Fauntleroy 1169 results

Update: County contains sewage overflow at Barton Pump Station in Fauntleroy

June 3, 2012 6:35 pm
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 |   Environment | Fauntleroy | Utilities | West Seattle news

6:35 PM, FIRST REPORT: Just as King County gets ready to start a 2-year project to upgrade the Barton Pump Station north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock – with work to include a backup generator – we have word there’s been an overflow because of a power failure. County spokesperson Annie Kolb-Nelson says, “There was a power interruption that occurred around 4:30 p.m. and it caused the pumps to shut down, which led to an overflow that started about 20 minutes later.” She says crews are on scene but she is not sure the overflow has been “contained” yet, adding, “Our biggest priority is to protect public health. We’ve posted the boat access area near the pump station as closed, and we’re working with our Environmental Lab crews to determine tidal directions. Doug Marsano from our Community Services group is heading out to assist with public notification. We also notified health and regulatory agencies about the overflow and will monitor water quality over the next several days.” More as we get it.

7:54 PM UPDATE: Just back from checking out the scene at the station and neighboring Cove Park. Added photos – top photo is the “closed” sign posted at the beach; the one above this paragraph is the hatch to the pump-station operations area, from which a worker emerged and told us she’s working on it. That’s corroborated by both Kolb-Nelson via e-mail and Marsano, who was pulling up as we were walking away from the station. He says they’re hoping most if not all the overflow was contained to the outfall pipe and can be recovered via submersible pumps they’ve brought in. The overflow itself was stopped within just over an hour from its start; they’re still trying to find out what caused the power interruption.

Barton Pump Station project in Fauntleroy: Ferry-dock effects today; meeting tonight

An all-day traffic alert for the Fauntleroy ferry dock and vicinity is one of two events making news today regarding the just-about-to-start Barton Pump Station Upgrade Project. The map above, provided by King County, shows how the north-side lane on the dock will be out of commission today, 6 am-4 pm, for electrical work related to the project. Here’s the official flyer, which notes there’ll be a flagger on hand to make sure traffic keeps moving, on and around the dock.

Then tonight at 6:30 pm, anyone and everyone interested is invited to a community meeting for updates on the 2-year construction project just before major work begins, bringing not only traffic effects, but also the closure of the Cove Park pocket beach north of the dock, as the underground station gets 50 percent more capacity, a new generator, and other upgrades. The meeting’s at Fauntleroy Church, 9140 California SW (here’s the online version of the postcard that brought first word of the meeting two weeks ago; here’s a county news release with an overview).

Fauntleroy notes: New hoodies; benefit $; pump-station project

May 14, 2012 10:27 pm
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 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

Admiral and North Delridge have neighborhood-pride gear, and now Fauntleroy does too. The new hoodies marking this year’s 10th anniversary for the Fauntleroy Fall Festival are available for purchase at Fauntleroy Church and were “modeled” last Tuesday, during the monthly Fauntleroy Community Association board meeting. They were also sold that night during the dinner fundraiser at Endolyne Joe’s, with part of the proceeds benefiting the festival, and Judy Pickens reports that $1,820 was raised that night, between dinner and raffle tickets. October 14th is the date for this year’s festival, and proceeds from hoodie sales also go toward keeping it free for festivalgoers.

Also discussed at last week’s FCA board meeting was the impending Barton Pump Station expansion project north of the ferry terminal, and Cove Park stewardship afterward; association leaders continued the conversation the next day in a followup meeting with Doug Marsano from King County. Marsano told us at the time that the exact start date for construction, and the closure of Cove Park, was not yet finalized, but it’s expected to be by the time of a community meeting that’s just been announced for May 30th, 6:30 pm at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW).

P.S. If there’s something you’d like to see FCA discuss, there’s a new e-mail address you can use to reach them – fcaagenda@earthlink.net.

West Seattle RapidRide: Fauntleroy ferry dock work starts May 11

Crews have been working on bus stop, roadway, and sidewalk changes along the West Seattle RapidRide route for the past few months – almost everywhere but at the Fauntleroy ferry dock, but the date for that work to start is now set. Just in from Metro:

Some big transit improvements are coming to the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock in West Seattle.

Beginning May 11, King County Metro Transit will begin a month-long project to install a variety of improvements to accompany the start of the RapidRide C Line this fall. Those improvements will include two new RapidRide stations, lighting, information kiosks displaying real-time bus arrival times and 5 electric charging stations for vanpool and public use.

