West Seattle, Washington
20 Wednesday
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
Below freezing, and foggy, again this morning – and it was already frosty/slick on some roads by late last night – so take care out there.
TODAY/TONIGHT TRAFFIC ALERTS, AND A WEEKEND PREVIEW:
-Delridge repaving continues detouring SB traffic Trenton-Henderson
-Tonight’s the last 10 pm-5 am southbound 99 (Battery St. to WS Bridge) closure this week
-The I-5/Spokane St. Interchange Bridge Repair project closure for this weekend, Friday night to Monday morning, will only affect traffic coming off Beacon Hill, closing the Columbian Way ramps to the West Seattle Bridge, 6th Avenue, and I-5 southbound.
9:40 AM: The live 911 log for Seattle Fire shows a crash reported on the eastbound bridge, parallel with Marginal. No other details so far.
2:49 PM: Bus riders who haven’t seen it yet might be interested in our story about the survey summaries just published by Metro – specifically regarding West Seattle riders and what they asked for.
Story and photos by Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
West Seattleite Doris Torgerson celebrated her 106th birthday today at The Kenney (WSB sponsor). As several staff members and other friends stopped by her room to deliver good wishes, cards, laughter and gentle hugs, she joked with her guests, thanked them and kept keen track of the latest updates from one and all.
The afternoon culminated in a birthday cake and the singing of Happy Birthday, seen in the photos below.
Her guests Reverend John Van Lierop (former chaplain at The Kenney for 17 years) and his son John, Jr. (music teacher) were among those visiting with Doris today. Lierop, Jr. noted she is “just the best person” and like family to him. When his mother was a resident at The Kenney, Doris provided him with daily updates between visits, and “helped a lot.”
Residents in the 37th/Elmgrove area of Gatewood say their water’s just come back on after a while without it tonight. Mark Ahlness tells WSB that city crews explained “it was a broken 8-inch water main on SW Elmgrove,” and that crews have “replaced the broken portion.” Elmgrove has been closed between 35th and 37th for the work. A WSB crew also has just stopped by the scene, and we’re told the road should reopen within a few hours, once the hole dug for the pipe fix has been re-filled.
Another public-art project is in the works for a West Seattle fire station. This time, it’s Station 32 in The Triangle (38th and Alaska), which has a $15 million rebuild coming up in a few years. The city has just put out an invitation for artists to apply for what would be a $90,000 commission, including the design and construction of the artwork. See the full details here; the application deadline is February 22nd.
As noted last week in coverage of a neighborhood’s concern about a one-home lot potentially soon to be divided so it can house three, single-family-home development is an increasingly hot topic these days. Two notes today:
NEW ADVOCACY GROUP: After the aforementioned story last week , a reader e-mailed us to point out this Publicola story about a new group called Smart Growth Seattle. Its primary sponsor is the housing-funding group co-founded by West Seattle-residing developer Dan Duffus, Blueprint Capital, whose members include the two companies involved with the project in last week’s report. Today, Smart Growth Seattle officially announced its launch, with this news release. The group seeks to change the city rules regarding development in single-family neighborhoods, including a change in minimum lot sizes – relative to the existing lot sizes in any given neighborhood – as outlined on this page of its website.
33-HOME CONSTRUCTION SITE FOR SALE: Back in 2009, we reported on a proposed subdivision east of Puget Park at 4741 15th SW (map) and an appeal of a city ruling regarding the site,. The site hasn’t been built on, but the land-use permit for a 33-home development was issued in 2010. Today, a reader forwarded this a marketing e-mail she had received, announcing that the site’s up for sale, asking $1,848,000. “Why start from scratch? We’ve already done the work,” declares the e-mail, noting that the price breaks down to $56,000 per lot.
If you’ve driven up or down the California SW hill through Gatewood today and noticed that wrecked car in the 7300 block … so did Lawrence, who sent the photo. It’s from an incident just before 6 am today involving something of a double crash. Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Renée Witt says first two vehicles collided and while the drivers were exchanging information, another car came along and hit one of them. The police records note – as you are probably well aware – roads were icy at the time. Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore says they responded to what originally was called in as a car versus a pedestrian, with a 26-year-old woman hurt; she had “minor pain and a few lacerations” and didn’t need to be taken to the hospital, he said.
8:21 PM UPDATE: Commenter Kira says that contrary to what SFD told us, two people were hurt and did go to the hospital, along with sharing some additional clarifications – see Kira’s comment here.
The burn ban has just been lifted for King County – so that means you can use your fireplace (etc.) again, even if it’s not your main source of heating. It also means beach fires are OK again in the Alki Beach fire rings, so Seattle Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter says they’re planning to remove the no-fire signage. The weather forecast still hasn’t changed much, but “light wind” is now predicted, which means relief for the air-stagnation problem.
