West Seattle, Washington
07 Tuesday
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Friday! We start with a transit problem – Metro says the West Seattle Water Taxi shuttles, Routes 773 and 775, are “experiencing delays” and will not be available until after 6:30 am.
OTHER NOTES: As reported here Thursday, the new bicycle counter on the east end of the low bridge is now up and running. And looking ahead to the weekend – if you are traveling outside West Seattle, especially Saturday, here’s what you need to know – most notably the 5 am-3:30 pm NB 99 closure for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon.
SPEAKING OF WHICH – here’s the list of bus reroutes for tomorrow.
(Looking south on 40th from Alaska, at project’s northwest corner)
The next Southwest Design Review Board meeting has been scheduled for the 4755 Fauntleroy Way megaproject – 370 apartments, ~600 parking spaces, Whole Foods, a still-unnamed drugstore, and more – 8 pm July 11th, Senior Center of West Seattle. The date appeared on the city Department of Planning and Development website late today, just hours after the Seattle Design Commission took its fourth – and ultimately, final – look at the parts of the plan in which it has jurisdiction.
That meeting at City Hall downtown ended with commissioners voting to recommend that the city approve the “alley vacation” requested for the plan.
First, they reviewed an updated presentation – now posted to the city website in its 59-page entirety – about the “public benefit” that the development team is offering, which they calculate is worth more than $2 million.
Lauri and Gerry Cunningham – daughter and mother, respectively – don’t even look one bit tired, though they certainly have the right to. In the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse kitchen tonight, they made and sold about 100 spaghetti dinners as a benefit for the upcoming Relay for Life of West Seattle, an American Cancer Society fundraiser that they’ve been involved with for more than a decade. They cooked, dinner purchasers picked up, and by the time we saw Gerry and Lauri around 6:30, they were sold out. Relay for Life, by the way, is coming up in less than a week and a half – Saturday, June 29, at West Seattle Stadium; even if you are not part of a team, you can support the cause by visiting during the all-night event, and by donating online.
Meet 5-year-old Iris Clementine. She believes she just might grow up to be the “most famous artist in West Seattle.” Tonight she is one of the artists in the spotlight at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse‘s first-ever art show. You’ll find work throughout the hallways – live music and refreshments too:
If you get there before the show’s over, say hi to schoolhouse manager Denise Wallace, proud about the turnout as well as the artist participatoin:
The schoolhouse – which is nonprofit-operated and raising money right now for more much-needed repairs/renovations – is at 9131 California SW, and tonight’s art show is on till 8:30 pm.
One month ago, volunteers organized by Sustainable West Seattle planted a “Presto Garden” to grow food for those in need (WSB coverage here). Today – the first harvest! The photo and update are from SWS’s Stu Hennessey:
The “Presto Garden” was created at a four hour work party a little more than 4 weeks ago as a final to a community forum series presented by Sustainable West Seattle. The garden was built at the Westcrest P-Patch and is a designated food bank garden for the White Center Food Bank. The forum series focused on gardening with a permaculture technique referred to as lasagna gardening. The different layers of the garden foundation were built up from the existing ground and were layered much like compost layering, green brown, green brown. You can see the results.
The first Harvest today 6/20 netted 15 pounds of lettuce and spinach to the White Center Food Bank.
In light of two recent stories that have drawn much attention here – the police FYI about Level 3 sex offenders moving into local neighborhoods, and the White Center investigation of a kidnap attempt and break-in attempt – you might want to be at the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network‘s meeting next Tuesday:
How should your neighborhood react when a level 3 sex offender moves in? Our guests this month are Detective Fields and Detective Stevenson of the SPD Sex & Kidnapping Offender Detail and as well as one of the supervisors in that detail. They will give us an overview of what they do to monitor the activities of the sex offenders, what the different levels mean and what your neighborhood can do to keep itself safe. They are also part of the kidnapping detail and we will learn more specifics about how to better protect your family and neighborhood from this threat.
Everyone’s welcome, whether you’re involved with a Block Watch or not. The meeting starts at 6:30 pm Tuesday, June 25, at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster).
More repair work is needed at Lincoln Park’s outdoor Colman Pool, so it’ll be closed tomorrow, Seattle Parks just announced, “to accommodate emergency replacement of a pump. The pool is scheduled to reopen at noon on Saturday, June 22. Parks apologizes for the inconvenience to the public.” As reported here last week, the pool was 90 percent drained for valve work before its 7-day-a-week season began.
