West Seattle, Washington
18 Wednesday
That’s the BigBelly solar-powered trash compactor west of the Alki Bathhouse, a demonstration project of sorts for the city, which is reducing the number of trash cans in local parks (as reported this week by the Times). When the trash-can-reduction campaign came up in the WSB Forums, member Que mentioned that her 8-year-old daughter had an opinion on the matter, after deciding to practice her reading by perusing the aforementioned article. We invited Que to offer her daughter the chance to practice writing by elaborating and sharing it with us (and you). Here’s the result!
I read the newspaper and there was an article about how they were taking the trashcans away from the parks. I don’t believe that they should take the trash cans away because then people will litter. Everyone uses the parks. People use them for playing and having fun and having picnics. We need to have trashcans because people will leave all their trash in the parks. This will make the parks disgusting. Then the parks will be full of trash and bags of poop. That will make the parks not fun anymore and the Moms will not want to take their kids there for picnics because they will be gross. I don’t think that the city is going to save enough money to make it worth having yucky parks. How much money would we all give to have nice parks? The city should find a different place to save that money.
– Rosemary A.
age 8
You’ve seen the big green banner on Nucor – now, a closer look at the building that it’s touting, as it finishes taking shape. Early Wednesday morning, we joined a rare hard-hat tour of the construction site for the High Point Neighborhood Center, which will be — among other distinctions — the biggest solar-powered social-services building in the nation, with its roof holding the biggest solar array in our state. (Construction started with groundbreaking last August; here’s our coverage.) The solar panels on its roof are not the only aspects that have the $13 million Neighborhood Center angling for LEED Gold certification, however – it’s got a geothermal component too. Note the pipe in this photo, which is a LOT more than it seems:
Also in the photo, our tour guide, Ray Li from Neighborhood House, the Seattle-based nonprofit that’s building HPNC. He explained that pipe goes 300 feet underground – where the temperature is a constant 56 degrees — as part of a “ground-source heat pump” system to keep the building’s temperature equalized. So what else is making this building a model of environmentally minded construction? Read on, and we’ll show and tell you what we saw and heard:Read More
If your car is parked along Alki tonight, you’ll likely find a flyer like that on it by morning. SDOT tells WSB they’re being distributed tonight as part of the outreach to make sure everyone knows about the Seattle Summer Streets Spectacular – sequel to Car-Free Day – on Alki this Sunday. We reported “practical details” last night, including the impending arrival of the no-parking signs, which we confirmed tonight are up now:
A few other notes, counting down to Sunday’s 9 am-5 pm shutdown from Harbor Ave/California Way to Alki Ave/63rd SW:
–The day begins, of course, with the first-ever West Seattle 5K (WSB sponsor; you can still register online)
—Cascade Bicycle Club now has its full schedule of events for the day online (including kids’ bike parades at 1 and 3 pm); see the schedule here.
—Coastal has announced its “Rockin’ Surf Stage” lineup, with a mini skate ramp and live music; see the poster, with band names and times, here.
—CoolMom will have a booth offering face painting and a puppet show
—Sustainable West Seattle will be nearby, with bike-maintenance demos and more
—Full Tilt Ice Cream tells us they’ll have a special bike out and about – one of many small surprises we expect to see on shutdown day
–Informational displays are planned too – including the King County Wastewater Treatment Division planning a display near the site of the 53rd Avenue Pump Project, with updates on how that project is going (now in its second year and scheduled for completion this fall).
We’ll keep the daily updates going through Sunday, at which time we will of course report “live” from the shutdown zone as we did last year. If there’s information you’re looking for and not finding, please write a comment (or e-mail us: editor@westseattleblog.com) – after last night’s report, for example, there was a question about how those with disabilities would be accommodated – here’s the comment, followed by the reply we obtained from the city.
