West Seattle, Washington
14 Saturday
Four West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight:
GYM THEFT: Just in from Natalie:
I had my contents (credit cards and cash) from my wallet stolen tonight between 6:45- 7:30 while working out at LA Fitness in West Seattle. The lock was not broken so I’m assuming they had picked the lock. As I was leaving the gym, my credit card company called me to report possible fraud. They tried to use my card at QFC to buy gift cards (I’m assuming) in the amount of 680 and 200. I have 2 credit cards and they tried both for the same amount. Just wanted to get the word out there.
GARAGE BREAK-IN: Thomas sent the security-camera photo and report of what happened at his Harbor Avenue condo:
We had a break in Sunday morning 1:00 am to 1:30. A man was in our garage stealing small items from cars and broke an elevator emergency box off the wall.
SHOPLIFTERS: Justin at Sound and Fog sends this next report and security-camera image:
These three individuals shoplifted at least once from my store. If they’ve done it to me they’ve probably hit other shops in West Seattle. If you see them, please call the police and reference incident number 20-73345.
He says all three were there February 14th and at least one returned this past Monday.
MIDAS SCARE FOLLOWUP: We asked SPD for the report on the incident at the closed Midas that closed Fauntleroy Way SW in The Triangle Wednesday afternoon.
(WSB photo, Wednesday afternoon)
The available report says this started as a burglary call, largely along the lines of what we reported at the time. The officer writing the report mentions the two people (“complainants” in police terms) who called in after they arrived to “fix a hole in the building,” then continues:
According to C(omplainant) 1, he told our dispatchers that he heard some type of banging coming from inside of the shop prior to our arrival. He advised me that this was approximately a ten-fifteen-minute time delay.
Both Complainants walked into the garage office area and heard (possibly) a door shut. Once they heard that they exited the facility and contacted police.
When we arrived, I noticed a painted-over black Chevrolet pickup with items inside the bed. I looked into the window and it appeared as if the vehicle was in disarray. I eventually found the ignition switch of the vehicle hanging from wires underneath the dashboard. There was another white Buick LeSabre Sedan … and a trailer … The trailer was parked at the Northeast corner of the facility. The Buick sedan was parked at the Southwest area of the facility. According to C1, the vehicles were not there (one day earlier) when they came to do an assessment of the hole located at the rear of the shop.
We did a search of the facility and did not discover anyone inside of the facility. … The access area was approximately two feet in height and approximately two feet in width. It appeared that the unknown suspect(s) left (via) the rear door located in the north part of the shop.
According to witnesses at the adjacent apartment complex, they were cleaning the window at the apartment complex from the outside on a ladder. One person stated that they heard what was a large bang that came from the complex. He believed that sound came from a door that was closing. He then advised officers that the unknown suspect was a white male approximately twenty-thirty years of age. He was wearing a black baseball cap along with a black jacket, approximately five foot ten inches in height.
We advised both complainants if there were items that was taken from the shop in back of the pickup truck to start taking them off of there. In doing so they located a small (bag) that contained what possibly were explosives. (Two sergeants) were advised of the situation and notified Arson and Bomb Squad.
The burglary report also says the Community Police Team was asked to work with building owners/management to get a trespass contract so they can deal more quickly with anyone found at the site. And it notes that the black pickup “that had the possible stolen items” was impounded so burglary detectives could deal with it, while the contractors were advised that they could have the mystery white sedan towed “at the owner’s expense” if they chose to. No further info, though, about the items the contractors described as grenades.
An update from SDOT:
We are wrapping up work on the north side of SW Alaska St between 35th Ave SW and 36th Ave SW. As early as this evening, we will be opening up driveways and alleys onto SW Alaska St. Next week, we will demolition and repaving on the south side of SW Alaska St between 35th Ave SW and 36th Ave SW, as well as, the west side of 35th Ave SW, south of SW Alaska St.
