West Seattle, Washington
05 Thursday
NEW PAGE LISTING ALL WEST SEATTLE SCHOOLS: Thanks to the WSBers who suggested, in e-mail and forums, one comprehensive list of all West Seattle schools would be helpful during this intense choosing-a-school time of year. Here’s version 1.0 (and you can find it any time from the “schools” tab atop WSB pages). Despite our best efforts, we suspect there’s a likelihood we missed someone; if so, please let us know! We’ll meld the school-tour/open house info onto this page over the weekend, too (for now it’s on the Events page).
UPDATES ON CRIME WATCH AND PETS PAGES: On the Crime Watch page, you’ll find a reader report with an Admiral-area alert, as well as the latest Southwest Precinct Public Safety Newsletter. On the Pets page, we have added a “found pet” you might want to know about.
LAST CALL FOR NOMINATIONS, AND A REMINDER TO JOIN US NEXT FRIDAY NIGHT: Tomorrow’s the deadline to suggest someone for the first-ever quarterly West Seattle Community Recognition Awards (read more here); winners will be celebrated at an informal gathering to which you’re invited, 7 pm Friday 1/18 at Capers in The Junction – come by and say hi!
Have you ever been to Pigeon Point Park? The trail we walked in the video clip above is just a small part of this hidden treasure next to Cooper Elementary School in northeast West Seattle. Tomorrow, it’s one of the places on the WS “east side” that will get special attention during Green Delridge Day — plenty of time for you to participate before settling in for the Seahawks game. The Pigeon Point Park event is the first-ever work party there for the Nature Consortium, whose restoration-project staffers Mark Tomkiewicz and Elizabeth McDonald gave us a mini-tour (much of which we videotaped):Read More
So declares Seattle Public Schools parent/activist Melissa Westbrook in a brand-new update on the saveseattleschools.blogspot.com blog, following up beyond the School Board’s Denny/Sealth work session two days ago (WSB coverage here). Westbrook posted a thorough account of that meeting (find it here) and then attended a meeting today of the BEX III (the bond measure that included the Denny/Sealth money) Oversight Committee. That committee meeting is detailed in her new post (and e-mailed to School Board members and district leadership), including what she says were discrepancies between the Denny/Sealth presentation made to that committee today and the one made to school-board members on Wednesday, and what she describes as a bottom-line revelation that under current district plans, Sealth will eventually be the “only non-renovated high school in the district.” Anyway, her update seems like a must-read for those closely following the Denny/Sealth project controversy. Until more meeting dates are set, the major “next step” here is letting the school board know what you think should happen; their contact info is here.
Here’s the latest from the state ferry system – a 2-boat schedule for weekdays on Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth, for at least a month, starting Monday. This is because of repair needs discovered during the ongoing ferry inspections. In this followup from the Kitsap Sun, one commuter from that side of the Sound calls it a “horrible schedule.” This could affect even those who don’t use ferries, since it’s likely to mean longer lines along Fauntleroy in service gaps during the evening commute. ADDED 9:25 PM: Metro says this situation may affect some West Seattle bus routes too.
Remember last year’s crosswalk cancellations, such as the one in Luna Park and the one at 35th and Kenyon? Seems a new one, with signal, is on the way to Fauntleroy Way (which also lost one last year, at Rose) – the new one will be at Dawson (map above) From Kevin (thank you!):
After hearing about the city deciding to remove a number of crosswalks in West Seattle over the past year or so, I thought you might want to hear about one actually being put in.
Along with a number of neighbors at the bus stop, who have been calling and writing Seattle Department of Transportation, my wife and I seem to have convinced the powers that be that crossing Fauntleroy Way between SW Edmunds St and SW Findlay St really is like playing a giant game of Frogger.
We’ve been talking with various people at SDOT for the past six months or so and just before Christmas got some good news. SDOT conducted a new traffic study and found that the intersection at Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Dawson St not only warrants a marked crosswalk but a signalized one as well. From our conversations it seems it will be similar to the signalized crosswalk next to Fairmount Elementary School.
I think it will be a wonderful thing for the neighborhood. It might even slow drivers down a little on the “Fauntleroy Freeway”.
The text of SDOT’s email is below.
Dear Mr. ____,
I have some good news for you and your wife. We did a new traffic study and a pedestrian signal is warranted. It is at our 2008 new signal list and we will start design soon. Thank you again for your time to write us, and you have a wonderful holiday season.You have a nice day!
Valerie Lee
Senior Civil Engineer
Seattle Department of Transportation
Signal Operation Division
Five beautiful photos from WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli, capturing the rare sighting of the sun. First – driftwood and surf along Beach Drive:
A freighter heads north, with the snowy Olympics peeking through the clouds in the distance:
Heathers in bloom on Beach Drive:
A cormorant keeping watch atop a piling:
And the troubled (but lovely, we think) steel-electric ferry Quinault, one of the 80-year-old ferries that the state is ready to scrap because of their hull problems:
Forecast suggests this may be the last we see of the sun till sometime Sunday.
