West Seattle, Washington
12 Tuesday
(WSB photos)
Tonight at Delridge Community Center – a Halloween carnival that had everyone aglow. It was lights-out in the gym for the Glow-In-The-Dark Party, with crafts and games.
Best part – all this fun was for free:
So was the Delridge Grocery “pop-up pumpkin patch,” sporting little spotlights:
Partygoers had the chance to take pumpkins home – just in time to turn them into jack-o-lanterns!
P.S. This was one of the events listed in our WSB West Seattle Halloween Guide – still dozens more ahead for tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday – go here to see what’s yet to come.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
Big smiles from West Seattle Chamber of Commerce CEO Lynn Dennis (above right) and Westside School (WSB sponsor) Head of School Kate Mulligan (above left) tonight, as Westside hosted the Chamber’s monthly “after-hours” meetup at its brand-new “permanent home” in Arbor Heights. Along with updates on Chamber events – 10 spots left in next week’s speed-networking lunch – members in attendance also got the chance to announce what their businesses/organizations are up to. Here’s a special collaboration/donation drive to mark on your calendar:
From left, above, are West Seattle Food Bank board member Pete Spalding and development director Judi Yazzolino with vice president/branch manager Melodie VanHouten from the West Seattle branch of HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor), who announced a turkey-donation drive at the bank (4022 SW Alaska), for the food bank, 4-7 pm November 12th: Donate a frozen turkey or cash/check ($15 suggested), and if you’re there early, Seahawks mascot Blitz is expected for photo ops 4-5 pm.
Also announced:
-Event venue The Lounge by Duos in Luna Park is hosting a Movember event on November 11th – tickets and info are here
–Rotary Club of West Seattle‘s Children’s Holiday Shopping Spree on December 5th (200 volunteers needed! Check the Rotary website starting this weekend to see how to sign up)
-Next February, the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (which runs and is based at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center) will have its first benefit in years – details to come
-Westside School’s next open houses are November 3rd (5th through 8th grades) and December 5th (PreK through 8th).
Alki restaurant Phoenecia (WSB sponsor) catered tonight’s meetup, at which new Chamber members were announced, too. (Interested in joining? Info’s here.)
(WSB photo taken during recent Admiral District business mixer @ Brookdale Admiral last week)
What Southwest Seattle Historical Society executive director Clay Eals is holding in our photo is one of the “Slice of the Homestead” log sections that’ll serve as table centerpieces during the SWSHS’s Champagne Gala Brunch, now just nine days away (11 am Saturday, November 7th, at Salty’s on Alki [WSB sponsor]). The sections of original logs from the century-old landmark will also be auctioned off during the Homestead-themed gala (see the program here), which Eals reports is “at capacity,” earlier than ever, but you can get on the waitlist – go here. Everybody who’s there will enjoy the “Wait, Wait, West Seattle … Don’t Tell Me!” panel – whose celebrity participants were announced this week. And even if you are not going to the brunch, you can buy one of the 100 “Golden Tickets” on sale for a drawing that’ll happen during the gala: $100 gets you one of 100 chances to win a cruise, your choice of four destinations via Holland America Line. Here’s how to get yours, whether at the gala or at the Log House Museum starting one week from today.
Speaking of the museum (61st SW & SW Stevens, half a block from the Homestead), you’re invited to stop by for its first Family Halloween on the Porch, 1-3 pm Saturday – free treats, cider, cookies, arts and crafts, story time … find out more here.
More than a month after our first reports about discolored water at different points around West Seattle, it’s still being reported here and there, so we have an update this afternoon from Seattle Public Utilities.
(WSB September photo, Myrtle Reservoir)
First, regarding Myrtle Reservoir, considered indirectly to blame because it had been emptied for earthquake-resistance upgrades, and that led to some rerouting in the Seattle Public Utilities System, which was suspected of “stirring up sediment that can lead to temporary discoloration,” according to SPU’s Ingrid Goodwin, who tells WSB today, “Myrtle Reservoir has been cleaned, disinfected and refilled with water. We are now waiting on the results of the water quality samples taken from the reservoir yesterday. Assuming the samples come back satisfactory, the reservoir will be back in service tomorrow (10/30). Bringing Myrtle back on line may help solve the problem of discolored water for some customers. But we’ll know more after the reservoir has been back in operation for a few weeks.”
