EGG HUNTS: Here’s the West Seattle lineup so far

(WSB photo from 2022 Delridge Community Center egg hunt)

This spring’s lineup of egg hunts in West Seattle starts this weekend. Here’s a quick look at what we have so far:

MARCH 25: The West Seattle Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(4001 44th SW) invites kids from throughout the community, 10-11:30 am; event includes egg hunt and cookie decorating.

APRIL 1:
-The first city-presented egg hunt in our area, at South Park Community Center (8319 8th Ave. S.), 10 am.
Fauntleroy Community Association Egg Hunt, 1-4 pm at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW).

APRIL 8: This is the big date.
Delridge Community Center (4501 Delridge Way SW), 10 am
Eastridge Church at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW, south meadow), 10 am
High Point Community Center (6920 34th SW), 10:30 am
Ounces Beer Garden (3809 Delridge Way SW), 3 pm

APRIL 9: If you’re attending an Easter Sunday service, check with your church – several hold them in conjunction with services.

Are we missing any? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Fauntleroy Community Association Food Fest and more for your West Seattle Tuesday

(Monday afternoon’s rainbow, photographed by Jerry Simmons)

Here are the highlights of what’s happening in the hours ahead, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BRIDGE AUDIT: The City Council’s Transportation and Public Utilities Committee will get an update on the audit of Seattle bridges during its 9:30 am meeting, viewable via Seattle Channel. Here’s the agenda.

SPRING PLANT SWAP: All week. “Bring plants to swap or repot, pots to fill or trade, seeds to share,” noon-3 pm daily at Nepenthe (9447 35th SW) – details in our calendar listing.

CHESS CLUB: Tuesdays 1:30-3 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon): “Are you looking for a new activity to keep your brain sharp and clear? The Senior Center Chess Club welcomes both novice and experienced players. Join us at 1:30 p.m. for lessons, short tutorials and chess for all levels of expertise. For more information, contact Conwell: conwell@conwelld.net.”

CITY COUNCIL: 2 pm this afternoon, it’s the full council’s weekly meeting, online or at City Hall (600 4th Ave.). See the agenda here; the meeting is viewable via Seattle Channel.

FREE INDOOR PLAYSPACE: Toddler Gym weekday afternoons at the Salvation Army Center (9050 16th SW), ages 2-6, 3:30-5 pm.

DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t have your own.

FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION FOOD FEST: It’s the FCA’s annual general meeting with bites from local businesses and more, including info-tables from local organizations – drop in at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW) between 6 and 8 pm.

FREE CONCERT: First of two spring concerts this week by the West Seattle Community Orchestras at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle), 6 pm, free admission.

SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you can play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).

OPEN MIC: 7 pm at Otter on the Rocks (4210 SW Admiral Way), hosted by Midnight Marauders.

TRIVIA X 3: Three establishments where you can play Tuesday nights – 7 pm at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), 7:30 and 8:30 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at The Lodge (4209 SW Alaska).

BELLE OF THE BALLS BINGO: Play bingo with Cookie Couture at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), 8 pm. Free, all ages!

You can look into the future any time via our event calendar – if you have something to include on it, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: First full day of spring

6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Tuesday, March 21st.

WEATHER & TIME

The forecast for today: Mostly cloudy morning, mostly sunny afternoon, high in the 50s. Sunrise 7:10 am, sunset 7:23 pm.

TRANSIT

Metro – Second weekday for RapidRide H Line replacing Route 120, and for added trips on C Line and Route 50.

Water TaxiRegular schedule.

Washington State Ferries‘ Triangle Route continues on the 2-boat schedule, with added runs as of last week; check here for alerts/updates and see Vessel Watch for boats’ locations.

SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS

Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also up at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.

High Bridge – the camera at the top:

High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):

Low Bridge – looking southwestward toward it:

1st Ave. S. Bridge – another route across the river:

Highway 99: – the northbound side at Lander.

MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.

BRIDGE INFO: Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed to see if the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.

If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if needed) – 206-293-6302.

FOLLOWUP: Seattle Public Schools’ brief budget briefing

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Seattle Public Schools plans to stake its future on “well-resourced schools” – but hasn’t settled yet on what exactly they are.

