West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
Friday-Sunday, it’s the annual run of “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” presented by Twelfth Night Productions at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – four chances to see the show. And this year’s run is a special anniversary for brothers Jeffrey and Michael Thoreson first appeared in Amahl and the Night Visitors 40 years ago this month. It was a production at First Lutheran Church of West Seattle at the time – then in the late ’80s, most of the cast reunited to do the show again, and the brothers have done it every year since – part of the Twelfth Night presentation for the past 13 years. It’s been a family affair in even more ways – early in their stint with Twelfth Night, their dad David played the third king; many other Thoresons have been onstage or in the orchestra over the past 20 years; and this year Jeffrey’s son Hans plays Amahl for the second year – though it’s his fifth year with the production, debuting as a shepherd at age 5. We asked about memorable moments for the brothers; they said, working with their dad, who really took to singing and to playing to the audience but retired from performing after a few years. He’s returned to see his sons over the years, and the brothers say he’ll be there this weekend. “Amahl and the Night Visitors” will be presented at 7:30 Friday and Saturday, 3 pm Saturday and Sunday, and there’s a special deal – go to the WSB Coupons page to print out the coupon for 20 percent off any adult admission at the box office.
An update tonight on the 2-year fight over what can be built on the expansive front lawn of the Satterlee House, the 103-year-old city landmark that’s also known as the Painted Lady of Beach Drive: The attorney for the Satterlee House’s owner says they’re taking the fight to the next venue – the state Supreme Court. This follows a series of rulings against the specific 3-home plan that Conner proposes for the land in front of the house: First, the city Landmarks Preservation Board rejected the proposal two years ago, saying the proposed homes’ size and scale would take away from the landmarked traits of the site. Conner appealed the decision to the city Hearing Examiner, who upheld it in April 2008; then he asked King County Superior Court to review the decision, where it again was upheld; from there it went to the state 1st Division Court of Appeals, which heard oral arguments last June, and then announced on December 21st that it too upheld the previous decisions. Next potential step was asking the state Supreme Court to review the case, and tonight the lawyer who’s led the case for Conner all along the way, Richard Hill, confirms to WSB, “Yes, the Conners intend to ask the Washington Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals decision.” We’ll watch the court records and keep tabs on what happens next; as we reported after last month’s ruling, the case has drawn national attention.
Seeing more people than usual in the Alki area with binoculars? Here’s why. Thanks to Maurie for the photo and the explanation:
There are likely to be a lot of birders wandering around alki for the next few days. This morning a Black-billed Magpie (in the corvid/crow family) was seen moving back and forth between 61st and 63rd between Stevens and Alki Beach. This is a bird native to Eastern Washington but extremely rare for Western Washington.
It’s now on my yard list – and that’s one good bird to have on a yard list for Alki!
We’ve discussed the name and the menu, but before the new restaurant at California/Edmunds opens this Saturday, we thought you might want to meet the people behind it.
Story and photos by Mary Sheely
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Yaz Faour is so energetic he’s practically vibrating as he darts about his soon-to-open restaurant, Table 35, at the corner of California SW and SW Edmunds.
“Let me give you a tour,” he says in Montreal-accented English, a souvenir of his birthplace – he moved to the Pacific Northwest six years ago to help his brother run Salute of Bellevue, the Italian restaurant they sold several months ago. “We’re doing a facelift; we’re not changing the layout of the place.”
Table 35 retains much of the décor of the site’s former occupant, Ama Ama, but Faour points out a new row of metal beads that now separate dining and bar areas – the beads become a slow wave of glowing color when flooded with tiny lights. He motions toward a newly christened piano area: “Here there will be background music,” he says. He demonstrates how more colored lights (which TR Professional is installing) will accent an existing textured wall. The effect is rather swank, even a little dazzling. But though Table 35 will look beautiful, it’s obvious that Faour wants his restaurant to be anything but stuffy, especially when he explains how it got its name.
A few people have asked about the full-surround scaffolding around the easternmost water tank at Myrtle Reservoir (map), most recently Scott C, so we checked with Seattle Public Utilities for the latest. No, the water tank’s not coming down – though the nearby reservoir has been covered (with some of the newly created land to be turned into a park later this year), the above-ground tanks remain in service. We recalled a bit of info about the work at the water tanks involving painting, and indeed, that’s all that’s happening, according to SPU’s Elaine Yeung:
Yes, we’re repainting the inside and outside of Myrtle Tank #2 (i.e. the larger of the two above-ground water tanks). The final color of the tank will match the smaller tank which was painted earlier in 2009. Some of the work on the interior began back in November 2009 but as you noted, scaffolding is going up for the exterior work. Crews will enclose the structure within a temporary plastic cover during paint removal, priming, and painting to contain dust and paint overspray and protect the tank from inclement weather. At this point, the repair work is scheduled to be complete in April 2010.
