West Seattle, Washington
14 Thursday
(Sharp-shinned hawk hunting, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Here’s what’s happening as the week begins – mostly highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
LAST WEEK FOR FREE TREE-CYCLING: If your Christmas tree hasn’t been sent off for composting yet – this is the last week you can do it for free with curbside pickup or South Transfer Station dropoff. After January 31, you will have to cut it up and dispose of it with your yard waste.
GATEWOOD ELEMENTARY KINDERGARTEN TOUR: 9 am, meet in the school library. If you didn’t see this in time or hear about it otherwise – 9 am February 11th is your next chance. (4320 SW Myrtle)
AFTERNOON BOOK GROUP: 2 pm at Southwest Library. This month, they’re reading “Exit Ghost” by Philip Roth. (35th SW & SW Henderson)
SANISLO SCHOOL TOURS: 6 pm, prospective parents are invited to tour Sanislo Elementary with principal Bruce Rhodes. (1812 SW Myrtle)
UNDERSTANDING THE SCHOOL BUDGET PROCESS: From Seattle Public Schools: “Have you ever wondered how school funding, staffing and budgets are determined, but never knew who to ask? The Seattle Public Schools finance team is excited to present an evening dedicated to understanding the school budget process.” Your new school-board rep Leslie Harris flagged us on this to get the word out. 6 pm at district HQ. More info here. (3rd S. & S. Lander)
GAME NIGHT AT MEEPLES, BENEFITING SHELTERBOX: We’ve reported here before about ShelterBox – which brings needed shelter and supplies to disaster and crisis spots around the world. 6:15 pm-8:30 pm, tonight’s game night at Meeples Games (WSB sponsor) benefits ShelterBox, and brings you a chance to learn about their work, too. (3727 California SW)
(Click any view for a close-up)
6:07 AM: Welcome to the new week – and the last Monday in January. Notes to begin with:
FERRIES BACK TO FULL STRENGTH: As of last night, the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is back to full capacity, with M/V Issaquah replacing M/V Tillikum.
HIGHWAY 99 LANE CLOSURES CONTINUE: Today starts the second week of closures north of downtown. So far, they haven’t affected the northbound commute from here.
21ST AVENUE SW: Delridge-Highland Park Greenway work continues between 22nd and Dawson, according to the newest update.
RESTORATION WORK AT CONSTELLATION PARK: The emergency sewer-pipe-repair work wrapped up on Saturday but crews are expected back, possibly soon as today, to wrap up work where they were digging at 63rd SW/Beach Drive SW.
SOUND TRANSIT FARE INCREASE: We’ve already mentioned the Water Taxi‘s fare increase coming up March 1st. Also raising fares on that date: Sound Transit, including Express buses like 560, which serves our area and will see a 25-cent increase. A special new fare for low-income adults will take effect March 1st. See all the new fares here.
8:34 AM: Seattle Fire medical response has been taking up one lane at 21st and Roxbury, near Holy Family, but not for much longer, and eastbound traffic has been getting around by using the center lane. We went over to check; they were helping a person with a medical issue – no crash involved.
That section of Beach Drive by Weather Watch Park and La Rustica is one of the inspirations behind a petition that’s being circulated by Jim Unland. He’s seeking signatures to ask the city to repave the half-mile stretch between 61st SW and SW Genesee (map). He explains, “This section of roadway has received numerous ‘pothole repairs’ but the condition of this stretch of Beach Dr. SW has deteriorated to the point that spot repairs are no longer sufficient. This roadway is frequently used by bicycle riders and the condition of the road poses many hazards to the them and liability to the City of Seattle.”
Unland says that petition signatures are set up to cc District 1 Councilmember Lisa Herbold and at-large Councilmembers Lorena González and Tim Burgess as well as SDOT’s paving manager Sue Byers. You can sign electronically by going here.
The self-storage project proposed for 3310 Harbor SW – first reported here last March – is moving ahead. That’s what the Alki Community Council heard at this month’s meeting, from an executive of the company pursuing it, West Coast Self-Storage.
