West Seattle, Washington
23 Tuesday
(Sunday storm clouds behind downtown, photographed by David Hutchinson through Luna Girls on Alki)
Thanks to everyone who sent photos of the wild weather on Sunday – we didn’t get to use them in real time but are featuring them as part of this highlight list. More going on today/tonight than many Mondays, including some one-time-only events! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SOUTHWEST SEATTLE YOUTH ALLIANCE: This group focused on wellness and substance-abuse prevention meets at noon at Neighborhood House High Point. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
(Storm approaching shore on Sunday, photographed by Chris Frankovich)
ART CLASSES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN: A new series starts today at Sweet Pea Cottage in Gatewood, 2 pm – details in our calendar listing. (7141 California SW)
(Rainbow photographed from Alki on Sunday by James Tilley)
COTTAGE GROVE COMMUNITY SAFETY MEETING: Neighbor-organized meeting “to identify community-focused solutions and demand action,” as explained in our calendar listing. 6:30 pm at Delridge Library. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
IMMIGRATION POLICY: A series of talks at Fauntleroy Church begins tonight, with “Living in the Shadows: The Human Toll of Current Immigration Policy” – details in our calendar listing. 6:30 pm dinner (free-will donation), 7 pm talk. (9140 California SW)
RAISING SELF-RELIANT CHILDREN: What can you learn from German parenting styles? An American mom who lived in Germany for years and learned “the art of raising self-reliant children” will tell you tonight in a Town Hall Seattle presentation at Westside School (WSB sponsor), 7:30 pm – our calendar listing has more information and a link for ($5) tickets. (10404 34th SW)
(Sunday sunset, photographed by Chris Frankovich)
DRUNKEN OWL THEATER: Two original works at Parliament Tavern, starting at 8 pm – details in our calendar listing. No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
All but one of the units sent to a South Delridge apartment building are being dismissed – turns out to have been a kitchen fire inside one unit of the building at 9203 17th SW, and someone in the apartment has already extinguished it. No injuries reported.
(Photo added – e-mailed by Andrea)
9:21 AM: Thanks for the photos – that car fire is causing trouble on Fauntleroy Way SW at SW Rose, by Lincoln Park. Anne from Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) tells us it’s blocking northbound traffic. Metro just sent an alert about transit delays in the area, too.
(Texted photo, from Kera)
No injuries reported.
9:42 AM: One more photo added – the SDOT crew called to clean up so the road could be reopened. Police at the scene verify that no one was hurt; the road has reopened.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:02 AM: Good morning and welcome to the brand-new week! Checking around, we find no incidents in/from West Seattle so far this morning.
TRANSPORTATION HEADLINES: Want to have a big role in the next year of planning West Seattle-to-Ballard light rail? Today’s the deadline for applying to be on the “stakeholder group” – info here … Big decisions are even closer for the RapidRide H Line along Delridge – take a look and speak up before everything from stop locations to road changes are finalized … Roadbuilding continues inside the Highway 99 tunnel, which might be open by year’s end – see an update and time-lapse video here.
Those are – still – key points of Delridge concern about the upcoming conversion of Metro Route 120 into the RapidRide H Line. The points were made during the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council discussion last Wednesday night that wrapped up a weeklong round of in-person feedback about the plan, including the introduction of a proposed package of stops and road changes labeled “Option 3“:
(You’ll note that this includes rechannelization in some areas, which would include the removal of 270 on-street parking spaces in what are labeled as Sections C and E. SDOT says its studies showed 10 percent to 50 percent utilization of those spaces now.)
If you didn’t make it to any of the three recent events (a week before Delridge, Metro and SDOT held drop-in sessions in Burien and White Center), you might also want to scroll through the maps/renderings (below) that show how the stops would change along the route, plus specific changes proposed for Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Henderson:
(You can see the full-screen PDF version of those maps/renderings as pages 4-9 here.) The DNDC discussion of the Delridge plans followed the third SDOT/Metro open house of the week. We recorded the discussion on video:
Metro and SDOT reps were on hand for this as well. But it was far from the first time that neighborhood advocates including DNDC reps had spelled out the same concerns – including stop location/spacing – since the 120 is point-to-point transportation for many in the Delridge corridor, not just a way to get to and from downtown. The frustration was voiced at one point by DNDC’s Pete Spalding of Pigeon Point, who said this was at least the fifth time in three years that the group had listed its concerns. Michael Taylor-Judd of North Delridge wanted to be sure the project team was talking with groups including seniors who would be especially affected by an increase in stop spacing – while the third-of-a-mile spacing proposal is closer than RapidRide’s usual half-mile-apart spacing, it’s still a tenth-of-a-mile increase over the average on Delridge now.