Upcoming lane shifts:
As soon as Monday, March 2, we will shift traffic and begin demolishing the south side of SW Alaska St.Please expect:
Access to 36th Ave SW from the south side of SW Alaska St to be closed. This closure will be in place for a few weeks. Residents, please use 37th Ave SW and SW Edmunds St to reach your homes on 36th Ave SW.36th Ave SW to be local access only at SW Edmunds St
Driveway closures during work hours while we demolish existing pavement. We will place a steel plate on driveways overnight to facilitate access.
Driveway impacts as we rebuild and pour concrete panels. Before work begins, we will provide updates to community members who will experience these impacts.
We anticipate work in this zone to take several weeks. Please note that this work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled.
For a big-picture look at the project, see our report from January.
<(WSB photo, November 2019)
A reader tip about that bus-stop sign back in November led to the discovery that Metro was proposing seven stops for removal in an effort to “rebalance” Route 50. They asked for input – though there was no wide announcement before our story – and promised an update when the final decisions were in. Today, we got that update. Metro plans to remove 5 stops – including one that was not on the original list – and keep 3. The ones that are staying:
-Both stops at California/Stevens (31900, 31940), both with the same reason to keep: “Feedback regarding adjacent PCC grocery store supports keeping this stop”
-Westbound stop at Admiral/Waite (15570), three reasons to keep:
-Feedback regarding adjacent assisted living facility supports keeping this stop
-Stop is adjacent to an intersection with crosswalks
-Stop has clear, newly constructed sidewalk to enter and exit bus
Here are the ones that Metro will remove – for all routes that use them, not just 50:
-Both stops at California/Charlestown (31861, 31980), reasons to remove:
-Other stops available one block to the north and south.
-Stop to the north at SW Spokane St has a bench.
-Stop to the north at SW Spokane St has 75% more riders.
-Both stops at California/Dakota (31840, 320000), reasons to remove:
-Other stops available one block to the north and south.
-Stops to the north and south have similar, but higher ridership.
-Westbound stop at Admiral/46th (15560, not on original list), reasons to remove:
-Other stop available one block to the west
-Stop to the west is adjacent to an intersection with crosswalks
The removals will take effect with Metro’s March 21st “service change.” The bus system’s other planned changes for this cycle will be announced in about a week and a half.
Five students from Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) visited Olympia to make the case for a sustainability bill. EWMS’s Dawn Fornear sent the photo, report, and link to video of their testimony:
Every year, eighth graders at Explorer West Middle School, with Social Studies teacher Tim Owens, tackle their choice of social issues and complete group projects aptly named “Change The World.” They present their findings to all grades and to a panel of social advocates.
This year, one of our student groups is tackling the issue of sustainable packaging, and this group was invited by Senator Mona Das to attend a hearing in Olympia. Our students researched Bill 6213, which would expand the ban on polystyrene products. Primavera Faggella, Christoph Lawrence, Mac Peterson, Hans Rehkopf, and Maji Williams offered their well-researched testimony and opinions, which can be viewed here. We are so proud of their hard work!
The committee that heard the students’ testimony on Tuesday, Environment and Energy, is chaired by – as you might have noticed in the video – 34th District Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon of West Seattle. The bill currently is still before his committee for consideration.
(777X test flight in early February, photographed by David Hutchinson)
1:57 PM: With two major airports nearby, things get noisy around here sometimes, but late-night noise this past Tuesday broke the rules. Checking on a Twitter tip from Andrew, we learned from King County spokesperson Cameron Satterfield that an explanation was posted on the Boeing Field website. Here’s more info:
What happened: The Boeing Company was approved by airport management to perform engine run-up testing of their new 777X aircraft on Tuesday, February 25 between 6 and 9 p.m. However, for unknown reasons, Boeing did not begin this testing until about 9:30 p.m. It continued until airport operations staff were able to make contact with Boeing representatives to shut the testing down at about 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
This event was in violation of the airport’s noise abatement policy, which restricts when activities like engine testing can take place. (In general, the curfew runs from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) Engine run-up testing of the 777X has been put on hold, and King County has been in contact with Boeing leadership to ensure an incident like this never happens again.
Residents who are concerned about noise from King County International Airport – Boeing Field can file a report online at kingcounty.gov/airport, send email to KCIANoise@kingcounty.gov, or call the Noise Hotline at 206-205-5242. Airport management is also considering holding a community meeting regarding this incident. We’ll provide details when those plans are firmed up.
