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TOMORROW: Delridge neighbors host the mayor for his first Find It, Fix It Community Walk in West Seattle
October 2, 2015 1:20 pm
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 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

From 11 am to 1 pm tomorrow, many eyes will be on Delridge Way SW as the first Find It, Fix It Community Walk in West Seattle travels along about a mile of the busy arterial. It’s happening one year into the mayor’s program, which describes each walk as “a gathering of community members, City officials, and the Mayor to help identify issues that affect the safety and aesthetics of a neighborhood.” In addition to the mayor and community advocates, Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Tim Burgess are also expected, according to a council tweet. A group of residents has spent many weeks planning for this, and some events are already scheduled – we mentioned the Nature Consortium-led beautification project (volunteers appreciated!) – and the Delridge P-Patch has announced that it will host a Cider Social 1-4 pm, starting right after the walk, which ends at the garden. You don’t have to register to be part of any or all of this – either be part of it from the start (11 am, Louisa Boren STEM K-8, 5950 Delridge Way SW) or join along the way (should be hard to miss). See you there!

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YOU CAN HELP! Delridge beautification projects during ‘Find It, Fix It’ Walk
October 1, 2015 1:12 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

From the Nature Consortium, which is looking for volunteers to help with this during the two-hour Saturday period that coincides with Mayor Murray‘s visit for the “Find It, Fix It” Walk:

Let’s Beautify Delridge!
Saturday, October 3rd at Delridge Way SW & SW Findlay Street in West Seattle
11 am-1 pm

Join us this Saturday, October 3rd for Mayor Ed Murray’s visit to Delridge for the Find It Fix It Community Walk. Find It Fix It is a campaign to help improve neighborhoods one block at a time.

We’re proud to announce that this year Nature Consortium has been selected to lead two neighborhood beautification projects along Delridge Way Southwest.

These curbside plantings on Delridge & Findlay are in need of extra care. Four planting strips were installed last year by SDOT in response to community request, but they have not been maintained and are now overgrown with weeds. This spot is an eye-sore and does not reflect the pride and care of Delridge area residents.

You are invited to join your neighbors on Saturday to beautify Delridge! We will be removing weeds, placing weed barrier fabric and mulching the planting strips. Saturday’s event will be the first step in a longer term effort that will provide raised planter beds for neighbors to garden and will result in a plan/schedule for maintenance of these mini public spaces. Tools and snacks provided.

For more information, contact Lizzie Zemke at 206-923-0853 or email Lizzie@naturec.org

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Delridge’s ‘Find It, Fix It’ Walk: Full details, & you’re invited
September 24, 2015 2:08 pm
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 |   Delridge | How to help

Two months after first word that Mayor Murray will come to Delridge on Saturday, October 3rd, for West Seattle’s first-ever “Find It, Fix It” community walk, one year after the program began, we have full details today: It’ll start at Louisa Boren STEM K-8 (5950 Delridge Way SW) at 11 am. In addition to the traditional Find It, Fix It issues, Delridge-specific concerns will be discussed, as explained here – you can also follow that link to find out about applying for city grants to fund community projects aimed at “fixing” problems. Whether you want to do that or not, you’re invited to join the walk.

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Two more West Seattle sewer-overflow-reduction projects almost done
September 22, 2015 4:00 pm
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 |   Delridge | Utilities | West Seattle news

Last Sunday, the county celebrated completion of its raingarden/stormwater-diversion project in Sunrise Heights and Westwood (formally known as the Barton CSO Control Project). Now, the city is announcing it’s almost done with its two Delridge-area CSO (combined-sewer overflow) reduction projects – the two that also were affecting traffic in the work zones at times in recent months. From Seattle Public Utilities:

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is wrapping up work at CSO 2 and CSO 3, two sewer improvement project sites in the Delridge neighborhood. Crews are finishing construction next month and both sites will be fully operational by the end of the year. Thanks for your patience during construction!

WHAT WE DID
Over the past year, we installed:
* A “smart” system, including valves and sensors to better monitor and control the amount of stormwater and sewage that is allowed to enter the downstream sewer system
* A new ventilation fan to improve air quality and safety for workers in the large storage tank
* Roadside cabinets to transmit flow information to SPU
* Pedestrian and landscaping improvements

WHY WE DID IT
During heavy rainstorms, combined sewer overflow (CSO) storage tanks hold excess storm water and sewage until there is capacity in the downstream system to carry it away, reducing the chance of sewage overflows into Longfellow Creek. As CSO 2 and CSO 3 aged, they became less efficient, resulting in more frequent overflows. This project increased the efficiency of these storage tanks, which will reduce overflows of untreated stormwater and sewage into Longfellow Creek.

