West Seattle, Washington
05 Wednesday
What’s up with the HALA Mandatory Housing Affordability rezoning proposal right now – besides doorhangers in urban villages? That’s one of the topics set for tomorrow night’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting, 6:30 pm at the Senior Center/Sisson Building (4217 SW Oregon). JuNO director René Commons says other topics will include an update on the SDOT review of a Restricted Parking Zone application filed by a Junction resident, as well as updates on the Fauntleroy Boulevard project (now that the walking tours are past), a “Greenspace Park/Library/Community Center Plan for the West Seattle Junction,” and the future of the Avalon Substation site.
Three stretches of West Seattle streets are due for new sidewalks this year, as shown on the map above, made public as Mayor Murray spotlighted the city’s updated Pedestrian Master Plan today.
*35th SW in Arbor Heights between 100th and 106th adds to the sidewalks built north of there 5 years ago
*Arbor Heights also will get a block of sidewalk along SW 104th between 35th and 36th, just east of AH Elementary
*In Delridge, sidewalks are on the way to SW Orchard between Myrtle and Dumar
Today’s full announcement says the mayor is sending the plan to City Council later this week. If you’d like to look into the future to see where future work might be focused, the “priority investment network” map for our area starts on page 60 of the full Pedestrian Master Plan.
(UPDATED Monday evening with arrest, Tuesday morning with status)
4:11 PM: Just got this from Megan – and if you compare the photos to the person shown in the video in this package-theft story, there’s a definite resemblance (assuming he doesn’t have an identical twin) – and she’s reporting a theft from this afternoon:
This individual has now stolen 3 of my packages since January. All have been reported to SPD. Since I caught it real time today, they said they were going to look for him. I know he must be hitting all the houses nearby as well. Just wanted to share in case anyone else has been having packages go missing, or has a better picture of this guy to share with police.
I live off Fauntleroy Way, near Morgan Junction. This happened around 2:30 pm.
We don’t have Megan’s incident/report number yet, but the one in the case from the reader report published here Saturday is 2017-902386.
7:30 PM: As discussed in comments, there’s an active search under way, thanks to people’s tips, so if you see/hear anything/anyone suspicious, please call 911. Also, we have the incident/report number for Megan’s case – 2017-98442.
8:46 PM: As noted in comments, just got word from SPD that they have made an arrest. This followed an intensive search, K-9 team included, following tips called in to 911. We photographed police in the Seaview/North Morgan Junction area, where they had been searching:
We’ll of course follow the case through the system.
7:51 AM: The suspect, 35, was booked into King County Jail late last night. His bail currently is $1,000, as he’s being held for investigation of theft, a misdemeanor. He’s scheduled for a hearing today and we’ll have a followup after that.
>(L-R: Ryan Colby, Sampson Lee, Zaid Bezzaz interviewubg with judges at 2017 Washington State VEX IQ Challenge Championships)
Robotics students from Louisa Boren STEM K-8 in North Delridge are going to the VEX IQ Challenge World Championships next month! This is just the second year for the robotics program at the school, launched by technology teacher Julie Schmick last year, and the STEM students are the only team from a Seattle school to make it to worlds. Here’s the announcement:
A team of fifth-grade students from Louisa Boren STEM K-8 is headed to Louisville, Kentucky to represent the school at the VEX Robotics World Championship. Four robots from STEM competed in the Washington State VEX IQ Challenge Championships in Ellensburg, Washington on March 11th. Two robots made it to the final matches, and a third took home the competition’s top honor, qualifying the team for the world championships April 23-25, 2017.
The Excellence Award, the highest honor at a VEX robotics competition, was presented to the drivers of Robot 10966C, Zaid Bezzaz, Ryan Colby, and Sampson Lee. The award goes to a team that exemplifies overall excellence in building a high-quality VEX robotics program, taking into consideration a team’s behavior, sportsmanship, and professionalism at the event, in addition to robot design, driving skills, and performance in tournament matches. The approach demonstrated by the STEM K-8 teams in working on their robots and participating in competitions is representative of the school’s project-based learning curriculum, as is the student engineers’ ability to clearly articulate the work they put into designing and building their robots.
