West Seattle, Washington
10 Saturday
Residents and staff at The Kenney (WSB sponsor) have been getting to know new CEO Ed Mawe over the past few weeks, but tonight was the first big public event at which he appeared – the continuing-care retirement center’s annual barbecue.
Mawe joined The Kenney last month, not long after the departure of previous CEO Kevin McFeely. That’s according to information provided tonight by Moraine Byrne, president of Ontrac Management Services, part of Covenant Retirement Services, an Illinois-based firm also recently hired by The Kenney, to help with management and positioning. Byrne tells WSB that Mawe has “many years of serving senior adults in the Tacoma and Portland areas.” Online research shows Mawe’s past leadership roles include tenures at Franke Tobey Jones in Tacoma and Mary’s Woods in Portland.
Back to the barbecue – The Kenney’s park-like northwest lawn provided shade, both trees and tents, and a chance for residents, relatives, and neighbors to enjoy each other’s company.
The barbecue is an annual August tradition.
The two hottest nights of the week are coinciding with the nights for West Seattle’s ongoing weekly summer outdoor concerts. First, tonight at Alki, The Braxmatics:
They boogied at the beach, during the annual Alki stop for the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association.
(Video added)
Next Thursday, it’s back to Hiawatha, with Caspar Babypants, 6:30 pm, free as always.
But first – another free outdoor concert in West Seattle tomorrow! The Summer Concerts at The Mount series will feature the 85th Street Big Band at 6 pm Friday, south side of the Providence Mount St. Vincent (WSB sponsor) campus, which is usually shady by showtime. Bring a chair/blanket – and some $ if you’re interested in dinner (tacos with toppings bar – available starting at 5:30 pm), hot dogs/hamburgers, or other treats.
(WSB 2011 photo of the view from behind the “ecology blocks” at the bottom of the sliding Beach Drive slope)
Earlier this year, when repaving was ahead for a section of Beach Drive close to the ravaged section caught in a dispute over slides, the city revealed more mediation was ahead. Now, there’s word it has succeeded. This is just in from the City Attorney’s Office:
A significant hillside repair project along Beach Drive in West Seattle will be built without any City funds, in accord with the successful mediation of Anderson v. City, Saladino et. al.
“I am pleased to report that the City has resolved litigation and enforcement actions related to landslides in West Seattle above Beach Drive,” City Attorney Pete Holmes said Thursday. “Insurance monies and private funds will be used to construct deep retaining walls and a drainage system to stabilize a hillside. No City funds will be used to construct the project. The City has agreed to waive the majority of fines it sought in this action in exchange for the agreement by Peter Saladino to build the walls.”
Saladino and the City were both defendants in this action brought by 29 households that alleged they were affected by the landslides that occurred in 2007 and 2010.
The parties reached agreement late Wednesday night, the second day of mediation.
Saladino personally and the insurance carrier for Saladino agreed to fund and construct the remediation project to stabilize the hillside across a three-property area. The remediation project, which is likely to cost more than $2 million, involves two walls and a drainage system. The project is being reviewed by the Department of Planning and Development and the Department of Transportation and other City departments, with construction likely to begin this year.
The City did not pay attorney’s fees. The City did agree, however, to reduce the fines against Saladino to $10,000 if he is able to obtain that amount or more from a neighboring property owner’s insurance company. If he is unable to get that amount, the City will waive all fines as to Saladino. In addition, the City agreed to resurface a portion of Beach Drive north of the slide area in 2012.
Tom Rasmussen, chairman of the Seattle City Council Transportation Committee, expressed delight with the settlement: “The area near the slide on Beach Drive is in terrible condition and the agreement will allow the hillside to be repaired and Beach Drive to be repaired and repaved.”
We’ll add backstory shortly. As part of all this, the city had sued Saladino in 2009; area homeowners sued in 2011.
