West Seattle, Washington
14 Thursday
Of all the on-the-way West Seattle restaurants, none has generated anywhere near as many “update, please!” requests as has Dumplings of Fury, coming to the ex-Quadrato space at 4302 SW Oregon in The Junction.
So we asked WSB contributing reporter Randall Hauk, who wrote this story about it three months ago, to check back. Randall reports:
Though the ownership team behind Dumplings of Fury has yet to set an opening date for the new quick-serve Asian-style dumpling shop, Ben Jenkins says the time for getting dumplings in The Junction is “getting close.”
Jenkins cites “normal scheduling stuff” in explaining the delay in the restaurant’s opening. As reported in November, the Fury team had optimistically targeted January 1.
“We had a couple of setbacks,” says Jenkins, “but we should be cooking in there and testing the menu this month.”
For now, the paper remains on the windows and the liquor-license notice posted on the front door, but we’re assured that “Furious” dumplings are coming soon!
(Red-breasted Nuthatch, photographed by Mark Wangerin – click image for larger view)
The Presidents Day weekend is about to begin – a four-day weekend for many, with Monday/Tuesday this year’s abbreviated “mid-winter break” for many local schools. Here are five ways to kick it off:
WINE TASTING: 5-9 pm, West Seattle winery Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) opens its tasting room for regular Friday-night hours. (5910 California SW)
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Not in West Seattle but you might want to go crosstown to cheer on the WSHS girls-basketball team going for the Metro League title tonight, 5:45 pm, vs. Bishop Blanchet, at Ingraham HS. (1819 N. 135th)
CHOCOLATE TASTING: 6 pm class mixing chocolate-tasting and stretches, at Limber Yoga. Check to see if there’s still room. (6019 California SW)
CONCERT AND CHILD CARE! 7:30 pm at Alki UCC, the series benefiting West Seattle Helpline continues with “Spanish Romance – Celebrate Valentine’s Weekend with an evening of marvelous piano pieces by Spanish composers, sweeping serenades and festive folk songs. Featuring pianist Tim Strong and vocalist Karen Oleson. Make it a date night! Child care provided.” $15-$20 free-will offering suggested – if you can, bring checks made out to WS Helpline. Full details here. (6115 SW Hinds)
‘COMPANY’: Opening night for Twelfth Night Productions‘ presentation of Stephen Sondheim‘s Tony Award-winning “Company,” 7:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
MORE! … on our complete calendar.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Less than two months into her first term as the first City Councilmember for District 1 – West Seattle and South Park – Lisa Herbold made her first official appearance before the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce on (after a few unofficial appearances).
“I see my role at City Hall as a person you can count on to … keep things moving. Progress at City Hall can sometimes be slow and incremental.” She pointed out that Economic Development is part of her mission of the committee she’s chairing. She also said she hopes to serve the public by showing people how to “be their own best advocate.” Along the way, she also touched on several of the city’s current hot topics, including the SODO arena, the proposed bicycle-share takeover, and potential White Center annexation. Here’s our video:
The format was Q/A – starting with several pre-collected by Pete Spalding, who leads the Chamber’s government-affairs committee. The first gave her the opportunity to summarize her committee involvement on the council (as detailed here). The committee she chairs – Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development, and Arts – includes one that is charged with strengthening and enforcing workers’ rights, but with an “explicit commitment to business,” to “bring employeers and employees to the table together.” She’s also on the Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods & Finance Committee, and says housing affordability, “something I’ve been passionate about,” is part of her portfolio there. Job readiness, including apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, is part of what she’s working on there.
Taking care of small businesses is important, she said, saying she’s “scoping out” whether the city could have a program like one in the Bay Area that protects “legacy businesses” (those in operation for decades) – determining how many had closed over a period of time, and then creating a registry of those still in business. “Once you quantify what you’ve lost, what you want to save, you can strategize how to save them,” she said, observing that voters in the Bay Area passed a fund specifically targeted at “helping these legacy businesses stay afloat.”
Another question: How does she plan to keep up on issues that businesses on the peninsula will be keeping up during her term?