Four construction cranes are now up in West Seattle, with the arrival today of this one at The Blake, 5020 California SW, south of The Junction, where we last reported on the start of site prep in April. This crane arrives 8 days after the crane went up at Spruce, formerly “The Hole,” and the two projects have some things in common besides the obvious:
-Both sites were originally to be developed by BlueStar
-Both later went into foreclosure, then sat idle a while after ownership changes (different owners now)
-Both have new names (Spruce was originally Fauntleroy Place, The Blake was previously Spring Hill)
The Blake will have 101 apartments, 87 parking spaces, and commercial space, though, unlike Spruce (where the entirety of the commercial space is going to LA Fitness), nothing announced yet.
The other two cranes are at projects that have been under construction for months, Oregon 42 (whose marketing website is now up) and in the 3200 block of Avalon Way. The next arrival likely will be at 4730 California, aka the former Petco site, where demolition is in its second week.
Notice something new at the east end of the low bridge? West Seattle Bike Connections president Don Brubeck shares the photo and update:
An SDOT crew was at the east end of the bridge this morning pulling wire to the new bike counter. Not yet operational, but they said “maybe today.” … This is the first I’ve seen it unwrapped. It looks like the one at the Fremont Bridge. I was bike 3,375 for the day over that one at about 7 pm yesterday. Maybe in a few years after some intersections and East Marginal Way are improved, we’ll reach that kind of total.
After the note from Don, we drove over the low bridge to check it out, and it seems to be operational – or, at least, its number display was illuminated. The bike counter is privately funded, as noted earlier this month by Seattle Bike Blog.
(UPDATE: We received two new photos late today – including this one from Don:)
(back to original story) P.S. The city’s first round of meetings on the draft Bicycle Master Plan update are over, but comments are still being accepted. Here’s what it envisions, eventually, for our part of the city. The plan is on the agenda for the next WS Bike Connections meeting, to which you’re invited, bicyclist or not, 6:30 pm July 2nd at Highland Park Improvement Club (12th/Holden).
We’ve just confirmed that next Monday – June 24th – is the new date for the City Council‘s vote on spending $500,000 to assist with moving residents out of the “Nickelsville” encampment to facilitate a shutdown by September 1st. Last Friday, when we first reported the new ordinance, council spokesperson Dan Nolte told us the vote wouldn’t be until July 8th. Last night, though, we noticed the date was instead listed as June 24th, in this online update by Councilmember Nick Licata – and Nolte just confirmed to WSB that Monday is indeed the new date for the council vote. That’ll be in their 2 pm meeting at City Hall, which usually begins with a public-comment period; agendas usually come out on Thursdays, so we should see the one for this meeting later today.
In case you don’t get the twice-weekly Land Use Information Bulletin from the city, two projects of note in today’s edition:
4447 41st SW: This four-townhouse project is going through “streamlined design review,” which means no meeting, but you can still comment. Here’s the notice, which explains how.
4745 40th SW: The second Early Design Guidance meeting for this 150-apartment project (across from the Masonic Lodge and its parking lot on 40th) is now set for 6:30 pm July 11th at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon) – here’s the official notice.
Thanks to Kate Kaemerle from Sustainable West Seattle for sharing Kimberly Leeper‘s photo from last Monday night’s SWS walk along Longfellow Creek and through its watershed. Kate says, “One of the takeaways from the walk is how Seattle residents’ everyday activities impact the natural environment at home, at work and in urban planning and what we can do to keep our urban watersheds healthy in their own backyards, and what you can do to help preserve the health of our urban watersheds.” We often feature SWS events in the WSB calendar, from which today’s highlights are as follows:
4755 FAUNTLEROY AT DESIGN COMMISSION: 9 am, the Seattle Design Commission takes its fourth look at the 4755 Fauntleroy Way (the megaproject with Whole Foods, about 400 apartments, 600 parking spaces) development. Its role is related to the “alley vacation” the project is requesting, and today’s review looks at the “public benefit” that it’s offering for the right to buy and use the alley land. The public’s welcome; the commission meets at City Hall. (4th/Cherry)
TODDLER STORY TIME: One of the Seattle Public Library‘s regular local events (find ongoing listings like this one in our calendar – we don’t spotlight them here on the home page every day, but they’re there!), High Point Library, 11:30 am. (35th/Raymond)
HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY, FULL TILT ICE CREAM: The ice-cream shop that started the White Center business renaissance, among other things, is marking its fifth anniversary today. And if you go buy something at Full Tilt Ice Cream‘s original location in White Center, you’ll be contributing to a tradition – today’s anniversary-day profits from that store go to the White Center Food Bank. 2-10 pm; here’s our preview, a chat with FT’s Justin Cline. (9629 16th SW)
50+ AND SINGLE? Join tonight’s social-group meetup, 5 pm, through Lifelong Recreation. See our listing for contact info to find out the location.