They’ll be seeking a street vacation for part of what would be 29th SW (map), and they’re still putting together the documentation for that, so they don’t expect to be having formal hearings with the city before fall.
The company says West Seattle is underserved in terms of storage space, and that this industrial-zoned site is a place to provide some. The proposal is now envisioned for the area that currently holds a warehouse building and the now-vacated GT Towing lot.
In West Seattle (and vicinity) Crime Watch:
THANKS FOR THE TIPS: Received a few about a sizable law-enforcement presence at 15th and Roxbury this past hour. Headed that way and found King County Sheriff’s Office deputies had converged on the gas station at the southwest corner of the intersection. They were searching what one deputy told us was a stolen car; we’ll be following up on our partner site White Center Now.
ADMIRAL BURGLARY: Tyler e-mailed this weekend to share the word about this:
On Wednesday at exactly 12:44 am we had a person enter our property at 53rd and Admiral and break into our garage, stealing wire and several small tools. They then moved a camera out of the way and tried to gain access to a small basement window. They were on site for over 20 minutes.
The house is being sold, so there was no one home and only various tools on site. Police report filed Thursday.
Suspect was wearing black jeans and hooded sweatshirt also in black. He knew there were cameras as face was covered. Had a distinctive large rectangle style back back with straps.
MORE HIGHLAND PARK MAIL THEFT: Shirley in Highland Park wants her neighbors in the 11th/12th/Barton vicinity to “please be aware that there is a lot of mail being taken and thrown on the ground and or put in other mailboxes. On my dog walk this am I found some of my neighbor’s mail in my paper box. This afternoon walking the dog, I found another neighbor’s mail in the alley … Also noticed several mailboxes open along the way.”
STOLEN MAIL FOUND IN SEAVIEW: A reader “found someone’s mail from Ballard (Friday morning) dumped at the corner of 44th SW and SW Graham.” They planned to take it back to the Post Office but added, “I just wanted to let people know to be watchful for thieves using our neighborhood like this.”
In case you haven’t already seen it in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – we’re now exactly two weeks from your chance to hear and see photo historian Paul Dorpat tell “Fish Tales” about West Seattle character and entrepreneur Ivar Haglund, linked to the exhibit at the Log House Museum, but happening at a local Seattle Public Library branch. Here are all the details, from the Southwest Seattle Historical Society:
Is there anyone better than Paul Dorpat at “keeping clam” about Seattle legend and West Seattle native Ivar Haglund?
Dorpat — the city’s pre-eminent photo historian, who has entered his 34th year of weekly “Now and Then” columns in the Seattle Times — for more than a decade also has been researching and writing a massive biography of Haglund, the iconic restaurateur, folk musician, Port of Seattle commissioner, and goofy promotional wizard.
Sponsored by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and The Seattle Public Library, the genial Dorpat will present “Fish Tales,” a talk accompanied by scores of rare photos of Haglund, at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, February 7th, in the basement meeting room of the West Seattle Branch of The Seattle Public Library, 2306 42nd Ave. SW in The Admiral District.
The FREE presentation will end about 3 p.m., after which those attending can stop in down the hill at the historical society’s “Birthplace of Seattle” Log House Museum to see its latest exhibit, on loan from the Nordic Heritage Museum, called “Keep Clam and Carry On: The Ivar Haglund Story.”
Dorpat’s talk will emphasize the deep West Seattle roots of Haglund (1905-1985), the grandson of Hans Hanson, who for many years posted a lantern at Alki Point that predated the 1913 construction of the Alki Lighthouse. Haglund’s maternal grandparents purchased the Alki Point land in 1869 from Seattle pioneer David “Doc” Maynard.
All of this and much more will be covered by Dorpat, who also will be available at the museum exhibit after his talk. The exhibit features display panels, vintage TV footage and radio recordings, along with a “clam gun” and one of the clam outfits used to promote Ivar’s restaurants in Seattle parades and commercials. To see the exhibit, stop in during regular open hours, noon to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.
