West Seattle, Washington
09 Tuesday
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports tonight:
STOLEN CAR: From Danny and Laine:
On the morning of March 22nd in between 2:00 to 7:30 am, on the 3000 block of Bataan St SW [map], our car (1994 red Honda Civic hatchback license 727-WPG) was stolen from in front of our home. The car is in pretty good shape with a noticeable dent on the door on the passenger side as well as a scratch on the front right bumper with purple paint residue from a prior accident. Also there is a black bike rack with sticker that says “got oars?”, and a Bastyr University Sticker (faded white and red in color) on the back bottom left window.
Please call 911 if you see their car.
RECOGNIZE THESE SHOES? From Curtis:
Someone smashed into my car this morning at 20th & SW Barton [map] this morning in a stolen Acura… then dropped these shoes after running away across Delridge.
My neighbor saw a slim hooded figure run off to the east across Delridge who dropped those shoes.
Any clues? Police report’s on file for that one too.
P.S. If you’re interested in how police deal with stolen property, don’t miss the West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network’s next meeting, 6:30 pm Tuesday (March 25th) at the precinct – full details here.
More development notes tonight, starting with something of a followup to last Thursday’s public-comment meeting about the 6536 24th SW subdivision proposal (WSB coverage here):
Neighbors say that backhoe was dropped off at the site this morning; we went over to take that photo shortly after hearing about it. There are no current permits for work on the site, as you can see on the city webpage for the address. The site includes land the city considers an Environmentally Critical Area, so if anything is started, neighbors vow to call police. The site’s owner is asking the city for approval to split two lots into eight, and has drawn up plans to follow that up with single-family houses. As city planners told those in attendance Thursday night, they are still waiting for the owner’s replies to “correction” notices they have issued (all readable here). We first reported on the subdivision proposal back in December and about neighbors’ concerns in January.
Tonight’s other West Seattle development notes start with another backhoe sighting, this one WITH a permit:
Demolition is expected any day at 4808 SW Alaska, the 88-year-old house that was once Fraker’s Grocery and is now making way for a single-family house. We last wrote about it in December, and commenters shared memories; we had also featured the site in a then-and-now report six years ago.
OTHER TEARDOWNS: Looking at the city Department of Planning and Development‘s online files, a few other demolition permits have been filed for in the past week or so – one big, others smaller. Teardown/redevelopment activity is definitely on the rise for sites of all sizes:
4745 40TH SW: The ’80s-era office building here will be torn down to make way for the 135-apartment, 115-parking-space development that finished going through Design Review in December. Here’s the demolition-permit application.
4522 DELRIDGE WAY SW: Four houses are planned at this teardown site.
6780 48th SW: This 93-year-old house near Lowman Beach will be torn down and replaced with a new single-family house. Here’s the demolition-permit application.
6008 44TH SW: This 96-year-old Seaview house will be torn down and replaced with a new single-family house. Here’s the demolition-permit application.
8313 CALIFORNIA SW: A new single-family house is proposed to replace this 73-year-old Gatewood house.
RESEARCH TIP: If it’s not already in your bookmarks, this is the link to use to find out what if anything is proposed for any given address in Seattle.
(“Live” cam at south end of remaining elevated AWV, from the WSB Traffic page)
The Alaskan Way Viaduct “follow-up inspection” is over and Highway 99 is open again, WSDOT has confirmed. From its announcement:
… During today’s inspection, WSDOT engineers took a closer look of areas previously covered in ivy on the 60-year-old highway and installed monitoring devices to gather data over several weeks.
Next steps: Late-night drivers could see some single-lane closures in coming weeks, while repair crews fill cracks with epoxy.
It will take months for engineers to analyze the information from the newly installed monitoring devices, which could shed more light on the cause of the cracking along the elevated highway and if a more robust fix is needed.
P.S. The SDOT Blog website featured some interesting background this week on AWV traffic volume and why the numbers seem to have changed recently.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Not so many property-crime reports in West Seattle Crime Watch lately, and the report from Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith (photo left) at this week’s WS Crime Prevention Council offered one reason why: The criminals just haven’t been as busy.
Might be this month’s almost-record-setting rain, Lt. Smith acknowledged, but whatever the case, burglaries in the week preceding Tuesday’s meeting were down to 6 from the average 9 – “we’d like to get to zero,” he noted, mentioning that the SW Anti-Crime Team is “going after people related to a theft ring, on top of burglary, stolen property, narcotics … there will be some search warrants served.” (Whether that’s related to the 32nd/Juneau bust reported here Thursday night, we’re still trying to find out.)
Auto-theft cases in the preceding week were down as well, Lt. Smith reported – 5, compared to the average 8; non-residential burglaries average 2, and there had been one.
Community concerns voiced immediately after the crime-trends briefing included local parks – questions about the gate at Hamilton Viewpoint Park in North Admiral not being locked at night, and about unlocked bathrooms at Roxhill Park late at night. Lt. Smith and Community Police Team Officer Jon Flores promised to check into both.
