West Seattle, Washington
14 Saturday
(Embed removed for technical difficulties – see map here)
Our “Skies Over West Seattle” correspondent Alice Enevoldsen says tonight brings the best chance in years of aurorae – “Northern Lights” – in our area, so now that it’s dark, we’re starting a sky watch. Above, a map Alice made overnight with suggested West Seattle-area viewing spots, if you can’t just hit the road and drive away from the city.
9:04 PM: From Alice via Twitter:
@westseattleblog SKY IS OFFICIALLY GETTING REDDER in the NE
— Alice Enevoldsen (@AlicesAstroInfo) September 13, 2014
9:30 PM: Tweeted by Patrick:
@westseattleblog Faint green hue off to my north here in high point
— Patrick kelly (@MetPatrick22) September 13, 2014
10:41 PM: Hope is fading, Alice tweets:
we're down below Kp 4. That may be it for tonight.
— Alice Enevoldsen (@AlicesAstroInfo) September 13, 2014
We’ll be watching for a while longer, just in case.
12:58 AM: No miraculous appearance, so far as we can tell, combing Twitter (and elsewhere) for reports, and checking comments. (Alice tweeted about an hour ago that she’d seen some meteors, though. A clear sky always has SOMETHING worth watching.)
5:32 AM: We’ve been up all night but no sign of major Northern Lights (as commenters from all over the region were saying, too). Maybe tonight? We’ll be watching, again.
(Added: Photo, courtesy of Jason)
7:48 PM: Traffic alert for the east end of Roxbury – Seattle Fire crews are handling a “car fire” call at Olson/3rd (map) that’s described on the scanner as a “taxicab on fire.” Not sure how it’s affecting traffic yet, but we’re checking it out.
8:04 PM: Fire’s out. Affected the front end of a cab that’s in the outside lane of the uphill (southwestward) side of the Olson hill, so traffic headed toward White Center is affected more than downhill/outbound. No injuries reported.
Among the events on our calendar for Saturday that are so big, preparation had to start today – the Second-Time Sale at Fauntleroy Church. We stopped by while volunteers were getting everything in place today, including all those pillows (and more). The sale runs 9 am-3 pm Saturday (with a bake sale!), 11 am-1 pm Sunday, “in and around Fellowship Hall” at the church, 9140 California SW.
6:32 PM: More than 50 homes/businesses in pockets along Roxbury, between 35th and 20th, are without power, but Seattle City Light crews tell us it shouldn’t last much longer. It’s affecting signals, though, including 30th/Roxbury, so be careful and treat any nonworking signal intersection as a four-way stop. The cause is listed as “equipment failure,” apparently in a vault.
7 PM: The map suggests the easternmost pockets have been restored.
A much-used West Seattle-downtown route, particularly for bicycle riders, is set for paving work next week, according to this announcement from SDOT:
Crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation will pave in the 3100 block of East Marginal Way South [map] on Wednesday, Sept. 17 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Thursday, Sept. 18 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting.
On Wednesday, bicycles may use the designated bike lane. On Thursday bicyclists may ride on the sidewalk, being cautious of pedestrians and giving pedestrians the right of way. For information on bus service, look for Rider Alert notices at bus stops.
This is an area where a deadly bicycle/truck collision last year led to city promises of safety improvements.
While the pool itself isn’t affected, the hot tub (spa) alongside city-owned Southwest Pool in Westwood has been shut down, Seattle Parks has announced:
Effective immediately, the spa at Southwest Pool will be closed for several weeks for the repair of the spa’s drain assembly.
To remain in compliance with federal law and Washington state health regulations, a temporary repair is not possible. A permanent repair requires replacement of the drain sump, patched cement, plumbing, tile work and more.
The spa will remain closed until this extensive work can be completed.
The entire Southwest Pool building was closed for a week of maintenance work recently, but apparently (we’re checking) this didn’t come up until after that.
ADDED 3:45 PM: The reply to our question: “The pool was closed in August so the gym floor could be refinished. There was no pool maintenance scheduled at that time. The spa maintenance is a new issue.”
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
For the 10th year, Seafair Clowns stopped at a local school for a big supplies giveaway. Today was the big day, and this time, the recipients were students at West Seattle Elementary in High Point. Seattle firefighters and police were there to help too:
That included Fire Chief Gregory Dean:
And West Seattle’s own “Officer Lumpy” got a big smile from West Seattle Elementary principal Vicki Sacco:
Also part of the event – Stoneway Concrete and Gary Merlino Construction.
