West Seattle, Washington
18 Wednesday
It’s a low-risk way to check out some of the programs at local community centers and pools – and it’s making a comeback this month. Seattle Parks is promoting its “Try It for $2” offer again (advertising it on WSB and elsewhere), which starts after the Labor Day holiday and continues all month. There’s some info at the official website, tryitfor2.com, and you can find programs to try by browsing the fall West Seattle-wide brochure – it’s permalinked atop the WSB West Seattle Events calendar page, or you can access it directly (PDF) here.
Thanks to Mike for sharing that photo of the work that’s under way by the bus stop on the northbound side of Delridge at Croft (map). It’s a multi-component project from the city’s Neighborhood Projects Fund, according to SDOT spokesperson Marybeth Turner:
SDOT paving crews are working on a neighborhood improvement project at Delridge Way and Croft Place SW. They installed a curb ramp and paved an area within a driveway. They also paved a bus pad. They will install a new traffic island (median) on one side of the intersection to assist pedestrians crossing Delridge. The crew chief expects the work to be completed sometime next week.
Three reader reports in this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup – read on:Read More
(Photo substituted 3:01 pm – took this one from Charlestown Hill)
1:58 PM: We’ve gotten a few questions about all the smoke on the east slope of the Olympic Mountains, north of the iconic Brothers peaks, clearly visible from West Seattle. (Our photo is from the hill over south Lincoln Park.) So far we believe it’s this one that’s reported to have closed the Duckabush trail (here’s a map of that area) – still looking for a more comprehensive sense of information.
3:06 PM UPDATE: Substituted a better photo, after checking it out from Charlestown Hill and Beach Drive. Our friends at KING 5 quote authorities on the peninsula as calling this one the “Big Hump Fire.” They report at least 20 firefighters are assigned to it. Also just in – best photo yet, from David Hutchinson on Alki:
4:53 PM UPDATE: First time we’ve seen a cause mentioned – the Peninsula Daily News has a story up now, and says it’s believed to have been sparked by an abandoned campfire.
8:15 PM: The fire’s size has been updated to 50 acres.
The King County Elections Department is out with the breakdown on last month’s vote, precinct by precinct, and our partners at the Seattle Times have turned the Seattle Referendum 1 (tunnel-related) vote into a color-coded map. Eastern West Seattle was the anti-Ref. 1 stronghold – get a closer look at the map here – and there was a bit of a north-south split, too, with a few pockets of opposition in north WS, such as one area just south of Alki Point. (If you know your precinct number, you can check out the text version of the vote breakdown – for all races/measures – on the county website.)
Look out at the blue water of Puget Sound today. Think about what you don’t see … the poisonous pollution that threatens the lives that depend on it (including ours). There are easy ways you can help, and Sustainable West Seattle is going to spend the fall showing you how not to feed the Tox-Ick Monster! Here’s their announcement, with a list of presentations you can attend – not just to listen and learn, but also to win prizes:
Sustainable West Seattle is taking on a monster of a problem in Puget Sound with a new campaign that empowers citizens to curb toxic runoff.
The group is hosting a series of free educational events, September – November. Audience members will be eligible to win up to $1,000 in prizes like water cisterns, landscape consulting, car-wash gift certificates, oil changes, bus passes, and more.
Toxic runoff comes from many everyday sources, including soap, paint, fertilizers and herbicides, and even dog poop. According to the Department of Ecology, toxic runoff is the No. 1 threat to the health of Puget Sound. Each year, 14 million pounds of pollutants wash from our streets and driveways directly into our rivers and streams, and ultimately into the Sound.
“Most people I talk to think that polluted runoff from our streets and driveways go to facilities to remove contamination,” said Cate White, leader of Sustainable West Seattle’s toxic runoff outreach group. “However, that isn’t true. Most runoff is not treated. Our campaign helps people understand how they can reduce that flow of toxic runoff.”
