West Seattle, Washington
21 Wednesday
Didn’t have this on the calendar but saw it on the weekly bulletin from Denny International Middle School: Tonight at Denny (2601 SW Kenyon), 6:30 pm, Seattle Public Schools is hosting a community meeting about the future of its international schools and dual-language-immersion programs. Denny is one of three in our area, along with Chief Sealth International High School and Concord International (Elementary) School. This follows a formal districtwide program review (read it here or see the toplines here).
Two ways to go green this St. Patrick’s Day (next Saturday, March 17th) without leaving the peninsula:
BEACH CLEANUP: The photo is from Puget Soundkeeper, which invites you to help clean up Alki, for the benefit of life offshore as well as onshore:
Marine debris includes human-made trash, litter, discarded equipment, and other solid material that enters our waterways and oceans and ends up floating out to sea or fouling our beaches and shorelines. Ninety percent of marine debris is plastic, which breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, accumulates pollutants, and ends up in wildlife and in the food we eat. Through ingestion, strangulation, entrapment and injury, marine debris kills and injures thousands of animals every year. Due to the long life of these products, litter and debris will continue to harm the environment until someone comes along to clean up the mess.
Soundkeeper holds cleanups around the Puget Sound region to get trash off our shorelines and out of our waterways, and works to support policies that can move us towards more responsible consumption habits and waste management infrastructure. Cleanups are open to everyone and only require a willingness to get dirty! Soundkeeper will provide trash bags, grabbers, and gloves and will help properly dispose of trash when finished.
Time: 10 am – 12 pm. Location: Alki Beach (1702 Alki Ave SW) The 37 bus runs adjacent to the beach. Free street parking is available along Alki Ave SW. Volunteers will meet up at the Statue of Liberty Plaza near the beach.
What to bring: Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Wear athletic clothing that can get wet and/or muddy, and bring an extra set of clothes if you wish to change afterwards. Old tennis shoes are a good option if you don’t have water shoes. If it is sunny, consider wearing a hat and sunscreen and bring plenty of water. All cleanup equipment is provided.
Waivers: Everyone will need to sign a Puget Soundkeeper waiver. Participants under 18 will need a guardian to sign the waiver on their behalf. To RSVP: Call 206-297-7002 or email Hillary (hillary@pugetsoundkeeper.org)
GO GREEN WITH SWS @ C & P: Then on Saturday night, as announced by Stu Hennessey of Sustainable West Seattle:
Sustainable West Seattle is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and the saving of a West Seattle green space and public gathering area, C & P Coffee.
Celebrate the GREEN and the victory of C & P Coffee keeping their very public, open Green Space and valuable community small business. This is a victory for all of us! There will be music and the usual menu from C&P available for purchase. We will be glad to talk to you about being GREEN in West Seattle.
Saturday, March 17th, from 6:30 to 9 pm at C & P Coffee, 5612 California SW.
Three items in West Seattle Crime Watch so far today:
STOLEN CR-V: From Taylor:
> Wanted to put the word out my car was stolen sometime between Monday afternoon at 3pm (last seen) to 5:00 am Tuesday morning (today). Car was stolen out of my apartment building’s parking lot, which is open off the street (no garage or gate) on 35th Ave between the blocks of Barton and Trenton. Car is a silver 1999 Honda CR-V. Police report has been filed. License plates AMY0339.
TUESDAY EVENING UPDATE: Taylor tells us the car was found in Burien.
CAR PROWL: TM on 42nd SW in Gatewood reported this morning, “My car was run through some time last night. Parked on the street, must have been unlocked. Looks like just change taken from closed console but hard to tell right now.” If you live in the area and have a car, TM suggests, you might consider checking to see if you got hit too.
BUSINESS SAFETY: Monday afternoon, we mentioned tip-jar thieves reported in The Junction, all too common of a crime. Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner reminds us that one of her roles is to “provide safety/security assessments for businesses- using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles, in addition to supplying tips based on recent crime trends and patterns.” (And yes, that includes talking about tip jars.) This is a free service. You can e-mail her at jennifer.danner@seattle.gov or call 206-256-6820.