WRAP-UP ACTIVITIES
* Landscaping at both sites (through fall 2015)
* Installation of permanent public art at CSO 3, commissioned through the city of Seattle Percent-for-Art program (2016)
* Ongoing equipment testing at both sites and the diversion structure

Details of the art project are in our coverage of last May’s Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meeting.

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Next step for North Delridge Action Plan: Your priorities – but it’s not just about ‘north’ Delridge
September 21, 2015 1:21 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news

A draft “North Delridge Action Plan” has been taking shape with feedback including discussion at gatherings such as the one above at Delridge Community Center back in June and at the Delridge Day festival last month. But does it align with YOUR priorities for the area? Come talk about it at DCC, 6-8 pm Tuesday, September 29th (one week from tomorrow) – child care and snacks provided. Important note – it’s not just about “North” Delridge, the announcement points out:

The North Delridge Action Plan team is collaborating with two other City projects, and will help direct their ongoing work. The Delridge Way SW Multimodal Corridor Study seeks to transform Delridge Way SW (from SW Roxbury St. to the West Seattle Bridge) into a safer and healthier public space with more predictable movements of people and goods. SPU is developing a Natural Drainage Systems (NDS) Partnership Program. This program will achieve the water quality goals identified in the Plan to Protect Seattle’s Waterways by working with sister agencies and community partners to deliver high-value neighborhood improvements.

Delridge Community Center, site of the Sept. 29th meeting, is at 4501 Delridge Way SW.

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City Council District 1 candidates Lisa Herbold & Shannon Braddock face off in first local post-primary forum
September 17, 2015 7:35 pm
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

(Photo substituted for video window post-event, until archived video is available; thanks to County Councilmember Joe McDermott for permission to republish)

7:35 PM: Click the play button and you should get the live feed of tonight’s Youngstown Cultural Arts Center faceoff between the City Council District 1 candidates who made it to the general election, Shannon Braddock and Lisa Herbold. This is one of a citywide series of forums/debates presented by Town Hall and the Seattle Channel; lead moderator tonight is your editor here, with community moderators Cecile Hansen, chair of the Duwamish Tribe, and Fernando Mejia-Ledesma of OneAmerica, and Q&A moderator Edward Wolcher from Town Hall. You can e-mail a question to debates@townhallseattle.org or ask one via Twitter with the hashtag #seacouncil.

7:40 PM NOTE: This program is intended to run an hour, by the way, so it will go until about 8:35 pm. After that – we’ll be watching for the archived video.

8:38 PM UPDATE: The forum’s over, so the live feed is too; Edward from Town Hall says it will be on Seattle Channel (cable) Monday night. Archived video will also be available via the SC website, and we’ll add it here when it is. Thanks to everyone who came to Youngstown to be in the “live” audience – the lights were bright and we didn’t get a count, but in a quick early glance, seemed like most of the seats are filled. Town Hall is doing these in all the districts – this was the first one. Also, if you missed it but want to be sure to see the candidates in person before you vote, you’ll have at least four more chances – we know of four forums in West Seattle next month – stand by for those dates.

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You can help! Volunteer for salmon survey in West Seattle’s Longfellow Creek
September 16, 2015 10:57 am
|    Comments Off on You can help! Volunteer for salmon survey in West Seattle’s Longfellow Creek
 |   Delridge | Environment | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(WSB photo from November 2014)

Last November, we reported on Puget Soundkeeper Alliance‘s project to track what happens to salmon in Longfellow Creek – which has much more of a toxic-runoff problem than West Seattle’s other urban salmon creek in Fauntleroy. This year, we have advance word that they’re looking for volunteer help, with an orientation event coming up in two weeks, so this is your chance to get involved:

Join Soundkeeper as we investigate the health of our local salmon runs at Longfellow Creek this fall! Volunteers will assess the effects of urban runoff on wildlife by conducting a pre-spawn mortality survey of Coho salmon. Volunteers needed for weekly surveys from October to early December.

Volunteer Orientation in West Seattle:
Thursday, October 1, 2015
6 pm-7:30 pm
Chaco Canyon Café
3770 SW Alaska St.

RSVP to michelle@pugetsoundkeeper.org

As Soundkeeper noted in this update last year, federal scientists have discovered a pre-spawn death rate of up to 80 percent in urban creeks – compared to one percent in rural creeks. The results of this work, including what you can do as a volunteer, will help support more cleanups, education, and enforcement to help clear the waters and save salmon.

