West Seattle, Washington
08 Thursday
3:08 PM: Just got a tip on this, and it’s confirmed on The Bohemian‘s website – they have shut down – this is the message on the home page:
THE BOHEMIAN IS DEAD, THE BOHEMIAN IS DEAD!
LONG LIVE THE BOHEMIAN!!!To all our friends & guests of The Bohemian,
We regret to inform the community that we are closed.
The current economy and many other factors have claimed yet another West Seattle business.
Thank you all for the support and patronage over the past two years…Good Luck,
The Bohemian staff
The Bohemian opened in September 2008.
4:29 PM UPDATE: Went over to see if there was anyone there to talk to. Found just the note on the door, with slightly different wording:
We’re on our way to a “fire in single-family residence” call in the 10000 block of 42nd SW (map) in Arbor Heights. Per the scanner, first crews on the scene are seeing smoke. 2:47 PM UPDATE: Just added a photo. Our crew at the scene reports lots of smoke but no flames visible. It’s being described on the scanner as “a smoldering fire in blown-in insulation.” Some of the units from the big initial response have been cleared to leave. There are no reports of injuries.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
3:12 PM UPDATE: Firefighters tell our crew at the scene that it appears to have started in the kitchen and moved to the roof. But they confirm everyone got out safely – including the family dog. As for how soon the residents will be able to go back into the house, and how extensive the damage is, too soon to tell. Metro has rerouted the #21 bus for now – here’s the rider alert:
At 3:00 PM – Route 21 is rerouted off 44 Av SW between SW 100 St and SW 106 St. Use stops on SW 100 St east of 40 Av SW or on SW 106 St east of 40 Av SW. Until further notice.
4:19 PM UPDATE: Metro says the 21 is back to its normal route. The fire is in mop-up mode. Neighbor Kevin calls our attention to the fact there was a call at the same address this morning around 10:30; the 911 log calls that one “food on the stove, out.”
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports this afternoon – first, from Dena:
Last night 12-12-2010 between the hours of 12 midnight and 7:00am 12-13-2010
Stolen in the 6900 block of California Ave SW
1996 champagne F250 Diesel w/ USCG vanity plate and with 20′ U-Haul trailer attached.
Any information can be e-mailed to me @ dena-engen@comcast.net
And from Jen:
We had some lighted candy canes along our walkway from the street and someone made off with them sometime between late last night and this afternoon. We don’t use the front entrance much, so cannot pinpoint the time any further. We live on 44th, just north of the Junction. I’ve read other accounts of people getting stuff taken from their yards around Halloween, so I know it happens, but it’s still lame.
We also have asked police for an update on the investigation of the car vandalism we reported Sunday; no word on that yet.
If you didn’t go see the Christmas Ship on Saturday night, perhaps out of an understandable desire not to stand out in the drenching rain (here’s our report with video, and a larger version of the wonderful David Hutchinson photo at right) – we wanted to remind you that it’s making a West Seattle encore tonight, 8:40 pm, Don Armeni Boat Ramp (here’s a map). Also tonight, the North Delridge Neighborhood Council is one of the few community councils/associations having a regular meeting this month – they’re in session at 6:30 pm at Delridge Library. P.S. North Delridge and High Point neighbors just announced a caroling expedition this Friday night – if you want to join, meet them at 7 pm Friday at Greg Davis Park (Brandon/26th). (More holiday happenings on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page!)
(August 2010 photo by David DeSiga)
With the Blue Angels based at the Museum of Flight over the ridge during their annual visits, many West Seattleites see and hear them whether they want to or not. So with that in mind, and knowing that some will be excited and some will be bummed, we share the official news that they have reconfirmed for the August 2011 Seafair Air Show, per a Seafair news release. And this year, there’s a special anniversary. Details after the jump:Read More
(12:09 PM: Road is open again)
(Photo added 9:05 am – we walked into the cleanup zone; more visuals to come)
ORIGINAL 7:53 AM REPORT: New reports are just in that West Marginal Way SW is closed again this morning – and that follows a report from Seattle Parks of new slide concern in the 5000 block, which is close to yesterday’s closure. So an alternate route is in order this morning. Just got a note from Erik that the closure is at SW Edmunds (map) and an image that suggests a big backup.
8:17 AM UPDATE: Official information just e-mailed by Peg Nielsen of SDOT:
Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews are working to remove 25 trees which are down across the 5400 block of W Marginal Way (SW) just S of Puget [map]. Traffic is being detoured off of W Marginal between Highland and S Spokane Street. The crew is working to get two lanes open by noon; however, it could take most of the day to remove all the trees and open all lanes at that location. Local business access is being maintained.
