West Seattle, Washington
14 Sunday
One more note from the last week of school:
Thanks to Sally Heit from Hope Lutheran School for sharing the photo from a Thursday morning surprise in honor of the end of the school year. She says the 130 flamingos that surprised arrivals that day were from Westside Flockers.
Before we get to Saturday, here’s a reminder about three of tomorrow’s most notable events:
RUN TO REFLECT: Get up early and join community members – whether or not you’re a runner – to show your support for the woman who is fighting her way back to wellness after last Saturday’s mystery incident in Fairmount Ravine. Meet at 6:30 am on the Harbor Avenue end of Fairmount (map). Details on this Facebook event page; updates in our story from yesterday.
NATURE CONSORTIUM PICNIC: 10 am-2 pm tomorrow, Picnic in the Park celebrates not only the NC’s ongoing restoration of the West Duwamish Greenbelt, but also the reclaiming of the so-called “Soundway” property, once in danger of getting paved over for homes and roads. From Monica Thomas, here’s the schedule:
10am Picnic in the Park begins
10:15am Toddler Nature Hike
10:30 – 1:30 Art Activity: making nature flags with Amy Pille
11am – 12 Live Music in the Woods by The Mighty Tiny Band
11am Eco Hike with our Restoration Director
12pm Ceremony and Golden Shovel Award Presentation
12:30 – 1:30 Live Music in the Woods by The Acoustic Laboratory
12:30 pm Eco Hike with NC Staff
2 pm Picnic in the Park endsParking is available at South Seattle Community College in the south parking lot. Most of the festivities will be in the lawn adjacent to the lot, and we’ll venture into the woods for the hikes.
Food by Marination (WSB sponsor)!
WESTWOOD VILLAGE STREET FAIR: 10 am-6 pm, it’s the annual event in the heart of Westwood Village – go here to see the official poster with details of the music lineup and other activities, including live music from 12:30-6 pm, inflatable rides, and four food trucks.
(Tuesday photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
We checked in at day’s end with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office regarding the status of Alan Polevia, the repeat offender arrested Tuesday (WSB coverage here), found hiding in an Arbor Heights crawl space. Spokesperson Ian Goodhew says they could not “rush-file” a charge related to that incident – as reported here Wednesday, a firearms charge was considered – because more investigation needs to be done by police. But Polevia does remain jailed in connection with the warrants that were out for his arrest – one in relation to him not showing up to answer burglary/theft charges filed in March (six months after the incident they relate to). Bottom line, according to the King County Jail Register, his bail is currently down to $7,550. But Goodhew says Polevia is expected to be in custody when he is arraigned on the aforementioned March charges on Wednesday, as well as an unrelated Municipal Court case. And they’re hopeful they’ll get the additional information soon for a filing decision in this week’s incident.
Because it involves an “alley vacation,” the 4755 Fauntleroy megaproject (more than 300 apartments, 600 parking spaces, Whole Foods) has to get signoff from the Seattle Design Commission, which has reviewed the proposas three times now. The fourth meeting is now set – 9 am next Thursday (June 20th) in the Boards and Commissions Room at City Hall downtown. All are welcome, and there is a public-comment period. Documents for Thursday’s presentation aren’t online yet, but here’s what was reviewed last month (WSB coverage here).
FIRST REPORT, 4:06 PM FRIDAY: This story is a work in progress, but we wanted to share what we know so far – Barnecut’s Service Station, long located at 41st/Admiral Way, has been sold, and today is the last day it’s doing auto-repair work, according to the person on duty we spoke with this afternoon during a visit to the station to check out reader tips. The gas station itself will remain open until July 1st. What happens after that, the person on duty couldn’t tell us; we’re trying to find out – nothing has turned up in public records yet.
9:31 PM NOTE: No additional info yet – multiple inquiries out. But since someone mentioned the mural on the back of the building, facing the south side of the Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) parking lot, paying tribute to the service station’s historic look, we went by for a quick photo, added above.
