplus” at the same time, one other has become an environmental-education site, Delridge Wetland Park. Another, on Pigeon Point, has become “tiny townhouses”; the 16th/Holden site in north Highland Park awaits future redevelopment as affordable housing; and two other sites in Fauntleroy and south Highland Park also remain vacant.
Demolition is under way at 5435-5437 California SW [map], where 12 townhouses will replace a business building. Former tenants in the teardown building included Canna West Culture Shop (which closed after two crash-and-grabs), whose parent store Canna West Seattle (WSB sponsor) is still very much open across the street, and the Filigree & Shadow fragrance studio that closed last fall.
The site sold to a builder for $1.7 million three months ago, according to County Assessor records. The site plan shows the 12 townhouses will be built in two rows of six stretching west-east between California and the alley, where there will be six offstreet parking spots. Demolition work when we stopped for photos this afternoon was focused on the back of the site.
Planning for next month’s Fauntleroy Community Association annual membership meeting, known as the Food Fest, was a major item of business for the February FCA board meeting, facilitated by FCA president Frank Immel.
FAUNTLEROY FOOD FEST: Local food and beverage purveyors usually participate in the annual meeting by contributing bites and sips, and that’s how it got its name. Board member David Haggerty reminded everyone that Tuesday, March 24, is this year’s date (6-9 pm) and invitations are going out; they discussed all the food/beverage purveyors in Fauntleroy that anyone could think off, as well as past community-table participants (a wide variety of civic, community, nonprofit, and advocacy groups – this year we’ll be there too, not just to cover it but also with info about West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, since registration will start just eight days later, on April 1).
The annual meeting is the occasion for voting on the next year’s board; there could be room for someone new, it was discussed, They currently have 12 members and the bylaws cap board membership at 15. To change that or any other bylaws would require a quorum of at least 50 percent of the membership – currently numbering more than 350 people.
One board role is being vacated – a new secretary is needed because Kris Ilgenfritz is stepping down from that role, while intending to stay on the board. A discussion ensued about whether an AI voice transcription of meetings would be “good enough” to fill the role. Human oversight/responsibility would still be needed, it was noted. What about recording and publishing the meetings? One objection to that: Some people would rather not have their voice online for fear of spoofing, some said. Nothing was finalized regarding handling the secretary’s role going forward, though at least one current board member expressed interest.
Other major items of discussion:
SEATTLE POLICE: A Community Service Officer attended with crime stats – first, the same general Southwest Precinct stats reported at preceding neighborhood-group meetings since the start of the year, that crime is down overall. For Fauntleroy, violent crime is “down 100 percent,” she said (without numbers) and property crime up by 1 (eight incidents compared to seven for the first month of the year) also, one shots-fired incident in Fauntleroy so far this year. She said a grant has been approved for a Resource Fair expected to happen at Westside Neighbors Shelter. Some talk turned briefly to security officers in Target, since WWV is still a shoplifting hotspot. Anything happening in schools, in light of the South Seattle killings? She said even CSOs “have to be invited into the schools,” not only sworn officers. But that is happening in some places. CSO still number 24 – four supervisors, 20 officers. They were deployed at South Seattle after the shootings, she added, just there in case people needed support, and have been out at the ongoing memorial too.
EMERGENCY HUBS: Fauntleroy’s hub – a pre-designated place where information would be collected and disseminated in case of catastrophe – is being rebooted, Cindi Barker from the Seattle Emergency Hubs said, with a series of West Seattle events soon, starting with a hub explainer in mid-archand culminating in a big meeting and annual hub exercise on June 7. “You may find someone who finds their entry into community via disaster preparedness,” Barker said. She and/or the Fauntleroy hub’s volunteer coordinator will be at the Food Fest too.
WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES: So will WSF, Immel said, focusing on the dock-intersection signal update. No new developments otherwise – “the dock [replacement] work is still (at least) a couple years away.”
COUNCILMEMBER MEETING: On another transportation-project matter, vice president Catherine Bailey said she and board member Dave Follis had met with District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka and his district director Erik Schmidt a few days earier. She said they talked about the Rose Street crossing and the interest in more conversation with the project manager. She reported that Saka also tried to clarify for them the difference between what he can do and what the executive branch (mayor) can do. Bailey reminded the board that they’ve been campaigning for the crossing for at least 10 years. (Going on 20 – a marked crosswalk was removed there in 2007.) They’re hoping SDOT might send a rep to the Food Fest to talk about it.
