day : 21/06/2012 11 results

Log House Museum looking for cleanup volunteers Saturday

June 21, 2012 10:24 pm
|    Comments Off on Log House Museum looking for cleanup volunteers Saturday
 |   How to help | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from June 2010 volunteer cleanup @ the museum)
Inspired by recent stories of community cleanups, both spontaneous and planned? Here’s one you can join in. Just received from Marcy Johnsen at the Southwest Seattle Historical Society:

Calling Volunteers! Your community museum needs you!

This Saturday, June 23rd, come help clean up at the Log House Museum. 3003 61st Avenue SW – corner of 61st and Stevens.

All sorts of chores to be done so no talent will go unneeded! Come ready to pitch in 9 am to 12 noon. No prior experience needed.

That would still leave plenty of time to check out Saturday’s big events, including the Morgan Junction Community Festival (10:30 am-7 pm) and “Celebrate Springer at the Alki Bathhouse (11 am-3 pm, not far from the Log House Museum).

West Seattle Crime Watch: Thieves take groceries, flowers

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports to share – one, the odd tale of a front-yard flower thief; the other, stolen groceries – read on for both, plus a quick roundup of notable incidents on the crime map from the past 24 hours or so:Read More

Funeral service this Saturday for Mark Christopher Adams

Shakura Kanye‘s dad passed away recently; she says he was “a very active member in the West Seattle community and I would like to spread the word about his funeral service.”

Honoring Mark Christopher Adams

When: Saturday, June 23, 2012 @ 11 a.m.
Where: Freedom Church (35th/Roxbury)

Please join family and friends at Freedom Church in West Seattle at 11 am for a funeral service honoring Mark Adams- a loving brother, father, husband, uncle, and friend. He will be missed dearly.

West Seattle traffic alerts: Next week’s Spokane St. Viaduct plan

Just in from SDOT – what you can expect for the next week-plus in terms of Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project closures. Right now, no bridge closures after tonight, but there are several surface closures of note, including a three-day shutdown of two blocks of eastbound surface Spokane Street. Details ahead:Read More

From the real-estate file: Morgan Junction ‘development site’

A new commercial-real-estate listing of note: A half-acre site that includes Morgan Junction’s Short Stop market and adjacent dry cleaners, immediately north of Morgan Junction Park. The $2 million listing for 6311 California SW pitches it as a “TOD site with 60+ unit potential.” (TOD stands for transit-oriented development.) That number of units is comparable to the 62-unit almost-converted-to-condos Strata on California across the street. We checked and there’s no formal development proposal on file for 6311 California, but there is a city notation that “paid land-use coaching” was sought this past January “… to verify highest/best use … fully understand zoning/setbacks, units possible, height restrictions, etc. … understand comprehensive plan for area.”

Major new Delridge rechannelization plan emerges at district-council meeting – this time, the south half

By Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers

When we saw the agenda for last night’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, featuring an SDOT presentation about “Delridge rechannelization,” we expected more information about this – rechannelization planned in connection with Metro Route 120 changes on the north end of Delridge.

Nope.

This presentation was about a new plan for mid-to-south Delridge rechannelization – and as you can see if you watch our video from last night’s meeting, its details surprised the District Council members too:

The South Delridge rechannelization plan, the SDOT reps said, is bundled with the forthcoming resurfacing/repaving of the same stretch, which was most recently detailed during Mayor McGinn‘s Town Hall in The Junction on May 3rd (as mentioned in our report on that meeting).

Read on for details of what the city unveiled last night, including the graphics of what the configurations are supposed to look like for each affected stretch, and news of one block where parking will undergo a dramatic change:Read More

West Seattle schools: Aurora Lora leaving the district

Seattle Public Schools‘ executive director of West Seattle schools has just announced she’s leaving the district. Here’s the letter from Aurora Lora, addressed to “colleagues” and forwarded to WSB:

It is with mixed emotions that I announce I have accepted a position as Assistant Superintendent for the Dallas Independent School District. In my new position, I will be supervising four executive directors, 45 principals, and will be responsible for overseeing the education of 35,000 students. My last day with the District will be July 6.

This was not an easy decision for me because I have truly loved my experience working with the principals, assistant principals, schools, families and community members of the West Seattle region. I have learned so much in the past two years from my work as an executive director and will genuinely miss the individuals that I have had the pleasure of working with during my time in Seattle.

