West Seattle, Washington

06 Tuesday

68℉

month : 09/2008 352 results

More West Seattle weekend scenes, Saturday evening edition
September 13, 2008 7:38 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | Triangle | West Seattle news

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As the West Seattle Gateway Cleanup wrapped up around 3:30 this afternoon, that was the scene in the neighborhood immediately west of the cleanup zone (near the ramp to the walkover bridge) – we heard one organizer saying they had collected a HALF-TON OF TRASH. We’re hoping for official wrapup info at some point later after organizers recover (they did a heroic job pulling this all together, and thanks to everyone in WSB’land who stepped forward to donate time, treats, etc.). When we get that info, we’ll post it separately with a few more scenes from today’s big event (earlier coverage was here and here). Meantime, here’s video of the four-legged cleanup crew now on duty along 34th north of Myrtle (map), on the east edge of Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s northern lot:

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As mentioned here, the goats — from Rent-A-Ruminant — are expected to be on site through Tuesday. (Just note that it’s not too safe to get up close and personal to where they’re working – no sidewalk on that side of the street – but you can admire them from across the street, along High Point Playfield.) Meantime, we couldn’t resist going back to Alki to check in on the Evergreen State Barbecue Championship competitors’ progress. As usual, some of the booths show flashes of humor (note the sign AND the yellow tape here):

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And there’s a little timely solemnity too:

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We noted earlier that two booths across from 62nd SW are selling food (that was a big question last year, when we happened onto the barbecue event without advance warning). Pricewise for the main courses – the salmon sandwiches at the Tom Douglas booth are $7; offerings at the other booth (whose name we forgot to write down) range from $5 “German sausage on bun” to $25 dinner with a full rack of ribs. The main competition is tomorrow, but a little bit of judging was going on late today — an appetizer contest when we sauntered by around 5 pm. (The judges were sequestered mysteriously behind four walls of tent tarp.) The whole promenade smells amazing so you might just want to go be an olfactory spectator; the competitors will be camped out all night, some in tents by their massive grilling/smoking setups, some in RVs along Alki SW.

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Reader report: Safety reminder after Fauntleroy crash
September 13, 2008 6:10 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

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That photo comes from Fauntleroy’s Ron Richardson, along with this account of what happened, and the safety reminder it sparks:

Around 3 pm Saturday there was yet another rear-end accident as a car heading up Fauntleroy Way SW ran in to a parked car. The driver of the moving car was sent to the hospital to be checked out. One of the responding police officers said that there appeared to be no serious injury.

Moving cars slamming in to parked car is a common happening along Fauntleroy Way with northbound traffic. Drivers often are distracted by action in and around the park. Drinking has been a factor in some of the incidents. [editor’s note: there is no police report available yet on what might have been to blame in this case]

Some folks do not realize that Fauntleroy Way is a two-lane road and not a four lane road so they drive along what they think is a curb lane until they run in to a parked car. Drivers also need to be aware that this area has kids crossing to the park, fast moving traffic, cars pulling out from side streets, and drivers making dangerous U turns in attempt to get in to the southbound ferry lane. This latest incident happened at Fauntleroy Way and Rose Street.

That intersection is across from central Lincoln Park; here’s a map.

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Signs to remind you that an idling engine is pollution’s workshop
September 13, 2008 3:01 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

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These signs in the ferry-waiting lane alongside Lincoln Park may have been up for days or weeks – we’re just sayin’, we noticed them today for the first time. We had told you twice before that they were on the way — first in June, when Fauntleroy Community Association gave its support to residents’ proposal that the city install them, then in July when SDOT confirmed they were in the works.

