West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
We’d heard a bit about West Seattle’s “Green Bikes” but hadn’t come across one for a WSB photo-op till Jason Grotelueschen photographed the one shown in our photos – then today, they got a citywide spotlight on Slog (read the story here; thanks to Max for the link). They’re donated and fixed-up bikes you can borrow (if you come across one); Guy Olson is leading the West Seattle Green Bikes effort and has a Facebook group for it here if you want to find out more.
Just got a few questions about this, and they coincided with a heads up from the Southwest Precinct: Police training is under way at the vacant Genesee Hill Elementary campus, continuing till late tonight. ADDED 3:33 PM: You can see why, if you drive by and don’t see the sign, you might think something had happened – long stretch of yellow tape. From SW Genesee, you will also note that at least one entrance to the playfield below is blocked off. SW Precinct’s Lt. Norm James, by the way, says the neighbors did get advance warning.
Two weeks from today – 2 pm September 27th – Mayor McGinn will unveil what is by all accounts expected to be a bleak budget – cuts at many turns. When the summer “midyear” budget ax loomed, you heard a lot of pleas from parks and libraries workers and patrons. But we haven’t heard much from the Department of Neighborhoods. Among programs including the popular P-Patches, it runs two Neighborhood Service Centers in West Seattle, where you can do everything from pay a city bill to borrow a wagon full of paint to get rid of graffiti – and a lot more. The Delridge District Coordinator, Ron Angeles (photo right, with graffiti-paintout equipment last April), has just shared this with his mailing list, headed “DON and I Need Your Support”:
Dear Friends
Today is the time to take action! Please urge the Mayor and City Council to minimize reductions to the budget for the Department of Neighborhoods.As the 2011/2012 biennial budget is being created, the Mayor and City Council are facing a $67 million budget shortfall. Cuts ranging from 9-15% are anticipated for most City Departments.
Community building and civic participation are at the heart of the mission of the Department of Neighborhoods. In difficult economic times it is more critical than ever that we have programs and services, such as the Neighborhood Matching Fund, P-Patch, Neighborhood District Coordinators, and Neighborhood Service Centers that bring people together to look out for and support each other.
Please think about the value of the programs with DON and the impact they have on the city and your neighborhood and share your experiences with the Mayor and City Council. For example, if you’ve been part of a Neighborhood Matching Fund project describe how it has changed your neighborhood, brought people together and created relationships as well as leveraging the City’s investment in itself. The same story can be told for your experience with a P-Patch community garden or your interaction with a Neighborhood District Coordinator. Let the Mayor and City Council know that you value citizen engagement, community building and the resulting strong connected communities. Working together these services and programs bring efficiencies to government, provide proactive solutions to problems and bring together groups in the community. For many, the Department of Neighborhoods is the face of City government and the liaison to other parts of the city.
Now is the time for you to speak up on behalf of the Department of Neighborhoods as the Mayor’s budget is being formulated. He will announce his budget on September 27th. We’re hoping you will join us in supporting the vital work being done by DON by contacting the Mayor and City Council now through letters, phone calls, or meetings. Also, public hearings will be held on September 29, October 13 and October 26. The hearings are an opportunity to offer public comments of no more than two minutes and a chance to voice your priorities and concerns. For more information about the City budget process and upcoming public hearings, please see:
http://www.seattle.gov/council/newsdetail.asp?ID=11035&Dept=28We recognize that all Departments will have to help meet the budget deficit and are not suggesting that the Department of Neighborhoods is untouchable. However, we are suggesting that the Department offers essential services and that reasonable reductions be made with minimal impact on the public. Thank you.
(Ron’s counterpart at the Neighborhood Service Center in The Junction is Stan Lock. They are often the unsung heroes of many events, programs, and citizen-assistance actions large and small.) As we reported here last week, one of the City Council’s budget hearings will be here in West Seattle, at South Seattle Community College on October 13th.
