West Seattle, Washington
13 Saturday
Environmental Slam, held last night at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in North Delridge. Above is the Madison Middle School team that won the People’s Choice Award for their presentation “Save the Buzz”; below, Avery Berg from Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor), whose presentation was titled “More Bees, Please.”
Other local students who participated included, also from Explorer West, Cece Pyfer and Faye Turcotte on “Wolves on the West Coast”:
MC was former County Executive (among other distinguished roles) Ron Sims, below with Isabel Moorhead from Westside School (WSB sponsor), who presented “Stay Wild, Stay Free”:
Sims urged the young advocates to nurture their passion as well as their faith in science, telling them that the use of the scientific method, of scientific inquiry, is a key factor in what has made our nation so great. He congratulated them all and noted that even though he’s the owner of a few bee hives, he learned more about bees at the Environmental Slam than in the entire time he’s had those hives. Award recipients included the “Save the Buzz” team (Tim Deppe, Ethan Murray, Lila Kellison-Miller, Lauren Anderson) for the People’s Choice Award and two judges’ awards, the “Wolves” team plus Juniper Copland from The Northwest School, for her presentation “With Love, Water”:
With Juniper above is Explorer West teacher Tim Owens, who coordinates the Environmental Slam, which is presented by the Washington Foundation for the Environment. Prizes go to the causes for which participants advocate.
(Roughed-out footprint for future project at Junction 7-11 site, as shown at “Early Outreach” meeting)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The city’s new-ish “Early Outreach for Design Review” process has launched extremely early in the case of one West Seattle project.
Architects for the future redevelopment of the West Seattle Junction 7-11 site confirmed at this week’s “Early Outreach” community chat that the mixed-use project is still 4 years away – the store has a lease until then.
And after the project’s built, the architects revealed, the 7-11 may have a new home in its ground-floor commercial space – they’re talking about it right now.
A trio from Cone Architecture was at the Senior Center of West Seattle for the “Early Outreach” meeting Monday evening. That made it a one-to-one ratio between presenters and attendees with ample time for Q&A and everyone sitting at the same table.
On our way back from Beach Drive pavement photography, we noticed the ex-Tully’s at 2676 Alki SW now has the signage for its new identity as Harry’s Beach House. As revealed in early February, this will be a new outpost for Julian Hagood, who runs the acclaimed Harry’s Fine Foods on Capitol Hill. We have an inquiry out regarding the estimated time frame for opening on Alki.
SDOT plans to finally finish repaving Beach Drive SW between Me-Kwa-Mooks and Weather Watch Parks. You might recall that the stretch between Carroll and Genesee was originally announced for last year, but crews left after stopping a short distance south of Carroll. They told us at the time that the repaving would resume but didn’t say when. That was the last we heard of it until this notice today:
As the notice says, the work is scheduled – weather permitting – to start next Wednesday. (Here’s a map of the area.) Meantime, if that leaves you wondering about the removed-but-planned-for-replacement speed bumps (aka humps) further south on Beach Drive, SDOT anticipated that question and adds, “Also note that we are working to schedule construction on the Beach Drive speed hump replacement and will notify the community in advance.”
Four days after SDOT‘s Avalon/35th/Alaska repaving-and-rechannelization project launched work – starting on Avalon between Yancy and Genesee – we’ve just received the toplines of what’s next, including a bus-stop closure starting Monday and advance word of intersection work next weekend:
Overview of upcoming work for next week
What you should expect:
ï‚· Lots of construction activity including jackhammering, removing the east portion of the roadway, large trucks, machines, noise, dust, and vibrations. ï‚· We will coordinate with residents for driveway closures.
ï‚· Uniformed police officers will typically be onsite
 Typical weekday work hours from 7 AM – 5 PM. There will be some weekend and nighttime work.
ï‚· We have heard that Seattle Public Utilities will be working to make some water service renewals along SW Avalon Way. They will coordinate directly with neighbors as their work is scheduled.
ï‚· Buses are making in-lane stops. Please follow the safe passageways set up for your safety.Starting Monday, April 22nd the northbound stop at Genesee will be temporarily closed.
 Sign up for Metro’s Rider Alerts to stay up to date on stop relocations. If a stop is relocated or a bus is detoured, signs will also be posted along the corridor.Traffic impacts and detours:
ï‚· 30th Ave SW will be temporarily closed for construction staging. You will not be able to access SW Avalon Way from 30th Ave SW.
ï‚· Right turns only on SW Avalon Way. For the safety of people driving and our crews, we
are allowing right turns only throughout work zone B. People turning into their driveway will
need to turn right into their driveways and will not be permitted to turn across traffic.
ï‚· No Parking signs throughout zone B, and into zones A and C to facilitate the traffic shift.
