West Seattle, Washington
06 Saturday
More driftwood carving at Lincoln Park, two and a half weeks after a whale and moon snail appeared. Bob Bussman shared photos of the work he spotted during a walk along Lincoln Park’s north beach yesterday afternoon – he described what they’re working on as a seal:
We don’t know if that person and another one Bob saw are the same ones who created the whale and moon snail (do you?), but the carving is being done in the same area.
From Tuesday night’s meeting of the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, last one until September: With “emphasis patrols” out, burglaries, car prowls, and car thefts have continued at relatively low levels in West Seattle this past month. Currently, according to Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Pierre Davis, this area is averaging 12 car prowls and 9 residential burglaries a week (last week, he said, there were 8). The “emphasis patrols,” according to Lt. Davis, have been in areas that had been hit hard by burglars/car prowlers late last year, and as the seasons change, so will the areas where police are focused – Alki, for example, needs extra attention this time of year.
In Q/A, a question about graffiti led to a vigorous discussion:Read More
From partner site White Center Now: A woman who’s been regularly patroling for litter and graffiti near her home in WC – where she moved two years ago, after seven years in North Delridge – is now turning her passion into a business. Lea Kuchan is launching her startup Neat Street, signing up business and property owners interested in having someone make regular visits to take care of problems from tagging to trash to window-washing. Read her story here!
We can’t guarantee the sunset will look like this (though the forecast is promising, if chilly) …
(Jim in Fauntleroy shared the photo this week but says it’s from about 3 weeks ago)
… but tomorrow night, you can celebrate the summer-solstice sunset at West Seattle’s own Solstice Park, during the 13th seasonal sunset watch with NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen. Sunset as seen from the park over the north end of Lincoln Park (location info here) is usually about 10 minutes before the “official” time, which, she says, means you’d want to be there by 8:45 pm for the 9:01-or-so sunset. Read more about it on her website, Alice’s Astro Info.
P.S. The actual solstice moment is 4:09 pm our time Wednesday.
P.P.S. Alice is looking for suggestions for where to host a Mars Landing Watch event on August 5th around 10:30 pm – Internet required. Any ideas?
Two dozen West Seattle High School 2012-2013 cheerleaders spent the day mentoring almost four dozen younger students during their Mini Cheer Camp a week and a half ago – and Bev Corey is sharing photos and a recap:
A great time was had by all the 47 campers from Holy Rosary, Lafayette, Schmitz Park, Alki, Gatewood, Sanislo, Arbor Heights, Hope Lutheran, Westside, and Our Lady of Guadalupe (schools), as they spent an afternoon with 24 WSHS cheerleaders learning cheers, stunts, and dances, making crafts, and enjoying getting to know each other.
The campers will perform as honorary cheerleaders at an upcoming home football game this fall. The West Seattle Cheerleaders want to thank all the campers who attended and can’t wait to see you all again at the Mini Cheer Camp Reunion later this summer.
In addition to the new lighting quietly installed at Emma Schmitz Viewpoint last week (first reported by Beach Drive Blog), more safety-enhancing measures are on the way to the viewpoint and Me-Kwa-Mooks across the street. So says Seattle Parks, in its promised response to our inquiry last week for more information on the lighting and anything else that’s planned in the wake of the June 1st “safety walk” with Parks managers and Seattle Police leadership:
(WSB photo from June 1st)
Here’s the response, in its entirety:
Seattle Parks and Recreation response to West Seattle parks June 1, 2012 walk-through: What we have done and will do at Me-Kwa-Mooks Park and Emma Schmitz Viewpoint in the summer of 2012.
Pruning: Parks did most of the requested pruning in March.
• Parks removed a hedge on the east side of the street, opening up visibility into Me Kwa Mooks park and removing a barrier someone could hide behind.
• The crew lowered the hedge on the west side (Emma Schmitz Viewpoint) and did pruning to improve sight lines on the pines.
• Additional pruning called for in the following two items will be done by the end of June:
➢ A little more pruning was requested during the 6/1/2012 walk on one of the pines next to the bus stop. The pruning on this pine was done fairly recently. It was not clear if the requester realized this work had been done but we will look and see if any more work would make a difference.
