West Seattle, Washington
01 Tuesday
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
One night after the news that September 19th is set as the date for an event commemorating a new time capsule and plaque at the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza – we have more details from Libby Carr, whose committee raised money to make the plaza dream a reality almost exactly one year ago, and is now officially disbanding:
We are now making the final arrangements for the Time Capsule Celebration at the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza which is now set for Saturday, Sept. 19th at 2:00 PM at Alki’s Statue of Liberty Plaza, 61st & Alki Ave SW. We are hoping that all of Alki and West Seattle can attend. (Also, please send us an e-mail [libby@carrbiz.com] if you’d like to be on the Sealady Newsletter e-mail list, which will continue to be sent out periodically).
Special Guest is Astronaut Gregory C. Johnson: We are excited to have (West Seattle High School alumnus) Greg Johnson to help us celebrate the placing of the new 50 year Time Capsule and also celebrate 852 more inscribed bricks and 8 (still 7 left) new Tribute Plaques laid as Phase II. … The WSHS Foundation, SSLPP and the Museum of Flight worked together with NASA to make the arrangements for his trip so he could speak to our various groups.
We have also been working with the Mayor’s Office and the City Council who will issue a joint proclamation to have September 19th proclaimed as Gregory C. Johnson Day. Tim Ceis, Deputy Mayor, will present Greg with this honor.
We are now “passing the torch” to the Alki Community Council as the new community organization that will continue to keep a watchful community eye on the plaza and to be the official organization to raise funds in the future for the plaza.
Leading this effort (to finish the new plaza at Alki) has been a very interesting experience for Paul and me over the last 2 years. Even though, especially in the early days, it was not always smooth sailing, we just knew it was the right thing to do and that the majority of people in West Seattle wanted to see this special place renovated, improved and finished.
We are pleased we could be a part of this process. Thank you.
Libby & Paul Carr, Co-Chairs – Seattle Statue of Liberty Plaza Project
The plaza was dedicated on September 6, 2008 (WSB coverage here); one year earlier, on September 11, 2007, the recast Statue of Liberty was returned to its old pre-plaza pedestal (WSB coverage here). Also a reminder – in addition to this event, astronaut Greg Johnson – who piloted Atlantis earlier this year – will appear at the Museum of Flight on Sept. 23 (here’s our story from last week).
From the city’s SODO traffic alert e-mail list tonight – “final paving” means nighttime closures next week:
Final paving Tuesday – Friday, September 8-11: overnight closures from 9 p.m. – 6 a.m. required. 1st Ave S will be closed to traffic in both directions between S Stacy and S Horton streets. During the paving, traffic will not be allowed to cross 1st Ave S east- or westbound in the work zone. North-and southbound 1st Ave S traffic will be detoured over to 4th S via S Holgate and S Horton streets. Alternate route: Use East Marginal Way S via S Atlantic and S Spokane streets. S Occidental and S Utah – the non-arterials that flank 1st Ave S – will also remain open.
If you’re not subscribed to the SODO traffic list, you can sign up from the bottom of this page.
A court appearance this morning for 19-year-old Skyelar Hailey, charged with two counts of burglary after an incident last month that started with the theft of a teacher’s purse at West Seattle High School, continued with items being taken from an acquaintance’s home nearby, and ended with a foot pursuit involving police (all detailed here): According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Hailey pleaded not guilty, and the judge cut his bail from $25,000 to $15,000. He is still in jail as of this moment, according to the county’s online jail register. As reported here Tuesday, the 17-year-old girl who was with him when this all happened is charged with burglary and ID theft, and also has pleaded not guilty.