Keep watch for the ominous Tox-Ick: A Monster of a Problem for Puget Sound posters in your community. “The Tox-Ick Monster is the group’s emblematic metaphor for what toxic runoff is doing to our communities, which is robbing us of our salmon, our orcas, our shellfish economy, and our health,” said Corbet Curfman, designer of the character. The posters will alert the public to the next educational event and opportunity to win pollution-prevention prizes.
Events will be:
– Sunday, Sept. 11. 2 pm, West Seattle Christian Church, 4400 42nd SW ($1,000 prizes)
– Saturday, Sept. 24, 10 am, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW ($1,000 prizes)
– Monday, Oct. 10, 7 pm, Pathfinder Elementary School, 1901 SW Genesee ($1,000 prizes)
– Saturday, Oct. 22, 1 pm, Roxhill Elementary School, 9430 30th Ave SW ($1,000 prizes)
– Saturday, Nov. 12, 2:30 pm, SPANISH PRESENTATION, White Center Community Cultural Center (aka St. James Annex), 9421 18th SW ($500 in prizes)
– Saturday, Nov. 19, 4 pm, Alki United Church of Christ, 6115 SW Hinds ($500 in prizes)In addition to the community outreach meetings, a new Web site is (up) at www.tox-ick.org as well as new Facebook and Twitter profiles.
(Jewelry artist Sarah Loertscher setting up her Click! Design That Fits installation. Trunk show today!)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar (event/meeting ahead? let us know!):
TRAFFIC ALERT: Till 3 pm today, lane closures that might back things up on the Alaskan Way Viaduct – here’s the announcement we published earlier this week. P.S. HistoryLink.org notes that this is the anniversary of the day the final phase of the Viaduct opened.
NEED TOOLS FOR A PROJECT? West Seattle Tool Library open on the east side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW. 9 am – 2 pm Saturdays (and 1 – 5 pm Sundays).
LINCOLN PARK NEEDS YOU! Lincoln Park plant restoration party, 9 am – 2 pm. The mature forests of Lincoln Park in West Seattle are a treasure, but they need our help to survive. Join the Friends of Lincoln Park to work on maintaining previously restored forest. We promise you a good work out (Green exercise!) and the planet will thank you! Meet in the north parking lot on Fauntleroy Way SW at the kiosk across from SW Rose St. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW, just north of the Vashon Ferry). Bring garden gloves and hand clippers. We will have extras.
TRUNK SHOW AT CLICK! At Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor), Sarah Loertscher jewelry, 11 am – 5 pm trunk show with new jewelry “The F-Series”
FELINE FRIENDS AWAITING YOU: West Seattle’s Kitty Harbor (3422 Harbor Ave SW), is open for adoptions, 12-6 pm.
CAR WASH! Fundraising car wash at West Seattle Produce parking lot (Alaska & Fauntleroy). 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm, West Seattle High School Girls Volleyball Team raising money to pay for new gear and fees for the upcoming season. Cars washed by donation. Want to know more about the team? Go here!
SKAMPIDA AT THE BRICKYARD: Outdoor live music at 7 pm, 2308 California SW, reggae/ska band from Colombia.
ON THE ROAD: High-school football – Seattle Lutheran at Life Christian, 7 pm (in Lakewood, south of Tacoma).
MORE LIVE MUSIC: Skylark Café and Club, starting at 9 pm: K (Heart) M, The Stevedore, The Underwater Tiger, $5 cover
Friday was a busy day for Seal Sitters on West Seattle shores, as first responder Robin Lindsey writes on their Blubberblog website. 
The final pup report of the day gives rise to a reminder – if you see a pup on the beach, stay as far away as you can, and keep others away too, until Seal Sitters can get a volunteer there to keep watch. We received a Twitter report of the Lincoln Park sighting, photo included, along with a question about who to call; we replied with the Seal Sitters’ number (we suggest adding it to your contact list – 206-905-SEAL [905-7325]) and advice to keep everybody back. Robin writes that the pup was apparently scared back into the water, which can be deadly – they are usually left on the beach by their moms, who go off to find food and return for their nursing pups, and if the pup is scared into the water, mom might not find it. Read more about how to handle marine-mammal sightings at sealsitters.org.
