West Seattle, Washington
13 Tuesday
If your community group or nonprofit would like some space during our area’s biggest festival of the year – Teri Ensley of Furry Faces Foundation has an invitation for you:
Furry Faces Foundation is pleased to be partnering with the West Seattle Junction Association in offering the FREE Community Tent at West Seattle Summer Fest – July 12, 13, and 14. The purpose of this area in the festival is to allow our small neighborhood non-profits and community groups easy access to the event and their community – free of charge! Did we mention free of charge?
Furry Faces Foundation is selecting the non-profits and community groups who strive to benefit our community and fit the spirit of our West Seattle neighborhoods.
Here are the Community Tent details:
11:13 PM UPDATE: The woman reported missing earlier has been found at a hospital, her family confirms – though they’re still trying to find out how she got there – and the search has ended.
EARLIER:
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“I MADE IT,” proclaimed the art atop the cap of one grad-to-be tonight as The Hall at Fauntleroy hosted the Middle College High School-High Point Center Class of 2013’s graduation tonight.
21 students comprise this year’s graduating class – here they are, making their entrance:
This is the first class to graduate since the southern branch of Middle College High School moved into its new High Point quarters, chosen after it lost its longtime home at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) this time last year. As recently announced on the MCHS-HPC website, the school has extended its High Point lease for another year.
This was the first of our area’s three Seattle Public Schools graduations in two nights; tomorrow night, Southwest Athletic Complex in Westwood will be the site of the graduations for both West Seattle High School (5 pm) and Chief Sealth International High School (7:30 pm). Our area’s lone private high school, Seattle Lutheran, gave its 33-member Class of 2013 their sendoff last Friday (WSB coverage here).
Hours before taking the field tonight – a lineup of Seattle Mariners took the stage at West Seattle Elementary School this afternoon. it was one of five DREAM Team assemblies around the region, held simultaneously on the Mariners’ 16th annual Education Day. Here’s what DREAM stands for:
It was not just a DREAM for kids to meet pro baseball players, who moved into the audience to sit with them while watching a reel of recent highlights …
… but it also was a dream for some of the grownups on hand, like Ms. Raymond, who’s a major Mariners fan:
The lineup announced for WSE just before the event included announcer Aaron Goldsmith, players Jason Bay, Jeremy Bonderman, Nick Franklin, Joe Saunders, Kelly Shoppach, and coach Robby Thompson.
Four West Seattle development notes tonight:
4730 CALIFORNIA: Thanks to Heidi for the tip that a fence was up and the awning was coming down at the site of 4730 California, the 88-apartment project formerly known as 4724 California, aka “the former Petco site.” We’d noticed the re-branding recently when sponsor logos (including ours) went up on the West Seattle Summer Fest website. This project’s website’s not up yet – you can find a mention here – and we’re working to get more information about the demolition schedule.
CHARLESTOWN CAFE SITE FOLLOWUP: Since we first reported one week ago on a development proposal for the former Charlestown Café site, we’ve finally heard back from a rep for the prospective developer, Intracorp. Right now, the rep tells us, the proposal for six 5-unit townhouse buildings is in spec mode – the site has not been purchased and no official application to the city has been made. Intracorp is focused right now, we’re told, on getting its biggest West Seattle proposal, 3210 California SW, through Design Review; its second round of Early Design Guidance is scheduled for 6:30 pm June 27th on the second floor of the Senior Center of West Seattle at California/Oregon.
SPEAKING OF DESIGN REVIEW: Before that meeting, two projects are on the Southwest Design Review Board agenda for this Thursday night (June 13th), and the “packets” are available online for both. The 6:30 pm meeting is for 4435 35th SW, the re-activated proposal for the site that currently includes a vacant lot and the building that’s home to The Bridge (which, as reported here last month, is already preparing its new home at the former Chuck and Sally’s Tavern site in Morgan Junction). The project has changed since its first Design Review meeting in 2009, so it’s going back through Early Design Guidance. The current version proposes a six-story building with 170 apartments and 187 parking spaces; see the “packet” here. The 8 pm meeting is the second “recommendations” session – in other words, possibly the final meeting – for 3829 California SW, 29 apartments with 30 parking spaces; see its “packet” here. Both meetings are open to the public and will be held on the second floor of the Senior Center of West Seattle at California/Oregon.