In our most-recent update, SPU also had confirmed that because of the drought, it’s been drawing water from its well field north of Sea-Tac Airport, a different water source from the Cedar River Watershed. Overall, Goodwin continues: “Regular bacteriological samples in the area continue to come back satisfactory – indicating that the water remains safe to drink. Since the end of September, we have been taking water quality samples and analyzing for metals, pH, chlorine, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature and color at the wells and at eight additional sites in West Seattle and Georgetown. Results from this supplemental water quality sampling in West Seattle continue to show the water is safe and meets drinking water standards.” (Those wells will be turned off “when Seattle’s water supply conditions return to normal,” but that doesn’t seem close yet.)
So what to do if you get odd-colored water? SPU says 39 customers reported it from October 20th to 27th “in the general West Seattle and Georgetown/SODO area.” Here’s what to do if it happens: “We encourage customers to continue to report problems with their drinking water to SPU by calling the 24/7 Operations Response Center at 206-386-1800. Reporting the problem as soon as it is noticed helps our water quality inspectors in their investigation to pinpoint the cause.” Goodwin also reiterates that discolored water has other causes, including when the fire department operates hydrants (this may have been the case with the recent fires in W. Seattle) or contractors open hydrants on construction projects. Leaks and breaks in water lines can also cause temporary discolored water.”
Soon as we publish this, we’re headed out to clear that drain – since the National Weather Service has a “Flood Watch” alert in effect for tomorrow night through Sunday afternoon. That’s most critical for people near rivers, but it also means we’re likely to get drenched, and clogged drains lead to problems including swamped streets and sidewalks (see our coverage of the storm three weeks ago) – a few minutes of attention now (scoop up the leaves in the gutters, too) can make a big difference.
P.S. Here’s the forecast – breezy as well as soggy, so keep everything charged.
UPDATE: @SeattlePD has closed the ramp from Fauntleroy/35th to WB West Seattle Bridge. pic.twitter.com/akLHMwMiQu
— seattledot (@seattledot) October 29, 2015
12:21 PM: The closure is because of a crash on the bridge parallel with Admiral Way. It’s only affecting the Fauntleroy entrance – you can get on the eastbound bridge from the Admiral/Avalon/Spokane and Delridge ramps. Thanks to Jonathan for the texted tip! (And this photo:)
12:28 PM: Per scanner, police are hoping to have one eastbound lane open soon, so everybody stuck behind this shouldn’t be stuck too much longer. But some cleanup/repairs will be needed too – apparently the crash knocked out part of the barrier.
12:41 PM: The lane has reopened, so the bridge entrance has too, but it might be slow going for a while.
The newest round of West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports – THANK YOU for sharing the information so your neighbors ALL around the peninsula know what’s going on – plus the latest prevention advice:
BURGLARY & CAR THEFT: Paige and her husband discovered early this morning that someone had broken into their house near 21st and Holden, stealing not only his wedding ring, but also the keys to his truck – which subseqently was stolen. Watch for a 2004 black Toyota TUndra with a crew cab and tonneau cover, license C71042B.
Three car prowl and theft reports from The Junction:
TRUCK BREAK-IN: From Jessica:
Just in case it happened to others, I wanted to report that we had a pick-up truck broken into on 41st Ave SW next to Jefferson Square last night and they look to have used a universal remote keyless entry tool as everything was taken but the car doors were found this morning with doors locked again, nothing broken, but everything inside taken including a phone, tools, insurance info and other paperwork in the cab of the truck. The car alarm when off when we opened the car this morning. If it happened to others maybe somebody has info we can use to track the suspect down.