The meeting’s featured guests were from the Seattle Police recruiting team – talking about how SPD finds, screens, trains, and hires candidates.
No coyote reports in the WSB inbox for a long time, and then suddenly, within minutes of each other, two came in this afternoon, from two different neighborhoods (perhaps because it’s spring and almost pupping time). First, Beth reported: “I just passed a large coyote on 42nd and Barton” (map); then, from Jeff:
Saw a coyote on 44th Ave SW mid-block between SW Rose St & SW Southern St [map] at 12:30 PM today. Ducked into the greenbelt between 44th and 45th when it saw us. Third sighting here in the past 2-3 months. Appears to be the same animal.
If you’re a new reader – WSB has long featured coyote sightings and information (archived here, newest-to-oldest) not out of alarmism, but as education. While they more often eat rodents, they do sometimes eat small pets left alone outside, and bereaved pet owners subsequently say they had no idea that could happen. Without food sources – including dog/cat food put outside – and with “hazing” if you encounter one, they can be encouraged to keep their distance, as advised/explained by the state.
We introduced you eight days ago to this year’s West Seattle Hi-Yu Senior Court candidates (at right) Lorelei, Hang (first male contender since Hi-Yu rules were changed), and Nina. Today, here’s your invitation to the coronation, from Hi-Yu:
The West Seattle Hi-Yu Spring Tea and Silent Auction will be held on Sunday, May 18th from 2-5pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy. Enjoy great tea, company, and delicious food provided by caterers and businesses in our community as well as a fun silent auction to help raise funds for our scholarship program and building the float the represents West Seattle in parades throughout Puget Sound. This year we will also be crowning the new West Seattle Hi-Yu Senior Court King or Queen. Tickets are $25 a person, or bring your friends and fill a table of 10 for $250. For more information or tickets, please contact Danette at 206-935-6517 or e-mail danettecarufel@hotmail.com. Hope to see you there!
ORIGINAL REPORT, 12:12 PM: Until 3 pm, you are still welcome – actually, we’d say encouraged! – to join the volunteers busy right now with something you just don’t see that often, captured for posterity in our 15-second Instagram video clip above: De-paving! The historic, nearing-a-century-old Highland Park Improvement Club is greening its grounds (with help from Sustainable Seattle) and taking out old asphalt to (un)pave the way for that; HPIC’s Rhonda Smith told us more about the rendering shown in our preview the other day, with not just a reconfiguration but also new planting planned next month. A donated catered lunch is on the way and work will continue today until 3 pm – just go stop by at 12th/Holden. As Blair Johnson quipped, as is done during so many volunteer work parties, they’re removing invasives – just that in this case, it’s invasive asphalt.
(P.S. We’ll be adding photos later tonight.)
ADDED 7:42 PM: As promised:
They were starting toward the south side and moving north – lots of square footage to de-pave!
A trailer filled up with pieces of removed asphalt:
The de-paved area won’t all be greenery and dirt – see the plan here. Part of the HPIC lot already had been “de-paved” for a raingarden, and this is a continuation of the theme.
Big event under way all weekend at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) – the annual Communications Academy for volunteer emergency communicators, though, as evidenced by what we spotted outside, you’ll find lots of professionals there too. They include today’s keynoter Bill Schrier, the West Seattleite who is the former Seattle city IT boss and now works in the state’s CIO office – he tweeted from the event:
I'm about to speak to Comm Academy 2014 in Seattle about #FirstNet and @WAOneNet – great turnout here! pic.twitter.com/hzihI4WXjQ
— Bill Schrier (@billschrier) March 22, 2014
After a few months on the market, the Heartland Café and Benbow Room in The Admiral District have new (and also local!) owners: West Seattleites Allison and Ian Hill. Here’s the announcement from Jay Wergin, who opened the Heartland four years ago (March 2010 WSB photo at right):
After a memorable four years serving Midwest-inspired comfort food to the people of West Seattle’s Admiral District, the owners of the Heartland Café announce that we have sold the business to new owners Allison and Ian Hill, effective in April, 2014.
We are grateful for the community’s support over the past four years and thank everyone who took the time to stop in and patronize our business. I’m thrilled that we had the opportunity to resurrect the Benbow Room bar and launch a family-friendly café in the Admiral District. As longtime residents of the area, we knew our neighborhood needed an establishment like the Heartland. It took us almost an entire year, back in 2009, to breathe new life into a building that had been abandoned and neglected for five years.
