month : 03/2014 336 results

Thursday night, bring your bike to the next DIY Bikes workshop -5-8 pm at the West Seattle Tool Library. From Stu Hennessey:

Memo from the hardest-working part on your bike. OVERHAUL ME! Bicycle-wheel hubs are the hardest working part of your bicycle. They support your loads, turn the fastest and are closer to the elements such as street grime, dirt and water. Leaving them unattended results in bearing-surface wear that can make your hubs unusable. Our hub-overhaul workshop will focus on front and rear standard ball bearing hubs. DIY Bikes will provide the tools, cleaning products, replacement bearings, grease, and procedure to get your hubs running smoothly again.

The West Seattle Tool Library is on the east side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW.

Share This

10th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day: Signups!

| Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

We promised we’d start signups for this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day on March 31st – and with a few hours to go, the signup form is ready to go. Here it is! The basics:

*Sale day is Saturday, May 10, 2014.

*Official sale hours: 9 am-3 pm, but if you want to start yours earlier/end it later, that’s up to you (no late starts/early ends, though; thanks!).

*Registration gets you on the map, published on WSB and on the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day website, as well as promoted/advertised regionally and in all our social-media channels, with online and printable versions. The map is ready a week in advance and assigns each sale a number, which you can use for cross-reference, your own promotion (“come see us, we’re sale #99!”), etc.

*Same registration fees/process as years past – all online.

P.S. If you’re reading this on a phone, there’s a mobile version of the signup form here.

P.P.S. See scenes from last year, here.

Share This

‘Tis the season: SDOT planting trees in West Seattle

March 31, 2014 7:03 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Environment | West Seattle news

SDOT says it’s just started another round of tree-planting in West Seattle – almost 300 trees in Gatewood and near Fairmount Park, with the work to be done by May 1st. Its announcement says the trees “are all grown in Northwest nurseries.” They’ll be maintained by SDOT’s Urban Forestry division, with watering bags in place for the first two to three growing seasons. Some street-tree planting was done recently in The Junction; in addition to West Seattle, SDOT says its springtime planting is also focused on Rainier Beach, which is getting 150 new trees.

Share This

West Seattle traffic alert: Collision at 42nd/Alaska

March 31, 2014 5:31 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS breaking news

5:31 PM: Fire/police response at 42nd/Alaska in The Junction – Christopher Boffoli is there for WSB and says a vehicle and scooter collided (see his photo above). Thanks also to Mike and NLB for alerts via Twitter.

5:37 PM UPDATE: Christopher reports: “Victim appeared to be a man in his 30’s. He was transported via AMR with non-life threatening injuries. SFD has left the scene now. SPD is still mopping up. Traffic westbound on Alaska is not really affected.”

Share This

Pedestrian changes for business districts? City survey extended

March 31, 2014 4:10 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Almost every local community council got a visit in recent months from Aly Pennucci of the city Department of Planning and Development regarding potential changes in “pedestrian zoning” for business districts As part of the city’s comment-gathering, an online survey was made available. Community leaders just got word that the survey has been extended for another month – so if you haven’t taken it yet, go here. It’ll ask you first about a specific “region” – West Seattle is in the south region, so start there; next screen will ask you about specific zones. Our first coverage of this issue during a local community-council meeting was at the Morgan Community Association‘s meeting in January.

Share This

You can help! Join the West Seattle Bee Garden team

March 31, 2014 2:27 pm

| Comments Off on You can help! Join the West Seattle Bee Garden team

| Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news

In a month – as announced here – it’ll be time for the second annual West Seattle Bee Festival. But first, the centerpiece of the celebration, the WS Bee Garden, needs you:

Looking to participate in a Community P-Patch?

The West Seattle Bee Garden, located in the Commons Park P-Patch, could use your help!

We are seeking gardeners to help with weeding, watering, planting and general maintenance of the grounds. Come be part of the pollination-garden team!