That’s one of the takeaways from what turned out to be a relatively short online community meeting about the district’s budget woes. Four district executives sat at a table, presenting information and answering questions for about 40 minutes before turning the rest of the hour over to other district staffers for Q/A in a Zoom chat window.

They reiterated that no decisions on school closures/consolidations would be made until spring of next year. One attendee, via onscreen Q/A, complained that’s too late, as enrollment decisions need to be made earlier in the year.

Assistant superintendent Bev Redmond warned attendees at the start of the meeting aBrent Jones gave a short overview of problems he said were causing the district’s $131 million budget gap for next year – declining enrollment since 2017, state funding still not covering the full cost of education.

Chief operations officer Fred Podesta then rolled out the numbers: The current year has a $1.14 billion district general-fund budget, and money from the levy-generated capital fund can’t be transferred to it.

The district has to show the state a balanced budget by August. To cover the $131 million gap, he said they’ll throw in almost half that much from district reserved, and will also make some notable cuts – including $33 million from the “central office.” But, he added, this is not a “one-time problem” – he said state funding covers only about half the price tag of special education and transportation, and barely a third of multilingual education.

Meantime, on the enrollment front, low estimates show the district could be down to 43,000 students in 10 years. (Three trajectories of enrollment estimates were shown but not explained.)

Then that phrase “well-resourced schools” took centerstage again. Associate superintendent Dr. Concie Pedroza listed some attributes:

From there, the four at the table answered a few questions:

Why now? They’ve been covering budget gaps for years with various forms of one-time funding, so the underlying problem is not new.

Will my student’s teacher lose their jobs? The executives said they expected minimal job losses because hundreds of educators leave the district every year, and so even if a specific job is cut at a specific school, that teacher should be able to be placed somewhere else.

Why are you building/expanding schools if enrollment is dropping? Podesta said rebuilds are more efficient than modernizations for older buildings, and that they’ll improve safety. Plus, he said, the city continues to grow and the district must “take the long view.”

How are budget-cut decisions being made? Podesta reiterated that the district is trying to minimize cuts at schools by cutting more from the central office.

Why is enrollment declining? The contributing factors that were listed did not include any potential dissatisfaction with the district; the number of households with children isn’t rising at the same rate as the city population in general, they noted, also citing the housing crunch, lower birth rates, and changes wrought by the pandemic. Overall, Dr. Jones suggested, “we’re doing a pretty good job … I don’t think we’ve been telling our story.” The district plans to start doing that via an “enrollment campaign.”

After the four executives signed off and invited attendees to keep asking questions in Zoom (written) chat, several brought up the issue of the district lacking solid data on why families have left the district – or declined to choose it in the first place. One suggested a “simple exit survey” would be in order.

The only answer we found of note in the onscreen chat: “School consolidation does not typically affect class size,” said SPS budget director Linda Sebring.

WHAT’S NEXT? “Engagement” will begin in earnest in fall, said Redmond. Here’s the rest of the timeline:

As noted in our previous coverage, West Seattle was part of a wave of school closures in the late ’00s.

WELCOME, SPRING! Alice Enevoldsen’s vernal-equinox sunset watch

(WSB photos)

The sun made a partial appearance for Alice Enevoldsen‘s equinox-sunset watch tonight, just under five hours after the official arrival of spring. The West Seattle educator/expert skywatcher, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, has led gatherings like this at Fauntleroy’s Solstice Park four times a year since 2009, missing just a few, even hosting some remotely during the peak of the pandemic.

Attendees leave with a better understanding of what exactly happens at the equinox – in short, the day and night are of equal length, though there’s more to it. Bonus attraction for visiting Solstice Park on these days – there are paths and markers that line up with th setting sun on the equinoxes and solstices, and you can see for yourself.

Missed it? Just three months until the summer-solstice gathering – Wednesday, June 21st. (The solstice moment will be 7:57 am; sunset will be around 9 pm.

COUNTDOWN: 2 weeks until signups start for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day!