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BACK TO SCHOOL: New speed-enforcement cameras on Delridge
September 15, 2015 9:45 pm
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

So now that we know Seattle Public Schools will start classes on Thursday … one reminder: There’s a new speed-ticket camera zone in West Seattle, on Delridge Way SW by the home of Louisa Boren STEM K-8 and interim home of Arbor Heights Elementary.

Before the strike pushed back the start date, we had been trying to get specifics from SDOT verifying the grace period when only warnings would be handed out, as was done when the new cameras on Roxbury were put in last year, but never received an answer (we’ll be checking again tomorrow). In June, they said it would be a 30-day grace period starting September 9th, which of course was supposed to be the first day of school.

This makes four speed-ticket-camera zones in West Seattle – the other three are along Fauntleroy Way SW near Gatewood Elementary and along SW Roxbury by Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School. The times when beacons are supposed to be flashing at those schools and others in West Seattle (plus the rest of the city) are listed on this SDOT document; for a map showing only the schools with speed-enforcement cameras here and around the city, go here.

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Next phase of Delridge-Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway: 21st SW repairs start Monday
September 11, 2015 10:12 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Delridge | Highland Park | West Seattle news

The first phase of Delridge-Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway work began last month with repaving and other work on SW Myrtle, east of Sanislo Elementary. Now a new phase starts Monday, also with a road closure, according to this alert from SDOT:

Construction on the Delridge-Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway has begun. The Delridge Greenway will connect West Seattle to White Center and run generally north-south on 21st and 17th avenues SW. See the fact sheet for specific improvements planned for the corridor. You can also view a PDF of the full project plans.

What’s happening now?

Beginning Monday, September 14, SDOT will be making street repairs on southbound 21st Ave SW between SW Andover and SW Genesee streets. This work is expected to take 3-5 days to complete. The following traffic and parking changes will be in place during this phase of construction:

Read More

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UPDATE: Big initial response for small fire on 23rd SW
September 9, 2015 3:09 am
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 |   Delridge | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)

3:09 AM: Seattle Fire crews are arriving at a small house fire near 23rd SW and SW Willow – the caller didn’t have a precise address so it’s taken them a while to find it. Some of the units are already being turned back. More to come.

3:21 AM: Our crew has arrived and says this happened at a vacant house (confirmed by city complaint records) in the 6700 block of 23rd SW and was so small that SFD didn’t even need to roll out hoses to get water on the fire, but instead used extinguishers to put it out and are now ventilating the house. No injuries reported. The cause is under investigation.

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West Seattle schools: Introducing Louisa Boren STEM K-8
September 8, 2015 12:44 pm
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 |   Delridge | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

The West Seattle public school permanently located at 5950 Delridge Way SW will be starting the year with a new name: Louisa Boren STEM K-8. This reflects not only the grades being added to what originally was called K-5 STEM, but also, an acknowledgment of the woman for whom the school’s now-permanent home is named (first as Louisa Boren Junior High School, later as the Boren Building). The announcement:

Only four years ago, Seattle Public Schools’ option school K-5 STEM opened its doors offering Kindergarten through 5th grade. One of the only STEM dedicated (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) elementary schools in the Seattle Metro area, the school is adding a middle school, beginning with 6th grade this coming school year.

With the addition of a middle school and a permanent location in the Boren building in West Seattle’s Delridge neighborhood, the school is now being called Louisa Boren STEM K-8.

“We are very excited to start our 4th year as Louisa Boren STEM K-8. We remain true to the school’s original goals of providing a strong STEM program rooted in project based learning, while our expanding vision is geared towards 21st century readiness in a community that values equity, sustainability and the whole child.” said principal Ben Ostrom.

STEM K-8’s 6th grade students will start this fall. Each coming year will add another grade, serving Kindergarten through 8th grade in the 2017-18 school year. Although current students ‘roll-up’ into the new middle school automatically, there is limited space for new enrollment as the school expands.

Louisa Boren was one of the Washington Territory pioneers and a founder of the city of Seattle. It’s fitting that STEM K-8 is located in the Louisa Boren building because Louisa herself loved science, particularly chemistry, botany and astronomy. “Liza” had a love of learning and a natural curiosity about the world.

Louisa Boren’s legacy continues today. Not only in the city of Seattle and the brave pioneering spirit she engendered, but also in her hard work supporting the women’s suffrage movement and her advocacy for Chinese workers settling in the area.

Arbor Heights Elementary school currently shares the Boren site for the second year while their school is built and ready for students in Fall 2016.

