West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
(Photo by Scott C.)
From the Orchard Street Ravine dedication this afternoon: The mayor and Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, looking on as Cindi Barker of the Morgan Community Association (which has its quarterly meeting this Wednesday) says a few words. More coverage a bit later. Meantime, it was a great day for sports on fields all over West Seattle:
State Sen. Joe McDermott, a proud uncle, sends that photo of his nephew Aidan playing Holy Rosary first-grade soccer, while noting, “They don’t keep score, but they play hard and have a great time!”
(photo courtesy Scott C)
Shortly after that photo was taken, more than a dozen people sat down under that canopy at Orchard Street Ravine on Saturday morning – subsequently besieged by rain and wind – to hear city Parks Department managers unveil a new proposal for the 38th SW “connector” into the ravine – and some were aghast. Previously, the department was looking at building a stairway into the ravine along what is technically 38th Ave SW right-of-way – now, suddenly, it’s proposing a simpler trail instead. What galled many of the people who gathered to hear about this was the amount of money, and time, spent to get to a point that some consider being almost back at square one. Read on:Read More
(photo by T. Bradley)
Update on the location of this incident: 7900 block of 35th, at Kenyon (here’s a map; thanks to T. Bradley for the update – he says 36th/Kenyon is still closed), closer to Gatewood. Disturbance involving a disturbed person, almost became a “barricaded in house” situation so reinforcements were called in, but the suspect’s in custody and police should be reopening the road shortly, per Lt. Steve Paulsen at Southwest Precinct. (Thanks for the e-mail tips and texts!) 2:37 PM UPDATE: 35th’s open again now. Photo added.
From the “when bad things happen to good people” file: We last heard from massage/aromatherapy purveyors Chill, in Gatewood/south Morgan Junction, when they were raising money this summer to help Jan’s Salon next door recover from this eyepopping crash. Now, Nicole at Chill just e-mailed bad news of their own:
Last night 9/27/2008, someone stole the bench (wrought iron and wood) from out front of Chill at 6969 California Ave SW. It’s a shame – people in the neighborhood really seemed to like having it there. Any sight of it, contact Nicole at Chill 206-724-9555 – thanks.
12:02 PM ADDITION: We asked Nicole for a photo of the bench:
We told you two weeks ago that the city had scheduled a celebration for the Orchard Street Ravine, a greenspace in Gatewood that neighbors and other volunteers have been working for years to restore. One key piece of the project isn’t done, though, so the city has just announced an open-house meeting to talk about that, one week before the celebration:
The construction of the through-trail, part of the Orchard Street Ravine project at 38th Ave. SW has been delayed due to design and project budget issues. Seattle Parks and Recreation remains committed to completing a through-trail from the street end at 38th Ave. SW to the existing lower loop trail at Orchard Street Ravine. To keep the project within its budget, Parks is proposing a new design for completing the through-trail, and would like to discuss the trail option with you at an open house at the lower loop trail site from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, October 4. This trail follows work done in the Pedestrian Connection Trail Feasibility Study and will link the upper and lower neighborhoods.
Here’s a map to Orchard Street Ravine.
First one we got a half-hour or so ago, we were mulling over how to handle. Then came the second one. That suggests a trend – so here are two reader reports of pushy door-to-door folks out in southwest West Seattle (Gatewood and Fauntleroy) tonight:Read More
This Saturday morning, if you get to a certain Gatewood address in time, you will score one (or more) of those repurposed buckets, planted with winter veggies, for … believe it or not … $5 each. So says the Urban Land Army, in announcing its Bucket Brigade. Here’s how Sandy Pederson explains it:
Where and when, you ask? 3726 SW Austin (map), 9 am-noon this Saturday. (Side note: Their site points to Not-Just-For-Profit; our fellow small/sustainable businesspeople may want to check it out.) AFTERNOON UPDATE: Sandy says KOMO Radio saw this item and called for an interview, so you may hear her on AM 1000.Bucket Brigade is a project of West Seattle-based Urban Land Army (www.urbanlandarmy.com), a new local business and website that connects urbanites who want to become more self-sufficient and improve the health of their neighborhood. Growing more of our own food and reducing waste is a big focus, and Bucket Brigade lets us do both!