Checking on a court appearance scheduled today for Stephen Hayes Kirk, the suspect who’s been in jail since his arrest a month ago after a wave of so-called “smash-and-grab” burglaries, we discovered prosecutors have now charged him in two of the West Seattle cases: Uptown Espresso (Delridge) on July 29th, and Luciano’s Pizza on August 8th (photo at right). Though Seattle Police and the King County Sheriff’s Office had been investigating more than two dozen of the smash-and-grabs, mostly in West Seattle and points south, he initially was charged only with three Burien cases (prosecutors have added a fourth Burien case now too). According to the additional court documentation, 
a man believed to be Kirk (photo left) was caught on surveillance video in both of the West Seattle break-ins; detectives already had him under GPS surveillance (detailed here) by the time of the Luciano’s burglary, which netted loot described as a tip jar with about $20 cash/coins. At Uptown, which was hit twice, the cash register was taken, and then dumped in a bank parking lot 21 minutes later – where surveillance video also caught what authorities believe was Kirk’s distinctive red truck – one in which he also was known as a customer of West Seattle Recycling, which the court papers note also was hit by a smash-and-grab during the spree. Kirk pleaded not guilty two weeks ago to the first three charges filed against him, and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says he’s being arraigned on the new charges this morning. (We started reporting on the smash-and-grabs July 16th, when we got word of this one at The Swinery; police first confirmed to us August 2nd that eight West Seattle smash-grabs were all believed linked.)
1:58 PM UPDATE: KCPAO spokesperson Dan Donohoe says Kirk pleaded NOT guilty to the new charges, with his bail increased to $150,000 (what it was for a short time after his arrest, before being cut to $25,000), and is due back in court October 4th.
Thanks to Brian Presser of TouchTech Systems in The Junction for sending along that photo of the crew that’s working on the crosswalk at California/Oregon right now. That’s not the only new paint you’ll see along local roads – we also got a weekend tip from WSB’er “Jack Loblaw” that the West Seattle Bridge was getting some stripe-painting attention too. Typical for this time of year, as crews try to get work like this done before the weather turns for the worse.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
On Friday morning, Swedish Automotive owner Dave Winters looked out the front windows of his almost-finished new location at 7901 35th SW, as Seattle City Light crews hooked up the power – another milestone on the way to move-in day.
It’s been under construction six months (here’s our report from when the work began), but Swedish (a longtime WSB sponsor) has had this on the drawing board a lot longer.
This coming Friday, Winters and his team are scheduled to do their last work at their long-outgrown old site a few blocks north, before a weekend of moving. We visited him the other day to take a look at the new space, which you’ll be able to tour during a community celebration/open house on September 25th (that coincidentally is after the same day’s morning open house at the new campus of Chief Sealth International High School, which happens to be Winters’ alma mater).
He was one of three tour guides with us on Friday – joined by Sören, who’s handling parts, and daughter Farleigh, who was about to head back to the University of Oregon, where she’s studying architecture (while home for the summer, she’d done some work with project architect Curtis McGuire).
Click ahead for a look at some of Swedish Automotive’s new features, with a sustainability focus – plus what we’ve learned about who will move into its old site (when we first reported the lease-signing in late July, the tenant wasn’t ready to go public):Read More
After a very busy weekend in West Seattle (just scroll down the WSB home page and see the proof), today/tonight are relatively low-key: For everyone who started school last week, it’s the start of the first full week of classes. … On the neighborhood-meeting calendar (here’s our preview of the entire week), North Delridge Neighborhood Council previews its new website and gets an overview of two city $ programs during its meeting at 6:30 tonight, Delridge Library … Weekly rehearsals for Seattle Glee Clubs‘ no-audition, male-and-female Prelude group start in West Seattle tonight – contact info’s in this preview … And on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar, you’ll find all the regular Monday night excitement, including Bingo at Alki UCC.
The last time we published a debris-dumping report, a little over two weeks ago, much discussion ensued, along with some potential clues. We don’t know if the source was ultimately traced – but tonight we have a new dumping report, from Val in Westwood, who also shared the photo:
Found this pile of tires today after getting home from the Football game; I don’t believe they were there this morning. Garbage is next to the tires but appears to have been there a while. This is in the alley between 35th Ave SW and 34th Ave SW, and between Trenton and Cloverdale, closer to Cloverdale. Not that big of a deal but they do kind of block the alley. Is this kind of thing becoming more common? I have filed an illegal dumping report.
