West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
Thanks to Craig Page for the photo and report:
We’d like to share with our community that the Highline Premier FC Girls ’02 team won the Gold Division Washington Cup this weekend. Several players live in West Seattle and attend West Seattle, Chief Sealth, and Kennedy High Schools. The team will go on to play regionals in Idaho in June. This group of young ladies has been together for several years and worked hard all season to accomplish this goal. We’re very proud of the players, the dedicated coaching staff (John and Abraham), and this local soccer club!
The final match was this morning at Starfire in Tukwila.
The weekend weather improved just in time for one of the last spotlight events of the day – this afternoon’s planting party at Puget Ridge Edible Park (18th/Brandon – map).
Stu Hennessey (above center, standing) and other community members pitched the plan to Seattle Parks 8+ years ago, and the city bought the site with levy money. We reported on the site’s history back in 2011.
Today, volunteers were planting lettuce today; other greens planted earlier in the year are coming in. You can get involved both with tending PREP and sharing in the harvest – monthly work parties are always the second Sunday this time of year, 4-6 pm, so the next one is Sunday, May 13th – bring tools and seeds if you have them!
Thanks to Sarah Blum for the report and photos from one of the events spotlighted here on Saturday:
Saturday night, April 7th was the seventh annual Duwamish Rowing Club FUNdraiser and not only was it a fun event that drew in a crowd of supporters, but it offered many prizes.
From a day on the King Gustav yacht owned by head coach Mike Merta and his wife Sherry Toy, to an Island Escape on Bainbridge Island that included a two-hour sail and dinner + a basket of wine and other goodies, and many other prizes in the raffle and silent auction.
Thanks to Sherry for the amazing chili and cornbread, Flying Fish for the great beers, and the youth team for the scrumptious desserts.
One of the highlights of the night was the interview done by Marcie Sillman of KUOW with Bill Tytus, from his rowing and coaching days to designing rowing shells to his ownership of Pocock Racing Shells. One memorable moment was his focus on finding the magical “swing” while rowing.
As advertised, it was a fun event that raised much needed monies to support the club’s growing youth and learn-to-row programs. Contact the club through duwamishrowingclub.org
DRC is based on the Duwamish River in South Park; the Saturday night event was held just up the hill at Highland Park Improvement Club.
(WSB photo from February, approaching Fauntleroy)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Tomorrow night, six weeks of pavement and pathway work will start at the Fauntleroy ferry dock, aimed at keeping it viable until its scheduled replacement in about seven years.
That’s part of what the Washington State Ferries Triangle Improvement Task Force members heard about at their most recent meeting – projects in the near and distant future.
We’ve already published details of the dock work. So now, here’s what else was talked about at the task force meeting:
WSF is still working on the challenge that originally led to the task force’s creation – improving efficiency at the Fauntleroy terminal. Part of the meeting was spent reviewing results of a two-week experiment last month. You can see the results in the slide deck used for the meeting:
Thanks to Gary Potter from Potter Construction (WSB sponsor) for the photos from this morning’s big ride on the Alaskan Way Viaduct:
Rode the Emerald City Ride with Cascade Bike Club this morning. Even the rain didn’t dampen the excitement of being on the viaduct. Great fun!
You can see some other scenes from the ride on the Cascade Twitter feed.
Do you want to live in a neighborhood with thriving independent businesses? Take a few minutes to find out about what the businesses here now see as their biggest challenges. The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and West Seattle Junction Association did just that, to be able to share the information with you, with the help of a grant from the city Office of Economic Development. As part of the project, they convened a gathering of local businesspeople last fall:
We covered it here. Since then, we’ve told you a bit about the project’s results, as described at recent meetings, including the Southwest District Council and the WSJA merchants. Now we have the official news release, from WSJA and WSCoC:
The challenges listed were:
“The goals of this project were to determine the key challenges that West Seattle businesses face, identify common threads between business nodes, and collect information on key resources available to the community. The results of the report gave us the forum to have impactful conversations with business owners.” said Lora Swift, Executive Director of WSJA. “Now our organizations (WSJA and WSCC) have a deeper understanding of the challenges in West Seattle, and how we can build a better business community by combining the strengths of our organizations.”
The qualitative study was done through 32 in-depth interviews primarily with small business owners in the seven business nodes (Alaska Junction, Morgan, Alki, Avalon, Admiral, 35th, Westwood Village) and a few community stakeholders, all located in West Seattle.
There were four recommendations from the report:
1) Market West Seattle to New Residents
2) Close Divide Between City of Seattle and West Seattle Businesses
3) Continue Hosting Solutions-Focused Programming
4) Get Involved in West Seattle Mural Project
Selected quotes from interviews:
“We fell in love with this place. After looking all over the city, we decided that unless we could live and work in West Seattle, we weren’t going to move [to Seattle].”