(From upper Lincoln Park, by Mark Ahlness, via the WSB Flickr group)
Before we get much further into the afternoon – a quick look at half a dozen highlights ahead through tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
HIGH-SCHOOL AEROSPACE-CAREER EXPO: New timespan for this event, 3-4:30 pm – otherwise, details are in our preview. Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
DELRIDGE GROCERY’S FRIDAY FARMSTAND: The fresh-produce stand just south of Delridge Library is open again, 4:30-7:30 pm, with farm-fresh fruit and vegetables. (5435 Delridge Way SW)
INSTAGRAM PICNIC ON ALKI: If you’re anywhere near Alki tonight, your chances of winding up in someone’s photo are greater than ever (or perhaps you’ll be taking the photos): Seattle Instagramers are invited to gather for a picnic near Statue of Liberty Plaza to celebrate the group’s 3rd anniversary, 6 pm. (61st/Alki)
‘KIWI MEETS THE SEA’ WINE, OYSTERS, MUSIC: That’s all in one event at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor) tonight, with the wines of New Zealand’s much-honored Villa Maria and local Taylor Shellfish Farms oysters, 6:30-7:30 pm; plus music (6-9 pm) by The W Brothers, guitar and mandolin. (1936 Harbor SW)
HIGH-SCHOOL FOOTBALL: One game in town tonight – West Seattle High School hosts Washington at Southwest Athletic Complex (2601 SW Thistle), 7 pm. That’s also when Chief Sealth International High School visits Rainier Beach at Southeast Athletic Complex.
NIGHT 2 FOR ‘THE MOUNTAINTOP’: 7:30 pm is curtain time for the new production at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), the Seattle premiere of “The Mountaintop,” directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton. Buy your ticket(s) online, here. (4711 California SW)
MORE TO SEE AND DO … just check our calendar.
(Added – archived video of briefing)
TOPLINES:
-Mayor promises 50 more SPD officers will be on street by end of 2015
-100+ neighborhood “micropolicing” plans in the works
-Re: homeless encampment sweeps, he says policies haven’t changed since before he took office
(added) OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE HERE
As-it-happened notes after the jump:
Live/work in Admiral? Tomorrow you can join the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s quarterly Adopt-A-Street cleanup, with rewards – treats before/after from the Admiral Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor). Meet your fellow volunteers outside the store at 9 am Saturday. Don’t worry about bringing bags or equipment – it’s all provided. Young volunteers welcome, too.
The Adopt-A-Street cleanup is part of what was on the agenda at this past Tuesday’s ANA meeting. Centerpiece item: The long-requested, soon-to-be-installed 47th/Admiral traffic signal.
Toplines from that discussion, and more, ahead:
The 2015 West Seattle wildlife-photo calendar featuring images by Mark Wangerin – a frequent WSB contributor (thank you!) – is now available. It’s been about four months since we shared the news that this 12″ x 12″ calendar was in the works, as a fundraiser for environmental programs at Chief Sealth International High School, where Mark taught from 2002 to 2012. Now the calendar is on sale at local stores including J.F. Henry, Merryweather Books, and Curious Kidstuff (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, and West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) in Morgan Junction. According to Mark House Publishing, if you’re interested in a bulk order of the $14.99 calendar, that “can be personalized with logos and/or contact information for no additional charge” (markhousepublishing.com or 206-660-6982).
(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
No trouble on the major roads through/from West Seattle so far. But 42nd/Dakota has an unusual sight, until it’s towed:
See our coverage from the 6 am hour here (or if you’re reading this on the main page, scroll down to the previous story).
WEST SEATTLE CAR SHOW ON SUNDAY: The 7th annual West Seattle Car Show is two days away and will close California to traffic between Oregon and Edmunds starting early Sunday morning and continuing until late afternoon. That includes Metro bus re-routes.
OVERNIGHT CLOSURES ON/NEAR HIGHWAY 99 NEXT WEEK: Listed in the new “Construction Lookahead,” which says that, between the West Seattle Bridge and the stadium zone, Highway 99 will be closed northbound 10 pm Wednesday (September 17th) to 5 am Thursday (September 18th), and southbound 10 pm-5 am Thurs. night-Fri. morning (Sept. 18th-19th). The ramp from the eastbound bridge to NB 99 will be closed overnight Mon., Tues., Wed. (Sept. 15-16-17).