10:06 AM NOTE: Back from checking out the site. Sizable SDOT crew working to cut the fallen/falling trees, which are going into the chipper you see in the photo above. On the south side, the roadblock/turnaround is at the Alaska Marine Lines west terminal in the 5600 block of W Marginal.
12:10 PM UPDATE: The city hasn’t sent official word yet but a KING 5 live shot shows the road has just reopened.
(Sunday photo of the 13th, from the tee, courtesy of Paul)
Not surprising that when you have a golf course along a creek, you’re going to have a little excess water now and then, but yesterday was “excess” enough to force the West Seattle Golf Course to close for the day (as shown in our ongoing storm coverage). We checked this morning with Seattle Parks, and spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad tells us the golf course is OPEN today. (First tee time of the day this time of year, according to the golf course website, is 7:45 am.) She says the course is “playable, but soggy. And they have some work to do to restore some areas that eroded with the water.”
10:17 AM UPDATE: New information from Hammerstad: “We are not allowing the golf carts at West Seattle Golf Course today. The erosion on the paths is quite bad in places. We don’t want to risk a cart tipping over and injuring somebody. We’re hoping to get crushed rock and stone at the course tomorrow to begin repairs.”
(2:22 PM UPDATE: SDOT is hoping to have the road open again by afternoon rush hour)
6:32 AM: Just verified that, as SDOT said would be the case, Beach Drive remains blocked in the 6000-6200 block (map) because of Sunday afternoon’s slide. We took the above photo about 15 minutes ago at the south end of the closure zone, Beach/Atlas (map). And Metro has just published official word of the closure’s effect on Routes 37 and 53, saying it’s only serving stops north of Jacobsen (map) and south of 48th (map). SDOT said last night that it plans to assess the slide once it’s light today; we’ll be checking on the situation throughout the day.
2:23 PM UPDATE: SDOT says it’s installing protective blocks and hoping to have the road reopened by “afternoon rush hour.” We’ll publish a new story when the road does reopen.
(Photo by Matt Lawrence; pictured are – Lying: Sami MacKenzie and Danielle Nielsen. Kneeling: Gabby Rivera, Kelsey Klapperich, Jaqueline Andrade, Nicole Roed, Xiu Xiu Bunting, Abby Tuthill, and Meghan Foulk. Standing: Malea Rudolph, Katy Gillingham, Erin Castillo, Charli Elliott, Ali Campagnaro, Annalisa Ursino, Julia Nark, Talia Lawrence, and Coach MacKenzie)
The West Seattle Soccer Club is proudly sharing the news tonight that one two of its three teams who made it into the statewide Recreational Cup finals (as noted here a week ago) won championships. First, from Cori Roed:
The WSSC West Side Cheetahs, coached by John Mackenzie, played the Harbor Thunder (Aberdeen) to a 3-0 final score, becoming the best Girls U-14 Rec Soccer Team in Washington State for 2010. Way to go, Cheetahs!
(added Monday afternoon) More details from coach MacKenzie:
Playing Sunday at Starfire in Tukwila in a torrential downpour, the Cheetahs got off to a quick start by scoring a goal in the first minute of the game. “We had talked about our slow starts in previous games and how we would really need to get a goal early to put the pressure on them, I guess they took it to heart,” said Coach MacKenzie. The Thunder never really challenged after that. The Cheetahs led 2-0 at half, then scored another goal in the 2nd half to ice the game.
The Cheetahs tore through district and regional play to get to the State Championship game by winning 8 straight games. They scored 21 goals and only allowed 1 during that streak. The team is built around a tough and gritty defense, a fearless goaltender, a smart and physical midfield, and lightning-fast, unselfish forwards.
Several of the girls were on the team that lost 2 years ago in a double overtime shootout game played in 17 degree weather on a snow covered field. They all vowed they were not going to let that happen again.
The Cheetahs players and coaches would like to thank all of the fans for their support especially considering the weather.
The BU-11 Crush and BU-19 Sambas also were in state finals games this weekend, all played at Starfire.
(Photo added Monday morning, courtesy Eric and Jenny Freeman)
ADDED 10:44 PM: WSSC president Bill Fry reports in comments that the Crush also emerged victorious:
We are happy to report that the BU-11 West Seattle Crush coached by Jason Woodward and David Douglas are also STATE CHAMPIONS!! They won the BU-11 final 2-1 on Saturday morning.
The BU-19 Sambas fell just short of the prize today, but they have clinched first place in their division and have a perfect 11-0 record in league play – with just one match remaining.
We are very proud of our players and their wonderful supporters!