Spring is here, and so is spring-cleaning season. You might just find enough stuff to sell on West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2023 – so we will be reminding you about the approach of registration. As always, WSCGSD will be on the second Saturday in May – this year, Saturday, May 13th, 9 am-3 pm (though sellers are welcome to start earlier and/or end later).WSCGSD is not one big sale – it’s one big day, with many sales of many sizes and types (plant sales, art sales, bake sales, tool sales …), all around West Seattle. We release the map/list with locations and descriptions a week in advance so you can plan what you want to do – even something as simple as walking over to the nearest sale and mingling with neighbors. Registration will open two weeks from today, on Monday, April 3rd – we’ll publish the announcement and link here on WSB as soon as we’re ready to go. After that, registration will remain open for about three weeks until we lock it down to build the map/list of sales. Aside from the 2020-2021 pandemic break, WSB has presented West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day every year since 2008; it was founded in 2005 and presented through 2007 by a nonprofit called Megawatt, inspired by similar events in other parts of the city.

THURSDAY: All invited to parent-education event presented by Westside Family Association

Parenting is a tough job. Especially considering the rules keep changing – for the kids as well as the parents. In hopes of helping a bit, the Westside Family Association is inviting all parents/guardians, West Seattle-wide, to this free event on Thursday:

Westside Family Association invites you to our next family-education event with speaker/educator

Consent Etc…. with Jo Langford from beheroes.net.
Thursday, March 23, 2023
6:30-8:30 pm
Westside Theater @ Westside School
10404 34th Ave. SW

We are now in 2023, and with our evolution both culturally and technologically, a new awareness about why and how we as parents need to speak to our kids about consent is emerging. It is our job to help ensure that we are providing the children we are raising communication and affirmative consent skills that are age-appropriate and that take into consideration the kinds of opportunities and obstacles they may face in today’s world – ‘cuz it’s not the nineties anymore…

This talk will help parents understand the ways that the concept of consent has changed and how variables such as LGBTQ+ identities and the use of technology impact affirmative consent. Attendees will also participate in a handful of fun, thought-provoking exercises and have the opportunity to ask questions and get answers around this important concept.

FREE. Please RSVP at this link. (so we know how many seats to put out)

Find out more about Jo Langford here.
Questions? Email wfa@westsideschool.org

REAL ESTATE: Ex-Roxbury Auto Parts listed for sale

(WSB file photo)

Four and a half years after Roxbury Auto Parts was forced to close, the site has just been listed for sale. In 2018, the building at 2839 SW Roxbury was “red-tagged” by King County (it’s just south of the city limits), declaring the building was unsafe and that its back wall was in danger of collapse. The store’s third-generation owners – who leased the site – had to close, and never reopened. The building has sat vacant and vandalized ever since. It’s on a half-acre site described in the listing as “Perfect development site with 155 feet of frontage on SW Roxbury. … Great location for chain restaurant or other commercial/mixed use applications.” Asking price: $1,375,000.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Carjacking attempt

2:50 PM: Just before 11 am this morning, police say, an attempted carjacking happened in the 3800 block of 36th SW. The initial dispatch was that someone “pepper-sprayed an employee and attempted to steal their car”; that’s a residential area so we’re not clear what “employee” referred to, possibly a work crew in the area. The would-be carjacker left without the car, walking westbound on Charlestown. The description wasn’t in the report summary; we’re following up to try to get it. SFD was called to treat the person who had been pepper-sprayed.

3:12 PM: SPD says the description in the report is: “White male, 5’10, slim build, gray hoodie, gray pants.”

Two citywide closures this week that you should know about

Both of these closures later this week are for staff training:

SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY: Its facilities will be closed Wednesday (March 22nd), but branch book drops will be open. Details here.

SEATTLE PARKS AND RECREATION: Many of its facilities will be closed Thursday (March 23rd), including community centers and indoor pools. Details here.

