West Seattle, Washington
18 Monday
Our photo from the 9200 block of 45th SW in Fauntleroy is more about what’s not in it than what is. It’s the spot usually inhabited by the El Camion food truck. Over the weekend, multiple readers wondered where it was and if it was coming back. Our archives reminded us that El Camion left the spot for some maintenance work around this time last year, and that’s what’s happening now too. Reached by email, El Camion management told us, “Currently we are having the transmission repaired because it currently only goes into first gear and reverse. We don’t have any time estimation at this point because they are still assessing the problem and trying to procure parts. This is a very slow time of the year for us at that location and financially, it’s hard to make ends meet and stay open, so we are using this opportunity to have repair work done.” The truck has held that spot in the heart of Fauntleroy’s Endolyne mini-business district since July 2019.
Last Friday, during a “town hall” meeting on the Fauntleroy YMCA, dozens of community members pleaded for more details on the financial challenges clouding its future. (Here’s our coverage, including video of the meeting.) Local and regional YMCA executives promised more information would be forthcoming, as well as a community survey. But they didn’t say when, so we asked on Monday. Tonight, we have the answer, in an initial update from the Greater Seattle YMCA, which thanks Fauntleroy community members for participating, and continues:
We are currently consolidating all the email information we received this weekend. We plan to send a follow-up message via email to the emails we have in our system and those gathered at the town hall so that all those who attended and those who could not attend will be able to review the recording and the initial information below as soon as possible. Our goal is to try to reach our entire community, and we will need your help to do so.
In the next two weeks, we also plan to send out communications via email, in-person signage at the Fauntleroy Y, West Seattle Y, and the Fauntleroy Church, the media, and social media. The communication will include an initial survey on ideas, meeting setup, and more, as well as a high-level plan for moving forward. The plan will be hosted on our website so that our community can find the most up-to-date information. This plan should include: (1) communications (format, distribution, and more), continued town halls formatted for collaboration, and project timelines (2) additional context about where we were pre, during, and post the COVID pandemic (3) committee involvement, and (4) a place to ask more questions. Please let us know if you feel something needs to be added or if you have another idea that we should include in that upcoming communication or a question that we should address. As an additional part of our commitment to transparent communications, we will be sure to update you if timelines need adjusting (whether that means we can get you information sooner or later) and why. Please do not hesitate to contact us at pr@seattleymca.org.
Rumors that the YMCA was considering closing the longstanding Fauntleroy branch – which has never resumed daily operation since its pandemic closure – started circulating in early January. In response, statements were made by both Fauntleroy Church – whose campus holds the center – and the Y, which promised it wouldn’t make “hurried final decisions.”
(WSB meeting video, beginning after introductions; public comments start 16 minutes in)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We’re not going to close the doors tomorrow, next week, next month …” promised Greater Seattle YMCA district executive Greg Lewis toward the end of Friday’s two-hour town hall on the Fauntleroy YMCA‘s future.
The meeting was announced earlier this month as the YMCA (WSB sponsor) moved to address rumors that it intended to close the Fauntleroy branch. The organization acknowledged financial challenges but asked members and other supporters to help figure it out.
Y leaders did not bring further financial specifics to the full-house meeting at Fauntleroy Church – long co-housed with the Y – and that was a source of frustration to many who spoke.
The meeting opened with introductory remarks from West Seattle/Fauntleroy branch executive Cleveland King. He had Y staff introduce themselves from around the room – there were a dozen regional and other-branch managers present. That’s not counting the six who were on stage with King – five West Seattle/Fauntleroy managers, and one more regional leader. Also introduced were three local advisory board members, as well as some staffers including instructors.
King said they wanted to “come up with solutions” and “hear what the community wants to tell us.” He also said they wanted to hear that in the format of comments, not questions – “things that you want to let us know – whatever it is, I want to know, I want to hear.”
A bit of post-holiday news is still trickling in … including this report from Judy Pickens on how the Fauntleroy Church Festival of Trees‘ food-drive competition turned out:
Last month’s Festival of Trees hosted by Fauntleroy Church is now history but “votes” for favorite trees put over 950 pounds of food and hygiene items on shelves at local food banks.
(This photo and next courtesy Fauntleroy Church)
Youth from the church sorted and counted more than 1,100 donations for the White Center and West Seattle food banks. Two trees garnered the most “votes” in the friendly competition: “Tree by the Sea” (crafted from driftwood by Alki UCC) and “Peace in Many Languages” (crafted from recycled components by the Petty-Johnson family).
