West Seattle, Washington

13 Tuesday

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day : 13/05/2014 11 results

About your tax dollars … City budget talk in West Seattle on Wednesday
May 13, 2014 9:28 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

It’s been a recurring theme lately – the money that local government gets from you already, the money it’s asking for beyond that, and how that money is being and would be spent. Tomorrow night, West Seattle is the site of a meeting entirely about how the city spends your money. It’s the last in a round of city-budget workshops looking ahead to 2015-2016 spending; this one has a special focus on public-safety (police, fire) and civil-rights programs. So especially if you have an interest in how those programs are funded – this meeting’s for you. It’ll start with a short presentation and then move into conversation, with City Councilmembers there. Also planning to be there: Reps of the Seattle Privacy Coalition, whose spokesperson Jan Bultmann says is joining with the Human Rights Commission “to request funding for a formal privacy review process.” They’ve drafted a letter they plan to make available tomorrow night, spelling out why they think it’s time to have a process like that in place. All are welcome at tomorrow’s meeting, 6-8 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). Want more details on the process? Go here.

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West Seattle High School baseball team wins return to state tournament
May 13, 2014 8:43 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

(Pitcher Kevin Cuddy)
West Seattle High School is the first varsity-baseball team from the Metro League to secure a berth in the state tournament, with a 13-8 victory tonight over Bainbridge at Steve Cox Memorial Field in White Center. Our first two photos and the following summary are courtesy of Greg Slader:

(Graham French hitting a double for insurance runs in the 6th inning)

West Seattle shocked #8-ranked Bainbridge, as the back-and-forth game resulted in a 13-8 win for the Wildcats. Both pitchers seemed to give up runs in every inning as the score was tied 3-3 and 5-5. Bainbridge led 8-5 in the sixth inning; then West Seattle batted around for eight runs, shocking the overconfident Islanders. Kevin Cuddy came on to pitch the sixth inning with bases loaded and then held on for the final six outs, as the Islanders could not muster a comeback. Graham French ignited the offense with a home run, two-RBI double and another RBI single as Bainbridge seemed to have no answer for his big bat. West Seattle is the first team to punch their ticket to the State Tournament. Before that, they have the Metro title game on Thursday night.

The Wildcats, coached by Velko Vitalich, will play that game at Cox Field at 7 pm Thursday vs. either O’Dea or Seattle Prep.

(WSB photo – celebrating a rally)
Meantime, Bainbridge’s loss today means they’ll play Chief Sealth International High School tomorrow night.

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West Seattle-based South King Sluggers plan beep-baseball battle vs. Seattle Police
May 13, 2014 7:49 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police | WS & Sports

Maybe you’ve heard about the Seattle South King Sluggers, a team of blind and visually impaired athletes who play “beep baseball” here in West Seattle, but you’ve never gone to one of their games. You’re now officially invited to a special matchup later this month:

The Seattle Police Dept. team will don darkened shades to compete in a game designed for blind athletes against the Seattle South King Sluggers. SPD players will have to listen for the ball and listen for which base to run.

The public is invited to attend the Sluggers vs. the Seattle SPD match Saturday, May 31, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Walt Hundley Playfield #2, 6920 34th Ave. SW, Seattle. Food, drinks, and t-shirts will be on sale.

Officer Chris Gregorio met the Sluggers and said, “I loved the idea of a beep baseball match because these guys were not ‘poor me.’ The trash talk began with the handshake.”

“The Sluggers motto is ‘beating challenges.’ We showcase what people who are blind can accomplish. This sport is highly competitive. The men and women on our team plan to compete in the Beep Baseball World Series in Minnesota this August,” said Sluggers Manager, Kevin Daniel.

Washington Council of the Blind (WCB) will sponsor this event to raise awareness about the sport and encourage people dealing with vision loss to get active.

“As a state organization of the blind, we voted to sponsor this event because we want to empower and engage people experiencing vision loss and their families,” Cindy Van Winkle, WCB President.

“Too often stories focus on what sighted people do for this faceless category called ‘the blind.’ We want to change the dialog. Come see what we can and are doing to make life better for others,” said Gaylen Floy, president of South King Council of the Blind, the chapter that sponsors the Sluggers.

Here’s a Seattle Times story from last year about the Sluggers.

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West Seattle bees: Another swarm; this one found its own new home
May 13, 2014 5:57 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | Wildlife

Another honey-bee swarm in West Seattle today, this time in North Admiral, this time on private property, where Meredith made that sign to let passersby know about the bees. A beekeeper from the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association “swarm list” was expected within a few hours, but this time, the bees found their own new home, Meredith reports. While handling the Westwood Village swarm we covered yesterday, beekeeper Clay Cook had explained that they might hang out in a temporary spot like this for 15 minutes up to 2 days, until one or more “scouts” return with word of a perfect new home – so apparently in this case, they found one.

P.S. If you spot a swarm, don’t call an exterminator – let them be or call a beekeeper (here’s this year’s list)!

