day : 29/05/2019 11 results

COUNTDOWN: Highline Bears’ season opener on Saturday

May 29, 2019 9:27 pm

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| Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | White Center | WS & Sports

That downtown baseball team breaking your heart? The Highline Bears (WSB sponsor) are ready to win you over.

(Photo courtesy Highline Bears)

The summer collegiate-baseball team has 24 home games at Mel Olson Stadium in nearby Steve Cox Memorial Park this season, starting Saturday night, and they’re hoping to open the season with their first-ever sellout. From the team’s announcement:

The Bears aren’t just your normal baseball game; they make sure that every person who enters the ballpark has a night they will never forget. From the music over the PA system, between-inning contests, give-aways, games, and races, the Bears take a baseball game and turn it into a circus. The first batter of the Bears season will actually be a fan (18 or older) who is chosen at random through a raffle before the game. The Bears will have a fan batter of the night two times a month during non- league games.

Don’t forget to save your appetite for the ballpark as the Bears concession stand provides some of the best value you’ll find at a baseball game. With affordable prices, the concession stand offers all beef 1⁄4 lb hot dogs, Seattle Dogs, Ivar’s Clam Chowder, loaded baked potatoes, pulled-pork sandwiches, loaded nachos, and even a pulled-pork sundae.

The Highline Bears are giving-a-way magnet schedules to the first 250 fans through the gates just like the Mariners do. The unofficial Mayor of White Center will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch and Shorewood Elementary choir will be singing the national anthem.

Adult tickets are $8 or $5, youth/seniors $5, kids 8 and under free with a paying adult. You can get yours in advance of your trip to the ballpark (1321 SW 102nd) for Saturday’s 7:10 pm game vs. the Laces – the highest ticket price at $8 for adults, youth and seniors are $5 and kids 8 and under are always free with a paying adult. Just go here!

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CONGRATULATIONS! AAUW scholarships for two college students from West Seattle

May 29, 2019 8:10 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle people

(AAUW photo: Kelli Youngs, Anna Nguyen)

Two students from our area will continue their college studies next school year with extra assistance from a local organization. Here’s the announcement:

The Seattle Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) has awarded college scholarships of more than $5,000 each to two West Seattle students.

Kelli Youngs graduated from West Seattle High School in 2018 and will graduate from South Seattle College in June. She plans to major in Political Science/Pre-Law at Western Washington University.

Anna Nguyen will graduate from Chief Sealth International High School and South Seattle College in June. She will be attending UW-Seattle in the fall, studying public health and eventually pursuing a career in health administration.

The mission of AAUW is to advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.

Find out more about the organization here.

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FOLLOWUP: Here’s the rest of the Habit Burger West Seattle opening-week plan, including freebies as well as fundraisers

May 29, 2019 6:24 pm

| 14 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

(WSB photo, last week)

Exactly one year after we first reported that The Habit Burger Grill would take over the ex-KFC at 3501 SW Avalon Way, the full grand-opening plan has just been announced. Last week we had word that it would be open by June 2, as the West Seattle Food Bank announced it would benefit from sales during part of that day; now, a news release reveals the rest of the plan:

Free Burger Day – Saturday, June 1, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 – 7 p.m.
Get a pre-opening sneak peek of the newest location and enjoy a free 100 percent fresh ground beef, chargrilled burger that is made-to-order, plus French fries and a regular beverage. Offer is limited to the first 200 people.

Fundraising Event with West Seattle High School’s Varsity Volleyball Team – Sunday, June 2, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
The West Seattle High School’s varsity volleyball team, coached by Abby West, is made up of a variety of high school students, ranging all grades. Money raised during their Habit Burger Grill fundraising event will be used for equipment and uniforms for the team to utilize during the upcoming season.

Fundraising Event with West Seattle Food Bank – Sunday, June 2, 5 – 7 p.m.
The West Seattle Food Bank is committed to providing food security and community connections to its neighbors in need. It envisions a strong and connected community in which all people have access to safe and nutritious food and the essential necessities of living.

Free Habit Day – Monday, June 3, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
The first 200 guests in line will receive a delicious chargrilled meal from one of our preset menus.

