day : 27/01/2016 13 results

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

It was an emotional meeting, but not an angry one, when the Highland Park Action Committee convened a community conversation tonight about the city’s plan for a “safe lot” to host people living in their vehicles.

There were a few shouts, a few tears, and more than a few rounds of applause.

Even some laughter, when Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim thanked the crowd for being “so much nicer than the Ballard neighborhood” – not long after she had choked up while revealing that she had experienced homelessness as a child.

Ballard is the other neighborhood where the city plans to open a “safe lot” within a month. And tonight, Highland Park – already weary from the years of an encampment next to the future lot – learned more about the plan.

Like the answer to the big question: How many vehicles?

About 15, said Sola Plumacher from the city Human Services Department v, each expected to have 1 to 3 people, so a maximum of about 45 living in the “safe lot” – less than half the 100 or so who lived in the unauthorized encampment that was on the adjacent site for years.

Where will they come from?

(WSB photo of newly added canvas-covered fencing at the future lot, Wednesday afternoon)

A big question, as the “safe lots” were first portrayed as a reaction to north-end neighborhood’s discomfiture with unauthorized RV camping – prompting people to ask if this lot would just be where some of the north-end parkers moved.

According to Plumacher, police and service providers will be making referrals from West Seattle and SODO.

Now – how the meeting unfolded. (We recorded it all on video, [update] added above.)

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High-school basketball: West Seattle girls win battle of the undefeateds

January 27, 2016 9:56 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand – click any image for larger view)

9:56 PM: Two girls-varsity basketball teams with perfect records faced off tonight; only one could remain that way – and in the end, that team was West Seattle High School, with a home-court triumph over Bishop Blanchet, 44-30.

ADDED EARLY THURSDAY: More from the game, ahead:

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West Seattle scene: Celebrating Southwest Pool’s new fitness room

January 27, 2016 9:43 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Health | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(WSB photos)

It’s been a busy night in West Seattle – starting with the Southwest Pool Fitness Room celebration. City Councilmember Lisa Herbold was there before heading over to the Highland Park Action Committee meeting (coverage coming up), as was Christopher Williams, deputy superintendent of Seattle Parks, which runs SW Pool. She said it’s great to have a way for people to get more exercise; he talked about neighborhood pride – he grew up nearby and attended across-the-street Chief Sealth. The room is open during regular hours at the pool (2801 SW Thistle), which you can find on the schedule – it’s in a space by the shallow end of the pool, unused after gym renovations:

A little more background about the 10-years-in-the-making fitness room is here.

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Help wanted: Police staffing and more @ West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network:

January 27, 2016 7:11 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle police

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Crime trends come and go but one thing is constant – the need for more police. Attendees and SPD leadership both pointed that out at last night’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting, and the topic re-emerged at a City Council committee meeting this morning.

One area in which the Southwest Precinct is having some staffing success right now – replenishing the Community Police Team. Two officers were promoted/moved from the SWP and now, Officers John O’Neil and Clayton Powell have joined. During part of last night’s meeting, they were showing Cub Scout Troop 282 around the precinct, including the new mobile precinct:

Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis said he’s hoping to bring in a fifth CPT officer, to join Powell, O’Neil, and Officers Jon Flores and Kevin McDaniel. The CPT deals with a variety of issues and generally work outside what’s dispatched via 911. Overall, the captain wished aloud for at least another 15 officers. That was part of his section of the meeting:

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FOLLOWUP: Trench incident victim identified; fund set up to help family

January 27, 2016 4:32 pm

| 14 COMMENTS

| How to help | West Seattle news

One day after a worker was killed while working in a trench alongside an Admiral home, the King County Medical Examiner’s office has identified him: 36-year-old Harold Felton. And in response to community members who have asked what they can do to help Mr. Felton’s family, his brother-in-law has announced a GoFundMe page on behalf of wife Jenna and baby daughter Grace. Find it here.

The page says, in part:

With his loss my sister will have to support her daughter and try to do what she can in the face of this unbearable loss. Funeral expenses are always high and she and Harold are modest people, but he was the only source of income for their family. Any expenses over that which covers the funeral will be devoted to helping take care of Jenna and Grace during this trying time.

