month : 05/2013 341 results

Remembering longtime West Seattleite Erny Smith

The family of Erny Smith shares a simple remembrance:

Erny Smith, December 24, 1936 – May 11, 2013

Longtime West Seattle resident Erny Ulvestad Smith, 76, passed away on May 11th, surrounded by family after a year-long struggle with cancer.

He is missed by Carole and children Stefanie, Lorrie, Lance and their families. Also survived by one brother, four sisters, numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his parents and brother Joe.

At his request there will be no service. Family will gather for a celebration of Erny’s life at a later date.

Another chance to help plant a West Seattle community garden

If you have passed Highland Park Improvement Club along SW Holden lately, you probably noticed some of the asphalt lot dug up, close to the sidewalk. This is the long-planned HPIC rain garden, close to completion, as part of a partnership with Sustainable Seattle and King County. This Saturday (June 1st), you are invited to join in finishing and planting the new community-designed garden, which will help keep toxic stormwater runoff from making its way into local waterways. The official event announcement adds that it’s a chance for you to get inspired to do something similar:

On that day, HPIC will also be the host to many other ways that you can get involved at home. Join us for the Yards in the Neighborhood Tour:

• Take part in the planting of the rain garden
• Embark on a short, self-guided walking tour to learn about rain gardens and see demonstrations of green infrastructure
• Meet RainWise contractors learn about incentives and reimbursements for installing rain gardens and cisterns
• Visit booths and see demonstrations
• Learn five easy take-home actions to help the Duwamish River!

This is all happening 10 am to 1 pm Saturday at 12th/Holden, free of charge, everybody welcome, no minimum time commitment – stop by for a few minutes or all three hours, help plant if you can (or just cheer everybody on!).

West Seattle Hi-Yu update: Fishing pond Saturday; meeting Monday

(Photo courtesy Mowery’s Photography)
Updates from the West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer Festival crew, which is just about to start its busiest season:

This Saturday, June 1st, the 2013 West Seattle Hi-Yu Court will be attending the West Seattle Sportsmen’s Club Fishing Pond at Seacrest Park from 8-11 am. We would also like to thank the many businesses that contributed to the Gala (Auction, Coronation and White Rose Event), Donations raised help fund the scholarship program for these young ladies and the last community-owned float. We are also looking for board members; if you are interested in volunteering, contact us at westseattlehiyu.com or come join as for our next General Meeting, Monday, June 3rd, at St John the Baptist Episcopal Church at 6:30 pm.

We previewed the fishing event earlier this week – find out more about it here. And read on for the Hi-Yu acknowledgments from the recent Gala:

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Happening now: School Board gets first look at proposals for boundaries, K-5 STEM, Fairmount Park, more

4:13 PM: As reported here last night, Seattle Public Schools staff is making a presentation to the School Board this afternoon with its draft proposals for a wide variety of potential changes – including boundaries, the way programs including Special Education and Advanced Learning are handled, and, of West Seattle-specific note, a permanent home for K-5 STEM and a plan for the reopening-in-2014 Fairmount Park Elementary. We’re at the meeting and will add some “live” notes as we go. (Note: Melissa Westbrook from the Seattle Schools Community Forum website is writing “live,” too, so check out that site for a districtwide perspective.)

The slide deck being used for this presentation can be seen here. (Note that this is a committee meeting, and no public testimony is being taken – see pages 4 and 5 of the slide deck for the timeline of future discussion, votes, etc.)

4:25 PM: Board member Michael DeBell asks if it’s dangerous to be discussing some of this when the funding for potential changes is not clear. Superintendent José Banda says he doesn’t think so. They’re also talking about “equitable access” – and how it means, instead of the “this school has a great X program/that school has a great Y program” district past, each school has to offer a certain level of programs (the arts, etc.). Now they are embarking on a discussion of “services,” focused on English Language Learners, Special Education, Highly Capable (gifted) programs (starting on page 12 of the slide deck). For Special Education, they are developing “new service models,” as listed on pages 13 and 14. For Highly Capable, they hope to “increase (the) number of elementary and middle-school pathways …” as opposed to the current model, which has focused the top-level program (APP – as commenter clarifies, the only legally mandated one) at just a few schools. Board member Sharon Peaslee has asked point-blank, “Does that mean splitting APP?” and district staff has asked that they be allowed to present their “data” before answering.