5:50 PM: Boeing has issued an apology, added to this item on the county website.
A highlight from last night’s winter-sports banquet at Chief Sealth International High School – a banner presentation for new state champion wrestler Jahvius Leui, above with his family. The banner will be hung in the Chief Sealth gym. The banquet also featured presentations of the winter Seahawk Awards, celebrating attitude, effort, work ethic, and being a “total team player.” The students who were there to accept their plaques from their respective coaches included Owen Murray for boys’ wrestling:
Hazel Dahlquist for girls’ wrestling:
Benson Chau, boys’ swimming:
Aili Conley, gymnastics:
Toan Huynh, boys’ basketball:
Hailey Merryweather, girls’ basketball:
Thanks to Chief Sealth IHS for inviting us to cover the event – got something cool coming up at YOUR school? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302 – thank you!
(Killdeer photographed near Alki Point Lighthouse by Mark Wangerin)
Highlights for the rest of your Thursday:
HIAWATHA PLAY AREA RELOCATION/RENOVATION: Two meetings today – one you can drop in at the Hiawatha Tot Gym, between 11 am and 12:30 pm, or tonight, 6:30-8 pm. Details here. (2700 California SW)
AUTHOR EVENT: EJ Koh at Paper Boat Booksellers, 6 pm. (6010 California SW)
JUNCTION NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION: 6:30 pm at the Senior Center/Sisson Building, with guests from Sound Transit and the city talking about light rail. (4217 SW Oregon)
WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House High Point, with featured guests from the Port of Seattle to talk about the Terminal 5 project. Here’s our most-recent coverage. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
AT THE SKYLARK: Live music with Batbox, Roxxy Lebeau, Lost In The Tracks. 7 pm. $8 cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
SEE WHAT ELSE IS UP … by browsing our complete calendar.
Got a teen or tween interested in theater? This just-announced program might be of interest:
Auditions announced for teen production of The Addams Family Young@Part musical at Youngstown this Summer!
An exciting opportunity for teen students to participate in a production of the hilarious Broadway musical, The Addams Family, has recently been announced. The production will take place at West Seattle’s own historic Youngstown Theatre this summer and provides opportunities for students in 5th-10th grade to audition for Cast roles and students in 8th-12th grade to interview for Tech Crew roles. Signups for auditions are open now; see below for details.
The team of producers, Eric Bradler (Music Director), Tara Kaine (Director), and Alex Ung (Choreographer/Tech Director), otherwise known as ETA Productions, are veterans of the Seattle theater scene and have worked together for the last two years mounting summer musicals at Seattle Children’s Theatre. The ETA team promises to encourage and challenge students to be the best they can be, while audiences giggle in delight. Above all else, they bring a team focus to the cast and crew, giving them a rich theater experience. They see all youth theater work from the perspective of the ensemble and ensure that students come together regardless of role, to support each other and cheer each other on. After their kids have worked with us, parents report students in both lead and ensemble roles happy and tired from a day filled with singing, dancing, and acting. Come join ETA Productions for what is sure to be a memorable show!
To sign up for an audition and for additional information please go to https://tinyurl.com/ETAProductions
Cast Auditions for students in grades 5 – 10 will be held at:
Explorer West Middle School, 10015 28th Avenue SW
Saturday, March 7th, Sunday, March 8th and Sunday, March 22nd
Callbacks will be held on April 4th.
$800 tuition due after acceptance into program.Rehearsals will be Monday – Friday, August 3rd – August 21st from 9:00 – 3:30
Performances will be at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
August 21st, 2020 @ 7:0 0pm
August 22nd, 2020 @ 2:00 pm & 7:00 pmTech Crew Interviews for students in grades 8 – 12 will be held at:
Explorer West Middle School (10015 28th Avenue SW)
Saturday, April 4th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pmTech Program Schedule
Classes and Building – Saturdays, August 1st, 8, 15
Week-long Tech Program – Aug 17 – 21
Time: 9:00 – 3:30
$450 tuition due after acceptance into the program.Tech Crew will work three shows on August 21 & 22.