From last night’s Southwest District Council meeting: First topic doesn’t directly affect West Seattle, but you’re invited to have a say on it just the same. The county is thinking about getting rid of Metro’s “electric trolley” buses and replacing them all with diesel-hybrid buses, explained on the county website, and covered last fall by Central District News. No electric buses run in West Seattle, but they’re seeking region-wide reaction; electric buses cost more to buy, but there was much concern last night that the costs are higher, and that electricity is more sustainable, in the long run. A survey you can take will be online shortly; Jim Del Ciello also booked presenter Jonathan Dong (of SDOT) on the spot for next Tuesday’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting. Item #2 is West Seattle through and through – a progress report on Sustainable West Seattle‘s plans to create a Tool Lending Library for the area. SWDC co-chair Chas Redmond made the presentation. Read on for those details and a couple other notes from last night:Read More
Twitter and Facebook were abuzz about this morning’s incredible pink-splashed sunrise, with folks sharing photos fast and furious. In case you missed them – this is the most beautiful West Seattle sunrise photo we’ve seen, tweeted by Scott from the peninsula’s southwestern shore. (Thanks also to Judy for offering a camphone pic.) Might be too cloudy tomorrow to see a similar sight again.
Bartell Drugs has announced it’s going to stop filling Medicaid prescriptions at 15 of its 57 drugstores as of February 1st, including the Admiral branch here in West Seattle, because, it says, the state is not compensating them adequately for those prescriptions. Here’s the Bartell announcement, in which it urges concerned customers to contact the state. So far, the other Bartell stores in West Seattle are NOT making a change. (Thanks to WSB contributing journalist Jack Mayne for the tip.) FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: We asked Bartell why this particular store (and the 14 others) but not the rest of the chain. Reply: “We chose stores based upon percentage loss on average script on the program, not geography.”
Today we welcome one of the newest WSB sponsors, West Seattle Community Clinic. The all-nurse-practitioner clinic opened three years ago at a different location, but moved last fall to 9001 35th Avenue SW (map). The clinic is open seven days a week, takes patients of all age, and always welcomes walk-ins. Nurse-practitioner Grace Grymes Chapman, ARNP, operates the clinic and says appointments are available almost every day. She says West Seattle Community Clinic is intended to be a place where you can get medical advice from people who listen closely and respond carefully. Grace and her fellow practitioners are active in the community; they have participated in West Seattle Summer Fest and at Healthy Kids Day with the West Seattle YMCA (also a WSB sponsor). She also does pro-bono breast and cervical cancer screenings for women over 40 who do not have health insurance. West Seattle Community Clinic is open 9 am-6 pm Mondays-Thursdays, 9 am-5 pm Fridays, 9 am-1 pm Saturdays and Sundays. They’ll make appointments any time the clinic is open – call 206-937-9722; you’ll find West Seattle Community Clinic online at ggcnp.com.
We thank West Seattle Community Clinic for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
One major meeting on the calendar tonight: When voters approved the Parks and Green Spaces Levy more than a year ago, that included not only a list of proposed projects to be funded – it also included creation of a $15 million Opportunity Fund, for parks proposals citizens could envision/pursue later. Decisions about almost half the fund money will be made later this year, and applications will be accepted this spring; the first West Seattle meeting to help guide people through the process — starting with the proposal letters due Feb. 2 — is tonight, 6:30 pm, High Point Community Center (map).
Meeting last night for the first time in the new year, the Seattle School Board took on some of the remaining details of the transition to the new Student Assignment Plan; here are the highlights. The issue many parents have been watching closely involves “sibling grandfathering” – if a child currently attends a school different from the “neighborhood” one to which they’d be assigned otherwise, they are grandfathered to stay through its highest grade, but what about a younger sibling entering school this fall (or maybe beyond) – will they be able to attend their sibling’s school? A group of concerned parents rallied before the meeting last night; among them, West Seattle’s Fiona Preedy, who has been active on the issue. She sent around a summary last night of what happened from her viewpoint; we asked for permission to share it:
About a dozen West Seattle parents joined me at a rally tonight, at the John Stanford Center, regarding grandfathering younger siblings. There were a few reporters at the rally, notably, KPLU and King 5, with their cameras’ filming the children with signs, and there was a spot on King 5 at 11 p.m. The broadcast of the meeting will be repeated on the Education channel and you can watch online.