The 13 trees in this second year of the festival included several deemed best of show, including “best celebration of diversity,” “most creative use of stuff,” and “most interactive.” Participation was open to any interested group or individual and anyone who viewed the trees could vote. The church hopes to offer this event to the community again during the 2024 Christmas season.
Festival visitors were invited to bring non-perishable food to the event and “vote” for their favorite by placing food items beneath the tree.
(Photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Washington State Ferries officials spent a lot of time at midday today talking about shortages and what’s being done to alleviate them, during the first of two sessions of their systemwide winter community meeting.
Some of the information came in presentations, and some in an extensive Q&A period that comprised 60 percent of the online meeting.
Almost 200 participants were signed in by the start of the meeting, facilitated by WSF’s Hadley Rodero. When polled to ask which route they used the most, the largest group – 25 percent – cited the San Juan Islands; the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route accounted for 14 percent of the respondents.
Of the five featured speakers from WSF, chief of staff Nicole McIntosh spoke first, with system updates. She noted the impending departure of ferries head Patty Rubstello (who is staying until a successor is found, McIntosh reiterated). Here are the 2023 stats she presented, including 70 life-saving events and 530 whale sightings:
Ridership is still below pre-pandemic levels:
Back on January 4, when we first reported on questions about the Fauntleroy YMCA‘s future, the Y (a WSB sponsor) announced a town-hall community meeting for January 19. Now that meeting’s just three days away, and the Y wants to renew the invitation to be part of it – a spokesperson says, “It’s a great opportunity for community members to share their ideas and participate in an open dialogue about the future of the Fauntleroy YMCA.” Meantime, Fauntleroy UCC – which shares its campus with the Y and is hosting the town hall – says the venue is moving to the church sanctuary, with a video feed in the Fellowship Hall if needed for overflow. The Y has been part of the Fauntleroy community for a century, but has operated the facility at limited hours – currently three hours on each of three mornings a week – since reopening after the pandemic closure. The Y’s online backstory about the situation spells out its financial challenges: “For Fauntleroy to have a mission impact and be a financially viable location, we estimate that we will need the following: $400k a year in recurring funding, 2,000 Annual Memberships, and $200k in funds donated. Unfortunately, we may need to reconsider our operations at this location without this level of sustainable support and engagement.” The meeting announcement says that in addition to discussion, they’ll be “calling for involvement in three committees where members can join us in volunteering, fundraising, or project planning.” Friday’s town hall is scheduled for 4-6 pm at the church, 9140 California SW.
(WSB photos)
In those bags were some of the 2,600 eyed coho-salmon eggs that hundreds of students and teachers in West Seattle are about to raise for the Salmon in the Schools program. Volunteer Phil Sweetland picked them up at the Soos Creek Hatchery this morning, and this afternoon, reps from the 14 participating local schools came to fetch their future fry.
Akemi Sakaida, for Alki Elementary, and Adrian Parke, for Highland Park Elementary, were among those retrieving eggs today outside the home of Sweetland and Judy Pickens, who also is a longtime volunteer with the program (among many other community roles).
Participating students this year range from preschool to high-school age. The eggs will be placed in tanks at schools, where, Pickens explains, “Students will rear their fish and learn about salmon, habitat, and stewardship until releasing their fry in Fauntleroy Creek in May.” (Almost 1,000 people participated in last year’s releases.)
We’ve been working today on fact-finding regarding rumors about the future of the Fauntleroy YMCA, co-housed for more than a century with the Fauntleroy UCC church at 9140 California SW. We’ve spoken with leadership at both the Y and the church and have now received official statements from both. First, here is what the church is saying:
The YMCA of Greater Seattle very recently informed Fauntleroy Church of budgetary concerns that are affecting its Fauntleroy location.
At the request of the church and with respect to the 100-year partnership of the Y, the church, and the Fauntleroy community, immediate decisions are on hold while discussion is under way about how this partnership might continue.
Senior Minister Leah Atkinson Bilinski noted that, “In the years I have been here, I have witnessed the deep love Fauntleroy residents have for what has so long been the center of community engagement – the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, Fauntleroy Church, and the Fauntleroy Y. We do not wish to lose the Fauntleroy Y, and from initial conversation, we understand that the Y also does not wish to lose its connection or legacy in this community. As conversation continues, the Y has assured us that it will seek community input. We also plan to do so and have already briefed Fauntleroy Community Association President Mike Dey.”