4:41 PM: Staff is reminding everyone that the maps in the slide deck are NOT proposed boundaries – the maps being viewed now (for the Highly Capable programs) just are serving the purpose of showing where they project in the future they’ll see concentrations of students using these programs. Peaslee asks the chicken-or-egg question – are there fewer students using the programs in some areas because the services are offered at an inconvenient distance? DeBell acknowledges, “This is going to be a contentious issue, we know that” and suggests that staff emphasize the “instructional strategy.” Board member Harium Martin-Morris wonders if spreading the program(s) to more locations means that “self-contained” classes will still be possible. Discussion also has touched on concerns that expanding APP locations will dilute and downgrade program, and it’s veered off to questions about the type of testing used to see if students qualify, as well as whether parents choose not to even have their kids tested if the program’s not available nearby.

5:03 PM: Now they’re moving to “Programs” – not mandated by law (which the three “Services” are) – starting with the second-level gifted program, Spectrum. The issue of its “mixed quality,” as board member Carr describes it, compared to “high quality” for APP, comes back up. It might be “redefined,” was also discussed.

Next: Option Schools (which currently include Pathfinder K-8 and K-5 STEM in West Seattle) – page 22 of the slide deck. One other local note here – these initial staff recommendations suggest keeping Concord in South Park as an “attendance-area international school” rather than making it a full-fledged option school.

5:27 PM: Board member Betty Patu asks for clarification on that, saying she thought any “international school” was an option school that anyone could apply to; district staff says anyone can apply to any school in the district, but admission depends on whether there’s room.

5:43 PM: Now to the STEM discussion – and the recommendation of Schmitz Park’s current building as K-5 STEM’s permanent home in 2016.

Board member Kay Smith-Blum expresses concern about the capacity of Schmitz Park, minus portables. “Because it’s an option school, we can control enrollment,” says enrollment manager Tracy Libros, who says “we would still need to have portables here …” since the SP building is low capacity without them. “In order to have a 3-up, we would need … 8 portables, but that’s like half as many as SP is going to have next year.” Smith-Blum then wonders if it’s an opportunity for “eco-portables.”

Fairmount Park’s proximity to more than 700 students, more than 440 potentially in its walk zone, is mentioned next by Libros. West Seattle school-board member Marty McLaren then asks what’s next for the FP decision. “There’s a followup meeting at the end of June,” says Libros, to be followed by decisions on “short-term and intermediate capacity management.”

And that’s it for discussion – for now, anyway – on the topic of both campuses, Schmitz Park (whose current program is slated to move into the to-be-built new Genesee Hill school in 2016) and Fairmount Park.

But wait – McLaren brings the issue back, saying it will be important, for example, for a Fairmount Park principal to be hired as soon as possible. And then, for K-5 STEM, she notes, “is there any clarity at what size we would cap (it) – would it be a year by year thing, or ?” Libros says, “That’s a question for others – but certainly, any program could grow if there’s someplace to put the students.” In other words – too soon to say.

What’s next? Along with more meetings, you can watch the new “Growth Boundaries” section on the district website, which Libros promises will have much more material added to it as time goes by.

ADDED 6:43 PM: Talking with McLaren afterward, we asked her opinion on the Schmitz Park location for K-5 STEM. “I’m fine with it,” she replied. She wasn’t sure, though, why there was no mention of plans for EC Hughes – the elementary that could reopen after Westside School (WSB sponsor) moves to its planned new location in a few years – but doesn’t know of any particular proposal for its future, so far.

West Seattle Crime Watch: 35th/Thistle followup; reader reports

Topping today’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup – an update on Tuesday morning’s 35th/Thistle arrest. As we noted at the time, police were still sorting it all out, and here’s what SPD media-relations Officer Renée Witt says it came down to: The man who was arrested was also the one who claimed he’d been robbed at Westwood Village – but police have determined there was NO robbery; he made up the story and was having some kind of “mental breakdown.” They confirmed (as a commenter also reports here) he was indeed trying to get into houses along 35th SW. Eventually, he was arrested on a “weapons violation,” Officer Witt says; items police found on him included knives and brass knuckles.