ROWHOUSES IN FAIRMOUNT SPRINGS: The newly popular form of townhouses known as “rowhouses” are popping up in neighborhoods all over. One of the newest applications proposes a 5-unit rowhouse building, with attached garages, for 5457 Fauntleroy Way SW in Fairmount Springs, on the site of a 103-year-old home sold in April.
(Photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand – top photo substituted for earlier phone photo)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 3:02 PM: We’re still trying to sort out exactly what’s happening with a big police response in the 32nd/106th area of Arbor Heights. Radio communications indicate it’s a search for a burglary suspect. More as we get it.
3:26 PM UPDATE: The original scene is now clear – but we’re checking out another address where a suspect may have been spotted, in the 32nd/105th area.
3:37 PM UPDATE: … and we’ve found the police all back at the original house, where the suspect might be hiding. So this remains an active investigation, but focused at the moment on one particular location.
4:03 PM UPDATE: Police are focused on the back yard of a house at 32nd and 106th; they have a K-9 team, too.
4:19 PM UPDATE: Co-publisher Patrick Sand has spoken at the scene with SW Precinct Lt. Ron Smith (photo above, in blue). He says this was called in as “suspicious circumstances” – a man was spotted riding a bicycle, towing another bicycle, in possession of two backpacks. More tactical police reinforcements have arrived. Lt. Smith also confirmed they believe the suspect is 32-year-old Alan Polevia (we had heard the name on the scanner but wanted to confirm before publishing) – target of a search in Shorewood earlier this year, and prior to that, known for escaping from custody at Harborview while in handcuffs.
4:33 PM UPDATE: Suspect is out and in handcuffs.
5:24 PM UPDATE: We’re adding photos. Identity confirmed; police are checking on warrants. King County Jail records show Polevia spent three days in jail when finally arrested in late March, three weeks after the Shorewood search. On March 28th, he was charged with burglary and theft in connection with an incident that was reported here, involving a scooter taken in the 5000 block of 37th SW, and a search that eventually ended at 36th and Morgan. He didn’t appear for arraignment, so a warrant was issued for his arrest in April, according to court records.
8:57 PM UPDATE: Polevia is on the King County Jail Register as of about an hour ago, held on the aforementioned warrant and two others, as well as for investigation of unlawful firearm possession related to today’s events. This likely means he’ll have a bail hearing tomorrow; we’ll check with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in the morning. We have added one more photo, above, from this afternoon’s arrest.
If you drive the road above – the westernmost stretch of Avalon Way, between Fauntleroy and 35th – you might have noticed pavement markings indicating some reconfiguration ahead. WSB Forum members have been discussing it, too. We asked SDOT, and spokesperson Marybeth Turner has just provided an extended explanation:
This bicycle and pedestrian improvement is on Avalon starting approximately 100′ east of 35th Ave SW and extending to Fauntleroy.
There are no bike facilities in this area currently. We are installing bike lanes on both sides of Avalon. The north side/uphill side of Avalon will now have a continuous bike lane from Spokane St to Fauntleroy. The south side of Avalon will have a small stretch of bike lane starting at 36th Ave then changing to a shared lane as you pass by 35th Ave SW.
The lane widths and configuration will be: one 6-foot bicycle lane on each side of Avalon, one 12-foot eastbound lane narrowing to 10 feet, one 10-foot two-way turn lane, and two 10 foot westbound lanes.
We are also remarking the crosswalks at the intersection of Fauntleroy/36th/Avalon and also at Avalon and 35th. There will be large crosswalk warning signs at the side of the street for drivers approaching Avalon from Fauntleroy.
As they do now, drivers coming and going from off-street parking areas will need to watch for pedestrians and bicyclists.
This does not affect parking, since there’s no on-street parking in that area now. But the area unquestionably is getting busier, with one development finally completed (The Residences at 3295), one about halfway done (3261 Avalon), another one likely to start later this year (4435 35th SW), and a microhousing project next to the 7-11, not to mention three other projects further east/northeast on Avalon.
