The October Great Pumpkin Search occurred despite blustery wind and pouring rain at times. Several families stayed the full 2 hours to search for pumpkins and prizes. The grand prize was generously donated by Avalon Glassworks and had a value of $125. We sincerely thank them for their generosity. The young boy and his mother who found the prize were so happy.

His name is Hamish. This was their second year of participating in the Search. They had moved from another country and were unfamiliar with the fun to be had during the Halloween season. Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped hide the pumpkins. We were fortunate to have some students among them. Candace Blue, Scott Wiesemann, and the FCA appreciate this opportunity to serve the public.

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It’s been going on a year now since the possibility of closing the Fauntleroy YMCA shocked community members. The YMCA (WSB sponsor) convened a town-hall meeting in January to talk about the challenges and possibilities. Since then, they’ve committed to working with the community to keep it open, and the Fauntleroy Y has expanded its hours and programming. Now it’s time for a public progress report. Branch administrator Ethan Clarke sends word of a town-hall meeting set for 6 pm December 4 at the Fellowship Hall of Fauntleroy Church (the Y is co-housed with the church). All welcome, whether or not you’re a Y member.

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Story by Judy Pickens
Photos/video by Tom Trulin
Special to West Seattle Blog

The 19 coho spawners that came into Fauntleroy Creek the past two weeks lured a record number of volunteers (27) to document them, as well as 262 visitors and students to the spawning reach.

The action began on October 13 with the Fauntleroy Watershed Council‘s annual drumming to call in spawners. They waited several days in Fauntleroy Cove for sufficient rain to freshen creek water – a sign that it would provide suitable habitat for the next generation.

(The last spawner came through the culvert under Fauntleroy Way on Nov. 5)

The first arrived in the spawning reach on Nov. 1 and the last showed up on Nov. 5. This year’s total compares to 34 in 2023 and a near-record 254 in 2022.

“Such fluctuations are typical for this small creek,” said veteran watcher Dennis Hinton. “Having just 19 in a short spawning reach means everyone could find a good spot to leave their fertilized eggs.”

Volunteers began preparing for spawning season in late September when Mark Sears led a work party to relocate drift logs on the beach so spawners would have easy access to the creek mouth. Once watchers saw them in the cove, he checked daily to make sure they could get in at high tide.

(Bridge School students brought questions about habitat and spawner behavior)

A cadre of veteran watchers was on hand to welcome 154 visitors during a Nov. 3 “open creek,” as well as when students and staff came from the Bridge School in White Center and Chief Sealth International High School.

Next up: Tiny fry will emerge from their protective blanket of gravel in about 4 months to start feeding in the lower creek.

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The first under-road culvert that the city plans to replace for Fauntleroy Creek goes under 45th SW just north of the Endolyne business district, and SPU is ready to show off the new design at another roadside pop-up one week from tomorrow. Here’s the announcement:

Seattle Public Utilities invites the public to attend a Fauntleroy Culverts Replacement Project drop-in information session on Saturday, November 16 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. – stop by anytime during this window to learn about the latest design plans and ask SPU project team members questions. It will be held at the corner of Southwest Wildwood Place and 45th Avenue Southwest in Seattle.

At past outreach events, SPU project team members listened to feedback for the 45th Avenue Southwest landing. SPU has taken this feedback to produce a re-designed plan with these updates:

-The landing’s size has been reduced
-Additional screening has been added to reduce visual impact and restrict access to the ravine
-Signage, low maintenance planting beds, lighting, and boulders are proposed to enhance the area and complement the surrounding environment

Questions? Please contact Jonathan Brown, SPU Project Manager for the 45th Avenue Southwest Culvert: Jonathan.Brown@seattle.gov or 206-561-2581.

Construction of the 45th SW culvert is expected to start sometime in 2026. This will be followed by the culvert replacement beneath California SW near Fauntleroy Church/YMCA. We reported last summer on the agreement between the church and city regarding how to deal with that one.

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After nearly 17 years in the role, Fauntleroy Church Music Director Bronwyn Edwards plans to step down in June. Fauntleroy Church is casting a wide net in search of a new director, who will tie music to a theme for each service and work with volunteer musical talent to promote joy and connection. To review the job announcement, visit www.fauntleroyucc.org/jobs.

“Visitors to Fauntleroy Church often mention three things that help them feel at home—our mission, our focus on children’s programming, and our vibrant music program,” said Rev. Leah Atkinson Bilinski, the church’s senior pastor. “Our music program is powerful, thanks to a great director, our choir, and vocal and instrumental ensembles and soloists who present a wide range of sacred and secular music in many different genres.”

