West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
10:47 PM: There are bridge closures in both directions tonight, and that means backups at a time you may not expect them. It is the previously mentioned eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct closure, starting east of the 1st Ave South exit, plus another Fauntleroy Expressway Seismic Retrofit closure, affecting the entrance to the bridge from 35th and the westbound exits (you have to get off at Harbor Island or Delridge). Both should be done by 5 a.m.
12:38 AM UPDATE: Came through about half an hour ago and it appeared the Fauntleroy Expressway closure was temporarily suspended – cars were using the westernmost stretch of the bridge going both ways – but the webcams show the detour in effect again.
A new unit at The Kenney (WSB sponsor) is now open, and was shown off at an open house tonight. The Memory Care Community was once part of a major redevelopment plan; though much of the plan was shelved, The Kenney saw a need to offer this as part of its “continuum of care” philosophy, and continued with the project.
There are 16 beds in the Memory Care Community – with residents about to start moving in – and they’re part of either private or shared apartments, as well as a dining/activity room:
Residents will have use of a courtyard, too.
As noted in The Kenney’s announcement, the design and decor were chosen for a sense of serenity. It’s not just the facility, though; The Kenney is staffing it around the clock with what they describe as “certified nursing assistants with specialized dementia training,” and special programming and activities are planned.
Inbetween regular meetings, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce members gather for “After-Hours” events at local businesses – and tonight, board member Kirk Mead (left, with president Dave Montoure) played host at the new Umpqua Bank branch of which he is general manager, next to Admiral Safeway. Here’s the smiling staff:
On the immediate horizon for the Chamber – next Tuesday is the deadline to get nominations in for this year’s Westside Awards. The nomination form and more info can be found on this page of the Chamber’s website.
Firefighters are working to find out what led to a fire call in Highland Park this past hour. The original call to a home in the 8100 block of 6th SW was “fire in a single-family residence,” but WSB contributor Deanie Schwarz says there were no flames, and crews were investigating the possibility it was a small fire in a fan.
Today, we’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor: Red 27 Engraving. Here’s what they would like you to know about their business:
Red 27 Engraving is a full-service laser-engraving company that can place any design, photograph, or text on plastic, acrylic, brass, stainless, aluminum, textiles, granite, marble, glass, wood and tile. They are usually able to turn around a product in a day – they have multiple laser machines that allow them to run many products at once. Red 27 Engraving owner Dana Perreault is based in Arbor Heights and says his family has been in the engraving business on the East Coast for the past 18 years. He works on projects ranging from pet tags and name badges, to industrial signage and custom gifts. Red 27 Engraving loves to work on new and interesting projects and is happy to talk with you about your ideas, and work with you to produce the perfect product. You’ll find Red 27 Engraving online at red27engraving.com; call 206-854-7328. The company is a member of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
We thank Red 27 Engraving for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
On partner site White Center Now on Tuesday night, we reported on a “takeover”-style armed robbery at the Pawn Pros shop in WC. Today the King County Sheriff’s Office is distributing surveillance video recorded during the robbery, and asking that anyone with information about the robbers’ identities (or anything else related to the crime) please call them at (206) 296-3311.
Following the first round of community meetings about Metro‘s proposed “restructuring” plan to take effect in connection with the 
West Seattle RapidRide launch this fall, a new proposal is due out next week, and another round of meetings is set, to get your take on it. Two are set for West Seattle – 6-8 pm February 15 at Madison Middle School, and 6-8 pm February 16th at Chief Sealth International High School. Metro says you can watch this page for the new proposal around February 1st. (One expected change was reported here in December, when a Metro planner told the Admiral Neighborhood Association that the new version wouldn’t take away as much service in that area as first proposed.)
Four lots were for sale on the east side of Delridge, north of SW Findlay, when the Downtown Emergency Service Center bought the site of its planned 66-unit homeless-housing complex. DESC bought three of them. The fourth, south of the project site, is still for sale – and now it has a sign that shouldn’t be there: The official Department of Planning and Development sign letting the neighborhood know that the land-use-permit application for the project has been filed. (As of two days ago, according to the DPD website.) According to a conversation on the North Delridge mailing list, the city has been notified that the project site is actually further north, and says the mistake will be fixed. Meantime, we checked today with the Washington State Housing Finance Commission to see if DESC’s revised application for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits is in yet, with the January 31st deadline pending. They haven’t received it yet, according to spokesperson Bill Wortley. As first reported here in early January, the number of units in the project has been reduced from 75 to 66, since the city says data didn’t support a waiver allowing that many extra extremely-low-income-housing units in the area after all. In addition to the pending round of tax-credit funding, the project also needs at least one more Design Review Board meeting before gaining final city approval; no date set yet. And the Delridge Alliance advisory group – explained on the North Delridge Neighborhood Council website – is expected to lead a public meeting about the project soon.
