West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
On Thursday night, we pointed out that West Seattle had just one pop-up mini-park planned for PARKing Day this year:
… and that was it, the third consecutive year for a mini-park outside Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) at Westwood Village. That’s co-proprietor Kirk Keppler. They offered visitors a chance to play “ladder ball,” among other things.
Though no one else was registered for the SDOT map, we found out tonight that there was at least one unofficial pop-up park:
Thanks to Amy for the photo from their unofficial mini-park on Admiral Way near 63rd. PARKing Day is a global celebration of urban open space held every year.
In case you haven’t heard … the city is warning of a possible traffic-tastrophe when the president of China, Xi Jinping, visits next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Mayor Murray issued this alert late today, including:
Intermittent closures of freeways, regional arterials and downtown streets are expected. The flow of buses and cars in downtown Seattle and around the region will be disrupted. Travelers in Seattle are advised to plan ahead and expect traffic delays on all three days. Those who can postpone trips downtown or work from home are encouraged to do so.
He’s flying in and out of Paine Field in Snohomish County, reports The Times, not Boeing Field, so that likely means less disruption here on the south side of the city; some more-general info about his visit is on Gov. Inslee’s website.
One year after voters approved creating the Seattle Park District to provide more money for the city’s park system, Mayor Murray has gone public with his first full-year budget proposal for the district. He was in South Park this morning for the announcement; above, you can watch Seattle Channel‘s archived video of the event. The news release is here – and probably of most interest locally is the list of what will be funded if his proposal goes through. See it here; we’ve excerpted specific West Seattle mentions below (but note that some items on the list are very general, so these are not necessarily ALL the ways in which WS facilities/locations would get funding):
PLAY AREAS
Renovate play areas with new play equipment and make any necessary safety and ADA improvements. Complete Lincoln Park (North), Webster Park and Gilman Park play areas in 2016. Begin the following 7 renovations: Prentis Frazier, Georgetown, High Point, Dearborn, Discovery, Hiawatha and South Park play areas.
COMMUNITY CENTER REHABILITATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Condition assessments under way for the following community centers: Green Lake, Hiawatha, Jefferson, Loyal Heights, Magnolia, Queen Anne, South Park, Lake City. This information and the Community Center Strategic Plan will inform priority projects
INCREASE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
New Third Shift Crew of journey-level trade positions (electricians, painters, carpenters and plumbers) maintains recreation facilities at night to avoid disruption to the public during operating hours and to work more efficiently. In 2016, the Third Shift Crew will work at 14 sites Camp Long, Rainier Beach CC, Van Asselt CC, International District/Chinatown CC, Alki CC, Miller CC, Yesler CC, Montlake CC, Laurelhurst CC, Ravenna-Eckstein CC, Magnolia CC, Green Lake CC, Loyal Heights CC, South Park CC. These are in addition to 10 sites already funded for preventive maintenance in the department’s base budget: Colman Pool, Mounger Pool, Mount Baker Bathhouse, SW Crew Quarters and the following facilities which will require closures: Evans Pool, Southwest Pool, Amy Yee Tennis Center, Madison Pool, Queen Anne Pool. This means improved maintenance at 24 facilities in 2016, and moving from a 5-7 year cycle of visits to a 2-year cycle. Because much of the work is done at night, there will be fewer 2-3 week closures and fewer interruptions of child care programs, before- and after-school care, sports and many other activities.
PROVIDE CLEAN, SAFE, WELCOMING PARKS
Improve parks grounds maintenance, landscaping, and tree work by adding a third tree crew to protect the long-term health of park trees (decreasing tree maintenance cycle from once every 50 years to once every 14 years); increasing support for the Seattle Conservation Corps; and increasing park maintenance including doubling weekly cleanings of comfort stations during peak season at 41 locations: Cal Anderson, Powell Barnett, Volunteer, Madison Beach, Madrona Beach, Washington, Pratt, Garfield, Seward, Atlantic City, Genesee, Othello, Jefferson, Judkins, Alki, Rainier, Van Asselt, EC Hughes, Seacrest, Highland Park, Lincoln Beach, Riverview, Roxhill, Lincoln Wading Pool, John C. Little, Gas Works, Upper Woodland, Lower Woodland, Central Woodland, Green Lake, North Acres Spray Park, Carkeek, Golden Gardens Upper, Golden Gardens Beach, Soundview, Maple Leaf, Matthews Beach, Magnuson, Viewridge, Dahl, Meadowbrook.