Find out more about ETA Productions here.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:45 AM: Good morning! A texter says the 35th/Roxbury signal is malfunctioning – so remember, that means, treat the intersecton a a 4-way stop.
WEEKEND REMINDER: The SB Highway 99 tunnel is scheduled to close 10 pm-8 am Friday night into Saturday morning for repair work.
(Photo by David Hutchinson, from January visit of Southern Resident Killer Whales)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We saved these whales once … we can do it again, but the clock is ticking.”
With warnings like that one, The Whale Trail‘s executive director Donna Sandstrom is doing everything she can. But the Southern Resident Killer Whales need more help, she explained at The Whale Trail’s midwinter gathering in West Seattle.
She offered specifics, as well as inspiration from a special guest, Maya Sears, who recapped the whales’ most-recent visits to our area.
The exhilaration of those visits is tempered by the increasing odds they will someday be just a memory.
Since The Whale Trail’s last gathering, another resident orca has vanished and is presumed dead, L41. That makes four lost in the past year. “That’s a lot.” This distinct population of killer whales is down to 72, only one above their historic low of 71
“So,” she said, asking aloud the logical question for everyone in the room, “why isn’t anything happening?”
(Reader photo: Solstice Park fireworks debris, July 2018)
After years of clamor for a fireworks ban in unincorporated King County – including White Center, just south of West Seattle – a deadly fire has finally ignited action.
As promised, King County Councilmember Joe McDermott – whose district includes West Seattle, White Center, and Vashon Island – is about to introduce legislation that would ban fireworks in the unincorporated areas of the county. See a summary below (or here in PDF):
See the full text of the legislation below (or here in PDF):
We talked this afternoon with Councilmember McDermott, who will officially get it into the system tomorrow.
McDermott notes that 25 jurisdictions within King County – including Seattle and Burien, which bookend White Center – already ban fireworks. And in addition to the deadly fire in North Highline, he’s heard from constituents with other concerns, including wildfire worries on Vashon Island.
Yes, he’s heard the concerns raised before – what does this really do if there’s no extra enforcement? “It sets a new norm,” McDermott contends, and use will be reduced. What about the organizations that have raised money through fireworks sales? They’re going to have to find a new, not potentially deadly way to raise money. McDermott says the fundraising-related concerns were a factor in a related bill that has died for the year in the State Legislature, 34th District Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon‘s proposal to change state law so that fireworks bans could take effect faster. The stalling of that bill means that if McDermott’s proposal passes, it wouldn’t take effect until next year, so fireworks would still be legal in unincorporated King County this summer.
What are the chances it will pass? McDermott says he can count on support from at least a couple council colleagues, but he’s not taking anything/anyone for granted. If you have a strong opinion on the proposal, contact all the county councilmembers (here’s how). There also will be a committee hearing on the proposal, in the Local Services Committee chaired by Councilmember Reagan Dunn (no date for that yet).
P.S. Professional fireworks displays would still be allowed in unincorporated King County – as they are in the cities with fireworks bans – by permit.
Spring sports are almost here, so it’s time to sign up with the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), which has registration open for multiple sports right now:
Let’s get in the game! Find the spring sport for your child, ages 3 through 15. At the Y, youth sports are all about helping kids learn the rules and skills of the game, while emphasizing the importance of self-development, team building, sportsmanship, positive self-image and, of course, having loads of fun. Plus, we make sure our programs are affordable for all, so explore financial assistance if that is appealing to your family’s budget. Registration is open now for baseball & t-ball, volleyball and futsal. Learn more and sign up here!
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
More townhouses on the way to California Avenue SW. This time they’re not replacing an old house, but instead replacing a parking lot. This early-stage proposal has appeared in city files for 5420 California SW [map], currently a parking lot south of commercial buildings. The site plan (PDF) by Patano Studio Architecture has two configuration options. Both show two live-work units facing the street and six townhouse units behind it, with four parking spaces off the alley. “Option A” shows two units with their own garages; “Option B” shows four units with garages.