Ahead: a crime report that also includes some good news about West Seattleites’ kindness, plus stolen items to watch for – including a motorcycle, a car, and keepsakes:

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‘Jaws,’ ‘Monty Python,’ more: Benefit series @ Admiral Theater

(1975 trailer for “Jaws”)
Three more big-screen special events have been announced for the Admiral Theater – this time, movies and more, presented as benefits, explained by Mind Unwind‘s Krystal Kelley:

I am happy to announce a series of Art events that we are doing this summer at the Admiral Theater. This is a fundraiser to raise money for both the Admiral Theater’s renovations and for supporting Arts in Education through the Mind Unwind Foundation. It also helps support local artists!

Tickets for the first two events go on sale June 7th. First one:

JUNE 21

Late-night showing of JAWS at 11:00 pm

Join us for a late showing of a classic movie, including intermission, wine/beer, silent auction and unique mixed media exhibit “Lost At Sea” by J. Conrad Nivens. 21+over event. Guests are encouraged to wear their finest DENIM!

Second event:

JULY 27

Monty Python & The Holy Grail at 11:00 pm

Join us for some friendly medieval fun. Late night showing of Monty Python & The Holy Grail at 11:00 pm, intermission, beer/wine, silent auction and original exhibit, “Holy Grail” by Dave Ryan of Manticore Stencil Art. Guests are encouraged to come dressed as medieval knights & wenches.

The third event will be a group art show with a showing of “The Big Lebowski” on August 24th. Krystal says that along with ticket sales, they’ll also be raising money by selling sponsorships; any businesses/organizations interested in sponsoring the series can sign up by going here.

P.S. If you missed our recent story about the Admiral’s renovation hopes, read it here. And to find out more about the Mind Unwind Foundation, go here. Related to its work, you’ll see a summer-long art-supply drive in The Admiral’s lobby, too.

West Seattle Crime Prevention Council x 2: Safety walk; burglary briefing

The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council has just concluded a busy week with two events – its regular meeting May 21st, and a Lincoln Park safety walk last night. Walk participants and organizers are in our photo abaove along with, at right, SPD Community Police Team Officer Jon Flores, and, third from left, Seattle Parks’ Carol Baker. Both said that by far, the most-serious crime problem at the park is car break-ins; too many people drive to the park and leave valuables in their vehicles in plain sight. Otherwise, the only other trouble of note involved occasional vandalism, per Baker, and late-night partying during summer months, per Officer Flores.

Ahead, toplines from last week’s regular WSCPC meeting:

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Real Change News vendor concerns? West Seattle meeting Monday

It’s a controversy that has flared from time to time over the past few years – concerns about unauthorized people selling Real Change News and causing trouble while doing it. The organization shared with us this announcement about an upcoming meeting to discuss where the situation stands:

Thank you all for your continued support of Real Change News. Last year we contacted you all about few individuals in your community who have misrepresented themselves as Real Change vendors. We have continued to build a relationship with West Seattle business owners and police to address this problem.

Again, these individuals are not authorized to sell the paper due to noncompliance with our Code of Conduct, which requires that vendors show respect to store owners and customers and refrain from drinking or drug use while selling the paper. We are anticipating a rise in activity with the upcoming summer months, and would like to gather together to answer any questions that community and business members may have.

Please join us at the High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond Street) on Monday, June 3 at 6:30pm for a community discussion.

