Engine 37 firefighters check out hot deals at Gatewood bake sale
It’s the little surprises that make life fun – like, when neighborhood heroes stop by your bake sale. Cori from Gatewood just e-mailed to share that photo (editor@westseattleblog.com) and explained, “Thanks to the firefighters of Station 37, who took time out to stop at a bake sale put on yesterday by some neighborhood kids. They were so great and it gave the kids such a thrill!” Inbetween fighting fires and crimes, local firefighters and police officers do spend a lot of time involved in community activities large and small – which reminds us that you probably need another reminder to sign up for your Night Out close-the-street block party August 4 – local public-safety personnel are known to make the rounds that night too. Sign up here before the July 31st deadline.
Bike lane just added to south stretch of California SW
Much of the main south stretch of California SW, from south of Morgan Junction up toward the Gatewood/Fauntleroy border at SW Thistle (map), not only has received bicycle-awareness “sharrows” in the past week-plus, but now also of this weekend has a bicycle lane, mostly in the southbound/uphill direction. (The bike lane ends at SW Ida [map], which is also where the Route 22 bus turns.) Striping crews have been working night and weekend hours in the past several days — they first moved the center line a few feet east, where it’s now marked by reflective yellow “turtles” (so many of which had come off during last winter’s snow/ice/sanding), and then the bike lane appeared. The West Seattle section of the citywide Bicycle Master Plan (see it here) does not call for a bike lane in this area – bike lanes are marked by broken dark-blue lines, sharrows by light turquoise, and this stretch is marked only with the latter (here’s a screen grab; link to the full plan is here):
We’ll be checking with SDOT tomorrow about the appearance of the bike lane and if bike lanes are on the drawing board anywhere else in West Seattle that’s not included in the Master Plan. (In the plan, the stretch of Fauntleroy that’s getting a bike lane as part of the “rechannelization” following the current road-rebuilding/repaving work is coded in the plan as “more study needed.”)
West Seattle Crime Watch: Neighbors scare off would-be thief
Just in from Regina, who says this happened early Monday morning:
We live on Gatewood Hill – 38th off of Morgan [map]. Around 3:45 I awoke to the sound of people talking in what seemed to be my yard. I woke from a deep sleep and thought maybe it was a dream. Looking out the window I saw a white male about 6 ft tall, dressed in a black tank top and black pants, muscular, pacing up and down the street. We all know the neighbors and this agitated person didn’t belong. Then I heard shots.
Turned out the shots were him smashing the glass to pieces on a neighbor’s car with nothing in it. Other neighbors who had just returned from the airport yelled and gave pursuit of him and his getaway vehicle. The car with his friend fled one way, the dressed-in-black thug the other.
We believe he was trying to steal the car as it was the cheapest on the block, clearly had no alarms and there was nothing in it visible to be stolen. Police tried to find him, but the thug is gone. Watch out. This happened between 3:45 and 4:10 am on Monday.
Sharrow-painting soon on Gatewood stretch of California SW
First of 2 road-work updates we have for you this afternoon: During Sustainable West Seattle‘s Bike-A-Palooza meeting in April (WSB coverage here), city rep Gina Coffman mentioned one of the next WS road stretches to get sharrows would be California SW between Fauntleroy and Thistle, and indeed, the prep work has begun: They’ve been roughed out this week along part of that stretch in Gatewood; we took the photo on the northbound side at Holden (map). “Sharrows” (full explanation here) indicate road stretches which bicyclists and drivers are supposed to share and have already been painted on several West Seattle arterials; to see where else they’re scheduled to go in the future, check the city’s Bicycle Master Plan – specifically, this map section (zoomable) shows what’s planned/proposed for West Seattle streets.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Another Gatewood two-time target
From Laura, who lives along Othello in Gatewood (vicinity map):
Wanted to let you know that my car (2008 RAV4) was victimized for the second time in two weeks. Sometime between 10 p.m. (Sunday) night and (Monday) at noon, the rear windshield was shattered. It wasn’t broken out, so the thieves/vandals didn’t get anything — this time.
Last week, several cars on our street were tossed. My navigation system was stolen. I unintentionally left the car unlocked and they got the GPS. This time, nothing was stolen but the damage is far greater. In hindsight, I wish I had left it unlocked. Other neighbors had their car entered and rummaged….
As we’ve reported here before, police say GPS’s are particularly prized by car prowlers, who will even be drawn to a hint of a GPS, like a suction cup on a windshield.
Video: “Tour de Revs” visits Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood
Three Lutheran ministers on one bamboo bicycle, traveling cross-country to fight hunger: They’re the Tour de Revs, receiving an enthusiastic welcome tonight as they rolled up to Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood (with PLC’s Pastor Erik Kindem leading them in), midway through a 100-day tour. Yes, we said “bamboo” bicycle:
They’re bicycling to fight hunger around the globe, and reps from our area’s hunger-fighting agencies were on hand, including Pete Spalding from the West Seattle Food Bank board of directors and Audrey Zemke (below) from the White Center Food Bank:
One of the Revs, the Rev. Dr. Fred Soltow from Shepherdstown, West Virginia (here are the bios of all three), talked about where they’ve been and where they’re going:
After tonight’s block party (till 8 pm if you see this before then), the Revs and others planned to head downhill from Peace Lutheran toward Lincoln Park for a sunset ride.