Improvements will also make boarding the bus easier. An additional bus bulb will be added at the northbound RapidRide station to provide for a larger boarding platform. Other amenities will provide better access to and from the ferry terminal area for pedestrians and people with disabilities.

Construction work is expected to occur weekdays between the hours of 6:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. and may cause periodic traffic disruptions. During intensive construction periods, flaggers or police officers will be on hand to keep traffic moving, especially during peak travel times.

While construction is underway, bus riders will be directed to a temporary southbound bus stop on Southwest Wildwood Place. While the northbound bus stop will be less affected, riders will occasionally need to use the bus stop just to the north on Fauntleroy Way Southwest at Southwest Trenton Street.

New features, such as shelters, benches and lighting, will be available for immediate public use when construction is complete. Other improvements, such as electric vehicle plug-ins and real time bus arrival information, will be phased in over the next several months.

The RapidRide C Line begins operation Saturday, Sept. 29.

Followup: Another record Recycle Roundup in Fauntleroy

(Sunday photo by WSB editor Tracy Record)
Another successful dropoff event this past weekend – more successful than ever, in fact! Judy Pickens just shared this wrapup of how the Fauntleroy Church‘s Recycle Roundup on Sunday (WSB coverage here) turned out:

The West Seattle peninsula is surely sitting higher in the water today after residents brought a record 16 tons of recyclables to Sunday’s Recycle Roundup hosted by Fauntleroy Church and 1 Green Planet. With that much stuff returning to the resource stream, more cars surely fit in the garage and a few marriages may have been saved!

The crew packed every truck available with 16 tons of almost everything imaginable, from infant car seats to elder scooters, computers to fencing. To thank the church’s green committee for organizing the free event and providing a “Green Ideas” handout, recyclers tossed just over $1,400 in the donation basket.

The church will announce the fall event date soon so that area residents have ample notice to start sorting.

Recycle Roundup 9 am-3 pm today at Fauntleroy Church

(Added 11:46 am: The 1 Green Planet team this morning in the early going)
Last time the Fauntleroy Church Green Committee brought 1 Green Planet to West Seattle for a “Recycle Roundup,” the recycling company’s trucks went away with 14 tons of electronics and other items. 9 am-3 pm today, they’re back, and will be set up in the church parking lot (9140 California SW) again awaiting your recyclables. If you haven’t checked it yet, here’s the list of what they will and won’t accept. It’s a free service (though the Green Committee will accept donations if you’re interested in helping them cover their costs).

1 week AFTER Earth Day – ‘Recycle Roundup’ next Sunday

Another reminder, while you’re in the Earth Day” mood today – NEXT Sunday (April 29th) is the Fauntleroy Church Green Committee‘s next event with 1 Green Planet, coming to West Seattle for another “Recycle Roundup.” 9 am-3 pm in the church parking lot that day, come drop off your stuff. The church’s website has the list of what you can bring that day to be recycled – see it here. Yes, they will accept your items for free.

Get ready to recycle! List for next Fauntleroy Church ‘Roundup’

Every time the Fauntleroy Church Green Committee brings 1 Green Planet to West Seattle for a “Recycle Roundup,” they head out with tons of stuff to be recycled rather than thrown away. So we’re giving you advance warning – another one is in the works for April 29th, 9 am-3 pm, and the church’s website already has posted the list of what you can drop off that day to be recycled – see it here. Last “Recycle Roundup” in October (WSB photo at left) set a Fauntleroy record – 14 tons of recycled items! (P.S. Yes, it’s free.)

Update: Man dies after intensive rescue effort off Lincoln Park

(1st two photos by Patrick Sand for WSB)
ORIGINAL 9:52 PM REPORT: Rescue crews are converging on the Fauntleroy ferry dock after what was reported, according to scanner traffic, as a possible person in the water, reported to have fallen out of a dinghy. Our crew’s on the way; updates when we find out more.

10 PM UPDATE: The location where the person is believed to be in the water is actually off the south Lincoln Park beach, so that’s where rescuers are converging now.

They are still on the ferry dock too – with a fire-truck ladder extended (thanks to Maggie for pointing out it’s visible on the webcam):

10:10 PM UPDATE: Rescuers are headquartered by the first picnic shelter on the south stretch of Lincoln Park beach, where divers have been suiting up. Our crews on the scene say the Coast Guard has done a flyover and divers are about to go in.

(Photos from hereon out by Christopher Boffoli for WSB, except dinghy photo)
10:16 PM UPDATE: The ferry that was coming in has stopped a few hundred yards offshore.