The announcement continues after the jump – with Real Change’s own suggestions for helping curb the problem:

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West Seattle Wednesday: School proposals; Duwamish hearings and rally; WSHS parent social; more…

May 29, 2013 9:04 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Wednesday: School proposals; Duwamish hearings and rally; WSHS parent social; more…
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Michelle Riggen-Ransom, shared via the WSB Flickr group)
The low-low tides captured in today’s featured photo (and others we’ve published) are gone until next month … but here’s what IS happening today/tonight, including highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

HONORING VETERANS AT SSCC: South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) is honoring veterans with special events all week. 1 pm today at the campus bookstore, join a discussion of veteran-themed poetry. (6000 16th SW)

DUWAMISH CLEANUP HEARINGS AND RALLY: As previewed here earlier this week, the EPA’s two final official hearings on its proposed Duwamish River cleanup plan are at 2 and 6 pm at Town Hall downtown. Inbetween, there’s a rally at 5 pm. And the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition is offering free shuttles to the 6 pm hearing from South Park and Georgetown, but you need to make a reservation – that information is on our partner site The South Park News. (1119 8th Street downtown)

SCHOOL BOARD: No public comments at this session, but the public is welcome to sit in as the School Board gets its first look at proposals announced last night and reported here – including the proposal for K-5 STEM to be permanently housed at the current Schmitz Park Elementary once that school moves to the new Genesee Hill building in 2016, and the proposal for Fairmount Park Elementary to be a neighborhood school when it reopens in 2014 (seven years after the district closed it). The meeting’s at 4 pm at district HQ. (2445 3rd Ave. S. in SODO)

WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL PARENT SOCIAL: 7-8:30 pm at Alki Arts, the WSHS PTSA is hosting a social event, “because we want to build our parent community, get to know each other and have fun! Light refreshments and beverages will be served.” (2820 Alki SW)

NIGHTLIFE: Music, trivia, open mike, more … see the listings on our calendar!

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday updates

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
6:57 AM: If for some reason you are reading this from north of downtown, getting ready to head this way – whatever you do, stay off I-5; southbound 5 is blocked by a truck crash/fire in the heart of downtown.

(Thanks to Bruce for the photo)
NORTHBOUND I-5 is moving along, though.

8:32 AM: However, commenters warn below, it’s ugly getting out of West Seattle this morning, just the same, even though the main downtown trouble is for people going in the opposite direction.

9:18 AM: If you are heading back into West Seattle on 99, the southbound side is extra-busy, no doubt because of the southbound I-5 situation. Also a few advance notes for this weekend:

DELRIDGE/HOLDEN CLOSED: Reminder about the intersection closure Friday night till Monday morning.

520 CLOSED: Friday night till Monday morning; WSDOT details here.

K-5 STEM to Schmitz Park Elementary in 2016? District announces ‘preliminary’ proposals

Seattle Public Schools has finally proposed a permanent home for K-5 STEM at Boren – the current Schmitz Park Elementary building, once it’s replaced by a new building in 2016. A K-5 STEM parent shared this e-mail received tonight from the district:

To meet the needs of our growing enrollment, Seattle Public Schools is considering boundary changes for the 2014-15 school year. We will not change any boundaries or assignments for the upcoming 2013-14 school year.

In anticipation of these changes, we are having conversations about our current schools and programs with our stakeholders. On Wednesday, district staff will present several options to the School Board for early consideration, including moving K-5 STEM at Boren to the current Schmitz Park building in 2016-17 after Schmitz Park Elementary moves to its new building at Genesee Hill. Fairmount Park would become an attendance area elementary school opening in 2014-15, and K-5 STEM at Boren would continue as an option program.

Again, these are all preliminary conversations. We will host five community meetings this fall to consider boundary changes and get feedback from families, staff and community members. There will be plenty of time for review and community reaction. You can view the district’s initial presentation to the board here. This initial review of program placement will be presented from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29 at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence. This will be a committee discussion. There is no public testimony at this meeting and no votes will be taken.

Our goal at Seattle Public Schools is to ensure equity, access and opportunities for all students. We are planning for the future of our district, and any changes moving forward starting in the 2014-15 school year will help meet this goal. We also want to maximize walkability and minimize disruptions by aligning new boundaries with current attendance area boundaries, when feasible. The School Board will ultimately vote on the school assignment boundary changes on November 20, 2013.

If you would like to give feedback on these early recommendations, please send an email to growthboundaries@seattleschools.org

We look forward to working with each of our school communities to make sure any changes are rolled out smoothly and to ensure we have a thoughtful, strategic and equitable plan for schools, programs and services.

This again was a message tailored for K-5 STEM families – we’re looking now for any additional information on West Seattle schools, and will add what we find.