The Music Director position is part-time (on average 28 hours per week) and includes benefits. Applicants should submit a cover letter and resume on or before Tuesday, Dec. 31, per directions found at the link above. Fauntleroy Church is a member congregation of the United Church of Christ.

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The salmon spawners have arrived in Fauntleroy Creek and right now, it’s your first big chance this season to try to see them firsthand. Creek stewards and volunteer salmon watchers are hosting an “open creek” along the stretch where you’re most likely to see them, which runs through private property, but you’ll be guided down to creekside if you go to the public overlook that’s right off the corner of upper Fauntleroy Way and SW Director [map].

This opportunity continues until 3 pm today. All ages welcome, but children should be with an adult and dogs should be leashed. Note that you might see dead fish as well as live ones – that’s the natural end of the spawning cycle.

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ELLIOTT BAY LEAPING: We’ve been hearing about this for a while, and finally got some video from Brian. People ask why the fish are leaping; theories include trying to rid themselves of lice!

(added Sunday) Thanks to John Saalwaechter for video with a closer view of the jumping fish:

(back to original Saturday night report) FAUNTLEROY CREEK COHO: On the eve of Sunday’s “open creek” (go to the overlook at upper Fauntleroy/SW Director and wait to be called down), 1-3 pm, creek steward Judy Pickens tells us that volunteer watchers have counted 17 spawners in the creek so far. “Despite the rain and cold, our watchers are doing a great job documenting the fish and creek conditions.”

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Halloween is segueing right into the holiday season this year. The Fauntleroy Fine Art & Holiday Gift Show has opened its three-day run at Fauntleroy Church, and we have photos of some of the artists and their work – above, Diane Bellisario; below, Kristen Miller:

Judy Pickens provides the overview:

The 15th annual Fauntleroy Fine Art & Holiday Gift Show will be open this evening at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California Ave. SW) until 8 pm to showcase the creative talents of 18 local artists and artistic crafters. Our calendar listing includes the list of artists. Show hours Saturday will be 10 am-4 pm and Sunday hours will be 11 am-2 pm in Fellowship Hall.

Here’s the work of Yuchen Lin:

Thanks to Ana Cecilia Del Claro for the photos.

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Two and a half weeks after community members sang and drummed to call the coho into Fauntleroy Creek, salmon have arrived, Judy Pickens reports:

Veteran salmon watcher Dennis Hinton not only saw the first spawner of the season enter Fauntleroy Creek late yesterday (10/30) but also took the first photo (above). Volunteers report more spawners poised to enter from Fauntleroy Cove.

Sunday (11/3) the public can come have a look when the Fauntleroy Watershed Council hosts an all-ages “open creek” 1:00-3:00 pm. Dress for the weather and make your way to the fish ladder viewpoint at SW Director and upper Fauntleroy Way SW (on the bluff across from the ferry terminal). A volunteer will invite you down to creek level to check out the habitat, ask questions, and maybe see spawners. Children should bring a parent and dogs should be on leash.

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Building the new Fauntleroy ferry dock/terminal could take up to four years.

That’s part of what the project’s Community Advisory Group learned during an online meeting Wednesday night.

The time frame depends on what alternative is chosen for the new dock – Washington State Ferries is on the verge of deciding on an alternative to carry forward into environmental review. “We’re getting to the end of the PEL (planning and environmental linkages) study process.”

WSF’s David Sowers started the meeting by revisiting the Good to Go! tolling/advance-ticketing study, a focus of the CAG’s previous meeting last month.

Group member Judy Pickens asked about costs. Sowers said it’s in the report – they had options from $5 million to $20 million for using Good To Go! He said it’s effective in its full implementation but only saving a few minutes in “dwell time. … That for us was not enough to .. (pursue) significant policy changes” that it would take, “not something we could implement any time soon.” He added that the cost of operating and maintaining the system is sizable too – “some capital upfront costs … if money were no constraint, it might be a lot more doable, but the benefit we saw” (wasn’t enough to suggest they pursue the costly option).”

WSF’s Hadley Rodero reminded everyone that they had decided to carry a partial implementation of Good To Go! into the level 3 screening, as well as Wave To Go advanced ticketing with a “similar-sized” dock. (All the dock sizes being screened are bigger than the current one.) So all vehicles will continue to go through toll booths.

Another group member, Mardi Clements, said she was glad that there’d be some time saved, so everyone would benefit.