PUT THE ARTS IN PARKS
Working with the Office of Arts and Culture, recruit and select artists to “activate” parks through approximately 40 performances and temporary installations. While not limited to these sites, the following parks have high priority for activation: Cal Anderson, Dr. Blanche Lavizzo, First Hill, Judkins, Flo Ware, Powell Barnett, Denny, Ballard Commons, Lake City Mini Park, Mineral Springs, Salmon Bay, University Playfield, Hutchinson, John C. Little, Othello, Pritchard Beach, Delridge, Duwamish Waterway, Roxhill.
DEVELOP 14 NEW PARKS AND LAND-BANKED SITES
Start planning and design from 2016 to 2018 for 14 new parks all over the city on land acquired with 2008 Parks and Greenspaces Levy including: Lake City Hub Urban Village, Baker Park Addition, Greenwood Park Addition, Greenwood/ Phinney Residential Urban Village, Wedgwood, U District UCV, Fremont HUV, Denny Triangle, International District UCV, 48th and Charlestown, North Rainier HUV, West Seattle Junction, Morgan Junction RUV, South Park Plaza (bold indicates the sites planned to start in 2016).
The local “land-banked sites” mentioned for West Seattle are, in the Junction, the one on 40th SW south of SW Alaska, current interim home to Fire Station 32, and in Morgan Junction, just north of MJ Park, the site currently housing a commercial building. Those two and 48th/Charlestown are all now city-owned but there’s no money to develop them as parks, pending this proposal (or something else in the future). Again, LOTS more in the full list linked above, but these are the items that include specific, called-out-by-name West Seattle locations. Next year is the first year that property taxes will be collected to fund the Park District and its projects.
Just in from SDOT:
Starting on Saturday, September 19, 2015, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will mark the existing eastbound bus-only lanes on the West Seattle Bridge with high visibility red markings. Similar to those installed in locations such as Battery Street and NE Pacific Street, these markings raise the profile of the transit-only lane and improve driver compliance with the restriction.
If you see this suspect or have any information about the bank robbery in the 4300 blk SW Admiral Way call 911 pic.twitter.com/YII2bZBTSa
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) September 18, 2015
(Tweeted photo, added 3:24 pm)
2:56 PM: Police are rushing right now to a reported bank robbery in The Admiral District. The address that’s been broadcast is the Bank of America branch (4323 SW Admiral Way). The only description police have at this point is (updated) “black male in his 20s, 5’8″, wearing a baggy white shirt with red/blue lettering.”
3:05 PM: No weapon seen, officers are telling dispatchers (per scanner). If you’re seeing or have seen the Guardian One helicopter in the area, this is what they are/were helping with.
3:24 PM: We asked Seattle Public Schools if any of the nearby schools had gone into lockdown/shelter in place. Spokesperson Stacy Howard says Lafayette Elementary and West Seattle High School did, briefly, but that should be over now. Just added, meantime, photo of the robber, tweeted by SPD. Call 911 if you have seen him and/or know who he is.
(WSB photo, taken around 3:30 pm)
4:24 PM: No word of an arrest yet. Side note – this is the second bank robbery in West Seattle in a month and a half, after one at the Umpqua Bank in Admiral in early August. Before that, there hadn’t been one here since Washington Federal north of The Junction was held up in May 2014.