Hot topics all over West Seattle (and beyond) today/tonight. First, three events in High Point: 7:30 am, hard-hat/sturdy-shoe construction-site tour of the LEED-Gold-to-be Neighborhood Center (more here); 4 pm, you can tour High Point neighborhoods with a focus on “how green energy initiatives create jobs, better communities, and a safer world.” More here. 6 pm at High Point Library, the King Conservation District wants to hear from you; here’s why. Speaking of libraries, at the big one downtown, the Seattle Library Board considers those behavior-policy changes, 4:30 pm (details here). And at 7 pm, be at Fauntleroy Church (WSB sponsor) to talk about universal health care after watching the documentary “Sick Around the World.” More events for today/tonight/beyond here.
(September 2008 photo)
Last year, it was “Car-Free Day” and it was in September; this year, it’s “Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets” and it’s in May (three weeks before summer technically kicks in). Whatever you call it, this Sunday is the day when most of Harbor/Alki will be closed to most vehicles – from California Way to 63rd SW – and there are some changes this year, so we checked with the city this afternoon regarding some of the practical details. Here’s our Q/A – the questions were asked by WSB, the answers are from SDOT:
Q (TR from WSB): Will there be robo-calls again this year?
A (Dawn Schellenberg, SDOT): To help make sure everybody knows about the Alki Seattle Summer Streets and invite them to participate, approximately 1,500 calls to businesses and residents in and adjacent to Alki Avenue SW between 63rd Avenue SW and California Way SW are scheduled to go out Wednesday, between 5 and 8 PM.
Q: When will no-parking signs go up?
A: No Parking signs are scheduled to arrive Wednesday. Cars parked along Alki within the event area will be fliered Wednesday evening notifying them of the event and making them aware of the parking restrictions.
Read on for yet more Q/A: Read More
(photo courtesy Eilene Hutchinson)
Years of hard work — neighbors’ efforts, volunteers’ coordination — culminated in a celebration today at Alki Bathhouse, as Alki was officially certified by the National Wildlife Federation as Community Wildlife Habitat. But that’s just the beginning, as volunteer Mary Quackenbush pointed out – next, a campaign to have all of West Seattle certified – so wherever you live in West Seattle, listen up later this year for how to get involved with that. “It’s really easy,” Mary said. But in the short run – it was time for the Alki community to celebrate – including project chair Dolly Vinal:
She received the certificate from NWF representative Courtney Sullivan – listen to the hearty round of applause echoing around Alki Bathhouse:
The NWF rep explained in this video clip — with some amazing numbers — what an achievement it was for Alki to get to this point, six years after launching the project:
Before the ceremony ended, other key team members who helped make the certification reality came forward – note in the foreground, one of the Alki Wildlife Habitat Project’s special touches, gourds like those hung at Seacrest Pier for the purple martin, as coordinated by Alki Kayak Tours‘ Kara Whittaker:
Making the rest of West Seattle a wildlife habitat might not be that hard, considering that groups from all over the peninsula were represented at today’s celebration — Friends of Lincoln Park (here’s our story on one of their recent work parties) had Cathy Davis and Sharon Baker on hand:
Sharon shared a card from the Healthy Parks, Healthy You project that notes you can burn 340 calories in an hour by digging, gardening and mulching – whether at a work party (listed weekly at greenseattle.org) or in your own yard. On the flip side of the calorie count, it wouldn’t have been a party without cake – this was donated by Alki Community Council vice president Randie Stone:
City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen (who chairs the council’s Parks Committee) joined the party too, receiving a certification sign for his own Alki-area property, joking that it might have been designated as wildlife habitat because he doesn’t mow enough and it just looks wild:
Next step – before that West Seattle-wide effort gets under way (likely in fall, Mary said, given the prime planting conditions then) — there’s a work party planned for next Saturday, 9 am-noon, at Seacrest, to get more mulching done on a native-plant area there that’s part of the AWHP.
This was originally supposed to happen during Sustainable West Seattle Festival weekend three weeks ago, but got postponed till today: Alex Wang from Neighborhood House wrote to let us know that the big banner to promote the High Point Neighborhood Center‘s solar array – 256 panels spanning 6,000 square feet, biggest of its kind in the state – is now up, in space donated on the west side of the West Seattle Nucor plant. Neighborhood House will be kicking off a campaign on the summer solstice to solicit sponsors for the solar panels. By the way, if you’re interested in a hard-hat construction tour of the under-construction HPNC– not just being built green, but being built LEED Gold — Wendy Hughes-Jelen of Green Spaces Real Estate has arranged a rare opportunity to do just that, early next Wednesday morning — find out about it (and how to RSVP) here.