YOUR FEEDBACK: If you have something to say about what’s currently under consideration for the Route 120/H Line conversion – where the stops are, how they’re spaced, and/or changes on Delridge – this is the time to say it, before the project team finalizes a recommended design, which will happen in the months ahead. RapidRide@seattle.gov is the address for project comments (though the county runs Metro, this is a joint project with SDOT, not only because of the road changes, but also because the city contributes funding for bus service). Design is to be completed this year, with construction of the stops and road changes starting in 2019 and continuing in 2020, when the H Line is to be launched.
5:55 PM: Just a reminder – as first noted here on Wednesday, a commercial-production film crew is working in The Junction tonight, and traffic is being stopped intermittently on California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska as a result. We just arrived for a firsthand look and also noted that the traffic stops also involve SW Alaska at California (photo above). As the production scout had told us, the crew (from locally based StraightEIGHT) is “filming a car” being driven on that block – repeatedly. That’s what we’ve seen so far; we’re also checking to see how long they plan to work (the permit runs until 11 pm).
6 PM: Just talked to the scout who had first contacted us, Dave Drummond, who’s on site with the crew, answering bystanders’ questions, etc. – he says they’ll likely be done between 9 and 10 pm. (And while they’re filming a car, it’s not a new car – (added) see photo above – and not a car commercial.)
Again, this is not a continuous traffic stop – and the road has reopened for long stretches between shooting sequences – but if you’re Junction-bound in the next few hours, just be aware you might encounter one of the stops.
10:08 PM: Just went back to The Junction to check; the crew is indeed packing up.
Another stolen vehicle to watch for. The report is from Erica in High Point:
Our Toyota 4Runner was stolen last night.
SW Myrtle/30th Pl SW
License Plate: AVD5251
Make: Toyota
Model: 4Runner
Year: 2015
Color: Black/Black Interior
If you see it, call 911 – the police incident # is 2018-025186.
As first reported here on Thursday, a purchase offer is listed as “pending” by the owners of the property where C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) has been open for 15 years. That came just a week and a half after they listed the 5612 California SW site for sale, asking price $1.25 million. When we contacted C & P proprietors Cameron and Pete Moores about the “pending” status, they told us they still have hope of buying the property – and now they’ve explained why: In an update this afternoon on the GoFundMe crowdfunding page that has so far drawn more than $53,000 in donations, Cameron wrote:
Pete and I have the right of first refusal as part of our lease. That means that any offer the owner accepts, we have 15 days to respond with our own offer, which we intend to do. That is only possible with your generous support and the commitment of many of our neighbors to invest in this piece of history. We will be posting more information as we approach the deadline …
In a previous GoFundMe-page update, Cameron wrote that the offer accepted by the property owners is from West Seattle-headquartered development/financing firm Blueprint Capital, for $1.285 million. The property is zoned Lowrise 3-Residential/Commercial.
That’s one of the videos produced by the Class of 2017 eighth-graders from Our Lady of Guadalupe School (3401 SW Myrtle; WSB sponsor) as part of the Juan Diego Project. You can see what this year’s students are doing by visiting OLG’s Open House one week from today. Here’s the announcement:
Immigrants, homeless youth, the elderly, the environment – these topics and more encompass the culminating projects of this year’s eighth-grade class at Our Lady of Guadalupe School in West Seattle.
Dubbed “The Juan Diego Project” for the school’s namesake, this academic venture allows students to choose a social-justice topic or service organization they are passionate about and then design an enterprise where they make a difference in that field.
The students will exhibit their research and experience during OLG’s open house from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on January 28, 2018.
For almost 20 years, eighth graders at OLG have performed service to an audience that is marginalized, vulnerable, or underprivileged. They aim to improve these conditions by doing more than holding drives. These students go outside the classroom and into the community interviewing immigrants and telling their stories, teaching people with disabilities how to ski, playing soccer with kids who have cancer, and yes, hosting drives to assist homeless youth.
“It’s a good chance to grow as a steward in our community and help yourself become aware of what’s going on around you,” said student Estella Turla, who is working with YouthCare and learning about homeless families and teenagers. “It helps you see how other people, like the homeless or immigrants, view the world – people who are put in situations where you don’t necessarily know what it’s like.”
In addition to service opportunities, the eighth graders learn to navigate databases accessed through the Seattle Public Library. They conduct extensive research, draw conclusions and lead a seminar, essentially teaching the class and any guests about their topic.
Ben Woodhouse’s project involves caring for our school garden that his class created last year, and he’s currently researching the benefit of urban gardens around the world.