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Also happening now: Fish-b-q with music; library fun
September 13, 2008 1:30 pm
|    Comments Off on Also happening now: Fish-b-q with music; library fun
 |   Fun stuff to do | Gardening | West Seattle video

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Atlas Stringband is playing at the annual Village Green Perennial Nursery (WSB sponsor) halibut barbecue (here’s the backstory) till 3 pm. As co-publisher Patrick put it after shooting that video, “They’re GOOD!” Meantime, here’s nursery owner Vera Johnson and halibut-catching husband Bill Curtin cooking, followed by a photo of the mid-barbecue crowd:

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One more event under way till 3 pm — at High Point Library, you can meet one of the architects who helped design it, Brad Miller of Miller Hayashi Architects, and enjoy free coffee/snacks. This is part of a daylong, citywide celebration of Seattle Public Libraries (some other branches around Seattle have architects on hand too) — and at any library, till 6 pm, you can get a free “passport” that you can take to any and all libraries between now and January 2nd to get stamped (read more about it here).

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Happening now: Barbecue battle; open house; cleanup update
September 13, 2008 12:34 pm
|    Comments Off on Happening now: Barbecue battle; open house; cleanup update
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

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Lady Liberty isn’t the only one at Alki with a torch today – that’s Home on the Range barbecue (whose MySpace site declares the team “… is gonna win at Alki”) cleaning off the grill in dramatic style (go here for a few seconds of video including the roaring torch), just one of the sights late this morning as the competitors in the Evergreen State Barbecue Championships revved up for the first of two days. Two vendors are selling food – they’re both along the walkway that’s across the street from Pegasus (62nd/Alki):

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Also happening right now (till 2 pm), the Neighborhood Matching Fund 20th-anniversary open house at Youngstown Arts Center. Scrapbook-making is under way; we caught Ron Angeles, Delridge Neighborhood Services coordinator (left), and Pete Spalding (Delridge District Council president, among other roles) making entries for Delridge:

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You’re also invited to make sure any local NMF project you are or have been involved with is represented on this map:

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Free treats too and reusable shopping bags while they last. That’s what the mayor also was supposed to be handing out at the West Seattle Gateway Cleanup, continuing till about 3:30 – we caught him as he posed for pix near the Fauntleroy walkover around 10:30:

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After that, we walked onto the pedestrian bridge (an interesting experience for an acrophobe) to get an aerial perspective of what the history-making volunteers are up to:

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As we mentioned earlier, more than 200 had signed up, including representatives of a variety of local groups – among those we spotted this morning, Mars Hill Church-West Seattle, local LDS church members, the Morgan Community Association (later we’ll show you a photo of their cute T-shirts) and more.

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West Seattle Gateway Cleanup, report #1: Making history!
September 13, 2008 10:03 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Neighborhoods | Triangle | West Seattle news

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That’s a group shot taken just before the first group of volunteers in the West Seattle Gateway Cleanup left the staging area (ex-Huling Buick lot, future Gateway Center) about half an hour ago and headed off to start tackling the task. Kimberlee Archie from the city Department of Neighborhoods had just noted that this not only is the 89th cleanup under the umbrella of the Clean and Green Program, she thinks the 200-plus volunteers represent the biggest group EVER in a C&G cleanup. Archie also read a proclamation from the mayor (who’s visiting the cleanup crews later this morning) declaring today to be Earl Cruzen Day, and Earl himself was on hand to accept the honor:

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(ADDED SATURDAY AFTERNOON – here’s video of the proclamation being read)

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You probably see the results of Earl’s work every day. He’s the guy who hatched the idea for the West Seattle Murals, for one; the story of how that happened, and who else helped, is told nicely on this page of the Fauntleroy Church website; you can also read about it in this West Seattle 101 chapter. Cruzen and the murals group then went on to come up with Walking on Logs – the starting point for today’s cleanup. Those two lines barely scratch the surface of what he’s given to the West Seattle community (and continues to give, well into his 80s), but we’ve got to get back out to see how the cleanup’s going; volunteers will be at work from Walking on Logs to 35th/Fauntleroy until about 3:30 this afternoon, and that means a westbound lane closure on the Fauntleroy end of The Bridge, so if you’re going to be driving that way, PLEASE be careful – hundreds of your neighbors are giving up part of their Saturday to make that stretch less of an eyesore, so help them stay safe. More updates later, on this and other big events happening around West Seattle today.

