West Seattle, Washington
29 Thursday
Even here on the brink of summer, plans are being made for this year’s winter holidays. Artists and crafters are invited to apply now for this year’s Fauntleroy Art Show – here’s the announcement:
If you’ve been thinking about participating in this year’s Fauntleroy Art Show on Nov. 14-16, you have until Sept. 10 to apply.
(Wearable art by Gretchen Curtis, Harbor Island Yarnworks, at last year’s show – photo by Ana Cecilia Del Claro)
Hosted by Fauntleroy Church since 2008, the show has earned a reputation for showcasing the exceptional creativity and craftsmanship of local artists and artistic crafters.
Applicants in any medium must reside in or have studio space in West Seattle, Burien, South Park, Georgetown, or Vashon Island. Details and the application form are at fauntleroyucc.org/art-show.
For a second day we have a brown-water report – Gatewood on Saturday, further south today. Rebecca reports, “We’ve started getting brown water at our home in north Arbor Heights, lower Fauntleroy.” The Seattle Public Utilities water-woes map doesn’t show any emergency incidents in that area, so it might be more hydrant testing, but always report problems like this to SPU’s 206-386-1800 hotline just in case.
(WSF photo via X)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The sight of M/V Wenatchee out on Elliott Bay today was one reason why Washington State Ferries boss Steve Nevey opened today’s online systemwide community meeting with optimism: “I’m really positive about the direction the ferry system is heading in. … We’re not just trying to get better, we are getting better.”
M/V Wenatchee is getting close to the end of its longer-than-planned hybrid-conversion work at Vigor on Harbor Island, and its return to service will help return the fleet to enough of a size that, among other things, the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route will be able to return to a three-boat schedule June 30 (as first announced last month). “I’m really proud that almost-full service (systemwide) will be restored this summer.”
That also was partly enabled by Governor Bob Ferguson‘s order to delay the hybrid conversion of other ferries, but Nevey insisted WSF was not wavering in its commitment to electrification. A major next step, for example, is to build infrastructure so ferries will be able to recharge at terminals and run entirely on battery power; until that infrastructure is available, for example, Wenatchee will be running in hybrid mode “for a couple years,” Nevey noted.
He also showed the system “by the numbers” for this year’s first four months:
The most important numbers – like fleet size – played into remarks from the next speaker, John Vezina. Though, he warned, the system will have only 21 boats when it should have 26, service restoration will be possible:
For Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth, Vezina also said, there’ll be a few weeks this spring where it’s back to “two boats plus the ‘bonus boat’.” And what happens if unexpected circumstances bring the fleet strength down further? He showed the WSF decisionmaking matrix:
His final key point was that ferries have been added to the list of transit types aboard which various types of “unlawful transit conduct” can get you in trouble, thanks to SB 5716.
Next up from the WSF executive team was Todd Lamphere, who had the most numbers of anyone in the lineup, because it fell to him to explain how the state allocates funding to WSF and what happened in the just-concluded legislative session. Among the many notable numbers was $4 million for continued supplemental foot-ferry service provided by Metro‘s Vashon Island Water Taxi and Kitsap Transit. WSF is also now “directed” by legislators – without a dollar amount attached – to get back to exploring what it would take to provide reliable wi-fi service on ferries and in terminals. He also explained how ferry fares are decided, and during the meeting, participants got the chance to participate in two fare-related polls. (79 percent supported extending expiration time of prepurchased ticket books, from 90 days to 120 days; 65 percent supported a five percent “peak season surcharge.”
For more input into the process of setting the next round of fares, an online open house starts soon:
44 minutes into the meeting, they launched into a full hour of questions and answers (the asking was done via a Zoom feature – no live speaking by attendees). We took notes only on the ones of potential local interested, such as an early question about staffing; Beth Stowell said they’d just had four classes of 16 new employees, with two more soon, so they’re “fully staffed up with new folks for summer.” Other questions included how would WSF measure electrification success, once it’s actually happening; the answer – the amount of time the boats are running on battery power. Someone else was perturbed over people “skipping the line” if they have a medical exemption; Vezina noted there are three groups of people that can skip the line – those with medical exemptions, those on motorcycles, and those on bicycles. The medical exemption requires a note from a doctor – they don’t just take your word for it.
Got a question? A second session of the same meeting, ostensibly also featuring an hour for Q&A, starts at 6 pm Thursday; you can get the link by registering here.
Story and photos by Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Thanks for the tip about activity in the Fauntleroy retail space that was most recently Bel Gatto after many decades as The Original Bakery. We’ve learned it will open this summer as an expansion of a Pilates studio in the same building. Along with the same programming already happening around the corner at Lagom Studios, there will be new saunas and classes, all by appointment.