ADDED 10:58 PM: Here’s the full PowerPoint that will be presented at tomorrow’s School Board committee meeting (thanks to the Seattle Schools Community Forum website for a link that works!) – it includes lots of information that will be of interest to families in programs including Advanced Learning, Special Education, and English Language Learning, but the only West Seattle specifics of note are mentioned in the e-mail above – the recommendations for K-5 STEM to move into Schmitz Park, and for Fairmount Park to open as a neighborhood school.

West Seattle’s Villa Heidelberg sold; ‘estate sale’ starts Thursday

Last night, Judy Burbrink (above left) hosted her final guests as operator of the Villa Heidelberg bed and breakfast southwest of The Junction. Three years after first listing it, she has finally sold the stately century-old view home, with the help of Prudential Northwest Realty‘s Jeralee Knittel (above right).

(King County Archives photo)
But the new owners will not be operating it as a B&B; it will go back to its origins as a family home. Judy is moving into a condo that just doesn’t have enough room for everything she’s built up over 14 years of operating the B&B – considering, as she says, she moved in with 23 years of stuff from her previous home on Gatewood Hill – so a big three-day “estate sale” (“living estate sale,” Judy jokes, “since nobody died”) starts later this week. When we stopped by this afternoon, the packing and sale preparations were already under way, but we were invited to look around:

Furniture – including six bedrooms’ worth! – serving ware, even Christmas decorations will be on sale

Some items are already gone – Burbrink says some of the guests have snapped up certain items and traveled back home with them, so “little bits (of Villa Heidelberg) are all over the country.”

40 lawn chairs and even appliances and rugs are part of the sale, scheduled for 10 am-6 pm Thursday and Friday (May 30-31), then skipping a day and concluding noon-6 pm Sunday (June 2nd).

As a small sign out front notes, whatever you buy, you have to take away the same day. This closes 27 years of B&B operation on this site, according to Burbrink, who adds that it’s almost exactly 14 years since she took it over – her purchase closed on June 10th of 1999; she will be handing the house over on June 5th. “I’ll miss all the nice people,” she says wistfully. She was only the fifth owner of the home in its century-plus existence; it was built, as the history is told online, as a home for a family, which Judy says had eight kids, noting that the buyers have children too. P.S. If you plan to check out the sale, the house is at 4845 45th SW.

West Seattle traffic/utility alert: 55th SW water-main work

55th SW in Alki, something of a hotspot for development, is getting a water-main upgrade, according to Seattle Public Utilities. They’ll be notifying neighbors starting tomorrow about a week of work to replace 80 feet of a six-inch water main. Here’s a PDF of the official notice that people in the area will receive, according to SPU’s Ingrid Goodwin. The notice says the work will include:

*Temporary water-service shutdowns (those affected will get at least 48 hours notice)
*Saw-cutting in the street starting this Friday (May 31); then the rest of the work is planned for next week, Monday-Friday (June 3-7), 8 am-4 pm
*Street closure between SW Lander and Alki SW

West Seattle Crime Watch: Stolen car, needed by bus rider

Out of the WSB inbox, from Mary:

Our 1988 burgundy Toyota Camry station wagon was stolen from where it was parked on Barton by the Fauntleroy Church. I park it there for my husband because he is a staunch bus rider of >30 years. The #21 no longer goes to Arbor Heights at the time of night so he catches the C line to the Church. He has health issues and walking the remainder home causes his problems to worsen. Unfortunately, someone decided to take it Friday night for their own purposes. The police were notified.

We are lucky that we’re self-reliant – we’ll figure something but gosh, our old dog loved that car, as we made the entire back of it his comfy ride as we went about errands.

If anyone spots it (has a small Honeywell Security card in back window – maybe no longer, a slight ding on the right rear passenger side door, and the driver’s seat is torn so there’s a fleece seat cover), please call it in to the police.

West Seattle traffic alert: Westbound bridge backed up

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
We’ve added this to the daily traffic/transit tracker but because it’s fairly major at the moment – Michelle tells us a stalled car is what’s behind the big backup on the westbound bridge right now. This kind of problem doesn’t show up on 911, so we’re dependent on reader tips – but ONLY if you’re not behind the wheel! If you’re on a bus or in a carpool or otherwise NOT driving, we’re reachable by text/voice 206-293-6302 any time.