Chief Sealth International High School opened the season with a non-conference, “away” football game tonight – very far away. On the Olympic Peninsula, Sealth lost at Port Angeles, 48-0. Seattle Lutheran High School plays tomorrow night in Lakewood, Pierce County (vs. Life Christian/Seattle Christian); West Seattle High School isn’t scheduled for its first game till next weekend.
8:35 PM: Have received various reports of a helicopter spotted over various areas of north West Seattle. Checking to see what we can find out. If you are seeing ground police activity that goes with it, let us know – there’s nothing on the scanner or 911 right now, but we’re driving in the general reported area to look around.
8:50 PM: We headed down toward West Marginal Way after reports it was seen over eastern West Seattle. Co-publisher Patrick Sand says it’s now visible over the eastern shore of the Duwamish River – we’re assuming it’s the same chopper – with a spotlight. So, still a mystery, but it’s definitely not just focused on West Seattle. There are still NO police or fire incidents in our area that would match to it. TV choppers do not routinely fly at this time of night, either.
9:09 PM: Via Facebook, Lisa G reminds us that high-school football games are sometimes videotaped via chopper, so we do get Friday night flyovers this time of year. We thought briefly we’d found a game scheduled at WS Stadium tonight, but it was last year’s schedule. Mystery continues!
9:21 PM: Lt. Alan Williams at the Southwest Precinct confirms police don’t have anything going on that would have merited a chopper (overall, quiet in general so far right now, he says).
Many have asked what’s happening at 9005 35th SW near Henderson, part of the former On Safari Foods space. WSB contributor Bill “Hutch” Hutchison spoke today with its new owners, sisters Muzit and Senait, who shared a bit of information about their plans to open West Seattle Fish House. They plan to primarily serve fish and chips to begin with, along with a variety of side dishes, not yet finalized, and more menu items to be added along the way as they ramp up. Muzit and Senait are both West Seattle residents and told Hutch they recognized a need for this type of restaurant in the neighborhood. Though they expect to do a lot of take-out business, there will be some countertop seating as well. No beer or wine to start, but it’s a possibility down the road.
That’s all they wanted to say till they get closer to opening, but we do know they hope to open within the next two to three weeks, depending on how inspections go.
Neal Chism – who more than does his part to clean up local waterways – sent photos this week, showing last weekend’s trash trouble at the fishing bridge just east of the “low bridge.”
It’s not just an eyesore. It’s a reminder of why trash by the water carries an extra hazard, whether bagged or not – if it gets into the water, it’s not only a hazard to local wildlife, it could eventually find itself to giant, growing repositories like the “garbage patch” in the Pacific. Neal also sent his photos to local authorities, and replies indicated that SDOT, which manages/maintains that area, would investigate more-frequent trash pickup during fishing season.
But a separate note we received, from Suzanne, brings a suggestion/solution: We can not only take care of our own trash, but can go the extra mile, as has Neal, to pick up others’. She suggested that if you have some time this Labor Day weekend, you might consider an impromptu beach/shore cleanup effort, no matter how small – every little bit helps:
I’m hoping that by getting the word out, it might also help people become more aware of the impacts that littering has, and cause folks to think twice about just leaving something behind to let the wind and water take it away – for someone else to deal with.
A friend and I spent several hours picking up LOTS of litter [earlier this week] along the beach at Constellation Park during low tide. We were shocked at how much we collected. It would be fantastic if other folks helped out this weekend along their favorite beaches. Low tides this weekend in West Seattle: Saturday: 3:33 pm; Sunday: 4:45 pm; Monday: 6:23 pm. Be sure to bring bags to collect the litter. Gloves too, ideally. -We didn’t have gloves and wished we did.