And here’s the YMCA’s statement:
The Fauntleroy YMCA is open and operating as usual. We appreciate your patience and thoughtful messages.
Right now, we find ourselves at a crossroads with how we use our space at the Fauntleroy YMCA in a fiscally responsible and mission-impactful way – and we need our community’s input and support. We look forward to working with the Fauntleroy church and our community as we explore options. We will not make any hurried final decisions, especially considering our nearly 100-year legacy of serving the Fauntleroy community. We are currently in the process of reaching out to members for their collaboration and support.
January is the kickoff of our annual membership drive, leading into our Annual Fund Drive in February. Now is the perfect time for community to lean in to help revitalize our operations at the Fauntleroy Y. Please encourage your friends to join us on the road to our Annual Fund Drive kick-off as they begin their New Year’s resolution to take care of their health. Get involved with our upcoming fundraising campaign by emailing us at cking@seattleymca.org or by donating today to help us get started!
If you have any other thoughts or ideas, we would love to hear them. Please email us at pr@seattleymca.org.
The Fauntleroy YMCA has long been co-managed with the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) in The Triangle. According to the Y’s website, the Fauntleroy location is currently open three mornings a week. Along with the Y, the Fauntleroy Church campus is also home to a preschool that is not affiliated with the church or Y.
ADDED 3:55 PM: The YMCA also just announced a community meeting:
We will also host a town hall on January 19 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Fauntleroy Church community gathering hall. We invite you to join us in an open dialogue about the Fauntleroy Y’s future, ask questions, and share your ideas and collaborative concepts for the space and how we can best serve the community sustainably.
What if Rudolph had the night off? That’s the theme of this tree we admired while visiting the Fauntleroy UCC Festival of Trees on its first public-display night earlier this week.
Another tree that might make you smile … the one with a Costco theme:
And then there’s the tree decked with hopes for peace, in many languages:
The festival doubles as a food drive – bring nonperishable food to donate and leave it under your favorite tree to “vote” for it. During our visit, this tree was the front-runner:
We learned that’s because it’s the entry from Alki UCC and that apparently brought a concentrated voting effort! In addition to the food drive, you can also have fun with a scavenger hunt while you’re there – check the 13 trees in the church Fellowship Hall for certain words or items. It’s open to viewing Saturday night, 6-7 pm, at 9140 California SW – right before the church’s free Christmas concert.
9:07 AM: Washington State Ferries says “unscheduled necessary vessel maintenance” has the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route down to one boat until further notice, following the #2 schedule. The real-time map shows the boat having trouble is M/V Kitsap, which had problems last week too. Updates to come.
11:59 AM: WSF is moving M/V Suquamish from the Bainbridge-Seattle run so that two-boat service can resume on the Triangle Route.
Among the many holiday events listed in the West Seattle Holiday Guide for this weekend is a one-of-a-kind event we’re previewing for families who might have have heard about it yet – the West Seattle Toy Exchange, 9 am-noon Saturday at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. Here’s how organizers explain it:
What is this event? A sustainable, affordable opportunity to swap out (or donate) the gently-used, no-longer- exciting toys in your home. We will also have a bake sale, coffee and cocoa by donation to support the Louisa Boren STEM K8 PTA
What to exchange: toys! Puzzles, Legos and toys are encouraged, Please do not bring books, clothing or sporting equipment
What are the rules? This event is for anyone looking to trade toys, donate toys, or whowould like to take some toys to gift to kids. You do not need to donate any toys to participate. Please, no resellers.
What happens to unclaimed toys? Any unclaimed toys at the end of the event will be donated to charity
Fauntleroy Schoolhouse is at 9131 California SW. (If you haven’t been there, transportation/parking info is on the event website.)
While walking along 38th SW in Upper Fauntleroy between SW Trenton and SW Henderson, we noticed the house used a month ago for Seattle Fire Department training is in the late stages of demolition. As reported here when the training plan was announced, six homes are to be built on the two-lot, third-of-an-acre site – two single-family houses, each with two accessory dwelling units (ADUs) – one attached, one detached. The site had drawn the attention of tree advocates because of the big evergreen out front (whose fate has not yet been finalized, as the building permit has not been issued):
Meantime, the latest SFD Responder e-newsletter notes that the trainees who got “live fire training” at the site for three days last month – Recruit Class 119, with 22 members – have since begun work as probationary frefighters.