The buckets are donated by a local westside bakery, Little Rae’s Bakery. They are sturdy, food-safe containers, but they cannot be recycled in Seattle, so we have rescued them from the landfill and planted them up for the people! We have cooking buckets with swiss chard, kale, Pac Choi, beet greens, mustards, and Chinese Cabbage, and Fresh Eats buckets with 3 kinds of lettuce and spinach. All of these plants can be harvested through the winter and are easy to care for (but we have instructions just in case!). They are perfect for people in apartments or condos, fun for kids, and for those who just love a good veggie bucket.
Thanks to Brian for sending that photo of tonight’s sunset, taken from Fauntleroy. Here’s one we got from Gatewood:
FIRST UPDATE: Unless you live in the Gatewood vicinity – maybe even if you do – you may not ever have laid eyes on the Orchard Street Ravine, a lovely little oasis that’s way up the eastward Orchard Street hill, at the dead end of its northern fork (map). It’s a Pro Parks Levy project that’s been enhanced with tons of volunteer help through Friends of Orchard Street Ravine (including a work party this past weekend), and now it’s been announced that the city will officially dedicate Orchard Street Ravine with a ceremony and celebration on October 11. Details from the Morgan Community Association bulletin:
The ravine is in the second year of restoration and the trail connecting to the upper neighborhood will be opened at this event. Music, food, displays and information are all part of the celebration, with the official program beginning at 12:30. Parking at the site will be limited to disabled parking and dropoff only, so please plan to walk or bike to the event site.
SECOND UPDATE: We move on to another West Seattle greenbelt, where this Friday is your next chance for a free hike like this one:
That’s Nancy Whitlock of the Nature Consortium, explaining the sights and sounds of the West Duwamish Greenbelt to the group (including two WSB Team members – here’s our report) that joined her on the May version of its free monthly hikes through the WDG. You can join the next one, 1-2:30 pm this Friday, meet at the 14th SW/SW Holly trailhead (map) – but please RSVP first, 206-923-0853 or e-mail lisa@naturec.org – it’s a fairly easy walk, suitable for just about anyone. THIRD UPDATE: Chas Redmond, who co-shepherded the first-ever West Seattle Walking Trails map, sends word that the next phase of making West Seattle more walkable is a planning session to which YOU are invited — 10 am-noon October 18, Camp Long Lodge. What’s to be planned, you ask? Among other things, the deployment of 100,000 city dollars to install signs along the proposed West Seattle Trail Network (which is featured in the WSWT map) – 60 signs and 10 kiosks.
(more photos added to the bottom of this post late Friday night – scroll down)
Thanks to Rebecca for the tip. Holden is blocked for a few blocks starting at 41st and heading east; the first officer we saw at the scene said simply, “Drug raid.” We’re gathering more information; stand by. 4:14 PM UPDATE: Added photo of police vehicles near the scene; cropped it closely because we have no idea whether there is some sort of standoff involved, and it’s always been SOP not to publish anything during a standoff that might alert someone to the position of police at the scene. 4:21 PM UPDATE: Witnesses tell us one person was “taken away” by officers shortly after this all started 45 minutes or so ago. 4:32 PM UPDATE: The street’s open again now, though there are still officers outside the house where the “raid” apparently happened. We’re checking for additional information. 4:37 PM UPDATE: Lt. Norm James confirms one suspect arrested, but can’t elaborate beyond the fact this is a drug case; he says police are just wrapping up administrative-type details on scene now. ADDED LATE FRIDAY NIGHT: Thanks to Brian Hartman from photoelan.com for these photos taken as police moved in:
That garden along SW Rose in Gatewood was one of 10 stops today on the first-ever Edible Gardens of West Seattle tour, presented by Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle. That view looks west down Rose, with Puget Sound in the distance – notice the garden’s in the “parking strip” (which is adjacent property owners’ responsibility to maintain). We talked with one of the gardeners, who tells us in this video clip that the garden’s good for more than food:
The tour was free (locations were listed on the online map). Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle is best known for organizing volunteer help to harvest fruit from trees where it otherwise might go to waste; to find out how to help with harvests, or how to “donate” the yield of your tree(s), check the CHoSS website.