As first reported during our afternoon updates on the rainstorm’s aftermath, a slide has closed Beach Drive in the 6000-6200 block (map). The video above is our :30 survey of the scene, while checking it out just before sunset. The mud brought debris onto the northbound lane and took out a tree that, as the video shows, snagged utility wires on the water side of the street. Here’s a static view of what slid:
This is immediately north of the spot where a similar slide closed the road this past January. SDOT finally sent official word of the new slide/closure within the past hour, saying it’s one of two streets in the city closed for “slope stability issues,” and that it “will remain closed overnight and will be re-assessed in morning once there is daylight.” A resident who said she lives over the slope that slid – explaining, “That’s our tree” – pointed out another spot with cascading water/mud down the slope further south, over the small retaining wall put up following the January slide:
Last year’s slide closed the road for less than a day but left it narrowed to one lane at that spot for more than a month; the city was reported to be working with upslope property owner(s) on a permanent solution, though we don’t have final word on whether that included anything beyond the roadside retaining barricade.
A vandalism spree smashing out car windows is bad enough. For it to be done on an intensely rainy night, even worse. But to top this off – the vandal(s) struck cars in the parking area of a low-income senior-housing complex. Our photos show three of about half a dozen cars reported to have been vandalized behind Island View Apartments in the 3000 block of California, part of the city’s Senior Housing Program. We went over after getting a phone call; later, we received a note from Paul, who said they think rocks were used, as big ones found nearby are not the type usually found in the area. He added, “I am a caregiver for a tenant in this building and our car was not hit, but I tried my best to cover all the cars with plastic to keep the rain out.”
(4:47 PM UPDATE: Rain stopped, but effects haven’t: Slide has completely closed Beach Drive in 6200 block, immediately north of last January’s slide. However, the Allstar Fitness parking lot is open again; waters have receded. 5:46 PM – Added scenes from Seola, Westcrest, WS Golf Course flooding. Meantime, our first round of coverage, covering the previous 6+ hours, can be seen here; we’re keeping this coverage atop the home page, so other non-storm stories, even if newer, will appear BELOW it, like this one)
1:03 PM: Thanks to Jai Suh for that panorama of the Allstar Fitness parking lot (map), which, as first reported in our morning updates, is flooded and closed – though the club is still open, and nearby street parking is quite well-used. For context, here’s a different view, looking northeast, which we shot around 1 pm:
Nearby Longfellow Creek is over its banks, at least in that area. More sandbags have arrived at Delridge Community Center, the city tells us, for those who need them and know the best way to use them.
West Marginal Way Southwest (shot above is from the 6000 block – map) is swamped in spots and while it may be open, we advise avoiding it (update – a more-recent driver noted that it’s fine north of the Duwamish Longhouse, which is having a concert today, so if you’re going to that, just approach from the north). The power is BACK ON in the Admiral business district – we just drove through and verified that businesses such as Bird on a Wire 2 and Alki Bike and Board are open (we had heard earlier that businesses to the south, including Muttley Crew Cuts and Bartell Drugs, were back on too). The rain is lighter now, and The Junction – which did NOT lose power at any point – is open for another Hometown Holidays Sunday, with the Farmers’ Market till 2 pm and Santa photos at Donna Ryan Photography till 3:
West Seattle Hi-Yu Junior Court Princess Riley Frederickson is assisting today – just last week she made news for coming up with the idea that won the vote to be next year’s Hi-Yu float theme, “Sparkling Seattle.” Now that the rain is easing, do get out and support your local businesses (check our West Seattle Holiday Shopping Guide for some of the deals offered by more than 20 of them) – this is the third-to-last weekend shopping day till Christmas, already. Speaking of shopping, there are some issues with debit/credit cards at Westwood Village – there’s some kind of technical problem affecting some of the merchants; we got multiple tips on this and the situation seems to keep changing, though Target told us they are not taking debit, and credit is only $100 max per card. Meantime, we’ll continue to update this story all afternoon with the latest on the weather and its effects – we appreciate your photos and tips, too. NO events today have been canceled – to the best of our knowledge, everything on the West Seattle Holidays page is still happening.
2:22 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Jill for word of a slide behind a building in the 1100 block of Alki SW:
Also from Alki, look closely at this photo from Todd (thank you!) – you can see the water-color difference from the storm drainage in the background:
The city confirms more than three inches of rain has fallen in the past 24 hours. In comments, the WSB Forums, and elsewhere, we are seeing many reports of flooded basements. And from Seattle Public Utilities‘ latest news release, another big number:
The Utility has received more than 400 customer calls since midnight, and has activated its Urban Flood Response Plan – deploying extra drainage crews throughout Seattle, sending storm observers to various at-risk sections of the city, and increasing the number of emergency call-takers at its Operations Response Center.
At present, SPU is dealing with a heavy volume of calls; and its emergency response system is at full capacity.