Mr. Felton was working on what city documents describe as side-sewer repair alongside a house near 36th SW and SW Hanford when dirt suddenly fell into the trench yesterday morning. A huge response of firefighters and rescue equipment converged but was unable to dig their way to Mr. Felton in time.

State Labor and Industries is investigating; we just checked again with spokesperson Elaine Fischer, and she says it will be at least a month before they have anything to say. As we reported yesterday, and as Fischer reiterated today, the company working at the site, Arbor Heights-based Alki Construction, has no record of safety problems. This was the first trench-work death in our state in more than seven years.

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UPDATE: Big response, but turns out to be small fire on 38th SW

January 27, 2016 2:30 pm

| Comments Off on UPDATE: Big response, but turns out to be small fire on 38th SW

| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Added: WSB photo)

2:30 PM: Seattle Fire has sent a big response for a possible house fire near Charlestown/38th SW. Updates to come.

2:33 PM: SFD crews report it’s a “small contents fire” inside the house. They’re handling the aftermath, including ventilation. No injuries reported.

2:40 PM: Our crew is on scene – near the Charlestown water tower – and reports that what caught fire was a piece of foam rubber in the garage. The damage is limited to that foam rubber. The response is winding down.

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NOISE ALERT: Next Terminal 5 piling test set for Friday

January 27, 2016 2:28 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Port of Seattle | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL WEDNESDAY REPORT: Just in from the Port of Seattle:

Rapid load testing of piles as part of the design and permitting process for the Terminal 5 Improvements Project is expected to occur around mid-day on Friday, Jan. 29. The test will sound like a half-second cannon shot. The sound can be as loud as 145 decibels. A total of nine rapid load tests will occur between January and the end of March, with no more than one test occurring per day. The first test occurred on Friday, Jan. 22. The test results may help reduce the number of piles required and the depth of pile installation, which in-turn would reduce noise associated with pile-driving during construction. All tests will take place Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in compliance with the City of Seattle Noise Ordinance. Federal, state and city agencies have issued permits for the test pile program.

Anyone hear the test last Friday?

FRIDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: The port says this will be closer to 3 pm.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: ‘City Light’ scam caller AGAIN; car prowl on 34th

January 27, 2016 2:11 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon:

‘CITY LIGHT’ SCAM CALL HITS ANOTHER LOCAL BUSINESS: Amber at Freshy’s wanted to get the word out after hearing from the scam callers who claim they’re from City Light and you (usually a business) have to pay a bill immediately or lose your power:

They said my funds weren’t appropriated correctly and a technician was coming out in 30 min to shut off my business power. I had to call someone else and they said it would happen if I didn’t pay and then a technician called and said he would be there ASAP and was going to turn it off. Then they said it wouldn’t be able to come back on till Monday. I had to call someone else who said I had to pay the balance (which they knew the amount) and that they would reimburse later. I said that it was paid and that it has cleared my bank and he said that it was just “misappropriated.” I was so freaked I almost paid… Then I called the police and they said this was an ongoing scam. I called the guy back and said that I reported his number and the technician’s number and he said “chill bitch, chill”…then hung up. Maybe put the word out to businesses so they don’t have a near heart attack like me!

Our previous reports on recipients of these scam calls include this one from a year ago and several others. The city’s put out warnings including this one.

34TH SW CAR BREAK-IN: Matt‘s Jeep was broken into late Monday or early Tuesday in the 5900 block of 34th SW [map]. “I had a duffle with cold weather gear, a jack, and a bag of accessories for the winch that were taken out of the back. It was parked directly in front of the house. The 5900 block of 34th has had a high incidence of minor property crime, car prowls, utility theft, and police call outs over the last 18 months.”

P.S. Our report on last night’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting is in the works. Big topic: Police staffing.

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West Seattle restaurants: Circa in Admiral changes hands after 18 years

January 27, 2016 12:15 pm

| 48 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Story and photo by Randall Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

After nearly eighteen years in the same hands, Admiral District restaurant Circa is in the process of being sold.

But the new ownership includes a familiar face.

Gretchen Williamson-Evans and husband Bill Evans are the first new owners of the neighborhood fixture at since Chris Wissmar opened it. Though the new ownership team assumed operational control of the restaurant.at the beginning of December, the wait for liquor-license approval delayed finalization of the sale until this week.