➢ People pointed out the entrance to the trail that leads up the hill into Me Kwa Mooks Park. It is difficult to see the start of the trail and a tree planted there blocks visibility. We will try to improve visibility but the tree is healthy and should not be damaged or removed.
• Several people pointed out a corner as one goes down the south-most stairs. There is a weed (common names include American Bamboo and Knotweed) growing there. Unfortunately, if we cut it down now we will not be able to do management measures that were planned later in the summer or early fall (the best time to remove it effectively). The only effective way to deal with this problem is to wait. It is a very tough weed to control, and the management program will take years. It has been around for more than 20 years.
Lighting
• City Light suggested two lights that will increase lighting on the southernmost stairs. It appears they have already installed lighting on an existing pole. Thank you City Light!Park Hours
• Parks will add a sign where people go down the first stairs on the south and will place another at the north end of the park. Need to confirm parks hours signs match the official hours.Other
• There is a storytelling area built by a partner school about a block in from where the trail starts. The area has been used as an unofficial fire pit for many years. The crew will pull the blocks and post a temporary no fires sign. This will be done by end of June.• Finally, Parks did not replace the screen around the sanican when it was destroyed last summer. There have been no complaints, and the visibility around the sanican is better without the screen for people walking down the street or using the sanican.
The “unofficial fire pit” was shown in our coverage of the June 1st safety walk, after a concerned neighbor led the way to point it out to us and interested participants after the walk.
Ladder 13 (pictured) from Highland Park’s Station 11 was one of the West Seattle units that helped fight a fire at a business in South Park this morning. Nobody was hurt, but SFD has just announced that damage is estimated at a million dollars. More info’s on our partner site The South Park News.
We haven’t heard much about them in a while, but the Seattle Police Aggressive Driver Response Team is still out there, patroling for speeders and other violators. Their latest weekly roundup includes a multitude of West Seattle results, from school zones to Admiral Way to the “high bridge” and beyond, including a 70-mph ticket along the way – read on!Read More
ORIGINAL 12:05 PM NOTE: Sorry for the late notice, but we just got word of this – Craig Parsley‘s 5th-grade Shakespeare production from Schmitz Park Elementary is planning a “flash mob”-style performance at Alki by the Statue of Liberty around 12:30 pm. Spectators encouraged!
ADDED 4:00 PM: Photos and video – the troupe did a great job in a tough setting! Here’s the teacher/director with a few of his students just before the (invisible) curtain rose on “Midsummer Night’s Dream”:
We didn’t fire up the video camera fast enough to hear him shout the announcement of the “flash mob,” but here’s some video from the first few moments (as he explained to them on the sideline, lots of “ambient” noise):
No costumes or set – but a few props:
Well, OK, there was ONE bit of costumery:
The play was performed recently at school – one performance for their fellow students, one in the evening for parents/community.
Shakespeare has been a tradition in Mr. Parsley’s classes at Schmitz Park; he’s moving to K-5 STEM at Boren next year and told us recently he was hoping to take the tradition along.
(WSB photo from 2011 4th of July Kids’ Parade)
OK, to be precise, it’s two weeks **plus one day** till the 4th of July – and yes, the parade is on. The 4th of July Kids’ Parade in Admiral is West Seattle’s *only* 4th of July parade, and it gets bigger every year (here’s our report from last year) – though after 5 years of running it, Sherri Chun says next year is in jeopardy if someone doesn’t step up to take over. Here’s her official announcement of this year’s plan:
Start decorating your scooters, strollers, and trikes right now! The Admiral Kids 4th of July Parade starts at 10:00 am on the corner of 44th and Sunset. Walk the parade route, then enjoy traditional games and treats at Hamilton Viewpoint Park. Rain will cancel the games. Concessions will be provided by the Admiral Neighborhood Association. Joe McDermott, King County Councilmember, will be there to kick things off. This year we welcome back Roger Scholten, the singing pediatrician, for the national anthem. We also hope to have the Hi-Yu princess court.