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Saturday highlights around (and near) West Seattle
September 13, 2008 6:07 am
|    Comments Off on Saturday highlights around (and near) West Seattle
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | WS miscellaneous

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LAST WEEKEND TO GO TO COSTCO THE USUAL WAY: By Tuesday morning, the sign beneath the sheeting should be unmasked, to point you toward the detour that will kick in from the 1st Avenue South exit on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge – because that’s when eastbound lower Spokane Street will close 1st-5th to all but local (deliveries etc.) traffic. You’ll have to turn left on 1st at the bottom of the offramp, head to Lander, then up to 4th, and then to Costco (etc.). It’s the very first phase of work that in 3 years will result in a double-the-current-width Spokane Street Viaduct (archived WSB coverage here).

PARKING ALERT: Long stretches of California SW between Alaska and Morgan Junctions are marked by “no parking” signs in effect for today; we’ll be checking shortly on exactly what sort of road work this is for.

ANOTHER TRAFFIC NOTE: Another reminder, the eastbound Fauntleroy end of The Bridge will have the outside lane blocked off for the West Seattle Gateway Cleanup most of the day today (hundreds of volunteers; not too late to join them, here’s how).

SPEAKING OF VOLUNTEERS: The volunteer hours and donated $ that communities contribute to city Neighborhood Matching Fund-assisted projects are celebrated today in an NMF 20th-anniversary open house at Youngstown Arts Center, 10 am-2 pm.

IT’S COOKIN’ ON ALKI: Only a couple tents were set up as of late last night but lots more should be showing up this morning for the weekend-long Evergreen State Barbecue Championships along the Alki promenade. More here (including a famous food-seller!).

CLEAN CARS FOR A CAUSE: Latest fundraising car wash – West Seattle High School girls’ volleyball team, 10 am-2 pm at the WSHS parking lot.

BONAFIDE BELL-RINGING: With a month and a half to go till the election, your doorbell’s going to start ringing a lot. Today, it just might be the folks trying to rev up support for the Sound Transit ballot measure, “Mass Transit Now”; they’re gathering at midmorning in Morgan Junction to launch a round of West Seattle canvassing.

Much more – live music! live theater! plant sale! rummage sale! fish-b-q! — in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup; here’s a quicklink to today’s events.

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Hours to go till the West Seattle Gateway Cleanup!
September 12, 2008 10:01 pm
|    Comments Off on Hours to go till the West Seattle Gateway Cleanup!
 |   How to help | Triangle | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

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After months of organizing, the big cleanup along the Fauntleroy end of The Bridge, from Walking on Logs to 35th/Fauntleroy (where Department of Corrections crews have just done some pre-clearing, as per photo above) is finally here. From organizer Nancy Driver:

It’s looking like we are going to have a really beautiful day for a cleanup. Thanks to the terrific response from the community, we will have well over 200 volunteers at the cleanup tomorrow. I’m really excited to see what it will look like after we’ve finished. Here’s what you need to know for tomorrow:

Where to check in: 4545 Fauntleroy Ave SW – in the parking lot of the former Huling showroom at the corner of Fauntleroy and 38th SW. There will be some parking available here but please consider arriving by foot, bicycle, bus or carpool.

What time: Welcoming ceremony starts at 9:00 a.m. and hopefully shouldn’t run more than 20 minutes. There will be a special declaration read tomorrow morning but we’ll let it be a surprise. Shifts run 9:30 – 11:30; 11:30 – 1:30; 1:30 – 3:30. All volunteers should check in at least 20 minutes before their shift so they can sign and be issued a safety vest. Everyone will be required to wear a safety vest at the clean up site. Right now we have an overabundance of volunteers for the 9:30 shift so if you haven’t already signed up as a volunteer and want to help out, please arrive for either the 11:30 or 1:30 shifts.

What to wear: I recommend long pants and shoes that will protect your feet. I know it’s going to be warm tomorrow but you’ll want to protect your feet and legs from getting scratched up from blackberries and other scratchy debris on site. We’ll have gloves available except for children – unfortunately, we will not be able to provide gloves for small hands. Just adult sizes small, medium and large. If you have your own favorite gloves – feel free to bring them but just be sure to hang onto them.

We’ll have water and other beverages as well as light refreshments available in the staging area. Water will also be available at the clean up site. We’ll also have a port-a-potty at both the clean up site and the staging area.

