West Seattle, Washington
18 Wednesday
As of noon, the burn ban is up to Stage 2 – meaning your wood-burning fireplace/stove can’t be used unless it’s your ONLY “adequate source of heat.” Full details here.
Another reason to think about spring and summer here in the heart of winter: A request for your opinion on the type of art that could grace the West Seattle Wayfinding kiosks to be installed at key walkable points around West Seattle, thanks to a $100,000 city-matching-funds grant. Two workshops have been held in recent months to invite more community involvement with kiosk development; now the “pilot” kiosk is in progress near the Delridge Library, and project leaders want your thoughts on art concepts for the kiosks that will go up in other West Seattle neighborhoods, to provide information and direction for those on foot – read on:Read More
Thanks to Courtney for e-mail that reminded us, we haven’t provided much information about Christmas tree recycling so far this year. We’re almost out of the post-snow-coverage daze, and heavens, we don’t want to let the scene above happen in YOUR house (or ours), so we’re rounding up the scoop. First, here’s the official city info:
Between December 26 and January 11, Seattle residents can recycle their trees and greens for free. All residents can recycle up to three trees at Seattle’s Recycling and Disposal stations. The tree sections must be cut to eight feet or less in length, and the trunk must be four inches or smaller in diameter. Only trees without flocking or decoration may be disposed of free of charge.
Seattle food and yard waste subscribers can also recycle trees and greens for free. Trees should be cut into sections, six feet long or shorter, with branches trimmed to less than four feet to fit into the collection trucks. Bind with string or twine (non-plastic). Trunks should not exceed four inches in diameter. Flocked, plastic, or trees with tinsel will be collected as extra garbage at a rate of $6.00 per item.
Your next question, we know, will be “When will the yard waste get picked up, after all the Snowmare ’09 trouble?” From the latest city update: “Yard waste service — including Christmas tree pickup — will be resumed next week for residential customers. Check your schedule for your next yard waste pickup date. Extra yard waste will be collected at no additional charge, through Friday, Jan. 16.” If you prefer the less-cutting option and go to the Recycling/Disposal Station, the nearest one is in South Park. The city has a map here but it doesn’t address getting there from WS, so here’s a map you can use (choose the “get directions” option). Meantime, we know of one group offering tree recycling as a fundraiser – from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
The West Seattle Rainbow Girls will hold their second annual Christmas tree recycle fundraiser Saturday, January 3, 2009 at the Alki Masonic Hall, 4736 40th Ave. SW (map) from 11:00 – 3:00. Suggested donation $5.00. No flocked trees please. For more information, please contact Jan Hunter at 206-849-7906. Check out the Rainbow Girls by going to www.gorainbow.org
If you know of another tree-recycling fundraiser in West Seattle (or White Center), please let us know so we can help spread the word – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
LOST/FOUND PETS: If you are among the many people who found WSB for the first time during the recent snowstorm coverage — you may not be completely familiar with how the site works and everything that can be found here besides the news and features on the main page. So we wanted to remind you in particular about our Pets page — which for more than a year has been the only West Seattle-specific place to find information about (and photos of, when provided) lost and found pets. There’s been an uptick in activity these past few days, unfortunately, with about half a dozen people currently working hard to find either lost pets (even a missing goat!) or the owners of pets they found. The Pets page is here. We post the information and photos – same address as everything else – editor@westseattleblog.com
FOOD FOAM BAN YES, BAG FEE NO (FOR NOW): A note we just received suggests there may be a bit of confusion out there somewhere, even in some areas of the old-media world, about what took effect today regarding what was originally a two-part city ordinance passed last year — banning foam containers for takeout food/drink, and adding a fee for people who wanted disposable plastic shopping bags. Because enough signatures were gathered for a referendum vote, as reported last September, the bag fee is on hold till a vote later this year (expected to be during the August primary), but the foam ban takes effect today – read more about it at this page of the Seattle Public Utilities website. To see some of the “commercially approved” alternatives you might be getting with your food/drinks, go here.
STOLEN BIKE WITH “SENTIMENTAL VALUE”: DP’s had this bike since the ’60s — and now it’s gone — per this note sent to report …
… a stolen bike at corner of SW Trenton St & 32nd Ave on Monday morning 12/29. A thief took my 41 year old 10-speed (sentimental value = high) right next to two much finer bikes, which are now triple locked. Description: 10 speed with drop handlebar, bad silver paint, parcel carriers front and rear, old Huret Allvit deraillier, broken generator, new gumwall tires.
