West Seattle, Washington

28 Saturday

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month : 02/2008 297 results

Libraries aren’t just for quiet time: “Wonderful Ones”
February 12, 2008 1:20 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

Time to toss out that old mental image of your local public library as a hush-or-else quiet temple of bookshelves. Today’s libraries have a lot more going on. Last weekend, for example, we told you about an adult Wii-gaming class at Delridge Library — nice turnout, we’re told, and now we have another activity at that branch — one of four Seattle Public Library branches in West Seattle – that we want to tell you about: “Wonderful Ones.”Read More

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Three Alki Ave updates: Pegasus, Pioneer, Shoremont
February 12, 2008 10:21 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle restaurants | WS beverages

pegasussign.jpgWondering when Pegasus is going to move into its new location next door (former Coyotes, Chez Million, Lighthouse, Point)? At last night’s Statue of Liberty Plaza Project party, the announcement was “within the next couple of weeks.”

Wondering when Pioneer Coffee Roasting Co. is going to open in its new spot east of Slices? Thanks to Rod for forwarding an e-mail exchange he had with its operators, who told him they are currently hoping to be open in early March. (The new location also is finally listed on the Pioneer website.)

shoremontdoomed1.jpgNow a followup on our report yesterday morning about new owners for the old Shoremont Apartments on Alki – The firm to which we traced the purchasers, Pb Elemental, has e-mailed back to say, yes, it’s them, and here’s a few words about its plans (they’re promising more info and renderings shortly):

We have recently acquired the Shoremont apartments and the Mediterranean home next door (to remain). We are planning and permitting a six unit project featuring private roof decks and modern details. These new homes will be built green certified (4-5 star), featuring similar green products as our South Park lofts. (green roofs, rainwater collection, radiant heat, solar arrays). The existing building will be recycled as much as possible. We look forward to our first project in the Alki neighborhood and will ensure it is consistent with our design and quality.

The South Park lofts mentioned in that note are featured on the Pb home page.

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Denny-Sealth: District answers; protest signs; meeting tonight
February 12, 2008 9:41 am
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   Denny-Sealth | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

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Several signs like those just turned up at 35th/Thistle, one day after district staff announced it’s recommending the school board approve Option 2 – building a new Denny Middle School on the Chief Sealth High School campus, while adding $10 million more in Sealth renovations than were originally proposed. Meantime, the Westwood Neighborhood Council meeting about the project is tonight, 7 pm, CSHS Commons. And the district has just posted a new section on its website with the answers to all the questions posed at last week’s meeting (WSB coverage here) as well as other information on the project — you can read it all here.

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Looking for love AND fame? Here’s where to find both
February 12, 2008 9:19 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle people | WS beverages | WS culture/arts

On Valentine’s Eve, the Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) “Meet Your Sweetie” matchmaking event is igniting a TV frenzy. valentines-bags-002.jpgWe told you last Thursday that it was featured on Evening Magazine. Now Hotwire proprietor Lora Lewis sends word that two more TV appearances — live! — are ahead, and particularly if you’re single, you’re invited to drop by; no guarantees but you just might get interviewed, since both stations told her they’d love to talk with singles. According to Lora, KOMO 4 will be there during the 5 pm news tomorrow (WEDNESDAY) night (correction from earlier, sorry); KING 5 will be live Thursday on Valentine’s morning, with several reports between 6:30 and 9 am. In addition to showing up for all that, you can still get in on the “Sweeties” matchmaking by dropping by Hotwire any time (and checking out this page on its website) – we originally explained how this all works in this post last month. And the fun won’t end on Valentine’s Day — the main event is this Saturday, with a Sweetie Party starting at 5 pm at Hotwire, featuring participants reading their Valentines — will true love ensue? Be there to see. P.S. Hotwire also is one of the record-setting 20 venues participating in the Valentine’s night West Seattle Art Walk — flyer here — check out the second page of the flyer for “sweetie specials” at participating spots, which are now stretching BEYOND The Junction, with Thursday night venues including Click! Design That Fits (Admiral District), Authentic Home, and Styling Studio.