The City is providing all tools necessary so no need to bring tools.

The Mayor will be showing up around 10:30 at the clean up site and will be handing out reusable grocery bags to volunteers after they finish their shift.

Thanks again to everyone who has volunteered to help with this project.

Nancy / Fairmount Community Association

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Bizbits: Freshy’s, Bohemian, Hotwire, Skylark, Snap, Friends
September 12, 2008 6:02 pm
|    Comments Off on Bizbits: Freshy’s, Bohemian, Hotwire, Skylark, Snap, Friends
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle businesses

Six quick West Seattle business notes:

FRESHY’S: Got a note from owner Amber that her shop across from Hiawatha is now serving beer/wine and will expand to a later closing time (9 pm) starting Monday.

THE BOHEMIAN: After one daytime-only week, next Monday, The Bohemian adds dinner and cocktails; proprietor Jason Rice says Sunday brunch will join the lineup October 5th.

HOTWIRE COFFEE: Tomorrow’s another installment of the 6th anniversary celebration for WSB’s inaugural sponsor – latte/chair massage combos for $15 between 9 and 3.

SKYLARK CAFE AND CLUB: The lively Delridge venue just announced a new “open turntable” night, last Tuesday of each month (next one 9/30), sign up for a half-hour between 9 pm-2 am when you can play your records (yes, vinyl!) onstage (signups start at 9).

SNAP FITNESS: The new Jefferson Square fitness center co-owned by longtime WSB’er Jim Flynn will have an info/membership table 4-7 pm daily next Monday-Thursday and 11 am-3 pm Saturday 9/20.

FRIENDS AND COMPANY: The crafts store in The Junction marks its 11th anniversary with special events and demonstrations tomorrow.

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Lint-trap fire sparks brief scare at Allstar Fitness
September 12, 2008 4:34 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

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First word comes from Chris Monsos – it’s on the 911 log too. Adding a cameraphone photo in a moment. Not sure yet about details of the incident. 4:39 PM UPDATE: Added photo. Heading that way to find out more, now that the 39th/Holden drug raid is wrapped up (see previous post). Chris says whatever it was must have been small – nothing’s visible but he could smell smoke when he pulled up, and he sees the fire crew “squeegee-ing up water from the lobby.” 4:46 PM UPDATE: Our crew is there now – fire alarms can still be heard, and water can still be seen coming out of the lobby. We’ll let you know as soon as we find out what happened and whether it’s affecting club operations for the rest of today/tonight. 4:50 PM UPDATE: Two sources – the fire commander at the scene, and Cami from Alki (quoting the owner) – say it was a laundry-room fire; the commander says it started in the lint trap; out now, no injuries reported. Employees tell WSB the owner hasn’t decided how the rest of the night will go – first concern is getting people who were inside the club when this happened, back inside now to get their stuff. (Later note: Still no official word, so just call before you go.)

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Update: Gatewood street reopens after “drug raid” shutdown
September 12, 2008 4:04 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Gatewood | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(more photos added to the bottom of this post late Friday night – scroll down)

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Thanks to Rebecca for the tip. Holden is blocked for a few blocks starting at 41st and heading east; the first officer we saw at the scene said simply, “Drug raid.” We’re gathering more information; stand by. 4:14 PM UPDATE: Added photo of police vehicles near the scene; cropped it closely because we have no idea whether there is some sort of standoff involved, and it’s always been SOP not to publish anything during a standoff that might alert someone to the position of police at the scene. 4:21 PM UPDATE: Witnesses tell us one person was “taken away” by officers shortly after this all started 45 minutes or so ago. 4:32 PM UPDATE: The street’s open again now, though there are still officers outside the house where the “raid” apparently happened. We’re checking for additional information. 4:37 PM UPDATE: Lt. Norm James confirms one suspect arrested, but can’t elaborate beyond the fact this is a drug case; he says police are just wrapping up administrative-type details on scene now. ADDED LATE FRIDAY NIGHT: Thanks to Brian Hartman from photoelan.com for these photos taken as police moved in:

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West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Very-late-summer edition
September 12, 2008 3:50 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Very-late-summer edition
 |   Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

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The autumnal equinox isn’t till a week from Monday, so you actually have two more summer weekends left, counting this one (and the weather sure looks semi-summery) – events include the first weekend of “The Vertical Hour” at ArtsWest (photo above by Matthew Durham), the Barbecue Championships at Alki, the huge West Seattle Gateway Cleanup, and a whole lot more – 47 West Seattle events for tonight through Sunday night, listed ahead:Read More

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Chief Sealth Band uniform drive on the march
September 12, 2008 2:32 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

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Tim Winston, best known lately for West Seattle Hi-Yu but serving this time around as a “Chief Sealth band fan,” sent the above photo with the following info:

Chief Sealth High Band has been raising money for new uniforms for several years and is closing in on the goal. They are trying to raise the last bit that will push them over the top.

The band members in the picture are wearing their current, difficult to fit & maintain, uniforms and holding a picture of the new uniforms. The new design has been a collaborative effort by band members, led by their director, Deborah Meyer.

If you can help out, please send your tax deductable donation to:

Chief Sealth Performing Arts
PMB #249
1606 SW 104th St
Seattle, WA 98146

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Now there are 2 West Seattle cleanups tomorrow, 1 with goats
September 12, 2008 12:23 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

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Our Lady of Guadalupe School tells WSB its students are getting an environmental lesson by cleaning up the overgrown corner at 34th/Myrtle (north of the school, east of its playground) – and they’re going to get some help starting tomorrow from a herd of goats! The goats will be on site Saturday through Tuesday. OLG development director Chantille Henry adds, “Our Lady of Guadalupe School believes in teaching children the importance of stewardship and each class is assigned a different project to better the world around them. One class cleans Longfellow Creek, and another collects clothing and visits WestSide Baby, helping sort clothing and cleans the grounds, to name a few.” Meantime, tomorrow’s also the day for the huge West Seattle Gateway Cleanup along the Fauntleroy end of The Bridge, from 35th/Fauntleroy to Walking on Logs, where some clearing’s already been done in preparation for what hundreds of volunteers will do tomorrow:

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Goats didn’t work out for this cleanup, but organizer Nancy Driver has reported previously that she and fellow organizers are very grateful to the state Department of Corrections for lending people-power to the pre-clearing project. Also a traffic reminder – the outside lane along the cleanup site will be closed tomorrow, 8 am-4 pm-ish, so if you’re coming back to West Seattle via The Bridge at some point, either take the Admiral exit or just remember to go slow!

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34th District Democrats’ meeting: Election countdown
September 12, 2008 11:34 am
|    Comments Off on 34th District Democrats’ meeting: Election countdown
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Certainly the presidential election has taken fascinating turns – but that’s just one race on a huge slate you’ll face when your ballot arrives in the mail, or when checkbox.jpgyou go vote in person on November 4th. We got quite the reminder of that while covering Wednsday night’s meeting of West Seattle’s biggest political group, the 34th District Democrats – they got endorsement pitches from supporters of initiatives that may not even be on your radar screen yet. They also heard local organizers’ presidential get-out-the-vote strategies too. Two and a half hours of what the 34th DDs call “all the democracy you can handle” — here are the highlights:Read More

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Another Alaskan Way Viaduct milestone: Power-line project starts
September 12, 2008 10:30 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation | West Seattle news

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Before that round of handshaking followed the ceremonial groundbreaking an hour ago for the Alaskan Way Viaduct electrical-line relocation project, state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond (center of pic, white shirt) pointed to the BECU billboard in the upper left corner of the photo and said it hits home the point that Viaduct work “has arrived”; here’s video with her explanation of this project’s overall significance:

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If you’re trying to envision exactly where those to-be-moved lines are – they’re visible on the underside of the Viaduct’s lower deck:

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Seattle City Light’s chief of staff Sung Yang said the lines carry major supply far beyond the immediate local area:

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They’ll be moved off the structure to help prepare for its teardown and replacement, starting next year (this work should be finished by late ’09). The only traffic effects you should notice during the yearlong, $17 million electric-line project are described this way in the official WSDOT news release: “During construction, drivers should expect occasional lane closures or traffic revisions on S. Atlantic Street, S. Royal Brougham Way, and S. Dearborn Street between First Avenue S. and Alaskan Way S. In addition, some parking near the sports stadiums will be removed in the area needed for construction.” Frank Coluccio Construction is the contractor. This isn’t the first major Viaduct project, by the way; the column-stabilization work (WSB coverage, with video, here) was finished earlier this year. Last note: Next Viaduct weekend-long inspection shutdown is currently set for October 18-19, as permaposted on our Traffic page.

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Whole Foods: Interbay slowdown but “full speed ahead” here
September 12, 2008 9:57 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

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Seems Magnolia/Interbay and West Seattle have a lot in common these days – not only the jail-sites fight (see below), but also future Whole Foods stores. MagnoliaVoice.com broke the story of a slowdown on the nearly complete WF in Interbay; as soon as we saw it early this morning, we e-mailed Eric Radovich at BlueStar – which is developing Fauntleroy Place, with the West Seattle WF (final approved design shown above) – and he replied early this am, “Still full (speed) ahead for us at this point … target Feb. of 2010,” which means no change from previous projections. A similar reassurance was issued a month ago, and FP has swung into major excavation since then. (Side note: If you haven’t heard of Magnolia Voice before, it’s a new neighborhood-news site affiliated with MyBallard.com, both operated by people who, like your WSB co-publishers here, are veteran journalists we happened to know personally long before they ventured into the online-community-news business.)

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Jail-sites fight: 1 West Seattle site among “most likely” 2?
September 12, 2008 8:53 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle jail sites

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(Thursday night photo courtesy MagnoliaVoice.com)
MagnoliaVoice.com covered last night’s community meeting focusing on the Interbay location that’s among the city’s current “final four” in the search for where to build a jail for misdemeanor offenders; the other three sites, as you probably know, include two in southeastern West Seattle. According to our friends at Magnolia Voice, one of those sites, the one on Myers Way (map), was mentioned by City Councilmember Tim Burgess as one of the two most likely sites (along with the Interbay location, which he reportedly had singled out in July). We have a request for comment out to Councilmember Burgess (who chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee); meantime, you can read the MagnoliaVoice.com story about last night’s meeting here. SATURDAY MIDDAY UPDATE: Councilmember Burgess has posted a comment on the White Center Now version of this post saying that he was referring to the “First Avenue South Bridge” site, not the Myers Way South site. The city has not labeled any site as “First Avenue South Bridge” but the West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way SW site is certainly closest to the bridge; we have a note out to Councilmember Burgess to further clarify (he had not responded to the request for comment that we mentioned yesterday, except to ask for the Magnolia Voice link, which we promptly provided). Will let you know what we find out. UPDATED SUNDAY AFTERNOON: Councilmember Burgess’ reply:

Correct, the West Marginal site which is about 1.5 blocks off the southwest corner of the bridge. The site is partially owned by the city and partially owned by WSDOT which used it as a staging location when the bridge was repaired a few years back. I refer to it as the First Avenue South Bridge site because that helps people understand the geographic location better than the intersection.

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Groundbreaking this morning for first Viaduct project
September 12, 2008 7:22 am
|    Comments Off on Groundbreaking this morning for first Viaduct project
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation

In less than two hours, state and local leaders will preside at a ceremonial groundbreaking for the next major Alaskan Way Viaduct project – yearlong work to relocate nearby electrical lines, to get ready for the South End replacement. State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond and City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco are scheduled to participate in the event along the Sodo end of The Viaduct. We’ll be there too. Note that this project is not expected to have many traffic effects, since it’s happening mostly on nearby private property. Lots going on with the AWV, though, including another state open house here in West Seattle, 5:30-7:30 pm at Fauntleroy Church next Tuesday; the focus: getting your thoughts on what should replace its Central Waterfront section (here are the so-called “options” currently under review).