You can read all about the school’s namesake via this page on the school’s website, and at HistoryLink.org.

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THURSDAY: Explore Youngstown Cultural Arts Center ‘After Hours’
August 24, 2015 5:04 pm
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 |   Delridge | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo)

This Thursday night, you have a chance to find out all about Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in the historic Frank B. Cooper School building, courtesy of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly “After-Hours” event, which this month is open to everyone, not just Chamber members. The announcement:

Typically, After Hours is a members-and-their-guests-only event. However, in August, the event is open to non-members interested in learning more about the WSCC. Join us for drinks and appetizers and find out what all the buzz is about at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.

Founded by the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (DNDA) in 2006, the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center is an inclusive, contemporary multi-arts space that incubates and inspires new arts participants, art-makers and organizations from our multicultural, intergenerational communities to engage in civic dialogue and meaningful community transformation.

Youngstown is home to groundbreaking arts education and is a hub of cultural vibrancy in Delridge. Youngstown provides office space for seven outstanding nonprofit organizations (Arts Corps, Nature Consortium, the Service Board, Reel Grrls, Totem Star, Twelfth Night Productions, and the West Seattle Tool Library) as well as a second-chance alternative public high school serving some of Seattle’s highest-need students. DNDA partners with Youngstown tenant organizations and others to drive forward collaborative programming for local youth and adults.

Rentable spaces at Youngstown include the Theater, Movement Studio, Kitchen, Recording Studio, and Classroom spaces, perfect for corporate events, weddings, performances, workshops and meetings. Rentals directly support programming. 36 affordable housing lofts for artists occupy the facility’s top three floors. The building is in the national register of historic spaces and hosts more than 30,000 participants annually.

The event is 5:30-7:30 pm on Thursday (August 27th); Youngstown is at 4408 Delridge Way SW.

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UPDATE: Police investigating shooting in North Delridge after robbery in Admiral; 1 person shot
August 18, 2015 10:53 pm
|      68 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news

(UPDATED WEDNESDAY MORNING with new information from police)

FIRST REPORT, 10:53 PM TUESDAY: An “assault with weapons” response is on the way to 25th/Findlay – and we’re hearing from several people who say they heard multiple gunshots. Per scanner, a male victim has a gunshot wound in his upper leg. Police say they’re finding shell casings. More to come.

11:09 PM: We’ve just arrived at Delridge and Findlay – while most of the SFD response has been dismissed, a private ambulance is here. We hope to find out more from police about scanner traffic suggesting this might be related to a robbery at Hamilton Viewpoint Park in Admiral.

11:28 PM: Police are still trying to sort out what exactly happened and why it all wound up here after starting at the park in Admiral. No one is in custody so far. The victim’s been taken to the hospital and his injuries are not life-threatening. The car he was in is here at Delridge/Findlay and police are talking to possible witnesses.

11:52 PM: As pointed out in comments, there are shell casings on 25th near Puget.

Police are here too and crime tape is up (so if you’re out driving or riding at this hour, 25th is blocked).

12:46 AM: We went by Hamilton Viewpoint Park – no police cruisers with lights on, but there appeared to be an officer with a flashlight; gates were closed and not close enough for us to reach safely, so we’ll have to verify in the morning what if anything was found there, as well as whatever other details police have determined.

SIDE NOTE: While there have been other incidents involving gunfire, this is the first time someone has been shot in West Seattle since this incident near 35th and Morgan more than four months ago. One person was “grazed” in the June road-rage incident that started under the bridge.

ADDED 10:52 AM WEDNESDAY: A few additional details are in what police just posted to SPD Blotter, including the victim’s age and confirmation that shots were fired at Hamilton Viewpoint as well as in North Delridge:

Police are investigating a robbery with shots fired that took place at Hamilton Viewpoint Park in West Seattle last night.

Two men arrived at the park at 10:45 PM to meet with some friends. One of the victims got out of his car and was immediately confronted by a suspect armed with a handgun. The suspect demanded the victim’s backpack and he complied. But when the suspect demanded the victim’s belt, the victim refused. As he started walking back to his car to leave the suspect fired several shots in his direction.

The suspect then ran to a silver or bronze BMW, that was being driven by another male, and drove off southbound from the park. The victims took off after the suspect vehicle and followed them until the 5000 block of 25 Avenue SW where the suspects fired more shots at the victims’ vehicle.

One of the victims, a 19-year-old man, was struck in the leg by a bullet. Medics responded to the scene and he was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

(WSB photo of police examining ‘the victim vehicle’)
The victim vehicle also sustained damage from multiple bullets.