You can file those reports online, as one commenter pointed out in last month’s report, by going here.
(Our first Alki Family Fun Day report, including the dog parade, can be seen here)
Seattle bluegrass band Dysfunction Junction closed out the first-ever Alki Family Fun Day with a concert this evening at Statue of Liberty Plaza. The free afternoon/evening slate of activities and entertainment began with a dog parade (video’s in our first Family Fun Day report) and continued almost nonstop for 7 hours. At mid-afternoon, the plaza filled with people watching the children’s talent show – with participants including 10-year-old Lafayette Elementary School student Mackenzie, a showstopper with her a cappella rendition of “Reviewing the Situation“:
The talent show was produced and emceed by Antonio Fernandez, who got to show off his own special skills – including the no-tech sound-effects production known as beatboxing:
There was a magic show, too – all of this free, thanks to the Alki Community Council. ACC’s presentation of Family Fun Day was led by organizers Libby Carr and Paul Carr, who we interviewed briefly toward day’s end:
The Carrs led the campaign to raise money for Liberty Plaza, which was dedicated two years ago this month. Will there be a second annual Alki Family Fun Day? That’s likely to be among the topics when the ACC has its next monthly meeting – everyone welcome – this Thursday at 7 pm, Alki UCC (6112 SW Hinds).
We previewed this here yesterday after receiving multiple notes from neighbors – and today, we’ve received more notes and calls now that it’s under way, so we went over to check it out: Scenes for a commercial promoting the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck are being shot today/tonight in the section of Gatewood between SW Morgan and the north side of Myrtle Reservoir. As with any kind of film shoot, there’s plenty of cool gear in use – note the setup atop the Mercedes:
And portable facilities to take care of whatever needs may arise:
Oh, and as for the star(s) of the show:
According to the flyer received by neighbors – who sent us a copy – the commercial will tell a “story played out every day as America goes to work.” Note the wardrobe-in-waiting (with that same man in the background):
The same flyer also makes it clear the neighborhood – near the highest point in Seattle – was chosen in large part for its skyline views, which would figure into the commercial. Neighbors were told the shoot may continue as late as 1 am tonight (tomorrow morning). Thanks again to those who e-mailed/called with tips about this! Shoots like this are coordinated with/through the City Office of Film and Music, whose website has interesting offshoots to explore, like the Insider’s Guide to Seattle Film Locations.
Earlier this week, we shared two requests on behalf of the Chief Sealth International High School Band: A couch for a band room, and instruments for at least four students in need of them. Marcus Pimpleton, who directs the Chief Sealth Band and the entire music program at nearby Denny International Middle School, added a comment to that item this weekend – saying Denny students need instruments too:
Actually both Denny and Sealth are in need of instruments. The high school band is in need of larger instruments – trombones, baritone saxes, sousaphones (like someone just has one of those in the garage). The middle school is in need of clarinets, alto saxes, french horns, oboes, and trombones.
The greatest need is at the middle school, but the high school will need more and more as more students continue to move up to the high school level. I can be reached at mjpimpleton@seattleschools.org with donations for either program and live in West Seattle so I can pick them up if that is more convenient.
Thanks,
Marcus Pimpleton
Music Department Head, Denny International Middle School
Band Director, Chief Sealth International High School
The acclaimed Denny and Sealth music programs both have their own websites – Denny here, Sealth here.
We detect a theme here … though the following is half planned coverage, half “hey, look what we happened onto”: The former, is the pig roasting outside Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor) in Fauntleroy. Since the Calle Ocho Parking Lot Pig Roast starts serving at 5:30 tonight, we figured the pig had to be on the spit hours ahead of time. Little did we know how MANY hours – turns out they started roasting it at midnight! (That’s Mary, tending it when we stopped by.) It’s a 65-pound pig and getting a share of it will cost you $15 (adults), $7.50 kids (side dishes included), 5:30-8:30 – tables are being set up in the lot:
Now, the unscheduled sighting:
Passing by Roxbury Safeway after visiting the Endolyne Joe’s parking lot, we spotted one of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles right out front. Specific schedules aren’t listed on the Oscar Mayer website or the Wienermobile “blog,” but there’s a NW-placed icon on the “where are (the Wienermobiles) today?” map.
