West Seattle, Washington
03 Friday
From Bob and Bruce:
Overnight, about 3:45 a.m., coyotes were heard yipping and yodeling in the Eddy St. ravine JUST west of California Ave. (Basically behind the soon to be Morgan Junction Park. Owners of outdoor pets need to be aware that this is still a “shared environment” and quite near Lincoln Park’s wild spaces.
That would likely be not far from where this coyote photo/video report originated.
From Kay McMillan, who says kids are on the waiting list for the Summer Reading Program at High Point – you can help make that list shorter:
The Youth Tutoring Program is looking for tutors in West Seattle for our Summer Reading Program!
The Summer Reading Program is a seven-week literacy-intensive program for students in grades 1-6 who are below grade level in reading. Trainings for new tutors will be held the week of June 16th. Tutoring starts June 23rd and runs through July 31st.
YTP is a non-profit tutoring program that provides one-on-one academic support to students living in low-income housing. We operate five tutoring centers throughout the city. We are in great need of volunteer tutors at our High Point tutoring center located on 35th Ave. SW in West Seattle.
Tutors commit to one evening per week for two hours and work with one student at a time on reading and writing. Available sessions are Monday through Thursday from 5:30-7:30 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-5 pm
Many of our students cannot get the literacy help they need at home and depend on our tutors for academic support!
Tutoring starts June 23rd so apply today at www.ccsww.org/ytp or call 206-328-5659.
Two notes: First, Chas Redmond says a few more spots have the new West Seattle Trails walking map, if you’re looking for a (free!) copy — Alki Kayak Tours at Seacrest, Atomic Boys in Admiral, and the city’s Delridge Neighborhood Office. Full distribution list is online at westseattlewalks.org. Second, you probably heard about a new website scoring Seattle neighborhoods by walkability; if you haven’t already seen the WSB Forums discussion about it, here’s the topic we opened this morning.
Also from last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting: The board agreed to support a proposal by members Sherry and Ron Richardson, to request signage along Fauntleroy Way asking drivers to turn off their engines while waiting, to reduce fuel use, noise, and pollution.
Three quick updates in the fight over where the city might build a potential new jail for misdemeanor offenders (it’s announced 4 sites as finalists, and 2 of them are in southeast West Seattle): First, the city’s added another page to its informational web site — the new Frequently Asked Questions page features its answers to some of the questions it’s received. Second, two more neighborhood groups discussed their positions on the issue last night; the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s board “voiced its opposition to the siting of jails in residential areas on the basis of land-use planning policy and the unnecessary costs and logistics of inmate transfers and lack of access to services needed by inmates (legal, bail, and city services),” according to Lynn Olson; meantime, we were at the Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting as members considered whether to sign on to a letter officially opposing the sites, and it’s decided to abstain for now. Third, the 34th District Democrats will discuss the jail-sites fight at their regular monthly meeting tonight, 7 pm, The Hall @ Fauntleroy.
#1: Delridge Library is a “homework help” hotspot all school year long. 5:30 tonight, you’re invited to go thank the volunteers who’ve provided that help, and celebrate the impending end of the school year.
#2: Westwood Neighborhood Council gets a Denny/Sealth project update tonight, 7 pm, Southwest Community Center, and also plans to take up the issue of those two city-jail sites proposed for southeast West Seattle.
#3: Admiral Neighborhood Association gets updates on projects including a potential playground proposal, 7 pm, Admiral UCC.
#4: Fauntleroy Community Association — monthly meeting night for FCA too, 7 pm, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse.
Many more West Seattle events, stretching from tonight well into next year, are on our frequently updated Events page.
In late April, we showed you those early designs for “wayfinding kiosks” as part of the West Seattle Trails project; it’s been about a week since distribution started for the walking map that’s also part of the project. This weekend, Chas Redmond confirmed to WSB that he’s just received a letter from city Department of Neighborhoods director Stella Chao with notification that the first phase of the project “has been recommended for an award of $99,916” from the Neighborhood Matching Fund – the full amount that was being sought for the first round of kiosks. The City Neighborhood Council will review that recommendation at a meeting down a week from tomorrow; the mayor’s office then review it before forwarding it to the City Council for approval, which should happen by the end of September. Redmond says this “is a very big plus for the project.” (More background here.)