In VEX competitions, teams of students are tasked with designing and building a robot to play against other teams in game-based engineering challenges. The VEX IQ Crossover Challenge provides elementary and middle school students with exciting, open-ended robotics and research projects that enhance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills through hands-on, student-centered learning. Two robots compete as an alliance in 60-second teamwork matches, working collaboratively to score points. Additional points are earned through skill tests, documentation reviews, and team member interviews.
Thanks to parent Lisa Dawson for first word on this, and for the photos, including this one of all the students who competed at the state championships:
In all, more than a thousand teams from around the world will be competing at worlds – but the STEM students are the only ones at elementary level from a Seattle school. Robotics is a before-/after-school enrichment program at STEM, whose PTA is covering the event-registration fees for the students, while their families must cover the cost of traveling to Louisville. They’re crowdfunding for help with that – if you’re interested in helping, here’s the YouCaring page.
Sometimes what sounds like gunfire turns out to be fireworks – or something else – unless evidence is found, such as casings and/or property damage. What you see above is evidence. A neighbor shared the photo and this report from Highland Park:
Last night at around 9:45 pm, we heard load gunshots near our house on 10th and Elmgrove [map] and a car speeding away. We called 911 as did some of our neighbors. This morning my husband found bullet casings in the intersection, underneath the 10th and Elmgrove sign. He called the police again; they came out, collected the bullets, and took his statement.
We are feeling very rattled today. Even though we live near some dangerous spots like 16th and Holden, we’ve never had gunshots this close to our home. This street (10th Ave SW) is home to lots of kids and Highland Park Elementary.
If you saw something related to this and haven’t reported it – you can call police at 206-625-5011 and refer to incident 17-097562. And if you hear what you think is gunfire anywhere, even if you’re not sure where it’s coming from, call 911 to report it ASAP – the more calls they get, the better the chances of finding evidence, a suspect, and/or … if there is one … a victim. (Consider then letting us know for Crime Watch, as this neighbor did.)
P.S. SPD’s SeaStat data reviews track “shots fired” around the city to look for trends; the last page of this slide deck from the most-recent briefing shows that confirmed gunfire incidents are up slightly citywide so far this year, compared to last.
The development proposal for 1250 Alki SW – once proposed for more than 100 apartments – has been downsized. Though the previous version made it through the first round of Design Review on its second try in January 2016 (WSB coverage here), it never went to the second round, and when we checked in with developers SolTerra a few months ago, they said they were still considering their options. Now, city files indicate they have a new plan. 1250 Alki is penciled onto the city schedule to go to the Southwest Design Review Board on May 4th as “a 6-story structure with approximately 44 residential units” and 66 underground parking spaces. (1.5 spaces per unit is mandated by what’s known as the Alki Parking Overlay.) No new site plan or design packet in the system yet; we have messages out to SolTerra seeking comment on the change.
(The Olympics’ snowy peaks turned pink from spring’s first sunrise – photo by James Bratsanos)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and inbox, what’s ahead for the first day and night of spring 2017:
DELRIDGE RAPIDRIDE CONVERSATIONS: 11 am-1 pm, SDOT reps are scheduled to be out at unspecified “bus stops along Delridge” to talk with riders about the plan to turn Route 120 into the RapidRide H Line. Go here for more on the questions they’re asking, and how to comment even if you don’t find yourself at a bus-stop meetup.
CROSSTOWN RIVALRY SOFTBALL: 4 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex, West Seattle HS and Chief Sealth IHS play each other in softball. (2801 SW Thistle)
FAMILY STORY TIME: Bring kids of all ages to High Point Library 6:30-7 pm for tonight’s free and fun family story time. (35th SW/SW Raymond)
SPRING-EQUINOX SUNSET WATCH WITH ALICE: 6:45 pm-7:15 pm, be at Solstice Park (uphill from the tennis courts) to watch the first sunset of spring with NASA Solar System Ambassador (aka volunteer astronomy educator) Alice Enevoldsen. Learn about the seasons, the planets, and what the equinox really is, and means. Informal, fun, free. (7400 Fauntleroy Way SW)
ILLUMINATED SCULPTURE: The West Seattle Junction Association says tonight’s the first night you’ll see the Junction Plaza Park sculpture Transpose – dedicated four months ago – illuminated. (42nd SW/SW Alaska)
TO SEE WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING … please go to our complete-calendar page!