(Our 2nd Alki Family Fun Day report, with video from 3 performances, can be seen here)
We’re at Alki for the first-ever Alki Family Fun Day, which continues till 7:30 tonight with family activities, food, entertainment, and more, centered around the 2-years-old-this-month Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza. Our video shows the dog parade that kicked off the festival – the dogs drew lots of attention, but so did this woman and her non-canine pet:
That’s Jessica and Albie the 11-foot albino python. Family Fun Day, by the way, is a production of the Alki Community Council, so be sure to stop by the ACC table while you’re there:
From left, Larry Carpenter, Randie Stone, and Eilene Hutchinson – today’s event was spearheaded by Libby Carr and Paul Carr (not pictured – we’ll catch up with them later!), who led the plaza project. (ACC’s next meeting, open to the public, is this Thursday, 7 pm, at Alki UCC.) Lots of other booths and groups to check out too – Karen Berge is here on behalf of West Seattle Be Prepared – with winter coming, it’s time to think preparedness! – and the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network (which meets September 28th):
We’ll have more coverage later, including the kids’ talent show, and the bluegrass concert that’s scheduled to cap off the day at 5:30 pm. The sun just broke through for a few minutes, so the weather’s a lot nicer than it might look from through your window, if you haven’t been outside today!
ADDED 3:33 PM: The performances have begun – just watched the final two performers in the children’s talent show (no awards – “everyone’s a winner” – but everyone did get prizes, including a complimentary brick in the plaza!) and talent show organizer Antonio Fernandez‘s beat-boxing – will substitute video when back at HQ:
That’s the same stage where Dysfunction Junction will play a free bluegrass concert starting around 5:30. Earlier, we dropped by the authors’ table, which has rotated West Seattle authors interested in talking about their book – from left, Conrad Wesselhoeft, author of the upcoming “Adios Nirvana,” and Peter Stekel, whose “Final Flight” is out:
They were sharing the table earlier with Moreah Vestan, whose books include “Pleasures and Ponderings: From Nun to Nudist to Now”:
You’ll find food concessions by the Alki Bathhouse, too – including barbecue, corn on the cob, crepes, and ice cream, as this all continues into the early evening.
That’s a jubilant Rev. Peg Morgan and congregation president Paula vanHaagen cutting the ribbon on the Westside Unitarian Universalists‘ new Gatewood home just an hour ago, cheered by members and visitors who crowded onto the sidewalk (and inside the foyer) at the busy California/Othello corner. Afterward, they streamed in for their first service inside the 60-year-old building, which previously housed Seattle International Church and Gatewood Baptist Church; WSUU bought it this spring after 20 years of meeting at the Alki Masonic Hall in The Junction. (Here’s our story from last night with a peek inside at the results of the renovation work that’s been under way for more than four months.)
Just checked in on the scene at the Fauntleroy Church parking lot (map), where 1 Green Planet is back with trucks ready to be filled with recyclables – electronics and more (list here) – free dropoff. They had a steady stream rolling up to unload when we were there about an hour ago – and they’ll be there till 1 pm. (You can also park afterward and go inside the church to check out the final hours of the “Second-Time Sale,” 11 am-1 pm.) West Seattleites are clearly devoted recyclers – the 1 Green Planet folks told us that their last event at Fauntleroy UCC, this past February, was their most successful event of its type ever – we’ll see how today winds up!