After we mentioned Wednesday night that the date has been set for the long-awaited cleanup along Fauntleroy from Walking on Logs to 35th, people started asking how to sign up. Nancy Driver, who announced the date at that night’s Southwest District Council meeting, has posted this followup comment, and we’re highlighting it here in case you didn’t check back on the original report:
The Fairmount Community Association, in conjunction with the West Seattle Neighborhood Service Center (Dept. of Neighborhoods) is organizing a major clean up of the green area from the Walking on Logs sculptures up to the intersection of Fauntleroy and 35th. The date for the clean up is SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th. The City of Seattle will be providing equipment, tools and assistance but this clean up is a substantial project and we will need lots of volunteers. Additional details will be posted on the WS Blog in the coming weeks. If you are interested in helping out with this project, please email your name, email address and phone number to ndriver@quidnunc.net. This will be a fun event and a chance to help beautify your community so get your name on the volunteer list and mark your calendar.
From the WSB inbox (an update on a program we first reported 2 1/2 months ago):
Since late March, nearly fifty meals have been provided by community members for the 20 men staying at the SHARE shelter at the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene! Thank you to all those who have participated. The meal schedule is looking pretty empty these days, though. Please consider providing a breakfast or dinner this summer. Once, once in awhile, or a regular commitment—all offers are gratefully appreciated. Please see westseattlemeals.airset.com for more information and for open dates on the calendar. Folks who have questions or want to provide a meal should contact Donna Pierce with:
· the date(s) you’d like to provide a meal
· plans for delivery
· your phone number and e-mail addressThank you for your generosity and willingness to help others at a difficult time in their lives.
From tonight’s monthly meeting of the Southwest District Council, which includes representatives of neighborhood associations and other major organizations in the area of West Seattle that the city considers the “Southwest District” (map of all “districts” here):
HELP CLEAN UP A MAJOR GATEWAY TO WEST SEATTLE: It’s been discussed here before, and now the date is set: The volunteer cleanup from 35th/Fauntleroy to “Walking on Logs” is set for Sept. 13, as announced at tonight’s meeting by Nancy Driver. Mark your calendar!
WATER TAXI RIDERSHIP UP: King County Councilmember Dow Constantine attended tonight’s meeting and provided a quick preview of recent ridership stats — Elliott Bay Water Taxi operation: Through the middle of May, readership is up 17 percent over last year. (We’re expecting the full May stats soon.) Two factors are considered to be in play — higher gas prices and higher Water Taxi awareness.
RAPIDRIDE REACTION: With the latest news about West Seattle RapidRide (WSB coverage here), Constantine got an earful of concerns about the latest details on the forthcoming bus service. He promised to report the concerns to Metro leadership and his colleagues.
VIADUCT MEETING: The Southwest and Delridge District Councils plan to discuss the latest on The Viaduct at their next joint meeting, coming up in September.
JAIL-SITES FIGHT: Monday night’s Highland Park meeting on the jail sites (WSB coverage here) was summarized, and new Highland Park Action Committee chair Dorsol Plants spoke to the SWDC and asked the council to write a letter expressing concern about the two proposed West Seattle sites; council reps agreed to do that and are consulting their respective organizations. Councilmember Constantine said that tomorrow is when he plans to introduce the proposal he mentioned at Monday night’s Highland Park meeting — proposing that the county extend its agreement to house cities’ misdemeanor offenders till a regional solution can be found, rather than having Seattle and other cities each pursue their own potential new jail sites. He says the county council’s Committee of the Whole, which he chairs, will get the proposal on Monday, with a hearing and action scheduled later. (If you missed it earlier, this morning the city announced dates for its public meetings on the jail sites – details here.)
That’s the flyer Highland Park residents are circulating for their next major meeting tomorrow to strategize their plan of action in response to the city’s list of potential misdemeanor-offender jail sites — two of which are in southeast West Seattle:
Tomorrow night’s meeting is a followup to the Highland Park Action Committee-called meeting two weeks ago (WSB coverage here). You’ll find a tentative agenda on this comprehensive special page that Dina Johnson has set up on the HPAC website regarding this issue; she says West Seattle’s State Rep. Sharon Nelson, one of the local leaders who’s expressed opposition to these sites, is expected at the meeting. The city website’s jail-project section has no official public meetings listed yet, though a spokesperson for the project told WSB two weeks ago that meeting dates/times would be announced “soon.” We’ll check on those meetings’ status before Monday night’s Highland Park gathering, which starts at 7 pm, HP Improvement Club (11th and Holden). Meantime, the city is continuing to accept comments through a form on this webpage. (Two more citizen meetings are ahead as well, and included on our Events list page: the 34th District Democrats are set to discuss the jail-sites issue at their monthly meeting June 11th, and another HPAC meeting is set for June 16th.)