One example she cited: The presentation at her committee meeting earlier this week, highlighting the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) training program at Vigor‘s shipyard on Harbor Island. You can see it at 18 minutes into the Seattle Channel video of the meeting:
Herbold told the chamber lunch’s ~40 attendees, “They have found that 81 percent of daytime graduates of this program were employed within the industry they were being trained for.” She also mentioned the Priority Hire program, focused on city public-works projects. That’s meant to increase what she said was a shrinking percentage of Seattle residents working on city-funded projects – now just 40 percent.
She promised to be “a regular” at Chamber meetings, and assured the group that transportation issues are among her priorities, too, describing the West Seattle Transportation Coalition is a good funnel for those advocacy issues, and suggesting the Chamber synergize with groups like that on key issues: “When we get letters that are written/signed by several interest groups, they’re compelling. … It really makes us take notice.”
When the floor was opened to questions, Chas Redmond – who had run for the seat Herbold won – asked how the new council is dealing with the proposed SODO arena.
“I was disappointed that we are moving forward with scheduling the street vacation public hearing,” she said. “I thought the appeal could conceivably identify some useful information to help guide us in the policymaking around the street vacation.” She said it doesn’t seem all the issues around the project have been revealed. She’s also interested in examining street-vacation policies in general. But she says she believes in negotiating from a position of strength and the street vacation “is a contract.” (Next questioner asked for an explanation of “street vacation” – find it here.)
After that: What might be your roadblocks for doing great things?
“Often, roadblocks associated with resources, sometimes the interest of folks in maintaining the status quo … we have a regressive tax structure in hte state and means we can’t do a lot of things we want to do, so we have to focus on the priorities.” She says she wants to focus on things affecting people’s day-to-day lives, and then expressed concern about the current proposal for the city to bail out and take over the bike-share program for $1.4 million (followed up by an expansion that would not likely include West Seattle): “The Pronto discussion, for example – I don’t know that keeping that afloat when it’s facing bankruptcy is the best use of finite resources.” So, she said, she’s “asking tough questions” about whether that would be “throwing good money after bad.”
Speaking about income inequality and homelessness, Herbold said: “We’re experiencing a lot of growth in the city and it’s not always being felt by everyone in the city.” She said the current efforts focus on “unsheltered homeless people.” She said that part of the problem in the past has been “up until a year and a half ago,” new resources was only being spent on permanent housing, rather than to get emergency shelter for the thousands of people sleeping outdoors.
White Center entrepreneur and North Highline Unincorporated Area Council board member Elizabeth Gordon then asked about how Herbold sees her role as representing a “border district,” with unincorporated WC next door, facing potential Seattle annexation (local voters rejected Burien’s overture years ago and that city is on record as no longer interested).
Herbold pointed out that she lives in a “border neighborhood” – Highland Park. She also reiterated what she had voiced repeatedly during the council campaign – that her view of WC/NH annexation is cautious at best. “I think it’s just a matter of partnerships – we have to always be in partnership with representatives and stakeholders that are our neighbors. I know there’s a lot of interest in pursuing annexation – I have a lot of concerns about annexation … I have an open mind but moving forward on these discussions … I don’t want to annex a new part of the region and have that part of the region just become another neighborhood on the list of underserved neighborhoods here in district 1.” She said she would want to make sure there are enough resources, and she’s not entirely sure that what the state might allocate this year (sales-tax-credit legislation is advancing) would be enough to cover the costs.
Your next chance to see Councilmember Herbold out in the district, by the way, is during the Nature Consortium’s Neighbor Appreciation Day work party tomorrow (Saturday, February 13th), 10 am-2 pm at Pigeon Point Park at 4418 21st SW, next to Pathfinder K-8.
Two more notes from the meeting:
CHAMBER’S NEW HOME: CEO Lynn Dennis mentioned that the Chamber has found a new HQ location – 5639 California SW, as reported here post-meeting yesterday afternoon.
YMCA UPDATE: The West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) is now expecting to break ground on its expansion around mid-April, once the permits are finalized, Josh Sutton told the Chamber gathering. He also noted that the Y has 240 employees and is an $8 million business in West Seattle. It’s raised $3.65 million in West Seattle for the expansion, and its annual fundraising campaign is under way (as reported here)
For more information about the West Seattle Chamber, explore its website at wschamber.com; monthly events include lunches and “After Hours” gatherings. WSB is among the hundreds of local businesses comprising its membership.
