7:06 PM: Also at the Seattle Parks Board meeting downtown: This hasn’t been announced by the county yet, but Superintendent Tim Gallagher has just told the board that a celebration at/for the King County Water Taxi’s new dock at Seacrest is set for Sunday, April 11, noon-2 pm – that’s the first Sunday after the Water Taxi season starts on April 5. 9:49 PM UPDATE: This is now on the Water Taxi/King County Ferry District website too. Free rides!
(Junction Plaza Park design from last round of meetings in 2009)
We’re at the Seattle Parks Boardmeeting downtown – where the big news will be a briefing on the Parks budget situation, which we were just told in a pre-meeting conversation with board leaders, is a lot worse than you might think. One big problem: No money to maintain the new parks facilities funded by the Parks and Green Spaces Levy, and barely enough to maintain what the department has now. But that’s not the reason we’re writing this in-progress update: Speaking of new parks (though this was NOT in that levy), Superintendent Tim Gallagher has just told the Parks Board that a contract has been issued for construction of Junction Plaza Park, and work should start soon, with completion in time for “several summer events.” (The park is on the northwest corner of Alaska/42nd.) We’ll be tracking that; meantime, we’ll have the full Parks Board story later after the budget briefing.
CRIME WATCH REPORT #1: That window-repair work in the Fauntleroy Church (WSB sponsor) nursery wasn’t originally on the church schedule today … until burglar(s) broke in overnight. That’s not all they did; church staffer Jackie Gould says they used the custodian’s tools to break off part of a door latch, ransacked chapel drawers, and opened a fire extinguisher to spray retardant foam all over the hallway, even in a resource room where kids’ art/craft supplies (and other items) were stored:
The burglar(s) also stole small electronics including an iPod belonging to the church’s wedding coordinator. As you might be able to tell from that photo, some footprints were left in the foam in that room; most of the other damage was cleaned up by the time we dropped by at mid-afternoon.
CRIME WATCH REPORT #2: The keeper of the “Ducky Reserve” at Lowman Beach, Ron Sterling, has surveillance video equipment trained on his whimsical display at all times. They’ve caught some unusual sights over the years. This time, they’ve caught an unmistakable case of vandalism destroying/stealing the St. Patrick’s Day display he hadn’t changed over yet. He’s posted about it in the WSB Forums, including a link to video of the incident.
We’ve mentioned this a few times and with Saturday just around the corner, it’s time for another reminder: The Rotary Club of West Seattleis helping lead the way in a big tree-planting project along Fauntleroy Way this Saturday, along with local Boy Scouts and the city – and hopefully, with you too! Just be at Fairmount Playground starting at 9 am Saturday. Meantime, here’s the latest news release – read on:Read More
Lots of WSB commenter excitement when we first told you last month about Tim and Lori McConnell‘s plans to open a specialty store for runners – since christened West Seattle Runner. They were hoping at the time to open in “early April” – now it’s looking closer to mid-April, with a hoped-for opening date tentatively set: April 10. And a sign’s gone up, as you can see in the photo at left; Tim also sent photos of the interior work they’ve been doing in the space on the 2nd floor of Charlestown Center at California/Charlestown.
As we reported last night, Seattle Mayor McGinn said the city would be hard-pressed to chip in money to help build a new South Park Bridge. Today, City Councilmembers have issued a statement saying they will “support” the county’s efforts to find money, adding – as the mayor had said yesterday – they “remain open to the possibility of making a contribution to the project from the City.” Read on for their news release (AND, ADDED 4:04 PM, reaction from the King County Executive):Read More
(Photos courtesy Tilden School)
“T” is for Tilden, as in Tilden School, which is celebrating a milestone today – a quarter-century in operation. That’s Whitney Tjerandsen, Tilden director, who signed the papers creating Tilden on this date in 1985. She joined students and staff in a party with not only the mini-cupcakes, but also a round of “Happy Birthday”; we’re told she explained to the students, “We’re celebrating with you, because you’re the reason we’re here!”
Tilden is a K-5 school at 4105 California SW, north of The Junction.
Earlier this week, we brought you this story looking ahead at the “staging” for how Alaskan Way Viaduct construction will affect SODO-to-West Seattle Bridge traffic over the next five-plus years. In that story, we linked somewhat-complicated maps shown to the South Portal Working Group on Tuesday. Today, for those interested in planning ahead, the Viaduct team just sent us a user-friendlier version of the same info, drawn up in time for the North Portal Working Group‘s meeting last night. The graphic above is the first page; see the whole thing here. (Also, the project website now links to the slides from a separate section of the presentation we covered on Tuesday.) Reminder, this is just the work related to what the state is doing about The Viaduct – NOT nearby projects such as the city-owned Spokane Street Viaduct. (P.S. Another reminder – the Alaskan Way Viaduct is scheduled to close 6 am-6 pm both days this weekend for its semiannual checkup.)