FOLLOWUP: Cleanup begins at encampment near 1st Avenue South Bridge

Streets are blocked off around the area beneath the south end of the 1st Avenue South Bridge, as the encampment cleanup begins. We reported last week that the long-planned cleanup was scheduled for this week, so we went down this morning to see if it had begun. We couldn’t get close because of the closures, but heavy equipment and hauling trucks were in view:

So were State Patrol vehicles (much of the area is WSDOT land):

As for the people who had been living at the encampment, we reported last week that outreach workers said 30 had been connected with shelter/housing. City Councilmember Lisa Herbold had a few more details on this in her weekend newsletter, quoting the Regional Homelessness Authority, which told her:

I’m pleased to share with you that KCRHA and our partners at PDA, WSDOT, and the City have completed the work with individuals at the encampment located at SW Michigan and the 1st Avenue bridge.

As of today, 30 individuals moved into shelter or emergency housing placements. Three individuals who have a shelter match have not been at the location for several days and their whereabouts are unknown. One individual declined services. One individual encountered issues when arriving at their referred shelter location, and that person is not at the program or the encampment.

PROTEST: Pathfinder K-8 students walk out to oppose Willow oil-drilling project

If you traveled through the Delridge/Oregon intersection in the past hour, you would have seen that protest on the foot/bike overpass. The protesters are middle-schoolers from Pathfinder K-8 on Pigeon Point. One organizer emailed us to explain:

We are protesting against The Willow Project. The Willow Project is a massive oil-drilling project that will cause 239 million metric tons of carbon emissions to be added to our Earth’s atmosphere in the next 30 years. It is endangering our future and we are protesting to stop it. Please make it known to the public that this is not okay and we need to save our future.

Willow is a ConocoPhillips oil-drilling plan on Alaska’s North Slope that got the federal go-ahead a week ago. As for logistics of the protest, Pathfinder principal Britney Holmes sent families a note that read in part:

This is not a school or district-sponsored event. Students have a First Amendment right to assemble and express their rights. However, district policy does not allow for an excused absence for participation in a walkout unless prior approval from a student’s family is received.

Holmes’ note also said school administrators had talked with student organizers and that they would follow along to ensure safety.

School-money meeting, spring-equinox sunset watch, more as your West Seattle Monday continues

(Red-flowering currant with raindrop, photographed by Ann Anderson)

Big day – winter turns to spring. Here’s what’s happening, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

SPRING PLANT SWAP: All week. “Bring plants to swap or repot, pots to fill or trade, seeds to share,” noon-3 pm daily at Nepenthe (9447 35th SW) – details in our calendar listing.

MONDAY MOVIE: 1 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), “Terry’s Greatest Movies You’ve Never Heard Of,” today featuring “The Half Naked Truth.” Free popcorn! Contact SCWS to register in advance.

CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING MEETING: 2 pm, councilmembers preview the week ahead (here’s the agenda) and get another briefing on the ongoing State Legislature session. You can watch online or on cable via Seattle Channel.

FREE INDOOR PLAYSPACE: Free Toddler Gym weekday afternoons at the Salvation Army Center (9050 16th SW), ages 2-6, 3:30-5 pm.

SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BUDGET: The district’s money crunch is the topic of a community briefing online tonight at 6 pm. (The link also has connection info. A YouTube stream is also planned.) Send questions in advance by going here.

CRAFTING AND CREATIVITY NIGHT: 6-10 pm at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.

EQUINOX SUNSET WATCH: Spring officially arrives at 2:24 pm, and four hours later, you’re invited to join educator/expert skywatcher Alice Enevoldsen for a West Seattle change-of-seasons tradition – sunset watch at Solstice Park (uphill from the tennis courts at 7400 Fauntleroy Way SW). 6:30-7:30 pm, rain or shine (Alice says only “dangerous weather” cancels), all ages.

NEW OPEN MIC: You’re welcome at the new weekly BedHead Open Mic at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene (4201 SW Juneau), 6:30 pm – info in our calendar listing.

D&D: Open D&D starts at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW), all welcome, even first-time players. $5.

MEDITATION: Free weekly Zen sitting/meditation event at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.