After a few speakers about the sibling issue, (superintendent) Dr. (Maria) Goodloe-Johnson did speak to the sibling families and stated that they are concerned and they do want to help. She gave the guarantee that if younger siblings can not get in the older sib’s school, the older sib is guaranteed a spot in the reference area school, which is in the transition plan. This is rationalized by the ability to spread those students over 5 grades, rather than the concentration in kindergarten. They are calling this a safety net.
For siblings of students with special needs, they are definitely grandfathering in. Steve Sundquist asked that the placement of Spectrum at Madison and Arbor Heights, specifically to ease the load on Lafayette, be sped up to the upcoming year. He also made reference to investigating grandfathering Spectrum siblings.
Several directors strongly urged Dr. (Tracy) Libros to speed up the modeling for school capacity, as surveys and enrollments come in, so they can identify schools where there will be no problem or, on the other hand, where there will be problems. They seemed noticeably concerned over the families’ stress. Regardless of their concern, it still seems the chances of getting the plan past one year are nil. However, if this year’s enrollment goes well, they will begin in the fall to make the next year’s plan early and might even be able to do a two year plan.
Dr. Libros did have a power point about the timeline for enrollment. They’ve extended early enrollment until Jan. 15, then open enrollment will be in March. With the “safety net”, you have through Sept. 30 to decide to move your older sibling to your reference area school with your kindergartener, so if nothing happens to get you in, you don’t have to make an early decision to hold your place.
A lot of the power will be directed to the principals and staff at the schools, so be nice to your principal!
Steve Sundquist will have another meeting at Delridge Library on Saturday, January 16, 1 to 2:30, so come with your questions and comments.
Other reports from last night: Here’s the KING5 coverage and the KPLU report that Fiona mentioned; A partial update from the community site saveseattleschools.blogspot.com is here. That site also points to this helpful link if you want to tour a school before assignments are finalized – here’s the list of open houses citywide.
Karen Spiel is leaving the Delridge Library – but it’s not part of the budget cuts related to the schedule changes that kick in next month (as reported here earlier today). At the North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting at the library tonight, she revealed she’s being promoted to manage eight branches including Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, Fremont and Capitol Hill. Spiel’s been a librarian in West Seattle since the 1990s; her successor will be Steve Delvecchio, who will manage the Columbia branch as well as Delridge. (At another meeting happening concurrently – Southwest District Council – we got the scoop on the rest of the final West Seattle library lineup: Jane Appling says she’s managing Southwest and South Park branches, Sibyl De Haan will be in charge of High Point and West Seattle [Admiral].)
More from the NDNC meeting – including changes it’s facing because of the library changes, and more – ahead:Read More
Story and photo by Jonathan Stumpf
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Two design options for the Fairmount Playfield playground were revealed tonight at the second public meeting about the project.
A small group convened at the High Point Library, where Parks Department employees Pamela Alspaugh and Kelly Davidson unveiled two design plans for the playground. The finalized plans are the result of the December meeting that we covered here, with suggestions made about the feel of the playground and what features were important to residents.
Davidson, the project manager, briefly discussed the two designs, emphasizing the important takeaways from the December meeting, specifically that the playground should have a “natural feel,” “allow for imaginary play” and something “iconic should be included that will bring people to the park.”
Alspaugh revealed the two plans:
We start tonight’s Crime Watch roundup with some information on an incident that several people have e-mailed tonight to ask about – another guns-drawn arrest on The Bridge late this morning. We started checking on it after one note then, but didn’t get enough details to report until we saw Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James and Lt. Steve Paulsen at tonight’s Southwest District Council meeting (separate report to come). Lt. James says it started as a domestic-violence incident in northeast West Seattle – the call went out to watch for a certain vehicle with a suspect who apparently has had encounters with police before; after a brief pursuit the vehicle was stopped on The Bridge, and the numerous police vehicles that had been engaged in “containment” to try to catch the suspect pre-bridge flocked to the scene. The domestic-violence victim, Lt. James says, was not seriously hurt. Now, on to several reports including graffiti – with a request for ideas – a car theft, and a car break-in:Read More
It’s going on 24 hours since our last update on any sort of impending West Seattle eatery, and, well, we can’t have that, so here’s another one. In November, WSB contributing reporter Mary Sheely first told the story of the West Seattle couple that’s bringing Heavenly Pastry and Cake to 2604 California SW, the Admiral storefront between Linda’s Flowers and Gifts and Alki Bike and Board; this week, she noticed posters in the window (top photo) and checked in on their progress. Proprietors Allison Barnes and Michael Stein say they have buttoned up the lease and started painting; they’re also “experimenting in the ‘Test Kitchen’ on some tasty goodies to add to our range.” They hope to be open “fairly early in spring,” as this display in the window hints:
The ceremony didn’t get quite the attention that similar events at City Hall and the County Courthouse did, but three Seattle Port Commissioners have taken the oath of office this week too. Above, newly elected commissioner Rob Holland, who is making history as the first African-American Seattle Port Commissioner; he was sworn in Tuesday by former Governor John Spellman. Below, new Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn administered the oath to John Creighton (below left) and Tom Albro was sworn in by son Nate.