The police discussion detailed here (with more to come later today) took up most of the Alki Community Council‘s meeting last night, but there also was a quick update on “Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets,” formerly known as Car-Free Day, coming to Alki 9 am-5 pm Sunday, May 31st – one week from this Sunday. As we’ve mentioned before, the first part of the day involves the first-ever West Seattle 5K (WSB sponsor) – a run/walk to raise money for local public schools (register here). Then, from roughly noon till 5 pm, Alki will be open for walkers, runners, bicyclists, skateboarders, etc., between 63rd SW and California Way – a few blocks longer, on the east end, than last year:
The city spokesperson at Thursday night’s meeting said that like last year, a lane would be open for “residents-only” motorized traffic. He also said no one would be towed (as was the case last year – warnings were issued early in the day and ultimately most violating vehicles cleared out). The list of planned activities and displays continues to lengthen – you can see it on the official event website. A couple Alki residents noted resignedly at the Thursday night meeting that while the waterfront boulevard itself may be mostly “car-free,” people still drive to get to the event, and fill up side-street parking as a result.
WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli is back from covering this afternoon’s rally at Pier 66, outside the EPA’s public hearing on whether to designate climate change as a threat to human health. His first photo shows some of the youngest delegates from West Seattle’s CoolMom chapter to attend; the CoolMom kids spent some time up on stage, and other West Seattleites were there, including a delegation from Sustainable West Seattle. Here’s an overview of the rally:
Among the speakers, Mayor Nickels:
The hearing is scheduled to continue until at least 8 pm; here’s how to listen to live audio. ADDED 5:08 PM: From the mayor’s office, his “written testimony” submitted during the hearing:Read More
One week after our first preview, tomorrow’s the day: Members of environmentally focused West Seattle groups including Sustainable West Seattle and CoolMom will be among hundreds of people planning to attend – and rally — outside the Environmental Protection Agency‘s hearing on its proposal to declare climate change a threat to human health. The hearing is scheduled at Bell Harbor Conference Center on Pier 66 from 9 am to 8 pm (and likely beyond); the rally’s planned for noon, outside. Here’s the EPA’s info page (which also explains how to tune in to the live audio stream during the hearing); here’s the rally’s info page.
Amanda from SOMA Bodywork (WSB sponsor) also mentioned this in the WSB Forums, but in case you are or know a beekeeper and haven’t seen this yet:
I was gone for a week and a swarm of honeybees has moved into my worm bin. Real honeybees like we had when I was a kid. I hardly thought they existed anymore! I actually wondered if someone had lost their swarm. Anyway, I’d love to have access to my worm bin again, so if any beekeepers out there are interested in capturing them, call me! 206-979-6106. Between Juneau and Findlay on 46th Ave SW.
That video is from three months ago today, when the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition gave river tours after releasing its report on a community-created vision of the polluted waterway’s future (our full report is here). Last night at the Highland Park Action Committee‘s environmentally themed meeting (earlier reports here and here), DRCC’s Cari Simson told the group about the latest turn in the road to that cleanup: A coalition of those she described as “the polluters,” referencing the contamination that has made part of the river a Superfund site, has released its own draft report regarding the future cleanup — a “draft feasibility study” (officially announced here) – and DRCC isn’t liking what it’s seeing so far. Read on to hear why – and to hear about upcoming events (boat tour, kayaking tours and more) in which you can participate:Read More
The photo at left is from a recent Green Seattle Partnership-affiliated work party at Lincoln Park, exactly the kind of work party that Green Seattle’s Joanna Nelson evangelized at tonight’s Highland Park Action Committee, saying “If everyone in Seattle volunteered (in forest restoration) once every five years, we’d be done.” She talked about the organization’s hopes of having “all the forested areas in Seattle in restoration by 2025” — bringing back conifers, which live for hundreds of years, instead of the relatively short-lived trees like alder and maple that sprung up after the native conifers were cleared. But it’s all about volunteer help, she stressed. HPAC is having a Westcrest Park “mini-summit” at next month’s meeting, according to HPAC chair Dan Mullins, who is proposing that a committee be formed to oversee restoration work at that park, which is part of the West Duwamish Greenbelt; Nelson mentioned a small pilot project expected to start soon. (As she also noted, restoration work is done elsewhere in the WDG by the Nature Consortium.) Green Seattle is one of three environmentally oriented organizations appearing at tonight’s HPAC meeting; more coverage to come. (P.S. Green Seattle’s website has a list of work parties happening here and elsewhere in the city, and we include West Seattle events in the WS Weekend Lineup every Friday.)