CAR BREAK-IN, BALLET COSTUMES GONE: Milyssa says this happened last night “after ballet class”:
My family went out to dinner in the Junction, parking in the lot behind Bakery Nouveau. We were gone no more than 45 minutes, and I came back to a smashed front passenger window, and a missing work bag … all (it) contained was a Fire Department lunch bag, various tubes of Chap Stick, and two lovely ballet costumes that my daughters wore to dress-up day at dance class. And two pair of ballet shoes. Of course I have reported to police, and checked nearby dumpsters to see if they just dumped the bag after seeing the contents. No luck. So, this is a crappy reminder to me, and a gentle reminder to your readers to leave nothing visible in your car. And if any of you happen to find one of our ballet costumes, my girls would dance for joy!
PACKAGE THEFTS AND CAR-PROWL TRY: First Wendy e-mailed to say, “3 packages from Amazon (various shippers) were stolen from the front door on Monday, 10/26/15, in 4400 block of 44th Ave SW. (Report) filed with police.” Then she sent this followup: “And when I told my neighbors, I found out that one just had an attempted car break-in. Someone took a crowbar and damaged their door and skylight trying to get in.”
A series in the Alki area:
CAR BREAK-IN ATTEMPTS: Reported by Kate:
Monday, approx. 12:30 am, the 2400 block of 55th Ave was victim to numerous car prowl attempts. We have filed a report and handed over security camera footage to police. My vehicle was locked but prowlers were still able to get in without breaking a window. It is believed they used a radio-frequency device to unlock the car. They did not get anything of value so they moved on down the street looking in other vehicles. This is a team of thieves and move very efficiently, with one person walking while another drives a vehicle behind. Please don’t leave anything of value in your cars; let’s not give them motive to violate our property! It is also important to file a police report even if nothing was damaged or stolen. If you live on or near 2400 block of 55th SW and have any security footage of the time frame I mentioned, please contact authorities. We may be able to get more detail on thieves and their vehicle.
PREVENTION ADVICE in the newest newsletter from SPD Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon (as previewed in our Tuesday report on the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting):
CAR PROWL PREVENTION
* When you exit or enter your parked vehicle, take a moment to look around the area.
* Turn off and lock your car whenever you have to walk away from it. This includes at gas pumps, ATMs, coffee shops, etc. Never leave your car idling and unattended.
* Leave No Valuables in Your Car. Items of little or no value to you still look inviting to a thief. Even pocket change is enough of an enticement for some thieves.
* If you must leave valuables in your car (say you’re out shopping and still have some stops to make), make sure that nothing of value is within plain view. Place items in your car trunk out of sight. Do this when you get to your car, rather than waiting until you park at your next stop.
* Don’t leave accessories visible in your car. You may have taken the Laptop or IPod in with you, but if you leave the USB cables for your laptop or earbuds for the IPod in the back seat, the offender may think those items are in the car and break in anyway.
* If you have a GPS, think about how it is mounted in your car. If the mounting for the GPS is visible, the thief may think the GPS is in the glove box or under the seat and may break in to try to get it. Have removable mounting for the GPS and put that out of sight as well.
We can speak to #5. And even though none of “the items” were in the car, the thief or thieves took the connector cord anyway. And yes, only a $2 loss, but we filed a report online – you can do that here, but we hope you never have to.