“The project is a way to express what you care about in life within a class setting,” he said. “I like being outdoors a lot, so taking care of the garden was something I wanted to do. It was fun last summer harvesting vegetables and sharing them with the foodbank. I knew I was helping others, not just myself.”
Last year’s eighth grade class created videos highlighting their Juan Diego Projects and overall experiences at OLG. They can be found here.
Along with the animal-related-project video we embedded above, the others you’ll find on that page – all published to YouTube, each just a few minutes long – range from “Fighting Local and Global Poverty” to “Living Healthy Lives” to “Erasing Insecurities” to “Preserving Forest.”
1:44 PM: If you’re wondering about the police response in North Delridge right now – officers are investigating a reported burglary at a house in the 5400 block of 26th SW. Early information is from radio communications; no other details so far but it’s a significant response, indicating the call came in either with burglar(s) still in the house or having just left.
1:49 PM: And now police report, no burglary after all.
Around 5 am, we got texts from a few people in southwesternmost West Seattle and beyond – The Arroyos and Shorewood – wondering about what appeared to be a helicopter search/rescue operation involving the U.S. Coast Guard. We couldn’t find out anything at the time, and later tried reaching the USCG by phone with no success, but now this USCG news release is just in, distributed by the King County Sheriff’s Office:
Coast Guard air and boat crews rescued one woman and recovered one man after their 15-foot paddleboat was reportedly beset by weather near Three Tree Point in Burien, Wash., Sunday morning.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Port Angeles and a Station Seattle rescue boat crew aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium responded to the incident and transferred both mariners to local Emergency Medical Service personnel.
Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound watchstanders received initial notification from King County Dispatch at 2:53 a.m., reporting two individuals aboard a paddleboat potentially beset by weather. Sector personnel established communication with the mariners via cell phone and reported hearing a loud scream before losing connection.
Once on scene, the Coast Guard aircrew discovered the capsized vessel near Seahurst Park.
At 4:51 a.m., the aircrew located an unresponsive female in the water and vectored in the boat crew to rescue her. The crew transported her to the Fauntleroy Ferry dock where a local EMS crew was waiting.
At 5:02 a.m., a male was recovered by the helicopter crew and transported to Boeing airfield where he was pronounced dead by a local EMS crew at 5:38 a.m.
The female is reportedly in critical condition and is being treated at Harborview Medical Center hospital.
KCSO is investigating. Sgt. Cindi West says the man who died was from Burien, the woman from Vashon Island.
(Downy woodpecker, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Good morning! Here’s what’s happening on your midwinter Sunday:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Fresh food sold by those who grew/made it, 10 am-2 pm, in the street in the heart of The Junction. (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
JOB FAIR: 10 am-4 pm, as noted here earlier this month, the future MOD Pizza at The Whittaker (WSB sponsor) is inviting prospective employees to a job fair. (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW)
‘MEET A MUSLIM’: Moina Shaiq will speak during the 10:30 am service at Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and then stay for a noon-1 pm community Q&A session/conversation. You’re invited to either or both. Details in our calendar listing. (7141 California SW)
STORY TIME AND BOOKFAIR WITH KERRI KOKIAS: Local author reads her new children’s book “Snow Sisters” at 11 am as part of a Bookfair for Arbor Heights Cooperative Preschool at Westwood Village Barnes & Noble – details in our calendar listing. (2600 SW Barton)
WOMXN’S ACT DAY: Around the city, it’s a day of action following the second annual Women’s March. In West Seattle, as previewed here, you’re invited to two events at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center with the Delridge Grocery Co-op and The Little Red Hen Project, 11 am-2 pm. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
JAMTIME: Bluegrass and old-time music at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 1-4 pm. (5612 California SW)
‘PEERLESS’ MATINEE: 3 pm at ArtsWest, you can catch the first matinee of the new play, “Peerless.” Tickets available here. (4711 California SW)
JUNCTION FILMING: As previewed here last week, a local film crew will be working on a commercial production on California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska tonight between about 5 pm and 10 pm, and traffic will be held intermittently.
AT KENYON HALL: 7:30 pm, Dennis James at the Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ with a silent movie. Details in our calendar listing. (7904 35th SW)
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE – our full calendar covers days, weeks, months ahead, and we’re adding new listings frequently (editor@westseattleblog.com)!
10:31 PM: Police are searching in Morgan Junction right now after another report of someone being robbed of their phone. According to preliminary information from scanner traffic, they’re looking for two suspects. No specifics on circumstances so far, but police were summoned to the west side of the 6400 block of California SW, and the suspects were last seen on the east side of the street. Police broadcast these descriptions: White man 20s-30s, about 5’8″, gray hoodie with picture/writing of some sort, red/plaid PJ-type pants; black man 30s-40s, 6′, dark jacket, golf hat, black jeans.