Next, Sowers focused on the factors that would have to be considered for construction. WSF will continue some level of service during construction – the dock won’t be completely out of commission. Sowers said they’d been asked by a King County Water Taxi rep if passenger-only service would be an option. Site constraints include “a narrow piece of land on which to operate.” Permitting requirements will include addressing noise, dealing with staging areas. “We know construction is disruptive – it’s impactful, sometimes stressful, but will lead us to a product we’ll all be happy with.”

Construction criteria are spelled out here:

Regarding maintaining some level of service, they may consider building a temporary slip as well as looking at ways to move passengers. Sowers said they’d also recently hired consultants to look at the Triangle Route schedule – reviewing it for the current time as well as construction.

He handed off to Ed Thomas, project engineering lead, who got further into construction details. He said they’re still trying to identify construction staging and office areas.

In the first stage, they’d use the existing dock. Then for 15-18 months, traffic would move to the temporary slip. Phase 2B, another move, then Phase 3, the temporary dock/slip would be removed and the new dock would move.

They chose the A alternatives for the graphics but that does not mean other options have been ruled out, Thomas clarified in response to a question. In response to another one, WSF acknowledged that some of the offshore components will be replaced as part of the project.

Group member Anne Higuera said she’s “excited to see this” and asked questions – starting with, have they consulted any contractors yet? Sowers said no, but there are a lot of people on staff with experience enough to know these plans are promising. Would materials come in and go out through West Seattle or be barged in? Both, said Sowers – a fair amount of suppliers are on the Duwamish River, for example. It’s a large-enough project that “most of the work is going to be done from the water,” he said. Higuera wondered if the temporary dock should perhaps be built elsewhere on the West Seattle peninsula. No, said Sowers – “building it in a completely different location” would require another level of permitting, among other things. He said they acknowledge building the temporary dock and demolishing it will be costly, but there’s no way around it.

Is there an estimated start date? Sowers was asked. No – could be as early as 2027-2028, “regardless of the option” chosen, he said. And yes, he replied to a question, they have to work around fish windows (times when in-water construction is not permitted because of fish-related considerations).

How much holding will there be on the temporary dock? “Less than 84 cars, so there will be additional traffic that queues on Fauntleroy Way, Sowers said. Thomas said it could range from 18 to 40 vehicles on the dock, depending on how the loading/offloading phase works during construction. So it’s a small temporary structure, Clements said. Yes, Thomas confirmed, it would be pretty much the same between all the alternatives.

The estimated durations are based on all the permit requirements and noise/work hours rules, Thomas said. Pickens asked, so anything affecting the creek flow would be limited to three months of the year? Yes, said Thomas.

Group member Justin Hirsch said he’s glad to see the temporary slip idea – the concept of rerouting downtown just wouldn’t work. But he’s worried that potentially three years of traffic backups on Fauntleroy is daunting, so traffic would need active management. “Sometimes Fauntleroy Way SW looks like a Mad Max movie and it’s going to look even more like that.”

WSF’s Hadley Rodero stressed that planning for schedules and traffic flow will be vital, including how they communicate it to the community.

Thomas said there’ll be a 15-foot-wide clear zone on both sides of the dock, north and south.

For construction duration – depending on the alternative chosen, anywhere from 33 to 48 months. And that’s just the “physical construction activities,” Thomas said.

Sowers then picked up the topic of “construction-delivery method.” They intend to use “design-build” – a single contractor who will design and build the project – as opposed to design-bid-build. “This is more of a ‘best value’ approach to project delivery,” Sowers said, adding that it helps the state manage risk, via one contractor being accountable for so much of it. He said it also means the project can be built faster – maybe they’ll come up with a better way to phase it. (And yes, they’ll have incentives for finishing earlier.) “I want to dispel any myths that the design-builder is going to do whatever they want” – they still have to live up to terms of the contract, Sowers said.

Group member David McDaniel hoped they’d be reviewing a “rough draft” sooner rather than later.” Sowers agreed. He said they’d like to build it faster, but the current estimates are in a three- to four-year timeframe.

In other discussion, Sowers said WSF has a lot of leeway about what they can put into the request for bids – if they wanted the building to be sided in cedar, for example, they could specify that. There’ll also be more community engagement as they move further into the planning purpose. They’ll also have to decide if the CAG will go forward in its current configuration.

As the meeting moved toward the hour and a quarter mark, it was pointed out that WSF had just sent an alert about possible reduced service to Vashon tomorrow morning – “we have to make sure that doesn’t happen during construction,” WSF was told.