(Added: WSB photo)
6:14 AM: Emergency responders are arriving in the 4000 block of 42nd SW on a “heavy rescue” call that involves a flipped car, according to someone who called us (thank you).
6:19 AM: Some of the units have been canceled – the person in the vehicle, reported to be on its side, got out without having to be cut out. No word on injuries yet; our crew is en route.
6:34 AM: Just added a photo. The car – reported to be owned by a rental company – is up on the sidewalk, and police are trying to figure out how that happened. Its driver is being taken to the hospital by private ambulance. Police say he told them he was westbound and remembers hitting the traffic island just before the car landed on the sidewalk on the north side of Dakota, a few houses east of California. No traffic effects now but once a tow truck arrives, that will cause some 42nd/Dakota logistics challenges for a bit.
8:42 AM: Car’s gone, scene clear.
Even before fall classes start at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), some of its incoming students gathered today for a graduation – and, as you can see in the video above, something of a pep rally. (That’s Mathew Apelu, leading the “cheers.”) They’re coming to SSC on the 13th Year Promise Scholarship – one year of free tuition for graduates from Chief Sealth International High School and two public high schools from outside West Seattle, Cleveland and Rainier Beach. Today’s event marked the end of the three-day 13th Year Bridge orientation featuring workshops that covered topics “from college success strategies to financial literacy”:
13th Year Promise scholarships are available to graduates from those three schools regardless of grades or financial status, and SSC president Gary Oertli tells us they’re working on adding West Seattle High School to the 13th Year Promise roster soon. He is a Sealth graduate, as he reminded the new students this afternoon:
(Sorry about the camera instability – that clip works better as audio than video)
The event also included a panel discussion featuring past 13th Year Promise students. This year’s group, by the way, is more than 100 strong – the biggest one yet, says SSC. It started with the Cleveland class of 2008, added Sealth in 2011, and has now expanded to add Rainier Beach. You can get more information on the SSC website.
You’ve probably heard about the big solar flare, and the possibility it’ll bring the “Northern Lights,” aka aurora. Since we are lucky to be able to work with expert skywatcher, Solar System Ambassador, and Skies Over West Seattle correspondent Alice Enevoldsen, we’re keeping in touch with her (and you can also find her on Twitter) – so far, the prospects aren’t clear, though the sky is. Her recommended info-source currently isn’t showing it getting this far south, but things can change, so keep checking (we will, too).
1:39 AM: If you’re interested, hope you were following along in comments – Alice will be checking again for tomorrow. And in the meantime, she’s come up with recommendations of best potential viewing spots in West Seattle, and mapped them
(embed removed for technical difficulties – follow that link to see the map)
(If you are a longtime WSB’er, you might remember Alice’s mapmaking back during the December 2008 “snowpocalypse,” years before the city finally started mapping plowed/not-plowed routes itself!)
FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Looking promising for tonight, according to some numbers Alice forwarded. We’ll take a separate, more extensive look when it gets closer to nightfall.
7:13 PM: … That’s what the big response is for. Two people hurt, but neither lost consciousness, per scanner.
7:22 PM: We are at the scene. Two people were on the motorcycle, both taken to the hospital by private ambulance. The crash scene is on Holden west of 16th, at the 7-11 driveway. No life-threatening injuries. It’s suspected the collision happened because the sun got in everybody’s eyes, police told us.
7:39 PM: Added a photo. At top, police officers and firefighters were cleaning up the scene, including lifting up the motorcycle, awaiting a tow truck. SFD says the people taken to the hospital were the 50-year-old man driving the motorcycle and 50-year-old woman who was his passenger.
From Admiral to The Triangle to The Junction to Morgan Junction, the September West Seattle Art Walk is on until 9 pm. Here’s the map/venue list. Photos to come – watch the WSB Instagram feed in the meantime.