10:50 PM: A friend of the victim tells WSB the robbery happened at the northbound C Line bus stop – the victim then went across the street to contact police.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
At the southwest corner of 63rd SW and Alki Avenue SW, that small plaque notes what’s believed to be the site of the legendary Denny Party cabin – the one that wasn’t finished by the time the settlers arrived, at which time some of them were reported to have sat down and had a “big cry”:
The site was later home to the Stockade Hotel (below) and currently holds the 11-apartment Pioneer Homes-Alki complex, built in the 1940s by Robert S. Wise, and still held by his family.
What you might not know is that the family also owns a parcel right behind it that holds two wood-sided duplexes and a house, also dating back to the 1940s.
And they’re looking to redevelop that parcel – 3015 63rd SW – into a new 11-apartment building, replacing those three structures.
As we’ve been noting, it’s open-house and tour season for local schools, both independent and public, and we have many listed in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar already. One open house that’s now a week away will also be a celebration. Here’s the announcement from West Seattle Montessori School and Academy (WSB sponsor) of what’s happening next Saturday afternoon:
West Seattle Montessori School & Academy will be hosting their annual winter open house on January 27, 1 pm-3 pm.
WSMS&A will also be celebrating Academic Secretary Dolores Atwood’s 75th birthday and 33 years of service. Dolores has touched many lives within the West Seattle community and we invite you to join us on this special day. This celebration will be held in the Enrichment Building at 11220 16th Avenue SW during the open house.
West Seattle Montessori School & Academy provides a global program for pre-primary through grade 8 that is engaging and responsive for every age. Teachers are coaches, mentors, and guides who are not only content specialists, they’re also student specialists! With an engaging Montessori curriculum and classrooms that provide individualized student opportunities, teachers are able to support students by making learning fun and helping them exceed their goals.
WSMS&A is at 11215 15th SW.
Justin sent that video, saying it’s from a break-in at his home at 1:31 am Friday, near Charlestown and 40th. If you recognize the person in the video, contact police and refer to incident # 2018-024462.
ADDED: Justin has since provided screengrabs – the one above is the clearest. We asked whether any particular stolen item should be watched for, but he says that so far, it appears not much was taken.
(Uno on Friday, photographed with a long lens by David Hutchinson)
See a seal on shore? Alert Seal Sitters! Here’s their newest update:
“Uno,” Seal Sitters’ first harbor seal response of 2018, has recently moved his favorite haulout spot from Lincoln Park to Elliott Bay. If anyone happens to see him or any other marine mammal on one of our West Seattle beaches, please contact the Seal Sitters’ Hotline at 206-905-SEAL (7325). We are having a bit of a flurry of weaned seals, anywhere from 4-6 months old, along West Seattle’s shoreline and it’s imperative they be given the space to rest and warm up. Sadly, the “weaner” Seal Sitters rescued from Lincoln Park on Thursday died overnight at the rehab facility and has been taken for necropsy.
As a followup to today’s Women’s Marches around the country, tomorrow has been declared a day of action – and that includes two “Act on Seattle Day” events at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in North Delridge. Whether you’re marching today or not, you’re invited to join The Little Red Hen Project and Delridge Grocery Co-op between 11 am and 2 pm on Sunday. Here’s the announcement:
*Delridge Grocery Co-op is hosting a community potluck and a chance to play the board game, Co-opoly, The Game of Cooperatives. Bring a dish to share for a potluck lunch or just yourself and a desire to learn about the power of co-ops.
*Help The Little Red Hen Project build a library for 2018’s Womxn’s Act Day! Bring a garden or homesteading book for the Little Red Hen library, or just yourself and a desire to help your neighbors. Volunteers will build a bookshelf for the garden library with tools lent by West Seattle Tool Library. Dress warmly as the build will happen in the breezeway.
Youngstown is at 4408 Delridge Way SW.
11:14 AM: Seattle Fire and Police are headed to the 5900 block of California SW [map] for an “assault with weapons” callout. Updates to come.
11:25 AM: Awaiting an update from our crew arriving at the scene. Via scanner and online log, we know all but one SFD unit has been dismissed already and a private ambulance is being called, so injuries are not major.
11:34 AM: The injured man is alert and conscious and has a bandage on his arm. Police/fire at the scene aren’t commenting on why this came in as an “assault with weapons” call (which is the larger response sent when the initial report indicates anything from gun to knife to a sharp piece of glass).
