(WSB photo from July 2009)
While at American Legion Post 160 in The Triangle last night to sit in on the West Seattle Grand Parade lineup meeting, we were glad to hear that Art and Gloria Peters will be back for another year, riding in the parade. Our “behind the scenes” parade-planning story isn’t ready to publish just yet but there’s certainly still lots more to preview as Saturday’s parade (11 am, California/Lander to California/Edmunds) gets closer. The long-wed veterans are among the heroes, if you will, among the 75-plus parade entries. That category also includes the law-enforcement motorcycle drill teams – both the hometown heroes from Seattle PD, and the visitors from Vancouver, B.C.:
And unless there’s a last-minute emergency, you’ll see a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter like this one fly south over the parade route right around 11:
(July 2009 photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Again, the parade starts at 11 am this Saturday – and while the official route is California SW between SW Lander (Lafayette/Safeway) and SW Edmunds (end of The Junction’s main business district), you’ve probably noticed “no parking” signs on more than a few other streets – the parade staging zone, and bus re-routes, cover many more blocks. One more reminder – All kids are welcome in theRotary Club of West Seattle Kiddie Parade, which travels California SW from SW Genesee to SW Edmunds right before the main parade, starting at 11 am (sign-ups at 10).
Our VW Eurovan is home, much the worse for the wear. (was stolen from our home at the end of SW Othello St 6-30-10). The Kent Police recovered it 7-13-10. Seems the van was in use for criminal activity. They found an acetylene torch, bolt cutters, tool box, etc in the van. Can you imagine a VW camper as a getaway vehicle!!? We think they were depending on the “nerd factor”. We haven’t recovered any of the other items stolen from the house. Service station video (in Tukwila) of someone using my debit card helped nail the thieves. So looks as if the thieves were not from West Seattle.
And from Keith:
I thought I’d send in a message to let you know that 3 telephone poles in our alley on 47th were tagged the other night. Not sure how many alleys or homes were hit. We are on 47th near Andover/Charlestown.
Two weeks from tonight, it’s Night Out – the neighborhood-building, crime-preventing block-party night – if you let us know – thanks!
ORIGINAL ‘HAPPENING NOW’ REPORT AT 7:49 PM: We’re at Hiawatha Community Center’s east lawn with a triple-digit crowd for the West Seattle Hi-Yu Concert in the Park, in what one concertgoer just described as “perfect” weather – not hot, not cool. The West Seattle Big Band is still in the first half of its set, with selections from legendary composers including Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker, and vocalist Elizabeth Hott guesting on classics like “When I Fall in Love” and “Fever.” Shortly, the West Seattle Volunteer Recognition Awards will be presented, and the audience will get to hear from West Seattle Hi-Yu royalty and candidates too, with more WSBB music after that. (Hi-Yu contingent photo added later – this was just steps away from West Seattle High School, where the new Senior Court will be coronated Monday night)
Still lots of time to wander over here if you have the chance, bring a blanket or chair, there’s lots of room on the lawn – and the show’s free. P.S. One Hi-Yu note – new location for the Community Brunch this Sunday morning, Alki UCC, 9 am-noon. More later on the concert and the awards presentation! ADDED 11:11 PM: One sample of tonight’s great music from the WS Big Band:
You can catch the WS Big Band playing Hiawatha again later this summer – they’re the sixth and final act in the Admiral Neighborhood Association Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series (co-sponsored by WSB), which starts a week from Thursday (July 29) – the WSBB plays on Sept. 2. Meanwhile, photos of the volunteers honored tonight will be in a separate story.
The beautiful weather’s back, which means more people heading out on the water. But Seal Sitters has a reminder for you … steer clear of sites where seals haul out, because recklessness – or even simple curiosity – can endanger baby seals’ lives, without you ever touching them or even going ashore. Robin Lindsey‘s latest update on the Seal Sitters‘ website explains.
It’s been almost two years since buildings were demolished on the northwest corner of California/Graham (map), at the time slated for a townhouses-plus-live-work-units development that had been proposed a year earlier. Since the demolition, though, the 15,000-square-foot site has remained empty, and weedy, but apparently not much longer. We’d been checking on its status since its fencing came down a few weeks back. Now, half the lot is fenced again, and a real-estate shingle is up at the corner, in front of the unfenced half, pointing to this listing. A conversation with one of the agents, Bryan Loe, reveals what’s ahead: The entire site was purchased less than a month ago by what he says is a local developer partnership, Morgan Junction, LLC. But the previously proposed project, which had even gone through Design Review, is completely dead, he says. The new ownership is keeping the fenced-in north half and plans to build on it soon, according to Loe (the city’s page for the project describes it as “4 attached townhomes and 3 live-work units”), and selling the now-unfenced south half (with a possible buyer already lined up). He says it’s something like what’s happening on a similarly long-empty lot a few parcels north on California:
That’s a new Knoll Development building on the south half of that lot, with the north half fenced off. The developer for the California/Graham north lot is listed as Soleil. Meantime, the California/Graham site is one of the topics on the agenda for tomorrow night’s Morgan Community Association quarterly meeting (7 pm Wednesday, lower-level meeting room @ The Kenney).