West Seattle’s first school-zone speeding-ticket camera, on Fauntleroy Way near Gatewood Elementary, will likely be joined by two others. In the final week of the school year, Mayor McGinn has just announced five more proposed camera locations around the city, “based on an analysis of documented speeding problems that showed these schools would receive the greatest speed reduction and safety benefit from automated speed enforcement” per the official announcement. Two would be on SW Roxbury: Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School. (They’re shown in red on our Google Map above, while Gatewood is shown in blue.) If the City Council approves funding, these and three other cameras would likely be installed early next year, according to the news release from the mayor’s office, which also says that the “four existing school zone camera locations have seen an average reduction of 16 percent in citations for speeding, from the week of December 10 to the week of April 22. … 96 percent of those who received a citation and paid it did not get another citation.” Seattle Police activated the Gatewood camera last November.
(Photo courtesy Charlie G)
FIRST REPORT, 10:48 AM: Beach Drive SW is closed in the 5400 block right now while Seattle Fire crews stand by until Puget Sound Energy arrives to take care of a natural-gas leak. Radio communications describe it as “small.” No injuries reported. (P.S. Thanks to the readers who texted photos and info – 206-293-6302 any time!)
11:51 AM: Thanks to Davis for texting an update – the road has reopened.
(Belted kingfisher, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Your options for tonight range from storytelling to music to neighborhood involvement, and beyond! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
TRAFFIC, WATER TAXI REMINDERS FOR TONIGHT: Mentioned in the daily transit/traffic roundup BUT if you missed it there – two stadium events tonight, the World Cup qualifying match and the Mariners’ game, and that means an estimated 60,000 people in the stadium zone. If you decide to avoid the roads by taking the West Seattle Water Taxi, the county announced last week that it WILL run an “extended schedule” tonight.
STORYTELLING: Monthly event at Chaco Canyon Café with workshop and open mike, 6 pm, details in the calendar listing. (3770 SW Alaska)
FEET FIRST FUNDRAISER: Tuesday Tune-Up raising money and awareness for Feet First, 6:30-9 pm tonight at Salty’s on Alki. (1936 Harbor SW)
MIDDLE COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION: West Seattle’s graduation week (full schedule here) continues tonight at 7 at The Hall at Fauntleroy, with the ceremony for Middle College High School‘s High Point branch. (9131 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE SYMPHONY: Season-finale concert of the West Seattle Community Orchestras‘ WS Symphony tonight at 7 pm, Chief Sealth International High School; details in the calendar listing. (2600 SW Thistle)
FROM ST. PETERSBURG TO WEST SEATTLE: The St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble from Russia performs tonight at Peace Lutheran Church, 7 pm, details in our calendar listing. (39th/Thistle)
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 7 pm tonight, it’s the monthly meeting, with summertime event updates on the agenda. Public welcome, as always; lower-level meeting room on the south side of Admiral Congregational Church. (California/Hill)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm tonight, all are welcome at the regular board meeting, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. (9131 California SW)
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
It’s not in view on that bridge camera, but the day starts with trouble on the westbound bridge, a semitruck fire. (Added postcommute: Photo from Cheri:)
(back to original story) It’s near the Harbor Island exit, according to one reader report, and affecting westbound Route 21 buses, according to a Metro alert.
6:12 AM UPDATE: The truck IS visible right now on the bridge camera that points westbound, at the exit in the foreground:
6:22 AM UPDATE: Westbound traffic is getting by, and if you look closely, you can see a tow truck has arrived. No lingering eastbound effects.
7:24 AM UPDATE: As noted in comments, and as you can see in the camera view above, the truck has been towed. Metro has sent an update that Route 21 westbound is back to its regular route.
7:39 AM NOTE: Almost forgot till a question came in via Facebook – the county announced last week that the West Seattle Water Taxi IS running an “extended schedule” tonight to handle the soccer and M’s games. And note that travel through SODO this evening will be affected by the two stadium events.
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