One of West Seattle’s biggest book-sale benefits is just two weeks away – at Sanislo Elementary School, 10 am-2 pm on Saturday, April 5th – and you have a chance to help beyond going to buy books: You are invited to donate them, starting now. Lynette Jeung from the Sanislo PTA explains:
This sale benefits the 4th grade class and their upcoming camping trip to Camp Sealth! We are needing lots of book donations so please dig through your shelves, closets, kids rooms for books that you no longer need. We could use all kinds of donations. Specifically, we are looking for both children’s and adult books (both nonfiction and fiction). No instruction manuals or old textbooks please. :) For more info, please e-mail ell1970sab@gmail.com – Go Sanislo!!
Lynette even says she’ll consider picking up donations, so e-mail to ask her about that too, if it would be helpful.
Thanks to James Bratsanos for the photos of Friday’s sunrise and sunset that we’ve sprinkled through this list of highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar! Great Saturday ahead too, though we start with a traffic-alert reminder:
VIADUCT/HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE: If you’re heading out of West Seattle, don’t forget that Highway 99 is closed today, for projects including the followup inspection of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and restriping/realignment of the almost-complete Spokane Street Overcrossing rebuild. The closure is scheduled to continue until 7 pm; if it ends earlier, we’ll publish an update here, as well as via WSB Twitter and WSB Facebook.
SCOUTING FOR FOOD: If you received a doorhanger last weekend about this door-to-door collection drive by local Cub and Boy Scout troops (including this one), don’t forget to put out your bag of food. If you are missed or if you didn’t get one, you can still pitch in by taking food donations to the grassy triangle at 44th/Hill, where Pack 793 plans to collect 9 am-11 am.
WHITE CENTER 5K: If you’re not signed up for this benefit run, you can still register on site – signups at 8 am, run at 9 am, walk at 9:10 am, White Center Heights Park. Kids under 10 free. More on our partner site White Center Now. (7th SW/SW 102nd)
GARAGE/YARD SALES: The season has started – check out the listings in the WSB Forums. (And remember it’s only 7 weeks until West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day on May 10th; registration starts here on March 31st.)
(added) WEST SEATTLE LITTLE LEAGUE JAMBOREE: Thanks to Jason for the late-breaking reminder – it’s Jamboree day for West Seattle Little League, and games are under way 9 am-7 pm at Bar-S Fields. (64th/Admiral)
SEAFAIR COMMODORES BOWLATHON: 9:30 am-noon at West Seattle Bowl, it’s the annual bowling benefit for the Seafair Foundation Scholarship Program for Women, courtesy of the Seafair Commodores, as previewed here. (39th/Oregon)
HELP ‘DE-PAVE’ IN HIGHLAND PARK: 10 am until “however long it takes,” you’re invited to come help break up some of the pavement outside Highland Park Improvement Club as part of its greening project. Here’s our Thursday preview. (12th/Holden)
THE SERVICE BOARD GEAR SALE: 10 am-1 pm, The Service Board is selling winter gear at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, where tSB is based – details here. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
FRIENDSHOP POP-UP: At the West Seattle (Admiral) Branch Library, noon-4 pm pop-up shop with Seattle Public Library items you would otherwise have to go downtown to get! (2306 42nd SW)
SHOREWOOD CHRISTIAN SCHOOL AUCTION: 4:30 pm, doors open for this gala – details in our calendar listing. (10300 28th SW)
FAUNTLEROY CHILDREN’S CENTER AUCTION: 5:30 pm, doors open at The Hall at Fauntleroy – details in our calendar listing. (9131 California SW)
DENNY-SEALTH BIG BAND DINNER DANCE: 6 pm tonight at the Chief Sealth International High School/Denny International Middle School Galleria, it’s dinner and dancing to benefit the schools’ music programs – as previewed here. Dance tickets are available at the door and some dinner tickets might still be available – go here for info on how to check. (2600 SW Thistle)
TRANSYLVANIAN GALA: The Partner Church Ministry of Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation and East Shore Unitarian Church of Bellevue has its annual fundraising gala at WSUU beginning at 6 pm tonight; details in our calendar listing. (7141 California SW)
HOLLOW EARTH RADIO BENEFIT AT KENYON HALL: Happening tonight:
We have an amazing lineup of local musicians including, West Seattle’s Peter Fedofsky (Curtains for You), Septimus (Wheedles Groove), Tummy, Portland’s Mufassa and Taft Aro Space. All bands will be introduced by local Soul Legend, Pat Wright. You don’t want to miss this!! In addition to these incredible bands, we are having a RAFFLE for some pretty spectacular prizes. A brand new Jay Turser Telecaster from Trading Musician, gift certificates from Silver Platters, Georgetown Records, Pegasus Books, and a turntable from Radar Hair And Records! The first 10 people to donate $8 at the door get a free raffle ticket! All proceeds benefit the volunteer only run radio station. An all Ages show. Suggested donation is $8. Music begins promptly at 8 pm.
(7904 35th SW)
BE A PUNK ROCKER AT THE FEEDBACK LOUNGE: Ramones tribute tonight, Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 9:30 pm. (6451 California SW)
And as always – MORE on our calendar!
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