Suzanne also says that People for Puget Sound would like to have photos of anything you pick up, particularly plastic trash, since they are getting ready to launch an awareness campaign, so she sent us a postscript before we published this:
Please ask everyone to take photos of what they collect, with the plastic being especially evident and send them to Heather Trim, htrim@pugetsound.org. She is asking that the photos be taken at an angle to show detail, and ideally not in super bright sunlight.
P.S. If you do find some time to do some beach cleanup this weekend – we’d love to see your photos too, to celebrate everything, no matter how small, that neighbors are doing to keep Puget Sound healthier. (P.S. In two weeks you can also join an organized cleanup at Lincoln Park – info here – but don’t let that stop you from getting out this weekend … two more weeks and who knows where today’s trash will be. (Read up on the sea-trash problem here.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Most know that pink is the official color for breast-cancer awareness.
If somebody asked you which cancer-awareness campaign uses purple … would you know the answer?
Many more people in the area do, because of Prudential Northwest Realty‘s 48-year-old Dawn “DJ” Jump, who is being treated for, and working to raise awareness of, pancreatic cancer.
If you haven’t heard much about pancreatic cancer, you’re not alone. (I hadn’t, until my mother was diagnosed with it 13 years ago.) Not to imply any cancer is a “good” cancer, but cancer of the pancreas is an especially “bad” one. Because of where the pancreas sits in your digestive system, it’s seldom diagnosed early, and the tumor often is too close to vital arteries/other organs for doctors to safely remove. As a result, the 5-year survival rate is 5 percent. But somebody’s gotta be in that five percent – so in an expectation that she’ll be part of it, DJ is undergoing chemotherapy now, shrinking her tumor to get to an operable point (with surgery already scheduled for December), and fighting with so much spirit, her support website is called “CancerDiva.com.”
Right now, her co-workers want to get the word out that you can support her by buying tickets ASAP for an upcoming benefit – it’s in early October, but they need to know by next week how many people can come.
That’s not the only way they’re supporting her – read on to see one vivid example (and to find out more about the benefit and other ways to help):Read More
Another heads-up from SDOT before the holiday weekend hits in earnest:
Next week crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation will repair pavement cracks in the bike lanes on 16th Avenue SW between SW Henderson to SW Holden streets. They will work on Thursday and Friday, September 8 and 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. During this work, bicyclists will use the general traffic lane. On-street parking will be restricted, but sidewalks and crosswalks will remain open.
On the White Center side of 16th SW, by the way, the major paving work that’s been under way recently is wrapping up, according to what county reps told the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council last night.
If you’re taking the West Seattle Water Taxi to tonight’s football game, King County wants to be sure you know they’ve added an extra run back to West Seattle at 11 pm – the 10:30 pm run from Pier 50 is usually the last one from downtown to WS. (This also gives us one more excuse to remind you that the WS Water Taxi and its shuttles are on a Sunday schedule on Labor Day.)
Eight notes from and about local businesses, received/gathered recently:
MAWADDA CAFE: For those wondering when this Mediterranean café in the Admiral District (first reported here in July) is going to open – as seems to be unavoidable for projects like this, the café’s owner tells WSB that it’s taking a bit longer than expected, so no opening date yet, despite the big bright OPENING SOON banner out front. We’ll keep you up to date!
AVALON ADDS LUNCH: Got a note from Avalon that it’s now serving lunch, if you haven’t heard. (You’ll find the lunch menu on their website; they’re at 2940 SW Avalon Way.)
We have a couple longer restaurant-related updates in the works too – check back here in the next few days (unless you’re checking out for the long holiday weekend, in which case, have a great time, we’ll see you when you’re back!)
Now, the non-food businesses:
SIMA MARTIAL ARTS MOVES: Owner Bob Heinemann says they’ve officially finished their move now to the new location at the corner of Fauntleroy/Genesee in The Triangle. And he’s launching an 8-week boot camp starting September 12th, 6-6:40 am. He says, “We have a diverse curriculum and diverse community of men & women ages 12 to 71!” They’re online at simamartialarts.com.
