West Seattle, Washington
14 Monday
(WSB photo of Katie Bubalo, 2018)
Thanks to the Summit Atlas parent who tipped us to a sudden change at West Seattle’s only charter school. Its founding principal Katie Bubalo, who most recently held the title of high-school executive director at Summit Atlas, which also serves middle-school grades at its Arbor Heights campus. California-headquartered Summit Public Schools confirmed to WSB that this is the letter sent last night to families by Summit’s senior director of schools Malia Burns:
We are reaching out to share with you the news that Ms. Bubalo will be stepping down as executive director of Summit Atlas High School. We are grateful for her service to our community and wish her well in her future endeavors.
We’ve heard you and will want to make sure that you have a strong voice in the selection of the school’s next leader. We will be holding two listening sessions to gather input from our families, teachers, and students about the characteristics they are looking for in a school leader. Together, we will create a school culture that reflects our shared values of inclusiveness and collaboration guided by a strong leader at the helm.
We are committed to making the transition a seamless one. I am pleased to announce that Andrea Klein, Summit Atlas Middle School’s Executive Director, will serve as interim executive director of Summit Atlas High School while we search for a permanent replacement. She is very knowledgeable of our school community, dedicated to ensuring students’ success, and has a track record of gaining the trust and respect of families and faculty. Kristina Brawley, our Dean of Culture and Instruction, will continue in her leadership role. She has been an incredible asset to the community since joining this fall. She will partner with Andrea to ensure continuity for students, faculty, and families. I will also be available to support you through the transition.
The listening sessions will take place on Thursday, January 16 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, January 21 at 7:30 a.m. at Summit Atlas. We hope you will choose to attend the listening sessions and share your thoughts because they will be critical in shaping the future leadership of the school.
Throughout this process, we are steadfast in our commitment to maintaining our focus on students and families and ensuring a seamless transition. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at mburns@summitps.org, Andrea at aklein@summitps.org, or Kristina at kbrawley@summitps.org.
Summit Atlas High School is a wonderful school with an even brighter future. I am proud of the hard work and unwavering dedication of our teachers, students, and families. I’m confident that we will see strong success for our students through the remainder of the school year.
The parent who tipped us to Bubalo’s departure called it a firing and said Bubalo was popular with students, who were writing protest letters to the Summit board and sharing stories today. We asked Summit for comment and their reply was to send us a copy of the letter. The school is in its third year of classes, having opened in August 2017 with sixth and ninth grades, adding grades each year and now up to sixth through eleventh. While charter schools’ operations are publicly funded, their buildings generally are not; a nonprofit footed the multimillion-dollar bill for buying the former church/supermarket site at 9601 35th SW and remodeling/expanding its building to house the school.
If you’re seeing discolored water in Arbor Heights, it’s likely related to an earlier problem: George mentioned it early this afternoon; by the time we checked with Seattle Public Utilities, they said the water was back on. But just now we heard from someone who’s seeing brown water on Marine View Drive. It’ll likely clear after you run it for a while, but just to be sure it’s not a new issue, if you’re seeing it, be sure to report it to 206-386-1800.
Last weekend, we noted that Arbor Heights teen Joseph Meats was collecting drop-off donations for the West Seattle Food Bank. Now, the results! From Judi Yazzolino at WSFB:
Joey & his Dad, Tony, delivered all the food Tuesday for a total of 565 pounds of food & pet food. He also did a fundraiser on Facebook & our website for a total of $305. We love Joey and his parents; they have been incredible supporters of the West Seattle Food Bank for many years and now that Joey is a teenager, he has started volunteering here at the food bank as well.
Missed the chance to donate? At least two local Halloween attractions in our guide (the Meeds Haunted House and Nightfall Orphanage) are collecting nonperishable food, so take some with you when you head out!
Five years ago, we told you about then-8-year-old Joseph Meats going door to door collecting donations for the West Seattle Food Bank. Now he’s a teenager and still working to stop hunger – and this weekend, you can help. His family sent the photo and word that he’s set up outside 9910 34th SW in Arbor Heights [map] collecting drop-off donations of food for people and pets. Here’s the list of what’s most needed:
Thanks for the tip: Summit Atlas, the charter middle/high school at 35th/Roxbury, has told families it will be closed tomorrow because of a water problem. The email sent to families says the city had to shut off the school’s water supply because of “a major breakage in the water main.” We haven’t heard of a break in the area but the school email also mentions plumbers trying to fix it, so it might be just a campus problem; we’ll check with Seattle Public Utilities tomorrow.
