West Seattle, Washington
26 Friday
Busy night for neighborhood-group meetings. First of three reports we’ll have for you from meetings tonight: Fauntleroy Community Association. Among the topics at tonight’s board meeting: They’re supporting Gordon Wiehler‘s pursuit of an Opportunity Fund grant to extend the park at 46th SW and Brace Point (map); he’s looking at an adjacent parcel once used by City Light. Next step, he’ll write a letter to beat the process’s Feb. 1 deadline. Also at tonight’s meeting at The Hall at Fauntleroy, another update on the King County Wastewater Treatment Division‘s work in the area, including pump-station upgrades; Lynn Olson has been working with KCWT’s Martha Tuttle to plan a spring meeting to talk about the projects, and the FCA board is strategizing what format might be best, and how to boost turnout. And final topline – FCA is working on an upgrade to its membership pamphlet; look for it if you live in the area.
Fauntleroy Community Association’s board meets the second Tuesday of the month; the group has lots of updated community information online at fauntleroy.net.
Two announcements out of the WSB inbox tonight, both for next week, but you might be interested in planning ahead. First, Sustainable West Seattle has sent around its agenda for next Tuesday night’s meeting at the Senior Center of West Seattle – with a new City Councilmember scheduled to be a guest:
Newly elected Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien, a member of the Sierra Club and of the Viaduct Stakeholder Committee, will join us to discuss Seattle’s future. But before that, we will take inventory of our own slice of Seattle as we review the 2009 Annual Report and take some time to reflect on the future of Sustainable West Seattle.
They’ll be electing members of the Coordinating Council, too. 7 pm Tuesday, Jan. 19, Senior Center of West Seattle in The Junction. The next after that – Wednesday, Jan. 20 – it’s the quarterly Morgan Community Association meeting. Steve Sindiong sent the agenda announcement tonight:
Morgan Community Association (MOCA) Quarterly Meeting
Wednesday, January 20 at 7:00 pm
Location: The Kenney: 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW
Agenda Items to Include:
Planning for Neighborhood Festival, Parks Levy Discussion, City Light Strategic Plan Taskforce, Update of Spokane Street Viaduct, The Kenney expansion project update, West Seattle Trails/Kiosk project, Lowman Beach Pump station project update.
These meetings and many other upcoming West Seattle events can be found on our frequently updated calendar page, any time you want to catch up.
3:30 tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon, it’s orientation day for the winter semester of All-Access arts (and more!) classes at Youngstown Arts Center – all listed on the Youngstown home page. The classes are all free for teens 13-18, and some of them are also open to 10-12 year olds. As explained by Alberto Mejia:
Outreach days are intended to be community-building events where youth can meet and interact (with) the teaching artists and one another face to face prior to starting their respective arts classes. The orientation will end with a F.E.E.S.T. dinner. At the weekly F.E.E.S.T program, youth plan and prepare organic dinners and present a discussion around healthier food options and more safe, active communities.
The All-Access classes themselves begin on Thursday. Again, the calendar is here, along with descriptions of the classes (scroll past the calendar).
If the King County Ferry District Board – aka King County Council – says yes, the KC Water Taxi‘s West Seattle run will charge 50 cents more for adult passengers who pay cash, starting this spring. A new fare schedule is up for a public hearing when the board meets January 25th – including Seattle-Vashon Water Taxi fares:
Reasons cited for the rate increase – which would be the first in three-plus years – include wanting to encourage transit-pass use. The meeting on January 25 is at 1:30 pm in County Council chambers at the County Courthouse downtown; you can read related documents by following links from this page on the Ferry District website. Next Water Taxi season is scheduled to start April 4; work is under way at Seacrest right now to improve its dock in hopes of year-round operation, which will require additional funding that the county’s hoping will be worked out this summer. P.S. We just asked spokesperson Kris Faucett if there’s been a decision on which boat the county will lease for the new season (since Argosy is no longer running the service) – she says there should be news about that “soon.”