What a spectacular sunrise before everything went back to classic Seattle gray! The photo above is from Joel in Highland Park. Tonight’s the second Tuesday of the month, which means four area neighborhood groups are meeting, and welcoming anyone/everyone living, working, studying, playing in their areas to come talk about/listen to what’s going on:
SOUTH DELRIDGE COMMUNITY GROUP: Come meet up with SDCG at 7 pm at Two Fingers Social – all ages welcome. Find out more about the group here. (9211 Delridge Way SW)
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: As mentioned in earlier previews, tonight’s (corrected) 6:30 pm meeting at The Sanctuary at Admiral includes two major agenda items – Q&A with Sub Pop about its big 30th anniversary party at Alki on August 11th, and ANA president Larry Wymer leading a discussion of Sound Transit’s West Seattle light-rail planning process. (42nd SW/SW Lander)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: All are welcome at the 7 pm monthly board meeting at historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, with an agenda including:
West Seattle Police Precinct Update – Lt. Ron Smith 10 Min
Annual Meeting and Food Fest
Joslin Building Proposed Rezone
Parking Concerns and SDOT Correspondence
2017/2018 FCA Survey
Website Update
New Neighbor Bag, West Seattle 101
Endolyne Planter Update
Treasurer Report
Rose Street Traffic light
SW District Council Update
The meeting room is just inside the schoolhouse’s front entrance. (9131 California SW)
SOUTH PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 7 pm at South Park Neighborhood Center, with an agenda including the Seattle Neighborhood Group and the city Department of Neighborhoods talking about the ongoing Your Voice, Your Choice. And the meeting starts with food! (8201 10th Ave. S.)
Also from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
NURSING PROGRAM INFORMATION SESSIONS: Two at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) this midday, 11 am-noon and noon-1 pm – details here. (6000 16th SW)
ST. PATRICK’S DAY LUNCH: Doors open at 11:30 am at the Senior Center of West Seattle. If you haven’t already made a reservation, call first to see if there’s still room. (4217 SW Oregon)
MEDITATION: Get centered. Join the Shambhala Meditation group’s weekly event at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 7 pm – details in our listing. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
FAMILY STORY TIME: Bring the kids to Delridge Library at 7 pm for stories, songs, and rhymes. Free, as always. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
AND THERE’S MORE … always, easily browsable, on our complete-calendar page.
We’ve just heard from another local troop that will be collecting food door-to-door this Saturday for the Scouting for Food drive. From Boy Scout Troop 284 parent Dwight Gilmore:
If you live on SW 29th through SW 34th St. between SW Myrtle St. & SW Henderson St., Boy Scout Troop #284 (based at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church) would like you to know that for our Scouting for Food effort this year, we will be picking up donations for the West Seattle Food Bank this Saturday morning (the 17th). If you’re within the above-mentioned area and would like to contribute, please leave your donations outside your front door by 8:00 AM. In the unlikely event that we miss your donation (if it hasn’t been picked up by about 2 PM this Saturday), you can email me at scouting4food284@gmail.com, and I’ll see that it gets picked up by Sunday evening.
The most needed items are:
Canned meat
Canned beans
Peanut butter
Canned fruit
Canned vegetables
Spaghetti sauce
Pasta/rice
Breakfast cereal
Oatmeal
Baby food/formula
Shampoo/soap
Feminine productsThank you in advance for helping those in need in our community!
Previously, we published Cub Scout Pack 799‘s announcement. Any other troops/packs? editor@westseattleblog.com – we’d be happy to announce yours too.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:57 AM: Good morning! We just checked around – no incidents are reported so far on the routes in and from West Seattle. No transit alerts in the area either.