6:56 PM: The thunderstorms that moved through this past hour have done some damage. Seattle Fire is on scene in the ~10700 block of Marine View Drive SW, where residents report lightning hit multiple houses; no fire, but some damage is reported. In that area, more than 200 homes are without power, according to the City Light map.
7:56 PM: We’ve been to two of the homes with lightning damage.
In both cases, glass was broken, but no one was hurt.
Some tree damage too. At one home, the damage was focused on a detached dwelling unit which had no one inside at the time.
9 PM: Photos added. The residents report the lightning strike was colorful – they saw red at one point – as well as powerful.
12:33 AM: Could be more overnight, says @WestSeaWx.
12:30 AM: A Seattle Fire “full response” is headed to 35th SW and SW 98th, with a report of smoke and flames visible in a yard. But the first unit to arrive isn’t seeing anything. Updates to come.
12:35 AM: Turns out to be a trash-can fire, according to radio communication. Most responding units are being canceled.
3 1/2 years after we first reported that a multifamily project was proposed for the former Church of Christ site at 4220 SW 100th, site work is under way. Jeff tipped us late last month that demolition had begun; crews were doing deconstruction work by hand at first, but now heavy equipment is involved. The 8-townhouse, 1-live-work project went through Design Review in 2017 and 2018; it drew extra scrutiny because its site is part of an isolated sliver of multifamily/commercial zoning – NC1-30 (three stories) when the project was initiated, so that’s what it’s being built to, though HALA MHA has since upzoned the site to NC1-40 (four stories).
A reader in Arbor Heights sent us that photo a few days ago, wondering if that sign on SW 100th west of 35th meant a speed camera was on the way. We hadn’t heard of one – SDOT hasn’t installed any new ones in a few years – so (after going over to see the sign firsthand), we inquired. SDOT spokesperson Dawn Schellenberg told WSB today, “The sign is fake. We’re asking our crews to remove it.” As for new speed-camera installations, sh also told us, “We’re currently evaluating several locations across the city for new school-zone speed cameras and should know more next year about which locations may move forward for implementation.”
Along with everything on our highlight list, it’s also the second-to-last day for Dog Days swim sessions in Arbor Heights – until 1 pm today, and again 11 am-1 pm Sunday. (Thanks to Cori from Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club for sharing the photo by Brandon of Fetch It Media.) No humans in the pool, just dogs, as a fundraiser for AHSTC swim teams before the pool gets cleaned in the offseason. $10 donation per dog. The pool’s at 11003 31st Ave SW.
The report and videos are from Michael in Arbor Heights:
Caught this guy on our Nest camera stealing a package from our neighbor’s porch (Friday) at 2:15 PM in a fancy newer-style gray Ford truck. I’ve attached two separate videos, one showing the truck drive into frame, one showing the theft take place. Neighbor has or will be reporting to police. This happened on 32nd Ave SW in between 106th and 105th in Arbor Heights.
Hopefully someone will recognize the truck. Perpetrator was a white male, stocky, bald.
MBL also says social-media discussion of his clips yielded an opinion that it could be the same person/truck shown in this video from last month, recorded by a witness as a woman tried to stop a truck after her purse had been stolen from her car outside Admiral Safeway.
In case the extra-warm weather gets you wondering – yes, Dog Days will be back this year at Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club (11003 31st SW). It’s a fundraising tradition after the last human swimming days of the year, before the pool’s off-season cleaning; the admission fees benefit youth swim teams. This year’s dates will be Monday, September 16 through Sunday, September 22, and the various price options will include one for dog walkers, sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, $50 for up to 8 dogs. Questions? coriroed (at) gmail (dot) com
7:24 PM: Just in from an Arbor Heights resident – this clip showing a package thief in a “Just Do It” T-shirt. The victim reports:
We had a few packages stolen from our porch today, and this dude seemed to be making the rounds (I’m assuming because a lot of Prime Day stuff was getting delivered).
If it’s helpful to anyone, here is the video from my doorbell … it seems like others have had the same people steal from them today as well.