Sound Transit Route 560: Changes kick in on June 8th

Back in October, we reported on a big change proposed for the Sound Transit Express bus route that serves West Seattle – a plan to drop the Junction-Westwood Village section of Route 560, while increasing frequency from Westwood to the airport (and beyond). More than half a year later, the change is about to take effect, we have confirmed, thanks to an inquiry from Colleen, who received a “rider alert” this morning, leading us to check with ST. Spokesperson Bruce Gray replied with the flyer shown above that’s being distributed to riders. He adds, “The short version – starting June 8 the 560 will run all day between Westwood Village, Sea-Tac Airport, Renton and Bellevue. It will no longer run between Alaska Junction and Westwood Village. Details on the route and stops can be found starting on p. 99 of our Rider Guide.” The schedule shown on those pages shows the first trip each weekday at 4:34 am from Westwood, taking about 20 minutes to Sea-Tac, running every half-hour till 7 pm, then four more trips, ending with 10:50 pm. The weekend runs leave Westwood hourly from 5:52 am until 10:52 pm.

All-school reunion time! Chief Sealth event set for July 13

May 28, 2013 3:29 pm
|    Comments Off on All-school reunion time! Chief Sealth event set for July 13
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Just out of the WSB inbox, from Debbie Taylor:

Friends of Sealth will be hosting an all-school reunion Saturday, July 13, 2013, from 2 pm – 5 pm at Chief Sealth International High School. All alumni and alumni staff are invited to attend. Our event begins in the Commons (near the main office) and our schedule will include a short program, walking tours of the campus, and an opportunity to connect with classmates. Please visit our website friendsofsealth.org or “like” Friends of Sealth on Facebook.

(In case you missed the earlier announcement, WSHS has an all-school reunion ahead too – June 7th.)

Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade returns, with new coordinators

(7/4/12 photo by Nick Adams for WSB)
With Memorial Day now past, some thoughts turn to the next national holiday – the 4th of July. Actually, it’s already been on the minds of Jackie Clough and Allyson Schreck – new coordinators of the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade. They stepped up after longtime coordinator Sherri Chun put out a call last year for someone to take over. And Jackie – co-founder of Alki Party Treasures (WSB sponsor) – e-mailed us last night with an early reminder that yes, the parade is on again, starting at 10 am Thursday, July 4th:

We hope folks will come. It’s going to be a lot of fun. All of the details will be the same from last year. The parade starts at the intersection of 44th & Sunset (in front of 1137 Sunset Ave SW) [map]. The parade is about a half-mile walk through the neighborhood, crossing California Ave SW, and ending at Hamilton Viewpoint Park. Kids are encouraged to dress up and decorate strollers, scooters, wagons, and bikes. We will have fun old fashioned games at Hamilton Park (3-legged race, wheelbarrow races, and gunnysack races). Games will be cancelled if there is rain (no rain allowed). The Admiral Neighborhood Association will be providing concessions again this year. Holy Rosary Parish has generously made the parade possible with underwriting our liability insurance and handling our permits.

(Jackie adds that Weitzel Construction is again underwriting the porta-potties!) This will be the 19th annual edition of West Seattle’s only Independence Day parade!

West Seattle development: 37 units proposed at 4400 SW Alaska; 1st Design Review meeting set for June 27

The west edge of the heart of The Junction is suddenly a hot spot. Less than a block from the 40-unit project at 4535 44th SW that passed Early Design Guidance earlier this month, a similar-size apartment building is proposed at the corner of 44th/Glenn Way/SW Alaska. This project at 4400 SW Alaska (map) would replace the 72-year-old brick multiplex in the top photo, along with an adjacent duplex. The city website shows it is proposed as a five-story building with 33 “residential units” above four live-work units, and six parking spaces. City records show the project is being designed by West Seattleite-owned Nicholson-Kovalchick Architects, as is 4535 44th SW, though the ownership is different. The developer for 4400 SW Alaska, according to documents filed with the city last week, is Isola Homes, which is completing the nearby Junction 5 “rowhouse” development at Glenn/Oregon. The newly proposed building at 4400 SW Alaska will require Southwest Design Review Board approval, and the first meeting has just been scheduled for 8 pm June 27th (Senior Center of West Seattle, California/Oregon).