To become a Pollination Gardener, please contact Lauren Englund at lcenglund@yahoo.com, or 616-502-3182

Also, everyone is invited to join us at our work party Saturday April 12th from 10 am-2 pm.
Sign up here.

More information about the garden here: westseattlebeegarden.com

The pollinators, plants and fellow gardeners thank you!

Share This

Morgan Junction murder trial update: Defendant Lovett Chambers testifies

March 31, 2014 12:41 pm

| 15 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

12:41 PM: Quick update for those following our coverage of the King County Superior Court trial of Lovett “Cid” Chambers, charged with second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Travis Hood by Morgan Junction Park in January 2012: Proceedings did indeed resume today, after an extra day off because of ailing attorneys; the last previous session was Wednesday (here’s our report, which includes links to all our previous coverage).

Today, the defendant’s wife Sara Chambers is testifying for the defense, which has concluded its primary questioning of her. She testified that she was at home watching a movie when he came in after the shooting and that he said nothing about it before pouring a glass of wine and sitting down in the living room with her; police showed up within an hour. We’ll have a full report on today’s proceedings late tonight; the defense might rest its case before the week is out. The trial started in early January, with six weeks of motion hearings before the jury was seated to hear testimony starting February 19th; WSB is the only news organization in court to cover it.

2:16 PM: Now the defendant is on the stand. He acknowledges he fired the fatal shots the night of January 21, 2012, and says he did it “to save my life.”

TUESDAY MORNING NOTE: Monday’s full report is here.

Share This

All those arguments about development? Here’s THE meeting to go to; plus, Q/A with mayor re: growth control

March 31, 2014 11:36 am

| 27 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

(Equity and Wolff projects in The Junction, photographed recently by Long B. Nguyen)
The discussion – sometimes contentious, sometimes thoughtful – goes on. How much development is too much development – or is there no such thing as “too much development”? Do “growth targets” set in the past mean anything – considering, for example, the greater West Seattle Junction area is reported to be already past a future target, with major projects in progress and more on the way? When we talked one-on-one recently with Mayor Murray, he said one way to revisit that will be through the Seattle 2035 process that’s just launched. A West Seattle meeting is scheduled, one week from Wednesday. But before we get to those details – here’s the mayor’s 1-minute response to our question of whether growth should be allowed to expand seemingly infinitely even if so-called targets are passed:

Now, details of the meeting, one of five open houses citywide:

April 9th, 6-8 pm, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). From the city announcement:

DPD is hoping to reach out to different neighborhoods and gather comments on the Planning Alternatives that are currently under discussion. Comments can be submitted through April 21, 2014.

DPD is scoping an environmental impact statement (EIS) that will evaluate the City’s Comprehensive Plan update. The EIS will examine the possible impacts under three different growth scenarios.

Consistent with regional growth projections, all three scenarios assume the city will grow by 70,000 households and 115,000 jobs over the next 20 years. All the scenarios follow the Comprehensive Plan’s urban growth strategy that aims to concentrate most of the growth in the city’s designated urban centers and urban villages. The alternatives differ in how the projected growth would be distributed:

Alternative 1 would evaluate most of the growth in the six urban centers, in keeping with the regional plan of concentrating development in centers.

Alternative 2 would still project a lot of growth in the centers, but would shift some growth to the urban villages in order to strengthen those neighborhood business districts.

Alternative 3 would evaluate more growth in the urban villages that contain existing or planned light rail stations.

The Comprehensive Plan the City ultimately adopts could combine aspects of each of these alternatives.

DPD is taking comments on these alternatives and the topics to be covered in the EIS until April 21.

Even more information about the alternatives is here, as well as how to comment on them now (in addition to commenting in person at the April 9th meeting).