A celebration-of-life gathering is planned next month for longtime West Seattleite Amelia “Amy” Beard Walker. Here’s the remembrance her family is sharing:
Amy went to her rest on February 1, 2016, at Highline Medical Center, at the age of 90.
Born on November 23, 1925, to Charles Grosvenor and Elizabeth Cooper Beard, in Jacksonville, Florida, and graduated from Central High School in Memphis, Tennessee, she married Thomas L. Walker Jr. in 1943, sharing life for 69 years, until his passing in 2012. They lived throughout the United States, wherever his career in aircraft and missile engineering took them. She worked in various public school systems, and completed her working career as the Director of Administrative Services and Assistant to the Executive Director, Goodwill Industries of Seattle.
Amy was active in the West Side Wheelers square dance club, the West Seattle Garden Club, Washington Arboretum, West Seattle Rock and Gem Club, and was a Member/Secretary for Toastmasters of West Seattle. She served on the Executive Board of the West Seattle Daystar Retirement Village and was a Daystar Ambassador, welcoming and assisting new residents. An active member of her church, she served as a reader for the 14th Church of Christ Scientist of West Seattle. She led a pro-active life, touching the lives of so many others in a positive, lasting way.
Amy is survived by her children; Carolyn Gabrio (Bob), Eileen Meling (Lee), Thomas Walker III (Toni), and Lawrence Walker (Rosario); seven grandchildren; Kristin Pottsmith (Chuck), Janice Belding, Jacqueline Walker, Marcella Bolen (Dan), Brian Walker (Andrea), Leah Walker, and Jamison Walker, and five great-grandchildren.
A celebration of her life will be held by her family at Daystar Retirement Village, 2615 SW Barton Street, on March 26th, 2:00 pm; after which a private family scattering of ashes will be conducted. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your favorite Veterans’ charity.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:12 AM: Good morning! First, another thanks to Azimuth for finding the other high-bridge camera, which still isn’t back on the SDOT list, buried beneath another camera in a click on the city’s Travelers Information Map. It’s taken its place at top left.
Remember that Monday is the Presidents Day holiday – plus the first of two days off in an abbreviated midwinter break for most local students. For transportation, Metro will be on a “reduced weekday” schedule Monday, while the Water Taxi routes will not run at all. (Added: Washington State Ferries will be on their regular schedule.)
Today, though, everything’s as usual. If you see something unusual and can safely/legally use your phone, text or call us at 206-293-6302.
8:27 AM: Remains a relatively quiet commute in/from our area. One more note – if you’ll be driving in the Junction area tonight, the work at Fauntleroy/Alaska is expected to continue into next week, so be aware of a potential overnight detour by that corner.
From tonight’s high-school basketball playoff games:
CHIEF SEALTH BOYS’ NAILBITER: One-point win for the Chief Sealth International High School boys, coached by Colin Slingsby, tonight – 62-61 over Bishop Blanchet – so they move on to the district tournament as Metro #9.
This sets up a crosstown showdown, we just learned via the updated bracket, because of this:
WSHS BOYS FINISH FOURTH: Losing to Cleveland tonight, 59-56, the West Seattle High School boys, coached by Keffrey Fazio, finish fourth in the Metro League, and will host Sealth on Saturday in a loser-out game, 7 pm.
One team’s season ended tonight:
CHIEF SEALTH GIRLS’ SEASON OVER: The CSIHS girls’ run is done, with a loss at home to Holy Names, 60-45. We stopped by the Sealth gym in the final moments:
(WSB photo: Sealth #33, Kamryn Thomas)
The Seahawk girls, coached by Katie Jo Maris, have season highlights to remember including a six-game win streak between January 8th and January 27th.
And one local team had tonight off, playing for a title tomorrow:
WSHS GIRLS PLAY TOMORROW: The undefeated Wildcat girls, coached by Darnell Taylor, play Bishop Blanchet for the Metro League championship on Friday night, 5:45 pm at Ingraham HS. However it turns out, their first district-tournament game will be on Tuesday.