I know the District is committed to finding a new Executive Director for the West Seattle region very soon. I wish you all the best of luck and look forward to hearing about the successes of the Seattle School District in the years to come.

Aurora Lora
Executive Director, PK-12 Schools
Seattle Public Schools

That’s just a few days after new SPS Superintendent José Banda begins work.

NB Viaduct closure Saturday, & other weekend traffic alerts

June 21, 2012 11:09 am
|    Comments Off on NB Viaduct closure Saturday, & other weekend traffic alerts
 |   Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway | West Seattle news

Thursday is the traditional day for sharing SDOT‘s roundup of big weekend events around the city that might affect traffic – this time around, the events include the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, which will close the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct/99 from 5 am-3:30 pm on Saturday. And while it’s not on the city’s list, don’t forget the Morgan Junction Community Festival, which will draw a crowd to and around Morgan Junction Park 10:30 am-7 pm in the 6400 block of California SW – we’ll have another festival preview later today. Read on for the citywide heads-up, which starts with an event in the stadium district today:Read More

Colman Pool: 9 days, 1 big operation till outdoor pool reopens

Those bags are part of a 57,000-pound special delivery that arrived at Colman Pool Wednesday morning (thanks to some tricky truck maneuvering): A special plaster mix that will be applied to the outdoor swimming pool’s surfaces right before the water starts flowing back in. It’s the final major step before the pool’s scheduled June 30th reopening after 5 months of work in the second phase of its $1.4 million renovation project. What was happening Wednesday was the cleaning and other preparation before the plaster:

Seattle Parks‘ project manager Garrett Farrell agreed to show us around the site, with just over a week to go till its belated season opening. Ahead – what you are most likely to notice when you first visit the pool this year; a hint .. it’s not in the water!

Read More

West Seattle Thursday: 1st full day of Summer 2012

(Thanks to Alex for sharing the raccoon-family photo from “somewhere along Longfellow Creek”)
Welcome to the first full day of summer! Highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:

BRIDGE CLOSURE TONIGHT: If you missed the announcement on Wednesday, SDOT added another westbound closure of the Spokane Street Viaduct (plus one eastbound lane) for tonight, 10 pm-5 am – as noted on our updated “this week’s closures” page.

LIBRARY STORY TIMES: Every so often, we like to remind you of these weekly events at your friendly neighborhood Seattle Public Library branch. Today, Southwest Library (35th/Henderson) presents Preschool Story Time, 11-11:30 am; Delridge Library (Delridge/Brandon) has its own edition, 11:15-11:45 am; High Point Library (35th/Raymond) has Toddler Story Time, 11:30-noon.

FAREWELL RECEPTION: The Kenney (WSB sponsor) is saying farewell to CEO Kevin McFeely (as reported here), and there’s a reception at 4:30 pm (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW).

‘CIRCLE OF SINGLES’: Event for singles 55 and over at Salty’s on Alki, 5 pm – details here.

WINE TASTINGS: Two tonight: West Seattle Cellars, 5:30-8 pm, Spanish and Portuguese Wines, from Casa Ventura, with Laura Stiff (6026 California SW) … Bin 41, 6-8 pm, with Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon, sharing not only wines but also excerpts from his new book “Been Doon So Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology,” and autographing it too (4707 California SW).

WEST SEATTLE FIXERS’ COLLECTIVE: Meeting tonight at the West Seattle Tool Library (northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW), 6 pm.

K-5 STEM AT BOREN DESIGN TEAM: The team of community, school, and district reps working on West Seattle’s new public school meets at 6:15 pm in the library at Madison Middle School (45th/Spokane).

SANISLO ICE CREAM SOCIAL: Current and new Sanislo Elementary families are welcome! 6:30 pm (details on the calendar).

ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: The monthly ACC meeting is tonight, 7 pm, at Alki UCC Church (62nd/Hinds) – agenda here.

School Board: ‘Discussion’ promised for 2-schools-at-Boren plan; budget intro with Fairmount Park $; Roxhill kudos

(WSB cameraphone photo of the crowd just before public comment began)
Though it was not an agenda item, the just-announced co-locating of K-5 STEM and Middle College High School at Boren generated discussion, and a promise, at last night’s Seattle School Board meeting.

After half a dozen people voiced concern during the public-comment period, three board members did too, including West Seattle’s Marty McLaren, who promised a “public discussion” on the issue.

Ahead, more of the discussion, plus a budget item that might – or might not – relate to K-5 STEM’s eventual permanent home:Read More