ADDED 2:40 PM: One more Viaduct note – some work planned for next week – here’s the advisory from SDOT:
Seattle Department of Transportation crews plan to close the southbound, right and left lanes (one at a time) on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, south of the First Avenue off-ramp, next week for maintenance. They will start the work this weekend, taking advantage of the closure already scheduled for inspection of the viaduct, and continue from Monday (March 29) to Friday (April 5) between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day. The crews will work on an overhead rail beam.
Crews will also close the northbound, left lane of the Alaskan Way Viaduct at Massachusetts Street to repair a damaged rail. They plan this closure for Monday (March 29) through Wednesday (March 31) from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
(August 2009 photo of Evergreen Pool, just before it closed)
From partner site White Center Now and potentially of interest this side of the city-limits line: Seven months after Evergreen Pool in White Center closed because of county budget trouble, it’s on the brink of reopening – the swimming organization that’s been working all along to take it over has finally sealed the deal; here’s the latest.
SECOND WHITE CENTER NOTE: The entrepreneur who took over what was The Wall in the central WC business district and turned it into Hang Around Bar and Grill says they’re being forced out at the end of the week; here’s the story, with a followup in the works. (You can find WCN stories here on WSB anytime by clicking the White Center tab below the sunset header on all pages.)
If you’re following the Admiral Safeway redevelopment project – still working its way through the approval process – there are two notices worth noting this morning: First, this one includes word that the city Department of Planning and Development is recommending approval of the rezoning that’s required for Safeway’s plan, and has set the mandatory public hearing before the city Hearing Examiner – 9 am April 16. Second, here’s the land-use decision on the 1st building that’s planned for the site – the smaller, California-fronting 7,000-square-foot retail building in the left foreground of the rendering above. Safeway had said it wants to build that first, so that its pharmacy can move there and continue service while the main store is closed for construction. As with all such decisions, this one is appealable, and the notice says April 8 is the deadline for that. (For more on the project, see our report on its final Design Review meeting.)
(Hamilton Viewpoint, earlier this week) VIEWPOINT POLICY AND BUDGET BRIEFING ON PARKS BOARD AGENDA: 5 West Seattle viewpoints owned/maintained by Seattle Parks are included in the Viewpoint Vegetation Management plan that’s on tonight’s Parks Board agenda at 6:30 pm (CORRECTED TIME, city webpage was wrong; this is at Parks HQ downtown); here’s the briefing paper, and here’s a report on the status of some of the viewpoints citywide. Also on the agenda, a budget briefing – amid much concern about more Parks changes/cuts if the financial picture stays gloomy.
WEST SEATTLE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN: Their regular monthly meeting is at the West Seattle Golf Course banquet room – preceded by the discussion group talking about Corporate Personhood at 10:30, followed by registration for the lunch meeting at 11:15 (they request reservations by the day before, but you can try 206-935-3216 to see if there’s room). Guest speakers include King County Elections Director Sherril Huff. The group’s continuing its food drive, so remember to bring a donation if you’re attending the meeting.
AUTHOR READING/SIGNING: Bainbridge Island authorJonathan Evison will be at West Seattle (Admiral) Library tonight at 6:30 to read from and sign his book “All About Lulu.” The event is co-sponsored by Square One Books (WSB sponsor); admission is free, but copies of the book will be available for purchase.
SOUTH DELRIDGE/WHITE CENTER COMMUNITY SAFETY COALITION: It’s the monthly chance to find out about crime trends and prevention/safety advocacy in the area, with Seattle Police and King County Sheriff’s deputies joining community volunteers, 6 pm at the DSHS office on 15th SW in White Center (directions here).