On the first day of spring, if you’re thinking “spring cleaning” … we have some information that might help. Just in, the list of what will and won’t be accepted at the spring edition of the always-popular Fauntleroy Church Recycle Roundup – see it here (PDF). The free-dropoff event is set for 9 am-3 pm Sunday, April 23rd (9140 California SW).
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:56 AM: Good morning and welcome to spring 2017.
No incidents outbound from West Seattle right now, but if your commute takes you southbound TOWARD West Seattle, there’s a lane-blocking crash on Southbound I-5 just before (north of) the West Seattle Bridge.
7:26 AM: The SB I-5 crash is reported to have cleared.
9:49 AM: If you’re out at a bus stop on Delridge 11 am-1 pm, you might see the second wave of SDOT outreach on the conversion of Route 120 to RapidRide H Line in 2020. (Let us know if you do!)
Camp Second Chance – the newly city-sanctioned, but not new, encampment on the west side of Myers Way S. on the southeastern edge of West Seattle – is now officially on the road to expansion.
Its first city referral happened this week, and as of Saturday, the camp had 17 residents, according to operator Polly Trout of Patacara Community Services. The city envisions up to 70 residents. We talked with her at CSC this weekend after a demonstration watched by campers and visitors, related to a key question: Will camp residents have anything more than tents to sleep in?
The demonstration was by Pallet, a sideline of Square Peg Development. They’re making prefab shelters that can sleep four – and can be assembled in minutes, starting with a pile of components as shown in our photo above.
Aluminum-framed components, built by 'incarcerated individuals,' company explains. Potential disaster relief use too. pic.twitter.com/kFD4pzCZTn
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) March 18, 2017
That’s a short segment of what turned out to be an almost 9-minute assembly time. The shelters are aluminum framed, made from a honeycombed, light “yet very strong” material, and can be assembled, disassembled, and reassembled repeatedly with no sign of wear and tear.
Each one costs almost $5,000. There’s no official city RFP or other process to fund these (or any other structures) for Camp Second Chance, so for the encampment to get some would be a matter of private fundraising, separate from the services the city is providing. (One person with city ties was there to observe, though – Councilmember Lisa Herbold.)
Still, the price tag is a challenge. Trout mentioned after the demo that the camp has a donor who will be picking up the tab for 15 Costco pre-fab structures that go for $1500. Pallet, meantime, says it’s working on a proposal to provide some shelters for Seattle’s forthcoming Navigation Center low-barrier shelter. They’re also working on a double-size version of the shelter that would have a bathroom and kitchen.
Pallet is currently having these built by state Department of Corrections inmates (at Stafford Creek). The company also says its parent company hires people who are rebuilding lives on the outside – those who are formerly incarcerated or in recovery, for example.
Meantime, we asked Camp Second Chance leadership more about what’s happening there, now that they’re sanctioned. A potable-water cistern is due soon. They’ve also applied to get an electric hookup. And they’re hoping for a portable toilet – to replace the Honey Bucket type – and shower. Trash service already has begun. The city, meantime, promises a third community meeting soon.
Three notes in Crime Watch tonight:
CAR PROWL: The latest one for which we received a reader report is this one from Anne, who’s west of California/Graham:
We had a break-in of our car last night, sometime between 11 pm and 7 am this morning. I think they were just looking for anything valuable to take; took the $20 from the glove box but left the change on the floor. The car has a steering-wheel lock so they couldn’t take the car.
Anne says car prowlers have hit them a few other times in the past 10 years.
CAR PROWL FOLLOWUP: A 40-year-old man remains in jail tonight, in lieu of $2,500 bail, after being arrested in the Alki area early Friday. SPD Blotter reports that officers responding to a call of a suspicious person lurking near a pickup truck at 61st/Admiral found the suspect asleep inside the truck. They say he told them he had permission to be there; the truck’s owner, whose home was steps away, said he did not. Officers “arrested the suspect and found he was carrying someone else’s tax forms, which had been stolen in another car prowl earlier that morning,” per the SPD Blotter report. The suspect is being held for investigation of criminal trespass and receiving stolen property. The jail register shows that he spent a day there a week earlier in connection with a failure-to-appear warrant in a drug case.
