West Seattle, Washington
31 Saturday
One more championship report from West Seattle Little League – the Majors’ winners:
The Red Sox played a great game against the White Sox and came out on top 15-5. The Red Sox are managed by Art Holloway and Matt Schlede. Players are: Milo Stover, Aiden Hsu, Isaac Wortzel, Jayden Holloway, Mason Holmes, Eli Palmer, Harrison Gaikowski, Sean Quinn, Felix Schlede, Bo Gionet, and Jordan Holloway.
(Seattle Channel video from this afternoon’s committee meeting)
Starting 56 minutes into the video above, the City Council’s Human Services and Public Health Committee got a briefing this afternoon on the state of the city’s emergency response to homelessness. We took notes on the West Seattle-specific information, mostly related to the city-sanctioned Camp Second Chance on Myers Way. The briefing was led by the city’s director of homelessness George Scarola, who said they’re now ramping down the daily homelessness-related meetings in the city’s Emergency Operations Center after four months. Key staffers will now meet three times a week and have conference calls the other two.
City briefers said that Camp Second Chance is now “at capacity” with 58 residents – three more than when we last visited for the Community Advisory Committee meeting on June 4th. Though a capacity around 70 was expected, all 50 of its tents (some being replaced by “tiny houses” as donor-funded structures become available) are now occupied. The city’s three newest sanctioned encampments, including CSC, have 160 residents total. In a citywide stat, overall, the committee was told, the city’s SPD-led Navigation Team has made almost 2,000 contacts with a total of 630 people who are “living homeless.” (The slide deck used in the briefing was not included in the meeting agenda, as most such presentations are, so we’ll be asking for it tomorrow, to add here.)
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
A century-plus-old house at 6721 California SW is proposed for replacement with seven rowhouse townhouses, according to a proposal that just showed up in city files. The early-stage site plan in city files shows the units fronting onto SW Willow on the south side of the site, with five offstreet parking spaces alongside the units on the north side. This represents continued densification to match what the area is already zoned for; this site is zoned Lowrise 2, as is the rest of the block, part of which has already been redeveloped, as has the entire block to the south.
(WSB photo: Linnea Westerlind at Lowman Beach Park)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Eight years ago, West Seattle writer Linnea Westerlind “decided all of a sudden to try to visit all the parks in the city in a year.”
The quest to visit those 400+ parks led to a four-year adventure, the website yearofseattleparks.com, and now, a book, “Discovering Seattle Parks: A Local’s Guide.”
Not that she wasn’t already having enough of an adventure, as the parent of a son who was six months old at the time she started her exploration – and then, “in the middle of that, I had twins.”
So with three little park-going companions, she continued the park visits. “I loved parks and was just in love with the park system and decided to turn it into something more tangible.
“Discovering Seattle Parks,” just published by Harbor Island-headquartered Mountaineers Books, is the result. It’s also, Westerlind says, the first guidebook to Seattle parks in more than 40 years, spotlighting more than 100 of them.
After hearing about it, we requested an interview, and sat down at one of her favorite West Seattle parks – Lowman Beach – this past Monday.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes so far today:
PACKAGE THIEVES ON CAMERA: So you’re out of town getting married … wedding gifts arrive back at home, and somebody steals them. That’s what you’re seeing on the video above, shared by Patrick:
This last weekend (June 12th, 2017 @ 2:02 AM) two package thieves approached our front porch and stole multiple wedding gifts (+$300 that we are aware of) that were shipped to us while we were out of town getting married on the Oregon Coast. Luckily we have not one, but two nest cameras installed that captured the two thieves red handed. This cut our trip a bit short, we were planning on staying till June 14th, 2017. After we got back home on the 12th, we promptly gathered all the evidence and reported it to the proper authorities.
This happened near 35th SW and SW Juneau. If you have any clues, contact police and refer to incident number 17-211339.
CAR PROWLERS ON CAMERA: Reported to us via text, two car prowlers “trying to break into vehicles on 25th Avenue SW last night about midnight and they dumped a bunch of stolen mail from 24th Avenue SW.” Here are images of both:
This incident number is 2017-213282.
FOLLOWUP – AUTO THEFT SUSPECT CHARGED: The 19-year-old found hiding in a Dumpster during a police search near 35th SW/SW Morgan on Saturday is now charged. Anzor E. Lomanov is charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, a felony. As noted in our followup, the Corolla from which two men – including, police say, Lomanov – bolted at the corner gas station was stolen from Tukwila earlier in the day. Lomanov remains jailed in lieu of $25,000 bail; the charging documents say police believe they know the identity of the other man, who got away.
The next big event at West Seattle’s Admiral Theater has two big reasons to be on your calendar – the film that you’ll see, “Legends of the Road,” and the cause that you’ll be supporting. From the Southwest Seattle Historical Society:
Restoration of the art-deco underwater murals of West Seattle’s Historic Admiral Theater will get a boost this summer with a one-night screening of a documentary that showcases a project by local students to salute the black baseball barnstorming phenomenon of the early 20th century.