New details today about an event first mentioned at last week’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting (WSB coverage here). A so-called “green stormwater” project is one of the three combined-sewer-overflow (CSO) reduction proposals for the “basin” feeding the Barton Pump Station by the Fauntleroy ferry terminal. If that option is chosen, it would change the streetscapes in the area of the “basin” outlined with yellow street lines in the map above – which includes areas of Sunrise Heights and Westwood. The county wants to be sure everybody potentially affected gets a chance to have questions answered, and they’ve now chosen a time and place for the previously mentioned August 5th meeting – 6 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy. In the meantime, if you’re just tuning in to this, here’s more info on the county website. (As for the other CSO project, for the Murray “basin” feeding the station at Lowman Beach Park, citizens’ advisory group meetings continue – calendar here – and discussion is planned at tomorrow night’s Morgan Community Association meeting, 7 pm at The Kenney.)
On Sunday, West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen issued an open invitation to you to join him bicycling to work from Beach Drive’s Weather Watch Park any morning this week (7 am) as part of the Walk/Bike/Ride Challenge. So what happened the first two mornings? Read his vividly written update here. (P.S. Rasmussen really isn’t a biker-come-lately. We have pictorial proof including this February story, when he biked up to Pigeon Point to look into the development-detour dilemma that caused consternation back then.)
The banner at Admiral Way Viewpoint is one of several you’ve probably seen around the peninsula – this Sunday is WestSide Baby‘s biggest diaper-donation event of the year, “Stuff the Bus” – they bring a school bus to the West Seattle Farmers’ Market (10 am-2 pm at 44th/Alaska in The Junction), you bring the diapers, and by the time 2 pm hits, if all goes well, the bus is stuffed!
(WSB photo from July 2009 “Stuff the Bus”)
WSB is proud to be co-sponsoring the event again this year. There are usually a few satellite locations where you can drop off diapers if you can’t get to The Bus – we’re checking on that – but we just got word of one: West Seattle Nursery is having an Ice Cream Fest on Sunday afternoon, 1-4 pm, collecting diaper donations there too – and money from the ice cream (provided by Full Tilt Ice Cream) also benefits WestSide Baby. So it’s a Sunday doubleheader!
(“Live” eastbound West Seattle Bridge camera moved up to another story)
The first morning commute is in the books, kicking off up to six weeks with a key stretch of the eastbound Spokane Street Viaductt down to one lane, so the new 4th Avenue offramp can be connected. Commuters have been sharing their thoughts in a variety of ways, including this WSB comment thread, a discussion on the WSB Facebook page, and via Twitter. We asked SDOT for their take, and here’s what Marybeth Turner had to say:
With one eastbound lane closed on the Spokane Street Viaduct, we did observe backups this morning in traffic heading for the West Seattle Bridge. SDOT will continue to look for opportunities to make adjustments to traffic signals to improve the flow of traffic.
We expect there will be a period of adjustment while people get used to the viaduct lane closure and as more drivers use alternate routes. We hope that drivers understand that this six-week lane closure is an essential last step for the full opening of the new Fourth Avenue S off-ramp.
In an informal analysis of the reaction, what seemed to be most notable is that the backup lasted longer than the “normal” morning commute mess – a WSB team member had to head toward SODO for a 10 am appointment and reported it was still a slog; same thing tweeted by Rhonda from The Mortgage Porter(WSB sponsor). On the other hand, we have a few reports that it was better than usual in the very early going – Scott C sent a cameraphone photo around 5:15 am to that effect; this comment says 6:45 am was close to the usual speed. ADDED 12:10 PM: Here’s an e-mail report from longtime WSB’er Kevin McClintic, who saw it at two times during this morning’s drive – read on:Read More
Another look ahead to the next big summer weekend – Saturday midday, Fauntleroy Park – another of West Seattle’s green treasures – needs some helping hands. Four of them are above, in the photo shared by Judy Pickens along with this preview:
Steve Hodson introduced his daughter, Georgia, to pulling English ivy when she was just a toddler. Now she’ll be joining her dad and park neighbors and users this coming Saturday in a major assault on the invasive vine in the southeast section of Fauntleroy Park. Steve, a long-time volunteer steward of the park, is coordinating with the Green Seattle Partnership and EarthCorps on the event. Meet at the 97th St. entrance to the park [map] at 9:45 AM and bring a lunch. Work until 2 PM or as long as you can. Contact Steve at noahsark10@msn.com.
(Thanks to all the volunteers who are out in greenspaces around West Seattle every weekend (and often between weekends!) – previews about/reports on/photos from your work parties are always welcome; here’s where to send ’em.) 3:40 PM: See the comments for an update on the new meeting site for this work party.
THE REMINDERS: The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council is on hiatus till September, so no meeting tonight (though if you’re interested in south WS, the South Delridge-White Center Community Safety Coalition‘s next meeting is 6 pm Thursday at the DSHS building in WC). On a related note, it’s exactly two weeks till Night Out, neighborhood-building/crime-fighting block-party night all over the area – 6-10 pm August 3rd – sign up now so you’ll be cleared to shut down your street for the occasion! (and let us know if we can stop by).
If you saw the sizable police response at Delridge/Brandon Monday night – several people e-mailed us about it – here’s what it was about, according to Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith: One suspect was arrested after officers answered a disturbance call just after 8 pm, involving that suspect and a neighbor’s guest. During the disturbance, Lt. Smith says, “a knife was displayed, and the suspect began chasing the complainant’s cousin with a knife.” The suspect was eventually arrested for assault with a weapon; the knife had been thrown in the bushes just before officers arrived. Then police were called back to the scene just before 10 pm – the original complainant called to ask for help because, Lt. Smith said, “males associated with the suspect were hanging around and complainant was still having issues with them. Due to the nature of the original call, multiple units responded to ensure a peaceful resolution.”
If you saw the sizable police response at Delridge/Brandon Monday night – several people 
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