“A.L.L.” stands for Art Lending Library, which is debuting at Delridge Day (under way till 4 pm at Youngstown Arts Center). We’re heading out and about to more of today’s events but thought we’d post that as well as this photo of Kore Ionz, one of the groups performing today (you’ll find fun outdoors as well as indoors @ Youngstown):
Lots more later, from this event and others (the West Seattle Weekend Lineup list has the full lowdown on everything that’s happening today — and tomorrow).
Out front at that Highland Park house, you see the start of a wheelchair ramp. This weekend, volunteers hope to finish renovating the house inside and out for the person who needs it, Addie Killam, a West Seattle native who is on a long road to recovery after a freak surfing injury (original WSB coverage here). They are asking for help with what they call “the big push” — in particular, anybody with hardwood-floor-refinishing experience. Full details on what’s needed, where, and when can be found on this site detailing the ongoing project.
The Seattle City Light tree-trimming that’s been under way for the past few months (WSB coverage here, here, and here) has sparked controversy and concern in a Fauntleroy neighborhood. Last week, resident John McNulty cc’d WSB on a complaint to the city and attached two photos including the one you see above, taken along SW Trenton, showing big cedar trees that he says were “badly damaged” by a trimming crew, and asking for a “public apology” to the neighborhood. We heard the next day from the owner of the property where one of the trees is located, Fred Fleischmann, who wrote, “The trimming they are doing this time is excessive and is destroying beautiful big old cedar trees that are irreplaceable.” Since then, we’ve been pursuing information from City Light, and got it today. The utility acknowledges one of the trees was trimmed too “aggressively” by an Asplundh crew which has since been removed from the contract. But the other tree’s a different story, according to the city – here’s everything we have found out:Read More
From High Point’s newly revamped website – word of a Seattle City Light alert that dozens of High Point addresses will be without power for about 10 hours starting at 7:30 tomorrow morning, because of transformer work. Here’s the alert, with a link to a list of addresses to be affected, all of whom already should have been directly notified by SCL.
That’s Alki resident Steve Cuddy, explaining to city planning reps tonight why a fence in front of the proposed 5-unit development at 59th/Stevens (city project page here) would dangerously limit visibility for people crossing 59th to Alki Playfield or Elementary. Neighbors gathered at the Admiral library branch for a meeting called because they gathered signatures to demand one.
We’ve told you before about the controversy over this development, most recently when it was discussed at last week’s Alki Community Council meeting (WSB coverage here). The lot is about 7500 square feet, with one single-family home on it now, and a plan to tear that down to make way for two houses plus a three-unit townhouse building:
Most neighbors say they’re not opposed to development at the site, but they have concerns about this plan. In addition to the visibility concerns discussed by Cuddy in the video clip above, they are worried about the shadows they say the 3-story buildings will cast on Alki Playfield and Playground, and they believe those shadows might be a violation of city codes. (See the codes by scrolling to section Q here; also, here’s a gallery of diagrams and photos collected by neighbors at this site, including photos showing how narrow the street can be; neighbor Laura Chassagne says it’s in effect a one-way street at many times of the day.) The alley to the west also is a concern (same one where we showed you then-newly installed speed-limit signs in January), with beach cruisers often using it as a shortcut, and fears that added housing units will mean added clutter with trash, recycling, and yard-waste containers. Another area resident, Steve Turpin, expressed further concerns about whether the existing house, built in 1925, has been assessed for possible toxics concerns when it’s torn down, given its proximity to the playground, playfield, and school. City planners will review this input before ruling on the proposal — you can send them comments by clicking the link next to “Public Involvement” atop this page. (Also worth noting again, the house and land, currently owned by West Seattle-based Cobb Construction, is back on the market.)