This just out of the WSB inbox, from Desiree:
I had a terrible thing happen to me yesterday and I want to share it with others so the same thing does not happen to them. I live in West Seattle at Southern St and 35th Ave SW. While I was mowing my lawn yesterday (Wednesday) a thief entered my home through the basement utility room. He stole my purse, jug of change ($80) and my mother’s engagement ring (not replaceable). After I finished mowing the front lawn I walked the lawn mower down the side of the home and into my driveway where there was a beat-up black BMX bike on the sidewalk at the end of my driveway. I though, gosh that’s a big bike for the kids to be riding and thought nothing more about it. After I put the lawn mower away and turned around I noticed the bike was gone. This was maybe a minute from when I had just walked by the bike.
When I realized my purse was missing I headed straight to the bank where I was told by the bank representative that already the thief had tested my debit card at the ARCO station. When the police arrived and learned of my situation they shared with me that this has been happening in the area from the south to the Admiral District. Mostly these “Opportunists” are looking for elderly people working in their yards, which is a good opportunity to enter the home, according to the police officer. A running lawn mower is an excellent indication for a thief to know of ones whereabouts. I really never thought I’d have to lock my door while I’m doing choirs around the home.
I spoke to the neighbors and the little boy saw a man arrive on his black bicycle with black clothing and dark skin. The boy saw him on my deck. Which was a very scary thing since you can only get on the deck from the upstairs kitchen door. The boy saw the man crawl over the deck…the boy thought it was my husband. With the boy witnessing the man’s actions, it helped me put together what really happened and how the thief entered and exited my home.
I think this information is very important so please post it as a reminder for neighbors to be alert to their surrounding and be safety-conscious.
A related reminder: The neighborhood crime-fighting-awareness event Night Out is next Tuesday, and tomorrow is your last day to register your block, which gets you official permission to close it to traffic that evening, so you can have a block party. Here’s how to register. (And if you’re having a Night Out event, and wouldn’t mind us dropping by to get a picture and say hi, please let us know where and when – this is the type of community event we love to celebrate in WSB coverage.)
Out for a walk tonight, we passed the west edge of the Gatewood Elementary playground along Fauntleroy, saw kids on the new play structure (recent photo above), and wondered if we were late to discover that it was finally unfenced and ready for use. Turns out, not so — moments later, we got e-mail from Steve White, announcing … the construction fence just came down today and the play structure is open! This is the culmination of a long process of planning, fundraising, and volunteer work (remember the goats?); a formal dedication/celebration isn’t expected, Steve says, till after the new school year starts.
Susan on Gatewood Hill is looking for advice:
Does anyone have a good deterrent for raccoons? Obviously, having a water garden with tasty plants and potable water is an attraction, we admit. What we’d like to know is if anyone has had success with the predator pee, or cayenne powder, or other “scentual” deterrents. These photos were taken last night.
We’ve chronicled the community dreaming, planning, and working that led to this point – now the Gatewood Elementary play structure (chosen just a couple months ago) is up and just a few finishing touches remain till it will be ready for kids to use. Next one happens tomorrow morning – see the pile of wood chips at the right side of the picture? Starting at 9 am tomorrow, show up and you’ll likely be handed a shovel to use to dig in. Next week, a little more work remains to be done before the school district can give it a final inspection and then hopefully thumbs-up for the fence to come down.
Thanks to Joe for the tip. This is at Jan’s Salon at California/Frontenac (map). The driver is OK and says he missed the corner swerving to avoid something or someone. Nobody was in the beauty shop because it hadn’t opened yet; we’re told the owner has been called and is on the way – we’ll check back in with them a little bit later. Looks like significant damage to at least this corner of the salon:
(Updated 8:44 am to add the Gatewood report)
First, from Karla:
It’s 12:48 a.m. and my husband, son and I just got through cleaning up the two dozen eggs that were thrown at our house at approximately 12:30 p.m. We live just across from the Admiral Lookout — when I heard the first few eggs hit, I saw a boy approximately 17 years old in a black sweatshirt and black pants run north on 36th Avenue SW and then around the corner on Olga. I ran downstairs to tell my son who ran out our garage and saw some teenagers drive off in a black car. My husband saw the black car from our upstairs bedroom window as well. Just wanted to give everyone in our neighborhood a heads up.