12:12 PM: We’ve since learned this was a “person in crisis” situation and the wound was believed to be self-inflicted.
If you – or someone you know – is considering self-harm, the Crisis Clinic hotline is available 24/7, 206-461-3222.
(Male Red-Breasted Merganser, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Late start today – but not too late for some reminders. First:
IF YOU’RE HEADED ACROSS THE BAY … but not headed to Women’s March 2.0 … be aware that it’s happening now, starting on Capitol Hill with an 11 am rally and marching to Seattle Center.
(Added: Photo shared by local march participants as they awaited a bus leaving West Seattle)
Some streets are closed and some transit will be re-routed/changed. Here’s the SDOT event alert.
Here in West Seattle, from our calendar:
TALK WITH YOUR SCHOOL BOARD DIRECTOR: Leslie Harris, who represents West Seattle and South Park on the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors – and serves as board president – has a community-conversation meeting this afternoon. Drop in at West Seattle (Admiral) Library any time between 3 and 5 pm. (2306 42nd SW)
MEMOIR-WRITING WORKSHOP: Tell your story! Free workshop with West Seattle writer Martin Piccoli at Southwest Library, 4-5:20 pm – details in our calendar listing. (9010 35th SW)
JEFF FERGUSON’S TRIANGULAR JAZZTET: 7 pm at Whisky West. No cover; 21+. (6451 California SW)
ROO FORREST AND FRIENDS: 7-9 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), “an eclectic mix of covers and originals.” (5612 California SW)
NOT DEAD YET, THE APPROXIMATIONS: Starting at 8 pm at The Skylark, it’s West Seattle’s own Not Dead Yet sharing the bill with The Approximations – the band featuring King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg. Sherri sends the advance notice:
Not Dead Yet plays mostly originals (“West Seattle Hey” among them). The Approximations play fun, danceable classic rock and R & B. They are great fun and they are GOOD! Combined, the 2 bands are going to put on an awesome show.
$8 cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
SWINDLER: 9 pm-midnight, Swindler performs at Parliament Tavern in The Admiral District: “Psychedelic, improvisational, jazzy, jammy, instrumental groove. Catch them before they’re huge!” $7 at the door. 21+.(4210 SW Admiral Way)
12:40 AM: We’re in the 1200 block of Alki SW, where – as we reported Friday afternoon – the structure-moving specialists of Nickel Bros are moving another West Seattle house that otherwise would be destined for demolition.
This time, it’s 1262 Alki SW, one of the beach houses on what’s now the future site of SolTerra’s development Perch. The house is being towed by a truck, foot by foot, off the lot, in the start-stop-start mode right now, and once it’s in the middle of Alki Avenue – which will be closed for the operation – it’ll be taken to Don Armeni Boat Ramp and put on a barge. Eventual destination: New site in B.C. Updates to come!
12:58 AM: The house is now fully off the lot and on the road.
1:08 AM: We’re on the way to Don Armeni to check the progress from the end of the route. Above, what the house looked like as it passed – two stories, compared to the single-story log house the same company moved cross-peninsula last month, so literally a larger undertaking. And as noted in our afternoon preview, commenters pointed out that this house does have history – until a few years ago, it was home of Fred and Marjorie Dau, owners of Admiralty House Antiques (2141 California SW, where Mioposto is now). She died in 2013; he closed the shop later that year, and died in 2014.
1:27 AM: Thanks to Lynn Hall for the photo above, an overhead view as the house – built in 1962, according to county Assessor’s Office records – passed Luna/Anchor Park.
1:57 AM: After a brief return to HQ, we’re back in the Don Armeni vicinity, and the house is too. It’s on Harbor Avenue just outside the entrance to the boat-ramp park and the road is fully blocked there, which is a surprise to drivers arriving where we’re idling just before the roadblock.
2:21 AM: The house is now in the Don Armeni lot and the road is open again.
2:37 AM: Looks like part two of the operation will be a while, and the barge is not at the ramp yet, so we are going to check back in a few hours. (High tide is at 7:30 am.)
7:45 AM: Thanks to Richard for this photo taken minutes ago:
(added) And thanks to the anonymous reader who sent this photo:
11:41 PM: At Chief Sealth International High School tonight, both varsity teams played their counterparts from Bainbridge HS. Close game for the Seahawk girls, who lost 43-40; the Sealth boys won, 59-54.
ADDED EARLY AM: Photos from both games: Read More
11:39 PM: At home tonight, Seattle Lutheran High School‘s varsity basketball teams hosted Rainier Christian. The Lutheran girls lost, 39-26; the boys won, 63-43.
ADDED EARLY AM: Photos ahead from both games: Read More
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