PACKAGE-THEFT VIDEO FOLLOWUP: Last night, we published Roger‘s very clear security-cam video of a package theft that happened March 9th. Since then, we’ve heard from multiple tipsters who believe they recognize the man in the video and are talking to police.
P.S. Another reminder that you can bring your neighborhood crime/safety concerns/questions to police on Tuesday night, 7 pm, at the monthly West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting (Southwest Precinct, 2300 SW Webster).
Thanks to Chris Frankovich for that view of winter’s last sunset. Spring arrives in seven hours – 3:29 am our time – and we might just have another colorful view for Alice Enevoldsen‘s spring-equinox sunset watch tomorrow night.
A Celebration of Life for Clara J. Haba, 88, is planned in West Seattle next Saturday (March 25th). Here’s the remembrance her family is sharing:
Clara Josephine Haba passed away February 8, 2017, at Keiro Northwest in Seattle.
Born June 29, 1928, the second of six children, to Joseph and Eva Fitterer in New England, ND. The family moved to Yakima, WA, in 1946.
Clara met and married Henry J. Haba on July 3, 1948. Henry and Clara moved to Anchorage, AK, driving their brand-new 1949 Pontiac. She drove in the snow to get her driver’s license.
Clara had many jobs throughout her life. She worked as a waitress, cannery worker, Christmas help at the West Seattle Post Office, retouching photo negatives, modeling clothes from Louise North Apparel at Spencer’s Restaurant in West Seattle. Finally deciding on a career choice, she obtained her GED, then enrolled at the Cosmetology College in West Seattle, graduating at the top of her class in 1966. She then went to work for several major downtown Seattle department stores. Clara had many regular and loyal customers while working at Macy’s, where she retired after 20 years. Always wanting to keep busy, she then worked an additional nine years as the retired nuns’ beautician at the St. Joseph Residence (Providence Mt. St. Vincent). Her own hair seemed to grow upward and a hurricane couldn’t move it.
The family spent early years ice skating at the Civic Ice Arena. Clara was also a sunbather. Then came water-skiing in their 14’ ski boat, mostly at Lake Sammamish. The whole family also learned to snow ski and went on several ski vacations. The whole family in the same ski class should never happen. Only Clara could ski down a hill at such a slow speed and then crash into the lift line. They also traveled throughout the U.S., visiting 25 states and internationally covering 10 countries and seven times to Mexico.
The family lived in 10 different residences, half of which Henry built himself. This is where Clara used her talent for decorating and interior painting. You could come home and find the living room a different color. You would never forget what you look like as there was a mirror in every room. Entertaining, she loved and held many Halloween, Christmas and birthday parties. She was also an accomplished seamstress using her 1952 Singer, sewing everything from a boy’s suit, doll clothes, drapes, to her favorite, tableware and pillows. She was also obsessed with trim, lace and fringe. We all enjoyed listening to her play the piano (by ear). She was known for her stylish wardrobe, high heels and “can’t leave home without lipstick”; a store-bought item would soon be altered with a different look. She had the most beautiful smile.
Clara kept a clean and organized house, making all family meals and “sack” lunches, also famous for her homemade pies and cakes. They belonged to a dance group, which Clara loved. It being potluck, all demanded she bring her baked beans or cabbage rolls.
Clara is preceded in death by her parents (Joe & Eva), son (Eugene), brother (Louis), and sister (Matilda). She is survived by her husband of almost 69 years, Henry, and her daughter, Charlene, both of West Seattle. Also by sister (Viola) of Redmond, WA; brother (Frank & Sharon) of Yakima, WA; and brother (Donald & Pat) of Atlanta, GA; survived by over 30 nieces & nephews and great ones.
Donations in Clara’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. Special thanks to Keiro Northwest for the professional and gentle care given to Clara. A Celebration of Life will be held on March 25, 2017, from 2-6 pm at the West Seattle Eagles, 4426 California Ave SW, Seattle. Go to Dignity at forestlawnseattle.com.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
It’s been 10 years since Sustainable West Seattle launched (found this in our archives!) and the group is getting ready for the next decade. SWS sent the following update after its annual meeting and election of new board members:
Sustainable West Seattle’s new board is set to tackle projects in 2017!