This would not be possible without generous contributions from many. A big thank you to Dave Weitzel of Weitzel Construction for the porta-potties at Hamilton Viewpoint Park. Thank you also to Verity Credit Union and Kayle Shulenberger, licenced speech-language pathologist. Holy Rosary Parish makes this all possible through their generous underwriting of our liability insurance, which is required for park and parade permits. Then of course there is you, the parade participant. You ARE the parade, and this is what makes our parade the best! Please support the parade with a $1 contribution per child. Look for the red boxes at the parade start and finish.
This is my last year coordinating the parade, and I want to thank you for making it the fantastic event that it is. I have not yet found a replacement. If you or someone you know is interested, please send me an e-mail. Believe it or not, it is not a lot of work. I am confident this great tradition will continue. Thank you.
Sherri Chun
admiralkidsparade@gmail.com
(Raindrops on a cobweb over driftwood – by “old desolate“ via the WSB Flickr pool)
From the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
TRAFFIC ALERTS: Same list as Monday – Spokane Street Viaduct eastbound lanes and one westbound lane are scheduled to be closed 10 pm-5 am, along with additional surface-street closures overnight in SODO (detailed here). Daytime bike-trail work near the “low bridge” continues for the 2nd of 3 scheduled days – explained here. Closures/changes for the rest of the week (through Saturday’s northbound Viaduct/99 closure for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon) are listed here.
SOUTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S COMMENCEMENT: 2:30 pm, Benaroya Hall downtown; details here.
YOGA AND LABYRINTH WALK: Benefit doubleheader on the new labyrinth at The Hall at Fauntleroy – yoga at 5:45 pm, labyrinth walk at 7 – details here.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: Got a neighborhood concern? Want to hear firsthand about the latest crime trends? Be at the Southwest Precinct meeting room (Webster/Delridge) at 7 pm.
DEMENTIA-CARE WORKSHOP: Educator Teepa Snow is at Providence Mount St. Vincent tonight, 7-9 pm, no pre-registration required. Details here.
NIGHTLIFE: Tonight’s highlights include the Alauda belly-dancing showcase at 7:30 pm and Baby Ketten Karaoke at 9 at Skylark Café and Club … Trivia That Rocks, hosted by Chachi Beck, at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 8 pm … the Starlite singer/songwriter showcase at Shadowland, 9 pm.
Back on June 8th, we reported West Seattle High School would receive a six-figure annual grant from the city Families and Education Levy – and now we know another West Seattle school will, too: Roxhill Elementary. Principal Carmela Dellino shared an announcement this morning with details of what they’ll be able to do with $2.1 million over the next 7 years – read on:Read More
Tomorrow afternoon, when South Seattle Community College‘s 2012 commencement ceremony at Benaroya Hall honors 930 degree/certificate recipients, that banner will be carried on behalf of 32 of them – those who have earned the four-year Bachelor of Applied Science in Hospitality Management degree. (The pineapple, we’re told, is an international symbol of hospitality.) Tonight, the banner was displayed at Salty’s on Alki, during a commencement-eve celebration.
Faculty joined the grads-to-be – below, interim vice president for instruction Donna Miller-Parker, Professional Technical Education executive dean Dr. Malcolm Grothe, and SSCC president Gary Oertli:
According to an SSCC news release about tomorrow’s ceremony, you will recognize the Hospitality Management bachelor’s-degree grads because they’ll be in black caps and gowns with brown stoles. Other new “graduate recognitions” listed in a college news release include red/white/blue cords to be worn by the 41 students who are military veterans, green stoles to be worn by associate-degree recipients with Asian/Pacific Islander emphasis, Kente cloth to be worn by student leaders from Student Life and Diversity & Retention, and black/red cords to be worn by TRiO graduates.
Headed back from a story, WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand happened onto this tree blocking California Way midway on the stretch between California and Harbor Avenues – no crew in sight so we’re reporting it (to 911) in case no one else has. Avoid the area for a while.
9:46 PM UPDATE: Probably has long since been clear, but we only just now got a chance to go back to verify – tree’s gone and road’s open
Four news notes from The Junction:
CLEMENTINE SHOE DRIVE EXTENDED: We stopped in to see Linda Walsh at Clementine after she announced that their shoe drive for Jubilee Women’s Center has been so successful, she’d delivered boxes full of shoes and had a new empty collection box ready for more! The drive is now continuing throughout next Sunday. If you take in a donation of gently used women’s shoes, you’re eligible for a discount on new shoes, too. Or just drop them off for the joy of helping. (Clementine is at 4447 California SW.)