That’s Therese Diekhans and John Wray in “The Retreat from Moscow,” in its first weekend at ArtsWest (photo courtesy Rachel Jackson); other weekend highlights include tonight’s free Seattle Symphony concert at West Seattle High School, The Translucents playing their first West Seattle gig in more than a year (Easy Street After Hours tonight), Green Delridge Day tomorrow including your chance to join in the start of a new restoration project at Pigeon Point — in all, 27 events ahead:Read More
Something went awry at WSB server HQ, and the site was inaccessible to the world (along with a bunch of other sites) for most of the past hour. Still waiting for official word from the hosting company on what the problem was and whether they’re sure it’s been fixed, but do know, we would never deliberately take it down in the middle of the day – maintenance and experimentation are what the “wee hours” are for! Anyway, our apologies. Now back to the news, info, discussion, etc.
This just out of the inbox, from Teresa (thank you!):
Was at the Westwood Starbucks this morning and there apparently is a man that is approaching women and actually trying to touch them inappropriately. One of the employees of Starbucks was calling the police as I was leaving. He apparently approached a grounds worker while I was getting my coffee. PERV!
No word so far if anyone was caught.
Just a reminder that the memorial service for Angelia Paulsen, the owner of Red Cup Espresso in The Junction who was killed in an I-5 crash earlier this week, is this morning: 11 am, St. Stephen the Martyr Church in Renton (church website here), and friends plan a candlelight vigil outside the shop (on the west side of California, north of Oregon) tomorrow night at 7. ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Dan Jacobs from West Seattle Christian Church and Ginomai arts center says vigil attendees are welcome to park in the Ginomai lot, on the west side of 42nd just south of Genesee.
The Kitsap Sun says Washington State Ferries‘ first major onboard advertiser, JanSport, will be on various ferry runs today, including Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth in “late morning,” giving backpacks away.
First headline from tonight’s Southwest Design Review Board meeting on Spring Hill, the mixed-use building proposed for 5020 California and adjoining parcels: This was a textbook case of why it’s vital to participate in public meetings if you really want to affect the outcome — dozens of concerned neighbors showed up, many of them spoke up, and board members took their key concerns to heart in telling the architects and developers to try a “fresh start” and come back for a second “early design guidance” meeting. Biggest concern – the fact that the 3 early design alternatives (above; larger images are shown later in this report) presented by architect David Hewitt for this 65-plus-foot-high building all put its tallest, most imposing side against the alley that borders a line of single-family homes along 42nd. Board members want the architects to come up with alternatives incorporating a less abrupt the transition from this building to those homes. FULL REPORT AHEAD, ADDED 2 AM:Read More
That’s watercolor artist Chris Kopet, one of four artists (with Nancy Bogni, Graham Fracha, and Inge Roberts) who have just opened “Fragmented Moments” at ArtsWest, where their reception happened during tonight’s Art Walk. You can see their work during regular gallery hours through February 9th. Below, paintings by Sarah Browning, whose work you can see at C and P Coffee all month long:
From the files at the Southwest Precinct: We start with a robbery yesterday afternoon that targeted a very young victim — an 11-year-old boy. He told police he was at the 16th SW/SW Holden bus stop after 3 pm yesterday when three men walked up to him and began “throwing him around,” demanding his iPod Shuffle, then finally knocking him to the ground, pulling it out of his pocket, and taking off. He tried to chase them but stopped when he found a crossing guard at 16th/Myrtle; she called 911 after he told her what happened. The robbers are still on the loose at last report, described as 3 “very dark-skinned” men 18-20 years old, all about 6’tall, all wearing blue jeans. (11 PM UPDATE: A reader tells WSB a note went home today to parents at the victim’s school, telling them what happened and suggesting they remind kids to keep a low profile with valuable items and to walk to and from school in pairs or groups.) Several more notable incidents ahead:Read More
Thanks to Stephanie for spotting and forwarding this link to TV aerial photography of a group of seal (or sea lions?) off Alki. Just last Sunday, we published a reader report of a similar group off Jack Block Park. In the ’90s, you could often see groups of seals/sea lions “rafting” like this off Alki at certain times of the year, but not so much this decade, so this is a welcome sight.
JOIN US AT CAPERS FRIDAY NIGHT 1/18: The time and place is finally set for the first get-together announcing the first quarterly West Seattle Community Recognition Awards — the good folks at Capers have agreed to play host, 7 pm Friday 1/18. Hope to see you there. And in the meantime, you have till Saturday to nominate somebody for the awards (here’s how) — this is a grass-roots thing that we’re starting small (with the original idea from Divina proprietor Julie Mireille Anderson; read the original announcement here) and hoping to keep growing as a way of honoring some of the many people who really make West Seattle click.
NEW WSB FORUM – SCHOOL TALK: Find it here; thanks to Karen for the idea. We’ve been talking about this being school-choice season, and she suggested that it would help to have a place where West Seattle parents could share experiences and ask questions about schools. If you are a parent with child(ren) in local schools, public or private, or a school staffer, even if you don’t have a question or issue, please consider checking in on the forum as time goes by just in case someone has a question about the school(s) you’re most familiar with.