FAUNTLEROY SCHOOLHOUSE ART SHOW: As previewed here yesterday, 6-8:30 pm, you’re invited to stop by the historic schoolhouse to see the art in its beautiful hallway. (9131 California SW)
ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Tonight’s agenda includes future development, Metro bus service, and exploration of RPZ parking restrictions. Alki UCC, 7 pm. (61st/Hinds)
TRY OUT FOR ‘SWEET, SWEET MUSIC’: Auditions for the next edition of the Fauntleroy Church music series are at 7 pm – details here.
SOLSTICE SUNSET WATCH: NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen of Alice’s Astro Info (and Skies Over West Seattle – look for the latest installment this morning, unless breaking news intrudes) will be at Solstice Park, across and upslope from northern Lincoln Park, for tonight’s sunset – even if it’s cloudy (though heavy rain is grounds for cancellation). Sunset’s around 9, and the exact moment of summer solstice is just an hour later, at 10:04 pm.
Even more on the calendar!
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Nothing reported so far with a significant effect on this morning’s commute. But again today, we’re reminding you of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon closures on Saturday, which will include NB 99, 5 am-3:30 pm.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch topics this morning – an update on a criminal case we’ve been following, and the brief notes from this month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting.
ARBOR HEIGHTS ARREST CASE: Bail is now down to $2,500 for Alan Polevia, the repeat offender arrested after being found in the crawl space of an Arbor Heights home last week (WSB coverage here). As the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office had said would happen, Polevia went to court Wednesday to answer the charges on which he failed to appear back in March, burglary and theft charges related to a West Seattle case from last year. He pleaded not guilty, and the judge said he could be released on personal recognizance. Conditions of release include that he continue living at an apartment in the 11900 block of 16th South (map) for the duration of the case. We don’t have access to documents on the two other cases on which he was held, but the bottom line is that the jail register shows $2,500 bail still in effect related to one of them.
The Polevia case was brought up briefly by an attendee at Tuesday night’s WSCPC meeting. This time around, the meeting had no central topic, as there were no guests. Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Pierre Davis described Polevia as a “frequent flyer” whom they’ll be keeping an eye on if he gets out. Read on for other toplines:
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Justin Cline remembers back when, if he saw someone wearing something bearing the logo of his business, Full Tilt Ice Cream, “it was somebody I knew.”
Not any more, though, still, he says, “I see our shirts and stickers out there, and it blows me away. But – we make the ice cream the same way we did when I was making it all myself.”
The output’s too much for just Justin to handle these days – 2,200 gallons a week, he calculates, and then some.
Full Tilt marks its fifth anniversary tomorrow: June 20, 2008, Justin and wife Ann Magyar opened their doors in downtown White Center, in the same little hole-in-the-wall-ish spot where we talked with him this afternoon, after receiving a note letting us know FT-WC will donate its anniversary-day profits to the White Center Food Bank tomorrow, as usual.
White Center is the original store in a Full Tilt group that’s now grown to four, in addition to a partnership for Highscore Burgers, which opened on the eastside earlier this year, and a Full Tilt shop about to open on the campus of Microsoft, where Justin worked as a programmer 15 years ago.
That’s Ola Salon proprietor Rachel Karlin and Furry Faces Foundation‘s Teri Ensley at Salty’s on Alki (1936 Harbor SW; WSB sponsor), where you still have time to go join the benefit to help make up for what the Luna Park salon lost in last month’s burglary. Appetizers, soft drinks, a silent auction, and good company are part of the event, explained in detail on Salty’s website – lots of cool things on which you can bid.
The salon itself has been the host of countless benefits – less than two weeks before the burglary, in fact, Ola had hosted a benefit sale during West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, raising money for Transitional Resources, whose organization helping people with mental-health challenges is located just up Avalon Way. Get over to Salty’s by 9:30 pm to be part of this chance to give back.
Seattle Public Schools sends word that the School Board has just approved two versions of next year’s calendar – with one major difference: Version 1 includes three days with no classes because teachers are in professional-development activities; version 2 does not. Which will be used? Depends on what the state decides about those three days, which require the district to get a waiver from the mandatory 180 days of instruction. Both versions have the feature we mentioned last month – the return of a full week of mid-winter break, after a year without it. Read on for the full announcement:
When your grocery store is home to America’s Best Bagger, what do you do for an encore? Choose his successor for the next round of competition! That’s what happened this afternoon at Metropolitan Market-Admiral (WSB sponsor). National champ Andrew Borracchini emceed this afternoon’s in-store bagging competition; in our top photo, he’s with the winner, Isaac Rushing. Here’s our video from one of the heats:
Isaac doesn’t have an automatic ticket to the nationals – first, he has to go up against the bagging champs from each of Metropolitan Market’s other stores, to see who’ll be the chain-wide winner. The competition nationwide has been sponsored by the National Grocers’ Association for more than half a century.
4:27 PM: Trouble on the westbound bridge. The 911 log shows two incidents; the camera view above shows what is described as a medical call.