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Statue of Liberty Plaza Project: Big $ now, big event ahead
February 12, 2008 6:07 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Alki Statue of Liberty | West Seattle video

Almost a month after announcing they surpassed their financial goals, leaders of the Seattle (Alki) Statue of Liberty Plaza Project gathered supporters for a celebration last night at Pegasus. And news was made, particularly co-chairs Paul and Libby Carr revealing the donation total is now well past what was announced in mid-January:

(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)

That wasn’t all the news:

As we reported here last month, once the fundraising was over, the city came up with a preliminary timeline – and it stretched out a lot longer than what the Carrs had hoped, as they once envisioned a dedication on the Fourth of July. At last night’s party, Colleen Browne from the Seattle Parks Department said that timeline hasn’t changed, but still might:

(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)

However, Mike Boyle — announced last night as planner for a gala regional celebration once the plaza is complete — says he’s got a different date in mind:

(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)

9/11, of course, has historic significance for the Alki Statue of Liberty, dating back to the vigils of 2001, moving forward to the unveiling of the recast statue on 9/11/07 (WSB coverage here). Can the timeline move up? The picture should become clearer within a few months. Meantime, the Plaza Project expects to keep selling bricks a while longer — more info on their website — and is also talking about organizing a fundraiser at the Admiral Theater, showing Ken Burns’ Statue of Liberty documentary. No date set yet. They say the extra fundraising cushion is in case project costs go over, as well as to cover some added features such as bench backs; anything left over when all is said, done, and built will go to the organization that helped with fundraising and coordination, Urban Sparks, which would in turn spend the money on other local neighborhood projects. (US boss Jack Tomkinson was in attendance last night, as were Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis, City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, City Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher, and Department of Neighborhoods director Stella Chao.)

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Happening tonight: Science fairs at Pathfinder, Denny
February 12, 2008 5:31 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Genesee Hill | West Seattle schools | Westwood

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That’s Pathfinder K-8 student Elizabeth Baer, photographed by Eric Baer as she presented her investigation “Slime Roll” during a previous edition of the annual Pathfinder Science Fair, which happens in the school cafeteria 6-7:30 pm tonight. Eric tells WSB, “Nearly 100 science projects will be shown by students, covering every field of science and technology from robotics to volcanology to botany. … Pathfinder School is one of only a handful of Seattle Public Schools that has a Science Fair open to elementary-aged students.” The event is sponsored and run by the PTSA at Pathfinder, which is a public alternative school on Genesee Hill (map). ADDED 9:30 AM: Thanks to GenHillOne for noting tonight also is Family Math Night and Science Fair at Denny Middle School — according to the Denny website, that event is 6:30-8:30 pm.

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Another caucus followup: Official precinct-by-precinct results
February 11, 2008 11:14 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

As promised, the 34th District Democrats have posted the official list of precinct-by-precinct results for West Seattle (plus Vashon and the rest of the 34th). Find it here. (P.S. The 34th DDs’ monthly meeting is 7 pm Wednesday night, The Hall @ Fauntleroy.) The King County Republicans only break it down by legislative district (see that here) – the 34th GOP ended with 66 McCain delegates, 44 Paul, 40 Huckabee.

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“Micropermitting”: From the pixels to the airwaves
February 11, 2008 10:52 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle housing

Remember West Seattle architect and Design Review Board member David Foster’s beef about — guadalajaratownhouses.jpgand investigation into — so-called “micropermitting,” the loophole through which some big (and sometimes not-so-lovely) townhouse developments escape design review? Two weeks after the original WSB report (and followups here and here), KUOW picked up on it today, featuring Foster and someone who’d taken a different viewpoint in our original comments thread, High Point resident and real-estate agent Wendy Hughes-Jelen. Read the story and get audio links here.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Mail-forging, converter-cutting…
February 11, 2008 10:12 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

From our most recent round of report-reviewing at the Southwest Precinct: A couple in the 2600 block of 52nd SW called police after discovering an alarming anomaly in their bank account: handcuffs_2.jpgIn late January, they wrote a $30 check to their newspaper carrier, put it in the self-addressed envelope he provided, and put it in their mailbox for pickup. Unfortunately, someone else apparently got to it first; in early February, they discovered their bank account was running a lot lower than it should have been. Checking online, they discovered the $30 check had been forged into $800, and that the payee name had been altered too. Next: Car-cutting, indecent exposure, and more:Read More

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More signs of change: Ex-dealership signs down and gone
February 11, 2008 6:47 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Development | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle history

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Caught that photo late morning while en route to the Viaduct event posted below – sign removal under way at the ex-Huling/Gee dealership location on Fauntleroy south of Alaska. Then before we could even post it this afternoon, we wound up hours later alongside the truck carrying the signs away:

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Haven’t done a check on that property yet today but as we reported over the weekend, Huling land a couple blocks east is slated for a mixed-use project (we expect to talk with Harbor Properties tomorrow to find out more).