-Small business owner on Alki“Parking is the biggest challenge. My business depends on people getting in and out quickly. Lack of parking would drive us out of the Junction.” -Small business owner in the Junction
“I feel that the Seattle City Council sees business as an adversary and a checkbook.” -Business owner in Alki
“We feel helpless at times. We hope it will get better, but it’s exhausting.” -Small business owner in the Alaska Junction
“That’s my biggest fear, that people will move in and turn West Seattle into a bedroom community for downtown.” -Small business owner in the Junction
“The new minimum wage is killing the restaurant business.” -Restaurant owner on Alki
“Well, do we go back to dumpster diving for packing materials? Would we do that for our employees to have health insurance? I guess we would.” -Retail business owner in Avalon
“I don’t feel like the city cares about small business. They care about Trader Joe’s. We’re just a blink.” -Small business owner in the Alaska Junction
“The partnership of the WS Junction Association and the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce allows two organizations, each with a small professional staff, to make a positive impact on the business community. Using this information, we are moving forward. Immediately after the study, an application was completed and a 2018 grant from the Office of Economic Development gives us seed money for a pilot program marketing West Seattle to new residents,” said Lynn Dennis, CEO, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
Part of the results were geared toward a way to connect all of the West Seattle resources together in a living website. The website would focus on gathering resources around West Seattle that could be referenced by both business and citizens. The result was the new West Seattle Resource Roundup site that ties together nonprofits, media, city and neighborhood groups.
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The Junction is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that was developed to pay for the parking lots in the Junction. The Junction Association merchants produce many community events throughout the year including Art Walk (year-round 2nd Thursdays), Summer Fest (July), West Seattle Outdoor Movies (July-August) Harvest Festival (October), and Hometown Holidays (December). In addition, the Junction Association merchants pay to keep the streets of the Junction safe & clean, plus we fund the 95 flower baskets that beautify the Junction from May through September.
The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) that has served as the leading advocate for the West Seattle business community since 1923. A volunteer-based group of businesses and individuals takes advantage of benefits including networking opportunities, educational programs and a unified voice in governmental affairs that impact our business environment. The Chamber focuses on the sustainable economic growth of a diverse, viable business community on the West Seattle peninsula.
You can read the full report resulting from the project by going here.
Two weeks from today, you’ll be able to drop off recyclables at Fauntleroy Church, during the spring Recycle Roundup. There’s been one change since we first published the list of what they will accept this time, so take a close look before you finish rounding up whatever you plan to drop off: Instead of “flat screen” computer monitors, 1 Green Planet will only be accepting LCD computer monitors. Here’s the updated list (PDF). Dropoff hours will be 9 am-3 pm Sunday, April 22nd, in the lot outside the church at 9140 California SW. As usual, no charge, but the church’s Green Committee always appreciates donations.
We start with this morning’s big traffic alert:
VIADUCT CLOSURE: One more reminder that the Emerald City Ride is happening on NB Highway 99 this morning, and that means no motorized traffic – until 9:30 am, all the way from here to the north end of the Aurora Bridge; until 11:30 am, from here to Western Avenue.
Now, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FREE ZUMBINI DEMO: For kids up to 4 years old and their parent/caregiver – free demo class at Lee’s Martial Arts, 9:30-10:15 am. (3270 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: In the street, 10 am-2 pm – vegetables, fruit, meat, cheese, flowers, beverages, prepared foods, more – and shop your Junction retailers while you’re there! (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
MEET THE GREYHOUNDS: Meet-and-greet at MudBay‘s Admiral store with Greyhound Pets Inc., 11 am-1 pm. (2611 California SW)
CATSINO: Play games and bid, to help animals and their advocates! 2-6 pm, the annual fun(draiser) is happening at Beveridge Place Pub in Morgan Junction. 21+. Details in our calendar listing. (6413 California SW)
CAMP SECOND CHANCE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE: One week later this month because of Easter and Passover last weekend. 2 pm at Arrowhead Gardens, all are welcome to come hear updates on the city-sanctioned encampment on Myers Way, and to ask questions. (9200 2nd SW)
CORREO AEREO: Award-winning Latin American music at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 3-5 pm. (5612 California SW)
LADIES’ MUSICAL CLUB: Free classical concert at West Seattle (Admiral) Library, 3 pm, “featuring songs by Janet Anderson and vocal works from 20th-century American opera.” (2306 42nd SW)
PREP PLANTING PARTY: Great way to wrap up your weekend – come help with planting at Puget Ridge Edible Park! 4-6 pm. (5265 18th SW)
BLUE AVENUE, FEVER POINT, LUBEDO: Three local bands at The Skylark, 5 pm, $5 cover, all ages. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
MORE FOR TODAY, AND BEYOND … just take a look at our complete calendar!
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