“Community building is the whole purpose,” says owner Melina Moore. She bought the studio in 2022, when it was called Innate Vitality. At 435sf, the studio, tucked into the north side of the Endolyne building, can only accommodate 4 clients at a time, so Moore had started to look for a larger space. Poised to sign a lease in the Admiral District earlier this year, she found the bakery space suddenly available. “It felt very kismet,” she says, and allowed her to keep the business in the Fauntleroy neighborhood, which she came to love a number of years ago while teaching at the Cottage School at Gatewood Elementary.
With 2,000 additional square feet, Moore says there is enough space to have private sessions and group classes, including Yin yoga, at the same time. She envisions a “community wellness space,” with saunas and shower in the back and a “cozy corner” with tea where the bakery had its pastry case.
She plans to keep the current studio for community events, including sound baths, women’s circles, reiki and breath work, and astrology workshops.
Clients at a Pilates class Tuesday morning were thrilled about the larger space. “I’m super excited that she is expanding,” said one. Another described the Lagom space as a sanctuary in the city — “a neighborhood healing space.”
Moore says the Swedish word Lagom is about moving your body in balance and appreciation, something that is a guiding principle of her studio, along with a requirement that clients practice kindness in the space, where, “everyone is welcome.” Moore has 5 instructors working out of the current studio and will be hiring more for the expansion. Likely hours when she expands in July will be 7 am to 7:30 pm, depending on appointments.
(Added: WSB photos)
11:15 AM: Several questions so far this morning about a film crew set up on the SW Barton side of Fauntleroy Park. We asked the Fauntleroy Watershed Council if they had any notification, since this is salmon-release season and they routinely have volunteers in the park as well as dozens of visiting students. They hadn’t been notified in advance but did some investigating for us and volunteer John learned, “They’re shooting stills for Kia car company that will be used in a variety of marketing material. They will be there all day.”
12:29 PM: Added photos. As volunteer John added in a followup email, “They’re taking shots of a new Kia vehicle nestled under a cedar.”
(Photos by Dave Gershgorn. Above, Dennis Hinton guides a student)
By Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog
Volunteers Dennis Hinton, Pete Draughon, and Shannon Ninburg were on hand Friday (May 16) to help 52 eager first graders from Roxhill Elementary put 125 coho fry into upper Fauntleroy Creek at the midpoint of release season.
(Above, Shannon Ninburg with students)
By the end of this month, the Fauntleroy Watershed Council will have hosted 22 releases involving about 850 students, preschool through post secondary. Most will have reared their fish through the Salmon in the Schools program coordinated by Seattle Public Utilities.
The fry will grow in the creek for almost a year before heading to saltwater as smolts. To document how many survived since last year, volunteers installed soft traps in the upper and lower creek on March 15 and checked them two or three times daily through May 15.
Of the 21 smolts they counted, 13 would have been fish released last spring by students in the park. Most of the rest would have been “home hatch” from fall 2024 spawning in the lower creek.
(Photos by Dave Gershgorn. Above, Pete Draughon explains aquatic bugs)
“The number of smolts tells us a lot about how healthy the creek is for juvenile salmon,” said Dennis. “It’s an indicator of how clean and cold the water is, how much food they were able to find, and how well vegetation protected them from predators.”
The last release of the season will be for anyone in the community who wants to put a fish in the water on Sunday, June 1, 1:00-3:00 pm at the big bridge in Fauntleroy Park.
By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The Fauntleroy Community Association gathered for their May meeting on Tuesday night, featuring discussion about crime and safety, housing, recruiting new members and sharing remembrances of one of their own.
The public meeting was held in the packed front room of the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, with FCA president Frank Immel facilitating.
REMEMBERING MIKE DEY: Members expressed heartfelt condolences regarding the loss of longtime FCA president Mike Dey, who died in April. The group shared memories of Mike, highlighting his significant contributions as a community leader, friend, and pillar of the neighborhood. His impact on the association and the community was deeply felt, and members acknowledged the ongoing grief and the challenge of moving forward in his absence. Dey’s wife Susan Lantz-Dey was also praised for her partnership and significant contributions. Immel called Dey a dear friend and said FCA meant so much to him, and that “we have to figure out a way forward without him; his legacy will live on.”
CRIME PREVENTION AND COMMUNITY SAFETY: Joining the meeting remotely was SPD’s Jennifer Satterwhite, Crime Prevention Coordinator from the Southwest Precinct, who presented a recent batch of crime statistics for the area, saying that overall “the numbers look great.”