We’ve been talking about it a lot lately, and right now there’s a traffic alert about it: A caller told us the South Park Bridge is closed because of a crash, and indeed, KIRO 7’s chopper is showing the scene, with a vehicle on its side. No word on injuries, but that route’s likely to be blocked a while. 6:36 AM: Last aerial showed a tow truck there, so it should be cleared soon. Tipster Tony B sent this photo showing the pickup on its side:
Starting Feb. 2 and continuing through last Monday, five people have entered the race for 34th District State House Position 2. Call it the domino seat: It’s opening because Rep. Sharon Nelson is running for the State Senate seat that Sen. Joe McDermott is vacating to run for County Council (appointed Councilmember Jan Drago repeated recently that she will not run). All 5 State House #2 hopefuls showed up for the first major candidates’ forum of the campaign last night, organized by the Highland Park Action Committee. That wasn’t the only item on HPAC’s monthly meeting agenda, but it was the biggest one – after the jump, video clips of each candidate plus other meeting toplines :Read More
This Saturday, the youth group from Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood hopes you’ll drop by and help them amass a sizable food donation for the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks. Peace Lutheran youth director Nicole Klinemeier explains, “The food drive is part of an event where we are talking about hunger issues. This is one of our service projects during the event. The event itself lasts for 24 hours, but they commit to not eating for 30 hours, as a taste of what it is like to go hungry.” She says the items food banks need the most include:
Cereal
Dry variety (e.g., Hamburger Helper, Rice a Roni, etc.)
Beans
Rice
Canned meat (anything but tuna)
Canned fruit and vegetables
Diapers (size 4, 5, 6)
You can drop off donations on Saturday between 8 am and 12:30 pm; Peace Lutheran is at 39th and Thistle (map). And remember – because of the Feinstein Challenge (explained here), ANY donation to the local food banks through the end of April counts for extra.
Future Blue Thunder drummers? Maybe! We recorded those student musicians and others in the recital that ended the mid-winter-break music camp at Denny International Middle School– and now, the spring break version of that same camp is days away, with Donna sending word there’s still room:
Band students, 4th through 8th grade: Come make music with friends from schools all over West Seattle during spring break!
All-Star Spring Break Music Camp
Mon., Mar. 29 – Fri., Apr. 2, 2010 – 9 AM to 3 PM
Grades 4 thru 8
Suggested donation for tuition: $100 (or pay what you can) – Lunch provided
More info as the announcement continues after the jump:Read More
More developments today as the South Park Bridge – a lifeline not just for its namesake community, but also for many people in south West Seattle and White Center who use it – nears the county’s planned June 30th shutdown date:
For one, more than two dozen representatives of government agencies gathered this morning in South Park for the first of at least two sessions to strategize the closure plan. Also, we’ve gathered some updates on the quest for money to build a new bridge.
Those first: After the closure meeting this morning, county rep Andrew Glass Hastings spoke with WSB about what’s being done to find money for a new bridge. He said a “stakeholders’ meeting” is being assembled for mid-April and said the project will certainly require a “different level of partnership” from entities including the city of Seattle – in other words, some monetary contribution.
But will the cash-strapped city even consider chipping in money toward the project’s $100 million-plus cost, money the county has been unable to find for years? Shortly after the South Park meeting, we put the question to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, as he hosted media reps in his conference room for one of his periodic roundtable chats:
(If you can’t take two minutes to watch the clip – or are unable to – his answer boiled down to: The city doesn’t HAVE money to chip in, but maybe we should all look at our regional priorities, considering, for example, the Port of Seattle is getting ready to raise $300 million to chip in on the “proposed bored tunnel.”)
Given what the mayor said – will the port consider a contribution? Port commissioner Gael Tarleton was visible and vocal at both South Park Bridge community meetings two weeks ago (WSB coverage here and here). We’ll be checking with her. Meantime, read on for toplines — and maps — from the multi-agency closure-plan meeting this morning:Read More
Last night, David and Lisa held a fundraiser at Talarico’s in The Junction, to help reach David’s goal of raising $5,000 by June for the summertime climb.
A few things you might not mind being reminded of before it’s too late:
ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT CLOSED SATURDAY AND SUNDAY: It’s the regular semiannual maintenance closure, scheduled for 6 am-6 pm each day. Sunday, they often wrap up earlier, but don’t take it for granted until and unless it happens.
FIREWORKS SATURDAY NIGHT: After the Elliott Bay fireworks show that caught so many people off-guard a few weeks ago, we found and published advance word of another one that’s now just days away: General Construction (which has a location in West Seattle, on the Duwamish) is celebrating its centennial with fireworks off Pier 66 downtown this Saturday night. The company sent word today that 8:30 pm is the planned showtime.
EARTH HOUR: That, by the way, is right at the start of Earth Hour, when you’re invited to turn everything off for an hour to save power and make a statement. 8:30-9:30 pm Saturday. The Space Needle‘s supposed to go dark again this time around.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON HIKE: Just got word that the Nature Consortium‘s regular monthly hike through the West Duwamish Greenbelt is a little later than usual this month – Friday afternoon, 1 pm, meet at 14th/Holly, RSVP to lisa@naturec.org or 206-923-0853.