“We are responding to emergency calls from customer as quickly as we can,” SPU Deputy Director Nick Pealy said. “We hope to work through our call backlog today, but because of the volume of calls we’ve received, it could be tomorrow before we’re able to get to everybody.”
To report flooding or blocked drains or heavy ponding in the street, please call (206) 386-1800.
Under its urban flood plan, SPU’s 16 drainage truck crews drop their normal maintenance duties and respond to field emergency calls. If the volume of calls becomes high enough – as they are today – additional crews are brought in from the SPU’s drinking water operations section and other areas of the Utilities.
3:28 PM: New problems:
Shelley shared that photo of a tree down along Beach Drive. Note the telltale blocks – it’s the same spot where a slide blocked the road for quite some time last January (here’s one of our stories). We’re also hearing about flooding in Arbor Heights, apparently near the Seola drainage pond – off to check on that.
4:47 PM UPDATE: We’ve stopped by both of the aforementioned scenes. What is usually an alley/street end leading to the Seola retention pond at 104th/30th is pretty much a small lake. Photos to come. Also, we went to the Beach Drive “tree down” spot – and discovered it’s a slide, and the road is now completely closed there (6200 block). We are on our way to see where the closure starts on the north side – since that’s just a half-mile south of the famous Menashe Christmas lights – definitely can’t approach them from the south. (slide photo added, taken around 4 pm)
The crew at the scene had no idea how long the road would be closed.
5:46 PM UPDATE: Here’s a Seola photo courtesy of Kelly (we have a shot from a different angle we’ll use in our later roundup – who points out the floating porta-potty:
Also some other West Seattle scenes – part of the flooding that closed the WS Golf Course, courtesy of Paul – here’s the fairway for the 12th hole:
And Rob sent photos from flooding at Westcrest Park:
We went back to Longfellow Creek at Allstar Fitness – it’s receded a bit, and the lot has reopened.
2 West Seattle Crime Watch reports from the WSB inbox. First, a truck stolen and stripped before its owner, LB, even knew it was gone:
Writing to report that my truck was stolen sometime after midnight last night from in front of my house near SW Andover and 40th Ave. SW.
Seattle PD knocked on my door at 4 a.m. to let me know it had been stolen and found stripped and abandoned on 30th Ave. SW directly behind Luna Park Cafe. Thieves tore out the ignition to start the truck and drove it to the location behind Luna Park Cafe where they proceeded to remove parts of the body, major parts of engine, including the hood and front grill. Also stolen from inside the truck were my laptop, CB, Radio, Tools, etc. Even the ashtray and lighter were taken.
Letting you folks know so you can get the word out the rainy weather is good cover for this sort of crime. Nobody in my house or neighborhood saw or heard anything. Apparently neither did the folks living in the houses 10 feet from where the truck was stripped and dumped.
And from Sam:
Yesterday, sometime between 10 am and 1 pm, someone sawed off my catalytic converter off my Toyota Tacoma. This is the second time now in less than 4 months. I couldn’t believe this happened in broad daylight while my truck was parked on 42nd Ave SW right at the junction of 42nd and Fauntleroy. This happened in the middle of the day and pretty much in the middle of Morgan Junction! So just a heads up for people who live in the area that own Tacomas and 4Runners. They seem to be the targeted vehicle due to ease of access. These cat thefts seem to go in waves too.
(This was our morning report; go here for ongoing afternoon coverage – thanks!)
(Photo added 7:54 am – power out at Admiral/California intersection, businesses too, but City Light went by)
6:52 AM: If you wake up and notice your clocks are out of synch with battery-powered sources like your cell phone or watch – part of north West Seattle lost power in the early-morning hours. Roughly 3-4 am, judging by the smattering of notes we received. Some may still be out (let us know if you are) – complete information isn’t available because the city website is down, but Seattle City Light’s Twitter account reported about an hour ago that 838 West Seattle customers were still out of service at that time, and has not updated since. Meantime, might still be a good time to check on battery/charging status of key devices – it’s not only still pouring, but at least where we are, the wind has picked up in a big way.
7:12 AM UPDATE: Some confirmations in comments and via Facebook that some people are still without power in Admiral. The biggest outage, described by SCL on FB as 2,800 homes/businesses in Alki/Harbor Avenue, started at 2:20 am; at least one of those customers reported the power returning around 4. We’re heading out now to survey both power and road flooding – especially perennial deep-water trouble spots like West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way, where some problems were reported in the very early morning hours. The National Weather Service is warning of slide danger as well as urban/”small stream” flooding.