Washington State Ferries‘ Triangle Route is running for the rest of today/tonight with two boats, because WSF has moved the current unscheduled “bonus boat,” M/V Salish, to the Bremerton/Seattle run. That’s to cover for the regular Bremerton boat, M/V Walla Walla, which is undergoing “urgent restroom repairs.” Walla Walla is expected to be back in service by tomorrow morning, so Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth will be getting its third boat back.
(April 26 WSB photo by Jason Grotelueschen)
As we get ready for Saturday’s “person-to-person recycling” during West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, we have a followup on our area’s most-recent dropoff recycling event, Fauntleroy Church‘s spring Recycle Roundup. Judy Pickens just sent the numbers, and the fall date:
On April 26, nearly 400 “donors” brought just shy of 10 tons of electronics, appliances, and other products to the spring Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church. The congregation’s zero-waste partner, 1 Green Planet, is now repairing what can readily be reused and reclaiming the rest for new products.
Since 2010, these free community events have kept 374 tons of valuable resources out of landfills. Volunteers and crew will be back for the fall roundup on Saturday, Sept. 20. Watch for details here, starting in mid-August.
Think fall! The Fauntleroy Fall Festival is powered by volunteers and donations, and you can help with the latter via a dine-out benefit and basket raffle happening right now at Endolyne Joe’s (9261 45th SW). Just look for the festival crew in the back room – and the table full of baskets you can try for!
From adult beverages to kid activities, this year’s baskets offer a variety of fun. And merch from local businesses too, like The Birdhouse:
You can buy four raffle tickets for $5 or “an arm’s length” for $20. The raffle will happen a little before this benefit ends – Endolyne Joe’s is donating. part of the proceeds till 9 – and you don’t have to be present to win.
ORIGINAL 1:54 PM REPORT: From Anne in Fauntleroy:
We’ve just discovered that our family’s green Chevy truck has been stolen overnight. It was parked across the street from our house (on SW Barton St) between 38th and 39th.
Here are the details:
2002 Chevy Silverado
Dark Green
License Plate: PK04773
It’s been reported to police; we’ll add the report number when we get it (update: 25-120597). Call 911 if you find it.
ADDED 3:15 PM: Also from Fauntleroy, just received word from Donald of a home burglary:
Our home was broken into late Fri night, early Saturday morning. Stole jewelry and prescription meds. Items easily identified are silver bracelet with ABH engraved and Tiffany’s charm bracelet.
We’ll add the incident # for reference when we get it.
(File photo of honey bee – photographed in 2024 by Steve Bender)
Out of the WSB inbox, from Johnny:
I was just at the Fauntleroy ferry dock near the tail end of the line [near tollbooth, lane 3] and there was a swarm of bees, dozens of them, flying all over the place. They must have built a nest nearby. I didn’t dare open my windows, even on a day like this. I thought I would send that information along since it can be real dangerous for some people. I reported it to WSDOT.
We’ll be checking with Washington State Ferries but in the meantime, since this is information we publish every year, we’ll take a moment to explain that if they’re honey bees, you should notify a local beekeeper who would be interested in collecting the swarm. Here’s the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association list for this year – including West Seattle contacts.
P.S. PSBA members and others will be happy to educate you about bees at this year’s West Seattle Bee Festival on May 17 – more info on that soon!
(Salmon hats and a salmon song gave fry a festive send-off)
Story by Judy Pickens
Photos by John Sturtevant
Special to West Seattle Blog
Preschoolers from The Cove School in the Admiral District opened salmon-release season today on Fauntleroy Creek. Teachers brought the coho fry the 22 students had helped rear through the Salmon in the Schools program, and a like number of parents, grandparents, and others came to celebrate with the children. Volunteers with the Fauntleroy Watershed Council gave a hand to be sure the inch-long fish had a gentle entry into the water.
(Dennis Hinton has been helping students put fish in the creek for 15 years)
Twenty two seems to be the number this spring – 22 volunteers to staff 22 school releases on the schedule (a record number), plus an all-ages community release on Sunday, June 1, 1:00-3:00 pm at the big bridge in Fauntleroy Park. By then, nearly 800 students will have come and roughly 2,000 fry will have started their year-long stay in the creek.
(Young, elder, and in between hands released 134 healthy coho fry)
Since late March, fry released last spring have been leaving the creek as smolts for their two years in saltwater. Volunteers will continue to check net traps in the upper and lower creek twice daily through most of May. So far, they have documented 18 smolts headed for nearshore habitat in Fauntleroy Cove to fatten up before moving into open water.