(Texted photo)
1:35 PM: Thanks for the tips. Avoid Fauntleroy through The Triangle – big police response centered on the long-closed Midas. We are working to get more information.
1:41 PM: Police describe it as a “potential hazard at a closed business.” Fauntleroy is closed/closing and traffic is being diverted. As the reader photo above shows, they’ve taped off the closed Midas.
1:46 PM: “Possible explosive device” in the closed Midas. Arson and Bomb Squad will handle.
(WSB photos from here on)
2:04 PM: Not resolved yet. SFD is being called in to stand by across Fauntleroy Way.
2:14 PM: While police are keeping people back – see the tape across Fauntleroy in the photos we’ve added above – they have not issued any sort of evacuation order.
2:19 PM: Police have removed two bags of items from the scene.
2:32 PM: We’re still at the scene; just heard via emergency radio, “you can open up traffic, we’re secure.”
2:36 PM: Just talked to two people who say they’re the ones who called this in. They are contractors who were asked to check out a “hole” in the back of the closed building. They looked in – and saw “grenades,” and called police.
2:39 PM: The road is reopening. SPD confirms the recovered items were “harmless.”
The morning swept by without a chance for our usual daily highlights – you can always check the full WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – but we did want to remind you about one major public event, the February meeting of HPAC. This is the community council recently expanded to span South Delridge and Riverview as well as Highland Park. During the 7 pm gathering at Highland Park Improvement Club (1116 SW Holden), as previewed last weekend, the big topics will include what you need to know about the city Department of Neighborhoods, voting for new HPAC leadership, and strategizing what to propose for Your Voice, Your Choice parks/streets grants. Maybe there’s a community concern you’d like to bring up? Be there!
(2019 WSB photo)
Il Nido, Chef Mike Easton‘s mega-popular restaurant at the historic-landmark Alki Homestead, is up for one of the food world’s most prestigious awards. The James Beard Foundation announced its 2020 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists this morning and Il Nido is on the list of 30 nationwide up for Best New Restaurant – the only one from Seattle. Il Nido opened last May. See the full list of semifinalists here. The nominees are announced March 25th, and the awards will be presented May 4th in Chicago. West Seattle has had three Beard Foundation semifinalists in the past decade – Mark Fuller (of what was then Spring Hill and is now Ma’Ono) in 2010, photographer Christopher Boffoli in 2012, Bakery Nouveau founder William Leaman in 2013.
King County Councilmembers have presented their annual Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service awards – here’s who received one in our area:
King County Councilmember Joe McDermott has awarded West Seattle resident Michael J. Scott with the Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service, an award that recognizes individuals whose work has answered the question asked by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “What are you doing for others?”
“Michael Scott’s work at Swedish Hospital and as an SEIU 1199NW Union Delegate exemplifies the spirit of the Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service,” McDermott said. “These awards provide us an opportunity to honor unsung heroes like Michael who have shown a commitment to improving the lives of those around them, while typically receiving little recognition for the good they do every day.”
Scott has served as a union delegate for the last 15 years with the Service Employees International Union local 1199 Northwest. In his work with the union, he has fought for better patient and staff safety, high standards for infection control, and better recruitment and retention of healthcare workers, an important factor in providing the best care for patients. Most recently, Scott and his union made patient safety concerns a top priority in contract negotiations.
Scott has also served as a member of the union’s executive board, helping to set goals that improve the lives of both health-care workers and their patients. Scott is a graduate of Seattle Central Community College and lives in the Avalon neighborhood of West Seattle.
This marks the fifth year that councilmembers have each selected someone from their district whose work embodies the spirit of King’s question.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:58 AM: Good morning! We just checked around – no current alerts or incidents to report.
WEEKEND REMINDER: The SB Highway 99 tunnel will close Friday night into Saturday morning for repair work, 10 pm-8 am.
Last August, we reported on teenage ultra-runner Riley Nachtrieb making it 82 miles of the way on the 138-mile Olympic Discovery Trail. Then in September, as also reported here, she completed a mini-documentary about the odyssey, “Broken.” Now, her filmmaker dad Erik Nachtrieb, who worked on it with her, sends word that “Broken” has won a film-festival award!