On February 27th, Sustainable West Seattle held its Annual Meeting at the Senior Center of West Seattle. The membership elected a new board, discussed the focal points and alliances for 2017, and celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Sustainable West Seattle, SWS.
Stu Hennessey, Sustainable West Seattle’s new president, suggested that members no longer be required to pay annual dues, which was approved. SWS is transitioning to an open-membership policy and is currently considering all persons who participate in SWS meetings to be members of the organization. Tax-deductible donations to Sustainable West Seattle are appreciated and help fund operational expenses and events like Green Life at West Seattle Summer Fest.
The new board has hit the ground running and is currently working on a spring newsletter and the Green Life festival lineup (2017 schedule coming soon!). The strategic goals for 2017 have largely been set. The Green Life Festival, the transition to open membership, communication (via newsletter, website, and social media), and getting members involved in on-going projects and events, are in the focus of this year’s board. SWS’s mission is to educate, create and advocate for urban sustainability in our local community. It does so in cooperation with allies such as the West Seattle Timebank, the West Seattle Tool Library, Tox-ick.org, Community Orchard of West Seattle, Hate-Free Delridge, West Seattle Bike Connections, DIY Bikes, and West Seattle Meaningful Movies.
This is Sustainable West Seattle’s new board:
Amanda Goodwin
Position: SecretaryAmanda has been on the board of Sustainable West Seattle previously for 3 years from 2010-2012. Amanda is a dancer and choreographer and has collaborated to create a multi-disciplinary art project called Illuminatio. She is a certified Spanish translator and interpreter and has translated Illuminatio from its original Spanish (originally titled Illuminatio: Yo soy.) She also translated the stormwater presentation of Tox-ick.org into Spanish. She has taught ballet and Spanish to children. As a mother, she cares intensely about healthy living conditions, now and in the future.
Jon Grant
Position: TreasurerJon is a 11-year resident of West Seattle and has been volunteering for Sustainable West Seattle for most of that time. Jon is looking forward to working on the exciting projects SWS has coming up and maintaining SWS’s web presence.
Stu Hennessey
Position: President
Longtime West Seattle neighbor, lifetime Seattle resident, and Seattle native! Growing up surrounded by trees, mountains and seas, the instinctive feeling of being one with nature will never leave my consciousness. I am on the core group of several Sustainable West Seattle endeavors. Carbon-free transportation associated with West Seattle Spokespeople and DIY Bikes as well as growing food locally at COWS are my passions and commitments to a healthier and happier community. My day job is the owner of Alki Bike and Board in the Admiral District. Typical of a gardener/farmer, I like to plant seeds of change in our community, and watch them grow.
Hildegard Nichols
Position: Board member, Social MediaA resident of West Seattle for the last 10 years, Hildegard studied political economics and journalism in Mainz, Germany. She worked for many years as a free-lance journalist for public TV stations, mostly in Berlin, focusing on economy and ecology, with a special interest in rivers. Hildegard has been active in the Green Party of Seattle and looks forward to help her friends at Sustainable West Seattle get the message across, through social media.
Ibrahim Osman (no photo provided)
Position: Board – Graphic ArtistI am Ibrahim Osman, a Somali-American design student who has lived in West Seattle for 2 years. The idea of sustainability to me is pretty new, it’s not something I really thought about before. By joining Sustainable West Seattle, I hope to gain a lot of knowledge on what that means and grow in the process. I also hope to help out SWS with the skillset that I have.
Watch sustainablewestseattle.org for word of upcoming meetings and SWS projects to get involved with!
(Photo courtesy 100 Women Who Care/Greater Seattle)
The giving group 100 Women Who Care are sharing words of thanks for West Seattle supporters:
100 Women Who Care/Greater Seattle met at Pyramid Ale House and chose the Pink Daisy Project to receive our donation. With West Seattle neighbors’ participation, it was our largest donation to date, $4500. What a fun evening!