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Red Cup Espresso renamed Angelia’s Espresso
February 11, 2008 5:02 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | WS beverages

angelia2.jpgThanks to the folks at Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) for the tip, which we just confirmed by driving by to see the new sign on the door: Red Cup Espresso in The Junction is now renamed after its late owner, Angelia Paulsen (backstory here), as Angelia’s Espresso. In a note to WSB that we published January 10, her husband Sean O’Dea had said he was thinking of making that change.

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School district staff recommendation: Denny-Sealth Option 2
February 11, 2008 3:17 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Denny-Sealth | West Seattle schools | Westwood | WS breaking news

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(rendering as shown at last week’s district-sponsored meeting)
ORIGINAL 3:17 PM REPORT: The agenda for Wednesday’s school board meeting has been updated with the district’s Denny-Sealth recommendation: Option 2, which means combined campuses, but more money, specifically $10 million added for Sealth renovations. This will be officially introduced at the Wednesday board meeting and voted on February 27. 5:10 PM UPDATE: At saveseattleschools.blogspot.com, Melissa Westbrook breaks down the info on the supplemental agenda documents that lay out where the extra $10 million is to come from. As of this writing, we haven’t seen an official district news release, nor anything new posted on the Sealth or Denny websites, regarding the decision to recommend Option 2, so the agenda info is all that’s on the record at this point. Here’s the direct link; side note of interest, that document from superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson is dated January 31st, so she appears to have made her decision several days before last Tuesday’s public meeting at Sealth (WSB coverage here). Next steps: Tomorrow night (7 pm @ Chief Sealth HS), the Westwood Neighborhood Council has its moderated-panel public meeting regarding the project; Wednesday night, school-board members meet and the Option 2 recommendation will be “introduced”; they will vote yay or nay two weeks later. Since the final say is in their hands, if you want to express an opinion on the newly released recommendation, contacting board members is likely your best course of action; their contact info is here.

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The Viaduct: While you drive over it, what’s going on under it
February 11, 2008 1:48 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

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Those are our first clips from a media tour this afternoon of ongoing Viaduct strengthening work that’s been under way since fall beneath the section of the Viaduct that’s just south of Columbia. This is the part – site of the old Yesler Mill, long ago, according to WSDOT’s Matt Preedy – that’s settled several inches, and WSDOT isn’t sure why this section settles more than the rest, but they’ve got a couple months more work to keep it from getting worse. Here’s his progress overview:

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Another WSDOT spokesperson told us this event was meant not only as a media update on the work but also as a reminder of tomorrow night’s meeting at Cooper Elementary, which will focus on the big piece of the Viaduct puzzle – what might be done with the “Central Waterfront” section. WSDOT confirms that it will be open-house format 5:30-6:30, then open mike @ 6:30 for you to have your say on what you hope will happen. (And another reminder, the next weekend closure of the Viaduct is March 22-23.)

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Speaking of keeping kids out of trouble …
February 11, 2008 1:22 pm
|    Comments Off on Speaking of keeping kids out of trouble …
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

It’s been on our Events list page but in case you missed it, the Seattle/King County Gang Prevention and Outreach Group will be at Delridge Community Center 6-8 pm tonight for a community forum. Be part of the solution. Here’s the flyer; here’s the agenda.

