West Seattle issue on city agendas tomorrow: Ex-substations
(City photo of Fauntleroy ex-substation site)
Another City Council committee has a West Seattle issue on its agenda tomorrow: As first mentioned here last week, the council’s Energy Committee meets at 9:30 am tomorrow at City Hall with an agenda including a briefing on City Light‘s surplus West Seattle (and vicinity) substations. Mary Fleck from the West Seattle Green Spaces Coalition will be part of the briefing; she tells WSB it’s one of two presentations downtown tomorrow, and they’re inviting West Seattleites to come to either or both, to support the goal of “slowing down the ‘disposition’ process because the best future solution may be to ‘re-purpose’ the land for public use rather than to sell it to the highest bidder for development.” The second presentation is at 3 pm tomorrow before the Urban Forestry Commission in Seattle Municipal Tower room 2750 (700 Fifth Avenue). Meantime, at two of the sites, City Light has crews working this week on what it says is necessary cleanup work because of soil contaminants – the Andover site on Pigeon Point and the Fauntleroy site in Endolyne. Fleck says that while WSGSC is disappointed that SCL removed trees at two sites including Andover, they’re encouraged to hear that the cleanup work at Fauntleroy will use “vactoring” to try to save trees while removing other vegetation.
Mayor coming to West Seattle to announce park-funding proposal
Since Mayor Ed Murray took office two months ago, he hasn’t made an official West Seattle appearance that we’ve heard of, but that’s changing later this week. His office has announced that the mayor will come to Hiawatha Community Center on Thursday afternoon for “a press conference to discuss his recommendations for a park-funding ballot measure.” As noted here February 28th, the advisory committee working on that issue is recommending creation of a special district to raise extra park money, instead of a fixed-term levy, as has been used in the past. The mayor’s Thursday appearance is not a public event so far as we know, but we’ll be doublechecking on that and will update if that changes.
West Seattle business owner, Junction Car Show founder Michael Hoffman dies at 47
At left, that’s Michael Hoffman, proprietor of Liberty Bell Print and Design and founder of the West Seattle Car Show. We’ve just learned that Mr. Hoffman died of a sudden illness last night at his Arbor Heights home; he was 47 years old. For 13 years, Mr. Hoffman owned what was founded in 1973 as Liberty Bell Printing, located in The Junction until moving it out of a storefront three years ago. Susan Melrose, director of the West Seattle Junction Association, shares this tribute:
The news of losing our friend and colleague Michael Hoffman will be received as a tragic loss for our community. Michael’s spirit of kindness, consideration, humor, and charity has touched so many people in so many ways. He has left a positive imprint on West Seattle that will be remembered. Here in The Junction, we will remember and honor Michael with the deep appreciation that he so genuinely deserves.
Mr. Hoffman founded the street-closing Junction Car Show in 2008 and continued to organize it annually; last year’s edition was the sixth annual show. No word yet on a memorial service; we’ll update with whatever we find out.