Thanks to commenter “KelticKitty” for reporting here that the indecent-exposure charge against West Seattle “World Naked Bike Ride“ organizer Daniel Johnson has been dismissed: We just verified via Municipal Court records that the case, scheduled for a hearing this morning, was “dismissed with prejudice,” on a motion made by the city. The ride was last September; the case wasn’t filed until late December (reported here 12/30), which was before former City Attorney Tom Carr left office. We have a request out to Johnson for comment; he tweeted a short time ago: “Thanks everybody for all of your support! Happy to see familiar faces today. Decompressing with friends …” ADDED 4:25 PM: Via Twitter, Johnson’s comment: “I’d like to thank everybody, locally and from around the globe, for their letters of support … God bless.” Also note he’s in the comment section here, moving on to a different project.(9/2009 photo by Christopher Boffoli)
We’ve been telling you about the Polar Plunge fundraiser for Special Olympics of Washington, coming up at Alki on Sunday, January 24. WSB is proud to be among the co-sponsors. Last night, we found out that one of our Facebook friends (find us at WS Blog), Norm Smith and son Zach (at left) are looking forward to Polar Plunge with a special challenge for you:
On Sunday, January 24th former longtime West Seattle resident and current Special Olympics Board member Norm Smith will be returning to the place of many of his wild childhood days to go “FREEZIN FOR A REASON.” Norm and his son Zach will be returning to the waters off Alki Beach in Seattle to take the POLAR PLUNGE for Special Olympics Washington. Team Smith will plunge to show their support for the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR). LETR is a group of officers from around the state and our great country that run with the Special Olympics torch, hold fundraising events at local restaurants, do cops on donut shops, or whatever else they can do to raise money and awareness for Special Olympics. Having worked many of the events with LETR over the years, Team Smith is honored to be part of the Plunge Team again in 2010. All funds raised go directly to the Special Olympics Washington. Please help us better the lives of over 7,000 local Special Olympics athletes. Your donation will make a difference!
Norm would like to challenge all his former West Seattle High School classmates, friends, and families to come down to Alki and plunge with us for this great cause. Registration opens at 9:00, with the plunge scheduled for 11:00.
If you would like to support Team Smith, you can donate directly to Norm and Zach’s fundraising website. www.firstgiving.com/normsmith
If you would like to join Team Smith in the plunge or would like to make your own team you can get information at www.sowa.org/05/letr_events/PP_2010/AlkiBeachSeattle.html
Again, that’s January 24 – one week from next Sunday!
The city’s two-year budgeting cycle kicks off later this month with the Citizens’ Budget Conference. It’s spearheaded by the City Neighborhood Council, which as of last month is led by two West Seattleites – Chas Redmond (from Morgan Community Association) is chair, Jim Del Ciello (from Admiral Neighborhood Association) is vice chair. Mayor McGinn will be there too. January 31, noon-5 pm, Center House @ Seattle Center; more info on the Department of Neighborhood‘s Front Porch website. Hat tip to Chas for an e-mail heads-up; of the event, he says, “This is a real opportunity for the citizens to tag up with various departments and get an understanding of where their tax money actually goes and what programs are supported – and this time, what programs are at risk.” (Even more info can be found on this flyer he forwarded.)
That’s our video clip from rehearsals for the Westside Symphonette holiday concert last month – Symphonette director Toni Reineke says the concert itself was a smash, with 400 people in the audience, up 60% from the year before. With that success fresh in their minds, they’re starting a new season of West Seattle’s community orchestra, with the first rehearsals tonight, and they’re inviting more musicians to join — even if you can’t make it tonight because of the short notice. Says Toni:
We could use a bassoon or two (even a beginner!), a couple trumpets, a French horn or two, several violas, and a couple string basses. Musicians who play other orchestral instruments are welcome too, of course. … We now have three thriving orchestras: a beginning string ensemble, an intermediate full orchestra, and a more advanced full orchestra. Musicians of any age are welcome, but they must be able to read music in at least a rudimentary manner.
We rehearse at Chief Sealth/Boren, 5900 Delridge SW, juniors and strings 5:30-6:30, senior orchestra 6:45-8:15. Registration fee is $60 for this spring session, but we have scholarships available for those in need, especially the young people.
Interested folks should contact Toni Reineke, tonireineke@comcast.net, 206-243-6955.
This season’s first Westside Symphonette concert is scheduled for late March.