7:50 AM: First major intersection where the power’s still out: Admiral/California. Looks like the businesses on all four corners, too, as well as the stoplights. (a few minutes later) The outage is centered here JUST around the Admiral/California junction – the Lander stoplight is on (at Lafayette/Hiawatha); heading eastbound, while the west side of 42nd is out, the east side (with Metropolitan Market [WSB sponsor] and Safeway gas station is ON). Jack in the Box has NO power, same for businesses in the Linda’s/Bird/Heavenly/Alki B&B building and the CIrca/cleaners building. On the north side of the outage, no lights or signs of power are evident before the flashing yellow light at SW Walker/California SW. (a few minutes later) On the west, the outage stretches to the east side of 44th – 7-11 has NO power, Bank of America is out – but the power is on starting with the west side of 44th. Heading down to the water now to check on Alki/Harbor.
8:29 AM: Just drove Alki from Seacrest to Cactus, power’s ON, no apparent problems – though the road shows numerous signs of undone pothole repairs – the gravel/asphalt material littering the lanes, holes reopened – so be careful, even in the middle of the road away from the puddles. In addition to the Admiral/California outage, there may be other pockets – Mac just mentioned via Twitter that they’re OUT along Ferry in North Admiral. Please note that while the city website is back on, the current SCL “tracker” is NOT accurate – it doesn’t show any of the areas where we’ve verified the power’s out. Also to reiterate – the Alaska/California Junction was ***not*** affected so plans are still ON for today’s Hometown Holidays festivities (Santa photos, Farmers Market, etc.).
8:59 AM: A crew was just putting out signs to close West Marginal Way SW south of Puget, as we arrived to check out reports of tree trouble as well as deep water (so much puddling even north of here, it’s not safe to drive) – so avoid W. Marginal Way TFN – we’ll be trying to check from the south side to see how far the closure stretches.
9:19 AM: If you need sandbags, there are still a few left on the east side of Delridge Community Center – photo above is from just a couple moments ago. (later note – as of 10:30, all gone, will try to find out if more will come)
9:37 AM: Longfellow Creek is now over its banks by Allstar Fitness. The parking lot was just being roped off as we drove up. Here’s the creek overflowing the nearby pedestrian bridge:
Club still open as far as we know. (P.S. For those who’ve asked – here’s the famous 12/2007 photo.)
9:53 AM: In case you were wondering, the West Seattle Farmers’ Market IS up and running (will be, at 10 am) – just drove by, vendors finishing setup – The Junction was NOT affected by the power outage. Santa photos start at 11 am at Donna Ryan Photography (this week’s $15 donation benefits West Seattle Helpline).
10:16 AM: City Light’s most recent estimate for restoring Admiral power is 11 am – we’ll be back there to check in person (and please let us know if you’re in the area, the second you’re back on).
10:35 AM UPDATE: Thanks to Laura and Pete for the note that Delridge CC is out of sandbags again. We’ll try to find out if more will be available. Meantime, WSDOT says the northbound I-5 exit to the West Seattle Bridge is closed, too much water. That and West Marginal Way SW are the two main closures affecting WS – that we know of, anyway – so far. Seattle Parks also reports the Longfellow Creek flooding has closed the WS Golf Course.
10:55 AM UPDATE: The NB I-5 exit to WS Bridge has reopened, says WSDOT. City Light says the still-out Admiral customers should be back on “within the hour.”
11:18 AM UPDATE: Starting to get word of people indeed getting their power back on in the Admiral outage zone. Muttley Crew Cuts (42nd/Admiral, west side) says theirs is back.
11:36 AM UPDATE: The photo above is the intrepid crew at the Hometown Holidays (co-sponsored by WSB) tent outside KeyBank in The Junction, there till 3 pm. Bring pet food for the donation drive! They’re kitty corner from Santa’s photo HQ at Donna Ryan Photography (also till 3). Meantime, the rain is lightening just a bit … the clouds seem to be lightening a bit … there’s hope this really will ease later this afternoon. We’ll be starting an afternoon story within the next hour or so, with ongoing afternoon updates – till then, this one is “stuck” atop the home page, with any newer news going beneath it, fyi.
12:10 PM: Though West Marginal Way SW is open again at the spot where we found it closed earlier, there’s a massive puddle further south and police were putting out flares – plus we lost our steering going through it (too late to turn around), and there are other big puddles further north, so AVOID W. Marginal TFN. Also beware Oregon just east of Delridge; there’s gravel all over the road.