The exterior sign isn’t up yet, but there are brand-new owners at, and a new name for, what was Pizza Time at 7514 35th SW (map). Shannon Cross tells WSB that while she and her husband are born-and-raised West Seattleites, when they decided to go into the pizza business, they couldn’t find the right place here, so they opened Red Star Pizza in the Pierce County town of Lakewood. Then Pizza Time went on the market – and they realized, “We have to have it.” Right now they’re in a transition time to the full menu they offer as Red Star Pizza (see it here on their website, which Shannon says will have the West Seattle location information soon), including subs, plus more fresh local ingredients, including, she says, produce from the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. And note the video games in the photo atop this story – Shannon explains that they’re into ’80s and ’90s nostalgia, so they’ve got five classic game machines. Like Pizza Time, they have delivery and carry-out — 11 am-11 pm Mondays-Thursdays, 11 am-1 am Fridays-Saturdays, 11 am-8 pm Sundays.
That’s a very quick snippet from our visit to West Seattle High School‘s varsity football practice session Wednesday afternoon at Madison Middle School (where the Wildcats are practicing until Hiawatha field renovations are done later this year; here’s another brief clip). We published their schedule here 2 weeks ago; their kickoff game is 7 pm tomorrow, West Seattle Stadium, vs. Belmont Secondary (from British Columbia). Chief Sealth High School football gets going tomorrow too, 7 pm Friday at Sammamish, and here’s their schedule; and Seattle Lutheran opens its season vs. Darrington, 7 pm Saturday at West Seattle Stadium (SLHS calendar here).
WSHS is coming off its Metro Sound Division title season, and the coaches’ poll at the Seattle Times (WSB partner) also picks them to repeat. The team’s fundraising campaign is stepping up too – you can see head coach Davis Lura‘s video message about it on this page at Fundblast.com, which also details the discounts available through the Gold Card the team is selling (which you can buy online through a link in the lower-left section of this page). Watch WSB on game nights for scores from all three local high schools – we’ll be tracking other sports this year too. Good luck, everyone!
Dawn Jump at Prudential NW Realty in Jefferson Square sent a reminder of tomorrow’s mobile blood drive, just in time to help with potential extra need during a long holiday weekend – 9 am-2 pm tomorrow, in the Safeway parking lot on 42nd Ave SW (map). She adds, “PLEASE DONATE!!!!!!! Please call 206 932-4500 if you’d like to schedule a specific appointment or e-mail DJ at DawnJump@PNWRealty.com with your desired time.”
(PCC’s West Seattle store staff, photographed by PCC’s Scott Parshall)
Our newest sponsor is celebrating a milestone — PCC Natural Markets opened its West Seattle location (2749 California SW) 20 years ago, and invites you to a big party September 13th with free food, fun, samples, even cooking demonstrations. The full celebration plan is on the PCC website. Here’s what else PCC wants you to know: When you crave all that’s fresh, local and organic, we hope you’ll visit all of us at PCC Natural Markets. We’ve served West Seattle since 1989 and are proud supporters of the West Seattle Food Bank, the Summer Concert Series at Hiawatha and numerous schools and community groups.
We began as a food-buying club of 15 families back in 1953. Today we’re the largest consumer-owned, natural food co-operative in the United States. Co-operative means our nine locations around the Sound are owned by our roughly 45,000 members. Not a member? You’re still plenty welcome to shop with us! But we hope you’ll consider joining the co-op to support sustainable agriculture and our long-running, environmentally friendly, community-based business.
You won’t find high-fructose corn syrup or plastic bags in our stores. Here’s just a sampling of what you will find in West Seattle: Produce, meats, dairy and more that meet our standards for quality, flavor and ethics; award-winning cooking classes through our PCC Cooks program; wine tastings; hundreds of kid-tested-and-approved foods labeled throughout the store via our Kid Picks program and a team that’s glad to answer your questions or give you a sample. Here’s to a lifetime of good eating!
Thanks to PCC Natural Markets – open 7 am-11 pm daily in West Seattle – for supporting neighborhood-based, community-collaborative news/information/discussion by sponsoring WSB. Our current sponsors are all here, with info on how to join them.
FRIENDS OF SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY AT SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: Two FSPL reps spoke to the group last night, and asked again for library users to speak out to help them campaign against even more cuts next year. For starters, the survey mentioned here yesterday (direct link here) is one tool they hope to use; they also want library users to show up at budget hearings this fall, saying the usual handful of people who turn up to testify won’t be enough to impress city leaders. FSPL’s Sarel Rowe also noted that budget cuts and closures “leave a legacy” – the regular hours that don’t start till early afternoon part of the week are a never-changed holdover from years ago (as the group points out here).