Share This

West Seattle Monday: School district’s future; WS4OSO benefit workout…

March 31, 2014 9:35 am

| 8 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Two incredible views of a male Anna’s Hummingbird this morning, courtesy of Alki photographer David Hutchinson – the other one is below today’s calendar highlights:

TODDLER GYM: 10 am-1 pm at Hiawatha Community Center, Mondays & Thursdays – details here. (2700 California SW)

SPS SUPERINTENDENT’S TOWN HALL: Want to hear about the road ahead for Seattle Public Schools? And/or say something about it? Superintendent José Banda will be at Roxhill Elementary 6:30-8:30 pm tonight for the last of five “town hall” meetings about the district’s Strategic Plan. (30th/Roxbury)

WS4OSO BENEFIT NIA CLASS: At The Center for Movement & Healing, there’s a Dance and Donate Nia class tonight at 6:30 pm to benefit mudslide relief as part of WS4OSO; the center is located above the offices of WSB sponsor Swedish Automotive. (7901 35th SW)

And now, as promised, David Hutchinson’s other view of that resplendent hummingbird:

By the way, you can see what else is on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar by going here.

Share This

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: March’s final Monday

March 31, 2014 6:51 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

The last day of the rainiest March in Seattle history has dawned *without* rain, but not without traffic. Above, the eastbound West Seattle Bridge; below, northbound 99 at the elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct’s south end:

You’ll find more cameras, and other info, on the WSB Traffic page.

ALKI TRAIL WORK REMINDER: Reminder that the city plans to work on curb ramps at two Alki Trail crosswalks on Harbor Avenue SW starting this week. One is at Harbor/California Way, where Seattle Public Utilities was doing work all weekend. The other is by Don Armeni. We published the advance announcement last week.

7:24 AM NOTE: If you park outside – you might have some frost-scraping to do – we did!

10:44 AM NOTE: If you usually drive through SODO – note the special event at Safeco Field tonight – this advisory’s just in from SDOT:

Motorists in downtown Seattle and the SODO District may encounter more traffic than usual during this afternoon’s commute as an expected 20,000 Mariners fans flock to Safeco Field to view the team’s road opening game against the Los Angeles Angels. The game is being broadcast live on MarinersVision HD and will be watched on the field’s large screens. There’ll be free T-shirts at the gate, music, food and beer specials. The $1 adult admission fee will go to benefit Northwest Harvest while children under 14 will get in free, but must have tickets for admission. The first pitch of the game is set for 7 p.m. with the doors opening at 5:30 p.m. For more details, please (go here).

Share This

West Seattle weekend scene: Chief Sealth Flag Squad vs. weeds

March 31, 2014 6:45 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle weekend scene: Chief Sealth Flag Squad vs. weeds

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Here’s one of the more-unusual student fundraisers we’ve heard of lately: The Chief Sealth International High School Flag Squad is doing yard work on Sundays. They tackled the weeds in Leslie‘s yard on Sunday (she shared the photo): “Delightful young people, worked HARD! Great attitudes!” Janelle from the Flag Squad says, “We are offering yard work for $30-35 an hour (depending on the lawn size), and are available on Sundays from 10 am-5 pm, from April 13th-May 18th. There would be around 7-10 flaggers working each time.” They’re raising money for travel on future band trips – Portland this year, Ireland next year. You can inquire via e-mail at csiflagsquad@gmail.com.

Share This

How to get your stolen stuff back? West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network hears from SPD specialist

March 30, 2014 9:31 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

If burglars/thieves get away with something that belongs to you, how do you get it back, and what can you do in advance to increase the chances your property can/will be recovered? An expert on that topic spoke to the West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network this week – Detective Everett Edwards from the Seattle Police Special Investigations Section’s Pawn/Property Recovery Unit. He works with pawn shops, used-goods stores, and metal recyclers, seeking to recover stolen items.