PLAY TRIVIA! Three scheduled options tonight for trivia players – 7 and 8 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at Three 9 Lounge (4505 39th SW); 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7:30 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)

Have a West Seattle/White Center event for our calendar ? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

YOU CAN HELP: Duwamish Alive! volunteer registration begins

(WSB file photo)

One simple way to help orcas and other marine life – join in the one-day, twice-yearly work parties that comprise Duwamish Alive! Registration has begun for some of the sites where volunteers will be working during this spring edition. Here’s the announcement from Sharon Leishman of the Duwamish Alive! Coalition:

Duwamish Alive! Celebrating Earth Month
Sat. April 15 10:00 – 2:00 at Multiple Volunteer Sites

Duwamish Alive! is a collaborative effort in improving the health of our river and its watershed. Starting at 10:00 am volunteers will be restoring native habitat in multiple urban parks and open spaces in the ongoing effort to keep our river alive and healthy for our communities, salmon and the Puget Sound. Proving that many individuals working together can make a substantial difference in improving the health of our region.

Volunteers’ efforts include a river cleanup by kayak, shoreline salmon habitat restoration, and native forest revitalization. To volunteer, visit DuwamishAlive.org to see the different volunteer opportunities and register for the site of your choice, or email info@duwamishalive.org

WHALES: Orcas visible from West Seattle (updated)

7:59 AM: Kersti Muul tells us orcas are in the area again – in Elliott Bay. Transients this time, currently by the central downtown waterfront.

10:50 AM: See updates in comments – J-Pod residents are back in the area too.

12:50 PM: Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail just called to say the whales are now southbound in the Bainbridge/Seattle ferry lanes, visible from here.

TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Welcome to Monday

6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Monday, March 20th, and spring starts at 2:24 pm.

WEATHER & TIME

The forecast for today: Rain at times, high in the low-to-mid-50s. Sunrise 7:12 am, sunset 7:22 pm.

TRANSIT

Metro – First weekday for RapidRide H Line replacing Route 120 and for added trips on C Line and Route 50.

Water TaxiRegular schedule.

Washington State Ferries‘ Triangle Route continues on the 2-boat schedule, with added runs as of last week; check here for alerts/updates and see Vessel Watch for boats’ locations.

SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS

Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also up at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.

High Bridge – the camera at the top:

High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):

Low Bridge – looking east to west (unless SDOT turns the camera):

1st Ave. S. Bridge – another route across the river:

Highway 99: – the northbound side at Lander.

MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.

BRIDGE INFO: Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed to see if the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.

If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if needed) – 206-293-6302.

VIDEO: City Council Candidate Chat, with Stephen Brown

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Stephen Brown is the newest candidate for the District 1 City Council seat. He’s also new to the district, having just moved to West Seattle six months ago.

Brown is the fifth candidate to sit down with us for our initial series of Candidate Chats, video-recorded conversations intended to give you an early look at the candidates who have officially announced campaigns for the council seat Lisa Herbold is leaving after two terms. He is founder of Eltana Bagels, with an eclectic resumĂ© before that, including a staff position with the short-lived Seattle Monorail Project. We talked with Brown at West Seattle Coworking in The Junction last Wednesday; here’s our unedited half-hour conversation:

If you can’t, or don’t want to, take the time to watch/listen, here’s our summary of key points:

Read More

On eve of cleanup, 3-vehicle fire at encampment by 1st Avenue South Bridge

As we reported last week, the city plans to start a cleanup tomorrow at the sprawling encampment on the West Seattle side of the 1st Avenue Bridge. This past hour, SFD responded to what’s been described as a 3-vehicle fire there – two cars and one RV. No report of injuries. Police are investigating. How many people remain at the encampment is unclear; state and regional homelessness-response spokespersons told us last week that 30 people have been placed in shelter/housing.

BIZNOTE: Yen Wor Village plans to close at month’s end

One year ago, we reported on a fundraising campaign to try to keep Yen Wor Village, the restaurant/bar at 2300 California SW in The Admiral District, from closing. As noted at the time, the Wong family, owners of Yen Wor for more than 30 years, has been struggling with both financial and health challenges. They’ve made it through another year but now have announced a plan to close. The restaurant says it’ll close at the end of the month. No special events in the works to mark the end of an era, so far, but we’re told that could change. The crowdfunding campaign launched last year is still active – a poster for it is still displayed in the Yen Wor’s window:

But there’s no indication that a rescue is possible now. If you want to support the restaurant by dining/drinking there in the meantime, before the March 31st closure, they’re open seven nights a week.