We’re at the Highland Park Improvement Club, where the Highland Park Action Committee is hosting three speakers focused on environmental issues/concerns during its monthly meeting. The first up, Jim Nolan from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, is taking questions on the Lafarge cement plant nearby and its effects on area air, and he says an announcement should be forthcoming about an agreement between Lafarge and the EPA regarding all the company’s plants nationwide and a major reduction in emissions, with a new system that will have to be up and running by next April. More details of Nolan’s presentation — which also addressed other local air-pollution concerns — later; he also noted that you can check current air-quality conditions any time at the PSCAA website (here’s the link).
As we mentioned this morning, a briefing on the city’s “tree audit” was on the Seattle City Council agenda today. Here’s the council’s announcement on what happened and what’s next – starting with another discussion this Friday:Read More
First, tonight’s West Seattle highlights:
HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: One week earlier than usual because of Memorial Day, HPAC meets at 7 pm at the Highland Park Improvement Club, after a 6:30 pm potluck dinner. Agenda includes reps from Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Green Seattle Partnership and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition.
SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE: Two weeks after the well-attended, sun-splashed Sustainable West Seattle Festival, SWS invites all to its monthly meeting at Camp Long Lodge, 7 pm, with Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association founder and former executive director Paul Fischburg as guest speaker, discussing “Volunteerism, Community and Leadership.”
Also of note, today’s county/city council toplines:
KING COUNTY COUNCIL: Today’s big agenda item is appointing an interim King County Executive to serve till a new permanent one is elected in November. Last week, a “blue-ribbon panel” recommended two finalists, Charles Royer and Kurt Triplett; this morning, the council’s Committee of the Whole will interview them and the other 2 candidates, former County Councilmembers Louise Miller and Steve Hammond, starting at 9 am (agenda here). The council then is expected to make the official appointment in its 11 am meeting (agenda here). Both meetings are scheduled to be shown live online.
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL: During the morning “briefing” session (agenda here), councilmembers are scheduled to hear an update on the city’s tree audit, around 10:15 am. During the afternoon session, a long list of items (agenda here) includes a proposed 10-year lease extension for land north of the West Seattle (Westcrest) Reservoir that’s used by the federal government for air-traffic control communications. The council meetings will be live online here.
It’s not on the Camp Long website yet, and it’s not available in print till sometime next week, but you can see the summer brochure for Camp Long (and other Seattle Parks Environmental Learning Centers) right now — Sheila Brown from Camp Long sent it via e-mail today and we’ve uploaded it here.
It just might get into the 70s by tomorrow. So if you’re free in the afternoon, join the Nature Consortium‘s free monthly hike in the West Duwamish Greenbelt, 1 pm tomorrow (14th/Holly; map), RSVP to Lisa Corbin (lisa@naturec.org), who tells WSB, “There has been a lot of work done recently with the trails and an entire hillside has been cleared of blackberry and planted with natives, not to mention the spring growth of skunk cabbage, trillium, etc. A great time to see the greenbelt.” Then on Sunday at Alki, you can join the 5K to help fight lupus, a chronic auto-immune disease:
To be specific, Sunday’s event is the Seattle/Puget Sound Walk with Us to Cure Lupus Walk-a-thon (photo above is from last year’s event). The ALR Walk with Us to Cure Lupus event will be a 3 mile (5K) walk, starting at Alki Bathhouse at 9 am To be part of it, call Laurie Gray at 206.919.6270 or visit walk.lupusresearch.org/seattle (where you can also pledge to support walkers, if you can’t be there in person).