Thanks to James Bratsanos for the view from Seacrest at the end of a day that set a weather record – a high temperature of 73 degrees, 20 years after the previous record, 68, was set. The National Weather Service adds via Twitter, “73° is the normal high for June 29th through July 2nd.” Rain is expected tomorrow; some sunshine is expected to return by midweek – but with highs in the 50s.
P.S. The orange-hulled ship in the bay toward the right side of the image is not the Zhen Hua 28, which left Puget Sound over the weekend after dropping off those big cranes in Tacoma, but one of its sibling heavy-lift vessels, the Zhen Hua 33. According to this item we found, it a floating drydock for Vigor – (confirmed) it’s this one announced last year.
West Seattle’s newest business opened today. The announcement from proprietor Jenny Melville:
West Seattle Pilates and Fitness is a new woman-owned business offering private lessons and group Mat/Props classes. WSP works with people who have varying injuries and pathologies as well as those who want to strengthen their body and minds. The owner has been a resident of West Seattle for the last 8 years and teaching Pilates for 7 years. West Seattle Pilates is located in the ActivSpace building (3400 Harbor Ave. SW).
(Photo courtesy Seattle Audubon)
Lots of nature fans in WSB-land. If you’re among them, this volunteer opportunity from Seattle Audubon just might be something you would enjoy:
Help Sanislo and Lafayette students have FUN!
Finding Urban Nature (FUN) is Seattle Audubon’s free environmental education program in Seattle Public Elementary Schools. The program needs volunteers at Sanislo and Lafayette Elementary Schools for lessons in April and May.
FUN introduces 3rd and 4th grade students to the nature in their own schoolyard habitat, and examines how each organism depends on others to survive. Volunteers lead small groups of four to six students through a series of outdoor investigations, which teach kids to use their senses and scientific practices to discover the importance of urban biodiversity firsthand.
Volunteers devote about two hours a week for four weeks to lead 4-6 students through each lesson, with the support of the school’s FUN Team Leader and classroom teachers. No previous teaching or science background is necessary. Training is provided and a background check is required.
FUN trainings are held at the end of March and in early April. Contact Wendy at FUNvolunteer@seattleaudubon.org or call 206-523-8243 ext. 110 if interested.
Spring-like weather today, in the 70s … and we are still two whole months away from West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2018. Exactly two months, in fact, since this year’s sale date is May 12th (second Saturday in May every year). One day, hundreds of sales, and even if you’re not having one, it’s an awesome opportunity to get out and meet your neighbors. If you are planning to have a sale this year, watch for registration to open in three weeks – early April – we’ll announce it here and on the official WSCGSD website, westseattlegaragesale.com, as soon as signups start. Ten years now since we started coordinating WSCGSD – three years after it launched, so this will be the 14th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day!
From the scanner: Tip-jar theft reported this past hour in The Junction. We don’t have descriptions – the callout just mentioned two suspects – but thought it worth mentioning so other businesses with tip jars will keep close watch on theirs. The address mentioned on the dispatch checks to Pagliacci Pizza (4449 California SW).
Updates on the process of planning Sound Transit‘s West Seattle (to Ballard) light rail:
FIRST TOPLINES FROM ‘EARLY SCOPING’: The slide deck above (also visible here) will be presented to the Stakeholder Advisory Group at its meeting this Wednesday (agenda here), and it includes toplines of what Sound Transit says it heard from commenters – in person as well as online – during the “early scoping” feedback period that wrapped up a week ago. It’s not the full “early scoping” report – that, ST says, will be out next month – but it’s important because public comment will be considered by this group before making its way to the Elected Leadership Group that in turn will, in about a year, make a “preferred alternative” recommendation to the Sound Transit board.
SPEAKING OF COMMENTS: This caught our eye when ST issued a reminder that “early scoping” is closed but that you can see the comments made on the map that was part of its “online open house” – note the number of West Seattle comments vs. everywhere else:
As you probably noticed in the slide deck atop this story, ST says it’s received 2,800+ comments in all for the West Seattle/Ballard extensions, so far.
