West Seattle, Washington
25 Sunday
Big news, sent (along with the photo) by Nicole Sipila of the Chief Sealth International High School PTSA: “Congratulations to Jahvius Leui – he just won the 3A State Championship in Wrestling at 285!!! JJ becomes the first State Champion in wrestling in Chief Sealth history!!” We checked the results from the tournament, held at the Tacoma Dome, and noted that Jahvius is the only Seattle Public Schools athlete to win a championship at the tournament.
Wondering how things are going with the Terminal 5 modernization project? Here’s a look:
The port provided that slide deck (also viewable here in PDF), after it was shown Friday to the Harbor Island Stakeholder Group. Major work has been under way for more than half a year, with one notable trouble spot noted so far, a problem with timber piles that put pile-driving on hold and now has extended it through next week, about two weeks past the originally planned stopdown for fish protection.
P.S. Got Terminal 5 questions? The Port will have reps at next Thursday’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting (Feb. 27th, 6:30 pm, Neighborhood House High Point, 6400 Sylvan Way SW).
(First 10 photos by Meghan Jones for WSB)
Those are the Walmart R60 Plungers, just one of many groups that turned out and ran into the water at Alki Beach today during the Seattle Polar Plunge, raising money for Special Olympics of Washington, which supports athletes with intellectual disabilities. Photojournalist Meghan Jones was there for WSB. This was the second year the Seattle event – one of several around the state – was held at Alki after a few years away. A hallmark of the event, costumes:
They weren’t in costumes or uniforms, but members of the pro rugby team Seattle Seawolves took the plunge, too:
The water today was in the mid-40s, about the same as the air. Plunges went into the water in groups based on how much they’d raised – those with the most went first.
Augmenting the splashing – an SFD fireboat:
Public-safety workers are among the most fervent supporters of Special Olympics, so many agencies were represented. Below, members of the King County Sheriff’s Department Fire Unit and the Monroe Police Department congratulated each other on braving the brisk water:
Law enforcers weren’t just participants – they were there as protectors too. These SPD divers were standing by and also helped out by finding a pair of lost keys and a wedding ring that slipped away during the plunge.
Two officers from the Seattle Police Mounted Patrol – which is based in Highland Park – were on shore, too:
As noted in our previews, the Polar Plunge was accompanied by a beer and food-truck festival:
Missed it all? You can support Special Olympics by donating online.
Though the next major milestone in planning West Seattle light rail isn’t until next year, there’s still lots going on, and your next chance to catch up with where things stand is just days away. The Junction Neighborhood Organization is having its winter gathering on Thursday (February 27th), and that’s the major agenda item. 6:30 pm at the Senior Center/Sisson Building (4217 SW Oregon), bring questions and feedback for Sound Transit and the city reps who are helping ensure neighborhoods stay in the loop.
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
That 1951-built house at 7726 Delridge Way SW [map] is the latest with an early-stage teardown-to-townhouses plan. City online files show a site plan just filed this week for demolishing the house and replacing it with six townhouse units in two buildings – one with four units facing Delridge, one with two units on the alley behind. The number of planned parking spaces is not yet specified. The 9,500-square-foot site is zoned Lowrise 1 and is across Delridge from the sprawling Lighthouse Apartments complex.
When you stop to think about it, the historic E.C. Hughes school at 7734 34th SW – now the home of Roxhill Elementary – really does look like a classic school building you might find in many locales. Today, it’s starring as a backdrop for a student film production. We went over to inquire after a texter first thought the people outside the school were protesting, and then told us it looked lke a “movie shoot.” The students are from the Seattle Film Institute.
(File photo)
The Mount is looking for stories about its renowned preschool program, with an essay contest that runs through the end of this week. Here’s the invitation:
Providence Mount St. Vincent is offering cash awards to winners of a new essay contest open to parents and graduates of its internationally recognized Intergenerational Learning Center (ILC).
Thirty years ago, Providence Mount St. Vincent, fondly known as The Mount, created a ground-breaking program that brings together the very young and the very old in one place, through its intergenerational program model at the on-site Intergenerational Learning Center. The program has been recognized around the world and imitated for its innovative approach to child care and intergenerational bonding. A documentary film and word of The Mount’s intergenerational program has resulted in national and international media coverage and study visits from around the world.