8:01 PM: Had to divert to breaking news, but we made it to two stops and have a photographer at a third. First, at Mind Unwind/Treehouse Lounge in The Admiral District, even before tonight’s featured artist arrived, we found customers exploring creativity:
That’s Mariah and Justin. Then it was on to The Junction, where Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) is featuring two artists tonight – first, in a meet-the-maker event, it’s Steve Lawler of rePly Furniture:
Shelli Markee, best known for her wire birds on the Click! walls, is there too.
ADDED: West Seattle Cellars north of Morgan Junction had two artists tonight, too – Rich Lehl:
… and ET Marsden:
WS Cellars has free wine tastings every Thursday night, by the way, not just Art Walk nights. And it’s just steps away from West Seattle’s only co-working center, WS Office Junction (WSB sponsor):
That’s the WSOJ team posing with some of the art on display in their quarters at 6040 California SW, where you’re invited to a free coworking meetup every Wednesday, noon-1:15 pm. Meantime, next month’s West Seattle Art Walk will be October 9th – in the meantime, many venues keep their displays up all month, so check the WSAW website and check out art in the days and weeks ahead.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It’s just a matter of weeks before your November ballot arrives – and it’s busier than you might think, as was evidenced when last night’s 34th District Democrats meeting in West Seattle, centered on ballot-measure discussions and endorsement votes, began with chair Marcee Stone-Vekich warning, “It’s going to be a long night.”
Here are highlights from the ensuing two hours:
PRESCHOOL PROPOSITIONS: There are two on the Seattle ballot, 1A and 1B, in one measure – you’ll be asked if you think either should be approved, and then, regardless of how you answered that, which one you would prefer. Each one had a presentation at last night’s meeting, followed by both sides sitting down as a panel to answer questions. We recorded video:
Watching the ever-busier commercial/multifamily real-estate listings, a few things of recent note:
HOMESTEAD PRICE DROP: When the fire-ravaged Alki Homestead went back on the market last December, it was listed for $1,850,000. At some point, it went off the market, but is back again, categorized as a “new” listing, now at $1.4 million. Here’s the marketing flyer.
ADMIRAL PRICE DROP: Also listed for less, the former Brickyard BBQ site at 2310 California SW in The Admiral District. Seven months ago, we mentioned its initial $1,050,000 listing; now it’s down to $900,000.
3039 AVALON WAY: At least two projects remain in the works on the north side of Avalon (the 3268 microhousing and 3078 apartments), and now there’s a property for sale on the south side – 3039 Avalon Way SW, currently home to a duplex but, the listing says, “allows for 65` height and no parking requirements – ideal apartment location.” Listed at $1,650,000.
4140 CALIFORNIA SW: $1,575,000 is the asking price for this newly listed business-occupied building on the north edge of The Junction.
4857 FAUNTLEROY WAY: Just a block south of starting-soon The Whittaker, this apartment building known as The Dorchester is now up for sale, $1,695,000.
Lots of demolition work around West Seattle this month – and we’ve received some bonus information about one project: With major teardown work at Arbor Heights Elementary starting this week, SODO-based Second Use has spent three days on site “reclaiming materials that still had life in them to divert them from the landfill,” according to outreach coordinator Mary Anne Carter, who shared the photos and adds:
We recovered hundreds of items including slate, trough sinks, porcelain enameled barn lights, fir wall cabinets, fir built in cabinets, stainless steel sinks, and more.
Although the school was built in 1953, many of the fixtures were built in the decades previous and used in other schools before being moved to Arbor Heights. Tags and markings on fixtures listed John Hay School, Fauntleroy Elementary School, and others. Most of the inventory can be viewed on our website, though we are continuing to process items and add new material daily. …
It’s my hope that this provides the community with the opportunity to potentially reconnect with the furnishings of their formative years and glean a better perspective of what happened to the material that the school left behind.
Second Use is not involved with the Genesee Hill school-teardown project, according to Carter (work there also has intensified – here’s video we published on Instagram yesterday).
Not a good sight to see. @westseattleblog pic.twitter.com/WHknnuH4Ia
— Clark Gilbert (@coachclarkruns) September 11, 2014
Lots of questions about black smoke visible downtown, looking across from here. 911 log shows an apartment-building fire on Capitol Hill, in the 300 block of Bellevue Ave. E. (map). Firefighters are there.
12:09 PM: *Not* a huge fire, despite all that smoke – it’s already described over the scanner as “knocked down,” and “confined to a deck on the roof.”