If you spot that bicycle, please alert police. EARLY FRIDAY UPDATE: In comments, Maria posted a POSSIBLE sighting not far from the theft location – DP went to check, and indeed, it was the stolen bike!
That’s Stu Hennessey from Alki Bike and Board (WSB sponsor) with Sustainable West Seattle president Bill Reiswig and daughter Linnea at tonight’s SWS Money-Free Shopping Spree holiday party at Camp Long — where handmade/sustainably produced gifts were exchanged as were gift certificates for experiences/services:
Guest speakers included West Seattle Chamber of Commerce executive director Patti Mullen, who reminded everybody that “shopping local” means “shopping sustainably” because the more local businesses survive and thrive, the less we’ll all have to cross the bridge to find … anything!
Also discussed: The “Celebrate Local” pledge (still time for you to take it!) – the deals offered by King County Waste-Free Holidays are part of that campaign. Sustainable West Seattle usually meets the third Monday of each month; you’ll find SWS online at sustainablewestseattle.org.
Back when we visited the Duwamish River Festival in South Park last August (here’s our story), we mentioned an informational booth about upcoming Superfund cleanups on the eastern edge of West Seattle. We put our name on a list of interested parties, in hopes that would keep us in the pipeline for getting information to you. A followup flyer (identical to this) arrived in the mail (the EPA sent versions to 8,000 people in West/South Seattle) recently saying the Environmental Protection Agency is “developing a community involvement plan” for those cleanups – one of which is at the site known as Lockheed West Seattle (tons of official EPA info linked from this page). As a followup, an EPA rep called to invite us to come down and answer some questions (apparently we checked the “wouldn’t mind being interviewed” box on something somewhere) – and we did that this morning. Here’s what we learned – and how you can get involved:Read More
Got a “media advisory” from Seattle Public Utilities today, with a reminder that the foam-packaging ban passed by the City Council with the plastic-bag ban is taking effect January 1st (the bag ban is on hold pending a citywide vote next year) – and food-service businesses are invited to a “trade fair” this Wednesday, to meet with “sellers of compostable food-service ware” – if you’re interested, read on:Read More
No West Seattle sightings mentioned since the ones a week ago (12/2 photo at left, courtesy Jeff Hogan), but the latest Orca Network e-mail update mentions major sightings today around south Vashon Island — so they may be passing this way again — one morning sighting mentions seeing two sizable groups pass Des Moines this morning, and the captain of the Point Defiance-Tahlequah (south Vashon to northwest Tacoma) ferry “reported 20-30 orcas milling off Pt. Defiance” just after 1:30 pm. (Side note – The same Orca Network update reports a protest at Maury Island early tomorrow morning related to the state’s recent approval of construction of a 300-foot-long pier over an aquatic reserve to facilitate expansion of gravel mining; The Backbone Campaign is gathering a flotilla at Sandy Shores at 7 am.)
It’s festive … it’s sustainable … it’s affordable … it’s 24 hours away! Tomorrow night is Sustainable West Seattle’s Money-Free Shopping Spree, and you are invited – 6-9 pm, Camp Long Lodge. It’s a potluck and gift-swap occasion, and while SWS is hoping people will bring handmade gifts — the full list of what to bring (food and gift-wise) is on the SWS website — their latest bulletin also notes:
… if you don’t have time to pull together a gift between now and Monday, it is good to purchase something made by hand locally and give that OR better yet please consider offering a service/skill for 1-2 hours: gardening, bike repair, a foraging tour in West Seattle, wormbox 101, beekeeping 101, tutoring, a meal, making a dinner, kayak tour, etc. The possibilities of what you can give of some time to a neighbor are limitless …
In addition to the money-free gift swap, the event also features food, music by West Seattle acoustic guitarist Gunnar Goelitz, and guest speakers — West Seattle Chamber of Commerce executive director Patti Mullen (did you know the C of C is heavily involved in promoting sustainability? It’s even got a Green Team!), Sustainable Seattle executive director Sean Schmidt (who’ll talk about the Celebrate Local campaign that’s under way citywide this season), and WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand with a few words about the wonderful sense of community we’ve been seeing and reporting on throughout the year. That’s tomorrow, 6-9 pm, Camp Long Lodge (map), check out the complete details here.