MONDAY FOLLOWUP: Barnecut’s confirms it’s closing after this month. We asked today if there’s any sort of an event planned for longtime customers to come by and say thanks and goodbye; not currently, but we’ll be checking back.
Seven City Councilmembers‘ letter proposing closing the encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville” is now followed up with a proposed ordinance to be introduced next Monday. It declares the situation an “emergency” for reasons including:
The City Council finds that the encampment located at 7116 W Marginal Way SW has created a public health and safety risk due to ongoing and potential public health and safety issues, as indicated by (1) numerous 9-1-1 calls and police investigations of criminal activities, and (2) a Phase I Environmental Assessment that addresses potential environmental contamination of the property. As such, the City Council finds that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety and believes that the City should act immediately to move the campers off of the site and into appropriate shelter, housing and services.
If passed, the ordinance would appropriate half a million dollars for “a non-profit organization to provide outreach, engagement, case management, shelter, housing and other services to the campers at 7116 W Marginal Way SW” in order to move them out and close the camp by September 1st. We’re checking now on how that organization will be chosen and when.
2:23 PM UPDATE: City Council communicator Dan Nolte says this is scheduled for a vote during the full council’s 2 pm meeting July 8th.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
That letter from 1883 is from a shoebox full of what looks like family-history keepsakes, found this past Tuesday at 32nd and Barton. Seattle Police Southwest Precinct-based Officer Marc Sagmoen is trying to find out who the box belongs to, explaining, “The box contained numerous letters addressed to Gordon Yancey. Some of these letters were quite old and, although they may not be worth money, to the family who lost them, they may be priceless.” Mr. Yancey apparently lived in the Midwest, at least when the correspondence was sent:
After hearing about Officer Sagmoen’s find, we asked if we could get photos – so, for that, we went with him this morning to the SPD facility south of downtown where evidence is kept. There was even an old photo of Gordon Yancey, his wife, and daughter Leslie, undated, on a cruise vacation:
Other items in the box included this, dated 1832, apparently some kind of a receipt involving wheat-cutting:
If these items are yours – or if you have an idea whose they might be – any and all information is appreciated. Please call the precinct at 206-233-7854.
The West Seattle Junction Association‘s flags are out, we noticed while going through “Downtown West Seattle” a bit earlier – that’s one of two Flag Day notes we are sharing; second one came in right about the same time we photographed the Junction flags – it’s from American Legion Post 160 Commander Kyle Geraghty:
A brief ceremony observing Flag Day will be held in front of the West Seattle American Legion Post 160 at 7 pm, located at 3618 SW Alaska.
All Veterans, family members of Veterans, and community members are invited to attend.
If you have a soiled, faded, or torn American flag, this would be a perfect opportunity to drop it off so it can be disposed of properly.
After the ceremony, the West Seattle American Legion Post 160 will observe the 238th birthday of the United States Army with song and light refreshments.
ADDED 11:36 PM: Providence Mount St. Vincent had its own take on Flag Day:
Special-events director Anna Cronin shared the photo, explaining, “Providence Mount St. Vincent closed employee appreciation week with a Flag Day celebration, honoring employees’ more than 51 countries of origin. With approximately 500 employees, The Mount is the largest employer in West Seattle, and very proud of the hard-working, diverse staff. The flags will be placed around The Mount campus to proudly celebrate and honor staff throughout the summer.”
Congratulations to this year’s West Seattle 8th graders as they move on to high school! Denny International Middle School‘s promotion ceremony was last night, according to principal Jeff Clark, who shared the photo and this report:
The staff at Denny International Middle School were very proud to promote our eighth-grade scholars last night. The ceremony was filled with inspirational student speeches, fantastic music, and awards celebrating terrific academic accomplishments, community-building and school spirit. The auditorium was packed with families and friends — we are all very proud of our kids! Thank you to everyone who helped to make it such a memorable event!
277 eighth-graders in all – good luck to them in high school! Speaking of which, we covered all four of this year’s local high-school graduations – you’ll find the links in the “Big Stories” list on the WSB sidebar.