(WSB photo by Jason Grotelueschen)
That’s Sara Smith, coordinating Fauntleroy Church‘s long-running twice-yearly Recycle Roundup for the first time today, and excited about it! The church’s partner in the free dropoff event, 1 Green Planet, has two trucks ready to fill, and reinforcements waiting in the wings.
Just drive, ride, or walk up to the dropoff spot in the church’s lot at 9140 California SW before 3 pm. Sooner rather than later, so they don’t wind up with a last-minute backup! The list of what they will and won’t take is here.
2:15 PM: WSB’s Jason Grotelueschen sends that photo taken about half an hour ago, as Recycle Roundup approached its final hour, and reports, “Volunteers say things are going well, traffic slowed down around lunchtime, but has now picked up in the final hours. Still ample space for your treasures!” But 3 pm is closing time.
(WSB photo, April 2024)
Among the many things happening in West Seattle tomorrow is one that needs some preparation to get ready for, so we’re reminding you one more time that Saturday (April 26) is when Fauntleroy Church hosts the next twice-yearly Recycle Roundup. See the official list of what they will and won’t accept by going here. The Recycle Roundup is a free drive-up/ride-up/walk-up event in the church lot at 9140 California SW, 9 am-3 pm, with longtime recycling partner 1 Green Planet.
Fauntleroy has lost a longtime leader.
Just a few months after resigning as Fauntleroy Community Association president after 11 years, Mike Dey has unexpectedly died at age 74.
His wife Susan Lantz-Dey had been outdoors at their home Thursday night, then came indoors to make dinner, and found him unconscious. Seattle Fire medics responded but were unable to revive him.
This past January’s FCA meeting was Mr. Dey’s last one as president. As we reported in meeting coverage, he planned to stay on the board at least a year to help with the transition, but was hoping that handing over the reins would mean “new ideas can float to the top.”
In the subsequent edition of the FCA’s quarterly newsletter, editor Judy Pickens published this list of highlights from Mr. Dey’s years of leadership (while noting he would be first to point out that many others assisted):
*increased residential memberships from 121 to 224 and business memberships from 6 to 15.
*administered an annual FCA budget that more than doubled to $11,800.
*beautified the Endolyne business area with 23 planter boxes and maintained them.
*introduced crossing flags for pedestrian safety at 11 intersections in the neighborhood.
*opposed pickleball courts and an off-leash dog area in Lincoln Park.
*took positions on ferry-terminal replacement and pressed at city and state levels to be heard.
*examined and responded to numerous city proposals to increase building heights and density and decrease street and off-street parking for residents.
*took positions to enforce the city’s noise ordinance and retain funding for public safety.
*supported federal funding for repairing the West Seattle high bridge.
*introduced annual community egg and pumpkin hunts.
*pushed for converting Brace Point Dr. SW to one way and improving parking, adding a guard rail along Marine View Dr. SW, installing a wide-angle mirror for traffic safety at SW Roxbury and SW Marine View Dr., and adding traffic calming and pedestrian safety striping at problem locations.
*succeeded in getting the state to remove creosote logs and debris from Fauntleroy Cove.
*introduced automated FCA membership renewal and payment options.
A full obituary and word on memorial plans will be forthcoming.
Two quick reminders about free services the next two Saturdays that can help with your spring cleaning:
(WSB photo, 2023 event)
FREE SHREDDING TOMORROW: Saturday (April 19) brings the annual shredding event in the northwest Westwood Village parking lot, offered by John L. Scott Westwood Real Estate-The Madrona Group (WSB sponsor), 9 am-noon. Shredding is free, but if you can, bring food/money to donate to the White Center Food Bank.
RECYCLE ROUNDUP ON APRIL 26: Then one week from tomorrow, 9 am-3 pm Saturday, April 26, it’s the spring edition of Fauntleroy Church‘s Recycle Roundup – free dropoff recycling for electronics and much more. Here’s the newest list of what will and won’t be accepted. Drive/ride/walk up to the church lot at 9140 California SW (but don’t wait until the last hour unless you absolutely can’t make it any sooner – they want to avoid a big crowd at closing time).
(File photo of current terminal/dock)
Construction of the Fauntleroy ferry terminal replacement is still a few years away – except for signalizing the entrance/exit intersection sooner – but planning is at full speed, and city reviews are part of the project. Checking agendas, we discovered that project reps will brief the city-convened Seattle Design Commission tomorrow morning (Thursday, April 17). The commission has a hybrid meeting – in person at City Hall’s Boards and Commission Room, online access too (the viewing link is on the agenda page). The meeting starts at 8:30 am and the Fauntleroy briefing is set to start at 9:30 am, with listed presenters including WSF’s John Vezina and Charles Torres with consultant Laura LaBissoniere. The commission meeting is not expected to include a vote or public hearing but it’s of interest if you want to see how WSF is describing the project at this stage, particularly aesthetically (which is an obvious focus for the Design Commission).