Officers flooded the area but were unable to locate the suspect vehicle.

The Robbery Unit responded and processed the scene for evidence. Detectives are still working to gather more details about the suspects—the victim described them only as a Samoan male and a white or Hispanic male both in their early 20s. Police are also investigating the nature of the meeting between the suspects and victim.

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AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGE: Delridge Day 2015!
August 8, 2015 11:29 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Delridge | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

11:29 AM: Sunbreaks and a pleasant breeze are gracing the opening hour of this year’s Delridge Day festival, presented by VIEWS (Visualizing Increased Engagement in West Seattle). Come join hundreds of your neighbors at Delridge Community Center Park and enjoy live music …

That’s Quarter Past 8, first of today’s four bands. The stage is next to the community center, where you’ll also find two food trucks in the driveway:

More to come!

NOON: Hour 2! The skating competition is back this year, and from our booth, we can hear the cheers from the skatepark a few yards away – if you’re not competing, go watch, and cheer!

You can also find out more about a variety of community organizations and projects – for starters, you can talk with city reps about the Delridge Action Plan and the upcoming Find It/Fix It Walk:

You can also come sign up for an ORCA or ORCA LIFT card, find out about becoming a member of the Delridge Grocery Coop (WSB sponsor), and talk with organizations including South Seattle Co-op Preschools (next to our booth), West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network, West Seattle Be Prepared, West Seattle Food Bank (buy a raffle ticket), 34th District Democrats, West Seattle Democratic Women, West Seattle Timebank, and that’s just one row – we have to wander over to take a look at row 2 soon!

12:28 PM: Current Delridge Day visitors include Mayor Murray and Police Chief O’Toole:

And the music continues:

Back over at the Community Center, if someone in your family needs a backpack for school – just go inside! A backpack giveaway is on until 3 pm.

1:30 PM: Time is flying here at the festival – so many cool people. Here are two of them – Seattle Police Explorers, and twin sisters, Christina and Rebecca:

One more reminder that the police “Picnic at the Precinct” is part of Delridge Day again this year and is over on the 26th SW side of the park, including free ice cream, so don’t miss the chance.

(At right, Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith, pitching in with ice-cream operations.) Also here: Straight Blast Gym (WSB sponsor), which is headquartered here in North Delridge – we recorded a quick Instagram clip of the demonstration under way at SBG’s booth:

Straight Blast has classes and programs for all ages. Speaking of spanning age groups – West Seattle Community Orchestras are all about that too, and they also are here:

WSCO’s new season will start in the fall – watch for information on how to join.

2:01 PM: Last hour already! Still time to come down and check things out. More skating!

And more music.

3 PM: The festival’s wrapping up. We have lots more photos – will either add them here after we get back to HQ, or possibly a second report. Thanks to everybody who came by and said hi!

ADDED 12:44 AM: Our additional photos made more sense as part of this report, so they’re added throughout, including, below, a few more of the people who stopped by – first, we always photograph candidates who stop by our booth at festivals, and today there were two – City Council District 1 candidate Shannon Braddock:

And School Board Position 6 candidate Leslie Harris:

Patricia London, a new WSB sponsor via her Independent Living Skills/Etiquette Factory classes, also stopped by:

So did Southwest Precinct Captain Pierre Davis, seen below with Deb Greer and Karen Berge of the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network:

WSB was among the sponsors of today’s festival. Presenting organization VIEWS plans to donate a portion of festival fees to the scholarship fund at Delridge CC.

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Also at Delridge Day tomorrow: Join the Delridge Grocery Coop
August 7, 2015 4:18 pm
|    Comments Off on Also at Delridge Day tomorrow: Join the Delridge Grocery Coop
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news

Six and a half years after the Delridge Grocery Cooperative was launched as the Delridge Produce Cooperative, it’s at a key point in its growth toward making its store a reality. You can help by talking with DGC volunteers about becoming a member when you see them at their pop-up farm stand during tomorrow’s Delridge Day festival (11 am-3 pm Saturday in Delridge Community Center Park). According to the community e-mail update they’ve sent this week, they’re looking for a “substantial surge in membership” as Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund reviews their application for the loan they need to get the store open; the potential build-out money set aside by DESC, owner of the Cottage Grove Commons building in which the store would be located, is contingent on that loan. DGC says, “The next two weeks are critical. … When we get our loan, permitting and buildout can begin immediately. We’ve come so far and just need a few more members to secure final funding. Become a member now, or ask a friend to join the co-op.” The update continues:

Co-op members can vote on important co-op decisions, run for a seat on the board, and share in profits. Most importantly, members help bring healthy food to the Delridge neighborhood.