First we told you December 15th was the night set for the city to hear comments on proposed gun restrictions on city-owned land. Now comes word the proposed tree-cutting restrictions also will be public-comment fodder that same night (trees at 5:30, guns at 6:30), summarized this way:
This council bill would provide interim controls including changes to existing exemptions to the tree ordinance, further restrict tree removal or topping of trees on lots of 5,000 square feet or more in single family zones and to all lots in Lowrise, Midrise and Commercial zones, further limit tree removal to no more than 3 trees of 6 inch caliper or greater in one year, and expand existing code enforcement authority.
Here’s the ordinance; 5:30 pm December 15th, City Hall, is the time and place for public comment (per this agenda – which includes information on how to comment by e-mail or postal mail till mid-January). Coincidentally, word of this came just hours after “A West Seattle Neighbor” e-mailed us a lament about Monday tree-cutting – read on:Read More
Here’s the Fauntleroy Creek fall coho watch wrapup from Judy Pickens, who also just reported these results to government agencies for their tracking purposes:
We closed Salmon Watch 2008 today with a grand total of one coho spawner (code name “Hillary”), who appeared on Nov. 8 in the fish ladder and waited in vain for a mate. We didn’t see any cutthroat or pesky river otter.
During this return season, fishers reported seeing a few coho in the cove but also sea lions and seals, plus tribal purse seiners along the West Seattle peninsula. Creek conditions were excellent (at least .7′ of water at the gauge), and rains were periodic and generous.
Our watch ran Oct. 27 to Nov. 24 and involved 16 volunteers. They recorded some 35 visitors at the fish-ladder viewpoint or creekside.
As we reported this time last year, the 2007 salmon watch counted 90 — the 2006 salmon watch, zero. Here’s hoping for a better year in 2009.
From the Events calendar: At 10 am, the West Seattle Garden Club meets – topic, “Winterize Your Garden,” bring your lunch, the club provides dessert and beverage, $5 donation, Alki Congregational Church, 6115 SW Hinds (map). At 1 pm, the Nature Consortium‘s free monthly guided hike through a part of the West Duwamish Greenbelt you might not have known existed – it’s a fairly easy walk, fun, and fascinating, meet at the trailhead at 14th/Holly (map); call 923-0853 if you want more info first.
That was the scene this morning near 37th and Lander (map). We stopped by after a call from city arborist Nolan Rundquist, who thought some passersby might be interested in why the trees were coming down: He says six big trees there had to go because of Dutch Elm disease — three were dead; the other three were dying and in danger of infecting others if not taken down. (We published a city warning about this disease, with some explanatory details, last August.) Rundquist told us a crew had a two-day window open during work being done for City Light, so they got busy in this neighborhood, at no cost to the homeowners. He added that some Bridging the Gap money might be available to replant in the neighborhood as soon as next spring.
That photo is courtesy of Abby Suplizio, a West Seattle leader of CoolMom.org, whose members and volunteers have sorted donations and are ready for the first CoolMom Holiday Toy Swap ‘n’ Sale – 9 am-1 pm this Saturday at the Camp Long Lodge. Beneficiaries also include WestSide Baby and West Seattle Food Bank, which will get the proceeds from paper turkeys (cut out from used cereal boxes! CoolMom notes) sold for $2 to $20. According to a CoolMom reminder: “We have gotten some great items – bikes, trikes, and push toys; puzzles & games; barbies; baby gear, music, art, and other developmental activities; lots of brand names and much much more.” (Note that the “swap” aspect of it happened in advance – those who donated to the sale, as mentioned in this WSB preview, got a $5 sale credit for each bag of toys donated.)
SECOND SWAP: Sustainable West Seattle has just announced that on December 8th, everyone’s welcome to its first “Money Free Shopping Spree” gathering – a potluck and a gift swap. The SWS announcement says, “Items to be swapped are handmade crafts (candle, soap, ornament, handmade paper, art, cards…) or food (jam, preserves, chutney, beer, cookies…) or services (bike tune, garden consultation, weeding, dinner for two, babysitting, cooking lesson, home energy consultation …” This event also is at the Camp Long Lodge, 6-9 pm 12/8.
From the WSB Events calendar, three highlights from what’s happening tonight: The 34th District Democrats meet for the first time since last week’s election; 7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy — which is in the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, which in turn happens to be on the Seattle School Board agenda at 6 pm tonight (district HQ in Sodo), as they vote on approving the $1.8 million deal to sell the building and part of its site to the Fauntleroy Community Services Agency. One other meeting that’s not in West Seattle but affects our area – a draft habitat-restoration plan for the Duwamish River will be discussed at South Seattle Community College‘s Georgetown campus (here’s a map), 5:30 pm.