West Seattle High School Senior Riley Nachtrieb’s short film, “Broken,” documenting her 140-mile run across the Olympic Peninsula, is awarded “The Spirit of Adventure” amongst all the films submitted in the 2020 Auburn Adventure Film Festival.
Last weekend was the three-day Auburn Adventure Film Festival, with the award ceremonies Sunday night. 160 International films were submitted with only 32 selected for screening during the festival. Riley’s self-funded project was amongst films that were sponsored by REI, Filson, Danner, and Eddie Bauer. Riley Nachtrieb is the Director of Video at WSHS, co-captain of the cross-country team, an ultra runner (someone who runs 30-100-mile races), and an aspiring filmmaker. She was the subject of the film, as well as, worked closely with her father and 1iOpen Productions to create this film, which was never meant to be a film.
This is 10 minutes of her 24-hour emotional rollercoaster finding the strength to ask herself questions few 17-year-olds have to face. This is more than a run, it’s watching the evolution of emotion, maturity, and the human potential of a young woman in real time.
Riley continues to run, is involved in the Seattle film community, and will be heading to college while writing screenplays and filming. Her award-winning film can be seen here:
Friends and family are sharing this remembrance of Mauree McKaen:
Mauree McKaen
November 6, 1946 – February 6, 2020Mauree McKaen, also known as Mo, left the world she loved on February 6, 2020. Behind her, she leaves a blazing path of beauty and memories that are etched on the hearts of friends, family, and even strangers who met her just once. She was an energy to contend with, a sister, a mentor, a guide, and a friend, with a sense of humor that made everyone laugh, even the doctors who diagnosed her terminal cancer and worked to keep her pain-free in her final days. She wasn’t just one in a million, she was one of kind.
Mauree was born in Pinckney, Michigan and received her MSW from the University of Michigan. As Executive Director of Family Group Homes for Youth in Ann Arbor, she helped create positive living environments for young people from troubled families. After moving to Seattle in her early thirties, Mauree pursued her J.D. from the University of Puget Sound. Rather than practice law as a full-time occupation, she started her own consulting company, Leadership Unlimited, through which she helped organizations change their cultures and mentored leaders to become more conscious of their impact on others. Mauree also served a term on the Seattle Ethics Committee, among other community roles.
They say a dog is “man’s best friend.” Well, Mauree was every dog’s best friend. She couldn’t walk down her own street, or pass a puppy in a foreign country without engaging in a deep conversation with the furry creature, who would often, then, much to the chagrin of its owner, try to follow her home. This passion led her to start a dog care business upon retirement.
As the most determined and steadfast patron the Goodwill has ever known, Mauree was a shrewd shopper. She could find a brand new, never been worn, Ralph Lauren jacket in a bin of hidden clothes no one else bothered to look through and walk out looking like a million bucks. Other’s tried, but never quite had her eye for quality at a great price.
She was the champion of animals, children, the elderly, or anyone down on their luck. While she was a woman of modest means, she gave generously to those in need.
She loved politics, but despised most politicians. As an avid consumer of political news, from local to international, she would engage with anyone willing, seeking to share the imperative of a saner, kinder, more just world.
Mauree was an adventurer and traveled widely during her life, both across this country and abroad, hiking parts of the El Camino trail during her last three years on Earth. Her joy in discovering new cultures and finding new friends made her youthful into her seventies, and she had a knack for entertaining everyone on her path with her infectious laugh and stories of her travels—even if it was only to the grocery store.
Mauree’s greatest gift was her ability to love people as they are, to inspire them to live into their own greatness, to believe in the human spirit, to look for the best in everyone regardless of their past or their station in life—to cherish the beautiful, to care for the broken, to model what it means to be an extraordinary human.
She was a shining star who illumined, inspired, and guided others to lead lives as joy-filled and giving as hers. Her infectious laughter, curiosity, and belief in the possible nourished and guided us all. Through her example she showed us who we could be, how we could give, and what a well-lived life was.
In lieu of flowers, her friends and family ask that people honor her legacy by taking action to make the world a better place, to act with greater kindness, to alleviate someone’s suffering, to make a difference in the life of another in some small or great way every day.
