West Seattle news 67815 results

(Friday afternoon photo, some of the skis awaiting today’s Gear Swap, see below)
First Saturday of spring! Highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

TRAFFIC REMINDER – VIADUCT/99 CLOSED: From the Battery Street Tunnel to the West Seattle Bridge, inspection/maintenance closure is scheduled for the entire weekend. (We’ll let you know if it reopens before the announced time of 5 am Monday.)

HAPPENING NOW – DONATE FOOD! If Scouting For Food participants didn’t leave a note at your door asking you to leave food for them to pick up in today’s food drive, you can still pitch in – go to 44th/Ferry before 11 am and drop off a donation for the West Seattle Food Bank. Here’s our reminder from Friday. **Added** And there are also Scouts at West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan) till noon to accept donations.

SUPER SALE TO BENEFIT TEAM TRACY: 10 am-3 pm at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW), megasale to raise money to fight breast cancer. For photos/details of what’s on sale, check out the event page on Facebook.

PLANTING PARTY AT SANISLO WETLAND: 10 am-1 pm (meet in front of the school at 1812 SW Myrtle). Hundreds of trees need to get into the ground in this Puget Creek headwaters wetland. Details in our Friday preview.

FOREST RESTORATION AT WESTCREST PARK: 10 am-2 pm (9000 8th SW), join EarthCorps to help the park’s extensive forest. Full details on their website

WEST SEATTLE GEAR SWAP, DAY 1: Winter gear of all types on sale – and winter’s not really over yet anyway! Mountain to Sound Outfitters is presenting it, with more details here. 10 am-6 pm at the VFW Hall, 3602 SW Alaska.

SKATE ‘N’ BAKE: Skating party and bake sale at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW) to benefit Arbor Heights Co-Op Preschool, 10 am-12 pm. $7 tickets at the door – with $1 off if you bring a can of food for the White Center Food Bank!

EUROPAKIDS PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: EuropaKids International Preschool, 10:30 am-noon at Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle, back entrance), which is their half-day location, but they’ll be talking about their new full-day location, opening this fall.

COMETA PLAYSCHOOL OPEN HOUSE AND FREE CONCERT: 11 am-1 pm at Cometa Playschool, 3212 California SW, with special guest singer/songwriter Felipe Cañete . Including more info about new toddler program.

TEA CEREMONY: Seattle Chinese Garden hosts “a rare demonstration of a Han style ancient Chinese tea ceremony from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. There will be time for questions after the ceremony. The suggested donation is $7 for the general public and $5 for garden members.” North end of South Seattle Community College campus, 6000 16th SW.

OCCUPY WEST SEATTLE: Meeting 2-5 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club (12th/Holden).

FAUNTLEROY CHILDREN’S CENTER 25TH ANNUAL AUCTION: Doors open at 5:30 pm tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW). Dinner at 7, live auction at 8. Bob Watt will once again serve as our auctioneer, with emcees former Mayor Greg Nickels and KING TV’s Jim Dever. Check if tickets are still available: (206) 932-9590.

CHIEF SEALTH BIG BAND DINNER/DANCE: 6-10 pm tonight at the school (2600 SW Thistle), a night of food, music, and dancing, featuring not only student musicians but also the West Seattle Big Band. Dance-only tickets are available too. Full details here. *Schedule update, added 12:35 pm – doors open at 5:30 pm, music starts 6:30 pm, dinner at 7 pm*

LIVE MUSIC AT C & P: 6-8 pm, Gary Benson. C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) is at 5612 California SW.

‘WEST SEATTLE HAPPY HOUR’ AT ADMIRAL PUB: 2 weeks after Alki Crab and Fish closed at Seacrest, its owners are continuing to offer the menu faves at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), and that’s where fans, many from the local diver community, are inviting you to come support them and mingle, 7-10 pm tonight. Full details on this event’s WSB calendar page.

‘RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE’: Second-to-last weekend for the comedy at ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery in The Junction, curtain time 7:30 pm.

