West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Fauntleroy resident Judy Pickens, who volunteers her time and talent to a variety of endeavors including local schools, continues to gather and report information on volunteer needs at West Seattle schools where the need is greatest, sharing it here periodically. Here’s what will probably be the last request for this school year.)
By Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog
A school volunteer’s greatest reward is knowing that students have an enrichment activity because you are there to make it happen. And it can happen in the spring as well as earlier in the school term. Consider one of the following ways to dip your toe in the water of school volunteering. You may find yourself back in the fall!
At Highland Park Elementary (1012 SW Trenton)
Contact stpaolone@seattleschools.org
Ongoing: Adults or high-school-aged students to support classroom teachers with tasks such as listening to students read or copying/cutting; varies by teacher/grade – your choice. Pick any hours on any day, 9 AM-4 PM.
Ongoing: Adults or high-school-aged students to support reading/math club with tasks such as listening to students read or helping with elementary match – your choice. Pick any Mon., Tues. or Thurs., 3 PM – 4:30 PM.
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At West Seattle Elementary (6760 34th SW)
Contact smtaylor@seattleschools.org
Ongoing: Adults to assist fifth grade with small groups and provide other teacher support. Pick any hours on any day, 10:30AM-3 PM.
This Saturday, Camp Long is inviting you to an open house to celebrate its first spring with high and low elements both available via its 4-H Challenge course. The photos we’re sharing are courtesy of Sheila Brown from Camp Long, showing elements of the new Hub and Spoke high course, explained as follows:
The Hub and Spoke element is both physically and mentally challenging, consisting of high platforms, interconnected activities, routes on slim beams, wobbly steps, and swings and ropes to clutch or walk on. Trained facilitators lead participants, always harnessed in safety equipment, through the course … A hub and spoke course is built like a wheel; activities radiate from a center hub with a large platform to the outside poles, which are then connected together by other activities.
Though the construction was complete last fall, activities such as training and gearing up had to follow, and only now is it ready for use.
During Saturday’s event, 1-5 pm, there not only will be a ceremonial ribbon cutting, there’ll also be a chance for a limited number of people to try the high course, at a discount, and the low course for free – read all about the event here.
While the final decision on activating the new Homeland Security-funded, Seattle Police-operated surveillance-camera system isn’t in yet, at least one more has been installed. Max shared the photo taken at Admiral Way Viewpoint. SPD had said this installation lagged the others (including those that first drew attention in West Seattle two months ago) because the pole they wanted to use had been hit – now it’s fixed and the camera’s in place. As reported here on Sunday, which at one point was the SPD deadline for activating the cameras, Mayor McGinn‘s office says they’re still expecting SPD to set up more community meetings. They had two in March, one at Alki, one in Belltown; the cameras were originally described as “port security” but are in place in recreational/residential areas as well as other spots, with 30 designated sites in all from Fauntleroy to Ballard.
(Tuesday photo by Don Brubeck)
The future West Seattle Water Taxi vessel Spirit of Kingston has been spotted out on at least one test run since arriving at its new home port last week. But while the King County Department of Transportation’s Marine Division was at one point expecting to launch it on the run when the 7-day-a-week schedule takes effect next week, we’re told it won’t happen quite so fast – according to KCDOT and the office of King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who chairs the county Ferry District Board, they will delay the debut a while, possibly a few weeks, for training. The spring/summer/fall schedule still launches on Monday, though – and you can see it here.
The WSB Crime Watch page includes the latest list of Seattle Police‘s automatically generated tweets with reported incidents and the blocks where they happened. But we have a notation right above the box: The tweets are ***NOT*** always what they seem. Here’s the latest example of what that means: We’ve been getting questions since last night about a tweet that alarmingly reads HOMICIDE, dated yesterday afternoon, with the location 35th/Charlestown.
First thing this morning, we checked with SPD, and Det. Mark Jamieson confirmed what we had suspected – that was the tweet for homicide detectives (who do investigate non-fatal cases as well as fatal incidents) returning to the scene, as we showed you in our update last night. (There was even another tweet – note the identical call number – labeled FOLLOW-UP.) We replied to the people who inquired – but since we are still getting questions, we’re publishing this in hopes of reassuring others. (The map occasionally has mistakes – a few months back, it showed the HOMICIDE icon where none had occurred – we were told that one was because of a typo in an incident code entered into the system.)