In addition to having worked at Circa as a server, Williamson-Evans is also the “Gretchen” behind Gretchen’s Grains, a local packaged-food company profiled here on WSB in 2012; Bill serves as Chief Executive Officer. With products now distributed in more than 250 stores across five states, Gretchen’s Grains has reached a point where the only way to grow the business further would be to invest in significant changes in the operational structure, something Williamson-Evans says she and her husband had decided against doing themselves, opting instead to make the business available for sale.

She and husband had started looking into “career jobs,” in preparation for their post-Gretchen’s Grains lives, when a casual comment made by her former employer presented a different opportunity:

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CONGRATULATIONS! West Seattle High School’s Lydia Giomi is WIAA Player of the Week

January 27, 2016 11:25 am

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

(WSB photo: Lydia Giomi, WSHS #32, in victory vs. Eastside Catholic on January 8th)

For the second time in three weeks, West Seattle High School has a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Player of the Week. This time, it’s senior Lydia Giomi from the undefeated girls-varsity basketball team. WSHS athletic director Trevor Leopold sends word that Giomi was honored for a week in which she “had two double-doubles … with 18 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocks against Rainier Beach. And against Ballard, she recorded 15 points, 15 rebounds, and four steals.” You can cheer her and and her teammates in a huge home game at 7:30 pm tonight, as mentioned in our West Seattle Wednesday lineup – hosting another unbeaten team, Bishop Blanchet.

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West Seattle Chamber of Commerce home-hunting

January 27, 2016 10:12 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle Chamber of Commerce home-hunting

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

On the eve of its annual meeting, the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce is in the midst of a big search – for a new office. It’s long been at 3614 California SW but needs to move on. Chamber CEO Lynn Dennis says they need commercial office space, 300-500 square feet, and are open to office-share options. Someplace to offer or suggest? lynndennis@wschamber.com

Meantime, if you’re not signed up for tomorrow’s annual meeting, the CofC suggests you go here fast! It’s at 11:30 am Thursday at the Alki Masonic Center, 4736 40th SW in The Junction. (Looking ahead – City Councilmember Lisa Herbold is the guest for the February 11th lunch.)

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What’s ahead for your West Seattle Wednesday

January 27, 2016 9:09 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Thanks to Colin Bishop for the photo from a tree near Alki Avenue – click for larger view)

What’s up for the rest of your Wednesday, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

FITNESS ROOM DEDICATION: As previewed here last night, the Southwest Pool Fitness Room – one decade in the making! – has a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 pm, with gifts for attendees and discounted swims afterward. (2801 SW Thistle)

RV ‘SAFE LOT’ AT HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: 7 pm at the Highland Park Improvement Club, HPAC has questions for city reps including Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim and City Councilmember Lisa Herbold regarding the “safe lot” for RV/vehicle residents that the city plans at West Marginal Way SW and Highland Park Way SW. See the questions on the agenda posted here. (12th SW and SW Holden)

‘RAISING LILLY LEDBETTER’: Tonight at the monthly Poetrybridge reading/community-microphone event at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), selections from this new anthology will be read by four women, three of whom contributed to it. Read all about it here. 7 pm. (5612 California SW)

BASKETBALL SHOWDOWN: 7:30 pm at West Seattle High School, it’s the biggest game in the region tonight – the undefeated WSHS girls-varsity team facing undefeated Bishop Blanchet. (3000 California SW)

TRIVIA: Wednesdays bring the big weekly games at Talarico’s Pizza in The Junction, hosted by Phil Tavel, 8:30 pm; details in our calendar listing.

YOU’LL FIND MORE … on our complete calendar.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday watch

January 27, 2016 6:03 am

| Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday watch

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Click any view for a close-up)

6:03 AM: First note this morning: The Spirit of Kingston is on the West Seattle Water Taxi run today, because Doc Maynard is filling in for Sally Fox on the Vashon run.

8:06 AM: Still incident-free in and from West Seattle, with one hour of major commute time to go.

8:20 AM: SDOT reports a crash at 51st and Admiral Way. No SFD callout, which indicates no serious injuries.

8:36 AM: Several Seattle Fire units are responding to a call at an apartment building in the 9000 block of 35th SW, so that might cause some congestion for a while. (First units on scene aren’t seeing anything.)

8:49 AM: Call closed – units were leaving as we pulled up. Northbound traffic was getting around via the center lane.

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