Ivar died in
Thanks to Eric Shalit for sharing the photos as a tribute to Ralph’s Barber Shop, behind the Chelan Café at 2302 SW Spokane. The shop closed when Ralph retired earlier this month. Eric says, “I believe the shop was in that location since the WS high bridge was built and in a slightly different location prior to the high bridge being built. Ralph’s father had the business before him. It’s been a hangout for longshoreman, steel workers, railyard workers, and many old-timers. This is a real piece of old WS that is now gone. It was well-known for the enormous collection of caps (hats) on the wall.”
Eric says he’d been going to the shop for about 10 years and got one of Ralph’s last haircuts.
P.S. (in response to a comment) No relation to Ralph’s in Admiral, which is open!
(WSB photos)
Food, wine, and history last night at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) – the latter courtesy of the 300-plus guests at the food-and-wine fundraiser Gifts From The Earth, which brought in the most money ever for the SSC Foundation: Almost $222,000. That wasn’t the only record:
The 16 guest chefs who planned and prepared custom menus for groups of guests included a record number of seven who trained at the college’s much-lauded culinary program. They and their support crews – including SSC culinary, wine, and hospitality students – filled prep rooms at the college’s Brockey Center before the guests took their seats, plating their tasty creations – take a look:
Besides what we publish here on WSB, we also receive and answer questions via various contact channels that don’t always lead to stories – but we resolved recently to share more of the resulting info in case it could help someone else.
That brings us to the question e-mailed by Doug this morning. He found a discarded needle in North Delridge’s Greg Davis Park and wondered what to do about it. We found this page on the city website. Doug’s followup note to us: “The police non-emergency dispatcher sent me to SDOT, which is only open M-F. After contacting the number at your link, I got a call back within 5 minutes. And the guy who called back said he’d just been doing maintenance at Greg Davis, so I had an opportunity to thank him for his beautiful work too.”
(Maybe you’ve seen this bald eagle at Alki Beach Park too! Photo by Laura Goodrich, shared via WSB Flickr group; click to enlarge)
Happy Sunday! If you have the time, we have the possibilities, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE ULTIMATE FAMILY FRISBEE: Get your disc on, 10 am at Walt Hundley Playfield in High Point. (34th SW/SW Myrtle)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in The Junction. Even in the heart of winter, you’ll find fresh vegetables and fruit, plus local cheese, cider, beer, more. Often music, too! This week’s spotlight: Fermented food. (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
THUNDER ROAD GUITARS CLOSED TODAY: The team at Thunder Road Guitars (WSB sponsor) is off getting new merchandise today, so the store in The Junction is closed, back open on Tuesday. (4736 California SW)
HELP BEAUTIFY THE CHILBERG LINK: Another work party for the volunteers we reported on earlier this weekend, who are beautifying a sloped median (with edible gardening, too), 10:30 am-12:30 pm, help, cardboard, and yard-waste-bin space all welcome. (Chilberg between Douglas and Genesee)
VISIT THE MUSEUM: The Log House Museum, HQ of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is there on Alki, waiting for you to come see what’s inside – a trip back in time, featuring the Ivar exhibit! Noon-4 pm. (61st SW/SW Stevens)
FREE CLASS: “Attract Winter Birds to Your Yard” is the free class at West Seattle Nursery this afternoon, 1-2 pm. (California SW/SW Brandon)
‘REALLY REALLY’: First 3 pm Sunday matinée for the newest ArtsWest production. (4711 California SW)
DON’T KNIT ALONE: Knit at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 5:30-7 pm. (5612 California SW)
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE … via our complete calendar!
1:23 AM: Big response for a crash at 8th SW and SW Roxbury, reported to involve two vehicles, one on its side. The initial “heavy rescue” response has been scaled back because everyone’s reported to be safely out.