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Admiral rock-throwing arrests: How police cracked the case
February 11, 2008 11:04 am
|      28 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

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What you see in that photo is the aftermath of one of dozens of rock- and brick-throwing incidents that targeted residents and drivers in West Seattle, mostly the Admiral area, over the past few months – in this case, the brick was thrown through the glass door of a home, causing almost a thousand dollars damage, as well as a psychological toll. The victim tells WSB, “The greatest impact was not the financial aspect but the random act of vandalism and violence. The sound of the brick through the glass and not knowing what it was. Then the fear and uncertainty. My poor dog was traumatized and has been jumpy since.” It’s a miracle none of these incidents hurt anyone; in past cases in other areas, this sort of attack has been deadly. We told you about the first two arrests; now we know that Southwest Precinct police have identified and talked with four suspects in all — three are 13 years old, one is 14. But what we didn’t know till talking further with the folks at the precinct is the backstory of how Officer Patrick Chang cracked the case, if you’ll pardon the phrase – it involves confessions, MySpace bragging, and more:Read More

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Cheaper wi-fi coming to Starbucks
February 11, 2008 10:46 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle online

Yes, we know there are many fine coffee establishments where you can get wi-fi absolutely free – but if you absolutely cannot avoid going online at Starbucks at some point for some reason, you will be interested to hear this.

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Taking care of business: Time to choose “Business of the Year”
February 11, 2008 8:39 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

From Shannon Felix at Avalon Glassworks — which was honored as the 2007 West Seattle Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year — it’s time to nominate the West Seattle business you think deserves that award next:

We ask your readers to promote their favorite local businesses by nominating them for this award!

The Chamber is now accepting nominations from the public for the local businesses that exemplify innovative and ethical business practices and contribute to the greatness of the West Seattle community. One business will receive this exclusive honor at the Chamber’s Annual Awards breakfast on April 9, 2008. Print a nomination form at www.wschamber.com or e-mail your nomination directly to pmullen@wschamber.com. All nominations must be received at the Chamber office by March 7, 2008. Nominations may be submitted by any individual … you can even nominate yourself. Visit the Chamber web site for more information, www.wschamber.com, or phone 206-932-5685.

By the way, the Chamber’s monthly lunch meeting this Wednesday (11:30 am, The Hall @ Fauntleroy) has an intriguing program focusing on transportation — with guests from Metro and the city Transportation Department. This will be the day after Tuesday night’s communitywide public meeting (5:30 pm, Cooper Elementary, but public comment doesn’t start till 6:30 so you can be “late”) about the fate of the “Central Waterfront” section of The Viaduct, so there’s much important info bound to emerge in the next few days about future transportation challenges — and opportunities.

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A tale of two sales: Shoremont and Cal Ray
February 11, 2008 1:03 am
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

shoremontdoomed.jpg

Someone on the Alki Beach Community Yahoo! group asked this weekend about the status of Shoremont, the old brick apartments at 57th/Alki (photo above) proposed for teardown-to-townhomes as first reported here last summer. We just happened onto new information about it, while researching a different apartment-complex sale that’s now the second half of this post. A recent list of “weekly top King County property sales” posted here says Cobb Construction just sold the Shoremont site to Lead Construction, for $2,200,000 (verified in county records). Further research doesn’t bring up much about “Lead Construction” but crossreferencing suggests it’s related to this firm (whose site mentions a “Lead Consulting” on this page). Meantime, this too has sold:

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We mentioned back in October that this 18-unit apartment complex, the Cal Ray at 6000 California, was up for sale. The latest areawide sales report (scroll down to West Seattle) shows it’s sold, for a bit more than its listing price ($1,995,000 at the time of our original report; the sales report says it sold for $2,000,000, county records say $1,998,000). The listing flyer had mentioned “strong redevelopment potential” – but nothing’s been applied for at the site, so far. (Meantime, if you missed it over the weekend, we’ve learned of at least one more new apartment building in West Seattle’s future.)

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More weekend scenes from around West Seattle
February 10, 2008 10:07 pm
|    Comments Off on More weekend scenes from around West Seattle
 |   High Point | Seen around town | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

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Thanks to Luckie for that shot of the Lafayette Elementary “Best of Broadway” cast, who performed three of the past four nights at the West Seattle High School theater. In addition to the photo- and video-enhanced report we posted last night about Saturday events around West Seattle (BESIDES the caucuses), we have more to show you tonight:Read More

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In case you need to make family vacation plans really early …
February 10, 2008 7:52 pm
|    Comments Off on In case you need to make family vacation plans really early …
 |   West Seattle schools

So we’re watching the online agenda for this Wednesday’s Seattle School Board meeting very closely, waiting for the Denny-Sealth recommendation to be posted (purportedly tomorrow), and just noticed something on the agenda that might be of interest to SPS families now – the proposed district calendar for next school year. Not final till it’s officially approved, of course, but here’s a direct link if you want to take a look. (Highlights: First day of classes, Wednesday 9/3/08; winter break Monday 12/22/08 through Friday 1/2/09; spring break 3/30/09-4/3/09; last day of next school year 6/16/09.)