The red triangle in that graphic, taken from this updated-every-10-minutes county webpage just after midnight, is a reminder of the problem that’s supposed to be solved by what’s been a controversial and sometimes combative process, as King County decides how to cut down on combined-sewer overflows (CSOs) from two West Seattle pump stations. The red triangle shows that one such overflow is happening right now at Murray (Lowman Beach), the station whose proposed solution – unveiled just the other day – is the most controversial. It means that because the heavy rain is overloading the pump station’s capacity, a mixture of raw sewage and stormwater from the “combined sewer” system is going straight into Puget Sound. And the county is under orders to make sure that happens less often, so it’s announced – as first reported here last Wednesday – that it will study an underground-storage-tank alternative for Murray, which would require, if it wins final approval, the county to purchase six private properties across the street from Lowman Beach Park, even if that means taking them via “eminent domain.” The Morgan Community Association has been involved in the process, and hosted an extra public meeting last summer that led to the creation of a Citizens’ Advisory Group, whose ultimate recommendation was different from what the county’s now pursuing. We asked MoCA vice president Chas Redmond, also a CAG member, for comment; MoCA’s been mulling its official reaction ever since, and just sent it Saturday night:
The Morgan Community Association (MoCA) appreciated the opportunity to have played a role in facilitating a discussion between King County and the Lowman Beach/Murray Basin residents. We were glad that the County responded with a full set of interactive sessions leading up to a recommendation from the Murray Basin Citizens Advisory Group.
Under recommended alternative 1F, King County would design and build a storage tank beneath private property across from Lowman Beach Park and collect runoff from the Murray Basin. Recommended alternative 1F also contains green infrastructure solutions for the Barton Basin that are strongly endorsed by MOCA as they result in reduced flows into the Lowman Beach/Murray Basin.
We understand that the current recommendation will entail significant disruption and we look to King County to provide fair and consistent mitigation to these impacts. It is our sincere hope that the County will work closely with each affected resident and property owner to ensure a timely and just relocation process. We count on the continued communication between all parties.
However, MoCA is pleased that Lowman Beach Park will be preserved as the valuable community asset that it is. Recommended alternative 1F proves that citizens working with appropriate government operational staff can implement solutions which truly expand the set of options available for storm-water clean-up and retention. We look to the day when there will be fewer combined-sewer overflow events to achieve the overarching goal of the project – a clean and productive Puget Sound.
The Fauntleroy Community Association has jurisdiction in the area affected by the other pump station that was the subject of a CSO-reduction recommendation, Barton (by the state-ferry dock). For that “basin,” the county wants to create “green stormwater infrastructure” to hold onto more water outside the drainage system. FCA’s president Bruce Butterfield commented the day the decision came out, as we reported that night; the Barton decision is so non-controversial, in fact, FCA has decided not to have a December board meeting. Next step for both recommendations will be an environmental review that the county says will include more community outreach, so be on the lookout for that.
(MONDAY UPDATE: Contribution information added at story’s end)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It’s hard, and heartwrenching, to imagine … two weeks till Christmas, you’ve done all your shopping, even gotten a tree – hadn’t even had a chance to decorate it yet – and suddenly, fire takes it all away.
E-mail this morning, and an emotional conversation this afternoon, brought new information on the aftermath of what was described as a “small fire” when we covered it early Friday on 49th SW just north of Admiral Way. Turns out, that “small fire” brought big losses to the West Seattle family who lives in the house – though of course mom Ronni Peterson is thankful to be alive, after escaping the early-morning fire with her dog Louie:
We met Louie and Ronni in the living room of her neighbor Karen Kinch, who e-mailed to ask if we’d help get the word out about what Ronni needs in the fire’s aftermath. Ronni didn’t want to be photographed, but talked at length about how she and Louie made it out, and how the presents she’d bought for her two teenagers (not home at the time) went up in smoke, as well as many other family belongings – some of which we photographed in the yard shortly after the fire:
Here’s that same view this afternoon:
It was 3 am Friday when Ronni awakened to “weird, loud popping sounds” that she thought might have been someone trying to break in. She opened her bedroom door – and the smoke rushed in. After slamming the door shut, Ronni realized she and Louie had only one viable escape route – the window in this photo:
Below the window, at the bottom of concrete steps to the basement door, is a roll of old carpeting. That’s where Louie landed when Ronni threw him out the window to safety. He’s 7 years old; she is sure the carpeting saved him from death or serious injury. She managed to get from the window to the side yard without falling down there too. As she ran over and banged on Karen’s door, she heard the massive fire response (you can see the 14-unit callout at 3:09 am on this archived 911 log) – and then saw Louie in danger of running across Admiral.
She rescued him. Firefighters got the flames out fast. But not before the smoke and water trashed the interior of the front of the house:
According to Ronni, the fireplace was to blame for sparking the fire – embers from a fire she’d had going earlier in the evening. As she noted in a comment on WSB last night, she is a renter, but didn’t have insurance. She’s staying with relatives, after spending that first night at Karen’s house. Her kids are with family and friends – 15-year-old Emily, a tenth grade at The Center School, and 13-year-old Evan, a seventh grader at Madison Middle School.