This year The Mount is celebrating this program with the Turner Intergenerational Essay Awards. Named for Dyke R. Turner, the visionary architect who was key in inspiring and designing the program and spaces in 1991, the essay contest invites parents and graduates of the ILC to write about how their time at the center has impacted their lives.
The Mount is offering $1,000 first place awards and $250 second and third place awards in four age categories. Essays are due by Feb. 28, 2020.
Writers should submit an essay of no more than 500 words about how their experience at the ILC shows up in their life, or their child’s life today. Complete the entry form, found online at providence.org/themount/turnerawards, and mail or email the completed form and essay to: ann.martin@providence.org or Ann Martin, Providence Mount St. Vincent, 4831 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA. 98126.
Parents of students too young to write could work with their child to create an essay together as a fun at-home project.
The team at the Mount is looking forward to reading all the stories, especially those that demonstrate a greater compassion for elders, diverse populations and showcase their experiences within such a wonderful community setting.
“We hear anecdotal stories all the time about how students who have attended the ILC demonstrate a certain comfort with elders or those with limited abilities and also students who later seek a career in healthcare or service following their early years of learning at The Mount,” said Molly Swain, The Mount’s Foundation and Public Relations Director. “What lessons from this experience do they carry through life? We’re looking forward to reading stories about specific memories from the ILC or times when their intergenerational learning experience called them to respond in a more accepting or compassionate way, particularly with an elder.”
First place winning essays will be featured at The Mount’s President’s dinner on March 19, 2020, at The Sanctuary at Admiral in West Seattle. All essays will be archived as part of the ILC program’s history and will be used to document the benefits of the ILC program on its graduates and the community.
ADDED THURSDAY: The deadline’s been extended to March 3rd.
Welcome to the weekend!
NEW ROUTE FOR BUSES: Reminder that today is the start date for the Columbia Street Transit Pathway downtown – see the map in the original announcement; see the service advisory here.
POLAR PLUNGE, PLUS BEER AND FOOD TRUCKS: 8 am-4:30 pm, it’s a fundraising extravaganza for Special Olympics of Washington – 11 am-4:30 pm beer and food-truck festival, 1 pm plunge into Puget Sound. Here’s the schedule:
8:00 am: Registration open
9:00 am: Vendor booths open
10:00 am: DJs on main stage
11:00 am: Beer festival and food trucks open
12:10 pm: Awards and Costume Contest begin
1:00 pm: PLUNGE!
4:00 pm: Last call for beer
4:30 pm: Beer and food festival closes
Registration info here, along with brewery and food-truck lists! It’s all happening by the Alki Bathhouse. (2701 Alki SW)
RAINWISE FEST: 10 am-noon at Highland Park Improvement Club:
Come to this hands-on event to learn about rain gardens and stormwater management, meet neighbors who love their cisterns and rain gardens, and talk with contractors who are ready for new clients. See how cisterns, rain gardens and permeable paving at HPIC manages rainwater runoff from their property. Learn the basics for rain garden and cistern care at a hands-on maintenance workshop. Open to the public. Refreshments available.
(1116 SW Holden)
FREE TAX HELP: 10 am-4:30 pm at Southwest Library, (updated) – appointment required and we’re told they’re all booked up today but for future reference, here’s how it works! (9010 35th SW)
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Head to Alki to visit the home of West Seattle’s history! Open noon-4 pm today. (61st SW/SW Stevens)
TIN DOG BREWING ANNIVERSARY: 2-8 pm party celebrating its 6th anniversary and a new identity, explained here. (309 S. Cloverdale)
‘GAME NIGHT’: At Paper Boat Booksellers, 4-7 pm, it’s “Game Night with The Missing Piece” – the owners of the upcoming game venue will be there for a playful preview. All welcome. (6040 California SW)
(Friday sunset, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
AT C & P COFFEE: Live music! Guitarist/composer Damon Buxton, 7-9 pm. No cover. All ages. (5612 California SW)
AT THE PACIFIC ROOM: Xavier Lecouturier live, 7-10 pm. Cover and show info here. (2808 Alki SW)
AT THE SKYLARK: Live music! Skularoid Presents: Primary Pulse with Oceans Fade & Fragile Weapons. 8 pm. $8 cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
Got something for our calendar? Send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
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