ONLY ONE ‘NEIGHBORHOOD FORUM’ HERE: As we mentioned last week, ST now says the “neighborhood forums” will start in late April. Though the agency previously had suggested they would be deeper dives into individual areas, the list on the slide deck for Wednesday’s meeting notes only one West Seattle “neighborhood forum” is planned, out of the six locations listed (clarification: in the first round, ST notes).
LIGHT-RAIL DISCUSSION IN ADMIRAL: Tomorrow night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting will include an unofficial light-rail discussion, led by ANA president Larry Wymer, who is a member of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition board. ANA now meets every other month, and at an earlier time; tomorrow’s meeting is at 6:30 pm at The Sanctuary at Admiral (42nd SW/SW Lander).
11:57 AM: One of this week’s big stories will be what happens on Wednesday, one month after the school massacre in Parkland, Florida. Students across the nation are planning walkouts in memory of the 17 people killed there, and to support gun-law reform. So far, we’ve heard from students at three area schools – Madison Middle School, Denny Middle School, and White Center’s Evergreen High School. This past Friday evening, some local students gathered at West Seattle Art Nest to make signs:
The walkouts are planned for 10 am Wednesday – local time, whatever the time zone – and planned to last 17 minutes. The Seattle Public Schools board is on record saying it encourages students to stay on campus if they choose to take part in a walkout; we are asking Highline Public Schools (Evergreen is in that district) if it has an official stance.
ADDED MONDAY EVENING: We’ve also heard from a Louisa Boren STEM K-8 student about a walkout plan there. Meantime, Highline tells us superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield sent students a letter last week, which included this:
… Some of you may be considering joining students in other districts and states in a 17-minute walkout on March 14 or in other actions to send a message to adults in power. If you are, I applaud you for taking action on an issue important to you. This is an opportunity for you to learn what it means to be involved in the civic and political life of your community and your world. An important part of that learning is understanding the laws and policies that apply to you if you should choose to participate in a walkout during the school day.
You have a constitutional right to free speech in school as well as outside of school. If there is a walkout planned at your school, you are free to participate or not to participate. If you choose to participate, you need to know that school district policy requires you to be in class or be counted absent. District policy is “the law” in our schools, and as educators we are obligated to follow it. If you are absent from a class period, you will receive an unexcused absence unless your parent or guardian contacts the school office to excuse it.
ADDED TUESDAY EVENING: A bit more information – here’s information on the Madison PTSA website; here’s information from a Chief Sealth IHS newsletter. (added) Police will be standing by at schools where walkouts are planned, Lt. Ron Smith from the Southwest Precinct confirmed. And while we still haven’t heard from anyone at West Seattle High School, Lt. Smith says his understanding is that WSHS is participating too.
(WSB photo, April 2017 egg hunt)
Easter (April 1st) and Passover (starting March 30th) are now less than three weeks away, so we’re working today/tonight on the next in the annual series of WSB holiday one-stop-for-everything infolists. If you have anything to include for this one – egg hunts or other seasonal events, religious services, special brunches – please send us the info as soon as possible (thanks to those who have e-mailed us already)! Our requested format is simple, same as our regular calendar listings: Plain text in the body of your e-mail, not in an attachment, no image/graphic/flyer needed, but please DO include website link(s) – send to editor@westseattleblog.com. Thank you!
(Pileated woodpecker, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Highlights as your week begins with spring-like weather! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
YOUR VOICE, YOUR CHOICE: Can’t get to an evening meeting to review proposed projects for a share of $3 million? 10 am-noon today, stop by Southwest Youth and Family Services in North Delridge and share your thoughts. (4555 Delridge Way SW)
MEET-AND-GREET OPEN HOUSE: The coworking-and-child-care business The Inc, expanding to West Seattle, invites you to stop by their future space at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church 10 am-noon. (3050 California SW)
FOR RUNNERS: Physical Therapy Night at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) – stop by 5:30-7 pm for a professional assessment. (2743 California SW)
EVENING BOOK GROUPS: Both start at 6:45 pm: At Southwest Library (9010 35th SW), this month’s book is “Surveillance” by Jonathan Raban; at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW), this month’s book is “Broken for You” by Stephanie Kallos.