Lots of ways to get involved in your neighborhood – or one nearby – this week. Above, we photographed Admiral Neighborhood Association immediate past president Mark Wainwright during the ANA’s quarterly Adopt-A-Street cleanup yesterday, with assistants Hayden, Anne, and Molly. ANA is one of the West Seattle neighborhood groups meeting this week: 7 pm Tuesday, Admiral Congregational Church basement (map). Also Tuesday night – the Junction Neighborhood Organization meets (6:30 pm at Ginomai; here’s a map), and the Fauntleroy Community Association board is in session at 7 pm (Fauntleroy Schoolhouse). But first — Monday night, be at Delridge Library (map) at 6:30 pm to see what the North Delridge Neighborhood Council is up to (including a peek at their new website). There’s more Delridge action on Wednesday night, with the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Then on Thursday night, the Alki Community Council (which no doubt also will discuss today’s yet-to-come Family Fun Day) has a hot topic on its agenda: Alaska Airlines’ “Greener Skies” proposal, which involves flight-path changes in our area; 7 pm Thursday, Alki UCC Church (here’s a map). Stretching ahead into next weekend, the Genesee Schmitz Neighborhood Council invites you to join neighbors in another garden cleanup at the closed Genesee Hill Elementary campus on Saturday (9/18), 9 am-1 pm. (All of the above, of course, is on the frequently updated WSB West Seattle Events calendar – and again, these are just the neighborhood-group meetings – lots of other big events we’ll be previewing for this week, too.)
The full list of what’s up today/tonight is in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup. 5 highlights, in order of appearance:
BRING YOUR RECYCLABLES TO FAUNTLEROY CHURCH, 9 AM-1 PM: When 1 Green Planet was there previously, they filled multiple truckloads. It’s a great chance to get old electronics and some other hard-to-recycle items out of your basement. Here’s more info on what they’ll accept; here’s a map. Also, the Second-Time Sale continues 11 am-1 pm in the church’s Fellowship Hall.
HOLY FAMILY COMMUNITY STREET FAIR: A salsa cookoff’s part of what you’ll find today as 20th SW is closed south of Roxbury (map) for a second day, 9 am-4 pm. More info here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: It’s year-round and it’s on again today, 10 am-2 pm at 44th/Alaska – here’s the latest Ripe ‘n’ Ready list of what’s new and what’s fresh.
WESTSIDE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION DEDICATES NEW CHURCH: Before the first WSUU service in the stately old brick church at California/Othello at 10:30 am, a ribboncutting is planned for 10:15 by the main entrance. (Here’s our Saturday night preview, with photos of the renovated church.)
ALKI FAMILY FUN DAY: Noon-7:30 pm, the Alki Community Council presents a day full of free activities and entertainment, kicking off in earnest with a dog parade at 12:25 pm (limited to 45 dog/owner pairs – preregistration ends at 12:15 pm), continuing through a bluegrass concert 5-7:30 pm, with a kids’ talent show, professional magic show, lawn games, and more along the way. It’s all happening at/near the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza. Here’s the full schedule as published here earlier this week.
ENDOLYNE JOE’S PIG ROAST: 5:30-8:30 pm, the Fauntleroy restaurant (a WSB sponsor) invites you to its Calle Ocho Parking Lot Pig Roast ($15 adults, $7.50 kids). More info on their site.
COLMAN POOL’S FINAL DAY: West Seattle’s famous saltwater outdoor pool closes after today, till 2011. Here’s the schedule.
Another West Seattle Crime Watch report out of the WSB inbox, this one from Kim, who thinks this case may have victims who don’t yet realize it:
At about 10 pm (Saturday) evening I witnessed 4 young men damaging property as they stumbled north along California ave just past the Blockbuster. They were knocking down signs, breaking flower pots, and grabbing things from people’s yards and throwing them on the sidewalk. I called the police and they came and apprehended the 4 young men who seemed rowdy and possibly drunk. Just thought I might pass this along so that if anyone finds any damage they can report it to the authorities. They were on the east side of California and made their way about 4 blocks north of Blockbuster (that we saw) until the police arrived. A few other neighbors saw the incident and also reported it. It’s sad that people would do such things to people’s property but it makes me happy to know that people are looking out for their neighbors and that the police arrived so quickly. Hopefully this won’t be happening again anytime soon.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch items tonight: First, just out of the WSB inbox from Todd:
A longtime West Seattle band practice facility was broken into early this morning. It is (in the 3300 block of Harbor Avenue SW). It has been home to many, many pivotal Seattle bands over the last 25 years. The Midnight Idols () room was one of the rooms broken into and the thieves took a lot of gear. Most notably:
96 black Gibson Explorer
82 black Gibson V with pinstripes
89 Jackson Rhoads Ontario custom shop
Red 01 Gibson sg special with fade finish
Some pa gear
Hartke bass ampAny information is helpful. Please contact midnightidols@gmail.com
One other Crime Watch note: The man arrested in connections with dozens of medical/dental-office burglaries, including at least one in West Seattle, has been sentenced. 27-year-old Shane Carlson pleaded guilty last month in cases including drug-possession charges resulting from an October arrest after police spotted him casing a dental office in the 5400 block of California SW. He has a long record including 2 adult felonies and 9 juvenile felonies, plus two dozen misdemeanors. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office “Daily Docket” says he was sentenced Friday to more than eight years in prison.