Update: Gatewood block party Thursday welcomes “Tour de Revs”
If you drive Thistle between California and Delridge, you’ve probably noticed that banner outside Peace Lutheran Church. We first reported June 6 about the Tour de Revs heading this way — three Lutheran ministers on one special bicycle, pedaling around the country to fight global hunger — and now we’ve got an update on the street party/barbecue that Peace Lutheran is planning for their visit 6-8 pm Thursday — Kristie says everyone’s invited to a barbecue, and to ride with the “Revs” afterward:
We’ve officially been granted the permit for this all-invited Block Party featuring the three cycling Revs on the bamboo bike designed by well-known eco-bike maker Craig Calfee … Bring a donation for the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks and something to share. Picnic fare available. Ride with the Revs and hear about their cross-country journey! 6-8 pm, ride following.
Peace Lutheran is at 39th/Thistle (map). You can read all about the Tour de Revs (and see their unique three-person bicycle) at their website – including this section with frequent updates.
Summer science score: UW robotics trailblazer, Gatewood girls
Editor’s note: Back in February, we took that photo when the Robotics Team from Gatewood Elementary visited Yoky Matsuoka, director of the Neurobotics program at the University of Washington. Now, two members of the team will get to work more closely with Matsuoka and her colleagues – here’s the story:
By Kathy Mulady
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Chatting with Sophia Gut (left) and Emma Atkinson about bio-robotics and ultra-sonic sensors, it is easy to forget that the two Gatewood Elementary School students are just 10 years old.
The girls share a passion for building robots.
Both have been invited to spend a week this summer at the University of Washington laboratory of Yoky Matsuoka, an associate professor of neurobotics who is developing a lifelike robotic arm connected to the human brain.
Read More
Update: Police search in Gatewood area
Thanks to those who’ve e-mailed about a police search under way on the east side of Gatewood – west of 35th, centering around SW Kenyon. There is a report of possible shots fired but there is no report of a shooting victim at this point. A K-9 unit is involved in the search and has followed tracks to a building on 35th SW. 10:49 PM UPDATE: Commenter says the shots were heard at 34th/Kenyon (map). Still no indication on 911 log of any actual shooting victim. Sounds like the search trail is stalling.
Got gardenable land? Need some? Urban Land Army needs YOU!
Let no potential garden go ungardened! Gatewood gardener Sandy from Urban Land Army sends word of the new project Land Link, which is looking for YOU:
www.urbanlandarmy.com. To contact us with questions: hq@urbanlandarmy.com
Sandy adds, “I will also be starting a series on the Urban Land Army blog next week called ‘Grow It Yourself: The First Season.’ From my Gatewood test garden, I’ll walk people through how to grow 5 vegetables and 5 herbs – from ripping out the lawn to seeding and harvesting and preserving. Complete with photos, video, and fun reading!”
West Seattle Crime Watch: Gatewood hit-run, carjacking attempt
View Larger Map
Bizarre “series of events,” as Officer Jeff Kappel described it, late last night in Gatewood. Here’s how Kappel, who’s with the Seattle Police media unit, tells the story: It started around 41st and SW Monroe (blue marker in map above) just after 10 pm with a report of a hit-and-run crash. The car responsible for that crash, a silver 1999 Honda Civic, went on to California/Ida, five blocks away (red marker in map above), where the woman driving that car — which turns out to have been stolen — abandoned it and tried to carjack another woman. She didn’t succeed, and ran away. Police seached the area, but as of Kappel’s official report, filed around midnight, hadn’t found her. He describes her as “an Asian female in her 20s, in a gray and red sweatsuit, wearing a whistle,” apparently around her neck. The victim of the carjacking attempt was not reported to have been hurt; no word if the would-be carjacker had a weapon. We’re checking with police this morning for any more followup on this.
Orchard Street Ravine gets Valentine’s Day love: 350 new plants!
In Gatewood, neighbors and friends spent part of Valentine’s Day working to give nature a helping hand in one of West Seattle’s semi-hidden greenbelt treasures, Orchard Street Ravine (map). Among them, Morgan Community Association‘s Cindi Barker, who shared these photos and a quick report:
We had a very successful day planting in the Orchard Street Ravine. Nearly 20 people turned out and worked their tails off for 4 hours to get 350-plus plants into the ground. Half of the plants were donated by the Green Seattle Partnership, the others were purchased with the last of the ProParks Levy funding allocated for the ravine and trail project. Many of the plants that went in today were bareroot native trees, to complement the understory plants put in before Christmas. Today’s weather was much more enjoyable than during that frigid planting party! The remaining blackberry thickets seen in the boundary areas will remain for a year or so to provide ground cover for the wildlife, until the new plants are established and spread out. We’ve had madrona trees grow over 3 feet in one year, so this is a rich environment for native species. Remember that future work parties will be on the second Saturday of the month, from 9:00 to 1:00.