ï‚· We will maintain one lane of traffic in each direction on SW Avalon Way between SW Genesee St and SW Yancy StFor people walking and biking along SW Avalon Way:
ï‚· Bikers should use extreme caution on SW Avalon Way and consider traveling on alternative routes
ï‚· Sidewalk and crosswalk detours. Please follow posted pedestrian detours when you see them.Weekend work is scheduled for April 27 and 28 at the intersection of SW Avalon Way and the
east side of SW Genesee St.We need to work across multiple lanes of traffic in the intersection to do water utility repairs along SW Avalon Way. People driving west on SW Genesee St will not be able to access SW Avalon Way. One lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained on SW Avalon Way through the SW Genesee St intersection. We will maintain local access to driveways on SW Genesee St near the SW Avalon Way intersection.
SDOT is also requesting: “If you have a driveway on SW Avalon Way between SW Genesee St and SW Yancy St, please reach out to us with your address and best contact information.” … AvalonPaving@seattle.gov is the contact address (also for anyone with questions/concerns).
From Tricia:
Have you seen my car?? License plate ADZ3128. Stolen Silver Volvo XC90, taken from 45th/Lander yesterday.
If you see it, call 911.
WSDOT says demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct is 30 percent complete, and on schedule. With that news, they published the video above, a new time-lapse of a section of the demolition. Coincidentally, just before that landed in the WSB inbox, we returned from an errand downtown that took us along waterfront Alaskan Way past the demolition zone for the first time, and we have to say, regardless of your feelings about the old double-decker highway, the teardown zone is quite a sight. WSDOT’s Laura Newborn adds this: “In case you are wondering, a portion of the viaduct across from the ferry dock will remain standing until summer to keep the Marion Street pedestrian bridge to-and-from Colman Dock operational. The contractor is currently building a temporary pedestrian bridge along Columbia Street to replace the Marion Street bridge. This summer, the new Columbia Street bridge will connect to a new portion of Colman Dock. After that happens, demolition crews will remove the remaining section of viaduct near Marion Street.”
(WSB photo from May 2018)
With so many big spring/summer events getting closer, it’s reminder season! So today, we’re reminding you that the West Seattle 5K is now exactly one month away – Sunday, May 19th. As our photo from last year shows, all ages are welcome in this morning run/walk along Alki, which benefits and is organized by the West Seattle High School PTSA (with community co-sponsors including WSB). Online registration is open – you can do it right here, right now.
(Remember the barred-owl cameo two days ago? Here’s Mark Wangerin’s full view of the owl)
First – today brings Good Friday and the start of Passover. For services and other events, see our Easter/Passover/Etc. page here.
Now – highlights from our year-round West Seattle Event Calendar:
VINTAGE HOME MARKET: You can shop more than 20 local vendors at Daystar until 3 pm today. (2615 SW Barton)
PARK PUNKS @ LINCOLN PARK: Free this afternoon to give some time to a local treasure? Join the Park Punks cleanup at Lincoln Park, 1 pm-4 pm. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
BASEBALL: West Seattle HS hosts Chief Sealth IHS at Hiawatha, 4 pm. (2700 California SW)
SOUTH PARK COMMUNITY CENTER’S FUTURE: Open house 5-8 pm at the center, all welcome to learn and talk about its design, including the future spraypark. (8319 8th Ave. S.)
JOHN STEPHAN BAND: At Poggie Tavern in The Junction tonight, 9 pm. 21+. (4717 California SW)
JULIA FRANCIS, THE JELLYROLLERS: Your Friday night slate at Parliament Tavern starts at 9 pm. $8 cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
Back on Monday, we mentioned that a juvenile gray whale was found dead in Elliott Bay. We found out last night that local observers were part of what happened next. The photos and update were subsequently shared by David Hutchinson of Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network:
It was reported to Sno-King Marine Mammal Response, our partner network to the north. WDFW Enforcement towed the whale up to a site on Whidbey Island, where a necropsy was performed that afternoon. While the whale was not found in Seal Sitters’ West Seattle territory, we were present to observe the procedure.
The necropsy team included participants from Cascadia Research, WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations, SR3 and World Vets. Measurements were taken and samples of the blubber, baleen (photo below), and various organs were collected for later analysis.
No food remains or plastics were found in the whale’s stomach.
Please see Seal Sitters’ Blubberblog for additional details and a link to the preliminary report by Cascadia Research.
Archives note: It’s been exactly nine years since a young gray whale stranded and died in West Seattle.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning! One incident so far – a crash blocking one lane on the NB 1st Ave S Bridge.
WEEKEND TRAFFIC ALERTS: None in West Seattle, but the SDOT roundup of potential traffic-affecting events through the weekend might be of interest.
7:29 AM: 1st Ave S Bridge is clear.
The photo is from West Seattle High School teacher Joy Patman, who reports “a pretty cool visitor” to her Spanish 4 class this past Wednesday: Author Valeria Luiselli, who spoke hours later at Benaroya Hall downtown. She explains that the author “wrote a very timely book a year and a half ago called ‘Tell Me How It Ends,’ which documents in question form the immigration crisis as it relates to undocumented minors arriving at the Mexican-American border and being interviewed for asylum. We were able to purchase a set of these books last year. SP4 read it this quarter, worked together on projects over the last week and (Wednesday) had the experience of engaging the author in Spanish in a round table discussion.”
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