Thanks to Greg for sending word of the wood sculpture that he says has just emerged from beneath a tarp at 44th/Brandon. Here’s a wider shot:
Those are some of the 100-plus people who packed the Highland Park Improvement Club on Monday night to find out why two of the four potential city-jail sites are in their backyard (previous WSB coverage here), and to decide what to do about it. One revelation in a city rep’s presentation particularly galled them — hear about it, and see the map we made afterward, straight ahead:Read More
That’s an aerial view of the Fauntleroy Triangle, centering on Fauntleroy/Alaska, as shared by Harbor Properties during the Design Review Board meeting for two Junction projects — including theirs at 38th/Alaska — last month (WSB coverage here). Tomorrow night, a representative from HP will be among the participants as Sustainable West Seattle‘s monthly meeting focuses on “sustainable development” possibilities in the area. Here’s how SWS president Bill Reiswig describes what’s planned for the meeting:
Marshal Foster, local West Seattle citizen and urban planner, will share some models of sustainable development and describe the opportunity at Fountleroy/Alaska. Following this we will have a panel discussion that includes: Sean Sykes, Sustainability Officer, Harbor Properties; Jim Burton and Justin Fogle, NW Ecobuilding Guild; Derek Birnie, Executive Director, Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, and Dave Montoure, president of the West Seattle Junction Association and proprietor of West 5. Topics addressed will include: What is your vision of positive uses of this space for West Seattle? What are the challenges to realizing a sustainable vision? What are the key benefits for the neighborhood and city? What are the most sustainable elements that we should advocate for?
Sustainable West Seattle – the group behind the hugely successful SWS Festival in The Junction two weeks ago – meets tomorrow night at Camp Long, potluck snacks and beverages at 7 pm followed by the meeting at 7:30. (To review what’s currently planned, and up for sale, in the Triangle/Junction area, check our clickable map.)
Thanks to Eric for the tip that the Ercolini Park playground — built with work parties like this one we covered last month — was open for business today. Not sure if this was just a “soft launch” or what; we’ll be checking with project leaders. (Ercolini is just west of The Junction, at Alaska/48th.) 10:20 PM UPDATE: David Cagen from Friends of Ercolini Park clarifies, “Someone opened up the fencing on Friday and people filtered through all weekend. Nothing was official nor sanctioned, but people had a good time!”
Monday night’s Highland Park Action Committee meeting is likely to be lively – the agenda includes the city’s recent announcement of two jail sites almost literally in Highland Park’s back yard (click on the map above for exact addresses). While covering an unrelated event in Highland Park (neighborhood map) tonight, we received a copy of a bright yellow flyer neighbors are circulating, with text exhorting those concerned to “attend what may be the most important meeting for our revitalized neighborhood.” To recap – the city is deciding whether to build a jail for misdemeanor offenders, and a week and a half ago announced that the list of potential sites is down to four (WSB coverage here), including these two. A decision is expected later this year. A section of the city website is now devoted to this potential project (see it here) and the city has hired a consulting firm, The Keller Group, for public outreach; a representative, Cynthia Scheiderer, attended the Southwest District Council meeting in West Seattle shortly after the jail-sites announcement week before last. We checked with Scheiderer on Friday to see where things stand; she told us, “We’re working hard right now to get community meetings planned and scheduled; no dates/locations are set just yet but will be soon and we’ll keep you posted. … There will be multiple opportunities for people to attend meetings and they’ll be held June/July. Also, we’re happy to attend community meetings and provide handouts of the maps/information and take questions and comments.” She also provided us a contact on the city team working on the jail-site project, and we’ll be talking with them next week for another update. Meantime, the Highland Park Action Committee meeting is at 7 pm Monday, at the Highland Park Improvement Club, 11th & Holden (map); the HPAC website is at highlandpk.net; the city’s accepting comments/questions through this webpage.
(updated Friday morning with attachments/images re: 59th/Stevens project “shadow” concerns)
Steps away from the busy beachfront, Alki Community Council members gathered tonight for updates on several topics – most notably, police plans for helping Alki stay safe, and two hot development-related issues — read on:Read More
Thursday-night highlights from the frequently updated WSB Events page:
“TASTE OF WEST SEATTLE”: Tonight at The Hall @ Fauntleroy, it’s the annual Taste of West Seattle benefiting West Seattle Helpline. On the menu: dishes from restaurants around West Seattle. 6-8:30 pm; check with Helpline (website here) for ticket availability.
SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ STRATEGIC PLAN: The district’s working on one and asking for your help. A round of public meetings is part of the process, and there’s one tonight in the West Seattle High School Commons, 7 pm.
ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Tonight’s ACC agenda (7 pm, Alki Community Center) includes two hot topics — the forthcoming proposal to change the city’s rules for multifamily developments (as previewed in WSB coverage here) and the 59th/Stevens development proposal across from Alki Elementary (that proposal also will be the subject of its own meeting a week from tonight).
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