The West Seattle CoolMom chapter is getting the word out about both the Environmental Protection Agency hearing on climate change one week from today in Seattle and plans for a rally outside the hearing. They’re hoping West Seattleites — CoolMom families and everyone else who’s interested — will join in the rally; they’re also noting that CoolMom co-founder Kirsten McCaa is planning to testify during the hearing. Seattle is one of two cities the EPA is visiting for public hearings on its “proposed finding” that climate-change-related pollution is a threat to human health. Here’s EPA info (including how to pre-register to testify) about the hearing, set for 9 am-8 pm May 21 at Bell Harbor on the downtown waterfront; the rally is set for noon (here’s its official infopage).
It’s been a few weeks since Earth Day, but in the “EVERY day is Earth Day” spirit, we have one more story to share, this one — accompanied by the art shown above — from students at West Seattle’s Tilden School:
As is our tradition, Tilden School students spent time on Earth Day cleaning up garbage around the neighborhood. This year, all classes together gathered about 15 large garbage bags full of trash. Several students found it encouraging that this was less than they found last Earth Day! Students who collected near the Junction reported cigarette butts as the most common item; students who collected north on California reported more candy wrappers and beer bottles. Some of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders wanted to share their reflections on the experience:
Adrian: When my class and I went to pick up trash … it was horrible! There was garbage everywhere!!…
Mallih: … On Earth Day, Tilden School went out and about to the post office, and oh, my, there was so much trash in one little parking lot!…
Sam: It was a dim day, and the sky was full of gray clouds. We mostly picked up cigarette butts and pieces of paper. I mainly collected plastic and rubber. This year there wasn’t as much garbage as last year. In my opinion, people are thinking more about the environment…
(April photo of Genesee P-Patch site courtesy Aaron Hernandez)
Also discussed at last night’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting, the plan for the new Genesee P-Patch (photo above) to be spotlighted as headquarters for a June 20th city Clean and Green event. As Aaron Hernandez from the P-Patch recently told WSB, “There will be some fun events capped off by a day filled with volunteers putting the final touches on the garden. Mayor Nickels will be present and will be introduced by Minh Chau Le, P-Patch Program West Seattle Coordinator, and Pastor Dan Jacobs from West Seattle Christian Church.” (WSCC provided the land for the P-Patch.) You can read more about the Clean and Green program here; last September’s Gateway cleanup along the Fauntleroy Way end of The Bridge was described as the biggest C&G ever!
Thanks to Arbor Heights Elementary School for sharing photos of their visit to Fauntleroy Creek this week for the school’s annual salmon release – the classes involved included Ms. Barnicle‘s 5th graders and Mr. Wilkie‘s kindergarteners. This is just part of a busy schedule at the creek this time of year, with more than a dozen schools, mostly from West Seattle/White Center, visiting to release salmon; creek steward Judy Pickens schedules and assists them all. She also reports creek news for fauntleroy.net – where this update includes more on the school salmon releases, plus news that “Hillary,” believed to be last year’s sole would-be spawner, apparently found a mate after all.
Photos to share from more of what West Seattle students (and their teachers!) are up to: That photo is from Pathfinder K-8, where PE teacher Lou Cutler has assembled a Performing Team — hula hoops, jump rope, juggling and more — to go entertain local audiences, with a special focus on seniors. That photo’s from the Senior Center of West Seattle stop; their next stop is Bridge Park in High Point this Friday. Meantime, Explorer West Middle School shared photos of its students joining with 4th graders from nearby Roxhill Elementary on a trip to Seola Creek for cleanup and rehab work:
Thanks to Explorer West science department chair Kristin Moore for sharing the photos. Besides cleanup and restoration, the students also got to hear from a Seattle Parks rep regarding native/non-native plants and the local ecosystem.
| 26 COMMENTS