(Sanderling, photographed on Alki by Mark Wangerin)
First, today/tonight highlights from our West Seattle Halloween Guide:
TODDLER PUMPKINPALOOZA: Toddler dress-up station, bubbles, face painting, carnival games, for ages 1-5 at High Point Community Center. $5, 10 am-noon. (6920 34th SW)
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS CRAFTS: Drop-in crafts event – make clay skulls at Southwest Library, 3-4:30 pm. Details here. (35th SW & SW Henderson)
GLOW-IN-THE-DARK PARTY: Glow-in-the-Dark Party at Delridge Community Center, 6-7:30 pm. Free! “For ages 12 and under: Come dressed in your best glow-in-the-dark costume, or any costume, and try the glow-in-the-dark ring toss, tic-tac-toe and other fun games.” Plus, the Pop-Up Pumpkin Patch – see next listing! (4501 Delridge Way SW)
POP-UP PUMPKIN PATCH: From Delridge Grocery: “Thanks to sponsors 21 Acres and PCC, we will be holding our FREE Pop-Up Pumpkin Patch this year, Thursday, October 29th, 6-7:30 pm in conjunction with the Delridge Community Center’s Glow in the Dark Party for kids 12 and under. FREE pumpkins until we run out.” (4501 Delridge Way SW)
Now, from the year-round WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
GROUP RUN: West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) calls it the “School’s Back In Session” run – every Thursday at 10 am. 3 or 6 miles, all paces welcome, no need to pre-register. (2743 California SW)
JOB FAIR: 11 am-7 pm at Providence Mount St. Vincent. (4831 35th SW)
PUNDAMONIUM: Pun slam! How punny ARE you? Sign up at 7:30 pm, show starts at 8:30, at The Skylark. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
OPENING NIGHT: “My Mañana Comes” starts its run at ArtsWest Playhouse, 7:30 pm. (4711 California SW)
From today’s edition of the city’s twice-weekly Land Use Information Bulletin:
The mixed-use building proposed for 4106 Delridge Way SW has its next date with the Southwest Design Review Board, 6:30 pm Thursday, November 19th, at the Senior Center of West Seattle. This project was revived after seven years on hold – it went through Early Design Guidance in 2008, but didn’t go on to the second stage until this past February (the official city report on that meeting is here). It’s currently proposed for 36 residential units over 3,700 square feet of commercial space, with 36 parking spaces “within the structure,” envisioned as five stories high, on a sloped lot on the east side of Delridge Way. The “packet” for the November 19th meeting isn’t available yet, but you can see the one from February here.
To see the other projects we’ve covered lately – scroll through the WSB Development coverage archive.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:06 AM: Good morning! No incidents in the area so far this morning.
BIG WEEKEND REMINDER, AGAIN: Saturday and Sunday, 6 am-6 pm each day, WSDOT plans to close the Alaskan Way Viaduct for its semiannual inspection – the closure will stretch from the West Seattle Bridge to the Battery Street Tunnel.
7:51 AM: Still quiet. Reminder that Halloween happenings are about to get going in a big way – they’re listed in our Halloween Guide, including Admiral District Trick-or-Treating 3-6 pm Friday. (Forecast sounds as if rainproof costumes, or at least umbrellas, will be in order, maybe a rain cover for the treat totes too …)
(Photos courtesy Washington Food Industry Association)
Congratulations to Candice Lastimado, a courtesy clerk at Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) in Admiral, the store’s second Washington’s Best Bagger champ in four years. She won the title, the trophy, and a $2,000 prize this week at the Washington Food Industry Association-presented event in Spokane. She was accompanied by quite the team:
With her in that photo are her coach – store director Glen Hasstedt – as well as sales/operations executive VP Helen Neville, president/CEO Todd Korman, mom Dana Lastimado, and operations VP Darryl Pittman. In February, Candice will go to Las Vegas to compete in the 30th annual National Grocers Association Best Bagger Competition. The store’s previous national contender, two-time state champ Andrew Borracchini, won the title in 2013.
P.S. Wondering about the competition criteria? From the announcement: “Participants in the Best Bagger Battle were judged on a rigorous criterion of speed, style, technique, and uniform bag weight. The competition consisted of up to three rounds. The first used paper bags, while the second required participants to fill reusable bags. A bruising third and final round determined the ultimate winner.”
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Amanda R. Gray)
With U.S. Navy facilities relatively close by, submarine sightings happen here now and then. Robert reported this one on Wednesday – and later shared the link through which we obtained the photo and the backstory: After 32 years and a half-million miles of service, the fast-attack submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) passed by on its way to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton to “commence its inactivation process,” says the Navy. Its last voyage followed an inactivation ceremony in San Diego a week earlier; the nuclear-powered submarine’s inactivation also drew a tribute in its namesake city. The process of “inactivating” a nuclear submarine is explained by the Kitsap Sun, which says this one joins about a dozen others awaiting dismantling, at a cost of at least $25 million each.
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