9:41 AM: That message in chalk in the 5400 block of California SW (map) is meant as a warning – a local woman reports being attacked while out running early this morning, and wants everyone to be careful. We got first word from a later passer-by who saw the message in chalk and e-mailed us about it; while researching to find out more, we got a call from the victim. She says the attacker came out of nowhere; she says she was not seriously hurt and did not need medical attention, but is concerned for everyone’s safety because police searching the area didn’t find her attacker. Here’s a wider view of the area:
We are following up with police, having called them even before hearing from the victim; they’re looking up the report, so we’ll add any additional information (including a description) if/when we get it.
10:09 AM UPDATE: Here’s what police say about the incident:
A woman was attacked this morning in West Seattle. Just shortly after 5:00 am, the victim was jogging Southbound on the East side-mid block in the 5400 block of California Av SW when the unknown suspect came out of the shadows and grabbed her. The man grabbed the victim’s waist, pulled her down into crouch position and fondled her genital area. The victim screamed and the suspect immediately let go and ran off Northbound and then turned East onto SW Brandon St.
The victim stated that during the attack the suspect did not say anything or react to anything she said to him. Officers arrived and canvassed the area for the suspect and any possible witnesses.
The victim declined medics.Suspect’s description- Unknown race male, 5’9, wearing a dark colored hoodie and dark pants.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 9-1-1. Anonymous tips are welcome.
So much news in the past 36 hours, we haven’t had a chance to mention here on WSB that registration is officially open for the 9th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, coming up 9 am-3 pm on Saturday, May 11th. So – in case you didn’t catch the announcement on the WSCGSD website, you are hereby notified! This is our sixth year as coordinators/presenters of what we call the biggest person-to-person-recycling day of the year – hundreds of sales big and small all over the peninsula (20 are registered already). Ready to commit to a May 11th sale, the day we invite garage/yard/rummage-sale fans from all over the region to join us here in the most beautiful corner of the city? Here’s where to sign up. P.S. If you use Facebook, please consider “liking” the official WSCGSD page, which is (among other things) where you can directly share more information about your sale once the big day gets closer!
KIWANIS FOOD DRIVE ON SATURDAY: This Saturday (April 6th), 9 am-3 pm, is the annual Kiwanis Club of West Seattle day of service collecting food outside local grocery stores, for the West Seattle Food Bank. This year, according to the club newsletter, they will be at Metropolitan Market and PCC-West Seattle (both WSB sponsors) and QFC (we’re checking to see which one, if not both).
SCOUTING FOR FOOD RESULTS: Last Saturday, local Boy Scouts had their annual door-to-door food drive.
On behalf of one of the participating troops, Troop 282, Regina shared that photo and these words of appreciation:
Thank you, West Seattle, for all your contributions to Scouting for Food. Troop 282 collected more than 400 pounds for West Seattle Food Bank.
… which gives us another excuse to remind you that contributions to local food banks, both WS Food Bank and White Center Food Bank, count extra till the end of this month, because of the annual Feinstein Challenge (explained here).
(The much-scrutinized “connector” between buildings, this view looking from 40th toward Fauntleroy)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Tonight brings the next public discussion of West Seattle’s biggest mixed-use project ever: 4755 Fauntleroy Way, to be home to two buildings, 370 apartments, 600 parking spaces, a 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market, and a TBA drugstore.
The Southwest District Council‘s monthly meeting (6:30 pm, Southwest Teen Life Center, 2801 SW Thistle) includes a panel discussion of sorts about the project, with representatives from the development team and a project opponent. (Afternoon update: The project team is no longer planning to attend.)
This is not a formal part of the approval process, but other meetings are in the works as part of that: The project is expected to return later this month to the Seattle Design Commission, whose role is to vet it before the city grants a request for an “alley vacation,” allowing public property – part of an alley on the site – to become private.
Last Thursday night, in a separate part of the approval process, the Southwest Design Review Board looked at the newest version of the project’s design, and – as reported here immediately afterward – said it wasn’t quite ready for final approval.
Ahead, how that public meeting unfolded, from the presentation, through highlights of the more than 20 people who offered comments, to the conclusion:
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:59 AM: So far, so good in today’s commute. Looking ahead – now that we’re to the middle of the week, a reminder that the northbound I-5 lane closures just south of the West Seattle Bridge will be in effect again this weekend, as expansion-joint work continues.
9:09 AM: Just in from Alison:
Just witnessed an accident NB 99 just after the ramp up to the viaduct. 3 cars. Airbags deployed in one. Two trucks were stalled and the first car slowed down. Third was following too close and too fast. Will take time to clear.
Deborra also reports the 99 backup is visible from a downtown vantage point overlooking the highway.
4:31 PM: There’s a reported five-car crash on the eastbound bridge, near 4th Avenue exit.
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