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3rd time’s the charm for BlueStar’s 5020 California SW project
September 11, 2008 11:59 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

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That’s the night view of the BlueStar project, still known as Spring Hill (but maybe changing), that just finally finished a Design Review process that exemplified how public comment and concern CAN make a difference. As some point out, the final chapter isn’t written until the building is built — but so far as this stage of the process goes, concerns from neighbors and criticisms from reviewers were not only heard, but also incorporated in the design approved tonight. Here’s a summary along with a few more views from the official presentation – plus the only real low note of tonight’s meeting before the Southwest Design Review Board:Read More

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West Seattle scenes: High Point cultural lesson; Art Walk night
September 11, 2008 10:37 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   High Point | Neighborhoods | West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle video

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The centerpiece of tonight’s High Point Neighborhood Association meeting was a presentation about Somali/East African culture – including Gurey Faarah (pictured) talking to attendees. Non-Somali speakers on hand got a bit of a language lesson too (sample, from a handout distributed tonight: “Nabad miyaa” means “how are you?” – literally “are you at peace?”). All this, under a peaceful moonrise (which we photographed near the meeting scene at the Commons Park Amphitheater):

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High Point doesn’t currently have a venue in the West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk, but almost everywhere else in West Seattle does, from Delridge to Alki to The Junction and beyond. WSB video cam #1 (celebrating its first anniversary tonight!) was along for the ride at Twilight Art Collective, where Grayface (Christopher Hydinger on keyboards, and Space) played:

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Then we strolled up the street for a look at art we thought WSB dog fans might enjoy – canine portraits at Clementine by Janet Wold:

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Next West Seattle Art Walk is October 9th.

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Northwest Hope and Healing’s Alki Beach Run: Sign up now!
September 11, 2008 8:47 pm
|    Comments Off on Northwest Hope and Healing’s Alki Beach Run: Sign up now!
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle people

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That’s a photo from last year’s Northwest Hope and Healing Foundation 5K run/walk – in ’07 it was at Lincoln Park, but this year it’s at West Seattle’s other big shoreline park – Alki – and it’s coming up later this month! Tonight we welcome Northwest Hope and Healing as a WSB sponsor, as they work to continue spreading the word about what they do and how your participation in this year’s Alki Beach Run 5K walk/run can help. NWHH has a unique role in the fight against breast cancer and the work to help those who are battling it: It’s a low-overhead nonprofit (one employee, who works part time), based in West Seattle, that reaches out to newly diagnosed patients all around the metro area. Last year alone, Northwest Hope and Healing helped 1,000 local women who each found themselves among the 1 in every 8 women diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives. Director Shari Sewell explains that NWHH “provides financial assistance for non-medical needs like child care, counseling, transportation, meals & emergency rent to women receiving breast cancer treatment at Swedish Medical Center. In addition, our signature Healing Baskets are given free of charge to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients … over 3,000 of our Healing Baskets carried a message of love, life, and HOPE.” The money raised in the Alki Beach Run will help NWHH continue to spread that message; the 5K is set for Sunday, September 28, on a course between the Alki Statue of Liberty and Anchor (Luna) Park (here’s a route map on the NWHH website), with check-in on race day at 8 am at Alki Bathhouse, the run starting at 9. You can pre-register online right now by going here, or in person at Capers in The Junction. There are prizes for the 1st and 2nd-place finishers, too, provided by Salty’s on Alki (other prize categories include largest team and top fundraisers). Read more about Northwest Hope and Healing at its website, then go here to sign up for the Alki Beach Run (which is open to walkers, too), September 28 (two weeks from this Sunday).

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Here again is the link where you can pre-register now; if you need to find it again later, just look for the Alki Beach Run logo ad in the right sidebar on all WSB pages.

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Take a simple step now, to enable easier steps later
September 11, 2008 8:24 pm
|    Comments Off on Take a simple step now, to enable easier steps later
 |   How to help | Transportation

Reminder from West Seattle walkability advocate Chas Redmond — this week is IT for your chance to fill out a simple online city survey that could make a big difference toward getting leaders to listen to concerns and ideas about our area’s future walkability. Go here ASAP and follow the survey link from the right side of the page – even if your usual walking totals only yards instead of miles.

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