If you live/work in Fauntleroy, but haven’t responded yet to the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s survey, you have just a few more days! FCA is the only neighborhood council in West Seattle that surveys people in its service area, “to understand what is important to our community members and help the FCA board set priorities.” You can find the survey online by going to fauntleroy.net/survey. Once it’s closed, FCA will compile and publish the results. The board meets second Tuesdays most months, 7 pm at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse and online, and community members are always welcome.
(WSB photos)
At The Hall at Fauntleroy, West Seattle’s longest-running Thanksgiving tradition is happening right now – the folks from DSquared Hospitality/Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering are serving up the annual free community meal. Here’s this year’s menu:
Your hosts are the Haggerty family – Andrew, Meg, Reed, and David:
Desserts were donated by community members – check out the turkey cupcakes!
Also donated for anyone in need – warm clothing:
Dinner is open to all – whether you are having trouble affording a holiday feast this year, or just want to celebrate the holiday with neighbors and friends old and new:
This continues until 3 pm at 9131 California SW. (And if you miss it, see our Holiday Guide – the Eagles’ free-to-all feast is 2-5 pm in The Junction and Chef Gino’s serving a free drive-up dinner 4:30-7 pm in Delridge.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Until a few years ago, Washington State Ferries service was reliable, dependable, fully filling its role as part of the state highway system.
Now, WSF sails in turbulent waters daily – with shortages of boats and workers, cancelling sailings and/or falling behind schedule. On the other side of a 15-minute rain from West Seattle, ferry-dependent Vashon Island is suffering in a big way, since the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route has been hit especially hard. It’s long been down to two boats when it’s supposed to have three, and sometimes reduced to one by vessel breakdowns or crew unavailability. Delays happen daily. There’s a shorter route – Point Defiance-Tahlequah – between south Vashon and the Tacoma area, but its one-boat baseline service is not immune to trouble.
This is affecting lives and livelihoods, say island residents – with health, business, educational, and other impacts – and a group has convened to do more than complain and despair. They’ve come up with a list of more than 50 actions that they say could help, and group reps sailed over to West Seattle on Monday to announce their recommendations in the form of a “community report.”
This isn’t just a to-do list for the ferry system. The group, Islanders for Ferry Action, says, “We stand ready to partner with any agency that will help implement the solutions we have documented in this report.” (Read it here.) Some of the recommendations are actions that could be taken by community members. Others would have to be taken on by other agencies or organizations. The islanders know it’ll be years before WSF’s fleet and workforce are back to past numbers, so they’ve worked to suggest actions they believe would make an immediate difference.
(Photos by Tom Trulin. Above, one of the last of this year’s 34 spawners)
By Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog
After two years of amazingly high numbers of coho spawners in Fauntleroy Creek (244 in 2021, 254 in 2022), this season’s 34 isn’t all that impressive unless, like veteran counter Dennis Hinton, you take the long view.
“Since the first spawners in modern history arrived in 1994, we’ve had 13 years with 10 or fewer, including some years with none,” he said. “A glut of fish draws a lot of attention, but when that happens in this small creek, late arrivals dig the redds of earlier fish and we lose hatch potential.”
(Veteran salmon-watch volunteers Pete Draughon, Dennis Hinton, and Mark Sears)
On October 22, 20 volunteers began watching the spawning reach in the lower creek during the five hours after high tide. Mark Sears led a special cadre of volunteers to relocate drift logs on the beach to ensure spawners could reach the mouth of the creek.
Watchers recorded the first robust spawner on November 4 and the last a week later. They also recorded two cutthroat trout in to snag what salmon eggs they could.
Harbor seals and other predators in Fauntleroy Cove were especially active eaters this year. Most carcasses above the spawning reach soon disappeared, likely in the jaws of raccoons.
By November 18 when the watch ended, watchers had invited at least 88 visitors down to creek level from the fish-ladder viewpoint across from the ferry terminal. Another 136 came during an “open creek” on November 12 to talk salmon and habitat.
If creek conditions continue to be favorable, eggs will hatch late January/early February, and fry will emerge from the gravel a few weeks later. Area schools will get eyed hatchery eggs in early January to rear and release as fry in May through the Salmon in the Schools program.