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Play ball! West Seattle Girls’ Softball makes a video pitch
February 10, 2008 5:00 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle video | WS & Sports

We told you a few weeks back about registration season for several local youth sports leagues, including West Seattle Girls’ Softball. We just heard back from Steve Peer, league president, who wanted to share the video you see above — featuring the Filmateria Studios Clickin’ Cleats, the team he coaches, a 10-and-under team photographed last year, which was their third year together. Steve says, “During the registration process, I’ve heard from lots of parents either new to West Seattle or with daughters who are 7 to 8 years old who are interested in the league. Most want to know more than the league philosophy, schedules, and fees. When it boils down to it, most of the parents want to know if it’s fun for the girls!” Steve says the video answers that last question pretty well. WSGS registration is open till next Friday (2/15); you can sign up, and/or get info, at the WSGS site, and Steve notes that financial assistance is available for those who might not be able to play otherwise — contact him directly (click here for e-mail address).

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Meet a winner: Paul Sureddin
February 10, 2008 2:51 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Community Recognition Awards | West Seattle people

Last month, we announced the winners of the first quarterly West Seattle Community Recognition Awards, trophy.jpga new way to honor West Seattleites working to make a difference — the brainchild of Julie Mireille Anderson from Divina, with the nominating process open to everyone in West Seattle. As we open the next round of nominations, we are profiling the first three winners — people you may or may not have heard about or met, people whose hard work makes West Seattle a better place. Thursday, we told you about Cindi Barker from the Morgan Community Association (meet Cindi here); Friday, Larry Carpenter from the Alki Community Council and Southwest Seattle Historical Society (meet Larry here); and today, we profile Fairmount Springs community organizer Paul Sureddin, who also is webmaster for FS and MoCA:Read More

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After the caucuses: What’s next
February 10, 2008 11:34 am
|      22 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle politics

First, a couple more photos that have come in since our caucus updates ended last night. This one is from Katie McKeehan Hart, who photographed her daughter Mary Kate Hart as they caucused at West Seattle Elementary:

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This one’s from Josh Sutton, showing how big the group from just one precinct got, caucusing at Chief Sealth High School:

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ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: SRO caucus scene at West Seattle High School, from Matt Taylor:

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Now, the “what’s next” info. First – there is still a statewide presidential primary on February 19; if you vote by mail, you’ve received your ballot by now. The Democrats are not using the results to choose any delegates (they have always used the caucuses instead; here’s 34th District Democrats chair Ivan Weiss’s explanation); the Republicans will choose half their delegates from the primary results, half from their caucuses yesterday. If you’re a Democrat and you’re wondering whether to bother voting, one thing to keep in mind, if you care, is that since the race is still perceived as close, the national media will likely pay attention to the results anyway, regardless of whether delegate-awarding is involved, so if you want your candidate to look good, you might as well show up for this too. (Personally, we never miss a chance to vote for anything.) As fr the long process of converting yesterday’s caucus results to national-convention delegates: The Democrats’ legislative-district caucuses are on April 5; delegates who go on from there will attend county conventions on April 13; then caucuses by Congressional district (here in West Seattle, we’re part of the 7th District) are on May 17, the state convention is on June 14, and the Democratic National Convention is August 25-28 in Denver. Oh yeah, and the actual election … November 4. (By the way, the 34th District Democrats are promising precinct-by-precinct breakouts on their website within a few days; for some unofficial counts, check the comments below our running post from last night.) One more note – just as we were writing this, we received the following from Steve Heck, titled “Open Letter to Washington State Democratic Leadership,” with some points of concern regarding the process, and he thought it might be a point worth discussing here:Read More

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