(scroll down for updates, including new info from police added at 11:23 am)
(photo added 8:28 am)
ORIGINAL 8:14 AM REPORT: California is closed at Dakota, north of The Junction, because of an emergency response; tipster Alison says a pedestrian was hit – we are en route to find out more. 8:20 AM: Arriving on scene – the closure is from Genesee to Dakota. Clear signs of a police investigation, which appears to be centered on the west side of the street. 8:38 AM: Some info from police on the scene – a pedestrian was indeed hit and has been taken to Harborview Medical Center. Still sorting out the circumstances; the street will remain closed a while because they are waiting for collision investigators to arrive. 8:50 AM: More info from police at the scene: The victim is a woman who was crossing at the corner, though they haven’t figured out yet whether east to west or west to east. The car that was involved can be seen nearby, with visible front-end damage. We are checking with the Fire Department, whose crew took the victim to the hospital, to see if they have any idea regarding the seriousness of her injuries. 9:40 AM: The collision investigators have arrived (see photo below). Authorities still don’t have official information on how the victim is doing, though police tell us this particular investigation team usually is only called to incidents involving serious injuries (or worse). No ETA on the street reopening but we will keep checking – please share word if you are nearby and see it reopen, as you’ll probably notice it first.
10:53 AM: Thanks to Julie for first word that California has reopened at the scene. 11:23 AM: We now have the police’s official summary, as it stands, from SPD media unit Det. Mark Jamieson: Around quarter till 8, an 81-year-old woman driving a Saturn was headed south on California at Dakota when she hit a 53-year-old woman who was crossing, headed west. The victim was taken to Harborview with what police describe as “serious head and leg injuries.” Investigators interviewed the driver but have not arrested or cited her – whether any charges result from the crash will depend on further evaluation by investigators, which often takes months in cases like this. Det. Jamieson did say that after an evaluation of the driver, they do not believe alcohol or drugs were involved. 12:16 PM: The official police account is also up at SPDBlotter – same details we added an hour ago (the media unit writes SPDBlotter), with the addition of “failure to yield” as a potential factor.
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar – three neighborhood groups meet tonight, and you are not only welcomed, but encouraged to attend any of these that’s even remotely close to where you are:
JUNCTION NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION: 6:30 pm at Ginomai (SW corner of 42nd/Genesee; map).
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 7 pm in Admiral Church basement meeting room (California/Hill; map). Last weekend, we republished new president Katy Walum‘s open invitation to the community.
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy.
One more note for tonight: West Seattle Little League registration begins (details at westseattlelittleleague.com).
Aviva from Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle answers the question …. “PLAN!” Which leads to these announcements she wanted to share (including a survey for you to take, even if you’re NOT a gardener):
Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle has been very busy planning. Based on the 180 responses to a recent WSBlog survey, CH will be partnering with Seattle Tilth to bring some favorite hands-on gardening classes to West Seattle. Other classes will be offered as well in cooking from the garden and tree pruning. In the next few months:
* Cooking Seasonally From Your CSA – Saturday 1/30 2PM – 4PM
* Indoor Seed Starting with Tilth – Saturday 2/20 10AM – Noon
* Traditional Preserving with Lactic Fermentation – Saturday 2/20 10AM – Noon
* Fruit Tree Pruning – Saturday 2/27 10AM – NoonSeveral spaces will be reserved in each class for participants who would like to volunteer in place of paying the class fee.
View the entire list. Tilth’s Comprehensive Organic Gardening Class will be offered in West Seattle as well.
[second announcement] A Community Orchard in West Seattle…Just Imagine!
Abundant fruit trees and native edibles…a diverse habitat for wildlife… a pleasant place for people to gather…a demonstration garden of trees and vines which thrive in our climate… classes on fruit tree horticulture and preserving foods…Yes, this could be possible in West Seattle. Does this interest you? Give CH your feedback by answering this quick survey (go here).
Last week while researching our update on the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project, we asked SDOT if they had an aerial of the new 4th Avenue offramp. No, they said at the time – but Monday, the shot you see above turned up on this SDOT site along with another aerial view and a few more ground-level pix. Meantime, one more scenic West Seattle view from the weekend – James Bratsanos shared this view from Alki, captured Sunday night:
Thanks again for all the photos! editor@westseattleblog.com – any time.
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