Washington State Ferries says it’s expecting to restore regular three-boat service on Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth (the Triangle Route) June 30. When it does, the 2-boat schedule it’s been running these past few years will become a backup schedule – and WSF is revising it. So they’re asking for comments right now via an online open house you’ll find here, open through this Friday, April 18. (If you want to cut right to the proposed schedule changes before commenting, find them here.)
(WSB photos by Dave Gershgorn)
The first major egg hunt of the season was graced with sunshine on the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse grounds this afternoon. Fauntleroy Community Association volunteers hid 600 eggs filled with non-candy treats – and then let the egg-hunters run wild:
Photojournalist Dave Gershgorn was there for WSB, to capture the excitement:
A few eggs had special prizes – so families paused to peek inside:
The FCA got out ahead of the rest of the egg-hunting pack.
Next weekend, your options are many:
–Lincoln Park at 10 am Saturday with Eastridge Church
–Delridge and High Point Community Centers at 10 am Saturday with Seattle Parks
–Three hunts at Ounces on Saturday afternoon – noon for ages 4-8, 3 pm for ages 3 and under, 5 pm for grownups
-Some local churches also have egg hunts on Easter Sunday – we’re continuing to add to our listings.
(Are we missing yours? Email the info ASAP to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The next big Fauntleroy Community Association-organized event, this year’s Egg Hunt, is just three days away. It was one of the major topics at last night’s FCA board meeting, led by FCA president Frank Immel. FCA’s annual membership meeting was just three weeks ago; its board meets most months on the second Tuesday, but community members are always welcome at those meetings too.
EGG HUNT: Candace Blue coordinates it for FCA andprovided an update. It’s at 1 pm this Saturday (April 12) at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW). She said there were so many returned and donated plastic eggs that they have 600 to hide this year, up dramatically from the 359 last year; if you’re participating, look for the bins to use to recycle your eggs afterward. The littlest kids will get a head start right at 1, before the older kids get their turn; last year, Candace said, the hunt began with 60 kids. Another number she’s happy about – a dozen-plus volunteers have signed up to help hide eggs before the hunt. The eggs will be filled with non-candy treats, and there will be 10 “special prizes” (only one per family, please). If you’re going, look for wayfinding signs that will point you to where it’s happening on the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse grounds.
Other major topics last night:
(WSB photo from last fall’s Recycle Roundup)
One month from today – on Saturday, April 26 – Fauntleroy Church hosts the next twice-yearly Recycle Roundup. We have the official list of what they will and won’t take this time – see it here. This is a free drive-up/ride-up/walk-up event in the church’s lot at 9140 California SW, 9 am-3 pm, in partnership with 1 Green Planet.
Eat local, help global. You can do that one week from tonight, at a local dinner supporting volunteers’ upcoming trip to Central America. Here’s the announcement/invitation!
On March 28, a fundraising dinner will enable a West Seattle-based team of volunteers to go to a remote Mayan village in Guatemala in early May to improve living conditions for residents by installing stoves and water filters.
(West Seattle Rotary member Greg MacKenzie, left, helps install a stove for a Guatemalan family)
The 110 stoves they hope to assemble in Saclecan [map] will replace the open fires and dilapidated wood stoves commonly used there for cooking and heat. By venting to the outside, the stoves reduce respiratory illnesses and are designed to prevent burn injuries. Fabricated in the northern town of Santa Cruz Barillas by local labor, the efficient stoves also slow deforestation by using as much as 50 percent less wood.
The team will include members of the Rotary Club of West Seattle and Fauntleroy Church UCC, as well as other area residents, all of whom will pay their own expenses. They will pack lightly in order to bring school supplies and books for the children and will come prepared to make other community improvements as funding allows.
The Hands for Peacemaking Foundation, an Everett-based organization founded by the late Dr. Leeon Aller (a ’38 graduate of West Seattle High School), will host the team in country. Tested in consultation with Burn Design Labs on Vashon Island, the stoves will be purchased and delivered in advance using donations by area Rotary Clubs and individuals.
Tickets for the 6:00 pm Guatemalan dinner on Friday, March 28, at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California Ave. SW) are $25 per person purchased at bit.ly/4huP0pZ or at the door.
You can donate without attending the dinner by going here.
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