And with that, the M/V Doc Maynard was officially welcomed to the King County Water Taxi fleet – though it’s not expected to join the West Seattle-Downtown Seattle run until December – after filling in for its twin M/V Sally Fox on the Vashon run for a while, and after some work is done at Seacrest to accommodate its size and configuration. The celebration at Pier 50 downtown included speeches and even stories – King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, drawing on a past gig as an Underground Tour guide, told the tale of the boat’s namesake:
After the speeches and bottle-smashing, it was out onto the bay for a test run. Here’s a quick look around the top deck at the stern (there’s room for more than 30 to stand at the bow, too) – mouse over the Instagram image to bring up the “play” button:
Interior, main deck, new West Seattle Water Taxi. pic.twitter.com/wV8tnXGu2b
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) September 18, 2015
We have lots of photos, video, and info to add once we’re back at HQ.
ADDED FRIDAY NIGHT: More from the event – first, the group shot of West Seattleites who took the short “maiden voyage” after the ceremony, out into the bay and back:
(Photo courtesy KCDOT)
The county points out that the space on the bow is one thing differentiating Doc Maynard from Sally Fox – since the DM will travel mostly in calmer Elliott Bay waters, rather than across the heart of the sound as SF does to get to Vashon Island. Here’s what it looks like on the inside upper passenger deck, which has a view directly into the wheelhouse:
On the outer lower deck, at the stern, some of the bicycle storage:
The event wasn’t just a celebration of the new boat – funded mostly with a grant from the federal government (which had a rep on hand too) – but also of the Water Taxi’s history. It was pointed out that it now goes back 17 years, into the late 1990s, at which time then-King County Councilmember Greg Nickels championed it as a “demonstration project.” Introduced as “the father of the Water Taxi,” he spoke today too:
Nickels noted that the fellow West Seattleites with whom he stood, County Executive Dow Constantine and Councilmember McDermott, also worked with him back in the Water Taxi’s early days. If you’ve been around a while, you’ll recall other boats that have handled the Water Taxi’s run; while the way-back boats weren’t present for the ceremony, the other three current boats were out on the water as the Doc Maynard pulled away:
Besides the Sally Fox, you saw in that clip the current West Seattle boat, the Spirit of Kingston, and the current backup, the Melissa Ann, which is leased. SofK will be the backup boat once Doc Maynard goes into service.
(WSB photos)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
When the doors open at Colman Pool for its 75th-anniversary season next summer, be sure to look up as you walk in.
The 6′ x 13′ mural over the reception window in the lobby is getting some TLC right now, following the end of the 2015 season for the city-owned outdoor, saltwater pool on the shore of Point Williams at Lincoln Park.
We stopped in earlier this week to talk with Peter Malarkey, the conservator who is cleaning and repairing the mural for what might be the first time in its three-quarters of a century:
The mural was painted by Ernest Norling for the pool’s completion and dedication on July 4th, 1941.
Malarkey, who cleans and restores privately owned paintings as well as public artwork like this, says he’s seen worse – but still, here’s proof of what he’d removed in the first few days:
Since the pool is only open to the public a few months a year, and there are no other sources of “emissions” to contribute to the grime, that’s likely why it’s in what Malarkey terms “surprisingly good shape.” You have to look hard to see the spots he’s repairing – a few nicks and scratches, one long line of “graphite” that he suspects might have been caused by someone with a pencil. A few spatters, too.
And then, a protective coat of varnish will go over the entire mural – not too glossy, so it doesn’t detract from the art itself, “as invisible as possible,” says Malarkey. “It’s meant to be panels of color, not a lush oil painting.”
Talking about the mural restoration led to a discussion of the mural itself, which reflects many aspects of the time, and the interests of Laurence Colman, for whom the pool is named. You can read about the mural, titled “American Youth and Freedom,” on interpretive signage in the lobby (which has other items of interest, even an old-fashioned phone booth):
We discussed the mural’s style – which Malarkey sees as a reflection of American Regionalism, and the so-called “American Scene” painters. He has another term for it – “late ‘Public Deco’.” The mural, he observes, “clearly responds to the building,” including its curves
Back to Peter Malarkey’s work as a conservator. “All the materials I will use are reversible,” he said. His work is “to influence the painting as little as possible” – everything is soluble in case at some point it needs to be removed. “Reversibility” is important in the kind of work he does. When you see the mural again next year, “the fresher colors will give you a chance to look at (Norling’s) work again, the way he intended it to look.”