During the fundraiser events, the specified beneficiary gets 100 percent of the sale proceeds. Next Wednesday, June 5th, is the official grand-opening date. Also from the news release:

The Habit Burger Grill currently operates more than 250 restaurants across 12 states, coast to coast, and welcomes the newest 1,933 sq. ft. West Seattle location, which seats 24 guests. The restaurant is the eighth of the Washington franchise, with several additional locations set to roll out across the state before 2020.

The Habit Burger Grill West Seattle dining room is open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the drive-thru is open from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday – Saturday. On Sundays the dining room and drive-thru are open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

P.S. As a followup, we asked the company’s spokespeople if the above-specified windows were the only times the restaurant will be open on those pre-grand-opening dates. Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: If they hit 200 giveaways on the “free” dates before the two-hour windows are over, that’s the end for that day. And they will be closed June 4th, getting ready for the official June 5th opening.

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Before Thursday’s open house, see the latest plans for West Seattle’s next big road project

May 29, 2019 4:14 pm

| 24 COMMENTS

| Delridge | Transportation | West Seattle news

(WSB photo: SDOT’s C.J. Holt and Dan Anderson during our downtown meeting)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Though its marquee name involves a bus route, the RapidRide H Line conversion starts with a big road project that will affect everyone who uses the street: Repaving and reconfiguration for much of Delridge Way SW.

Tomorrow (Thursday) night you’re invited to see the updates and ask questions during an SDOT/Metro open house (5-7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW). But rather than try to absorb it all at the drop-in event, you can preview it all right now. We went to SDOT HQ downtown to talk to project leaders, who have also provided the full plans you’ll see rolled out at the open house:

That’s the plan for Delridge reconfiguration, block by block. Below, the plan for paving, so you can see which sections are getting a full rebuild and which are getting a new top layer:

Ahead, what else you should know before the open house – including what community feedback’s been incorporated and what has not:

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Vacant building nearby? City’s rules are about to change, adding more properties to monitoring program

May 29, 2019 3:22 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news

Vacant buildings have long been a concern – that photo above is from a neighborhood-organized tour in Delridge 10 years ago, and you’ll probably recognize that decades-vacant building from its prominent site on the street’s north end. If there are vacant buildings near you, you might be interested in this city Department of Construction and Inspections reminder that city rules for monitoring vacant buildings are about to change:

New processes for inspection of vacant buildings take effect on June 1, 2019. The changes add a wider range of properties to the City’s Vacant Building Monitoring program, including all properties with active development proposals containing a vacant building. The frequency of inspections will increase from once a quarter to once a month. We estimate that this will add approximately 1,200 new properties to the program this year and can reduce the risk of vacant buildings becoming a blight on the community. In the past, SDCI monitored around 100 properties each year with consistent vacant building violations.

In 2016 and 2017, we experienced a dramatic increase in complaints about vacant buildings including unauthorized entry, accumulation of junk around structures, and public safety issues such as fires, rodent infestations, and criminal activity. Legislation passed in 2017 imposed stricter maintenance standards and removed some regulatory barriers for demolishing vacant buildings.

During 2018 and early 2019, we provided City Council with information about how other cities monitor vacant buildings and what challenges we might face in expanding the monitoring program. As part of the budget process in November 2018, the city adopted Council Bill 119407, which made significant changes to our Vacant Building Monitoring program. Council Bill 119497, signed in April 2019, refined the proposal to help us manage the dramatic increase in the frequency of inspections and number of buildings to be monitored under the program changes.

The new legislation also raised the vacant building monitoring fees by three percent. Fees are charged in three levels:

Vacant but no violations: $261.40
Vacant with violations but not open to entry: $435
Vacant and open to entry: $521.75

To accommodate the increased number of inspections required by the monitoring program, we hired three new inspectors. Our case tracking software was also updated to accommodate enrollment, tracking, and billing for this expanded version of the monitoring program.

Starting June 1, properties in development that include a vacant building will be enrolled in the program during the permit application process. They will be inspected at least three times under the program. If inspectors find no violations, the owners will be charged at the lowest monitoring fee rate. Properties must have no violations for three consecutive monthly inspections in order to be removed from the program.

We encourage owners to explore ways to keep buildings occupied during the permitting process. This extends the use of existing housing and maintains a better property condition for the community. Strategies might include working with non-profits to place caretakers on the property or, for commercial properties, coordinating with the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture to house an art space.