Instead of dealing with the aftermath of a fire, she was supposed to be spending today helping with fundraising for Emily’s upcoming school trip to Costa Rica. Ronni had obtained $700 in See’s Candy for her family and others to sell as a fundraiser – and all that candy was in the house, along with Christmas presents she’d bought early — Black Friday sale items, now just plain blackened, along with so many things, even little Christmas decorations:
Asked what she needs, Ronni says for starters, a storage unit where she can keep the belongings that are salvageable from the house – items she could take out of it right now if she had somewhere to put them. Then she needs to find a new place to rent, no more than $1,200, which she was paying at the now-too-damaged-to-inhabit house by 49th and Admiral. She needs to stay in West Seattle, she says, because she and her former husband share child custody, and he’s just about a mile away from where she’s been living.
After that, she says, she’ll probably need furniture. And while presents she’d bought for her teenagers “can’t be replaced,” she’s not even ready to think about that yet – she just has to get the basics handled.
If you can help, please e-mail her at ronnip66@gmail.com. Karen will be looking into a PayPal and/or regular bank account to set up a fund, but for starters, the storage and rental help would be big.
MONDAY UPDATE: Here’s information for bank and PayPal funds set up for Ronni and her family: At any Wells Fargo, you can designate a contribution for the Ronni Peterson Fire Relief Fund. Or via PayPal, you can send money to ronnip66@gmail.com.
(UPDATED 11:29 PM – adding photos from Alki)
In the second :30 of that clip showing the Christmas Ship and its accompanying boats sailing away from Seacrest Pier less than an hour ago, after their first West Seattle serenade this season, you’ll see all the umbrellas – lots of hardy folks weren’t going to let the rain keep them away from this holiday tradition. Yes, there was even a bonfire, plus reps from your West Seattle Community Centers serving refreshments. The Christmas Ship will be back in our waters two more times tonight, but with a different choir. In case you missed Seacrest, here’s the first number performed there by Northwest Girlchoir Vivace:
The Dickens Carolers will be on board when the Christmas Ship arrives at Lowman Beach at 8:50, and Alki Beach at 9:40 for its next two 20-minute musical stops.
ADDED 11:29 PM: We made it to the Lowman stop, not to take photos/video, just to watch/listen. On that side of the Sound, the water was topped with fog, from which the Christmas Ship seemed to emerge, a bit eerily. The rain intensified during the performance there, and it was slippery going to cross back over the grassy, muddy park to get to the sidewalk/street. From there, the ship (known the rest of the year as Argosy’s Spirit of Seattle) moved on to Alki as planned – we called it a night at that point, but David Hutchinson shares these two photos from the Alki stop:
Here’s the schedule for the rest of its season (remember, Argosy Cruises sells tickets to ride on board the Christmas Ship and its official “parade boats,” too), including a final West Seattle stop on Monday (Don Armeni, 8:40 pm with Soundwave performing).
(Photo by Deanie Schwarz for West Seattle Blog/White Center Now)
Even after the West Seattle Junction tree lighting a week ago, and the Our Lady of Guadalupe lighting last night, still yearning for more turn-the-tree-on holiday spirit? You’re in luck. The brand-new White Center community Christmas tree is up (technically on the West Seattle side of the line) and the WC Chamber has just announced a lighting ceremony for this Wednesday night. Full story and more photos on our partner site White Center Now.
WSB was down for more than two hours this afternoon – along with a number of other sites whose servers are managed by the same company. 
That’s the longest outage we’ve experienced since changing server managers two years ago – the company with which we work, WiredTree, is usually fabulously reliable and fast to fix problems (their last notable problem was a 45-minute outage 9 months ago). We’re awaiting their full explanation of what went wrong, but in the meantime, we want to let you know that we always have alternate channels you can check in case there’s a problem here: Twitter (@westseattleblog), Facebook (WS Blog), and on the Web, our main backup is our White Center site, whitecenternow.com – its server is managed by a different company, in a different city, so it was up the whole time WSB was down, and there’s little chance that one problem in a certain geographic area can take out everything we use to get you information. Thanks for your patience, and now, on with the news – we’ve got several new stories in the works, and we’ll be at the first Christmas ship stop in a couple hours (5:15 pm at Seacrest), never mind the rain (remember two years ago when that stop immediately preceded The Snow?).