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Peggy Washburn Fine Art Photography: Welcome, new WSB sponsor
May 13, 2014 4:09 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Today, we welcome a new WSB sponsor: Peggy Washburn Fine Art Photography. New local sponsors are offered the chance to share information about themselves and what they do, and here’s what Peggy would like you to know:

Peggy Washburn’s work has been acquired by many permanent collections including the Bibliothéque nationale de France (National French archives), The Ralph Lauren collection, The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Museo Nazionale della Fotografia, and Seattle University. Along with numerous gallery shows, nationally and internationally, her work has been exhibited at The Frye Art Museum, The Whatcom Museum of History and Art, and Museo Nazionale della Fotografia. Peggy is represented by the Linda Hodges Gallery in Seattle and The Ricco Maresca Gallery in New York.

Peggy was teaching and working as a fine-art photographer, painter and mixed media artist when Marita Holdaway of Seattle’s Benham Gallery noticed her work in 1993, offered to represent her, and invited her to join the gallery’s Resident Artist program. When her second child was born in 1995, she expanded her work to include portraits, and for nearly two decades to follow has balanced between worlds. She continues to work as an artist and fine art photographer and is available for portrait sittings by appointment.

To inquire about portrait sittings, commercial or fashion work, please contact Peggy – 206-323-6705 – peggy (at) peggywashburn.com. For inquires pertaining to available artwork, please contact The Linda Hodges Gallery in Seattle.

We thank Peggy Washburn Fine Art Photography for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; see our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

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Walk-to-school celebration at Roxhill Elementary this Friday
May 13, 2014 3:34 pm
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 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

On the heels – and toes! – of last week’s Walk-To-School Day events at two West Seattle schools, there’s another celebration coming up this week. Feet First shares news of an all-school Walk To School Day for Roxhill Elementary this Friday. The 9 am festivities will include Walking School Buses, a special dropoff on the northwest side of Roxhill Park so kids who usually take the bus can join in the last few blocks, local leaders including 34th District State Rep. Eileen Cody and School Board Director Marty McLaren, and even the marching band from nearby Denny International Middle School. Routes to Roxhill have seen recent safety improvements (such as these) as the result of a Safe Routes to School grant, and that’s part of the reason for the celebration.

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West Seattle development: Work begins at 4435 35th SW
May 13, 2014 12:42 pm
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 |   Development | West Seattle news

(Rendering courtesy GGLO – looking across the project site, south to north)
Another major West Seattle project is officially beginning – this time, in The Triangle, at 4435 35th SW (map), where Trinsic Residential Group has sent an announcement saying it’s broken ground. Not major work yet – we went over to check – but definitely stirrings:

The six-story, 159-apartment, 151-parking-space mixed-use building (no name yet) won final land-use approval five months ago, after going back into the city review process with a new owner and new architect, more than four years after a previous proposal for the site stalled.

Trinsic says this is its first Northwest project, with a mix of “studios, one bedroom, two bedroom, and townhome units,” designed by GGLO. The rendering above, first shown here last year, includes a public pedestrian hillclimb that’s part of the project, described by Trinsic as intended to “mend the broken link between 36th Avenue and the transit station on 35th Avenue SW … a notable display of public-private partnership that addresses the long-term outlook for the site.” The project also includes “a through-block, open pedestrian corridor which guides pedestrians from the transit stop to the hill climb at the west end of the building (and) an iconic elevator lobby tower with communal meeting and hang-out spaces at every floor.” Other features mentioned in the Trinsic announcement include “storage spaces for small and large recreational equipment” and a “plan to provide outdoor gear for rent including paddle boards, kayaks, cruiser bikes and other gear.” The general contractor is Compass Construction, whose banner you might have noticed on the fence at the site within the past week. (Compass is also the contractor for 4730 California, the mixed-use project under construction midblock between Alaska and Edmunds in the heart of The Junction.)

The lone building on the 4435 35th SW site formerly housed The Bridge, which moved last year to its new home at California/Graham in Morgan Junction.

SIDE NOTE: Lost track of all the development underway/recently completed in West Seattle? We mapped it – see it here. (We’re adding the newest project reported here, just last night – 4800 40th SW.)

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Mayor’s plan to avoid Metro cuts in Seattle: Vote on car-tab fee and sales tax
May 13, 2014 9:59 am
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 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

9:59 AM: “This is a crisis and we’re responding to the crisis,” is how Mayor Ed Murray described the proposal he’s just made public about how to raise money in Seattle to keep Metro Transit from cutting Seattle service:

$60 car-tab fee plus 0.01% sales tax increase is the same mix that comprised Proposition 1, which, while rejected countywide, was approved by a strong majority of Seattle voters, as was mentioned repeatedly during the briefing just concluded. Here is a one-pager from the mayor’s office, breaking down the new proposal:

During the briefing at City Hall, the mayor was flanked by West Seattleites – County Executive Dow Constantine (whose Monday announcement paved the way for this) and City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen – and surrounded by more than a dozen other local political, community, and business leaders. Rasmussen explained that this will be considered as a “transportation benefit district,” as was Prop 1. It’s expected to be on the November ballot.

Murray described the tax proposal as a temporary solution. How temporary? he was asked: “They will last as long as there is no other source.”