Co-op memberships can be paid in installments starting at $5, paying as you can. A full lifetime membership costs $100. We ask members to pay the full $100 if they are able, however, no members are turned away for lack of funds and any amount helps us reach our goal.

Join (or make an installment payment on your balance) online here or by mailing a check to: Delridge Grocery, PO Box 16792, Seattle, WA 98116.

We’ve been chronicling the group since its launch in February 2009. The name changed to Delridge Grocery Cooperative in 2013 to reflect the focus on opening the store. (DGC is also a member of the WSB sponsor team.)

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TOMORROW: What you can see and do during Delridge Day
August 7, 2015 12:31 pm
|    Comments Off on TOMORROW: What you can see and do during Delridge Day
 |   Delridge | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

The 10th annual Delridge Day festival is less than 24 hours away. VIEWS, the organization presenting the festival again this year, shares more about what you’ll find during the 11 am-3 pm festival at Delridge Community Center Park/Skatepark. From the final pre-festival announcement:

*A large vendor area, food trucks where you can grab a bite to eat [awaiting names], kid- and family-friendly field games, bouncy houses, the wading pool …

(WSB photo from Delridge Day 2013)
*Alki Bike & Board-hosted competition at the Skatepark: Registration starts 9:45 am; cash/product prizes. “At 11 am – 12 and under will begin the skate competition, followed by men’s 13 and over at noon, then at 1 pm women’s 13 and under will take center stage. At 2 pm get ready for the pro/am main event, and at 3 pm the awards and all-star best trick competition will begin.”

(WSB photo from Delridge Day 2014)
*”With the continuing support of The Seattle Police Foundation, the Southwest Precinct Picnic will be back for the third consecutive year. The Seattle Police Department plans to make many officers and units available. Last year, they brought cars, a canine police officer, mounted patrol, a Bomb Squad robot offering candy, and free ice cream and popcorn.”

*Music (as previewed earlier this week):

11:00 am – Quarter Past 8 – rock
Noon – Ellis Brothers – jazz
1:00 pm – Yesod – psychedelic world music
2:00 pm – Oldies But Goodies – classic Rock/R&B

Again, Delridge Day is 11 am-3 pm tomorrow in the Delridge Community Center’s park at Delridge/Genesee – WSB is among the sponsors and we look forward to seeing you there again this year.

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Lifesaving lesson: Engine 32 crew and Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins visit Delridge Library for Firefighter Storytime
August 5, 2015 3:35 pm
|    Comments Off on Lifesaving lesson: Engine 32 crew and Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins visit Delridge Library for Firefighter Storytime
 |   Delridge | Safety | West Seattle news

Is there a preschooler or toddler in your family? Has s/he ever seen a firefighter up close, in full gear? Heard the household smoke alarm? Been told what to do in case of fire?

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
While this morning’s Firefighter Storytime at Delridge Library looked and sounded like fun … at the heart of it was a life-and-death lesson: Teaching small children what to do in case of fire. With the help of Junction-based Engine 32’s crew members, Fire Chief Harold Scoggins was the guest reader:

He read the same book that’s usually read at Firefighter Storytimes … “No Dragons for Tea,” Jean E. Pendziwol‘s book about a visit from a friendly dragon who sneezes and accidentally sets a house on fire. What follows in the story helps kids understand what to do and what not to do. After the reading, the kids got to see Firefighter Jeff from Engine 32 suit up into full gear, including the rebreather that, as Chief Scoggins noted, made him sound like Darth Vader. Then he got down on the ground to demonstrate getting below the smoke in a smoke-filled room and crawling to safety:

Chief Scoggins also got down onto the floor for some prizes and high-fives:

The storytime audience got to go outside and see the fire engine:

They also learned that firefighters go to many different types of incidents, including medical calls, so you might see them even if nothing is burning. The hope of course is that they’ll never need to put the lessons into action, nor have to see the firefighters at work, but one boy said he had: “Grandma started a fire,” he said. Uh-oh.

P.S. Chief Scoggins assigned “homework,” including asking the grownups to show the kids what the smoke alarm sounds like, and making a plan about how to get out of the house and where to go. All important stuff you can and should do with your family even if you don’t get the lesson directly from SFD. But if you’d like to check out Firefighter Storytime firsthand – next one isn’t too far away, a week from today (August 12th) at 11:15 am at South Park Library (8th Ave. S./Cloverdale).