Earlier today, David Hutchinson sent us that image of a cormorant that he said was behaving somewhat unusually – just sitting on a seawall, rather than in the water or on a piling. No indication of trouble, and it soon flew away, David says, but later in the day, as a Seal Sitters volunteer, he got word of a phone call that makes publishing the photo a more-urgent matter:
This afternoon, Seal Sitters received a call on our hotline, reporting a “non-native” cormorant on the beach near 53rd & Alki Ave. The reporting party said that the cormorant had trouble walking, appeared unable to fly, and had what could be a fishing lure in its mouth. Seal Sitters followed up, but was unable to locate the cormorant. If you spot this bird on a West Seattle beach, please call Seal Sitters hotline (206-905-7325) and we will respond and see if we can help.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“A good neighborhood joint.”
That’s how Aaron Shepherd explained his future Admiral District restaurant, the Copper Coin, to a passerby who peeked in while he was working today.
We in fact got first word of the Copper Coin via another passerby, WSB Forums member “twobottles,” who started a discussion wondering what was going in at the former Porterhouse space; another member, “Admiral935,” then added a little more info, and we picked up the research from there.
Aaron already owns a successful restaurant north of the city, and says he’d been looking around for a new place for a few years, but even the neighborhood where he lives – Ballard – didn’t offer just the right spot.
West Seattle did.
So here’s his plan:
Just in from SDOT, the customary weekly list of what’s happening elsewhere in the city, which we share here so you won’t be surprised to suddenly happen onto a roadblock/crowd/traffic jam/etc.:
Though the King County Wastewater Treatment Division is well into the preparation process for tearing down a block of houses/apartments across from Lowman Beach Park and replacing them with a million-gallon tank to reduce sewage overflows – a “fence-painting party” is even planned this Saturday – the city hasn’t finalized the land-use permit yet. First, a city-led public meeting has just been announced to take comments before it does. The meeting is scheduled for September 11th, 6:30 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy (in the old schoolhouse at 9131 California SW).
We’re spotlighting outdoor events even more than usual these next few days, since it’s usually cooler outside in the evening than in a non-air-conditioned house/apartment, so here’s another one: Friday night is the annual Garden Party/Auction for our area’s largest political organization, the 34th District Democrats. This year’s auctioneer is King County Executive Dow Constantine; the auction will include donated items from a Napa getaway to condos in Spain to airline tickets. He’s not the only local political leader you’ll see – prime-time for ear bending while you mingle. The Haggis Brothers – featured at The Mount last Friday – are the musical guests. The food theme this year is “All-American BBQ” – from The Swinery. It all happens at West Seattle Nursery, 6 pm Friday; more info here.
Don Brubeck‘s photo is from Alki last Thursday night, when the weekly drum circle by the Statue of Liberty drew some brass accompaniment. Tonight, even more music at the beach – part of our highlight list from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
TRAFFIC ALERTS: Two closures are scheduled tonight – southbound 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct from Battery Street Tunnel to West Seattle Bridge, 9 pm to 5 am, and eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct, 10 pm-5 am, with the eastbound onramp from Harbor Island reopening tomorrow morning, once the SSV closure is over.
WADING POOLS OPEN IN WEST SEATTLE TODAY: Delridge, E.C. Hughes, Lincoln Park – here’s the citywide schedule with times/locations.
WORKSHOP FOR YOUNG ARTISTS: 10-16-year-olds interested in drawing comics are invited to a free workshop at High Point Library (35th/Raymond) today, 3:30 pm.
THE BRAXMATICS ON ALKI: This is part of the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, but this time around, the show’s on Alki (east of the Bathhouse). 6:30 pm, free! Here’s our preview.
DRUM CIRCLE ON ALKI: And on the other side of the Bathhouse, at Statue of Liberty Plaza, the weekly summer drum circle starts at 6:30.
STRESSED OUT? Get help … free … in a garden setting, at a free seminar at Transitional Resources (2970 SW Avalon Way), 6:30 pm.
‘GODSPELL,’ NIGHT TWO: Presented by the 12-to-16-year-old Theater Conservatory summer students, it’s the second night of “Godspell” at ArtsWest, showtime 7:30 pm.
LOTS more on the calendar – including a preview of the days/weeks/months ahead.
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