Some basics you should know:

Share This

West Seattle 5K: One day left for online early-registration deal

March 30, 2014 7:19 pm

| Comments Off on West Seattle 5K: One day left for online early-registration deal

| How to help | West Seattle news

(It’s an all-ages event, as you’ll note in this photo from our 2013 West Seattle 5K coverage)
Seven weeks from today – Sunday, May 18th – the sixth annual West Seattle 5K Run/Walk hits the street on Alki. It’s a 9:20 am start as usual from 61st/Alki. WSB is proud to be a co-sponsor again this year, as we’ve been each year since the West Seattle High School PTSA created it to raise money for student programs. And so we’re reminding you that one day is left to get the discounted registration rate online – after March 31st (tomorrow!) the online rate goes up. Earlybird prices are $30 for ages 20 and up, $20 for ages 7-19 (6 and under, free) – just go here and get registered right now!

P.S. If you missed earlier mentions – yes, the WS5K will be followed again this year by SDOT’s Summer Streets event, 11 am-5 pm.

Share This

West Seattle sports: Water-polo athletes back from East-West Games

March 30, 2014 5:36 pm

| Comments Off on West Seattle sports: Water-polo athletes back from East-West Games

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

(Team parent-provided photo from East-West Championship Games)
West Seattle was well-represented in the recent East West Championship Games of water polo, held in Salt Lake City. Cori Roed reports that daughter Nicole Roed, a Chief Sealth International High School junior who competed at the championships, was invited to try out for the 12th-grade U.S. national team in California in May. She says Nicole is coached by Olympian Alison Gregorka, from the U.S. team that won the silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Games. Cori also reports that the Pacific NW 10th graders’ team took first place at the East-West Games, with its members including West Seattleite Silia Bruchal, an Ingraham High School student. The Pacific NW 12th Graders took third place.

Share This

Something to say to Seattle Public Schools’ superintendent? Strategic Plan meeting in West Seattle tomorrow night

March 30, 2014 5:08 pm

| Comments Off on Something to say to Seattle Public Schools’ superintendent? Strategic Plan meeting in West Seattle tomorrow night

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Looking ahead into the calendar for this week – big event tomorrow night if you have something to say about where Seattle Public Schools is headed. Superintendent José Banda will be at Roxhill Elementary (30th/Roxbury) 6:30-8:30 pm Monday for the last of five “town hall” meetings about the district’s Strategic Plan. West Seattle’s executive director of Schools Israel Vela will be there too.

Share This

Happening now: WS4OSO benefit all around West Seattle

March 30, 2014 12:33 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| How to help | West Seattle news

In the heart of The Junction right now – southwest corner of California and Alaska – that’s WS4OSO (West Seattle for Oso) benefit founder Tracy Dart at center, with a squad of friends helping collect donations for mudslide relief, one of more than 40 places you can join in the benefit today. Look for flyers, collection boxes, A-boards all showing the different ways you can pitch in. Tracy mentioned a “wish tree” just up the block at CAPERS, so we headed there next:

You can write a wish on a ribbon or card, and drop a donation in a box beneath the tree. From there, we headed north to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), for the special WS4OSO caramel/raspberry latté:

Full purchase price goes to slide relief. Outside Hotwire, the LikaLove and Fashion Bar trucks are in the courtyard (same place you see West Seattle Outdoor Movies in the summer), donating a percentage of sales:

A few doors up at Cherry Consignment, check out Cherry’s West Seattle T-shirts, with $10 from each shirt sold today going to help Oso.

ADDED 1:21 PM: At Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor), it’s a 2-part stop. Click! is donating a percentage of proceeds, and also hosting local artist Stephanie Hargrave, who has a personal stake in this:

Stephanie and her mom are the previous owners of smallclothes here in West Seattle. Her mom’s now retired. Her mom and dad lost their retirement cabin in the slide. No loss of life in their family, thankfully, but a loss nonetheless. Stephanie is donating all of her sales today – and Click! co-proprietor John Smersh said that had totaled more than $2,500 by the time we stopped in a little while ago. We’re hearing reports of generosity from all over – keep it coming!