ROCK 4 CLEAN WATER: Benefit featuring live music from Fiasco, Bonobros, and Sue Quigley, presented by EcoBeauty Salon and Spa tonight at Feedback Lounge (6451 California SW; WSB sponsor), with prize drawings. Starts at 8 pm. $10 suggested donation.

LIVE MUSIC AT THE BRIDGE: Jenny sends word that True Romans plays at 9:30 pm, no cover. 35th SW just south of Avalon.

EVENT CANCELLATION: In case you had tickets but hadn’t heard, the WSHS father/daughter dance scheduled for tonight was canceled.

LOOKING AHEAD – 7 WEEKS TILL WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY: May 12th is the big day this year, and registration will open April 2nd – one week from Monday. Keep an eye out here and at westseattlegaragesale.com (which you can browse for details of past WSCGSDs, if the event is new to you!).

Beach Drive murder: Greggette Guy’s family sets up fund

March 23, 2012 9:41 pm

| 17 COMMENTS

| Beach Drive murder | Crime | West Seattle news

We’re hearing tonight from the family of 51-year-old Greggette Guy for the first time since her father’s unexpected appearance at last Sunday’s vigil in her memory.

On the eve of her memorial service, her brother-in-law Dennis Guy has reached out on behalf of her family. His message:

There seems to be a lot of interest for helping Greggette Guy’s family and we would like to respond. We established a fund for the purpose of providing financial funds for the following purposes:

(1) increasing the amount of reward money for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the suspect(s) responsible for the murder of Greggette Guy

(2) and/or assisting the city in installing additional lighting and/or memorial bench along the area where the crime took place

We are thankful to the West Seattle Blog for providing information to the community and are sorry that we were not able to provide information due to personal and investigative reasons. We echo the thoughts of some of the (commenters) that speculation, especially insensitive ones, should be kept to oneself as they can be especially hurtful at a time such as this. Greggette Guy had lived in the West Seattle area for a few years when she was younger and enjoyed the serenity and the waves of the Alki Beach area.

We are thankful to the media for respecting the family’s privacy in this time of need as a result of this tragic event.

The link for more information about who Greggette Guy really is:and how to make contributions:
http://www.edlineyahncovingtonfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Edline1/obit.cgi?user=595115Guy

Sincerely,
Dennis Guy

The page at that link includes Ms. Guy’s full obituary, with much more about her life than we have heard before, as well as information on where/how to donate to the fund. Meantime – police have not commented publicly on the case since Southwest Precinct commander Captain Steve Paulsen spoke at last Tuesday’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting (video of everything he said is in our report from that night). If you have any information that might be related to the case, call 911 or the Seattle Police Homicide Tip Line, 206-233-5000 (police say anonymous tips are welcome). Our coverage of stories about Ms. Guy’s murder, dating back to the discovery of her body the morning of March 12th, is archived here, newest to oldest.

West Seattle schools: World Water Week wraps up at Sealth

March 23, 2012 9:11 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Denny-Sealth | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

So far in the two years that Chief Sealth International High School has observed World Water Week with special events, it’s become a tradition – Friday sunshine! On the track at Southwest Athletic Complex across the street, where students walked with heavy containers of water on WWW Friday last year, today the task was a Food Walk, visiting various student-created stations to learn about food and water issues from around the world.

Special activities were the order of the day for all Sealth students, including a multitude of indoor activities (such as workshops with guest speakers), and also gardening outside adjoining Denny International Middle School:

The garden’s namesake was a Denny principal who died 20 years ago during the school year and had a garden named after her at the school’s old site – now, there’s one at the new site.

A KING 5 crew was there to help document the action:

We promised to come back later this spring to see the garden after it’s planted and growing!

Tomorrow: Have your donations ready for Scouting For Food!

March 23, 2012 7:01 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| How to help | West Seattle news

(Pack 793 photo courtesy Jon Gerhardt)
Reminder that if you got a food-drive door-hanger from local Boy Scouts last Saturday – have your donation outside your door for them to pick up tomorrow morning, as part of Scouting For Food! Multiple local troops/packs are participating. But even if you didn’t get a notice, you can contribute to the drive for the West Seattle Food Bank – tomorrow morning (updated) from 9 till 11 am, bring food donations to Pack 793’s collection spot at 44th SW/Ferry SW (the city-owned triangle of grass just south of Admiral Church – here’s a map).