FREE CONCERT FRIDAY NIGHT: Also just got a note about West Seattle Jazz Night, 7 pm Friday at Madison Middle School, with performances by musicians from Madison, Denny and Chief Sealth, plus the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra. Free!
Sorry, Trader Joe’s fans, NOT the sign you’re looking for. But thanks to John S for the sighting tip – perfect timing; we were a block away when we got his note. That sign, “Pike Place Produce Co./Coming Soon” has appeared on the small building in the middle of the ex-Huling/Gee lot south of the Fauntleroy/Alaska Shell station. We called Pike Place Produce, which is headquartered right across from the famous market downtown, and while they confirmed something is in the works in West Seattle, they directed us to the owner, who won’t be reachable till later today. Retail? Offices? Both? We don’t know yet – we’ll add an update when we find out more, but just wanted to let you know, if you saw the sign, we’re working on it. (This is one of the sites that’s been vacant 2 1/2 years, since Gee Automotive, which relatively briefly took over the longtime Huling dealerships, closed.) 6:13 PM UPDATE: Looks now like the owner may not be reachable till tomorrow – so it’ll be a separate story when we get the chance to get details.
Today, we’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor: Westside Yoga and Doga. Longtime West Seattle residents Kelly Page and Brenda Bryan have joined forces to bring a new locally owned Yoga and Doga studio to Morgan Junction. Brenda is internationally known as the author and creator of Barking Buddha Doga, and Kelly trained with 5 of the 30 certified Ashtanga teachers in the world. Her primary teacher was David Garrigues, and she has traveled to Mysore, India, to study with Sharath Ragaswamy and Shri K. Pattabhi Jois to learn the classical Ashtanga yoga style. Together they have opened up the first Doga and Ashtanga Yoga studio in the United States. Westside Yoga and Doga opened its doors to Yogis and Dogis on February 22. Ashtanga Yoga, made popular by celebrities such as Madonna, Christy Turlington, Adam Yauch and Sting, is a physically challenging and traditional yoga style dating back to 2000+ years and Doga is a new and nontraditional Yoga practice with dogs. Although different in approach, Kelly and Brenda realized their goals for creating a community and an awareness of well being for people and animals were very similar. Kelly and Brenda met as Yoga instructors at a popular Seattle Yoga studio, but it was their love of dogs and their involvement in the dog-rescue community that brought them together as friends and business partners. In addition to teaching, writing and running Westside Yoga and Doga, Brenda will continue her work withThe Seattle Humane Society. Aside from running the Yoga and Doga studio, and being mom to a three year old, Kelly will continue her work as Washington State representative forDogs Deserve Better, a nonprofit organization that rescues dogs off chains and passes legislation for the betterment of dogs continually chained. Westside Yoga and Doga will also advocate out of their studio with a rescued “Dog of the Week,” as well as fundraising and education for the betterment of our canine companions and their people. Westside Yoga and Doga will be open daily with a variety of classes, including Ashtanga Yoga with live music every Monday morning by classical Indian musician Brandan McIntosh on sarod, Doga classes, family yoga, prenatal, workshops and Barking Buddha Doga teacher training. Memberships include the “just people” classes and also the dog and people classes. All levels of Yogis and Dogis are welcome! Westside Yoga and Doga is online at westsideyogadoga.com; 206-501-4474.
We thank Westside Yoga and Doga for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
That’s the newest WSDOT video simulation taking you underground along the route of the “proposed bored tunnel.” Why do official documents – even the opening slate of the video – still call it “proposed”? That was one of the questions asked at Tuesday’s meeting of the South Portal Working Group, which meets periodically to receive and review new information about all the changes in the works for the transportation network feeding into this side of The Viaduct. Read on for the answer, as well as the toplines from the main focus of the meeting – how construction will be “staged” over the next five-plus years:Read More
7:06 PM: Also at the Seattle Parks Board meeting downtown: This hasn’t been announced by the county yet, but Superintendent Tim Gallagher has just told the board that a celebration at/for the King County Water Taxi’s new dock at Seacrest is set for Sunday, April 11, noon-2 pm – that’s the first Sunday after the Water Taxi season starts on April 5. 9:49 PM UPDATE: This is now 
Lots of 
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Back in January, we 
Brenda is internationally known as the author and creator of
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