Science+math=fun: Meet the Gatewood Elementary robotics team
(From left, students “Skate,” “Crash,” “K-Mart,” “Bubbles,” “Splat,” “Pie,” “Gears,” and “Panic,” with robots Trek, No Name, Wall-E, and Robo – the stuffed monkey at middle is Swinger)
One of the West Seattle schools scheduled to get a significant influx of new students as a result of last night’s closure vote is Gatewood Elementary. Just so happens, hours before the vote, we were visiting Gatewood at the invitation of Erik Christensen, who volunteers with its Robotics Team. What? You thought robotics was mostly for older kids? No way! These young creators are working with a Lego-based system, in a setup like this:
The Gatewood Robotics Team meets after school on Thursday afternoons; its members are getting ready for a big outing to the UW next week, so we stopped by in advance to meet the students (who wanted to be known by their “robot-building” nicknames) and their robots, and thought you’d like to meet them too. (If you’re school-shopping for next year, by the way, Gatewood has tours coming up in the next few weeks; dates/times are listed here; the full tour list for Seattle Public Schools can be found atop our Events page.)
West Seattle Weather Watch: Power outage explained
By size, within the scope of a big-city system, it was considered a “small” outage – but given that it happened in subfreezing weather, the outage last night in Gatewood/Morgan Junction was huge for hundreds of families. We just talked with Scott Thomsen at Seattle City Light, who explained the cause of the three-hour outage, why it took so long to fix, and why that area seems to be hit by outages frequently: “The area that was affected is served by a 4-kilovolt line – that’s some of the oldest wire in the system – standard (nowadays) is 26 kilovolts.” Scott adds that this is one of some “small pockets” in the city still served by that wire, and what went wrong is that it’s not made to handle the kind of demand placed on it when the temperature went way down and the heat went way up. It took crews a while to figure out the problem: “Ultimately they discovered the relays set up to deliver energy into that area were not set up to handle the increased load demand … as people were keeping their heat on. … So it kept cutting out, and tripping the breaker, and finally went out. They wound up feeding the electricity into that area in a different route to keep it from tripping the breaker, and they will keep that in place for as long as (the cold weather continues).” He says upgrading lines like that is part of the infrastructure investment called for in City Light’s five-year plan, but it’s not cheap – it would require new cable and new transformers – so if you live in that area and are tired of repeated outages, you might want to let the City Council know, since they ultimately hold the purse strings.
Every building tells a story: Got any stories about this one?
View Larger Map
“Minxie” first posted about this in the WSB Forums – looking for more people with stories to tell about that beautiful 82-year-old brick apartment building in Gatewood, at 7101 California SW. (If you’ve been to Caffe Ladro, or Gatewood Elementary, you’ve probably noticed this at the California/Myrtle corner. That’s the Google Street View above; conventional map linked here.)
Your memories, thoughts and history are needed! … It is an amazing group of folks that live here & we treasure our building and little corner community. Almost everyone I meet knows our building as well, and has stories to share. I’m gathering everything I can about the building’s past – personal memories, pictures, history, rumors, former residents, any contribution at all. Nothing is too minute or inconsequential. For instance, I recently met someone from outside Seattle, and when conversation turned to where I live, he exclaimed “I know that building! I would walk past it every day on my way to school. I loved it!” He had lived in WS 20+ yrs ago and still remembered. So cool.
My request to y’all is twofold 1) Of course, to preserve history, and 2) Holiday gifts! I’m compiling everything I can to make memory books for my fellow neighbors and landlords (who rock!) this holiday season.
The building has its own page in the city historical archives, but it has only a black/white photo and little more. (We originally found it when writing about a change on that corner in summer 2006.) In a followup exchange, Minxie also told us:
The owners, Galina and Lance Betz, have done a *phenomenal job* in not only preserving the building’s character but in fostering the community we have here. They really are West Seattle heroes IMO. Plus, they are doggie friendly, and I can’t tell you how great it is to have impromptu doggie meet-ups throughout the day, where we neighbors chat and the pups play.
If you have any stories/info/memorabilia to share about 7101 California SW, please e-mail Minxie at: 7104caliavegalore@gmail.com
Election ’08: The final hours pre-Election Day
That sign in a Gatewood apartment window says it all. Still need info – where to go, what to do, who’s on the ballot? County Elections’ online HQ here; WSB Elections page here. If you take pix or video of voting/election-related happenings tomorrow, or have something else to say, please send it – all day and all night, we will be chronicling Election Day ’08 in West Seattle, with words and pictures (and results after 8 pm), as it happens.
Happening right now: Kenney bazaar/bake sale; Earth Summit
Fresh pies and Christmas bunny, spotted at The Kenney‘s holiday bazaar/bake sale, which continues till 4 pm today and then again tomorrow, 10 am-4 pm. To the east, across Fauntleroy SW, Gatewood Elementary is awash in greenery today for Earth Summit III, continuing till 3 pm – we popped by a little while ago to have a look at some brand-new trees and the people getting ready to plant them:
Last year during Earth Summit II, kids from Gatewood and other West Seattle schools planted trees with the help of a Nobel laureate (WSB coverage here).
| 5 COMMENTS