Two more local teams start postseason play Saturday:
SEATTLE LUTHERAN GAMES ON SATURDAY: In the Tri-District basketball tournaments, the SLHS girls host Cedar Park Christian at 5 pm Saturday, followed by the boys hosting Lummi Nation at 7 pm.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight, starting with video of a package-taker who reportedly was in for a surprise:
‘LITTER BOX’ PACKAGE TAKEN: Megan says her surveillance-camera video shows a woman taking a box from her porch in Greenbridge (near 8th/Roxbury), with a surprise inside: Used kitty litter. The bait box was taken just after noon today, according to Megan, who says neighbors report seeing this woman in the area before.
Two more Crime Watch reports to share tonight:
BIKE STOLEN: Josh reports a black Trek 830 Mountain Track mountain bike with red shocks on the front was stolen from under the deck/carport at his home on a dead-end street near Lincoln Park. He initially noticed because “one of the motion sensor lights was out. It was unscrewed, which made me believe someone was trying to get to our cars.” The cars were fine, he reports, but the bike was gone.
CAR PROWL: After our long list of car prowls in Crime Watch here last night, Steve wanted to make sure the one that happened to him two weeks ago was on the record here too (it’s long since been reported to police): “Night of Jan. 25 into morning of Tues., Jan. 26, perps smashed out passenger-side front window of my Audi and took my 64-gig iPad mini and didn’t touch anything else.” This happened in the 10000 block of California SW in Arbor Heights.
CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL NEXT WEEK: Just another reminder that you can talk with police, and hear their updates on local crime trends, during the next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, 7 pm Tuesday (February 16th) at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).
(WSB file photo from low tide at Constellation Park)
Spring and summer are rolling this way, sure as the tide, and if you love being out on our beaches, here’s a unique volunteer opportunity:
Volunteer with the Seattle Aquarium at a beach near you!
Why do barnacles stand on their heads? What do sea stars like to eat? How do moon snails lay their eggs? Learn to answer these and other fun questions by volunteering as a Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalist this summer. Naturalists receive training in the spring, and then spend three low-tide days educating beach visitors about inter-tidal life and beach etiquette at one of eleven Puget Sound beaches, including Constellation Park and Lincoln Park in West Seattle.
Training begins on March 2.
If interested, please email beachnaturalist@seattleaquarium.org, call 206-693-6189, or visit seattleaquarium.org/beach-naturalist. Registration required.
See this flyer for more info.
6:40 PM: Until 8 pm, you can help decide which kinetic-sculpture concept will soon grace the north side of Junction Plaza Park – a 20-foot moving sculpture, with a stainless-steel base, in front of the tallest blank wall in West Seattle. The concepts are being shown off at an open house right now at Cupcake Royale (northeast corner of California/Oregon).
Troy Pillow is the artist chosen for the installation, funded by public-benefit money from area development as well as a Department of Neighborhoods grant. He’s here to answer your questions (as are reps from the West Seattle Junction Association and Junction Neighborhood Organization). Pillow says the concepts represent the “coming together” nature of The Junction, present and past; as you can see from the renderings above (which aren’t the only ones), color choices are up for discussion too. He says there will be “uplighting” for the installation.
Along with printed-out renderings of the design options, you can also look at animated versions on screens when you stop by – there’s been a steady stream of people. If you just can’t get here tonight, you’ll be able to offer opinions online too – stand by for the info on that.
ADDED EARLY FRIDAY: Here’s where to go to see all the options, and to tell the project team what you think.
Thanks to Steven for sharing that photo, taken around 2:30 pm from a condo window in the 1200 block of Alki Avenue SW, looking at the hillside behind the building.
Not necessarily applicable when you’re viewing from inside your home, but remember that the best thing to do if and when you see one is to try to scare it away, for its sake as well as yours. Read more in the State Fish and Wildlife Department’s “Living with Coyotes” guide.
Where else have West Seattleites seen coyotes? Almost everywhere. Check our archive here.
Three biznotes this afternoon:
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
NEW HOME FOR WEST SEATTLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: As mentioned here last month, the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce has been looking for a new headquarters. At today’s lunch meeting (full report to come), Chamber CEO Lynn Dennis announced one has been found, courtesy of Potter Construction (WSB sponsor). We talked to Gary Potter afterward, and he has confirmed they’ve just signed a lease – not at Potter’s HQ but not far – the Chamber will be relocating in a few weeks to the building Potter owns at 5639 California SW (which is also home to WSB sponsor Sound Yoga).
PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT, VALENTINE EDITION: Want to go out (or hang out) on Valentine’s weekend while knowing your kid(s) are having a blast? Straight Blast Gym (WSB sponsor) is offering you the chance to do just that – 6-9 pm Saturday (February 13th), SBG coaches will offer a “ton of fun – play games, watch a movie, eat some pizza – while parents get three hours to either go out and enjoy or stay in and relax.” $30/kid – call SBG ASAP to save space – 206-420-1834.
CHOPSTIX MYSTERY: We haven’t been able to reach anyone to directly confirm whether this is a permanent shutdown, but we – and a few readers who have e-mailed about this – have noticed that Chopstix hasn’t been open for some time. The hand-lettered sign on the door simply says CLOSED; the phone goes unanswered. Chopstix opened three years ago, after Pan Africa Grill spent one year at the location, following a 12-year run by the Chinese restaurant Ho-Win.
On Wednesday, we wrote about the demolition work at 3219-3221, clearing an old commercial building for residential development.
Today, WSB’s Christopher Boffoli sends the photo above, showing faded signage on a newly revealed brick wall alongside 3225 California (which is not part of the current project – the building is currently home to West Seattle Healing Tree). These are what are now known as “ghost signs” – you’ve probably seen a few in West Seattle, and other parts of the city.
Christopher points out that the words “WHOLE FAMILY” and “We do boot repairing here” are visible. Online archives show the Jurians’ Family Shoe Store was in operation there for a dozen years until selling the business in 1931. (The King County Assessor’s Office website, however, traces the building only to 1922.)
Ghost signs are usually painted onto buildings – old brick buildings like this one – but sometimes there are other signage surprises, like the one we showed in 2013 after demolition at 4730 California SW.
(Wednesday photo, by Karen Baer)
Biggest night of the week! Highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
MAKE VALENTINES AT THE LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Today through Sunday, Valentine-making supplies are part of what you’ll find during a visit to a place full of West Seattle love – the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s Log House Museum. During regular hours, noon-4 pm – more info here. (61st SW/SW Stevens)
MID-WINTER WINE RELEASE: The Northwest Wine Academy at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) is celebrating its mid-winter release. Find the NWWA on the north end of campus. (6000 16th SW)
HIGH-SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS: Tonight’s games include one at home – the Chief Sealth IHS girls host Holy Names, 5:45 pm. (2600 SW Thistle)
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: Second Thursday is here and that brings the Art Walk, 6-9 pm. Here’s the map/venue list:
Find highlights on the official Art Walk website.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON JUNCTION PLAZA PARK ART INSTALLATION: Special event during tonight’s Art Walk, as previewed here – stop by Cupcake Royale and meet artist Troy Pillow, chosen for the 20-foot-high art installation slated for Junction Plaza Park. Take a look at the design-concept options and offer your opinion! 6-8 pm. (California SW/SW Alaska)
STEM OPEN HOUSE/TOUR: 6-7 pm for elementary, 7-8 pm for middle school – tour Louisa Boren STEM K-8 tonight; details here. (5950 Delridge Way SW)
BILINGUAL EDUCATION MEETING: As previewed here, the state Bilingual Education Advisory Committee is at Denny International Middle School tonight to hear from parents and guardians of students in bilingual/ELL programs, 6-8 pm. (2601 SW Kenyon)
ROBOTICS/CODING/DESIGN FOR KIDS – OPEN HOUSE! This is also in The Junction – 6:30-8 pm, stop by the Seattle App Academy (WSB sponsor) for a robotics demo and open house: “Students from Skunkworks Robotics at Raisbeck Aviation HS will present a robot and share what it takes to compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition.” Free – just drop in – 4th floor of Jefferson Square’s office building. (4700 42nd SW, Suite 467)
STUDENTS PERFORM POETRY: Chief Sealth International High School students invite you to tonight’s “Page to Stage” performance – previewed here – 6:30 pm in the CSIHS Auditorium. (2600 SW Thistle)
MADISON MIDDLE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: Prospective students are invited to visit Madison MS tonight, 6:30-8 pm. (3429 45th SW)
LAFAYETTE PTA TALKS BELL TIMES: 6:30 pm at Lafayette Elementary, the PTA meeting’s main topic is bell times, with assistant superintendent Pegi McEvoy as a special guest. Will Lafayette continue as West Seattle’s only elementary with a late (9:40 am) start? Here’s a chance to speak up. (California SW/SW Lander)
HIGHLINE PREMIER FOOTBALL CLUB ‘TOWN HALL’: Find out more about HPFC and what next year might look like, at a “Town Hall” gathering tonight, 6:30 pm:
• Meet our new Director, Lee Hitchen
• Learn about the USSF mandated changes (birth year, field size, roster size)
• Birth Year training
• See our fresh new look for next year (badge, logo, uniforms)
• Team and Player recognitions
• College prep
All welcome – players, parents, any community members interested in finding out about HPFC. At Grace Church. (10323 28th SW)
THAT’S JUST THE START … even more events for today and tonight are on our complete calendar.