9:37 PM: Just in from West Seattle Stadium: North Beach High School 7, Seattle Lutheran High School 6. Visuals and details to come.
ADDED 11:21 PM: Game notes – Despite driving down the field and spending the last minute of the game inside the 10=yard-line, Seattle Lutheran was unable to score. North Beach’s lone score came after an 85-yard runback of the opening kickoff. Both teams made significant progress down the field at one time or another, but neither were able to move the ball the last 10 or so yards to score. The Saints seemed to have the game under control for the last few minutes, but a busted pass play with only 31 seconds to go turned the ball over to North Beach, which then only had to take a knee to end the game. On the night, the Saints had 285 total offensive yards – 198 on the ground and 87 passing. Their sole touchdown came early in the second quarter on a 10-yard run by Kevin Moseley.
The two-point conversion failed. SLHS plays at Tenino next Friday night, 7 pm. The Saints, by the way, are displaying #1 this season as a tribute to Sam Backman, the former SLHS football player killed in a car crash three months ago. His family was at tonight’s game.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
When the Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation closed the deal last April to buy the ex-Gatewood Baptist/Seattle International Church at California/Othello (map) – finally, a home of their own – they knew it was a fixer-upper.
What they didn’t know was just how much fixing up it eventually would need. But it’s almost done – done enough for the congregation to have its first service there tomorrow (Sunday) morning, right after a ribboncutting ceremony – the entire community’s invited – at 10:15 am.
We first toured the site last April with Rev. Peg Morgan, board president Paula vanHaagen, and congregation member Laura Matson, the day WSUU took possession. The same trio met us there this morning for a post-makeover tour, even as work continued inside and out – like final touches on the interior doors that rested atop sawhorses at midday, to be hung by day’s end:
They are taking great pride in the outside work as well as what’s inside – read on as our story continues with more photos:
Two evening events of note are under way right now and continuing till 8 pm:
In Delridge, you can say hi to reps from the North Delridge Neighborhood Council during the Delridge Night Market – they’re selling I (Heart) Delridge T-shirts for just $15, and you’ll also find fresh produce for sale from Clean Greens. 5955 Delridge (map).
(Photo added 6:10 pm, courtesy John Smersh)
In the Admiral District, it’s the last big party at Click! Design That Fits before their Junction move next month (as reported here) – artist Alena Hennessy is there tonight, after bringing in new artwork and screen-printed scarves and T-shirts. Details on the Click! site; they’re at 2210 California SW (map).
The Alki Statue of Liberty has been through more than a few changes since becoming a place for tributes on 9/11/01. On 9/11/07, the recast statue was unveiled at the beach; a few days before 9/11/08, Statue of Liberty Plaza was dedicated; days after 9/11/09, a time capsule was buried at the plaza. This year, 9/11 is the eve of Family Fun Day (full details here) – but something else is going on, according to the photo above, and report below, shared by David Hutchinson:
Tiffany Hedrick, of the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, and Adam Fah, of Adam Fah Studios in Olympia, are busy this afternoon working on restoring the patina on the discolored plaque on the south side of the pedestal. Touch-up work is also being done on the statue. Adam’s studio specializes in the conservation and restoration of metal sculpture. The work will be completed in time for tomorrow’s Alki Community Council Family Fun Day and Bluegrass Concert.
This restoration is being paid for with funds raised by the ACC’s continuing sale of engraved bricks and bronze plaques.
WSB Statue of Liberty coverage is archived here.
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