(added) According to Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams at the scene, here’s what they believe happened: Two men in two small vessels were going back out to a sailboat anchored offshore. One apparently fell out. He’s believed to be in his mid-20s.

10:35 PM UPDATE: Divers are still in the water – but no rescue yet. No word of an active sighting, either. Adding a photo showing the light from the SFD ladder in the background (substituted later, actual ladder photo).

10:46 PM UPDATE: Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore is on scene. He says there were actually three men taking supplies out to the sailboat, when it was discovered one was missing. (added – photo of one of the dinghies/rafts)

Divers are still searching but if they are not able to find the missing person soon, Moore says the operation will officially change to “recovery” mode.

10:49 PM UPDATE: Our crews at the beach say the victim is reported to have been found and is receiving CPR, has been taken to med unit. Moore says he’s been told the man is still alive and getting “cold water resuscitation.” He is reported to have been not very far offshore – 20 feet maybe.

10:56 PM UPDATE: Back here at HQ, we’re hearing scanner traffic about rescued man – believed to have been in the water an hour. CPR and “slow rewarming” under way as they prepare to rush him to Harborview Medical Center.

11:16 PM UPDATE: SFD’s Moore says the man was found about 25 yards offshore. Don’t know when we’ll find out if resuscitation efforts were successful, but of course we will update the story whenever there is info.

You may recall, this is the second time in five weeks that rescue divers have handled a call off West Seattle shores – last month, diver Tareq Saade died off Seacrest; his body was recovered about eight hours later.

ADDED 11:46 PM: Here is WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli‘s video of Moore’s media briefing right after the man was rescued:

6:38 AM UPDATE: Multiple citywide news orgs are reporting that the man didn’t make it. We don’t have independent confirmation so far, but the odds did seem very much against the possibility of surviving that much time underwater.

8:08 AM UPDATE: We also have spoken with Harborview Medical Center, where a spokesperson confirms the man died.

Fauntleroy Community Association: A night of voting and tasting

Meet the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s board, listed here, and photographed after the election at last night’s Food Fest and membership meeting at The Hall at Fauntleroy: From left, Gordon Wiehler, Bruce Butterfield, Kathleen Dellplain, Phil Sweetland, Marty Westerman, Vlad Oustimovitch, Vicki Schmitz Block, Mike Dey, Susan Lantz-Dey, David Haggerty, Gary Dawson. Ahead, photos of the Food Fest part of the evening – and a view of the labyrinth walk happening elsewhere in The Hall:Read More

Another West Seattle equinox event: Fauntleroy labyrinth walk

(Photo courtesy Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering and Events)
Another West Seattle event to greet spring – tonight, as mentioned earlier, it’s Solstice Park sunset viewing; the equinox itself is late tonight, and then for tomorrow night, this has just been announced:

Please join us at The Hall at Fauntleroy for our first quarterly community Labyrinth Walk 7 to 9 PM on Tuesday March 20th as we welcome the Spring (Vernal) Equinox. The Labyrinth, The Hall at Fauntleroy’s newest addition, is an extraordinary tool for transformation. Using the principles of sacred geometry, and defined as a singular pathway that leads to the center and then back out again, retracing the same path, a Labyrinth can open us to change in body, mind and spirit. It provides a sacred space; inviting walkers to set aside the cares of the world and enter into deep reflection (to discover something about ourselves). The destination is not important – this is about the journey (life).

If you are going to tomorrow night’s Fauntleroy Community Association membership event/Food Fest/board election, this is just a room or two away – but you don’t have to be from Fauntleroy to attend. The Hall is in the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse at 9131 California SW>

Fauntleroy Community Association: Website revamp; membership Food Fest next week

From last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting, that’s Gordon Wiehler and Bruce Butterfield with a new sign for next week’s annual membership meeting, also known as the Fauntleroy Food Fest (6 pm March 20th at The Hall at Fauntleroy). But there’s another new face that FCA is presenting, and proud of:


The FCA website at fauntleroy.net has just relaunched with an all-new look. It’s always been an information-laden website, but somewhat plain; Irene Stewart is responsible for the re-do. Still a few tweaks ahead, but the new front page in particular won rave reviews.