For the second time this week, a big-picture issue is at centerstage for a local PT(S)A: Tomorrow night, the West Seattle High School PTSA is examining “Student Assignment, Enrollment, and How It Impacts WSHS.” Here’s the announcement:
Make plans now to attend the next PTSA meeting, Thursday, January 17th at 7 pm in the West Seattle High School Library. West Seattle’s School Board member Marty McLaren and Carmela Dellino, Executive Director of West Seattle Schools for the school district, will be our main guest speakers. The PTSA will be highlighting issues that the current student assignment plan raises for West Seattle High School. The current school boundaries mean our enrollment base is significantly smaller than other high schools. More enrollment means more resources to the school, so how can we impact a more equitable distribution of students? Come and learn about this and other important issues facing the School District.
The enrollment-equity issue has been simmering since the Student Assignment Plan was created more than three years ago; community members had warned at the time that the boundaries drawn then were likely to leave Chief Sealth International High School overflowing and WSHS with extra room – and so far, that’s what’s happened.
Before we get to the toplines from last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, two crime reports.
First, two reader reports about open mailboxes in Arbor Heights. Paula reports:
All of the mailboxes on 37th place between 102nd SW and 104th SW (map) were open this morning when I was leaving for work. They were like this Monday morning as well.
Jeff also e-mailed about this – saying he noticed it at 37th Pl/102nd at 6:45 am – and points out that SPD’s auto-tweets include a “suspicious vehicle” reported in that general area around 2:45 am.
Second, a car-vandalism report from Jamie:
I just wanted to give a heads-up to residents of Highland Park. Sometime between 7 PM Monday and 7 AM Tuesday (1/15) both my car and my husband’s were “paintballed”. No real damage to report – just clean-up needed. I’ve already reported it to the police, but thought neighbors should be aware.
And third – the WSCPC meeting. It was a wide-ranging West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting – from crime trends to cannabis.
Got some texts about an unpleasant scent in the air in the Highland Park area. The Seattle Fire Department got calls too about a “chemical odor,” and Engine 37 was briefly logged to a call checking it out in the 11th/Kenyon area – but SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore says they couldn’t find the source.
Thanks to Mat McBride, who chairs the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council (which meets tonight, as noted in our West Seattle Wednesday preview), for reminding us about this city announcement, with a workshop TOMORROW night (January 17):
We are offering workshops and now accepting applications from community and neighborhood groups for the 2013 Technology Matching Fund. Applications are due March 4. Attend a workshop and learn more about the program and how to apply for a grant. First-time applicants are encouraged to attend. These grants provide up to $20,000 for projects that increase technology literacy and access or projects which use information technology to build community and diverse participation online. Applicant organizations must be non-profits or ad-hoc, be in Seattle and applying for projects focused on reaching Seattle communities.
Workshops to learn more:
Joint workshop for both the Technology Matching Fund and the Neighborhood Matching Fund
This Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center at 4408 Delridge Way SW
http://www.seattle.gov/tech/calendar/default.htm#/?i=1
(Frost in the greenspace by Pathfinder K-8, by Flickr member Chroni, shared via WSB Flickr group)
Five highlights for tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (for traffic alerts, see our daily roundup):
WINE TASTING AT THE CASK: 6-9 pm with Yakima Valley winemaker Mark Wysling. (2350 California SW)
DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: Busy agenda for DNDC, 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), including an update on the Delridge repaving project as its first week concludes, an update on the Bicycle Master Plan, and presentations about contenders for Neighborhood Street Fund grants, seeking endorsements from the district council. Full agenda is in the calendar listing. All welcome.
MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Also a busy agenda for the quarterly meeting of Morgan Junction’s community council, 7 pm, lower-level meeting room at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW; WSB sponsor). Topics include the Bicycle Master Plan (you’ll recall a plan for a bike lane on Morgan was tabled last year), an update on the Lowman Beach sewer-overflow-control project, and a lot more – see the highlights in our calendar listing. All welcome.
SPACE-CLEARING WORKSHOP: Free 7 pm workshop at Alki Arts (2820 Alki SW) with Robyn M. Fritz from Alchemy West – details here.
STUDENT-DIRECTED PLAY AT WSHS: “A Bad Year for Tomatoes” is this year’s student-directed play at West Seattle High School, and tonight is opening night, 7:30 pm in the WSHS Theater, directed by Jo Clark. Details in our calendar listing and on the Westside Drama website.
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
Foggy and chilly this morning – slow going, by all accounts.