The Pink Daisy Project supports women who have breast cancer. It is exciting to know that our donation is going directly to women in the Seattle area to help them pay for essentials, e.g. house-cleaning assistance and gift cards for gas and groceries through the Pink Daisy Project.
We are growing! Yes, our membership has grown to 47, 16 new members since our event in October of last year. That’s a 50% increase! Big thanks to all the West Seattle neighbors that have helped increase our membership. To date, we have donated $17,600 to 6 local charities.
Remember our motto is together we can make a big difference as women who care.
100 women x $100 = $10,000 impact to a charity (we meet only 3 times/year)
Our next event is June 14th at Pyramid Ale House, 6-8 pm, to vote on a charity to receive 100% of our donation. Come join us and help make us 100 strong! As a member you get to nominate your favorite charities! Any questions, please contact us at 100womenseattle@gmail.com
Thanks to the anonymous reader who sent photos from last night’s first-ever Girls Jazz Band concert at Madison Middle School, where students performed after eight weeks of mentoring by the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra. Above are the student performers; below, SWOJO:
This reader said they had heard about the event via WSB and hadn’t heard of SWOJO before, but loved the concert. (Here’s the SWOJO performance calendar.) And from us, thanks for the event report!
(Ruby-crowned kinglet, photographed by Trileigh Tucker)
Good morning! Here’s what’s happening on your so-far-sunny Sunday:
LAST DAY FOR GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: This is it – multiple West Seattle locations and times. Find them via the online lookup.
SOUTH DELRIDGE COMMUNITY GROUP: You’re welcome to the South Delridge Community Group‘s monthly meeting, 10 am at 3.14 Bakery in White Center. (9602 16th SW)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in the street in The Junction. (California SW between SW Oregon and Sw Alaska)
OPEN HOUSE WITH FREE CLASSES: 10 am-2 pm, Evergreen Tang Soo Do Academy welcomes you to an open house, with three free classes, in its new Admiral location, a very short distance north of its old one. Details in our calendar listing. (2701 California SW)
SOCCER FUN(DRAISER): 1-3 pm at Delridge Community Center Park/Playground, by the skatepark, you’ll find this fun(draising) event with a 3v3 tournament, a juggling challenge, a chip challenge, and a dribbling competition – explained in our original story. (Delridge Way SW/Genesee)
JAMTIME: Live music with your beverage(s) at C & P Coffee Company, 1-4 pm. (5612 California SW)
VOTER-REGISTRATION TRAINING: 1:30 pm at Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor), the Outreach Committee of the 34th District Democrats is conducting a free voter-registration-training workshop. All welcome. (10015 28th SW)
MATCHDAY SHUTTLE: Check to see if there’s room on the special shuttle headed to today’s Sounders FC home opener from The Westy Sports and Spirits (WSB sponsor) – info here, including future dates. P.S. The match itself is vs. the NY Red Bulls at 4 pm. (7908 35th SW)
WSCO @ SOUTHWEST STORIES: 2 pm at the West Seattle (Admiral) Library, music and stories about how the West Seattle Community Orchestras have grown over the past 15 years! Here’s a video invitation with WSCO founder Toni Reineke:
SW Stories is free, presented by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and Seattle Public Library. (2306 42nd SW)
ALL-AGES LIVE MUSIC: Mia Day, Bug, and Lettie Mars, 6-9 pm at The Skylark. $5 cover. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
PREVIEW THE WEEK AHEAD … on our complete-calendar page.
One of West Seattle’s many unique attributes … one of the city’s last few bowling alleys. Next Saturday (March 25th), West Seattle Bowl will be the scene of two longrunning benefits … which we’re mentioning here in case you haven’t seen them in the calendar:
SEATTLE SEAFAIR COMMODORES BOWL-A-THON: Check-in starts at 9 am Saturday for the Seattle Seafair Commodores‘ 25th annual Bowl-a-Thon. It benefits the Seafair Scholarship Program for Women and covers the Commodores’ operating expenses. As the Bowl-A-Thon announcement explains, “Each Commodore donates their time and money to attend parades and events throughout the Pacific Northwest representing Seafair and the City of Seattle as goodwill ambassadors. We support the communities across Seattle and other nonprofits when asked.” Registration is $50 per adult bowler, $25 for children 12 and under. Online registration is available at seattlecommodores.com – with an incentive for registering by Monday night.