1:47 AM: The crash is actually on 8th north of Roxbury; 8th is blocked both ways until it’s cleared. Both vehicles are on the east (northbound) side of the street. No serious injuries – no medic unit or ambulance summoned so far.
2:02 AM: Added photos.
(WSB photo)
A break in the rain would be good news for neighbors beneath that bluff in southwest West Seattle. Since the slide Thursday night at 47th SW and Maplewood, they’ve joined forces to clear their private drive “enough to get in and out,” says resident Kathleen, who adds that they’re hopeful “the sliding has stopped” but won’t really know until it’s dried for about a week. She estimates this is the tenth slide in the 35 years she’s lived in the neighborhood.
11:23 PM: A crash is blocking Beach Drive both ways in the 5300 block (map)- and as you know if you’ve driven it, the stretch south of Jacobsen has few outlets. No other details about the crash so far.
11:56 PM: Thanks to Christine for the photo, added above. She says two cars were involved, one apparently speeding, and that one person was taken from the scene by ambulance.
12:08 AM: Scanner traffic indicates Beach Driver either has reopened or will shortly.
10:59 PM UPDATE: Just got the word that missing 13-year-old Jayla is back home with her family.
EARLIER:
Read More
(WSB photo)
Police are still on both sides of Delridge at Willow as they investigate the crash that sent a driver to the hospital and left his classic Cadillac up on the sidewalk. He was transported by private ambulance, so his injuries aren’t life-threatening. No tow truck on scene yet but traffic is getting through, except for pedestrians on the east side of Delridge. (Thanks to the person who texted about this – our hotline is 206-293-6302, text or voice, any time.)
A crosstown showdown resulted in split results last night at Seattle Lutheran High School. The SLHS boys scored a big win over visiting Shorewood Christian:
The girls went into overtime:
More photos ahead:
It started with word of mouth … and became something much more. American Legion Post 160 in The Triangle is publicly thanking everyone who helped out with a recent donation drive:
American Legion Post 160, located at 3618 SW Alaska, would like to thank all of the businesses and individual community members for their support in the recent “care packages for deployed Coast Guard members” drive.
“It started out as a word-of-mouth endeavor that grew far larger than I had envisioned,” stated organizer Kyle Geraghty. “Lots of great items such as: snacks, beef jerky, stationery, and sunscreen were sent overseas to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Post office was extremely helpful when our volunteers arrived with over a dozen heavy boxes. The postal workers were extremely grateful the Legionnaires did not show up two minutes prior to closing time.”
If you are a business or community member that is interested in partnering, volunteering, or making a tax deductible donation for veterans or need individual guidance in navigating the Veteran Support system, contact American Legion Post 160 at wslegion160@gmail.com, 206-932-9696, or visit our website at walegion160.org.
The nation’s largest wartime veterans organization, The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans care and rehabilitation, Americanism and youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through nearly 14,000 posts across the nation.
The newest reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
ARBOR HEIGHTS CAR BREAK-IN: From Shaun:
Wanted to report that our Chevy Tahoe had two windows busted out last night. Perp(s) took diaper bag with my wife’s wallet inside along with various other property, daughter’s new bday purse, CD’s….Theft occurred at approx. 3 am and set off car alarm. Car was parked at curb in front of our house.
Shaun is near 39th SW/SW 106th in Arbor Heights; when we followed up to get that information, he added, “I’ve learned that the perp/s attempted to rent 4 video games at a Redbox at 5 am. The kiosk in question is located at a 7-Eleven near 112th St S and 8th Ave S.” (We found it on Google Street View.)
HIGHLAND PARK PACKAGE THEFT: Erika near 17th SW/SW Kenyon thought her package had been stolen, then contacted Amazon and was told it actually hadn’t been delivered – and then the sad truth: “My neighbor just came by with a ripped-open package that she found in our alley near her garbage, with one item found intact on the ground and another taken out of its packaging and it’s gone. … The contents included a bag of dishwashing detergent pods and a tub of Honest brand pregnancy belly balm. What a score.” She says this stirs up bad memories from a burglary last summer, but want to be sure everyone’s aware of “activity in our neighborhood.”