No major issues arose when two development proposals returned to the Southwest Design Review Board in a two-project, three-hour meeting last night. First, the decisions:
*4435 35th SW passed its second round of Early Design Guidance, 3 1/2 years after its first one. (See the design renderings here.)
*3829 California SW passed the final “recommendations” stage on the second try, two months after the first try. (See the design renderings here.)
Ahead, meeting toplines, and what happens next:
Two WSB’ers e-mailed this week to say they had walked past Colman Pool and noticed it drained, again, with just days to go till the 7-day-a-week summer season. We checked with Seattle Parks‘ Joelle Hammerstad, who explains that the pool was indeed “drained down by about 90% because we found another bad valve. The damaged valve was from the pool to the surge pit, which collects the water before goes into the pumps. That’s fixed, and we started re-filling it (Wednesday night) at high tide.” She expects the outdoor pool – back to saltwater this year! – to open on time at noon tomorrow; here’s the season schedule.
Last week, we wrote about the conversation brewing about West Seattle’s independent local businesses and the ways in which they make our community better. Here’s more proof. A few days ago, we received a note from the owners of Red Cup Espresso in The Junction, who wanted to give a shout-out to someone special:
In today’s fast-paced world, the small things are often forgotten. The things we take for granted are often overlooked, and the beauty we search for, more often than not, lies right before our eyes. A simple hello or a smile can have a tremendous effect on a person’s day. The connections born from casual everyday conversations slowly blossom into everlasting relationships. The Red Cup Family would like to express our gratitude for the beautiful flowers planted this year at the shop. All of this could not be so, without the skillful direction of West Seattle’s own Elois Gruenhagen. A longtime Seattle resident, Elois fills our hearts every day with stories of the farm, her teaching career, and her knowledge of all things plantlike. She has been an inspiration for us all, and continues to surprise and make us laugh. We are honored to have the opportunity to give someone a platform to express themselves. If you’re in the area, feel free to drive by and look at her work!
It makes us smile, to see her smile.
Thank you, Elois,
Samir, Breanna, and Gina
(Garden honeybee, by Danny McMillin, shared via the WSB Flickr group)
Here’s the buzz from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar for today/tonight:
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: Final day of classes for Seattle Public Schools students, who get out an hour early.
PRUDENTIAL LAUNCHES PROGRAM FOR VETERANS: Today is the kickoff of a new program at Prudential Northwest Realty (WSB sponsor):
Prudential Northwest Realty launches its VETERANS SELL REAL ESTATE Program on Flag Day, June 14, 2013. The program is designed to help the men and women who have served in our military forces become Washington State Real Estate brokers.
Prudential Northwest Realty is the first real estate company in the region to roll out a program whose entire focus is on hiring and training military veterans and their spouses, by covering their startup costs. The program was built to acknowledge and recognize that many of the characteristics that build good soldiers transfer easily into the real estate business.
“The men and women of our military have done so much for us, now it’s our turn, and our honor, to do something for them,” stated Mike Gain, President and CEO of Prudential Northwest Realty, a Berkshire Hathaway Affiliate.
For more information about this innovative new program, visit www.VeteransSellRealEstate.org
BOOK SIGNING: Chef John Howle signs his book “Passion & Palate“ at Metropolitan Market-Admiral (WSB sponsor), 4-6 pm. (42nd/Admiral)
JULIE FRYE: At C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), she’ll perform alternative/indie/pop punk, 6-8 pm. (5612 California SW)
TRIO PARDALOTE: 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall, they continue their cycle of Shostakovich string quartets, joining with an “all-star roster of musicians,” as explained in our calendar listing. (7904 35th SW)
AARON DANIEL, ONE MAN BANNED: One of the most popular performers at the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) is back tonight, 9:30 pm. (6451 California SW)
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Congratulations to everybody who’s made it through another school year – some schools already are out, but today’s the final day for Seattle Public Schools and those who follow its calendar (one-hour early dismissal). Meantime, we’re watching the roads for anything you need to know about.
| 7 COMMENTS