Back to the Food Fest, and a Cove Park “Big Dig” recap – read on:Read More

Seen in Fauntleroy: 1st RapidRide signs; Toxic-Free Kids’ Fair

The first signed, benched, and delivered RapidRide C Line stops in West Seattle are on both sides of California SW by the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. Street and sidewalk work to facilitate the stops and stations for the new bus service, set to launch this fall, has been under way for 4 weeks, but these are the first signs we’ve seen. (The sign and bench are the basic amenities for a RapidRide stop; other stops/stations will have shelters and real-time bus schedule information.) The stop in our photo is on the east side of the street, just steps from Fauntleroy Church, where we spotted it after stopping for a photo of today’s Toxic-Free Kids’ Fair:

The fair, previewed here on Saturday, was a presentation of the church’s Green Committee, which has another of its always-busy Recycle Roundups coming up on April 29th – save your electronics and other items to bring by, 9 am-3 pm that day (the church website will eventually have a list of what they’ll take and what they won’t).

Toxic-Free Kids Fair: Free, fun health info Sunday in Fauntleroy

March 10, 2012 1:51 pm
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 |   Environment | Fauntleroy | Health | West Seattle news

The Fauntleroy Church Green Committee – known far beyond Fauntleroy for popular events such as the twice-yearly Recycle Roundups (another one’s coming up in late April, by the way) – is inviting you to come learn tomorrow about how to live a more non-toxic life. Judy Pickens shares the photo and this preview:

Finding out what toxins may be in the care products used by children or in the toys they are given will be easy at Sunday’s Toxic-Free Kids Fair for the community hosted by Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW; map). Members of the church’s green committee, as well as staff from the Washington Toxics Coalition, Lullaby Organics, and Earth Ministry will be on hand 11 AM – 1 PM in Fellowship Hall to help you determine toxicity (even by smartphone while you’re in the store!) and provide practical advice about the harm that certain toxins can do to growing bodies.

It’s free and all are welcome. (That’s Green Committee chair Liann Sundquist in the photo, getting ready for tomorrow’s event.)

2 hurt in Fauntleroy flip; church wayfinding sign damaged too

(Photos by WSB editor Tracy Record)
A suddenly ironic sign marked the spot where that car flipped onto a Fauntleroy sidewalk a short time ago, right on the curve from Fauntleroy Way eastbound onto Wildwood (map). 2 people were hurt, minor injuries per the scanner, and we can confirm that the one victim who was placed on a gurney was sitting up as he was wheeled toward a private ambulance. Police were tracing the car’s trajectory:

Though that “no stops” sign survived unscathed, what you see in the lower right corner of that photo is another sign that did not:

That sign has long been a wayfinder pointing people to Fauntleroy UCC Church a few blocks east. No other cars were involved in the crash, but this one had far-ranging effects; police were up on the house’s lawn looking for debris.

ADDED 8:59 AM: Kevin McClintic sent a photo of the sign, taken last fall:

Fauntleroy-residing community volunteer Judy Pickens says that to her recollection, it’s been there since the mid-’90s, with the family who lives there having kindly agreed to “host” the sign.

ADDED EARLY SUNDAY: This is believed to be a case of DUI, according to the SPD time-delayed “incident response” map.

Free plants! Join Cove Park’s ‘Big Dig’ in Fauntleroy tomorrow

Before the Barton Pump Station expansion project takes over little Cove Park on the beach north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock (map) for about two years, the park’s plants need new homes – and you are invited to be part of the “adoption” effort. As Mardi Clements summarizes it, “”Free plants! Take them to a good home before they are bulldozed!” The plants fill border gardens along the pathway down to Cove Park’s tiny slice of beach. You dig ’em, you take ’em, 9 am-noon tomorrow (Saturday). Once the pump-station project is over, the park will be restored – the Fauntleroy Community Association has been working with the county for a long time to make sure that happens – with new art among other features (as reported in this story last September).

2 years into its new life, old Fauntleroy Schoolhouse adds new tenants, with room for more

Story and photos by Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Exactly two years after the Fauntleroy Community Service Agency completed the deal to buy it from Seattle Public Schools, the old schoolhouse at 9131 California SW is full of new life, and new opportunities – for example, want to host your next meeting in a conference room with a bonafide old-school (literally) blackboard?

Even before the multi-year effort that secured the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse’s longterm future as a community-owned facility, it was already home to an eclectic, if small, assortment of established businesses/organizations – Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering, Fauntleroy Children’s Center, Seattle Civic Dance Theatre/Dance! West Seattle among them. Now they’ve been joined by others, with room still for more.

Education is obviously a natural fit; last year, looking for a new home, Lincoln Park Cooperative Preschool – which is an educational program for parents as well as preschoolers – landed at the schoolhouse.

But you might be surprised by what, and who, else you find if you tour the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, as we did one day recently. Such as – an international game business!