MAIL THEFT: From Corey:
I wanted to report continued mail theft in Highland Park neighborhood. I have now found mail discarded on lawns and stuffed in bushes on
three different occasions/3 different addresses, around 18th-20th Ave SW and Trenton St. The first occasion was in late November, the second
right before Christmas, and (Friday) January 22nd. The mail has all been from homes in Highland Park and within a few block of where I found it.
MAILBOX BREAK-IN: Mike reports this happened to his mailbox in the 7300 block of 35th SW in Sunrise Heights.
ALSO IN SUNRISE HEIGHTS: Todd at West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor) reports a potential case of casing outside the shop at 35th/Webster around 9 pm Thursday night. They reviewed video from their surveillance camera after noticing it was “tilted up – as if someone had pushed it out of place.” The video shows someone walking in front of the camera and hiding his face, then a few minutes later walking back and pushing the camera up while walking under it. Todd says they didn’t find anything else out of place or damaged but wanted to alert the neighborhood.
Thanks to everyone who shares reports via West Seattle Crime Watch – once you’ve reported it to police, share it with your neighbors all around the peninsula by e-mailing editor@westseattleblog.com – for breaking news (once you’ve called 911), text/call 206-293-6302 – thank you!
12:26 PM: Not that the weather is particularly conducive to a walk/ride around Alki Point, but we did want to remind you that the sidewalk is closed and road narrowed along Beach Drive west of 63rd SW, as King County Wastewater Treatment Division continues to work on emergency sewer-pipe repairs. We first reported on the problem Friday morning; the county is fixing a leak in the “42-inch pipeline that pumps wastewater from homes and businesses in West Seattle to King County’s West Point Treatment Plant in the Magnolia neighborhood.” Some wastewater spilled into Puget Sound, so avoid contact with the water in the area until the county’s tests show it’s safe.
We have messages out to get an update on how much longer the repair work is expected to last and will update when we hear back; the county has already said crews are likely to be back next week for restoration work, once the repairs themselves are done.
1:47 PM UPDATE: We just heard back from Monica Van der Vieren at KCWTD. She tells WSB:
The leak came from a joint where a gasket seal had failed. The crews unearthed the pipe, working in the landscaped planter box area, to repair the joint, and bury it in concrete. Crews are demobilizing now for the weekend. They will leave construction fencing and signage up over the weekend as the concrete cures, and restore the landscaped area next week (hopefully Monday if plants are available).
Water quality monitoring results are not yet back, so the warning signage will remain. King County’s Environmental Lab staff sampled again today. When Public Health receives two days of sample data at background levels, they will give the all-clear to remove the signs.
Outdoor-education camp is a highlight of the year for many students in our area. But it comes with a cost, and that’s a challenge for some schools and families. The fifth-grade teachers at Highland Park Elementary are trying an online fundraiser to help make sure none of their students are left behind, and one of their colleagues asked if we could share the link in hopes of inspiring some community generosity. From the teachers’ explanation:
Every year, we get to watch our students learn in a way that cannot be provided inside the four walls of a classroom. It is absolutely amazing to see the transformation under which many students go as they see a world beyond the one where they live.
You’ll find the fundraiser here. (For more on some of HPES’s challenges, read our report on a community conversation in 2014.)
(Black turnstone, photographed by Mark Wangerin – click for larger view)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and our other files, highlights of what’s up for your Saturday:
HELP BEAUTIFY THE CHILBERG LINK: 10:30 am-12:30 pm work party on Chilberg between Douglas and Genesee as Friends of the Chilberg Link work on transforming a sloped median – details in our story from last night.