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West Seattle summer: One week until Delridge Day 2015!
August 1, 2015 8:59 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle summer: One week until Delridge Day 2015!
 |   Delridge | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy VIEWS)
The banner is up and the final-week countdown is on – Saturday, August 8th, you’re invited to Delridge Community Center/Park/Skatepark for the Delridge Day festival, presented by VIEWS. It’s a full day of excitement packed into four hours, 11 am-3 pm. For the first time in a few years, this year’s festival will include a skate competition, presented by Alki Bike and Board; whether you want to skate or just watch, that’ll be high-energy fun. Field games, a bouncy house, community groups, vendors … plus the Seattle Police Foundation is again sponsoring “Picnic at the Precinct” as part of the festival, with visiting police officers and vehicles, and free ice cream. The park’s at Delridge/Genesee – see you there!

P.S. On Delridge Day eve, Friday, August 7th, at 7:30 pm, you’re invited to a free outdoor screening of “Big Hero 6” in the park, presented by Delridge Community Center and Southwest Youth and Family Services.

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2nd year of ‘Find It, Fix It’ walks brings 1st one for West Seattle
July 28, 2015 1:03 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

(City photo from Find It, Fix It walk last July in the Central District)

More than one year after the city launched a series of “Find It, Fix It” walks, one is finally scheduled for West Seattle. According to the Department of Neighborhoods‘ “West Seattle News You Can Use” newsletter, it’ll happen in North Delridge on October 3rd. Months away, but you can get ready:

Save the date! On Saturday, October 3, 2015, Mayor Murray’s Find-It/Fix-It Community Walk is coming to Delridge! The proposed walk route will include areas in and around the SW Brandon Street node.

In 2014, Mayor Ed Murray initiated Find It, Fix It Community Walks, a series of Mayor-led walks that help improve neighborhoods one block at a time. During these walks, neighbors, police, and City officials walk together to identify physical elements in the neighborhood that make it feel unsafe or poorly maintained. Examples include overgrown trees, graffiti, street light outages, and litter. Once the elements are identified, the City and community work together to fix the problems.

To date, nine Community Walks have been held throughout the city, resulting in hundreds of infrastructure improvements – from new trash and recycle bins to upgraded street lights.
– See more (here).

INTRODUCING COMMUNITY PROJECT GRANTS
This year’s walks come with an added bonus. In partnership with Cities of Service – a national nonprofit that works with mayors to implement high-impact volunteering strategies – up to $5,000 in Community Project Grants will support community-led revitalization projects in each walk neighborhood ($25,000 total). …

The goal of Community Project Grants is to support the volunteer efforts of community members who are working together to improve the appearance and safety of their neighborhoods. The community engagement from this process builds unity and a common purpose that strengthens neighborhoods. For more on last year’s walks head HERE.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
All are welcome to participate in the walk on October 3rd, but there are other ways to get involved as well. You and your community group can apply for grant funds to do an small improvement project, or you can serve on the Community Walk Action Team. For more information, contact the Mayor’s Find-It/Fix-It Team or contact Kerry Wade (Neighborhood District Coordinator) at kerry.wade@seattle.gov or via phone at 206-733-9091.

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FOLLOWUP: New information on SWAT raid in South Delridge
July 27, 2015 4:16 pm
|      52 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(WSB photo from Thursday)

As first reported here on Thursday, SWAT officers served a drug warrant at 9200 16th SW, which had a business license through last December as an auto-repair business. “Drug warrant” is all police would tell us about the raid – until now:

Police began investigating a West Seattle auto body shop after receiving dozens of complaints of blatant drug-trafficking. What they found was more than 15 rifles, 6 shotguns, 20 handguns, over $60,000 in cash, and almost 3 pounds of marijuana.

Narcotics detectives could tell the extent of the operation after counting 400 customers a day in and out of the auto body shop — very few with car trouble, it seemed. Detectives conducted an extensive investigation including surveillance of the business and undercover buys confirming the illegal sale of marijuana inside a cargo container around the back of the property.

Detectives developed probable cause for several suspects in the operation and obtained search warrants for the auto body shop, as well as the body shop owner’s residence, and the owner’s father’s residence.

(SPD photo)

At the auto body shop in the 9200 block of 16 Ave SW, police seized 1276 grams of marijuana, 459 marijuana edibles, 18 grams of Shatter (solid hash oil), 5 handguns, and $7325.00.

(SPD photo)

Police seized 15 rifles, 6 shotguns, 5 handguns, and $1576.00 at the owner’s residence in the 8600 block of 35 Ave SW. Two of the seized guns were reported stolen.