Just four days until Thanksgiving, and the free community dinner at The Hall at Fauntleroy. For those interested in helping either instead of, or in addition to, enjoying the dinner, here’s an update:
We are full on volunteers (yay!), but if people would still like to be involved, they can deliver desserts day-of [Thursday] starting at 9 am, or warm clothes/socks/blankets to the schoolhouse hallway anytime leading up to Thanksgiving.
As noted here, the dinner – a quarter-century tradition – is set for noon-3 pm on Thanksgiving Day, and everyone is welcome. The Hall is at 9130 California SW, on the south end of historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Two weeks after Seattle Parks announced a two-week “pause” in the Lincoln Park pickleball-court project, opponents took their case to the Fauntleroy Community Association board.
That was one of the topics at the board’s monthly meeting last night. President Mike Dey facilitated the meeting in the conference room at historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, and it also was streamed. First, other, somewhat briefer topics:
SEATTLE POLICE: The Southwest Precinct sergeant who attended mentioned the recent crime trends on which we’ve reported here, such as armed robberies committed using stolen cars: “We’ve been getting hit pretty hard. … They wear masks, they have firearms, late teens-early 20s, normally hitting between 3 and 4 in the morning” – possibly the same robbers but they’re using different vehicles. He also noted the crash-and-grab burglary trend, including the multiple hits at Global Smoke and Vape (35th/Roxbury). One attendee says stolen cars are being dumped at Barton P-Patch and urges people to report cars that look like they’ve been broken into. Asked if Kias and Hyundais were still the predominant makes of cars being stolen, he said yes, but “we’re seeing others now.” Another trend he mentioned, many reports of suspected gunfire, but many not verified as it’s “really hard to pinpoint.” Did he think it’s a good idea for the city to buy the ShotSpotter gunfire-detection system that’s under consideration? He said yes.
Until 3 pm, you are invited to visit Fauntleroy Creek for a close-up chance to see salmon. As of Saturday, 34 coho spawners had made it into the creek in the span of a week, and more are expected.
So volunteers are standing by during today’s “open creek” to show you where to look along a stretch of the creek that otherwise isn’t usually open to the public. Go to the overlook where SW Director turns onto upper Fauntleroy Way SW (across the street, and up the embankment, from the ferry dock) and wait to be called down to creekside!
Fauntleroy Creek is a rarity, one of just a handful of Seattle creeks where salmon come to dpawn.
Tom Trulin‘s photo shows the first spawner of the season in Fauntleroy Creek. At least 22 more have followed, so with that, and a adequate supply of volunteers, the first “open creek” of the season will happen Sunday (November 12). Here’s the invitation, sent by Judy Pickens of the Fauntleroy Watershed Council:
Spawners in Fauntleroy Creek – and the public is invited
As of late Tuesday, salmon watchers on Fauntleroy Creek had tallied 23 vigorous coho spawners. The first arrived on Saturday and more have followed daily. With rain and 11-foot tides in the offing, the Fauntleroy Watershed Council has scheduled an all-ages open creek on Sunday, 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. 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.
That’s across the street (and up the embankment) from the entrance to the Fauntleroy ferry dock.
8:17 PM: SFD is sending units by land and sea to look into a report of a 30′ sailboat that’s possibly adrift 200 feet offshore, south of Lincoln Park.
8:23 PM: Responders say it’s an anchored vessel, not in distress, so they’re canceling the response.
The Fauntleroy Community Association is the only neighborhood council in West Seattle that regularly surveys people in its service area, and they’ve just launched the newest survey, explaining, “This information allows us to understand what is important to our community members and helps the FCA board set priorities.” If you live in Fauntleroy, you likely received a postcard in USPS mail inviting you to answer the survey; if not, you can find it online at fauntleroy.net/survey. If you don’t have time to take it now, it’s open until December 4; FCA promises to publish the overall results online.
The rain that assisted salmon in Longfellow Creek also has brought the first spawners of the season into Fauntleroy Creek. As of mid-afternoon, creek steward Judy Pickens tells us, volunteers had counted five salmon in the creek. You can go have a look from the public fish-ladder viewpoint across the street (and up an embankment) from the ferry dock; plans for a future “open creek” with a closer look will depend on weather and volunteer availability.
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