Among those who will miss her most are her two dearest and longest friends, Laurie McDonald Jonsson and Carol E. Anderson, her treasured mentee turned true confidant, Julie Mierswiak, her nature-loving soul sister, Archer, and her big-hearted, dog-loving neighbor circle, Susan Hurst, Kindree Brownbridge, Dave Grieve, and Mary Slowinski, her sister Mary Jo Nichols, her brother Kevin McMacken, and her beloved Ridgeback dog, Caleb,
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
Today was scheduled to be the first day of Ola Salon‘s consolidated operations at its Burien location, after shuttering its original space in West Seattle’s Luna Park neighborhood. The salon sent its clients an announcement including, “We would like to thank you for supporting Ola Salon and Spa in West Seattle over the past 15+ years. It has come time for Ola to move out of our current location and merge into our newer location, Ola Salon and Spa in Burien, which is only 15 minutes away (less than 10 miles South) at the end of February. Remember when everyone thought West Seattle was so ‘out of the way’!?” The Burien address is 1835 SW 152nd. This leaves two business spaces vacant in the Luna Park business district, since the former Shack Coffeehouse is still seeking a tenant, according to its marquee. P.S. Thanks for all the tips on this!
That’s the official packet (also here in PDF) for next week’s Southwest Design Review Board debut of the 5-story apartment building proposed at 3417 Harbor SW, just north of the West Seattle Bridge. The packet goes into full details of the proposal, including the three options for “massing” – size and shape – which is a key focus of the board’s first review, officially called Early Design Guidance. The packet by architecture firm Atelier Drome says that the project team’s “preferred” option would have 126 apartments and 71 offstreet-parking spaces.
The packet also has details on the proposed landscaping/streetscape – including “a welcoming corner entry plaza featur(ing) a special paving pattern to signal the entry to passersby on the sidewalk along with a welcoming two-sided bench” – and notes they want to remove one “exceptional tree” on the site, a bigleaf maple that they say is in poor health. One design point likely to be a subject of discussion: ” Locating the parking at the basement level minimizes the visual impact of the parking on the majority of the facades, but presents a design challenge on the Harbor Ave facade – a site long concrete wall.” The SWDRB meeting is at 6:30 pm Thursday, March 5th, at the Senior Center/Sisson Building, 4217 SW Oregon, with a public-comment period. If you can’t be there, you can send comments to the assigned city planner – crystal.torres@seattle.gov.
Celebrate Leap Day by seeing what’s up with Delridge Grocery Co-op since the ceremonial groundbreaking back in November (WSB coverage here). You’re invited to an ice-cream party at the store space on Saturday – here’s the announememt:
Delridge Grocery Co-op invites you to a special afternoon House Party this coming Saturday (Leap Day, February 29). Come see how construction is progressing, enjoy some special ice cream, and learn about how you can help spread the word about our growing Co-op (more on that below).
Working with Full Tilt Ice Cream, we’ll be serving a special flavor whipped up just for this occasion — Vegan Marionberry with Chocolate Swirl. Thanks to our social media community for a lot of great ideas, and Carly Glenn (who follows us on Instagram) will be getting a DGC T-shirt for helping us decide to go non-dairy.
Girl Scouts will also be on hand selling cookies in front of the Co-op — perfect for adding to your ice cream.
Our Ice Cream House Party is the kickoff to our new DGC House Party Plan — a return to our roots in how we spread the word about our Co-op and a way that our members can help keep us growing.
To make our store successful and move forward with our goals — healthy food available at affordable prices, investing in our community — we need to grow the number of owners we have (currently standing at 570).
And that’s where our Co-op owners and interested members of the community can help by spreading the word with neighbors and friends in West Seattle at your own house party, dinner soiree, or pub hangout.
If you want an excuse to have a gathering that can help make a difference, a DGC board member can stop by to give a short introduction about the Co-op to your guests. We’ll tell you all about it at our own House Party.
It’s happening 2-4 pm Saturday at the DGC future-store space, 5444 Delridge Way SW.
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