All five commissioners’ bios are here; their meeting schedule – first, second and fourth Tuesdays, alternating locations, is here. (Photos courtesy Port of Seattle)
Seattle Public Library has officially announced the new hours/schedules that take effect February 3rd because of city budget cuts. As part of the changes, two West Seattle libraries will change to five-day-a-week schedules, while the other two will be open seven days a week. As of February 3, Delridge and High Point will be the 5-day-a-week branches, with hours 1-8 pm Mondays-Tuesdays, 11 am-6 pm Wednesdays-Thursdays, 11 am-6 pm Saturdays, closed Fridays and Sundays. Southwest and West Seattle (Admiral) will be the 7-day-a-week branches, with hours 10 am-8 pm Mondays-Thursdays, 10 am-6 pm Fridays-Saturdays, 1-5 pm Sundays. The full citywide list is here.
That photo’s from last year’s “Have a Heart Day” fundraiser at longtime WSB sponsor Illusions Hair Design – where they’re now making appointments for this year’s “Have a Heart Day.” This year, all proceeds from haircuts that day (men’s and women’s, but according to Illusions, “no chemical services”) will go to West Seattle Food Bank – they choose a different charity every year. They’ll also collect canned-food donations, and people who bring one in will get a chance at a “special retail promotion.” One thing different this year – Have a Heart Day is on a SATURDAY – this is the 17th annual event, and it’s always been the Sunday before Valentine’s Day, but since the Super Bowl is on that day this year, “Have a Heart Day” is on Saturday 2/6 instead, 10 am-3 pm. Prices will be $5 off regular cost; ALL proceeds go to the WS Food Bank – the staff is donating their services for the day. You must have an appointment, and you can call right now to make one – 206-938-3675. Heather at Illusions adds, “We like to limit the amount of credit card usage for this day so cash & checks are preferred.” More info if you scroll down this page on Illusions’ site.
Shannon Schinagl and the rest of the team at the Delridge Branch Library are excited about a new addition just announced for the library’s free Story Time lineup. For the first time, they’re offering Vietnamese Story Time, four Saturday mornings 11:15-11:45, starting January 15. Here’s the flyer, in Vietnamese and English.
Just in from the mayor’s office – a city official from Renton is coming to work in Seattle as the successor to Department of Transportation director Grace Crunican, who announced her resignation nine days ago – read on for the announcement:Read More
E-mail asking “what’s that ramp being built alongside the West Seattle Bridge?” reminded us it’s been a while since the last formal update on the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project. The first phase involves that ramp you can see while driving the stretch of The Bridge between 99 and I-5; it will bring traffic off the eastbound bridge onto 4th, with one lane turning southbound (toward Costco), the other turning northbound (toward SODO and downtown). When we checked in with SDOT to ask about a construction photo – receiving the ones you see in this story – Marybeth Turner shared the brand-new mailer that should land in 35,000 West Seattle and SODO mailboxes today and tomorrow. In it: Dates are set for some key closures related to the projects – including one that’s happening sooner than first announced:
(date updated at noon) JANUARY 22: That’s when the two-phase shutdown of the rest of lower westbound Spokane Street will begin — first the road will be closed between 6th and 4th Avenues South; then February 1st, the closure will extend to East Marginal Way. SDOT says the closure will continue until the project is complete in 2012; the westbound side is where the new structure, doubling the width of the Spokane Street Viaduct, will be built.
(date updated at noon) JANUARY 22: The second major shutdown is a permanent one – the offramp to 4th Avenue South from the westbound SSV will be closed and demolished.