CYCLE UNIVERSITY SALE: Also in The Triangle, Cycle U is having a sale through this weekend. Brad Loetel explains that it’s “our end of summer closeout sale on all 2011 Bikes and Clothing through Labor Day weekend. Our 2012 bikes will be arriving shortly so we need to clear out the remaining inventory.” Cycle U is at 4550 Fauntleroy Way SW.
MOUNTAIN TO SOUND SALE: And another Triangle business with a sale – Mountain to Sound Outfitters (WSB sponsor) has just kicked off its Labor Day sale; full details here. They’re in The Triangle at 3602 SW Alaska – and remember, they have an online store now too.
WEST SEATTLE FABRIC COMPANY SALE: The sale at West Seattle Fabric Company (WSB sponsor) is announced on their Facebook page, including “20% off over 450 selected bolts of collection fabrics (1 yd. min. cuts), 20% off quilting tools and rulers, 20% off select quilting books and patterns, and 20% off All Sewline fabric pencils, erasers and refills.” 2210 California SW.
NEW PILATES STUDIO: Be: Pilates recently opened in West Seattle (3703B California SW). Its owner is West Seattle resident Beth Montanez. She says hers is “the only studio in Seattle with the Balanced Body CoreAlign.” Besides private and group classes, Beth says she is offering “the first Pilates Instructor Training Course to be hosted in the West Seattle community,” starting September 30th.
HIGHLINE PHYSICAL THERAPY MOVES: Clinic manager Darren Dilley, PT, says they moved over the summer from their previous quarters east of Jefferson Square (home to Highline Medical Center’s West Seattle Family Medicine clinic (WSB sponsor), and future urgent-care clinic) and are now in the Jefferson Square tower, on the 5th floor, above Bartell Drugs. Dilley says Highline Physical Therapy-West Seattle is “planning an open house for physicians, and possibly another one in early October for the general public.”
Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Thanks to a partnership between Seattle Parks, Washington State University and 4-H, Camp Long is nearing completion of the long-awaited “Low Course” portion of the our state’s first urban Challenge Course.
Camp Long Advisory Council president David Kipnis (above) gave us a sneak peek in anticipation of the September 24th grand opening.
Going into a holiday weekend, the event list tends to be short, so here are a few standing Friday listings from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
TOUR THE LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: It’s open Thursdays-Sundays, noon-4 pm, 61st/Stevens (Alki area). More info here.
LAST NON-HOLIDAY WEEKDAY AT COLMAN POOL: This is it for 7-day-a-week summer operations at West Seattle’s historic saltwater outdoor pool – after Monday, there’s one postseason weekend, and that’s it. Here’s the schedule. And take note of a bulletin on the Colman Pool home page – because of offseason work, next year’s opening will be delayed.
PRE-FALL CLEANING? Clean out your closets and drop off your reusable clothing and household items at “The Big Blue Truck” donation station, 44th Ave SW & SW Edmunds, Fridays- Sundays 9 am – 5 pm. For a complete list of items accepted visit www.bigbluetruck.org. Donations are tax-deductible.
Anything going on today/tonight (or beyond)? E-mail us and we’ll add it: editor@westseattleblog.com
A West Seattle 11-year-old is at Harborview Medical Center tonight, recovering from a terrifying close call out on the ocean coast. Peter Dyer was rescued from beneath a half-ton log in the surf in Pacific Beach, thanks to help from Issaquah resident John Atzbach, who was nearby when Peter got trapped under the log. KING 5 told the story tonight; see it here, with video. We contacted Peter’s mom Toddy Dyer by e-mail; she tells WSB, “He is going to be 100% fine because of the actions by John. He saved Peter’s life. … We hope Pete comes home sometime this weekend. … I feel lucky, loved, blessed, and fortunate to have this ending. Peter fought that log, John did what he did, and I smile that there are people like John in this world.”