West Seattle Crime Watch: 35th/Thistle police response

(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
Police are still sorting out the chain of events that led to that sizable response that in the area of 35th and Thistle a short time ago, with one person taken into custody. Here’s what we know so far, with the help of Seattle Police media-relations Officer Renée Witt: This apparently originated with a report of someone being robbed at Westwood Village. A possible suspect was then spotted running northbound on 35th SW and trying to get into houses – reportedly even walking into one at one point. Other reports included one seeing what was believed to be the same suspect, jumping a fence. He was reported to be armed with a knife or garden shears. Eventually, police detained and were questioning a man along SW Thistle just west of 35th; they also were circling back along 35th to make sure everybody else who had called in was OK. We expect more information later once they’ve sorted it all out, including what if any of thisthe person they detained might have been involved with.

West Seattle Tuesday: 911 ‘behind the scenes’; Lincoln Park safety walk; Chief Sealth open house; more

May 28, 2013 9:26 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Tuesday: 911 ‘behind the scenes’; Lincoln Park safety walk; Chief Sealth open house; more
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Four notes for tonight from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BLOCK WATCH CAPTAINS TAKE ON 911: Seattle Police communications Capt. Sean O’Donnell comes to the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network tonight, 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct, to talk about how 911 works “behind the scenes” – and answer your questions. (Webster west of Delridge)

LINCOLN PARK SAFETY WALK: 7 pm, join the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council and SPD/Seattle Parks reps in the north lot of Lincoln Park to head out on a “safety walk” in the park. (Fauntleroy/Rose)

LOW TIDE: Last day of low-low tide – 2 pm, it’ll be out to -2.8 feet; not as low as the past few days but still very good for GENTLE tidewalking. 11:30-3 pm, you’ll find Seattle Aquarium beach naturalists at Constellation and Lincoln Parks.

SEALTH OPEN HOUSE FOR INCOMING NINTH-GRADERS: Know someone going into 9th grade at Chief Sealth International High School next year? Tonight’s the special open house, 6-7:30 pm in the Galleria, previewed here recently – a chance to talk about sports at the school, whether the student already plays one or more sports, or is just thinking about it! (2600 SW Thistle)

More on the calendar!

Close call in Arbor Heights: Tree branch falls near school

8:53 AM: Close call in the street out front of Arbor Heights Elementary a short time ago – a tree on the other side of SW 104th lost a branch that itself is the size of a tree! Thanks to Christopher Grupp for the photo (and to others for texting/tweeting about it); we’ve been to the scene to take a look too – school buses are getting through eastbound, but the westbound side of the road is blocked until the tree can be cleared.

10:21 AM: Neighbors Dana and Ellie report it’s cleared:

… and say it’s thanks to these guys:

They shared the photos with this update: “Fallen tree in Arbor Heights cleared in one hour’s time, thanks to quick teamwork of Pete Good, Craig Harold, and a trusty chainsaw! So grateful for extraordinary neighbors who helped …”

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday ‘welcome back’ edition

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
6:12 AM: Back to school (for a few more weeks), and back on the roads. Even the east-facing bridge camera is back! Today’s traffic/transit watch has begun.

9:39 AM: Police are checking out a report of two “erratic” drivers on the eastbound bridge, honking at each other – possibly a road-rage situation, according to radio communications.

12:08 PM: We have received reports of a family of geese on the eastbound bridge by 99. Animal Control reportedly has been called.

2:51 PM: Now there’s a report of a crash on the westbound bridge around Admiral. No backups on the cameras at this point, though. (added) The call’s been corrected to eastbound bridge near Delridge.

4:44 PM: Backup on the westbound bridge – we’re told it’s because of a stalled car in the left lane. Clears up after the stall, so if you’re on a bus and reading this (or in a carpool), be patient …