REOPENING DAY FOR CLICK! DESIGN THAT FITS: The two-week-plus winter break for Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) is over and the shop reopens today at 11 am. (4540 California SW)
ADOPT A PET! The Humane Society’s MaxMobile is expected at Mud Bay in The Admiral District, 11 am-1 pm. (2611 California SW)
VIETNAMESE STORY TIME: 11:30 am at Delridge Library, bring kids 3 and up for stories, songs, and rhymes in Vietnamese. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
CLIMATE CONVERSATION AT THE LONGHOUSE: 1-5 pm at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse, sponsored by the Green Party of Washington, intended to continue the dialogue that started at the Paris climate conference. Featured speaker, global activist Laurence Braham, also including local activist Sarra Tekola and members of the Tulalip, Lummi, and Saanich tribes. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)
STUDENT SHOWCASE: 2-5 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), hear live music with the students of Rebeqa Rivers – more info here. (5612 California SW)
GIFTS FROM THE EARTH: 5 pm at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), annual celebration of SSC’s food, wine, and student achievement. Check to see if tickets remain. (6000 16th SW)
MIDNIGHT SERENADERS: 7:30 pm at historic Kenyon Hall, Portland-based band with “an infectious and irreverent take on the raucous and carefree music of The Jazz Age.” More info in our calendar listing. (7904 35th SW)
TREEHOUSE LOUNGE SHOWCASE: Live music, 8-11 pm, at Treehouse Lounge in The Admiral District. (2206 California SW)
WEST SIDE GLORY: “Comedy, Music, Drag, Burlesque and GoGo Bears!” at The Skylark, 9 pm, 21+ – more in our calendar listing. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
We followed up with police after receiving multiple reports of possible gunshots heard in the Delridge/Brandon/Findlay area late Friday night, not far from the recent 32-casings incident. Officers checked it out, but, says Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams, “there was no evidence located that indicated actual shots fired. Also, there were no witnesses who saw shots fired.” If you did see something – or find evidence today (casings, damage) – be sure to let police know.
Tomorrow, Sunday, and subsequent weekends into mid-March, you are invited to join West Seattle’s newest neighborhood-beautification campaign – on the sloped median of Chilberg Avenue between Genesee and Douglas, just east of Beach Drive, leading to Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook Park.
(WSB photo showing part of the project area)
A group of neighbors, Friends of the Chilberg Link, successfully applied for a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant, $8,900 to be matched by more than $10,000 in volunteer work and contributions. Janice Nyman – herself an arborist and architect – sent word that their work parties are about to begin and they’re inviting participation.
“Although its looking pretty raw right now,” she said, “I think it’s going to be quite pretty: Fruit trees, pollinator wild flowers, berries!” You can see the plan here.
The announcement adds that “Friends of the Chilberg Link will remove invasives, prune vegetation, plant edible plants, and create an area for rainwater holding and a secured art piece. Work parties will be held in the winter and spring of 2016. Professional landscape firms will be hired to lead the community in landscape installation, including: Mariposa Naturescapes, Garden Cycles, and Black Lotus Landscaping LLC.”
The project will evoke the area’s history, according to research done by local historian Judy Bentley – a one-lane road ran through a meadow filled with wildflowers.
At the northern end of the Schmitz property, a single-lane dirt road wound down a hill through substantially uninhabited meadow to a dead end a block beyond Carroll Street.
When walking to and from the old Alki School [at Chilberg Ave. SW/59th and Carroll], we frequently preferred the trail along Chilberg Avenue, to enjoy some of the most beautiful wild flowers in the open fields and leading up into ‘The woods,’ the hillside forest.” (Lillevand Papers, SWSHS).
“We love the historical reference to a winding meadow with wildflowers, so we are using it as the basis of our design,” Nyman says.
Join them Saturdays and Sundays, 10:30 am-12:30 pm. You’re asked to “bring shovels, pruners, and gloves”; cardboard donations are welcome too, as is the donated use of yard-waste containers. Questions? Contact Nyman at nymanarc@gmail.com.
P.S. If you or someone you know has more information about the history of Chilberg Avenue, please contact Bentley at bentley.judy@gmail.com or Lissa Kramer at the Log House Museum.
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