One West Seattle project of note in today’s city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin: It’s comment time for a South Delridge project going through Streamlined Design Review (a process that doesn’t require a public meeting). Four 3-story, 2-unit townhouse buildings, with 8 offstreet parking spaces, are planned to replace a house at 9043 18th SW (map). February 24th is the comment deadline if you want to be sure the city takes into account potential design issues for this project and this site. Here’s the official notice published today, which includes information on how to send a comment. No design packet is visible on the city website yet, and we’re asking the planners if one will be available; you can watch for it here.
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
7:23 AM: No incidents so far in or from West Seattle. As of right now, though, some of the regular SDOT cameras are stuck on earlier views – we’re checking to see if the others are being worked on.
7:36 AM: Fixed now, SDOT confirms. And since it’s still quiet:
TRANSPORTATION NEWS: Last night we reported on the changes in the works for the Fauntleroy/Endolyne Triangle … if you’re interested in light rail to West Seattle, the WS Transportation Coalition‘s survey remains open, looking for specific local opinions on route preference.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
The perfect-record season continues for the West Seattle High School girls’ basketball team – they defeated Roosevelt Wednesday night 53-39, and moving on to Friday’s Metro League title game.
We covered the WSHS game, but before we get to more on that, three other scores:
*The WSHS boys lost to Rainier Beach, 67-57, and will play Cleveland at 7:30 pm tonight (at Ingraham HS)
*The Chief Sealth IHS boys lost to Franklin, 85-45, and play again tonight (awaiting word on time/team)
*CSIHS girls lost to Rainier Beach, 44-41, and play Holy Names at home, 5:45 pm tonight
Now, back to the Wildcat girls’ victory:
Led by Metro League Coach of the Year Darnell Taylor, the WSHS girls ran out to a 20-point lead at one point in the second half, but Roosevelt went on its own run and closed to within five points.
WSHS managed to break Roosevelt’s full-court press and roar on to victory. Metro League MVP Lydia Giomi and All-League First Team Lexi Ioane both had 18 points.
The championship game is a rematch of a game two weeks ago when Blanchet was the only other undefeated Metro League team. They meet again at 5:45 pm Friday at Ingraham HS (1819 N. 135th).
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Tonight the 34th District Democrats endorsed King County Council chair Joe McDermott for the 7th Congressional District seat that longtime Rep. Jim McDermott is giving up.
He pointed out that he’s never run for something without his home district’s endorsement. More than 70 34th DD members were eligible to vote; 44 of them supported him.
Before the endorsement vote, the group heard from six candidates:
CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES SPEAK: 5 minutes were allotted to each declared candidate who was present – roughly 3 minutes of speech, then a few questions. They spoke in alphabetical order. We recorded each on video – the text does not cover everything they said, but the video does (updated 1:47 am: we’ve added all candidates’ clips):
(WSB photos)
Traffic-calming changes ahead for the Fauntleroy/Endolyne Triangle in Fauntleroy were unveiled at a briefing that preceded last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association board meeting. The Triangle is a confusing, sometimes dangerous multi-point series of intersections between 45th, Wildwood, and Brace Point, and SDOT‘s Jim Curtin came to the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse to review plans with community members. “Transforming the triangle,” is how he described the changes, a long time coming, discussed in forums including FCA’s 2014 community gathering about traffic and a walking tour last year with then-City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen.