4:38 PM: One person who’s just gone through the area says it’s definitely very slow going getting onto the bridge, particularly from I-5. So if you use motorized transportation and can wait a while to head for home – that might be your best option.
4:43 PM: Via radio communications, police report “the high rise is clear.” The residual backup might take a while to ease, though.
(P.S. The live camera view also has been moved by WSDOT back to its regular angle at the I-5 interchange, but it showed the east side of the westbound high-rise approach while the incident was still unfolding.)
Last fall, city reps came to eastern West Seattle for three meetings on plans for reducing sewage overflows in Longfellow Creek, including potential raingardens and other types of “natural drainage.” The plans have evolved since then, Seattle Public Utilities is announcing this week, and they want your input on the next decisions that have to be made. For starters, SPU’s Susan Stoltzfus tells WSB, “further modeling and analysis” has shown the city that “the sewage overflows can be mostly controlled by making improvements to the existing storage tanks along Delridge Way and diverting some of the flow to King County’s system.”
That said, they are still pursuing “natural drainage” to help protect the creek “from polluted stormwater runoff which, even without sewage in it, can be more harmful to the health of the creek and the creatures that live in it.” And the new plan is for this to be installed along the route of a future greenway – a road improved for pedestrian/bicycle safety – that has yet to be chosen. If you live in the area – the city wants to hear from you.
(Click image for larger version you can zoom in on)
The map above shows the alternatives. SPU says everyone along the potential routes will get a survey in the mail asking what they think about the idea of a greenway and raingardens in their neighborhood – and a public meeting is planned, July 9th at Highland Park Improvement Club. (HP Action Committee has already announced that this meeting will be a substitute for what otherwise would have been its regular monthly meeting in late June.)
Information about the new proposals will be up on the city website within a few days, we’re told. In the meantime, if you live on one of the greenway routes, watch your mailbox – and if you have any interest in the project, plan to be at the July 9th meeting.
P.S. One greenway already is in the works, in North Delridge – SDOT published an update this week – and the city says it might be a candidate for after-the-fact natural-drainage projects.
Not that West Seattleites need incentive to recycle – just look at the success of local dropoff events – but if you join in an upcoming “competition,” you might just help our peninsula win bragging rights. The Seattle Public Library and Call2Recycle will have battery-collection boxes in place for five days at six libraries around the city, from June 22nd (this Saturday) through June 26th, including the West Seattle (Admiral) Branch at 2306 42nd SW. Two days after the collection period ends, Call2Recycle will weigh the six neighborhoods’ contributions, and declare the “winner” Seattle’s Greenest Neighborhood. Here’s what they’ll accept:
Drop off all types of household batteries (weighing up to 11 pounds each), including both single-use batteries and rechargeable batteries commonly found in laptops and digital cameras. Obsolete cellphones can also be dropped off at the libraries for recycling.
The recovered materials, according to Call2Recycle, will be “used to create new batteries, concrete additives and a variety of stainless steel products.” (The organization’s website says it’s a nonprofit “funded by battery and product manufacturers committed to responsible recycling.”) There’s even more info online here.
(WSB photo looking east toward 47th/Admiral, 2011)
City money for a full traffic signal at 47th/Admiral just advanced one step closer to reality, after the City Council’s Government Performance and Finance Committee voted to send a package of midyear budget changes to the full council. We reported Tuesday on the council’s decision to go for the full half-million-dollar signal, which neighborhood advocates have requested for years. No councilmembers voiced opposition.
Immediately after that signal was discussed, another six-digit West Seattle item popped up – another $200,000 for designing “Green Boulevard” changes for Fauntleroy Way through The Triangle.
(One of two “green boulevard” options shown by SDOT last year)
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, long an advocate of the concept, described it as a “slowly progressing project” and yet one that’s needed as the area continues to develop as a residential/commercial area. The city’s 2012 budget, as reported here in 2011, included $250,000 to start design; if the additional $200,000 is finalized, that will get the design process to 60 percent. The “boulevard,” Rasmussen noted at today’s meeting, involves “primarily pedestrian improvements – sidewalks, curb bulbs, etc.” We’re checking for updated design documents, since it’s been almost a year since the last public discussion (see materials from that July 2012 open house here). Today’s committee meeting, meantime, was not a final vote on these and other spending proposals, so if you have something to say pro/con/otherwise, you can find contact information for councilmembers here.
Been to the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse since it became a nonprofit community center? You’re invited to visit tomorrow night for the schoolhouse’s first art show, 6-8:30 pm. Local artists’ work will be hung in the schoolhouse’s hallways, including Linda McClamrock, June Olson, Gail Ann, and Pamela Coffey. The schoolhouse (at 9131 California SW) is in the final phase of a fundraising campaign to pay for long-needed improvements – stop by and see what’s been done already.
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