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN ‘BOWLING FOR EQUALITY‘: Then on Saturday afternoon/evening at West Seattle Bowl, it’s the 15th annual Bowling for Equality fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ-rights organization:
This event is always a fun time and we are excited to be back at West Seattle Bowl this year. Three sessions are available, 3-5 pm, 6-8 pm and 9-11 pm. The 3-5 pm session is a great option for families and kids. Included in your ticket price is 2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, appetizers, and most importantly an annual membership to the HRC. We have great raffle prizes, drink specials, and are thrilled to welcome back West Seattle’s own Dolly Madison as our hostess! Please purchase your tickets at hrc.im/seattlebowling – door sales may be limited. (Full details on this flyer.)
WS Bowl – at 39th SW and SW Oregon – is a fun place to be any day, but next Saturday will be big.
10:36 PM: Big police/fire response arriving in the 40th/Alaska area for a reported stabbing. More to come.
10:45 PM: The location has been changed on the SFD log to Fauntleroy/Alaska.
10:59 PM: We’ve talked with police at the scene. The victim has minor injuries. The weapon is believed to have been a screwdriver or something similar. They have taken one person into custody for questioning. What exactly happened and why, they are still trying to sort out, from multiple witness stories.
(Flashing fire signal at 38th SW that is planned for conversion into pedestrian-activated signal)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
With both walking tours for the Fauntleroy Boulevard project over, big decisions are ahead for the project.
We covered both tours – Thursday afternoon (here’s our report) started in sunshine; this morning had an even bigger turnout – “impressive,” as one SDOT staffer deemed it –
despite starting in steady rain.
The route and the stops were the same – from outside LA Fitness at Fauntleroy/Alaska/39th to West Seattle Brewing at 4515 Fauntleroy Way. The fact the project is focused only on that stretch is a disappointment to one of today’s participants, René Commons from the Junction Neighborhood Organization, who lives near the 35th SW entrance to the West Seattle Bridge and had been lobbying for pedestrian and landscaping improvements extending that far – not currently in the 60-percent-designed plan to transform Fauntleroy Way through The Triangle:
One of the decisions to be made about the entire stretch is what will happen during construction, which project spokesperson Kate Cole – who, like Thursday, led about half the participants on the tour, while her colleague Rachel McCaffrey led the other half – said is more likely to start in early 2018 than late 2017.
“It’s still early,” they stressed, repeatedly. And yet it’s not so early in the design phase, which got to 60 percent before the project was shelved in 2014 pending funding.
The full-route decision to be made involves detours during construction, which is expected to last at least a year. Right now, SDOT is mulling two options: Keep Fauntleroy open one lane each way, which could stretch construction out to 15 months, or keep it open to westbound traffic only, while eastbound traffic is detoured onto SW Alaska. Asked whether left turns would be allowed during construction, SDOT staff said yes. But limiting Fauntleroy to westbound traffic would be a challenge for businesses who have eastbound customers in the morning:
The other decision to be made is about the right-turn pockets currently proposed for elimination – onto SW Oregon on the westbound side, onto Avalon Way on the eastbound side:
With three years passing since the studies that led to the elimination decision, SDOT is doing new studies now, and McCaffrey says the results should arrive in about a month. When those studies for the 2014 design were done, project team member Peter DeBoldt said, they showed a “slight increase in congestion” with the removal of the turn pockets. But as tour participants pointed out, conditions in the area have changed – anyone who drives SW Oregon between California and Fauntleroy knows how much busier it’s become; the residential areas lining it have densified, with hundreds of apartments added by projects including Oregon 42 and Junction Flats, and townhouse/rowhouse projects replacing some of the single-family houses in the area.
So the traffic-study results will be awaited with interest; how those results will be communicated to you is still being decided, she said when we talked during the tour-end event at West Seattle Brewing.
And they’re still planning what they’ll do when the final design is complete, likely “early summer,” according to McCaffrey. (We of course will continue reporting on this, but she also suggested you join the project e-mail list.)
Right now, they’re also urging businesses to talk with the city Office of Economic Development, which had a rep at the end of the tour again today.