The owner’s father, who is allegedly the second in charge of the drug operation, lives in Burien and had 10 firearms and $54,000 in cash seized from his residence.

Four arrests were made on Thursday and the suspects were all interviewed and released from the scene.

The photos were published with an update on SPD Blotter. We’ll be following up to check on whether charges are filed.

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What Seattle Police SWAT officers are doing in South Delridge
July 23, 2015 4:41 pm
|      54 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Thanks for the texted tips about Seattle Police SWAT officers at 9200 16th SW. Unlike last week’s West Seattle sighting, this was NOT training – this is for real. They’re carrying out a search warrant, police said at the scene. Too soon for details, they said, but they described it as a “drug-related warrant.”

City records show an auto-repair business licensed at the site through the end of last year.

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Delridge Grocery Co-op’s weekly farmstand is back, starting Thursday; looking for volunteers, food trucks to join in
July 12, 2015 11:56 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news

(Photos courtesy Delridge Grocery Cooperative)
The Delridge Grocery Cooperative is bringing back its weekly farmstand – different day, different location. You can help make it a success. Here’s the announcement with info for everyone from prospective shoppers to would-be volunteers:

The Delridge Grocery Cooperative will launch a ten-week summer farmstand this Thursday, July 16th. The farmstand will feature local, sustainably-grown fruits and vegetables in a festive setting from 4:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursdays for the rest of the summer. This year (its second), the farmstand will have a new location in the parking lot of the Super 24 Food Store, at 5455 Delridge Way SW, thanks to the generosity of the Singh brothers who own the Super 24. The Little Red Hen Project has partnered with the Delridge Grocery to co-sponsor the farmstand.

Along with produce, shoppers will enjoy music from local musicians including Squirrel Butter, WB Reid & Bonnie Zahnow, Tim Wetmiller + friends, and Thaddeus Spae. The farmstand will also offer cooking demonstrations, kids’ activities, community organization tables, and possibly prepared food (organizers are still looking for a food truck to vend at the farmstand – food trucks should feel welcome to get in contact if interested!).

“Delridge Grocery will be opening soon, but, in the meantime, we’re bringing back fresh and affordable food to our Delridge community at our Summer Farmstand,” said Delridge Grocery President Andrea Wilmot. “So come shop, bring a friend, and sign up to volunteer.”

The farmstand is seeking a few more volunteers to assist with running the stand. Volunteers receive on-the-job training and free produce. A sign-up form is online here. Musicians and community organizations who would like to table are also welcome to sign up online. Volunteers can also help with outreach following our public meeting this Wednesday, July 15th, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm at SW Youth and Family Services, 4555 Delridge Way SW. RSVP for the meeting on Facebook.

The Delridge Grocery Cooperative has always prioritized making healthy local food affordable to all Delridge residents. The mixed-demographic neighborhood is designated by the USDA as a food desert because of its lack of grocery stores, and many residents lack access to healthy food. Support from the City of Seattle has helped enable the co-op to keep farmstand prices low. This summer, clients of the West Seattle Food Bank will be able to spend their Market Bucks on produce at the farmstand. Farmstand organizers also hope to be able to accept EBT (electronic benefit transfer; the modern version of food stamps), although it seems unlikely this will be available by the first day. Until the farmstand is able to accept EBT, EBT users will receive a 10% discount on produce at the farmstand. Leftover produce will be donated to the West Seattle Food Bank and to Cottage Grove Commons, and donations for the food bank will be accepted at the farmstand: bring non-perishable food, or buy extra food at the farmstand to donate.

Potential vendors and others with questions can contact farmstand manager and Delridge Grocery board member Ariana Taylor-Stanley at taylorstanley@gmail.com or 206.660.8958.

The full-scale co-op is projected to open within six months. Permitting for construction of the store interior will begin once our bank loan application is approved. Meanwhile, more members are needed. New members can join on the co-op’s website.

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How do you use Delridge Way? What works? What doesn’t? Show and tell the city ASAP!
July 10, 2015 10:44 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Transportation | West Seattle news

If you walk, drive, or ride on Delridge Way SW … if you live and/or work on Delridge Way SW or nearby … SDOT wants to hear from you as part of its Multimodal Corridor Program, and time’s running out for its online survey and interactive mapping tool. Here’s the request:

Tell us and show us:

* How do you currently use this street?

* What works?

* What are your ideas for future improvements?

For more information on this program and to find links to both the online survey and interactive mapping tool, go here.

You have until July 18th to join in on this.

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