12:30 PM: Thanks to everyone who sent photos/asked questions – when something is so visible from here, even if it’s not happening *in* WS, we’ll always try to get information as fast as we can, and tips are almost always how we get first word. No injuries reported so far.
P.S. For any further updates, check back with our friends at CapitolHillSeattle.com.
Last year, the Chuck Diesel Invitational golf tournament at West Seattle Golf Course raised more than $7,000 for The First Tee of Greater Seattle and its youth health/wellness/junior-golf programs. Consider this your invitation to be part of it this year, coming up this Saturday. The announcement we received explains that “this year’s tournament theme is a tribute to classic Seattle sports: Think Gary Payton, Chip Hanauer, Fred Couples, Steve Raible, Steve Largent, Brian Bosworth, the Kingdome!” More than a dozen local businesses have chipped in with money and/or prizes for the tournament, which we’re told “started out with six friends trying to raise money for a good cause” and included more than 70 golfers last year:
Founder Charlie “Diesel” Anderson has set himself up for a large goal in 2014, by attempting to raise over $10,000. Hoping to keep the game as fun as possible, Diesel and the event staff have been working to add some exciting new activations around the course to keep the participants on their toes, and hopefully walking home with a trophy or two. Not a golfer? There will also be a silent auction during the tournament, as well as a raffle. Come out, join the fun, and support a worthwhile cause.
Since there’s still room/time to do that, here’s how: Register at golfcdi.com, where you’ll find five different registration options, all including greens fees to play in the tournament, plus a golf cart, and dinner. If you just want to donate, you can do that online by going here.
(WSB photo: Art we noticed while out walking – memorial bench along the Harbor Avenue shore)
Highlights for today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
TODDLER STORY TIME: 11:30 am at High Point Branch Library, free as always. (35th/Raymond)
‘NIGHT IN SPAIN’: Paella dinner, flamenco dancing, big night at the Senior Center of West Seattle, 5 pm – check to see if any reservations remain; info’s in our calendar listing. (Oregon/California)
‘SECOND THURSDAY OUT’: Also at the Senior Center tonight, LGBTQ community members and friends are invited to a no-host happy hour followed by a dinner gathering at Talarico’s. 6 pm – details in our calendar listing. (Oregon/California)
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: Great reason to enjoy this late-summer sunshine – spend the evening stopping by some of the venues in this month’s West Seattle Art Walk. Here’s the venue list/map:
Almost all are open 6-9 pm, usually with a chance to meet the artist (and business owners are there at many venues too) and enjoy refreshments. Preview venues/artists via the official Art Walk website at wsartwalk.com. Among them, Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor), with two artists’ work this month:
That’s by Steve Lawler, who Click! says “will be on hand showcasing his plywood furniture, made entirely of remnants left over from cabinet shops.” They’re also featuring Shelli Markee‘s wire-sculpture birds. Click! is in The Junction, which has the major concentration of Art Walk participants, but check the map for other areas – just north of Morgan Junction, for example, West Seattle Cellars has two artists tonight, Tim Marsden and Rich Lehl. (Full-size venue map here)
FRIENDS OF SCHMITZ PRESERVE PARK NATURE WALK: Learn about the history and the ecology of West Seattle’s old-growth-forest treasure, 6 pm. Call to see if there’s still room – info’s in our calendar listing. (Admiral/Stevens)
TOUR THE DUWAMISH: Should be a great night to get out on the water somewhere. Why not the Duwamish River? If you see this before mid-afternoon or so, check to see if there’s still room on tonight’s community kayaking tour from Duwamish Waterway Park in South Park at 6 pm. Details are in this preview. (7900 10th Ave. S.)
K-5 STEM PTA MEETING: First meeting of the school year, 6:30 pm, school library. (5950 Delridge Way SW)
WINE TASTING AND MUSIC: Second Thursday is also wine tasting night – bring an appetizer, bring a friend – at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), with Brazilian music by Choro Tocando. Starts at 7 pm. (5612 California SW)
OPENING NIGHT FOR ‘THE MOUNTAINTOP’: 7:30 pm is curtain time for the official opening night of the new production at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), the Seattle premiere of “The Mountaintop,” directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton. You can buy your ticket(s) online, here. (4711 California SW)
AS USUAL … there’s more on the calendar beyond the highlights above – go here to see for yourself!
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