This year’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha lineup was more star-studded than ever, including the closing act for the sixth and final concert of the summer tonight: Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs. Star Anna and most of her band live in West Seattle now, so they’re hometown musical heroes:
Admiral Neighborhood Association president Katy Walum put the call out for concertgoers to donate diapers for WestSide Baby, and we checked in on the early response:
Katy says she’s thrilled with the response this year and expects the series will continue next year:
P.S. No Conan O’Brien sightings this week. But we did spot a couple familiar faces:
On the left, you probably recognize City Councilmember Bruce Harrell. On the right, someone we’ve known since shortly after we arrived in West Seattle 20 years ago, Dr. Shepherd Siegel, director of school-to-work for Seattle Public Schools. You just never know who you’re going to see at the outdoor concerts and movies in summertime; we’re glad to have been able to co-sponsor the series again this year (the full list of 20+ sponsors is on the right side of this webpage – if you enjoyed the free concerts, let ’em know!).
SDOT‘s traditional weekend traffic advisory is out – and it’s a good time to mention two other things: Metro Transit and the West Seattle Water Taxi (along with its shuttle buses) will be on a SUNDAY schedule next Monday, Labor Day (while on that day, the Vashon Island Water Taxi will not be running at all). Now, the official city roundup for the next four days (p.s. for a longer-range look, go here):Read More
(Photo courtesy WSHS; click for larger image)
Classes don’t start at Seattle Public Schools till next Wednesday, but staff are on the job today – including the staff at West Seattle High School, from which Jennifer Hall shared the photos and this update:
West Seattle High School teachers, administrators and support staff were back on the job for a full day today, after being furloughed on August 31. We had a wonderful, collegial day to work with each other, and plan the best possible start for our 2011-2012 school year. We are excited to welcome new and returning students back to school on September 7!
Last year was a good year for West Seattle High School. Under new administrative leadership, we added new programs including a student lounge, new intensive Algebra classes, a school composting program, and several others. Our Drama and Music departments out did themselves, capping the school year with a superlative production of the musical, “Oklahoma!” Our athletes and cheer teams excelled! Our Science and Math departments brought out our students creativity with hands-on projects and field trips. Test scores improved for students served by the Special Education and English Language Learner departments. All in all, staff members worked with our students and with each other to create a world class school. We are glad to be back to continue that work.
This year, we are rolling out our new “Link Crew” program. Some of our returning students have been training to be Link Crew members. They will be providing support and advocacy to new students. More support for our students will come from the City Year program. West Seattle High School will have nine dedicated City Year volunteers supporting our students’ academically, and helping some to stay in school.
We are going to have a great year! With our awesome students, and the commitment of our dedicated staff and community partners, incredible things are possible!
ADDED THURSDAY NIGHT: This was Freshman Family Night at WSHS, so we stopped by for a few photos – starting with the PTSA team:
(This photo and next, by Patrick Sand for WSB)
And an overview in the halls:
We’ll also be there in the morning to check out one of this year’s new programs, aimed at helping 9th graders’ transition to high school.
If we had to count how many times a day we turn to Seattle.gov while working on WSB stories/event listings/etc., we would run out of fingers, toes, and probably grains of sand on Alki. The place to go for everything from police/fire updates to development-site status reports to historic city photos (and way beyond) has just won a big national award: “Best City Portal” in the 2011 Best of the Web Awards from the Center for Digital Government. Those you’ll want to high-five, at least virtually, include at least two West Seattleites – city tech kahuna Bill Schrier and Seattle.gov web manager Bruce Blood, who commented on the WSB Facebook page, “Pleased as punch can’t begin to describe our glee! Seattle.gov has hundreds of contributors (web managers, content creators, server and network admins, to name a few) throughout the City. Every last one of them shares in the award!”
| Comments Off on Seattle Parks brings back ‘Try It for $2’ starting next week