(Sunday sunset photo by Chris Frankovich)
GO WATCH THE SUNSET! First weeknight since Daylight Saving Time began – 7:10 pm sunset tonight. You can check sunset/sunrise and moonset/moonrise times any time via the WSB West Seattle Weather page.
Family and friends will gather tomorrow to remember Richard A. Browne. Here’s the remembrance being shared with the community:
Richard A. Browne (Sept. 15, 1948 – Feb. 5, 2018) passed away after a long illness, leaving his wife of 43 years, JoAnn; his son, Adam (Erin); two granddaughters, Kailey and Brianna; his brother, Wayne (Char); as well as nieces and nephews.
Richard enlisted in the Air Force after high school and served in Vietnam. He loved fishing, woodworking and modeling, crafting many beautiful items over the years. He found the most joy raising his son and spending time with his grand girls, who he dearly loved.
Many thanks to the doctors and nurses at the Seattle VA Hospital and Providence Hospice for his care over the years.
Services at Tahoma National Cemetery on March 13, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. with a gathering after at Alliance Bible Church near the cemetery. Arrangements by People’s Memorial Co-op.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:01 AM: Good morning. First weekday since weekend changes – Daylight Saving Time is here, and Metro’s service change took effect. No transit alerts or incidents reported in the area so far.
SDOT says the long-planned sidewalk project along 35th SW in Arbor Heights will start construction soon – possibly before the end of the month. It was originally scheduled for last year, but as reported here in December, it slid to this year. And now, we have received an update from SDOT project spokesperson Ching Chan, along with the “fact sheet” and map embedded above (and visible here):
As you may know, this project to improve the intersections along 35th Ave SW, from SW 100th St to SW 106th St near Arbor Heights Elementary and Westside School, has been in the planning stage for a couple of years now. Due to a number of factors, the project was placed on hold previously. I am writing to inform you that the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be moving forward with the construction work and may begin construction as early as the week of March 26. We hope to complete this project before school starts in September.
Chan says SDOT already has “reached out to Arbor Heights Elementary, Westside School, Seattle Public Schools Transportation Department, and sent construction notices to nearby residents to inform them of the upcoming construction work,” but that still doesn’t include everyone who drives/rides/walks in the area, so they asked us to get the word out too. Chan also says SDOT is working to schedule a “public meeting to help provide more project information to community members in a couple of weeks” – we’ll publish a followup when there’s a date/time/place for that.
One reader report and three police reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
READER REPORT – HIT AND RUN: From a North Admiral resident, via e-mail:
I live on the 1900 block of 42nd Ave SW. Last night at about midnight, my neighbors and I heard a loud noise. We all did not notice anything wrong at that time. This morning when I took a look at my truck, I noticed some damage. The noise was from a car that hit my truck as it was parked in front of my house. I did not get a look at the car last night, but it left some parts on the street. From these parts it is apparent that the car was a 5 series BMW built between 2009 and 2017. It will have some damage to its right front bumper, headlight, and fender. My truck was pushed back 3 feet, into the curb and suffered damage to its right front bumper, headlight, and fender.
The Seattle Police were notified and came to asses the situation. They were very nice and will be on the lookout for the damaged 5 series BMW. If you happen to see a 2009-2017 5 series BMW with damage to its right front, please contact the SPD.
We’ve asked for the incident-report number, and will add it when available.
And from the Seattle Police report files, narratives are available for three recent West Seattle burglaries, which we’ve summarized as follows:
9400 BLOCK 11TH SW: Police were called by residents of a house who believe someone broke in while they were away for about four hours last Tuesday morning/afternoon. They didn’t notice anything wrong until that evening, when they realized someone had gone through their bedroom, taking items including jewelry and a case that contained cash and documens.
