West Seattle, Washington
13 Friday
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
First stop, Delridge.
When Sound Transit light rail arrives in West Seattle – projected start date, 2030 – after the trains cross the Duwamish River on a new bridge, that’s where the easternmost of three planned stations will be. And that was the topic of this past Tuesday’s “community workshop” at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, which might end up adjacent to the station if the southernmost proposed site is chosen.
As is standard for Sound Transit’s meetings, this one began with a lengthy slide-deck-accompanied presentation that plowed through the highlights of the yearlong planning process that is almost to a key destination – the decision about which route(s) and station locations will get full environmental study.
The ST board has the final say; one of its members, County Councilmember Joe McDermott of West Seattle, spoke briefly at the event’s start and underscored that “historic decisions” are ahead. He reminded the 100 or so attendees – including a sizable number of ST employees/consultants assigned as table-minders – that he and City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, also there, had sent ST CEO Peter Rogoff a letter calling for a closer look at Delridge station concerns. Here’s the letter, dated late January; hosting this workshop was one response to it. McDermott says they want to be certain that light rail and its transit connections will “serve everybody in the Delridge Valley.”
That’s the Filthy FemCorps at Easy Street Records this afternoon, guest conducted by Maurice the Leprechaun (who you might know from his Christmastime gig at ESR). We just happened onto all this – while driving through The Junction earlier this evening, we saw the FFC playing on the KeyBank corner. By the time we parked and walked over, they were just wrapping up (here’s our tweet with a short burst of video), but we followed them into ESR, where they posed with Maurice.
If you think you’ve heard/seen the FFC before, you might be flashing back on last year’s HONK! Fest West in White Center. Coincidentally, we learned at this month’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting (and reported on partner site White Center Now) that HONK! is returning to WC on June 1st. So mark your calendar. You just might see the Filthy FemCorps there.
The Grammy-winning Okee Dokee Brothers played at Westside School (WSB sponsor) this weekend, part of the independent school’s ongoing partnership with Town Hall Seattle. Opening its doors ever-wider as a community hub is one of the school’s goals under its first-year head of school Steve de Beer. We sat down to chat with him this week. While it’s his first year at Westside, the school is already in its fourth year on its Arbor Heights campus, remodeled from its previous incarnation as a church. Moving here last summer after seven years at Friends School in Boulder, Colorado, de Beer is leading Westside through continued growth. He notes that Westside has doubled the size of its middle-school math faculty, with math contests and robotics enhancing the curriculum, part of “being an excellent independent school” in his view. The school also has added its first full-time counselor. Students have a new turf field – added last year – to play on. And Westside is looking at the possibility of more space for preschool: The neighboring New Apostolic Church recently moved its congregation to a new “Puget Sound Metro” site in Federal Way, and approached Westside to see if they might be interested in renting the space. The discussion is in a very early stage, de Beer stressed, with exploratory filings on record with the city. Earlier this decade, Westside expanded to add middle school. Meantime, the next step in the school’s community-hub plans is on March 28th, when Westside will host the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly After Hours gathering. “Lots of good energy” at the school, de Beer summarizes.
Emily is hoping her son’s stolen baseball gear might turn up somewhere. Her report:
We had our car broken into last night while parked on 54th (off Genesee). Stolen was a pair of sunglasses and a black Northface jacket but the big loss was they stole my 10-year-old son’s baseball bag … If by chance the thief decided to toss the bag and gear, we would love for people to keep eyes open on Genesee while walking and if found, a reward will be given.
We asked Emily for details on the gear in the bag: “The bag was an Easton bag and it in were an Easton Ghost X bat, black batting helmet with a D logo on front, a Wilson size 12 mitt, some accessories and a team hoodie with (surname starting with G) on the back.” Still awaiting the SPD incident number; the temporary number provided with filing was T19003684.
Every year, we check on St. Patrick’s Day to see if the mysterious green stripe on 41st SW north of Admiral Way has been freshened … and today, there it was, with a few shamrocks/4-leaf clovers along the way, stretching a few blocks north.
Everyone’s invited Friday (March 22nd) to Highland Park Elementary for the sixth annual community Niksokowaaks Pow Wow! Here’s the announcement sent by Asha:
This is a free public event, all are welcome. Grand entry will be at 7 pm. There will be food and craft vendors.
This Pow Wow began when we saw a need in the community to help support the Native youth. Many children in our area are Native foster children or “urban” Native children. Many of them not knowing their culture or feeling the need to connect further with it. This Pow Wow allows them to dance, sing and further connect with the Native traditions. It also brings our community together to share in this celebration!
Date: Friday, March 22nd
Time: 6-10 pm
Location: Highland Park Elementary
1012 SW TrentonHead dancers: This year we are honored to be represented by nine-year-old jingle dancer Bria Calhoun (Chumash, Esselen-Rumsen) and ten-year-old chicken dancer Weston Sam (Upper Skagit, Blackfeet).
The name Niksokowaaks was given to this pow wow by Blackfeet elder Myna “Molly” Bullshoe six years ago. It means all my children, all my relatives.
The event flyer, shown above, is also available in PDF, here.
(Surfbirds, photographed at Constellation Park by Mark Wangerin)
Welcome to an almost-spring Sunday! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here are the highlights:
VOLUNTEER ON PUGET PARK TRAILS: As previewed here, your help with these trails would be appreciated! Meet at 19th/Dawson, 9 am.
VOLUNTEER IN LINCOLN PARK’S FOREST: 9-noon, the “fabulous and fun” Friends of Lincoln Park welcome your help in forest restoration. Meet at the Fauntleroy/Rose kiosk. Full details here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in the street in the heart of The Junction. (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
LAST DAY FOR GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: This is it! Find your nearest cookie booth here. And if you are going to be anywhere near Burien, here’s a special place to stop noon-2 pm where you can support scouts from Mary’s Place.
JAMTIME: 1-4 pm music at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor). No cover. All ages. (5612 California SW)
REDUCE HATE: Learn how to do that by being part of Anti-Hate Alaska Junction‘s Bystander Intervention Workshop, 2-4 pm at Admiral Congregational Church. (4320 SW Hill)
PRESERVING HISTORIC BUILDINGS: Learn how! 2-4 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. (2306 42nd SW)
‘JOHN’ MATINEE: 3 pm curtain for the current play at ArtsWest – check here for tickets. (4711 California SW)
SKYLARK ART MART: Music and shopping at The Skylark, 3-7 pm. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
SEATTLE SWING DANCE CLUB: 4-9:30 pm at the Masonic Center in The Junction, lessons and social dancing with the Seattle Swing Dance Club – see the schedule here. (4736 40th SW)
DRUNKEN OWL THEATER: St. Patrick’s Day edition at Parliament Tavern, 7 pm. No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
TRIANGULAR JAZZTET: Live music at The Alley, 7-9 pm. 21+. (4509 California SW)
AS USUAL,THERE’S MORE … on our complete calendar.
Thanks to Jim Borrow for the photo. That’s the Zhen Hua 31 headed north in Puget Sound on Saturday evening. You might not recognize it without the high-profile cargo – it was last seen passing West Seattle (twice!) a week and a half ago, carrying four huge cranes bound for the Port of Tacoma. They were unloaded this past week and now the heavy-lift ship is headed back to China – in the Strait of Juan de Fuca headed for the open Pacific as we get ready to publish this early Sunday.
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