Malarkey expects to be done by the middle of next week. Of the project (publicly and privately funded, for an estimated total of $15,000), he says, “It’s good of Parks and the city to be taking care of this – it shows a lot of dedication to the building (and its history). It’s an example of a wise investment in the city’s culture.”
(Photo courtesy of Rachael)
10:26 AM: Seattle Fire has sent a full “fire in building” response to 5630 California SW. First crews on scene are not seeing anything. Avoid the area – traffic is blocked right now.
10:29 AM UPDATE: One crew has just found the source of the smoke – apparently a lamp. Most of the crews are being dismissed. Northbound California remains blocked, south of SW Findlay – this is on the east side of the street.
(Photo by Paul Walchenbach, at sunset last Saturday over Alki)
We’re heading into the last weekend of summer, whether the weather reinforces that or not – highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
PARKing DAY: One pop-up mini-park in West Seattle this year, outside Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) at Westwood Village. Check it out starting at 10 am. If you’re elsewhere in Seattle today, here’s the citywide map – note that the small green icons are the pop-up parks. (2800 SW Barton)
M/V DOC MAYNARD DEDICATION: The new West Seattle Water Taxi‘s dedication is at 11:30 am at Pier 50 downtown, but you can ride there and back from Seacrest for free if you start with the 10:45 am outbound run. Or, just show up at Pier 50 (south of the WSF terminal at Colman Dock).
WS BIG BAND PLAYS SINATRA: Check to see if there’s still room at this benefit for and at the Senior Center of West Seattle – no-host bar opens 6 pm, Italian dinner at 6:30, the West Seattle Big Band plays the music of Frank Sinatra at 7. (SW Oregon & California SW)
WESTFEST: Holy Rosary School‘s annual fall festival starts 6-10 pm tonight (and continues tomorrow). Info and entertainment schedule here. (42nd SW & SW Genesee)
FREE MOVIE AT HPIC: Doors open at 6 at Highland Park Improvement Club, kids’ short at 6:15, main feature at 7 – details here. Free (bring $ for concessions, sold by volunteers) – HPIC has chairs, or bring your own. (12th SW & SW Holden)
HIGH-SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Playing on the peninsula tonight – West Seattle High School hosts Garfield HS, 7 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex. (2801 SW Thistle)
BOB’S BOWL-A-RAMA: Benefit bowl-a-thon at West Seattle Bowl, 7 pm tonight, to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities – details here. (39th SW & SW Oregon)
LIVE MUSIC! and more, in the additional listings you’ll find on our complete calendar.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
No incidents reported so far in, or outbound from, West Seattle.
NEW WATER TAXI TO BE DEDICATED TODAY: The M/V Doc Maynard, which will take over the West Seattle Water Taxi run this fall, will be dedicated today at Pier 50 at 11:30 am (as first announced in August). You can catch a free ride there from Seacrest at 10:45 on the Spirit of Kingston.
REMINDER: FERRIES START FALL SCHEDULE SUNDAY: Washington State Ferries starts its fall schedule this Sunday (September 20th); for Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth, that means fewer weekend sailings.
UPDATED 7:35 AM – METRO CANCELLATIONS TODAY: 3 announced for West Seattle so far this morning:
Transit Alert – Route 55 to downtown Seattle due to leave SW Atlantic St and 44th Av SW at 7:18 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) September 18, 2015
Transit Alert – Route 56 to downtown Seattle due to leave SW Admiral Way & 51st Av SW @ 7:30 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) September 18, 2015
Transit Alert – Route 57 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Alaska Junction at 6:41 AM will not operate.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) September 18, 2015
Colleen adds in comments that a RapidRide run was cancelled, unannounced, in the 6 am hour.
WEEKEND CITYWIDE ALERTS: Here’s the SDOT list of what’s up around the city this weekend (though there’s one omission not far from here – the Fiestas Patrias parade in South Park on Saturday morning at 11).
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