Otherwise, same 2 ongoing traffic alerts as Monday – Delridge closed southbound between Trenton and Henderson for repaving, and southbound 99 closing again 10 pm-5 am from downtown to the bridge for the SODO overpass project.
7:32 AM: Warning from Dan via Twitter, especially for bike riders:
@westseattleblog Wow it’s really slick out in Triangle this am.Saw a bicycle wipe out on Alaska a moment ago – be careful fellow riders!
— Dan Murphy (@venivelovici) January 16, 2013
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Almost one full year after the Seattle School Board voted to create a new STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)-focused elementary in West Seattle, the district has not yet chosen the school’s permanent home – and district leaders indicated tonight that almost a second full year is likely to pass before a decision.
They spoke at a meeting of the PTA for the school that’s officially known as K-5 STEM at Boren – after the Delridge Way building where it’s currently housed – though the school calls itself West Seattle STEM Elementary.
Names and definitions were at the heart of the evening’s tension, too; the district still sees STEM education as a “program,” it was clear from district administrators, which is a big reason why they had nothing concrete to say regarding where the students, staffers, and family who see themselves as a school will be in the future. And the more than 50 people in attendance were warned not to expect any decisions before fall, meaning that another round of families choosing K-5 STEM will be making a leap of faith without knowing where their children might be educated a few years down the line.
That’s Molly Humphrie, who has just said goodbye to the West Seattle (Admiral) Library Branch after more than 22 years – she’s been there since 1990. A fellow librarian tipped us off at the last minute that it was her last day, or we would have tipped you in time to say goodbye. She’s moving to the Lake City branch.
Today, we welcome a new WSB sponsor; here’s what they would like you to know about their business: Sylvan Learning of South Puget Sound has just opened a new and convenient satellite in West Seattle. The new satellite is near the junction of California SW and Admiral Way, at Admiral Congregational UCC Church, 4320 SW Hill. Sylvan Learning is offering personalized math and reading programs for grades 2-9. Now West Seattle students have a convenient location to access Sylvan tutoring programs!
These programs feature the latest Sylvan advances using Apple iPad technology. The Sylvan iPad personalized tutoring program is fun and motivating for students and allows parents a web portal to see daily progress and receive updates on their child’s progress. Programs start with a comprehensive skills assessment in either math or reading. The Sylvan team then designs a personalized set of specific skills for the student to master over a period of time. Because the Sylvan system pin-points the exact skills to be taught and students are on task and focused during the tutoring session, a typical Sylvan student will gain one full year of skill development in just 36 hours of tutoring!
Parents love being able to see what exact skills their child has mastered after each session. Never before has an investment in tutoring been so transparent! Kids love using the iPads in conjunction with individualized instruction from a certified and Sylvan-trained instructor. The technology along with a personalized approach yields fairly quick results that parents can see and feel. Success certainly feels good at Sylvan, school, and in life! The Normandy Park Sylvan and new convenient West Seattle Satellite are locally owned by Sylvan franchisees Dave and Gail Smith. To find out more about the new West Seattle Sylvan Satellite, please call (888) wow-sylvan.
We thank the West Seattle Sylvan Satellite for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
Still collecting opportunities for you to join in the MLK Day of Service next Monday on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We’ve mentioned the Nature Consortium work party, and now we’ve heard from Stu Hennessey of West Seattle Spokespeople: Stu’s inviting local bike riders to join Spokespeople “for a clean-up-under-the-bridge work party. Meet at 2 pm under the West Seattle Bridge along the bike path. Tools provided by the WS Tool Library. It’s getting messy under there. Work party should be no more than two hours.”
There’s still a burn ban in effect, but as of a few minutes ago, it’s lowered to Stage 1, from the original Stage 2. This still means you’re not supposed to use your fireplace unless it’s your main source of heat, and beach fires are still off-limits (even in the Alki rings), but it means pellet stoves and EPA-certified woodstoves and inserts are OK now, says the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
(10/13/2012 WSB photo by Nick Adams – that’s Sealth AD Sam Reed at right, flanked by the orange canisters)
The 2012-2013 school year is only half over but it’s already been a year of milestones for Chief Sealth International High School‘s athletics department – like the Huling Bowl football victory in October, the first-ever Nels Enquist Alumni Game event in November, and just this past weekend, the first “friendship game” between the girls-basketball teams of sister schools Sealth and Chongqing Nankai. The man facing his players while helping them hoist the Huling Bowl trophy in our photo above is Sealth Athletic Director Sam Reed, who has just been honored as the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association‘s District 2 Athletic Director of the Year. The district includes six leagues from around the metro area, representing more than 55 high schools. Reed will be in contention for statewide AD of the Year at the WIAA state conference in Spokane this April. It’s been a big year for him overall even beyond the big events mentioned above and his daily/nightly work at Sealth as AD and activities director – Reed also serves in a variety of capacities beyond Sealth itself, including Metro League president.