The resident also sent this clip from a neighbor’s camera showing a different thief but apparently the same vehicle. We’ll add the police-report number when available. This kind of incident usually can be reported online – police continue to reiterate that it’s really important for everything to be reported.
11:59 PM UPDATE: Police report # is 19-264203.
10 AM: That’s one of the police vehicles that drew a lot of attention (thanks for the tips!) in Arbor Heights this morning, near SW 98th and 41st SW. The operation was wrapping up when we got there and so far all we know is that it was Renton Police serving a warrant. We’re pursuing more details and will update if we get any.
10:26 AM: The Renton PD media liaison tells us all he knows so far is that it was a drug-related warrant.
11:27 AM: The “rescue extrication” response is headed for 39th SW/SW 106th [map], and the dispatch was for a reported “vehicle into a building.” Updates to come.
11:30 AM: First SFD crew on scene reports crash into tree. SFD says no extrication necessary, occupant got themselves out.
11:38 AM: Just added a photo. Our crew says this pickup is in the yard of a house closer to 37th SW than 39th and that the driver appears to be OK. SFD says there are “reports of a second patient near scene.” We’re checking on that.
11:50 AM: Our crew talked to a witness who also noted that a second vehicle was involved, and our crew has found that one:
The driver of this vehicle is OK but after evaluation, our crew says, it appears the pickup driver will be taken to a hospital. Avoid the area, by the way – police are NOT there yet to direct traffic so SFD is doing what it can.
12:38 PM: Firefighters had to shore up the deck area damaged According to a witness with whom we spoke, the pickup driver hit the other car while trying to get through a narrow section o street, then lost control.
A commenter says the pickup driver went through three yards before ending up on the deck.
The video and report are from Michael in east Arbor Heights:
This cool guy stole my shoes from front porch midnight June 10th. Joke’s on him because they were stinky as heck after golfing in the morning and going in the trash anyway. Just thought it provides a good look for someone who’s obviously casing the neighborhood and stealing things off people’s front porch.
P.S. One more reminder that Arbor Heights (and Westwood/Roxhill-area) residents are invited to a focus group tonight to discuss crime/safety/policing issues – here’s the info.
(SDOT map of original project zone)
Another alert from SDOT, this time for the half-mile of 35th SW where sidewalks were built last year. The project team says, “We have some final repair work to do on 35th Ave SW – some due to the snow/de-icing damages and … concerns and problems that emerged after project completion. Our crews will be returning to 35th Ave SW this coming Monday, 5/6 for up to two weeks to complete final repair work along the corridor. This work will be fairly low key and will not require complete closures or staging of equipment.” Here’s what they’ll be doing:
Crews will return to 35th Ave SW as early as this coming Monday, May 6 to begin last part of repair work as part of the Arbor Heights Safe Routes to School sidewalk project. This work includes:
ï‚· Rebuilding curb bulbs at the following locations:
o SW corner of 35th Ave SW and SW 100th St
o SW corner of 35th Ave SW and SW 104th St
ï‚· Rebuilding the curb and gutter on the west side of 35th Ave SW between SW 102nd St and SW
106th St
ï‚· Install fog line (line that delineates between vehicular travel lane and parking strip) along the
west side of 35th Ave SW between SW 100th St and SW 106th St
ï‚· Hydroseed planting strip area along east side of 35th Ave SW between SW 102nd St and SW 104th
StThis work will take approximately 2 weeks to complete. During this work, you can expect:
ï‚· Noise and dust from construction
 Work hours from 8 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday
ï‚· Temporary suspension of street parking on the west side of 35 th Ave SW between SW 100 th St
and SW 106 th St
o No-Park signs will be posted 3 days in advance to parking closure
ï‚· Temporary detour and/or lane shift on 35 th Ave SW
ï‚· Possible impacts to pedestrian access
ï‚· King County Metro service will not be impacted by this workQuestions? Please contact Project Outreach Team at 206-615-0786 or by email at
pedestrianimprovements2@seattle.gov.
Most months, the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce holds an “After-Hours” evening gathering, a chance for networking and for learning about a local business/institution. Tonight, Westside School (WSB sponsor) in Arbor Heights was the location – a beautiful night to mingle in its light-filled lobby. Both Westside and the Chamber have leaders in their first year of service:
In our photo are Westside’s head of school Steve de Beer and Chamber CEO Julia Jordan. Next Chamber event, the monthly lunch meeting on April 11th, which has a “speed networking” theme.