West Seattle businesses: Cycle U sets opening date for new location

March 23, 2012 6:02 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Cycle University has just announced the opening date for its new location at 3418 Harbor Avenue, where it’s moving because Highline Medical is taking over its Triangle spot (as reported here last August). They expect to open the new, bigger location on April 3rd – read the full announcement ahead:Read More

3 hours to help make decades of difference: Planting party

March 23, 2012 2:47 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

Yet another way to keep polluted runoff out of Puget Sound – if you can spare some time at midday tomorrow, you can be part of it. Steve Richmond says, “It’s planting season and hundreds of trees need to get into the ground. Join us at Sanislo School to restore the wetland headwaters of Puget Creek. Improve habitat that helps filter stormwater, the #1 polluter of Puget Sound.” 10 am-1 pm tomorrow, in the wetland next to Sanislo Elementary at 1812 SW Myrtle (meet in front of the school), you can help get those trees into the ground. What to bring? He suggests: “Gloves, shovel, watering can (we’ll have extra, but write your name on your tools), weather-appropriate gear (rain or cold), hat/eye/sun protection, food/water, sturdy shoes/boots.” They’ll provide snacks and water. If you have a question, call Steve at (206) 650-9807.

New West Seattle business: M-M’s Market now open

March 23, 2012 1:34 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Delridge | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

A new store just opened in Delridge. We were out in this morning’s sunshine, driving between a couple locations to check on unrelated reader tips, when we spotted the sign outside the lemon-yellow building – M-M’s Market, now open next to the Vietnamese Cultural Center (map), across SW Orchard/Sylvan from the north side of Home Depot.

In that photo are Mele Morales and his wife Monica, the West Seattle residents who own M-M’s Market. Mele told us he spent a decade in construction, and wanted to do something new. They’re starting with merchandise that includes a sizable selection of packaged food and beverage items, plus snacks and even spices, many geared toward the Hispanic community, as well as some pastries. (Figurines, too, as you can see behind Mele and Monica in the photo.) Mele says they’re planning to be open daily 8 am to 8 pm. They hope to expand their inventory as time goes by, but they’re starting with the basics. “I love this community,” he said, with a big smile.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Alki car break-in; Highland Park brawl

March 23, 2012 12:57 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes today – the first, a reader report from Daniel:

This morning between midnight and 8 am, someone broke into my car and stole my briefcase that was sitting in the back seat. The cross streets I live near are 63rd Ave. SW and Admiral. I wanted to let you know just in case if anyone heard or saw anything suspicious. … Attached is a photo of the damage.

Also – after Lauren e-mailed us to ask about “heavy police presence” and medic crews at 16th/Trenton early this morning, we checked with SPD, and though it doesn’t appear to have been a big incident, in case you saw/heard it and wondered, here’s what police say: Officer Renée Witt in SPD media relations explains that it was a fight that started with an “unwanted guest” getting kicked out of a party around 5:30 am. Two men got into a fight; one got hit and fell down in the road at that intersection, and that’s where authorities came in. The victim was 20 and suffered only a “small cut above the right eye.”

Know an Unsung Hero in Delridge? Last day to nominate!

March 23, 2012 12:35 pm

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| Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

In a month, the first-ever Delridge Unsung Hero awards will be announced – and today is your last chance to nominate someone, we are reminded by Holli Margell. She says the online application form is open till midnight today; here’s the link. 16 nominations have come in so far, Holli says, but they’re hoping for more! She adds that they are still seeking sponsors in order to have a catered buffet for the awards event; the North Delridge Neighborhood Council has donated enough for table rentals and program printing, but they’re looking for $2,000 to cover the rest. Can you donate? E-mail or call Delridge Neighborhoods District Council outreach chair Mike Shilley, michael.j.shilley@q.com or 206-762-7111.