How will it be ensured that Seattle dollars stay in Seattle? The mayor said, “There will be a ‘no supplant’ clause,” which will require that the county does not route the money elsewhere. Constantine followed up by declaring: “The answer is because, that’s the deal.” Added detail from the one-pager above:

Under this plan, King County Metro would collaborate with the City of Seattle to finalize use of funds and recognize the City’s authority to allocate funds, while the City recognizes the need to honor Metro’s Service Guidelines with flexibility to address specific demands.

And potentially of high interest here in West Seattle, where development projects are being approved without parking because of their proximity to transit that might or might not be available into the future, the mayor said he would create a new area of SDOT focused on transit as it relates to increasing density in the city.

As noted previously, if you have questions about this or other Seattle transportation/transit issues, you have a great chance to get answers by being at tonight’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting, 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way).

ADDED 10:54 AM: The official news release is here. It does not include details of the SDOT/transit/development point that the mayor mentioned, so we are following up with his staff to get details on that.

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West Seattle Tuesday: How to get involved with your neighborhood, your school, transportation/growth advocates…
May 13, 2014 9:05 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Monday photo by Mark Wangerin)
Another beautiful day under way – and then a big night for community meetings (as is always the case on the second Tuesday of the month) – highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BLOODMOBILE: 10 am-4 pm (closed for noon-1 pm break), it’s at PCC Natural Markets-West Seattle (WSB sponsor), walk-up donors welcome. (California/Stevens)

SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT METRO’S PLANNED CUTS? As announced last month, tonight is the first County Council committee hearing, and the closest one to West Seattle – 6 pm in the board room at Union Station downtown. (401 S. Jackson)

CAL-SEATTLE @ JUNCTION NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION: 6:30 pm in the downstairs meeting room at the Senior Center of West Seattle, two guests are on the Junction Neighborhood Organization agenda announced by director René Commons: John Fox from CAL-Seattle (Citizens for an Affordable Livable Seattle), who “has been tracking growth of Seattle neighborhoods and growth targets established by the city of Seattle. What can be done by our neighborhoods to manage smart growth? Vote to be taken if JuNO will support this citywide effort”; also, from the city Department of Neighborhoods, district coordinator Jenny Frankl. (California/Oregon)

MAYOR’S TRANSPORTATION REP @ WS TRANSPORTATION COALITION: 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center, the WSTC agenda includes guest Andrew Glass Hastings, transportation adviser to Mayor Ed Murray, who this morning will announce his proposal for raising money to keep Metro from slashing bus service in Seattle. Other agenda items as published on the WSTC website include confirmation of board members. (6400 Sylvan Way)

TALKING WITH TEENS ABOUT POT: 7 pm in the West Seattle High School library, as previewed here last week, come talk with experts about talking with teens about marijuana. (3000 California SW)

PRECINCT COMMANDER @ ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 7 pm at The Sanctuary at Admiral, Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske is a guest at the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s monthly meeting. Also on the agenda shared by ANA president David Whiting, the Steps at Stevens project for better pedestrian access to West Seattle High School, and plans for participation in this July’s West Seattle Grand Parade. (42nd/Lander)

WEST SEATTLE BOOSTER CLUB: The announcement:

Please join us for our May meeting….Tuesday, May 13th, 7 pm, WSHS Library. We would love to see you. The more people involved, the more we can help the students and the school! Please check out our website, westseattleboosterclub.org, and follow us on Twitter, @WSBoosterClub, or contact us at westseattleboosterclub@gmail.com. We hope to see you on Tuesday!

(3000 California SW)

FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm FCA board meeting in the conference room at historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, all welcome. (9131 California SW)

DENNY IMS PTSA: 7 pm at Denny International Middle School, the PTSA plans a potluck, “thank you” celebration, and change of cabinet. (26th/Kenyon)

PUBLIC HEALTH CAFE: “Nanotechnology & Nanotoxicology” – come hear and talk about it at 7 pm at Chaco Canyon Organic Café; details in our calendar listing. (38th/Alaska)

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High-school baseball postseason: Chief Sealth wins
May 13, 2014 8:59 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Last night’s victory for the Chief Sealth International High School Seahawks varsity-baseball team keeps them going in the Metro League tournament. They defeated Nathan Hale HS, 4-3. Coach Ernest Policarpio says this morning they’re awaiting word on who they play next – the game is at 7 pm Wednesday, and will be against whomever loses this afternoon’s game between West Seattle HS and Bainbridge (4 pm, at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center, venue for all games in this tournament).

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday on the move
May 13, 2014 6:21 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
As we start today’s traffic watch, some news notes:

BUYING BUS SERVICE? Following up on King County Executive Dow Constantine‘s Metro announcements Monday, Mayor Ed Murray is set to go public with his plan at 9 this morning. And then tonight at 6, it’s the closest public meeting a County Council will have on the cuts that are in the works all the while. And at 6:30 here in West Seattle, the mayor’s transportation adviser is the guest at the next West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting.

ROAD WORK AHEAD: Announced Monday by SDOT – traction-improvement ahead for three local stretches of road, starting this weekend.

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