UPDATE: Missing teen found safe.

MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: The missing teen’s mom says he has been found and is safe.

Earlier:

Read More

Camp Second Chance updates, as new managers meet with Community Action Committee for the first time

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

West Seattle’s only tiny-house encampment is under new management. Camp Second Chance is still operated by LIHI, which has the contract to run it on city-owned land at 9701 Myers Way South, but in recent months, its on-site managers have changed. The new managers met with the CSC Community Advisory Committee for the first time this past Tuesday night. The online meeting was the first in a few months because of logistics challenges that resulted in previous cancellations.

The new managers who talked with committee members are Daniel Weiss, the LIHI program manager accountable for four tiny-house encampments including CSC, on-site manager Michelle Yellow Robe, and case manager Ashley Freeman.

Currently, the site has 64 tiny houses, six of which are empty and undergoing maintenance, and 65 people, including some couples sharing a tiny house, plus 10 pets (seven dogs and three cats). Freeman is the lone case manager at the moment, with an open position for a second one; the task of assisting more than 60 people with needs including housing and job searches “can be overwhelming at times,” she acknowledged. But people continue to be placed in housing, she said, some to LIHI apartment buildings, but others to a variety of housing options all the way down to “rooms for rent.” LIHI can assist in placement of clients by paying their first/last months’ rent and deposit.

Weiss said the new managers have been stressing that “we want to help them keep moving along and get into permanent housing.” Yellow Robe added, “It’s a program, a stepping stone, not just a place to stay (indefinitely).”

That understanding isn’t shared by all, they said, particularly police whose help they have sought with removing problematic people from CSC. This issue surfaced last fall, as we reported in coverage of October’s Community Advisory Committee meeting. LIHI’s Josh Castle said CSC had required some police responses recently after a client assaulted a staffer, punching them in the face. He said police refused to remove the client from the site, insisting it was a landlord/tenant issue and that they couldn’t “evict” someone. When we followed up on the previous issue last fall, city homelessness-response spokesperson Linda Robson told us, “Legally, for purposes regarding evictions, tiny houses are considered emergency shelter, not housing.” But Castle said SPD has refused to help them in situations like this, at other LIHI tiny-house encampments as well as at CSC. In this situation, Castle said, an arrest would have been most appropriate, but “we just want them to leave the village.” Yellow Robe added that beyond the safety risk of having this person remain at CSC, it sets a bad example for others staying there – “The other clients are watching this and they think it’s a free for all.” One committee member suggested LIHI take the issue to the City Attorney’s Office.

The city did apparently take action on another problem, RVs and junk – not associated with CSC, accumulated along Myers Way adjacent to it. Weiss said he had filed a Find It Fix It report and cleanup/dispersal followed. Meantime, the camp is working on a new gate/fence in front to improve security. Committee members asked if the camp had any specific needs at the moment with which the community could assist; Freeman said she was looking into planning some activities such as an Easter dinner and egg hunt. Weiss said in general they are looking to bring in “more community partners” to provide services.

The Camp Second Chance Community Action Committee‘s monthly meetings are usually on second Tuesdays at 6 pm, online, open to all; email Josh Castle at LIHI to get on the announcement list – – and/or watch for the meeting info in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar.

About the smoke column behind Home Depot

Thanks to the texter who sent that photo. The smoke was from a fire, quickly extinguished by SFD Engine 11 minutes ago, in the greenbelt behind Home Depot. Firefighters described what was on fire as a “makeshift structure” and the call is logged as “encampment fire.” No word of any injuries. Most of the greenbelt along Sylvan Way northwest of the store is city-owned land.

DATE SET: Celebration of life April 1 for Gregor Terjung

When the family of longtime West Seattle Junction gift-shop owner Gregor Terjung announced his death in January, the date wasn’t yet set for his celebration of life. Now it is, and they want the community to know that the memorial is planned for Saturday, April 1st, 11 am at West Seattle Christian Church (4400 42nd SW). Online tributes are also still welcome at emmickfunerals.com/obituary/Gregor-Terjung. Mr. Terjung owned and operated Terjung’s Studio of Gifts for half a century until closing the shop and retiring at age 89.