A block south:
CURIOUS KIDSTUFF’S CASH-AND-CHECKS DRIVE A HIT: See all those chips? They are tokens of no-plastic purchases made at the Curious Kidstuff toy store. During their anniversary sale two weeks ago, CKS launched the campaign to get customers to use cash or checks, avoiding fees charged by banks for credit-card processing; owner Ann Walker said she’d donate to charity in lieu of those fees, and she shares this update:
Curious Kidstuff wants to thank you for embracing an idea. We have had an overwhelming response to the request for checks and cash instead of credit and debit cards. We can see we will be writing a check to WestSide Baby at the end of June. A loose estimation at this point would be close to $200. “Wow,” what a great and giving community we are when we work as a team. We will give you the exact dollar amount in the beginning of July. I’m so proud of us!
Curious Kidstuff is at 4740 California SW.
SHOP LATE THURSDAYS, STARTING THIS WEEK: Clementine and Curious Kidstuff are both among the participants this summer, listed here – go to The Junction on Thursday night and shop, dine, drink at 20 businesses that will be staying open at least till mid-evening. (The participant list also includes WSB sponsors Click! Design That Fits and Fleurt.)
NEW GALLERY MANAGER AT ARTSWEST: The gallery/playhouse in The Junction announced a new gallery manager today – Susanna Bluhm, described as “an artist, educator and member of SOIL artist-run gallery in Pioneer Square,” has taken over as of last week. She also is a resident of Cooper Artist Housing in North Delridge, and has taught art to all ages as well as showing her work internationally.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch prowling incidents reported today – one house, one car – read on:Read More
SDOT sends word that the bike-trail work by the “low bridge” will run one extra day – so now it’s continuing 7:30 am-3 pm daily through Wednesday. A reminder for both bike riders and motorized-vehicle users: “Bicyclists will slow down and follow a very brief signed detour at the lower West Seattle Swing Bridge on 11th Ave SW on Harbor Island. To accommodate the landscape workers, vehicle traffic will be reduced to one lane westbound on SW Spokane Street and one lane eastbound on Klickitat Avenue SW in the vicinity of 11th Avenue on Harbor Island.”
For those with a stake in Middle College High School having to leave South Seattle Community College after 17 years, and being given a temporary new spot at the Boren Building campus on Delridge – also the temporary home of the new K-5 STEM at Boren elementary – it’s been a busy weekend. We broke the news on Friday and discussions have ensued both in WSB comments and on the K-5 STEM Yahoo! group, as well as in the MCHS community, among other places. We followed up today with SSCC president Gary Oertli, and while we have a few other people to contact, we are publishing the first draft of our followup because the district has just shared the letter it sent to K-5 STEM families, both announcing the campus-sharing and seeking to alleviate concerns about how much contact there might be between the two schools’ populations:Read More
With the school year ending this Friday, the campaign is on to make sure kids keep reading during summer vacation – and Gatewood Elementary is busy today with a special way to encourage that: Principal Rhonda Claytor shared the photo and explains, “Students brought in gently used books from home during the month of May, and today we are having a school-wide book exchange to send students into the summer with some new reading materials. Happy summer reading, Gatewood Gators!” (P.S. The Seattle Public Library summer-reading program is now under way too – with info for all ages here.)
Congratulations to Laura James, also known as “Diver Laura,” whose underwater adventures and sea/land volunteer work – like “The Great Battery Roundup of 2012” – are often featured here on WSB. She is one of the finalists for this year’s “Cox Conserves Heroes” award, and online voting is open now. Here’s what’s at stake, from the Cox/KIRO TV announcement:
A total of $15,000 will be donated to local environmental nonprofits on behalf of the finalists. By being a finalist, each individual has secured a $2,500 donation for his or her nonprofit of choice. The finalists are now competing for an additional $7,500 – bringing the total donation on behalf of the winner to $10,000. The winner will be chosen through an online public vote.
Laura’s chosen nonprofit is Sustainable West Seattle. To vote (and to see who she’s up against!), go to kirotv.com/heroes.