5600 BLOCK 37TH SW: Last Monday morning, someone renovating a vacant house on this block discovered that it had been broken into overnight. The burglar(s) took tools from multiple rooms. Police lifted fingerprint evidence from the window through which entry had been made.
9400 BLOCK 22ND SW: Also last Monday, a burglary was reported at a business in this block. “Numerous electronic items” were taken, the report says. The person reporting the break-in told police they suspected a former employee who had been fired.
(Police-report narratives are seldom available for more than a fraction of cases, so please let us know directly if you have something to report in Crime Watch so your neighbors around the peninsula know! Once it’s been reported to police, e-mail the info to editor@westseattleblog.com – but if it’s happening now or just happened, such as an active police search, text or call 206-293-6302 – thank you!)
Concord International (Elementary) School is in South Park, but is part of Seattle Public Schools‘ southwest cluster, and has West Seattle kids in attendance. It’s also a school where three in four kids qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch. The Concord PTA is hoping people all around our area will support their upcoming fundraising auction, now less than two weeks away – Saturday, March 24th:
We have some very cool auction items to bid on – a week in Mexico, 3 month gym membership, a signed Sounders jersey, a private dinner by famous chef Young Cho. Your ticket purchase of $25 includes dinner as well as 2 drink tickets, which is a really good deal.
The event is set for 6-9 pm March 24th at South Park Community Center (8201 10th Ave. S.) and you can buy tickets right here, right now.
If you read the Sunday Seattle Times, you might have seen the cover story for this week’s Pacific NW Magazine section, Ron Judd‘s overview of our city’s local-media scene, nine years after the region was rocked by news of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer scrapping its print edition. We’re honored to have been included in the coverage, with Mike Siegel‘s photo of WSB’s living-room newsroom and a mention of independent-local-online-only news leaders/survivors, including us. The story starts on page 10 of the print magazine in today’s Times, and you can also read it online.
It’s now been more than 10 years since WSB went commercial in fall 2007, covering West Seattle 24/7, and we’ve been so busy covering the news that there wasn’t time for an anniversary party, but we do want to say “thank you” – to everyone who comes here to find out what’s up, and to everyone who sends tips and photos and lost/found pet notices and calendar listings and more. “Community collaboration” is and continues to be what WSB is all about. And huge thanks to the local businesses who advertise on WSB – reaching local customers and making it possible for us to continue comprehensive local-news coverage 24/7.
(WSDOT aerial photo of new tunnel’s south portal, taken last month)
The Highway 99 tunnel’s expected to open in a matter of months, but the toll rates have yet to be finalized. The decision is in the hands of the Washington State Transportation Commission, which usually meets in Olympia, but will be meeting in downtown Seattle next Wednesday (March 14th). It’s a day-long meeting with multiple topics; tunnel tolling is scheduled for 1:30 pm – it’s a briefing/discussion, not a vote, as there’s no final proposal yet. The meeting is at Puget Sound Regional Council HQ (1011 Western, fifth floor), open to all, with a public-comment period in its final half-hour, starting at 4:10 pm. Meantime, you can see WSDOT’s latest tunnel-construction update by going here.
P.S. Semi-related reminder – as we reported on Thursday, one of the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s last pre-demolition inspections will close it Saturday, March 24th, 6 am-6 pm (and the next day if needed, though most recent inspections have just used the first scheduled day)
(Photo by James Bratsanos)
Lots of questions this morning about that big yacht in view off western West Seattle right now. It’s the same one that spent hours off Alki back on Tuesday, as we noted here that day. It’s identified only as Delta 45 on MarineTraffic.com, referring to the yacht-building firm Delta Marine, based on the Duwamish River just south of South Park – that’s where it returned to after its time off Alki earlier this week. They didn’t respond to our inquiry about it, and we still haven’t found anything else about it online, aside from this mostly paywalled reference.
12:50 PM: If you were hoping to go do some gawking – it’s headed back into the Duwamish as of a few minutes ago.
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