Reader report: 1766 Alki SW demolished, former home of longtime ‘neighborhood watch guard’
That 96-year-old beach house at 1766 Alki SW (map) was demolished today. It was a home with history, according to beach resident Roger Hayes (who shared the photos as well as the info):
The backstory of this house is, it belonged to Mary Starks, who was a longtime fixture in this little stretch of Alki Beach. She and her husband William “Bill” Starks, who passed away in the mid-’70s, originally bought this house in the mid-’50s. Mary was the neighborhood watch guard, avid gardener, raccoon caretaker, and beloved “grandmother” figure of our little Alki beach house community. She lived in the house up until early 2013 when her health was such that she could no longer live there alone, and was relocated to live with or near a niece in the Salt Lake City Utah area.
Sad to see the disappearance of another beach house that gave Alki Beach its original charm. However, totally understand the area and land is too valuable to not make way for progress of the modern day McMansions and multi-unit palaces that are becoming commonplace to the Alki Beach area.
Permits for this to be replaced by a larger single-family home were granted last summer. The site is zoned Lowrise-2, which would have allowed multi-family construction.
Followup: Big pour at big dig by Lowman Beach starts Friday
Since the big 3-day concrete pour at the excavation for the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project didn’t happen before the Thanksgiving holiday after all, we checked with the county today to ask about an official start date. It was just set today, according to Doug Marsano:
The first concrete pour is scheduled for this Friday, December 5. The last 2 pours are scheduled to occur next week on Tuesday, December 9 and Wednesday, December 10.
Work will occur from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. on each day. The entire area will be extremely busy on those three days, and additional flaggers will be on site to ease congestion around the site. Local and emergency access on Beach Drive S.W. will be maintained throughout.
Starting tomorrow, Thursday December 4, no parking will be available on weekdays along Lincoln Park Way SW between Murray Avenue SW and Beach Drive SW, or on Beach Drive SW between the work site and Lowman Beach Park until the pour is complete.
As reported here two weeks ago, that pour will involve 20 trucks an hour.
Higher priority for property crime? Seattle Police’s new plans
At a City Council committee briefing that wrapped up minutes ago, Seattle Police explained new plans for responding to property-crime calls … the most common types of crime that neighborhoods deal with day in, day out. Here’s the slide deck with toplines:
… and here’s what was announced via SPD Blotter:
The Seattle Police Department is taking new steps to address property crime and street disorder, including additional training for officers and potentially changing how 911 calls are handled.
The department, for example, is considering increasing the priority of calls that come in regarding property crime, and dedicating staff to handle non-emergency calls, to reduce wait times.
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The WSBeat: 14 summaries, from ‘Hey! Hey!’ to ‘stripper gloves’
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
This edition of our periodic feature The WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block?” Or on the bridge, or the beach, or …
*”Hey…..Hey!” was how one officer got the attention of a man he spotted relieving himself on the door of an Alaska Junction business. As the officer was writing a ticket, the owner of a nearby bar approached and complained that the suspect had a habit of leaving his liquid calling card at her business too, not to mention around the vehicles in the alley and parking lot. The officer said she could ban him from the bar property but had to tell him herself. When she did so, the man swore, called her a name, and offered up assorted other intimidating profanities. He ended up with the ticket in addition to the trespass notice.
*A man with a history of shoplifting at a Westwood Village store was asked to leave the premises around 7:30 a.m. on the 24th. In response, he aggressively threatened to physically assault one employee and then spat at her before leaving. Officers found him on a bus at Delridge and 21st. where he admitted his guilt. He was arrested for investigation of assault and harassment and booked into King County Jail.
*A man acting suspiciously around some cars near 37th and Kenyon admitted to officers that he didn’t live in the area, but that he was just walking home to Burien. It being 2 a.m., they recommended that he “stick to the main roads that are well lit…and stay out of the street.” On a hunch, the patrolling pair decided to circle the block before driving away. On this go-round, on the ground near where they had originally spotted the man, they found a pair of large bolt cutters, vise grips, lineman pliers, and a flathead screwdriver … all commonly used in break-ins. Officers put the tools in the cruiser’s trunk. Just then, they saw the suspect returning to the area–that is, until he spotted the officers, whereupon he ran down a driveway and dove under some bushes. He admitted that he was under Department of Corrections supervision but denied owning the tools. A records check showed that he currently had charges “suspended in the third degree,” so officers took the 42-year-old to a bus stop to catch a ride.
11 more summaries ahead:Read More
Door-to-door film festival! Couch Fest Films this Saturday, featuring three West Seattle sites
Couch Fest Films Sampler 2014 from Couch Fest Films on Vimeo.