Hours later, from Chris:
Just thought I’d write in about some vandalism that happened last night on Rose Street in Gatewood between 39th and 41st Avenues. It looks like someone drove up the street with a baseball bat, breaking all the drivers’ side mirrors on cars parked along the north side of the street. A neighbor of mine said he heard it happen around 2:30 Saturday morning. I don’t know if other streets were hit as well.
Two citywide-media reports you can find in the More page roundup include stories first reported here a while back:
TOWNHOUSE “MICROPERMITTING”: Discussed here extensively in January (original report here; followup here) as well as in many previous individual development reports. Featured in today’s Times, including a spotlight for local activist Vlad Oustimovitch. The project he talks about is the one across from the former Gatewood Baptist Church (now Seattle International), which we documented here as it unfolded starting in November 2006, including the intensifying controversy when work began in February 2007, and the last chapter in the fight (plus a last look at one of those historic buildings behind the project) in July 2007.
COUNTERFEIT MONEY: The bogus bills that we told you about almost two months ago when they turned up at two Junction businesses have now also turned up in a tv story.
Just in from Pam of Nerd’s Eye View:
We were walking back from the Farmers Market today and saw a swarm of bees in the hedge along California in front of the church at Cali and Othello, right here in Gatewood. I figured if anyone knew of a West Seattle beekeeper, this would be the place to find them – the keeper, not the bees.
The bees are placid enough. I don’t know much about bees, but they showed no interest in us and look to be of the fuzzy honey making variety, not the waspy kind that built a nest in our friends’ house.
Beekeepers, go get ’em. Those allergic might want to walk on the East side of Cali at Othello in Gatewood.
Bzzzz.
Anybody have expertise in this? Leave ’em … bee? (P.S. If the woodpecker reference in the headline seems out of context, look here.)
The new Land Use Information Bulletin from the city (published twice weekly; you can sign up in the right sidebar here to get it by e-mail) has several projects of West Seattle interest this time. We wanted to call attention here to three of them: First, in Admiral, the official notice of the Southwest Design Review Board meeting in two weeks for 2743 California SW (we told you about it a week ago when it turned up on the city website). Second, in Gatewood, looks like a plan is in the works for the building just west of Seattle International Church, 7148 44th SW, which was used as a school when Gatewood Baptist Church owned it (and was offered for sale separate from the church in fall 2006); here’s the city project page, which says the use is changing to “artist studios.” Third, after two “early design guidance” SWDRB meetings, the official land-use application is in for Spring Hill, BlueStar‘s proposed six-story mixed-use building at 5020 California (most recent WSB coverage here).
Perhaps an auspicious sign for the Gatewood Elementary School “Operation Imagination” playground-project progress — we saw that rainbow over the school’s east end as we arrived to check out the start of tonight’s meeting (previewed here Monday).
Parent volunteers and others gathered in the cafeteria, where their meeting began with a presentation of the plan for the “big toy” that will be the centerpiece of the play area:Read More
That’s how one parent volunteer describes the feeling now that construction of Gatewood Elementary‘s playground project is getting closer, after 3-plus years of hard work. What you see above was part of that hard work — the well-attended “Kids for Kids” event featuring ivy-munching goats (WSB video coverage here) last October. The next step in the work comes this Wednesday night — a community meeting at 6:30 pm in the Gatewood cafeteria. White says, “The purpose of this meeting is to make final decisions on the new play structure! We are now down to picking individual elements that will make up the toy, colors, extra features, etc. so that we can get our order placed and get this project done!” He also points out that not only has this resulted from endless hours of volunteer work but also from a $90,000 grant from the city Department of Neighborhoods and a $30,000 grant from the county Parks Department. So it’s truly a community project — even if you don’t have a child at Gatewood, the playground is a neighborhood resource/attraction, so you’re welcome to be there Wednesday night and have a say. (See the Gatewood site master plan here.)
Thanks to Matt for sending this alert circulated on a Gatewood list:
“We received two emails from folks around Heights Place SW & 41st Ave SW (2 blocks east of California; area shown on map at left) and both had cars broken into last night. One just rummaged through glove box but the other had a checkbook stolen. One also reported their neighbor had his SUV stolen last week.”
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