Features shown in the schematic design include back-in angled parking on the south side of the commercial heart of the triangle, two painted curb bulbs along the Brace Point Drive side of the triangle (paint colors haven’t been chosen yet), and a bicycle corral in front of Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor), where a parking space needed to be removed anyway to improve visibility from the parking lot south of the restaurant.
One point yet to be worked out: The stop sign on the northeast edge of the area. The city wants to remove it; community members want to keep it. Curtin plans to bring out city traffic engineer Dongho Chang for a firsthand look, at the behest of FCA. As for the timeline overall, the work could be done in one day, March or April. It’s funded because some other area projects have come in under budget, Curtin said.
Then it was on to the board meeting in the schoolhouse’s smaller conference room, led by vice president David Haggerty:
ANNUAL MEETING/FOOD FEST: Next month, FCA throws its biggest party of the year. Lots has happened since last time, as Marty Westerman pointed out – Cove Park is open again and better than ever, Endolyne Triangle is being beautified (as part of the work mentioned above) and made safer, the Fauntleroy Fall Festival is getting more support from FCA than ever – so there is much to celebrate. This is also a time for residents to come renew their FCA memberships. The group works on a variety of advocacy issues and even has welcome bags for new area residents. Along with local restaurants and food purveyors (including Tuxedoes and Tennis Shoes, which has its exclusive event venue in the schoolhouse), the meeting also brings out local-interest organizations to distribute information.
As part of the annual meeting, officers will be elected. Haggerty is not planning to run for re-election as vice president. A few other positions are open.
CITY LIGHT PROPERTY: FCA has been given a year to come up with a way to buy the former substation property at 46th SW and Brace Point Drive. Surveys were distributed to about 60 neighbors and almost half turned them back in; a team of four talked with other neighbors. Most support keeping it as greenspace; a few were interested in housing: “I feel like we got a good read now and what folks around there want. Now we have to try to figure out the next step … I don’t know how many (neighbors) would actually be willing to pull out their wallets.” Still a work in progress.
SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES PUMP STATION PROJECT: We had just heard about this, before the meeting, and we’re gathering information from SPU. Some work will be under way to upgrade a pump station that’s on the south side of the Fauntleroy ferry dock, timeline TBA, and it will encroach to some degree on the small parking lot on the southeast end of the dock – more info to come.
NEW FAUNTLEROY UCC MINISTER: The group spent a few minutes talking with recently arrived Rev. Leah Bilinski at the meeting’s start. In her fifth month leading Fauntleroy UCC Church, she’s continuing to work on getting to know Fauntleroy and Seattle.
The Fauntleroy Community Association has board meetings on second Tuesdays, 7 pm, in the conference room at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. Watch fauntleroy.net for updates between meetings.
(UPDATED 6 PM with added reader report of window shootings overnight)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 4:44 PM: In West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon – half a dozen reader reports:
HIT-RUN IN SCHOOL ZONE: Robin sent the photo of a vehicle found abandoned after what started as a hit-run and continued as a near-collision in the crosswalk outside the Louisa Boren STEM/Arbor Heights Elementary building at 5950 Delridge on Tuesday afternoon. Wendy tells the story of the near-collision:
The family that was almost struck in the crosswalk was me, my two kids, and a friend. We were crossing as directed by our crossing guard and I heard someone blaring their horn on Delridge (south of the crosswalk). It looked like two cars had rear-ended when out if no where a man can flying down the turn lane, narrowly missing us. The STEM crossing guard started yelling for us to watch out- and I’m grateful for her attentive eyes.
We checked with SPD; the full report on this isn’t available yet, but traffic investigators spent quite some time on it Tuesday; an SPD spokesperson tells us the car was found, unoccupied. If you have any information, contact SPD and refer to case #16000048247.
Next – it was a busy night for car prowlers:
THREE ON ONE BLOCK: From Jeff:
I just want to send an FYI of at least 3 car prowls on the 5300 block, between Andover and Dakota, between 10:00 pm [corrected] Feb. 9th and 7:00 am Feb. 10th. All three cars are parked in the street, about a house length apart. Prowler went in through the street side doors. No one said if anything of real value was gone. Pretty certain I locked my daughter’s car. Other neighbors thought they had locked theirs as well.