Read More

Fauntleroy Community Association: Crime, grants, plants…

From crime prevention to city grant applications, we have the toplines from last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting, moved up a week since this month, the usual “second Tuesday” scheduling conflicts with Valentine’s Day. Details ahead:Read More

Update: Water-main break fixed in Fauntlee Hills

(Photos by WSB editor Tracy Record, added 8:34 am)
7:44 AM: Some residents in the Fauntlee Hills area woke up to water trouble this morning, according to several notes we have received. Greg reports, “Awoke to low water pressure and brown water coming from taps. Called city and they said there was a water emergency in the area and it would be at least 3 hours before water was restored.” Liz, who says she was given that same time frame, says her water service has been out since at least 3 am and that she was told the problem was a water-main break. We’re heading out to check.

8:26 AM: Just back from talking to the crew at the site of the break, which is on 39th SW just a bit north of SW Barton (which is wet for a few blocks downhill – luckily not quite cold enough to freeze). They have already fixed it and are flushing the lines. Just a cold-weather break, they told us, one of the 100-plus water-main breaks in the city every year (about 140, SPU reps told the recent meeting regarding Arbor Heights upgrades). This 12-inch main feeds homes for a 5-block area that zigzags around the spot where the pipe broke. Our photo shows the main and the silver clamp over the spot where it broke; the smaller green line on the right feeds the closest home, whose resident was out looking at the work and saying he’s glad it’s done because he’s overdue for his morning coffee.

From the ‘we heard it too’ file: Fauntleroy-area boom

7:32 PM: We apparently aren’t the only ones who heard a loud boom a few minutes ago here in the Upper Fauntleroy area – at least two others have mentioned it on the WSB Facebook page. We’re monitoring the scanner and police and fire crews have been sent to “look around” and check out one caller’s report, same general area, of a “flash” seen about that time.

7:51 PM: No indication so far that they’ve found anything, and the engine’s been canceled.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Neighborhood warning signs

After two notes and one call in the past two days about those signs (and more like them), we had to go check them out. On Fauntleroy Way along a block-plus stretch south of the ferry dock, more than a dozen hand-lettered, orange-flagged signs are placed in planting strips on both sides of the street. Not only do they warn prospective criminals they’re being watched, they have a warning for solicitors, too:

We only found one person to ask about the signs; actually, he found us, driving up while our photographer was starting to take pictures, and asking what we were doing. He wouldn’t comment except to suggest that we check the “police reports” for something that happened recently. One incident is listed, a daytime burglary in the 9200 block of Fauntleroy Way on January 21st, with burglars not only ransacking the house and stealing multiple items of value, but also taking the victims’ car. The police report says someone saw a “white Dodge SUV pull into the driveway one house to the south of the victim house” that morning, with a passenger getting out and going “through the bushes into the yard of the victim’s house. After a short time the passenger got back into the vehicle and the vehicle slowly drove around the block as if they were looking at every house.” (The report did not indicate whether police were called at the time of that sighting.)

Update: Gatewood/Upper Fauntleroy booms apparently fireworks

7:51 PM: A few minutes ago, we heard two loud blasts that couldn’t have been far from WSB HQ in Upper Fauntleroy/south Gatewood. Mindful that these are usually fireworks, we didn’t call police, but someone did, as the scanner indicates two units are responding to check the area, after a call from someone in the California/Thistle area.

8:01 PM: Via Facebook, someone nearby says it was fireworks, adding that she saw the “sparkly” aftermath. No indication via the scanner that police have found anything, but we’ve got someone out looking around the area too.

More free West Seattle holiday music: ‘Wonder’ tomorrow

Tomorrow at Fauntleroy UCC Church, music director Bronwyn Edwards‘ new cantata “Wonder” debuts, and you are invited to come enjoy it, free. Here’s the story behind it, shared by Irene Stewart:

Wonder, a cantata celebrating the wonder of the season, is a new work by local performer, composer, and music director Bronwyn Edwards. Inspired by interviews with David Kratz, senior pastor at Fauntleroy Church, UCC where Edwards serves as music director, “Wonder” presents concepts and stories ranging from biblical times to modern day and includes personal reflections on the meaning and wonder of the season.

The work will be performed Sunday, Dec. 11, at 4 p.m. in the sanctuary at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California Ave SW). The program begins with a carol sing-along. A reception will follow in the church’s narthex. The concert is free and all are welcome to attend.

“The music is diverse in its mood and message,” says the composer.

Read More