City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who was on today’s tour (photo above), had said during the recent Fauntleroy Way Association launch meeting that she wanted to see OED get more deeply involved. But so far, there’s been no talk of possible business compensation, as was eventually offered during the controversial 23rd Avenue project in the Central District/Capitol Hill area.
“We’ve learned from the 23rds of the world,” McCaffrey said today, as she had on Thursday.
If you’ve missed the general summary of the Fauntleroy Boulevard project, here’s how Cole summarized it at the start of today’s tour:
That’s SDOT project manager Norene Pen at left in the video, in which Councilmember Herbold also gave a quick explanation of why utilities are being “consolidated” rather than undergrounded in the project.
The two big decisions we mentioned above aren’t the only ones remaining – along the route, SDOT acknowledged the request for a break in the median in the 37th SW vicinity, and said they have to evaluate the “tradeoffs” that might generate. And they continued to clarify project points along the way today; someone asked about curb bulbs, and project manager Pen said they’ll be used on side streets to shorten crossing distance, not to narrow Fauntleroy, where the travel lanes will be “about the same” in width, another question was answered.
Other questions remain about how this plan will interface with and anticipate a future that is still in motion – with much of the surrounding area zoned for development much higher than what’s currently in place, even before potential HALA Mandatory Housing Affordability upzoning, and with Sound Transit light rail due to come to West Seattle in less than a decade and a half, and station-location decisions to be made long before then.
HOW TO HAVE A SAY: To tell the project team what you think about the design, landscaping, and key questions such as which detour option to use during construction (or – do you have another suggestion?), scroll down the official project page to find a form. You’ll also want to look at the boards that were shown at tour’s end – here (PDF), or embedded below:
McCaffrey says they will also come out and speak with community groups by request – e-mail fauntleroyblvd@seattle.gov – as they did, for example, at last month’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting.
The photos and video are from Roger, who belatedly discovered a package theft from a little over a week ago:
47th and Graham. Just wanted to let you know that we had a package thief on March 9th, we just tracked down that it was stolen, first time in 5 years this had occurred here.
He took the package at 2 pm, after the UPS man dropped it off at 11 am. Luckily it was just a cheap door mat that day. He was definitely on a mission looking for packages, parked his truck hitting the curb, jumped out, sprinted back and forth from our front door. Doubted he even saw our cams. …
Keep on the lookout, didn’t appear to be anyone from our immediate neighborhood but please pass around.
P.S. Next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting – to which you are invited to bring neighborhood crime and safety concerns, so you can talk with, and hear from, police – is on for Tuesday, 7 pm March 21st, at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).
Thanks to Mike Jensen for the photo and report:
Two Seattle Lutheran High School seniors participated in today’s Washington Interstate Basketball Coaches Association All-Star game at Mountlake Terrace High School. Josh Meyer (#9) and Roberto Duenaz (#6) helped the 2B all-stars beat the 1B all-stars 132-106. Meyer scored 13 and Duenaz added 10. The WIBCA game is comprised of top players from across the state picked by coaches. Congratulations to Josh and Roberto on the conclusion of their high-school basketball career.
They also helped their team make it into this year’s state tournament.
Beautiful non-rainy night – so if you’re not already busy, get out and check out art! Above, that’s Tracy Cilona, proprietor of the recently rechristened Virago Gallery (formerly Twilight) at 4306 SW Alaska. She says the name is from Latin, for “woman warrior.” Tonight, Virago has three artists in for a reception that’s continuing until 8 pm – Jordan Christianson, below, a couturier, is showing [S]HEROES: Side B:
The focus is a series of handbags inspired by woman musicians. The theme of “women in music” also runs through art painted by Mariel Andrade, who’s there tonight too:
If you don’t recognize them – Patti Smith and Poison Ivy are the musicians on the jackets in our photo (and in the top photo with Cilona, Annie Lennox and Grace Jones). While you’re at Virago Gallery tonight, you can also meet fragrance creator James Elliott:
If you can’t get to Virago before 8 tonight for the reception, this exhibit continues through month’s end at the gallery/shop in the heart of The Junction, open Tuesdays-Sundays.
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