TRUCK BREAK-IN: From SH:
My work truck back passenger window was smashed out early this morning between 3 am and 5 am. Nothing stolen. Do not keep any thing of value in the truck. Might have scared them away when I got up. Location 5000 block of 49th Ave SW. Just want to get the word out.
CAR BREAK-IN: From Wil:
Last “night”, ie probably early this morning, 2/10, our gray Toyota Prius had its contents rifled through along the 4900 block of SW Bruce St. (Bruce St is a 2 block long road just south of Dawson, between 49th and 51st, FYI). So far, only my wife’s makeup bag is missing. It appeared another car along Bruce St but closer to 49th Ave had a window broken out when my wife drove past this morning.
ANOTHER ONE ON BRUCE ST.: From Erin:
Just wanted to share with the neighbors to be extra vigilant. My car near 49th & Bruce was broken into late night on 2/9 or early morning 2/10. The thief took a teal and black messenger bag containing important, irreplaceable work documents. In the unlikely event you heard something, or saw something or know anything about the incident, it would be greatly appreciated.
And a reminder about scammers:
SCAM CALL: From C:
Heavily accented caller says your Visa was charged $2000, and if not your charge, they will cancel card and send new one. Of course, they then want last four digits and expiration date “to confirm you are the card holder.” JUST HANG UP!
ADDED 6 PM: Just in from David:
Five cars on Sunset Avenue had their windows shot out with a BB gun last night between 3am and 4am. Property was stolen from several of them. Two males in a white four door sedan. Police responded and have a description.
This follows a string of window-shootings a week and a half ago in various West Seattle neighborhoods.
The day after another low-turnout election – only 1 in 4 Seattle ballots was in by the close of voting last night – the County Council is following up on its directive for more permanent ballot dropboxes around the county. The one above, for example, is the last one West Seattle had – removed more than five years ago, with only temporary dropoff vans sent here, during the last few days before the close of voting, since then.
Right now, only 10 permanent dropboxes are in place around King County, but the in-progress proposal from Elections Director Julie Wise – with funding approved by the County Council today – would quadruple that to 40. No locations finalized yet, though. The proposal also will pay for increased voter outreach in communities where English is not the primary language. That would include printing voter materials in Spanish and Korean as well as Chinese and Vietnamese, the two languages in which they’re offered now. More details on the added-dropboxes plan are due in April; read today’s announcement in full here.
Just in from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office: 22-year-old Malik R. Jones is charged with first-degree burglary in connection with the Saturday morning break-in (WSB coverage here) in which a Gatewood woman was startled awake by an intruder touching her. State law incorporates assault in this particular charge (read the law here), so it covers the alleged touching as well as the burglary itself.
Prosecutors are asking that Jones’s bail remain set at $100,000, though his only criminal history is described as a “reduced DUI charge” resolved three months ago in Pierce County, where he is believed to live. Allegations in the document are largely what we reported on Monday, after his bail hearing, except for the added information that the cell phone stolen from the victim was later found outside the house, “smashed to bits.” More to come …
(WSB photo from 2015 Float Dodger 5K)
July 23rd might sound like a long way away. But it’s less than half a year – and today there’s reason to look forward to the Float Dodger 5K walk/run that precedes the West Seattle Grand Parade. Lori McConnell from Float Dodger-presenting West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) explains:
Today our race went LIVE! Special discount registration price of $17!! floatdodger5k.com
This year it is benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as always. BUT we are ADDING the West Seattle Food Bank as the other beneficiary. We are excited to announce this new partnership/collaboration.
Tonight at 7 pm at the store, we we will host an info night about Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training program so folks can learn more. Complete with wine and snacks!
WSR is at 2743 California SW in The Admiral District.
12:40 PM: Thanks to Christine for the photo from the 3200 block of California SW, where part of the old commercial building on the west side of the street was demolished this morning. This is part of the area upzoned more than five years ago, across from the biggest development that resulted from the upzoning, Springline on the east side of the street (seen in the background, under construction now for exactly a year). While a medium-size apartment building was once proposed for the west side – which also is owned by Intracorp – the plans were later changed, and today’s demolition location is planned for a mix of townhouses and live-work units, as reported here early last year.
2:07 PM: Adding video of this morning’s demolition, from WSB’s Christopher Boffoli:
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