Our complaint-based system to respond to vacant buildings is still available. Neighbors who see a vacant building that is not properly secured by the owner may call 206-615-0808 or visit our Seattle Services Portal to file a complaint.

Maintenance and security of vacant buildings continue to be the responsibility of the property owner. Vacant buildings unto themselves are not illegal but do require a consistent level of oversight and maintenance to discourage trespassing or other criminal activity.

One of the bills mentioned above was sponsored by District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, whose update on the vacant-building issue from last year includes a map of complaints in this area.

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DEVELOPMENT: 5051 Fauntleroy Way SW added to Early Design Outreach list

May 29, 2019 1:38 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news

(King County Assessor’s Office photo)

That 70-year-old duplex at 5051 Fauntleroy Way SW is planned to be replaced by a project described as “3 townhouses and 4 rowhouses (with) one parking spot available for each unit.” That’s according to the project’s new entry on the city’s Early Design Outreach website. No date posted yet for the community meeting that’s usually part of that program, but if you’re interested in the project/site and want to be sure you’re notified, the developer contact listed on the city site is jianyu44@gmail.com. The site plan on file with the city shows the four-unit rowhouse building fronting Fauntleroy, with the parking spaces to the west, and the three other units west of that.

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FOLLOWUP: One West Seattle Junction mural repaired; restoration imminent for another

May 29, 2019 12:02 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle history | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Two updates on the murals in the West Seattle Junction:

Junction Association executive director Lora Radford sent that photo with word that the tagging damage done to that mural, “The Old Mud Hole” (south side of the 44th/Alaska lot), has been repaired by muralist Bob Henry. It still is in need of restoration, but the repair work is a band-aid, for now. Meantime, Radford adds, Henry starts work tomorrow on the next one to be restored, the West Seattle Ferries mural on the west side of the building at the southwest corner oF California and Alaska.

(WSB file photo)

Crowdfunding to cover the cost of restoration continues, and Radford says every bit helps – through June 30th, there’s a bonus for donations of $50 or more, inscribed mural-fundraiser keychains. Here’s where to donate.

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Mystery damage closes Jack Block Park’s walking pier

May 29, 2019 11:17 am

| 7 COMMENTS

| Port of Seattle | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

The photos are from David Hutchinson, one of several people we heard from who wondered about the signage at Jack Block Park. Since the park is owned by the Port of Seattle, we asked port spokesperson Peter McGraw about the situation. He replied: “We believe a vessel hit and damaged the pier recently. We’re hoping to have the required permitting in the next few weeks, then begin repairs and have it back open as soon as possible after that.”

We asked if they’re trying to figure out which vessel did it. McGraw says, “It will be very difficult to ascertain who exactly was responsible, unless someone witnessed it, unfortunately.”

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4 for your West Seattle Wednesday

May 29, 2019 10:44 am

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Western Tanager, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

Something of a quiet day/night on the calendar but a few things of note:

FRANKIE & JO’S OPENS: “Soft open” noon-11 pm today for the vegan-ice-cream pop-up on Alki. (2758 Alki SW)

OPEN MIC NIGHTS: Two tonight, starting with 7 pm signups at Great American Diner and Bar (4752 California SW), or with 7:30 pm signups at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)

TRIVIA: West Seattle’s longest-running trivia night is Wednesdays at Talarico’s Pizza, 8:30 pm. Info in our calendar listing. (4718 California SW)

BIG TOOTH: Soulful sounds at Parliament Tavern, 9 pm. No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

LOOK AHEAD … on our complete calendar.

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BIZNOTE: West Seattle Junction boutique Carmilia’s WILL reopen

May 29, 2019 9:49 am

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| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

The papered-over windows at Carmilia’s in The Junction (4528 California SW) have startled some passers-by, even though if you look up close, you’ll see this message:

Carmilia’s proprietor Linda Sabee provided the photos and tells WSB her boutique WILL reopen Thursday after its first “facelift” in almost 17 years: “Fresh paint, new furniture, fixtures, and rugs.”

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday watch

May 29, 2019 6:58 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)

6:58 AM: Good morning. No incidents or transit alerts in our area so far.

STADIUM ZONE: Mariners have a day game against the Rangers, 12:40 pm.

7:03 AM: Scanner mention of a crash involving a Metro Route 120 bus at/near Delridge/Elmgrove, but described as “non-blocking,” and there’s no accompanying SFD dispatch.

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