Two months ago, we shared the call for people who might want to host Couch Fest Films screenings during this unique one-day film festival taking place in living rooms instead of theaters. This Saturday (December 6th) is the big day/night, and CFF organizers tell us they have three West Seattle hosts! Above, it’s the sneak peek at the short films that will be shown; here’s the official Seattle program, listing what’s being shown, when, and where. Your $10 pass enables you to visit as many of the venues around the city as you want to/can – buy it online here (or at the first screening site you visit Saturday).
P.S. West Seattle Office Junction (WSB sponsor) confirms their space is the one mentioned at 6040 California SW, where the documentary shorts will be shown (33-minute program in all) – the other two are 6017 49th Ave SW, with the “Inappropriately Awesome” shorts (32 minutes), and the “Mixed 1” collection will be screened at 3011 SW Cycle Court. See the descriptions for all of the shorts here.
When will Highway 99 tunneling resume? That question & more addressed as stakeholders’ group meets
(From the slide deck shown at Tuesday’s stakeholders meeting)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
While the Highway 99 contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners hopes to make its goal of opening the tunnel by the end of 2016, the state’s point person for the project says that might be “tough.”
To say the least.
WSDOT’s Matt Preedy briefed the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project Stakeholders’ Advisory Group on Tuesday afternoon, during their every-quarter-or-so meeting at Safeco Field. He talked about what STP is doing while it’s not tunneling, and where the work toward fixing the tunneling machine is now.
The ring of pilings around the “access pit” is done, he said, and the dewatering system is on – the blue lines are wells:
The recently restarted excavation is now halfway down, about 70 feet. Once it’s done, a “concrete cradle” will be put in, and the tunneling machine will rest atop it after advancing about 20 feet under its own power. Then the big job to lift a 2,000-ton piece of the machine will begin.
The red mobile “lift tower” to bring it up is under construction now, Preedy said, pointing out that when it’s done, it will protrude a few feet above the top of the Viaduct, just a few feet from the elevated highway – “it will be an interesting visual impact for drivers on the Viaduct.”
Components have been brought in “from throughout the globe” to put together the lifting mechanism. But even once the piece is out, that’s just the start…
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West Seattle Wednesday: ‘Cracking the Codes’; Southwest District Council; home-office/co-working meetup; more…
Thanks to Mark Wangerin for the photo of sanderlings huddled on a scrap of beach not swamped by the Tuesday high tide (our Instagram video caught the wind/waves, though nothing near Saturday’s scale). By the way, we’re told his West Seattle Wildlife benefit calendar is all but sold out – you might inquire at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) about a possible few remaining copies. Meantime, speaking of calendars, today’s highlights from ours:
HOME OFFICE/CO-WORKING MEETUP: Work outside the traditional office setting? Noon-1 pm on Wednesdays, you’re welcome to join the home office/co-working (etc.) meetup at West Seattle Office Junction (WSB sponsor), as explained here. (6040 California SW)
SEATTLE SCHOOL BOARD: At district HQ in SODO – 4 pm meeting, 5 pm public comment, 6 pm action items – including introduction of proposal to make interim superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland permanent, and boundary-change discussion. Here’s the agenda, with internal links including Dr. Nyland’s recent evaluation and the boundary-change presentation. (3rd Ave. S./Lander)
‘CRACKING THE CODES’: As the Ferguson situation has intensified discussions of racial inequity coast to coast, a new film/discussion series starts in West Seattle tonight, with a screening of “Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity.” Here’s an excerpt:
Facilitated discussion to follow. Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: 6:30 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle, short business meeting before holiday mingling, with refreshments. Public welcome. (Oregon/California)
KIWANIS CLUB OF WEST SEATTLE: Now meeting at 6:30 pm Wednesdays at Senior Center of West Seattle. Interested in finding out who’s in Kiwanis and what the club does in the community? Drop in for the meeting. And/or go to the annual Community Pancake Breakfast this Saturday – see the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide for details on that! (Oregon/California)
WHAT ELSE IS UP? Check out the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and Holiday Guide for today/tonight/beyond.
West Seattle schools: Forum with board member Marty McLaren tomorrow
Tonight, the Seattle School Board meets, with hot topics including the sudden move to offer interim superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland the permanent job, plus a vote on boundary changes that have raised concerns for several West Seattle school communities. (See our Monday night coverage.) Whatever happens tonight, you have a chance to hear from West Seattle’s school board member Marty McLaren tomorrow, as the Lafayette Elementary PTA is hosting her at a public forum (6:30 pm Thursday, December 4th, free child care). While its announcement (after the jump) includes school-specific items, the forum is not limited to those topics, as Lafayette PTA president Katy Walum tells us anyone in the community is welcome – note they’re also expecting replies from state reps on statewide school issues:
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