ADDED 2:43 PM: On the WS4OSO page, there’s word the corner collections from 10-2 brought in more than $1,500. Meantime, we stopped in at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), where they’re donating $10 for every pair of shoes sold today. Co-proprietor Tim McConnell is wearing a temporarily customized T-shirt:

P.S. WSR celebrates its fourth anniversary next weekend!

More to come, and watch for updates on the official WS4OSO page, too.

ADDED 4:18 PM: One last stop for us – Marination ma kai (WSB sponsor), which is donating its proceeds until 6 pm. When there was a (very) brief lull in the line at the front counter, we asked Kayla and Brynn to pose:

The sun was out at the time (clouds now are heading back in as we type) and it was lovely on the Marination ma kai patio. But they have indoor seating too.

Share This

WS4OSO West Seattle-wide benefit, & what else is up for your Sunday

March 30, 2014 10:08 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Thanks to Debbie Runke for the great view of a bald eagle in Arbor Heights! Looking out over the calendar for today, we see these five highlights:

WS4OSO – MORE THAN 40 WAYS TO HELP: The West Seattle-wide benefit for mudslide survivors/victims in Snohomish County is on, with more than 40 businesses where you can shop, dine, and/or drink to be part of the fundraiser. Find the newest list on the official Facebook page – facebook.com/ws4oso – and if you don’t use Facebook, we included the list as of last night in this WSB update.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, the weekly market is on, with more vendors returning this week as we get deeper into spring. (44th/Alaska)

WEST SEATTLE ULTIMATE FAMILY FRISBEE: Organizers of this longrunning informal Sunday morning event say it’s on for today, 11 am, in High Point. You can check the WSUFF FB page weekly for updates. (31st/Myrtle)

DELRIDGE GROCERY ‘VOLUNTEER SUNDAY’: Sundays, noon-1 pm, you can meet a rep for the in-the-works cooperative grocery store, “to ask questions and/or offer your time to help out”:

*Where: * The Daily Dose Espresso, 5214 Delridge Way SW
*When:* Sundays, 12 noon to 1 pm
*Who: *Anyone who wants to learn more or has a little time to share info with your neighbors. People who want to help with event planning, outreach, co-op development, sharing info about healthy living, food justice activists, People who love West Seattle!

LIVE MUSIC AT C & P: Singer-songwriters Greg Spence Wolf and Steve Norris perform live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 3-5 pm. (5612 California SW)

Share This

Video: Hair loss for a cause @ West Seattle St. Baldrick’s benefit

March 30, 2014 2:47 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Health | How to help | West Seattle news

(In our video, Vincent and Lisa from Shanti are shaving Gene and Leah)
Paintbrushes are the tools you are most likely to see people holding at Mind Unwind in The Admiral District. Saturday night, though, razors and scissors prevailed. It was West Seattle’s first head-shaving fundraiser for childhood-cancer-research money, via the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Mind Unwind was the venue, but nearby Shanti Salon and Spa was the official presenter, and senior stylist Emily Austin the lead organizer. Here’s Emily with the night’s top fundraising shavee, Gene Hsu:

Emily had told us, while organizing this, that she had been involved with St. Baldrick’s in Ohio, where she used to live, and was surprised to find out that Seattle, despite being a hub for cancer research, has one of the nation’s lowest participation rates. Saturday night, she hoped, would be the beginning of an end to that, and the show of support suggested she was well on her way:

So let’s get back to Gene. For one, his fundraising alone was double Emily’s original $5,000 goal for this first event. By the time the razor touched his hair, he was up to about $11,000, and was getting matching support from his employer Marchex, he said. Plus, he was donating his hair to Locks of Love – which makes wigs for cancer patients. Other shavees included Shelley and Eric Herzog:

Head-shavings happened two at a time – in the foreground below is John Trainor, who said he had been growing his beard for 11 years, but allowed it to be taken (along with his higher-up hair) in exchange for more donations:

Leah Browne just signed up the day of the event and agreed to give up half of her 15-year dreadlocks:

Local businesses and artists donated prizes for ongoing drawings. Emily says St. Baldrick’s spends 82 percent of donations on research, and she added, “I think it gives folks a way of supporting a loved one who might be going through cancer treatment or might have lost a loved one to the disease.” She’s hopeful the event will grow year by year … so start growing your hair now and make it all the more dramatic when you join in NEXT time! Like Gene – before and after:

Share This

WS4OSO update: See who’s in for Sunday’s West Seattle-wide benefit to help slide victims/survivors

March 29, 2014 9:00 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| How to help | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Published on Flickr by Snohomish County government, taken during 10:37 am moment of silence today)
Some businesses and organizations have started already – we hear the West Seattle Eagles‘ dinner tonight was a sellout! – but tomorrow’s the big day for the WS4OSO (West Seattle for Oso) peninsula-wide benefit. The idea came from fabled fundraiser Tracy Dart just a few days ago and the list of participants has continued to grow – now more than 40! A caveat – there is no single pledge such as “x percent of proceeds,” so you will find each individual business/group doing something different; that’s how a grass-roots movement rolls. Where available, we’re noting what they’ve said they’re doing – most of the information is from the official WS4OSO Facebook page; some has been e-mailed, tweeted, or shared via WSB comments:

Carmilia’s
West 5
Beveridge Place Pub (see info on Twitter)
Shadowland
Cherry Consignment
Prost West Seattle
Meander’s Kitchen
West Seattle Runner
Shockwave Tees
Lika Love Fashion (truck @ Hotwire 10 am-3 pm)
Mind Unwind
Tully’s Coffee
Capers
Angelina’s
Christo’s on Alki
Clementine
The Bridge
Firefly
Hotwire Coffee (special caramel-raspberry latté with 100 percent of sales donated on Sunday)
Fashion Bar (details in this WSB comment)
Hands to Paws Massage
Pet Elements
Click! Design That Fits (donating part of proceeds, plus hosting artist Stephanie Hargrave, whose family lost a cabin and who is donating all sales)
Corner Pocket
Menashe & Sons Jewelers
Forsythe Studio
West Seattle Bowl (part of the proceeds from Friday night event)
Talarico’s Pizzeria
West Seattle Eagles (benefit dinner earlier tonight; bands and karaoke as the evening goes on)
The Cask
VAIN (25% of retail sales on Sunday)
Rachelfaunce.beautycounter.com
AmyWorks, Inc.
Chelan Cafe (matching donations, plus a Sunday barbecue, see “events” below)
Marination ma kai (donating proceeds from food sales 3-6 pm Sunday)
Second Gear Sports
Next to Nature
West Seattle Rolfing (details in this WSB comment)
Wilridge Winery (at WS Farmers’ Market)
Jan’s Beauty Supply (not open Sunday but collecting donations before/after)

EVENTS:

Sunday

West Seattle Farmers Market (corner of California & Alaska)
10 am – 2 pm
Collecting donations; FREE coffee provided by Tully’s

Chelan Cafe EbbTide Room
BBQ from 2 – 4 pm
(100% proceeds from the BBQ goes to the cause)

Monday (received via e-mail):

At The Center for Movement & Healing, we will be having a Dance and Donate Nia class on Monday, March 31st at 6:30 pm; located above Swedish Automotive at 7901 35th Ave SW.

We’ll hotlink the participants’ names by the time we publish tomorrow’s “OK, the big day is here” list, in case you don’t know where to find anyone who’s mentioned above. Again, the official page is facebook.com/ws4oso. We’ll see you around on Sunday!

Share This

Followup: First meeting of ‘true grass-roots’ Residents of The Junction, opposing 40-apartment, 5-parking-space 4439 41st SW

March 29, 2014 4:57 pm

| 71 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news

(From site plan filed with the city)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

A year and a half ago, two 4-unit townhouse buildings were on the drawing board for 4439 41st SW in The Junction, an 8,600-square-foot lot that currently holds one century-old house.