Just moments after officially opening the doors at 11 this morning, West Seattle Fabric Company already had its first customers. It’s been less than 2 months since we brought you first word that Monica Skov would open the shop in the former home of Click! Design That Fits (longtime WSB sponsor that’s now in The Junction), but she is open and enthusiastically welcoming everyone who steps through the door:
That’s Monica and her proud husband and daughter. Today she also unveiled the shop’s official logo, which you’ll see on its window and A-board outside:
West Seattle Fabric Company is at 2210 California SW and will be open until 5 today, noon-4 pm tomorrow. There’s more information on its Facebook page. This is West Seattle’s first fabric store since Hancock Fabrics closed more than 2 years ago to make way for the long-stalled Fauntleroy Place development, where it was supposed to have a new store.
Delridge Community Center is one of two places where the city is offering sandbags – the only one in the south end – but as of a short time ago, its supply was all gone. The center says they’re expecting more soon, but if you were planning on heading out to get some, you might consider waiting a while. Meantime, checking on the forecast, the heaviest rain is expected to be tonight through tomorrow night.
Special shoutout to photographer Machel Spence, who not only has sent photos of the C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor) Holiday Bazaar before we and our cameras could even hit the road, but also is one of the most prolific contributors to the West Seattle Blog photo pool on Flickr – take a look and see her beautiful photos of local fungi and forests. She’s among the artists and other vendors at C & P till 3 pm today. (Other bazaars are happening around West Seattle right now too – as listed here, with other holiday – and non-holiday! – happenings.)
ADDED 4:39 PM: Two more photos from the C & P event – which drew quite the crowd!
That’s the overview from just one of C & P’s rooms – we also snagged a shot of artist Barbara Noonan, of Mornin Noonan Night Studios downtown:
C & P is a hub of activity many days/nights of the week – from live music to art classes to monthly poetry readings; you can check out the calendar here. (And remember a diaper drive is under way for WestSide Baby and food-bank drive, with donations welcome for both!)
(WSB photo, December 2009)
The worst of the impending storm may not hit till late – if you’re creekside and worried about floods, sandbags are available at Delridge Community Center – so don’t let yourself be spooked away from a chance to celebrate the Christmas Ship visits with your West Seattle Community Centers team. Three West Seattle stops tonight: Seacrest Pier, 5:15-5:35 pm, then Lowman Beach from 8:50-9:10 pm, Alki Beach 9:40-10 pm (full season schedule here, including one West Seattle encore Monday)
BAZAARS/ARTS AND CRAFT SALES: C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor) hosts a Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair with jewelry, toys, clothing, prints, paintings, furniture, holiday items and more. … 9 am-3 pm (5612 California SW) … There’s an art fair at Diva Espresso, 9 am-4 pm (4480 Fauntleroy Way SW) … Freshy’s Coffee is hosting a holiday Homemade Brigade from 10 am-4 pm … And two that are NOT at coffee shops: “Winter Wonder” Holiday Bazaar in the movement studio at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, noon-3 pm (4408 Delridge Way SW) and the Holigaze Art Sale at Ginomai Studios, noon-7 pm …
HOLIDAY CHORAL CONCERT: Endolyne Children’s Choir presents its Winter Fantasy Concert in the sanctuary at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 11 am, adults $7, children 12/under $5
SANTA PHOTOS – KIDS AND PETS! For the kids – Westwood Village has Santa in the house noon-4 pm (across from 24 Hour Fitness), bring food bank and diaper donations … For the pets: Both Windermere offices in West Seattle have Santa Paws coming to town today – both 11 am-2 pm – Morgan Junction (6505 California SW). also collecting food donations and new socks for those in need, and The Junction (4526 California SW), bring any pet-related item or pet food for donation.
HIGHLAND PARK HOLIDAY PARTY: Highland Park Improvement Club holiday party, starts with potluck dinner at 6 pm – full details here
FREE COMMUNITY HOLIDAY MEAL: Everyone is welcome! Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1-3 pm (35th/Myrtle)
CHRISTMAS TREE SHOPPING? We published the annual WSB West Seattle Christmas Tree Price Survey yesterday afternoon.
OTHER SHOPPING? More than 20 West Seattle businesses’ deals and holiday hours are now part of the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping Guide!
WEST SEATTLE FABRIC COMPANY’S GRAND OPENING: We suspect everyone who’s been eagerly awaiting this store already knows, but in case you lost track – 11 am today, the store at 2210 California SW opens its doors (and has just debuted its logo on Facebook).
‘ASK AN EXPERT’ AT TOOL LIBRARY: Noon-2 pm: As part of The West Seattle Tool Library’s monthly conversation series, Eric Thomas of Solar Epiphany (Solar Power) will join the regular cast of experts who will be hanging out at the Tool Library, along with sustainable-building, urban/winter-gardening, and water-harvesting/cistern experts. North end of South Seattle Community College campus (6000 16th SW). Free drop-in event.
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