A recent note asked whether we knew why work crews like that one appeared to be drilling around Roxhill Elementary School. We took the question to Seattle Public Schools‘ communications team what they could tell us, and they finally got to the bottom of it, so to speak: The crews are checking whether any gasoline from tanks at the recently reopened “Ruxbury” gas station across the street seeped into the water table. David Tucker from the school district says they’re only working on weekends, and whatever they find, it’s no danger to the school or its students/staff because water used there doesn’t come from the site. We’ll be checking further on the extent of the investigation. Meantime, at another gas station a couple miles north, a new price milestone:
Gas prices are truly falling, in more ways than one, at Delridge Arco, first West Seattle spot where we’ve sighted a price in the $2.20s. Will we see sub-$2 gas? Any bets? Tomorrow night, by the way, we’ll be making the rounds for our usual Sunday night price survey of all West Seattle gas stations (here’s last week’s – Arco has dropped 20 cents since then).
That’s one of the beaver ponds in the Delridge Natural Area, across from the temporary home of Chief Sealth High School (map). It’s one of 4 West Seattle greenspaces that would love to have your help tomorrow for Green Seattle Day. They’re in our West Seattle Weekend Lineup but one more shoutout seemed like the thing to do – a whole lot of planting’s going to be happening, rain or shine, and EVERY pair of hands is a gift: Orchard Street Ravine, 9 am-1 pm; Camp Long, 10 am-1 pm; Delridge Natural Area, 10 am-2 pm; West Duwamish Greenbelt, 10 am-2 pm. (P.S. One more place you can help out tomorrow – North Delridge Adopt-A-Street cleanup, meet at Delridge Community Center at 10 am.)
That’s the West Duwamish Greenbelt trailhead at 14th SW/SW Holly (map), where toddlers, preschoolers, and the grownups caring for them are invited to meet at 10 am Wednesday for a child-friendly tree-planting event. Lisa Corbin from the Nature Consortium elaborates:
Join us for a toddler and preschool age-friendly tree planting in the West Duwamish Greenbelt, Seattle’s largest remaining forest. We will plant (and name!) tree saplings in an area recently cleared of invasive blackberries, discover other hidden treasures of this amazing natural wonder, and hear about the history and the future of the forest from Mark (buphalo) Tomkiewicz, Forest Restoration Director for Nature Consortium. We provide tools (for adults) and will be accommodating of the little ones! Feel free to bring kid-sized shovels. Dress for the weather, and wear appropriate footwear (some parts of the trail are muddy) Extreme rain cancels. Be ready for inspiration! Call 206/923-0853 or e-mail Lisa@naturec.org to reserve your spot. RSVP today!
Lisa says the tree-planting should run from 10 am-noon.
Fresh pies and Christmas bunny, spotted at The Kenney‘s holiday bazaar/bake sale, which continues till 4 pm today and then again tomorrow, 10 am-4 pm. To the east, across Fauntleroy SW, Gatewood Elementary is awash in greenery today for Earth Summit III, continuing till 3 pm – we popped by a little while ago to have a look at some brand-new trees and the people getting ready to plant them:
Last year during Earth Summit II, kids from Gatewood and other West Seattle schools planted trees with the help of a Nobel laureate (WSB coverage here).
Back on Monday, the mayor and police chief stood outside Gatewood Elementary to show off the SPD speeder-cam van. Today, people from all over the city will converge on Gatewood for Earth Summit III; read about it here.
That and other questions about the recycling/yard waste program are posed in a survey that Seattle Public Utilities hopes you will spend a moment taking. We just ran through it; a few possible slogans are offered, including Waste Not Seattle, Everyday Green, Recycling Matters, and Routine Green (or you can suggest your own). The survey starts here.
The city yard belonging to SDOT on 8th SW in Highland Park could be said tonight to resemble something more like S-D-O-Tree. We got word this afternoon that 300 trees had just arrived, destined for plantings in various West Seattle spots, so we went over for a quick pic of city arborist Nolan Rundquist with some of his new charges, which include two types of elm. (These trees are spoken for, but if you’re interested in free street trees sometime in the future, find out more here.)
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