No confrontation, all conversation for Mayor Mike McGinn at his community-forum/town-hall meeting at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center tonight. The people you see onstage behind him are other city reps who were standing by to answer questions if needed (the officer on the right is one of West Seattle’s Community Police Team officers, Jonathan Kiehn; the others were from parks, transportation, human services, and economic development). The mayor heard entreaties about some recent hot issues, including the West Seattle Golf Course driving range and the RapidRide bus-lane-vs.-parking concerns, and also heard about local youth concerns, as well as ongoing problems like Delridge-area healthy-food access, but if you were expecting somebody to rant about, oh, say, traffic or snow response, nope. We got it all on video so you’ll be able to see for yourself once we have it uploaded (Seattle Channel wasn’t there to record the event, so as far as we know, this will be the only video of the entire meeting), and we’ll add a few more notes in a bit. Right now, we have the first installment – the mayor had two warm-up acts, a rapper and rockers – they’re both in this clip, starting with an intro from Chas Redmond, who co-moderated the evening with Pete Spalding:
(added) Here’s the video of the entire Q/A section – about an hour and a half:
Among the speakers were local neighborhood advocates who issued invitations to the mayor: Fairmount Community Association‘s Sharonn Meeks invited him to come take a walking tour of The Triangle, which has been the subject of a city-led planning process (she’s on the citizens’ advisory group convened as part of it); White Center Chamber of Commerce president Mark Ufkes invited the mayor to visit WC and talk with its residents and businesspeople about the benefits of being part of Seattle, since there might be an annexation vote in their future. The mayor indicated interest in both invitations. And he issued one of his own to the youth who shared their concerns about issues including transit routes and education – he invited them to come downtown to talk more about their ideas and observations.
I live on California Ave near Thistle Street [map]. We had a Christmas gift stolen off our front porch that was ordered off the internet and dropped by common carrier. I’ve heard of this happening but never experienced it until today. Probably happens more frequently than one would suspect. Just be aware there are bad guys out there. If it happened to us probably more will experience it this holiday season. Might want to warn W.S. residents. I’ve heard the crooks follow the trucks. Enjoy the Lego set, is all I can say. Hopefully someone who needs it more than our kids … eventually gets it.
Also tonight, Jen wanted to get the news out about an earlier burglary:
Not sure how to get this out, but our house was broken into today. We live at 32nd and Juneau [map], near High Point. It was between 10 am and 2 pm today. They threw a rock through the window, crawled through, and helped themselves to our electronics, jewelry, gift cards, etc etc etc.
Just want to get the word out and heighten awareness. Maybe it will help someone else going through what we are now.
Big callout for a crash on Fauntleroy Way alongside Lincoln Park. Northbound traffic – as in, coming away from the ferry terminal – is being diverted onto SW Kenyon. We’re told it involved a car pulling in front of a bus, but nobody was hurt; what was an “automobile rescue” call has already been downgraded and closed since it turned out not to be as bad as it apparently initially sounded. 6:26 PM UPDATE: Added photo of the vehicle hit by the bus. Jeff, who was on the bus (a Sound Transit 560), confirmed nobody was hurt.
(Conferring, moments before becoming Sen. Nelson and Rep. Fitzgibbon)
ORIGINAL 4:37 PM REPORT: We’re in the County Council chambers downtown, where State Rep. Sharon Nelson is about to become State Sen. Nelson, and where her former assistant Joe Fitzgibbon is about to take her soon-to-be ex-House spot. Former Sen. Joe McDermott is here – one week after his swearing-in as County Councilmember – so is County Executive Dow Constantine, who formerly held two of the jobs represented here – and there’s also quite the audience. More after the ceremony.
4:53 PM UPDATE: The ceremony’s over – the oaths for both were administered by King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu — and both have acknowledged the challenges they face ahead in Olympia. We’ll add video of the swearings-in – which included brief remarks from the County Executive as well as the new senator and representative – once we’re back at headquarters. (6:25 PM – video now added, and the following clip, added later, includes the legislators’ post-ceremony remarks)
Thanks to Lucian for sharing photos of the big job under way right now on the west-facing Lincoln Park shore: Sand replenishment. Funny, we were just talking about beach erosion last month (Lincoln Park here, Alki Beach here). We got first word of the sand barge’s presence late last night, when Ellen e-mailed after spotting it on a late-night walk. Here’s a shot showing more of the barge itself:
We have an inquiry out to the Parks Department for details; so far, they’ve told us the “sand-replenishment project” is something they’ve “been waiting for,” and they’re rustling up background. We’ll add it when we get it.
5:59 PM UPDATE: Thanks to “Swamp Thing” in the comments, who reveals this is a federal project and shares what was purportedly a “public notice” (will be checking into whether it was actually circulated beyond fine print somewhere). According to the notice, this is part of a periodic “renourishment” project that started in the late ’80s – last round of “renourishment” was 2002.
(From the RapidRide C Line route map) By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Imagine West Seattle without the art glass of Avalon Glassworks, the “salubrious” beverages of Java Bean Coffee, the burgers of Luna Park Café, and the rest of the Luna Park business district.
That’s what the businesses’ proprietors warn could happen if the forthcoming Metro RapidRide “C Line” takes away Avalon Way street parking nearby – as is currently planned – a risk they say is even more dire in their area than in The Triangle, where related fears have surfaced.
The Luna Park district merchants have been talking with Metro over the past few months, without convincing them to preserve the parking, so now they’re taking their concerns to the community at large. Wednesday morning, we were invited to sit in on their monthly merchants’ meeting, which also included businesspeople dealing with related RapidRide-parking-removal concerns in The Triangle, as well as three county reps.
For a second consecutive year, West Seattle’s David Miles Huber is a Grammy Award nominee – again in the “Best Surround Sound Album” category, but this time for “Parallax Eden,” . The album is described by one reviewer quoted on Huber’s website as “a study in minimal relaxed electronic instrumental music that becomes more and more compelling with every listen.” The video above features the artist – who describes himself as based in Berlin as well as West Seattle – talking about, and demonstrating, his work. You can also hear samples on the “Parallax Eden” webpage – and via Huber’s YouTube channel. Grammy winners are scheduled to be announced February 13th.
At left, one of the wreaths that’s just gone up in The Junction, where the first Shop Late Thursday (previewed here) is tonight, with participants including 3 of our West Seattle Holiday/Business Guide sponsors (P.S. 15 businesses in the guide now – listing deals and special holiday hours!). That means you can shop till 9 tonight – which even gives you time after another big event tonight, Mayor McGinn with Q/A at a West Seattle community meeting, 6 pm (he’s on at 6:35 pm, as previewed here) at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). And talented local students have several showcases tonight: At C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), young authors from Denny International Middle School are debuting their first publication with a special event 6-8 pm (5612 California SW; pizza and refreshments for all!); and two events tonight at Chief Sealth International High School – 6 pm, a Community Film Fest with student-made videos, full details here; 7 pm, Jazz Night with student ensembles performing in the auditorium. More on our calendars – holiday events here, other events here!
At left, one of the wreaths that’s just gone up in The Junction, where the first Shop Late Thursday (
| 10 COMMENTS