(“Legends of the Road” trailer)
“Legends of the Road,” a feature-length, student-produced film, will be screened at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, June 27, at the Historic Admiral Theater, 2343 California Ave. S.W., sponsored by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society.
The film, which won the highest audience rating at the 2017 Kansas City Film Festival, will be introduced by Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, and former teacher Gary Thomsen of West Seattle, who led the “Legends” project at Chief Sealth High School. After the film, Kendrick, Thomsen, and several of Thomsen’s former students will be available to answer questions.
Admission will be by $20 donation, which will go to the Historic Admiral Theater mural restoration led by SWSHS. A VIP opportunity, to see the film and visit one-on-one with the featured speakers beforehand, will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the theater. This opportunity is available by reservation at a $100 donation.
Both levels of tickets can be purchased online via Far Away Entertainment and at the door.
The Admiral’s murals were revealed during its recently completed renovation process. SWSHS says the mural-restoration campaign will include more special events, as well as details on how proposals for restoration will be sought.
(Playground at EC Hughes, photographed this morning)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
When Roxhill Elementary is moved from its current crumbling campus to 90+-year-old EC Hughes in fall 2018, its parents, teachers, and other supporters hope to have something special for the students that’s not part of the district’s modernization project: An improved playground.
School supporters, who have just relaunched their organization (formerly the PTSA) as Friends of Roxhill Elementary, met this week to talk about the playground aspirations and to get inspiration and advice from local parents/advocates who have already helmed playground projects.
Right now, the EC Hughes playground (as shown in our top photo) is mostly asphalt – all too common at older schools, and not an optimal use of the space. Read More
(Bald eagle, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Highlights of what’s ahead today/tonight:
CAKE LINGERIE MATERNITY PARTY: 11 am-4 pm at the new Junction storefront of Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor), come see the new collections Cake Maternity has created for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Discounts and freebies, too. (4727 44th SW)
CITY COUNCIL INCOME-TAX HEARING: Downtown at City Hall, with 4:30 pm signups to speak, 5 pm hearing continuing until everyone’s been heard from:
City Council’s Finance Committee will host a public hearing this evening on the proposal for an income tax on high-income residents, co-sponsored by Councilmembers Lisa Herbold (District 1, West Seattle and South Park) and Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle). There will be a brief overview presentation of the legislation at the top of the meeting.
The proposal would pursue a more progressive form of taxation, placing a 2 percent tax on joint filers’ income over $500,000 and individual tax filers’ income over $250,000. The estimated $125 million in new annual revenue would allow the City to lower the burden associated with property taxes and other regressive taxes, replace federal funding potentially lost through President Trump’s budget cuts, enhance public services such as housing, education, transit, and create green jobs while meeting the City’s carbon reduction goals.
The council could vote as soon as next month. (601 5th Avenue)
WORDSWEST KIDS’ NIGHT: 6 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), as previewed here, with authors Sundee T. Frazier and Kazu Kibuishi. (5612 California SW)
JOB-SEARCH WORKSHOP: Free workshop, offered monthly at Delridge Community Center, for ages 16 and up, 6:30-7:45 pm. Please pre-register – our calendar listing explains how. (4501 Delridge Way SW)
MAYORAL FORUM @ 34TH DEMS: 7 pm tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy, the 34th District Democrats expect at least half a dozen of the mayoral candidates to participate in their forum, which they say might be followed by an endorsement decision. (9131 California SW)
MADISON JAZZ CONCERT: 7 pm, Madison Middle School‘s jazz musicians present their spring concert. (45th SW/SW Spokane)
THE BILLY JOE SHOW: 9 pm at Parliament Tavern, “honky tonk for the soul with Billy Joe Huels of The Dusty 45s, featuring Robin Cady, Kohen Burrill, and guitar legend Rod Cook.” No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning! No incidents so far in or from West Seattle.
LOOKING AHEAD: Here’s the SDOT roundup of traffic-affecting events around the city through the weekend. Note that Sunday brings the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon/Half Marathon, and NB Highway 99 will be closed through mid-afternoon.
(WSB photo: Jessica, Nancy, Hannah, and Beth @ WestSide Baby HQ)
It’s “Stuff the Bus” season at WestSide Baby – time for diaper drives big and small, to help families in need. On Tuesday, the WS Baby team welcomed a big diaper donation from Les Schwab Tires stores around King County – $2,500 worth of dryness and comfort for your littlest neighbors. This is their third year of in-store drives, and it’s one of more than 100 business and individual drives that will help WestSide Baby meet a goal of more than 300,000 donated diapers through June and July. Though diapers are a necessity, they’re not covered by government-aid programs, and so organizations like WS Baby step up to help the thousands of kids under three years old living in poverty in King County. You can help too, by hosting a drive – here’s how.
| 1 COMMENT