UPDATES ON CRIME WATCH AND PETS PAGES: We’ve added some new material today to these two new WSB pages — the Crime Watch page is where you will find links to crime-prevention resources as well as the latest police reports from the files at the Southwest Precinct; the Pets page is where we’re posting pet pix as well as lost-and-found announcements and resource links — we’ve created the West Seattle Blog Pet Photos Flickr group to gather local pet pix (you’re welcome to join!), and we’ve added a couple of them to the Pets page today for a special spotlight.
The mixed-use project that is proposed south of The Junction for 5020 California (map) and two adjacent properties (shown above), Spring Hill, goes before the Southwest Design Review Board tonight at Denny Middle School’s library, 6:30 pm. (Previous coverage: Neighbor organizes opposition, Jan. 1; our first report on the proposal, Oct. 20; city project page here.)
Just out of the inbox from Doug (thank you!):
I just witnessed the strangest thing up at the Junction (at 11 am). A commercial truck totally cut the corner too sharp turning right off Calfornia onto Alaska, and the top of the truck banged into the neon Easy Street overhang.. leaving a big dent.
The truck then proceeded to back up– scraping it again. People caught in the middle of the “walk all ways” scramble had to dodge this guy– one lady was so scared she totally stopped in the middle of the intersection and stood there.
The guy drove off.. and parked about a block away. Several people (including me) walked over and got his license tag. Don’t know if he plans on going back over to Easy Street … but I’ve already called and given them my information.
We subsequently went down and got the photo you see above. Not major damage – a gash underneath the overhang. And it did appear the truck driver went back. 12:50 PM ADDITION: 2 more photos, these from WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli, one with a different view of the dent, the second showing glass on the nearby crosswalk approach (which he mentions in the comments below):
WEST SEATTLE MIDDLE SCHOOL INFORMATION NIGHT: We’ve been talking here about the fact this is the “school decision” time of year for many families, particularly those whose children are entering school or moving between elementary and middle, or middle and high school. We’ve been listing school tours and open houses on the WSB Events page, and tonight is one unique night of particular value to parents of 4th and 5th graders: Representatives from the public and private middle schools of West Seattle will be at Gatewood Elementary, 6:30-8 pm. According to the info page on the Gatewood website, it’ll work like this: “At 6:30 pm each school representative will give a brief overview of their school’s programs, philosophies and activities. You will then have the opportunity to ask questions and speak further with the various representatives.”
WEST SEATTLE SECOND THURSDAY ART WALK: 6-9 pm, you can wander The Junction (and a bit beyond — from Ginomai – with its free parking lot – in the north, to C and P Coffee in the south) to see art, meet artists, and enjoy a closer look at some of West Seattle’s unique businesses and venues. Here’s the list of participating locations and artists.
Since we first reported Tuesday on the tragic death of Red Cup Espresso owner Angelia Paulsen, the comment area below that first report has become a touching board of tributes and memories. One of those came from her husband Sean O’Dea; we e-mailed him to ask him if there was any information he would want you to know about the shop’s future and how to help the family, and he wrote back late last night:
I have been thinking of renaming the shop to Angelia’s Espresso and keeping it open as a tribute to her. As you can probably guess, I have a lot on my plate right now, and am not too sure of when that will happen, but I will let you know. Angelia’s brother, sister and nephew want to open the shop tomorrow [WSB NOTE: that’s today, 1/10] and offer coffee for whatever donations patrons would like to make for our son Julian’s education, and Viking Bank has set up a fund for him as well.
As reported previously, her memorial service is 11 am tomorrow at St. Stephen the Martyr Church in Renton (church website here), and friends plan a candlelight vigil at 7 pm Saturday night outside Red Cup (on California north of Oregon, next to Pagliacci).
The red arrow in the photo above (from this page on the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency website) shows the spot where the Nucor steel plant (Delridge/Andover) wants to upgrade a crane so it can operate more hours. Because more hours mean more emissions, Nucor needs state and regional permits; tonight’s public hearing at the Alki Community Center provided the chance for supporters and opponents to have their say. One of the shortest public hearings we’ve ever attended:Read More
From Cendi:
I live on Gatewood Hill at California & Holden. Twice in the past two weeks, someone has come into my yard and put [well-known local business] stickers on my windows. It surprises me, because we are in such a highly visible area and the stickers were put on the two most visible sides of my house. Could this be working up to a break-in?
Don’t know if it’s a precursor to that, but it’s certainly vandalism. Police non-emergency number: 625-5011 (always on the Crime Watch page).
After a worried Thai-food fan e-mailed to ask why they’re closed and not answering the phone, we found the building permit for their remodeling work, then went by and saw a note on the door says they’ll reopen for dinner 1/15 and for lunch 1/22. (2 other concerned would-be customers came by just during the few minutes we were checking!)
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