(West Seattle has had a finalist once before – Fauntleroy Creek steward Judy Pickens in 2008.)
Just launched: West Seattle Women in Charge.
Diane Venti of Alki Arts hatched the idea of a monthly mixer for local women who own businesses, and she invited a few to a get-together at her beachfront gallery/event venue last week. Five showed up, and now they’re organizing a second meeting and casting a wider net. If you’re interested in being part of it, you’re invited to “like” their new Facebook page, set up by one of the five – Krystal Kelley of Mind Unwind in the Admiral District – with this mission:
We are the women business owners of West Seattle. We believe in symbiotic networking and idea-sharing with good intentions, supporting our wonderful community and the arts in West Seattle, along with having a good time and smiling.
Interested? Next meeting is 9:30 am July 23rd at Mind Unwind (2206 California SW) – and of course there’s a Facebook event page already.
Took the photo at Anchor Park one sunny morning last week … now it’s at least handy for daydreaming during our soggy Monday morning. (“Clearing” on Wednesday, according to the newest forecast – just in time for the official arrival of summer and West Seattle Solstice Sunset Watch!) Looking ahead to the rest of today and tonight:
TRAFFIC ALERTS: Spokane Street Viaduct eastbound lanes and one westbound lane are scheduled to be closed 10 pm-5 am, along with additional surface-street closures overnight in SODO (detailed here). Today’s also the first of two days during which daytime bike-trail work near the “low bridge” is under way – explained here. Closures/changes for the rest of the week (through Saturday’s northbound Viaduct/99 closure for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon) are listed here.
GREEN SCHOOLS: Teachers, students, administrators, and parents – as well as other interested community members – are invited to tonight’s Sustainable West Seattle forum, 6 pm at Denny International Middle School (2601 SW Kenyon) to talk about environmental education/efforts happening now, and plans and hopes for the future.
DELRIDGE PRODUCE COOPERATIVE’S SUMMER PLANS: Everyone’s invited to DPC‘s monthly meeting, 6:30 pm at the Delridge Library, to hear about plans for a summer produce stand, their recent fundraising Trivia Night at Skylark (and what’s next), plus the DPC business plan as they look ahead to a permanent storefront in the future DESC development. Prospective volunteers especially welcome to come check out the group.
PUBLIC SAFETY – A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION: Not in West Seattle but a topic affecting us all. And the announcement comes from West Seattleite Susie Tennant of Town Hall Seattle:
Town Hall Seattle staff, members, and board are deeply shaken and disturbed by the events that took place so close to our offices on May 30th. The other shooting the same day, previous incidents in May, and earlier in the year have caused us great concern. Like all of Seattle, we are trying to process the situation and wonder what we as a community can do to address it. As an institution whose purpose is to create a safe place for the expression of ideas, and which has hosted community conversations on topics including education, Occupy Seattle, artist space, the environment, and more, we can think of no more appropriate response than to gather as a community for a constructive conversation about these events which affect us all. A group of city leaders and citizens — including Mayor Mike McGinn, Seattle Police Chief John Diaz, Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Mariko Lockhart, director of Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat, and others — will discuss issues of public safety, gun safety, mental illness, gangs, and how a community not only stays safe, but heals itself after such tragedies.
7:30 tonight, free with reservation at brownpapertickets.com. Town Hall is at 1119 8th Ave. downtown.
DJ NIGHT AT WEST 5: Monday night means the “Flat Earth Society” at West 5 in The Junction, with guest DJs and fab vinyl. Tonight, Rosemary Otero of Light in the Attic Records is scheduled, 9 pm.
And there’s more! Check out the calendar.
(UPDATED June 25 to add additional camps we’ve heard from)
ORIGINAL JUNE 18th REPORT: This is the last week of classes for Seattle Public Schools and schools that follow the SPS calendar. Some families are still working on the summer plan for the student(s) in their household – so we’ve compiled a list of local camp programs that still have room (at least, as of a few days ago, when we published an invitation for them to send word. Any other WS-based day-camp programs with room? Let us know ASAP – editor@westseattleblog.com – and we’ll add you to this list! Click ahead to see the (updated) NINETEEN programs we have listed so far, arranged by start date, soonest to latest:
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