Yes, Cove Park north of the dock will be affected, temporarily, Thomas acknowledged in response to another comment. But, CAG member Frank Immel pressed, will it be closed? No, that’s not the intention, Thomas said. Immel and Clements said that the project should take the space it needs – “we as a community have lived without that (access) before,” like during the pump-station project last decade. Speaking of Cove Park, WSF is still working to acquire the “little white house” property north of the park and is in negotiations with King County, said WSF’s Charles Torres. They’re keeping the tenants apprised. They’d use the site for staging and break-room space for starters, with the intersection project starting as soon as next year. Then they’d use it for construction administration during that project, and find a way to occupy it during the interval before terminal construction begins.

Other discussion included logistics and aspects of the intersection project, which will signalize the intersection. Nearby residents along Upper Fauntleroy Way will be taken into consideration as the signal is built, the group was assured. WSF’s Mark Bandy said the signal height should not lead to major effects for nearby residents.

Here’s what happens next – the last steps before choosing a preferred alternative for the new dock’s size and shape:

No date yet for the next meeting – you can watch this page.

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(Photo by Tom Trulin: Volunteer Rich Rosenthal kept groups moving among 5 learning stations along the spawning reach)

Salmon watchers on Fauntleroy Creek haven’t yet seen coho spawners but on Monday morning (10/21), several of them saw a large school of kindergarteners. The 52 students and more than a dozen adults from St. Francis of Assisi School in Burien came to learn about salmon and their habitat. Volunteer watchers engaged groups of students in talking about why spawners bury their eggs, how their carcasses enrich the habitat, and related topics.

If and when spawners arrive, we’ll announce a weekend “open creek” for the general public here.

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2:28 PM: It’s a blustery autumn day, but the Fauntleroy Fall Festival is on – both sides of the 9100 block of California SW, until 5 pm. See the map, activity list, and schedule here. Lots of indoor and under-a-canopy options – like the bunny petting zoo west of the schoolhouse! Also outside the schoolhouse, you’ll find The Falconer with amazing birds:

Among the other activities already under way: Until 3 pm, the decorated-cake contest is happening in the Fauntleroy Church Fellowship Hall, where you’ll also find the Jump Ensemble. More coverage to come!

2:46 PM: Quite an array of cakes entered. Above, the advanced; below, some of the intermediate:

Voting goes on a little while longer. With live music from the Jump Ensemble!

(Then come back at 4 pm for the “cake trot.”) And outside the church/Y building, build a birdhouse, paint a pumpkin, make a salmon hat … we are off to check on some of that.

3:10 PM: The weather’s actually not too bad – still dry, and not quite so windy in the sheltered area between the church and schoolhouse. Salmon-hat-making is going swimmingly:

And pumpkin painting is as popular as ever:

At the east end of the lot outside the church, the clatter of busy birdhouse-builders:

This is all free, except for the food concessions you’ll find scattered around the grounds.

(Photo courtesy Holli Margell)

Coming up at 3:30, a trio of performances – the West Seattle Big Band in the Emerald Room at The Hall at Fauntleroy (south side of the schoolhouse), Dance West Seattle in the Vashon Room at The Hall, School of Rock in the church lot, and the Hilltop Jazz Project by the playground outside the west side of the schoolhouse. The festival’s on until 5 pm.

5:02 PM: Before we left about an hour ago, we recorded a bit of the ever-fabulous West Seattle Big Band, directed by Jim Edwards:

And as we wrap up our coverage (aside from adding the cake-contest results later), we wanted to publicly thank the festival team for the surprise tribute to WSB co-founder Patrick Sand … buttons bearing a photo of him:

Even without him, WSB will keep showing up for what’s happening in West Seattle.

ADDED 11:02 PM: From cake-contest organizer Emer, the winners:

Beginner:
1st – cake #28 Emma
2nd – cake #26 Michael
3rd – cake #44 Iris

Intermediate:

(Photo courtesy Fauntleroy Fall Festival)

1st – cake #34 Karen
2nd – cake #40 Leah
3rd – cake #35 Karen

Advanced:
1st – #12 – the unknown winner. Ghost cake with the spider web. (Seen in photo near top of story)
2nd – cake #40 Rachel
3nd – cake #22 Katie

#12 was dropped off without a name – they’d like to get the baker/decorator their prize; email us and we can contact you, or comment below. Emer adds, “I would also like to thank the church youth group for decorating and contributing so many cakes!”

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And here’s the schedule for all the events packed into three fun hours, 2-5 pm:

The full list of everything you’ll find is page 2 of this PDF that includes the map and schedule you’ll see above. Everything is free except the food that vendors are selling. And if you’re making a cake for the decoration contest/cake trot, be sure to drop it at the Fauntleroy UCC Fellowship Hall by 1 pm!

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