Four 6-year-old townhouses are to the north; a single-family house to the south; Hope Lutheran Church and School across the alley, to the west:

(Parcel-layout map, from city notice)
We first reported here in early March that the number of housing units proposed for the site had quintupled, to a 40-unit, 5-parking-space apartment building, after discovering the proposal during a routine browse of city records.

Turns out the change had been in the works about a month by then. The first public comment on file is from neighbor Abdy Farid – long active in Junction-area land-use issues – in mid-February. Last night, he was among those at Holy Rosary School‘s Hall, about two blocks away, for an organizational meeting of those opposed to/concerned about the plan (here’s the invitation we published Thursday).

Stressing that it needed to be a “true grass-roots effort,” another neighbor, Jim Schwartz, led Friday night’s meeting, which drew about 15 people. “When I saw the design sign go up, I was personally shocked and set back – I’ve always known there was a potential for the site to have some density development, but” … not this dense – a 3900 percent increase in density for the lot, as pointed out by a letter on file from Hope Lutheran leaders, also represented last night.

By the time an hour and a half of discussion had passed, those in attendance agreed their next step would be to gather signatures for a city-convened public meeting on the project, which is not slated for Design Review and therefore not scheduled for any public meetings otherwise. Several neighbor groups have requested and received such meetings in the past year (see list at the end of this story).

Here’s how the meeting unfolded:

Share This

West Seattle weekend scene: Big turnout for Co-op Preschools’ consignment sale

March 29, 2014 1:46 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

For the first time ever, the West Seattle (via South Seattle College) Cooperative Preschools decided to raise money via a big consignment sale of kid stuff – and today’s sale was a big hit. About midway through – not long after we took our photo – sale organizers said they had counted at least 230 shoppers. Numbers they had mentioned earlier: 7,300 items, from more than 100 consigners.

P.S. Any sellers with leftovers, remember that the 10th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (organized by us here at WSB) is coming up May 10th – with registration opening this Monday (March 31st) – and “kid stuff” is always one of the most popular categories!

Share This

Update: Rescue off Fauntleroy dock, ferries delayed

March 29, 2014 11:33 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

11:33 AM: A rescue offshore in Fauntleroy has delayed ferries to and from the terminal. Heidi, onboard one of the ferries, says “a sailboat went turtle” and tweeted photos including:

Coast guard and ferry crew sweep in! #rescue #sound #west seattle pic.twitter.com/q05EaySLPj

— Heidi W. Skrzypek (@heidiskrzypek) March 29, 2014

@wsferries awesome sailboat rescue this ride! Good eyes, first mate. pic.twitter.com/AXA5i4lqmE

— Heidi W. Skrzypek (@heidiskrzypek) March 29, 2014

Scanner traffic indicates a person has been rescued from the water.

11:43 AM: The Seattle Fire crews have just left the dock. The Klahowya, which was assisting, finally has made it to Fauntleroy. No information so far on the rescued person’s condition.

1:28 PM NOTE: Though the rescue is long over, the ferries on the route are still running behind – check here for updates.

8:14 PM: Thanks to Eric Bell for photos taken at the dock – first, as the vessel came in with the person who was rescued:

That’s the M/V Klahowya, which helped with the rescue, in the background. Next, the Medic 32 crew working to get ready for transport:

Still no official word on how the victim is doing and exactly what happened.

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Have you seen this van?

March 29, 2014 9:46 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle Crime Watch: Have you seen this van?

| Crime | West Seattle news

If you spot the van stolen from Danielle‘s home, please call 911:

My husband’s work van was stolen from in front of our house (in the 9400 block of 8th Ave SW; map) this morning sometime between 3AM-545AM. It is a 2013 Full Size White Ford E150 with a ladder rack on top. Logo on the side in black/red/blue font reads “Comfort Systems USA.” Underneath in smaller print it says “Merit Mechanical”. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. A report has been filed with the police department as well. The is the second time one of these vans has been taken from our home.

Share This