Get involved in your neighborhood: Tonight’s West Seattle community meetings
(Photo by Long B. Nguyen, taken around 1:30 pm Monday)
Big night for community meetings – and you are always welcome. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, since we didn’t get the usual daily preview published before today’s council meeting:
HIGH POINT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 6 pm, trustee meeting at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center. Agenda:
Call to order & introductions
Cultural Competency Training: China
Approval of February Minutes (Penny)
Treasurer’s report (Pam)
Review of new procedures, new forms for funding requests
Insurance payment progress from HOA/SHA
Tax time
Committee Reports
Bee Enclosure grant report
Bee Festival
Keep High Point Green
Women in Action update
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways
David Johnson, Child Development Manager, Neighborhood House, speaking on Gracious Space and Peace Making Circle
Report on SDOT “walk around”
(6400 Sylvan Way SW)
WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: Want to run for a spot on the board? Be at tonight’s meeting. 6:30 pm, Neighborhood House’s High Point Center. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
BLOCK WATCH MEETING AT THE STAIRS: As previewed here, neighbors want to make a set of stairs and the surrounding area safer, and are meeting at 7 pm. (4516 SW Hanford)
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, NEW LOCATION: Tonight’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting at 7 pm – previewed here – is at a new location, The Sanctuary at Admiral. (42nd/Lander)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: All welcome at the monthly board meeting, 7 pm in the board room at historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. (9131 California SW)
DENNY INTERNATIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL PTSA: 7 pm at the school, including principal Jeff Clark‘s “state of the school” update. (2601 SW Kenyon)
CHIEF SEALTH INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL PTSA: 7 pm in the Confucius Room on campus, including an update from principal Aida Fraser-Hammer on the rest of the school year. (2600 SW Thistle)
As-it-happened: 4755 Fauntleroy alley-vacation hearing, standing room only; vote delayed to April 8th
(UPDATED 2:58 PM with archived meeting video; POST-HEARING TOPLINE: No committee vote until April 8th)
9:34 AM: We’re at City Hall for the alley-vacation hearing (process explained here, same as ‘street’ vacation) for 4755 Fauntleroy before the City Council’s Transportation Committee. Standing room only. Supporters are wearing purple stickers with slogans; opponents are wearing yellow stickers with slogans (photos added):
Live coverage ahead – you also can watch the stream via Seattle Channel (click “play”) in the window below (UPDATED 2:59 PM – THIS IS NOW THE ARCHIVED VIDEO OF THE MEETING):
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has opened the discussion by playing a message on his voice mail – he got the robocall that project opponents sent around West Seattle last night. “It told me to call Tom,” he said, drawing laughter.
9:39 AM: First to speak, project opponent Deb Barker, who was the voice of the aforementioned robocall.
She is a community organization leader and former Design Review Board member. She says the public benefits in the project package are not enough. She talks about the setbacks and says the alley vacation overall will “waste public land for profit.”
Next, project supporter Sharonn Meeks, also a community-organization leader. She notes she was “involved in this project way before it began” – that included being on the Triangle Planning Group. She calls the site “a blighted grayfield.” She says scrapping these proposal would cost time and “an excellent developer.”
IF READING FROM HOME PAGE, CLICK AHEAD TO READ THE REST OF OUR AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGE
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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday updates; another 99 closure; walking with the guv
(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
There are your cameras for Tuesday morning. Biggest advance alert is the second of this week’s four scheduled overnight Highway 99 closures to finish the Spokane St. Overcrossing, 9 pm-5 am again tonight, both ways between East Marginal Way and S. Atlantic – details here.
8:43 AM: Governor Inslee‘s been walking to West Seattle Elementary School this morning, as previewed here Monday:
Full report on WSB later!
Morgan Junction murder trial: ‘Confrontational’ video continues
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What Monday’s only witness at the Morgan Junction murder trial explained as a police interrogation tactic was on display, raw, in video shown to jurors.
It was a continuation of the video playback begun on Thursday afternoon, from defendant Lovett “Cid” Chambers‘s 
session with police in a downtown interview room in the early morning of January 22, 2012, hours after he fired the shots that killed Travis Hood (photo at right).
A shouting crescendo eventually was reached through both Chambers’ professed inability to remember exactly why he fired those shots and detectives’ insistence that his memory lapse was manufactured.
That dominated the day, which began with one juror leaving the trial.
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Update: Big response, small fire in North Delridge – but apparently set
3:41 AM: If you’ve been awakened by a big fire response in North Delridge – it was a dispatch for a possible house fire in the 4700 block of 26th SW (map). However, radio communication indicates it was a “porch fire,” and that police put it out before firefighters even got there. Most SFD units are being canceled.
4:14 AM UPDATE: But now there’s more to the story: This is a suspected case of arson, and at least one person is in custody. (More in comments.)
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