USUALLY GET ONLINE AT THE LIBRARY? If you know someone who usually gets online at a library, here’s an option: Lora Lewis at Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) reminds us that her shop next to the Junction Post Office has a bank of computers, and “we have Internet happy hours open to 10 am and then 4 pm to close. You receive a full hour of Internet surfing with a beverage purchase. Outside of happy hour you still receive 15 minutes free Internet surfing with a beverage and it’s just 10 cents a minute for any overage. We have desktop computers, free wireless, a black and white printer, full color scanner, black and white copier. All the desktops have the full Microsoft Office Suite. We’re open 6:30 am to 7 pm.”
Margie texted to warn other downtown-bound West Seattleites that northbound 99 is backed up because of a crash. The live 911 log shows one unit on the scene of a crash in that area. 7:42 AM: She texted that 7 cars are involved, blocking the left lane, “looks like a chain reaction.” 8:12 AM: Via Facebook, Kim says, “First Ave is a fiasco, don’t come this way.” 9:22 AM: Oliver notes in comments that the crash scene is reported to now be clear.
Josh Sutton of the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) and Rotary Club of West Seattle shares that photo and an update on the school-supplies drive Pencil Me In For Kids:
20 Rotarians and family members gathered at the Sutton compound for the annual sorting of school supplies to support kids in need at our local elementary schools. We’ll deliver them more than 100 boxes (today) so that Family Support Workers can be sure students have what they need to be ready to learn. Thanks to the community support for Rotary & Pencil Me In For Kids!
Find out more about PMIFK here.
Toplines from Wednesday night’s meeting of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council, held at Olympia Pizza because the usual venue, Delridge Library, was (like all other Seattle city libraries this week) closed:
LEADERSHIP CHANGE: NDNC will elect officers this fall, and co-chair Mike Dady announced he’s not running again.
That’s Dady (left) with City Councilmember Tim Burgess during the tour he organized five months ago to call attention to problem properties and push for changes in how the city deals with (or doesn’t deal with) them. He was lauded for an outstanding job throughout his tenure. The group is also restructuring the leadership to two co-chairs and two co-secretaries. They discussed realigning their committee strategy as well, to have more small teams focused on more critical areas.
PAST EVENTS: Last Thursday’s ice-cream social was deemed a hit; next up, a S’mores in the Park party is planned for Delridge Community Center park, 4-6 pm September 13th. Nancy Folsom reported that 8 people helped with last Saturday’s Adopt-A-Street cleanup, gathering 12 bags of trash.
TENANT TROUBLE: Southwest Precinct-based assistant city attorney Beth Gappert briefed the group on some North Delridge properties with troublesome tenants. She reported some had moved out, as Community Police Team Officer Kevin McDaniel continues to work with everyone involved. Current concerns include noise problems, on which she said he is also working.
SKATEPARK SUPPORT: Co-chair Jay Mirro will sign a letter drafted by Nancy Folsom reiterating NDNC’s support for the future Delridge Skatepark (as reported here last month, its funding situation has changed again). They urged everyone to contact city councilmembers about it, and Folsom volunteered to go to any necessary city meetings to provide a personal presence on behalf of NDNC’s support.
North Delridge Neighborhood Council meets the first Wednesday of every month, 6:30 pm.
(WSB photo from this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour)
Just a month and a half after the West Seattle Garden Tour, Gail from the WSGT Selection Committee says they’re ready to harvest the next round of participants:
ATTENTION ALL GARDENERS
Do you have the most beautiful garden on your block? Would you love to show it off? The 2010 West Seattle Garden Tour would love to have you on the tour. We are NOW selecting gardens for the summer of 2010. Call 206-935-9217 and leave a message if you are interested in sharing your garden. Thank you, cannot wait to see your garden.
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