(New platform off 3000 block of Alki; Jason shared the photo of its first known visitors)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (where you’ll find even more of what’s up today/tonight):
DROP-IN CHESS FOR KIDS/TEENS: Starts at 4 pm, High Point Library (35th/Raymond).
WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY ORCHESTRAS: Young or not-so-young musician? You can show up and join! The WSCO‘s various groups rehearse at various start times, 5:30 pm and onward, on Tuesday nights at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle).
WEST SEATTLE LITTLE LEAGUE REGISTRATION: While the league is now offering online signups, tonight is the first of two in-person-registration events, 6-8 pm at the West Seattle High School Library (3000 California SW). Details in the calendar listing.
NIGHT HIKE IN SCHMITZ PARK FOREST: Take advantage of the dry weather by taking a nighttime hike with naturalist Stewart Wechsler. Tonight, the ancient forest of Schmitz Park, 6:30 pm, details here.
K-5 STEM’S FUTURE: The K-5 STEM at Boren PTA meets tonight, with the school’s future permanent campus – not yet decided by the district – a topic of discussion. Seattle Public Schools’ Southwest Region Executive Director of Schools Carmela Dellino and School Board rep Marty McLaren are expected to be there. 7 pm, cafeteria.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: Crime concerns in your neighborhood? Question for police? Want to hear about what they’re seeing in crime trends? The citizen-volunteer-led WSCPC has its first meeting of 2013 at 7 pm tonight, Southwest Precinct meeting room (Delridge/Webster).
ALAUDA BELLY-DANCING SHOWCASE: The monthly event at Skylark Café and Club (3803 Delridge Way SW) is tonight, 7:30 pm.
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
A little warmer this morning than it’s been the past few days, so your commute might not have many (if any) slick spots – not saying it’ll be warm, though! Same 2 traffic alerts as Monday – Delridge repaving work continues, which means a southbound detour between Trenton and Henderson, and southbound 99 will be closed again tonight from downtown to the bridge. Thanks in advance for your help watching out for any unscheduled trouble as the day unfolds!
(Updated with official memorial date/time/place)
Memorial plans are not yet finalized for West Seattleite Jerry Ceis, who died last week at age 64, but family and friends are remembering him as a spirited soul. 
Among his many friends are two WSB’ers who wanted to make sure Mr. Ceis’s passing would be noted here. So we asked Tim Ceis, Jerry’s brother, for a remembrance:
He was born May 4, 1948 and died on January 9, 2013. He was born in West Seattle to Philip L. and Doris Ceis. His birth mother died when Jerry was 5 and his stepmother was Margaret Ceis, who passed away in May of last year.
He is survived by his brother Tim Ceis, his niece Natalie Ceis, his aunt Winifred Savery and her family, and his Uncle John Yorke and his family.
Jerry lived for the joy of life and adventure; from building his one true love – a 17-foot Ed Monk-designed wood sailboat – at the age of 18, to trying to sail it solo to Hawaii in 1975. He fished in Alaska, sailed wherever a boat, wind, and tide would take him, and lived the life of a pirate – sometimes for Seafair and, in more than a few minds, in real life. Many of us lived out our own adventures by joining him at one time or another, or just by hearing him tell the stories over the years.
Jerry has set his last course, and I believe it is toward the second star on the right and straight on till morning.
As a Seafair Pirate, Jerry Ceis was Captain Kidd in 1984, as shown on this page of the Pirates’ website. We will publish an update when memorial information is announced.
ADDED: Friends are planning at least two gatherings in his honor: 3 pm January 27th at Chelan Café; Christo’s on Alki at 6:30 pm February 5th.
UPDATE: The official memorial for Mr. Ceis is at 1:30 pm Saturday, February 2nd, at the Alki Bathhouse (60th and Alki). A gathering is planned afterward at Christo’s on Alki. (Thank you to Tim Ceis for providing the photo we have added above.)
In Monday night high-school basketball, both of West Seattle High School‘s varsity teams played host to Bainbridge HS. Head coach Sonya Elliott‘s girls won, 44-35;
game stats are here. But it was a one-point loss for head coach Keffrey Fazio‘s boys:
Final score Bainbridge 51, WSHS 50; game stats are here. The boys-varsity team plays again tonight (Tuesday), visiting Cleveland High School, 7:30 pm; the girls will be there the same time the next night (Wednesday); both host Ingraham on Friday, 6:15 boys, 8 pm girls.
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