3:51 PM: The sign already has been moved and is now on the north end of the site.
12:23 PM: An 85-year-old Vashon Island man with Alzheimer’s is missing, and King County Sheriff’s Office and the Alzheimer’s Association have asked media on this side of the Sound to also distribute his photo, in case he managed to get onto a ferry. His name is Jack Randles; he is described as 6’ 1”, 150 pounds, with white hair and mustache. He was last seen in the downtown Vashon area around 4:30 pm yesterday. KCSO is searching on the ground and in the air. If you see or have seen him, please call 911.
8:58 PM UPDATE: The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber reports the search has been called off for now.
Out of the WSB inbox, from Ron:
Someone stole our White Wells Cargo Trailer last night from the Gatewood area. The license plate is 1384 TI. It was filled with wood from my remodel and cabinet-making projects. The thieves cut the locks preventing them from towing it off and removed it from our alley.
6:42 PM UPDATE: Added a photo provided by Ron.
11:45 AM: Couple of outages at the moment, just in case you’re affected and wondering if you’re alone … Seattle City Light has 22 homes without power along Beach Drive, in the Weather Watch Park vicinity (see the map); the cause is listed as “unknown,” though Melissa tells us via Twitter that it “sounded like a transformer blew.” Meantime, here in Upper Fauntleroy, our Comcast Internet service is out, and the utility tells us we’re not alone – they’re attributing it to storm-related damage.
2:59 PM UPDATE: The City Light map shows the Beach Drive outage is over.
After last Saturday’s shooting by Morgan Junction Park, some discussion centered on safety concerns in the park itself. Some of those concerns came up at last night’s quarterly meeting of the Morgan Community Association (a week later than originally scheduled, because of last week’s snow/ice).
Other major agenda items included an update on design of the Murray CSO-control project across from Lowman Beach Park, and upcoming electrical-cable work in Gatewood. Read on for details:Read More
Every shopping-center or supermarket parking lot seems to have one – a big pile of dirty snow left over from last week’s storm. Scott Ryan photographed this one, and e-mailed it to us late last night:
If anyone in West Seattle has aspirations of summiting Mt. Rainier, but would rather avoid the park fees and oxygen deprivation, there’s a limited window right now to climb a pile of snow that is impersonating Mt. Rainier in the Roxbury Safeway parking lot at 28th SW & Roxbury. At about eight feet, Mini Mt. Rainier is the largest of Safeway’s half a dozen snow piles, which are still resisting the warm front that defeated last week’s paralyzing snow attack.
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
EASTBOUND SPOKANE STREET VIADUCT CLOSURE: Again tonight, this section of the West Seattle Bridge will be closed, starting east of the 1st Avenue South ramp (which will remain open, as will the ramp to northbound 99), 9 pm-5 am. Also remember it’s scheduled to be closed all weekend, 9 pm Friday-5 am Monday. Details here.
OPEN HOUSE #1: Open house marking the grand opening of the Memory Care Community at The Kenney (WSB sponsor), 3:30-6:30 pm – details here
OPEN HOUSE #2: Party at Skin Butik, which has moved from Harbor Avenue to the corner of California and Graham, open house from 5-7:30 pm.
PARENTING WORKSHOP: Tonight is the rescheduled “Parenting with Courage and Connection” workshop, 6 pm, Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 7141 California SW, presented by Jody McVittie, MD. Free. Questions? E-mail Jody@encouragingsolutions.net or call 206 782 1595.
ARBOR HEIGHTS WATER-MAIN WORK: Public meeting in Arbor Heights re: water-main work resulting from the reviews after last August’s fire, 7-9 pm, Arbor Heights Community Church.
FUNDRAISER FOR THE CROHN’S AND COLITIS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA: Join The Beer Church at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) 7 pm tonight for a raffle of Pearl Jam memorabilia and more, benefiting CCFA. Details on The Feedback’s site.
FINANCIAL AID FOR COLLEGE: College Goal Sunday, assistance in filing requests for financial aid for college, Chief Sealth International High School, 7-9 pm.
BAD ART, BAD FASHION: First annual Yen Wor Bad Art and Fashion Show, 8 pm-2 am. Facebook event here.
JANUARY 26: At The Bridge: Free Poker on Thursdays (generally two games, 6:30 pm & 9 pm, check Facebook for updated info)
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