SPRING EGG HUNT: FCA’s event is March 28.
PEDESTRIAN FLAGS: Discussion focused on keeping them maintained and stocked.
FUNDRAISING: The egg hunt, autumn’s pumpkin hunt, planter boxes in the Endolyne triangle, and pedestrian-safety flags are just some of what FCA spends money on. So board members engaged in a round of brainstorming on fundraising ideas. No conclusions were reached; board member Bill Wellington suggested that increasing (paid) membership might be a more-suitable overarching goal. VP Bailey suggested making a pitch for donations and membership during the Food Fest (which, despite being the annual membership meeting, draws non-members too).
MARCH: No FCA board meeting next month since the Food Fest will be March 24. Watch for updates at fauntleroy.net.
As noted in our daily event list, “pop-up protests” were planned this afternoon at several West Seattle intersections. Above is the group we found at California/Fauntleroy; below, the group that joined the weekly “Mondays with Marjorie” demonstration at 35th/Edmunds, near The Mount (WSB sponsor), whose resident – an almost-daily protester – is the namesake.
Also from the early-morning beat, the photos and report were sent by Trileigh Tucker:
When I woke up this morning and wandered into our kitchen to make tea, I looked out the window to see if there were any stars—and saw this unusual display to the west! These are “light pillars,” and form when the atmosphere is cold enough that any moisture in the air freezes into flakes. Since “flakes float flat,” they act as little mirrors that bounce surface light to our eyes, which we perceive as vertical pillars. Wikipedia does a good job of explaining them.
I think this is the first time I’ve found them “in the wild”! It was a pretty exciting way to start my day, science/nature nerd that I am.
The first photo shows them as I saw them (the plane flying past them helped the camera to focus in the dark), and the second (one was) automatically lightened by my phone and shows more detail.
ORIGINAL MONDAY REPORT: It’s the next best thing to adding an hour to your day … adding an hour of accessibility to services and facilities that help make your life better. The West Seattle and Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) locations recently started opening at 5 am, and want to be sure everyone in the community hears about that. We asked branch executive Cleveland King to explain what the earlier opening time enables:
.
Opening at 5:00 am allows us to better serve a wider range of members whose schedules don’t align with a later start time. Many of our members rely on early-morning access to fit in wellness before work, school drop-offs, or family responsibilities begin. A 5:00 am opening provides uninterrupted time for workouts, swimming, and programming, helping members build consistent routines without feeling rushed.
From a programming standpoint, the earlier opening supports structured aquatic offerings — such as Masters Swim — by allowing adequate warm-up, instruction, and swim time while still accommodating lap swimmers and other early-morning users. This flexibility reduces congestion, improves the member experience, and creates a calmer, more welcoming environment during peak hours.
Additionally, opening earlier reinforces the Y’s mission of accessibility and community support. It signals that we recognize and respect the diverse schedules of our members, including shift workers, parents, and professionals who need to complete their workout before the traditional workday begins.
The Fauntleroy YMCA is at 9140 California SW; the West Seattle YMCA is in The Triangle at 3622 SW Snoqualmie. Find their activity schedules here. This is the Y’s 150th anniversary year.
UPDATE: The Y clarifies, after readers said the Fauntleroy Y staff reported they are NOT opening earlier, that this is for the main West Seattle YMCA only.
Thanks to the reader who sent that video recorded this weekend near Anchor/Luna Park. This otter, and almost all the otters that live in Puget Sound, are River Otters, not Sea Otters, and as this one is demonstrating, they spend time on land as well as in the water – sometimes getting to and from their dens requires a trip across roads like Alki Avenue, Harbor Avenue, or Beach Drive – that’s where Chemine Jackels got this photo of a River Otter off Constellation Park last week:
High-school students! 
(File photo, courtesy Urban Homestead Foundation)
Planning for next month’s 
Opening at 5:00 am allows us to better serve a wider range of members whose schedules don’t align with a later start time. Many of our members rely on early-morning access to fit in wellness before work, school drop-offs, or family responsibilities begin. A 5:00 am opening provides uninterrupted time for workouts, swimming, and programming, helping members build consistent routines without feeling rushed.
| 2 COMMENTS