MAY: The exact date isn’t finalized yet, but this is when the ramp from 1st/Spokane to the westbound bridge will be permanently closed. Once that happens, until the new 1st Avenue South on/offramp is ready in late 2011, you will have to use either I-5 or 99 to get onto The Bridge.
SDOT also says you’ll see lane closures from time to time along the way, and temporary ramp closures such as one coming up January 22-24, 10 pm-6 am each night, from southbound I-5 to The Bridge. It’s not all about shutdowns, though – this summer, eastbound lower Spokane Street will reopen, and this fall is when the new 4th Avenue ramp will be ready to go.
This is all detailed in the flyer that’s just been mailed; if you don’t want to wait for it, you can see the whole thing here. (Our archived coverage of the Spokane Street Viaduct project is here.) NOON UPDATE: The city has sent a formal announcement of all this to media – and has already changed a couple of dates this morning; SDOT now says the 4th offramp and lower Spokane from 6th to 4th will all close on the same date, January 22. Read on to see the latest construction schedule from the news release – and note, these changes were made AFTER the aforementioned mailer went out, so they supersede what you will see if/when you get it:Read More
(Photo by Guy Smith – debris on west Alki after Tuesday’s 13+ foot high tide – another 9:08 am today)
It’s the busiest day/night so far this new year. Among the highlights:
FAIRMOUNT PLAYGROUND PROJECT, MEETING #2: 6:30 tonight, it’s the second of two public meetings to talk about what’s in store for the playground at Fairmount Playfield, earmarked for an overhaul thanks to $170,000 from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy. Safety and accessibility improvements are the main goals of the project, but the overall design is up for public discussion and that’s what tonight is about. Here’s our coverage of the first meeting; the official notes are on the city webpage for the project. Tonight’s meeting is at High Point Library (35th/Raymond).
BE GREEN WHILE YOU CLEAN: Tonight’s the hands-on demonstration event that CoolMom is presenting at Bridge Park – they dub the format “make and take.” 7 pm; RSVP via Evite.
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: Reps from neighborhood and community groups all around the western half of the peninsula meet at 7 tonight for the first time in two months, with the agenda including a transit discussion featuring SDOT reps, plus council co-chair Chas Redmond’s presentation on the West Seattle Tool Lending Library, a project that Sustainable West Seattle is spearheading. Since the last SWDC meeting, by the way, Redmond and Jim Del Ciello, who represents Admiral on the council, have been elected chair and vice chair, respectively, of the City Neighborhood Council. SWDC meets in the board room at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor).
NORTH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: Scheduled for 6:30 pm, Delridge Library. Last time around, in December (WSB coverage here), the group started talking about setting up committees focused on specific neighborhood issues.
SEATTLE SCHOOL BOARD: As noted a few days ago, tonight’s agenda as the board meets at 6 pm at district HQ in SODO (map) includes finalizing details of this fall’s transition to the new Student Assignment Plan, as well as other action items such as approving the sale of more of the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse property. (If you can’t be there in person, the meeting will be on cable channel 22.)
“THREE AMIGOS”: The movie series at Freshy’s Coffee (2735 California SW) resumes tonight with comedy cinema – 7 pm. Here’s the event listing on Facebook.
Even more events for today/tonight can be found on the WSB West Seattle Events page, including yoga and Tai Chi classes this morning.
Actually, they’re looking for nominations for THREE awards this year – and one is brand new. Here’s the pitch, from Shannon Felix of Avalon Glassworks, on behalf of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce:
Call for Nominations – West Seattle Business of the Year, Community Hero, and Westsider of the Year
Now is your opportunity to honor those who have made an outstanding commitment to West Seattle. Nominations are now being accepted for the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year, Community Hero, and Westsider of the Year for 2009.
Your Business of the Year nomination should be for a West Seattle Chamber Member which best exemplifies West Seattle’s high standards of excellence. Past recipients include Elliott Bay Brewery & Pub, Tom’s Automotive Service, and Avalon Glassworks.
The Community Hero award is any West Seattle resident who has continually contributed selflessly to West Seattle. Past recipients include Jerry Robinson, Warren Lawless, and Earl Cruzen.
The Westsider of the Year is a new award designed to honor fresh faces who are improving West Seattle. Who is an upcoming community role-model? Tell us!
E-mail your nominations by January 12, 2010 to Patti Mullen, pmullen@wschamber.com.
The 2009 Chamber Award winners will be honored April 7, 2010 at the Annual Awards Breakfast at Salty’s on Alki. For more information, contact the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, 206-932-5685, or visit wschamber.com.
The nomination form is on the Chamber website – direct link (PDF) here.
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