8:15 PM: SFD and SPD are on their way to a reported “rollover collision” involving one person in one vehicle in the 9800 block of 35th SW [map]. Updates to come.
8:27 PM: Added photo – it’s a car that went sideways after its driver hit a parked car, according to what we’ve been told at the scene. The driver will be taken to the hospital by AMR ambulance. 35th is currently blocked both ways.
9:22 PM: Another photo – at left is the car that was hit while parked. We went by the scene again a short time ago; still blocked. We’ll update when there’s word it’s open again.
(Added: Reader video by Tracy. Alert, ambient sound includes profanity)
9:55 PM: In case you’re hearing the sirens: What we tuned into as King County Sheriff’s Office deputies followed/pursued a car into Arbor Heights has ended in a “car fire” call at California/106th [map]. Before that, a deputy had reported that the car’s driver tried to ram her at some point east of there. The driver has apparently bolted, as a K-9 team is being summoned to help search.
10:12 PM: Added reader video of the burning car. No report yet of an arrest. We aren’t sure yet what started this – except that it started somewhere east (25th/106th was the first location check we heard over the sheriff’s frequency).
10:30 PM: Tracy, who sent the video, says the fire is out but the search continues. Meantime, this photo also has been sent to us:
10:47 PM: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Ryan Abbott tells WSB the car involved was stolen car and that it indeed “rammed a Deputy,” who is OK. Meantime, a commenter reports seeing how it all started near 16th/107th in White Center. And nearby resident Tracy says SFD has departed – here’s the car, post-fire:
11:33 PM: Haven’t heard any updates for a while.
ADDED 12:10 PM MONDAY: Followed up today with Sgt. Abbott of KCSO. He confirms that the suspect has NOT been found. We also asked about the circumstances of the original car theft. He says it was taken in White Center – 1200 block of SW 107th – two weeks ago: “The victim had started his car to warm it up in the morning of 03/11 and when he returned to it, the car was gone.” It’s a 2007 Chrysler 300.
As mentioned in our daily highlights, this was Scouting for Food pickup day for some local troops and packs. The photos and report are from Pack 799 parent Jason T:
Scouts from Pack 799 were out on foot this morning, with wagons and vehicles following, ‘scouting for food’ donations and collecting for the West Seattle Food Bank. They amassed 1,175 pounds of food and toiletry items from our Arbor and Arroyo Heights neighbors (pickup area). Enough to fill the floor of one parent’s Dodge Sprinter van.
Many residents greeted our Scouts, shared their own stories of past food drives or scouting adventures, and gave their support and encouragement. Weather turned wonderful. In summation, performing a valuable service in our community was fun and pleasantly, a success!
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.
(Southwestern side of Roxhill Bog, 2014 WSB photo)
From Roxhill Park to the Delridge Triangle, public spaces are part of our toplines from last night’s Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition meeting:
BOG PROGRESS: WWRHAH and other community advocates have worked for many years to get action for Roxhill Bog in Roxhill Park, which is compromised by hydrology problems (as outlined in a report we published in 2014). Now there’s word of progress toward getting a study funded, with the first step being outlining the scope of work.
ARTS IN THE PARKS: WWRHAH’s Kim Barnes said a grant from this program will help make the recently announced World Music Day happen this summer. She’s hoping it will be a multicultural celebration as well as a music festival.
DELRIDGE TRIANGLE: The next step in improving this public space is a community workshop on March 23rd, as announced last month. Details of the Saturday morning event at Highland Park Improvement Club are expected before week’s end; other events will follow this spring as community participants plan the space’s future.
POLICE UPDATE: Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand says crime in the area is down so far this year; police are continuing their emphasis patrols at Westwood Village. Strong-arm robbery is the current focus, because – as precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis mentioned at the recent West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting – teens are getting targeted for their phones. The suspects also are juveniles, he said, adding that some arrests have been made.
OTHER RECENT MEETINGS: Recapped were the Southwest Design Review Board meeting for the 9201 Delridge Way SW self-storage project (WSB coverage here), attended by Barnes, and the February D-1 Community Network meeting (WSB coverage here), attended by WWRHAH’s Eric Iwamoto.
The Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition meets first Tuesdays most months, 6:15 pm at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW).
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