From White Center Now: WC Albertsons now Super Saver Foods

March 23, 2012 12:01 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | White Center

We had just been covering this on our partner site White Center Now, but have also received a few notes from West Seattleites who used to shop at the old WC Albertsons on 16th, so in case you are interested: The ownership change happened this week, and the signs have just gone up – the store is now Super Saver Foods, and it’s open during remodeling. More details on WCN.

West Seattle Friday: Tonight’s traffic alerts; comedy; more

March 23, 2012 10:20 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Karen – “old desolate” on Flickr – forsythia, we think)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

TRAFFIC ALERTS: The 1st Avenue South offramp from the eastbound bridge will be closed 9 pm-5 am overnight tonight. Also closed overnight – 10 pm to 5 am – westbound access to the low bridge. More info on those city-scheduled closures here (and don’t forget, the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 will be closed all weekend, starting at 6 am Saturday).

WEST SEATTLE GARDEN CLUB: Today’s meeting is already under way but you can still drop in – full details on the program, which continues till 2 pm, are here. It’s happening at Daystar Retirement Village, 2615 SW Barton.

GEAR SWAP DROPOFF: Again today from 3-7 pm, you can drop off winter gear at Mountain to Sound Outfitters (3602 SW Alaska) for this weekend’s West Seattle Gear Swap. Details here.

EXPLORER WEST AUCTION: 5:30 tonight, the Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) gathers at The Hall at Fauntleroy. Details in our recent preview.

WINE TASTING: Ron Coleman of Tamarack Cellars at Bin 41 in The Junction, 6-7:30 pm. From their announcement:

If you’ve been to Walla Walla to take in the wine scene, you’ve likely enjoyed a visit at Tamarack Cellars and a refreshing conversation with owner/winemaker Ron Coleman. We had the pleasure of meeting Ron during our trip to Walla Walla last September. We’re pleased to welcome him to the bin to share a line-up of their wines with you, including their always super tasty DuBrul red.

COMEDY VAUDEVILLE EXTRAVAGANZA: That’s the headline for tonight’s show, headlined by comedy juggler Matt Baker, at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW) – details here.

West Seattle schools: Chief Sealth’s Multicultural Night

March 23, 2012 9:09 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

The Chief Sealth International High School Polynesian Club‘s dance was the grand finale to a series of student performances last night, highlighting Multicultural Night in the school’s Galleria. Proud school-community leaders were on hand too, like principal Chris Kinsey and assistant principal Lupe Barnes:

Kinsey told us he was proud of the fact that everything was student-created, student-led, though the event was sponsored by the Chief Sealth PTSA – whose president Amy Daly-Donovan was on hand too – below at right, with school nurse Alison Enochs:

The wall poster behind them is a reminder that Multicultural Night was part of this year’s World Water Week observance at Sealth. Today, regular classes are suspended so the students can be part of an all-day teach-in, which includes workshops, guest speakers, gardening, and a youth-led Food Walk to highlight challenges faced by people in East Africa.

Police in the living room: ‘Conversation’ in Arbor Heights

March 22, 2012 10:40 pm

| 12 COMMENTS

| Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(Sgt. Joe Bauer shows neighbors a map of burglaries reported in the past month)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

JoDean Edelheit‘s neighbors might have wondered why police cars were in her Arbor Heights driveway Monday night – if not for the fact the neighbors were all in her living room with the uniformed visitors.

The Seattle Police Department has been offering the opportunity for these “living-room conversations” for a while – explaining them as opportunities to explore community concerns in informal settings. Monday afternoon, in fact, the SPD Blotter blog-format website published a short story about two recent ones. And that was not long after we got the call from JoDean, inviting us to the one scheduled to happen at her house hours later.

She hosted a dozen neighbors and four SPD reps. The questions weren’t surprising, but some of the answers were.

March 22, 2012 10:20 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

Once again, the Sustainable West Seattle presentation on how NOT to feed the Tox-Ick Monster – how to reduce runoff and help Puget Sound heal – drew a crowd tonight. Thanks to diver/photographer Laura James (who has seen Tox-Ick up close and personal) for the update and the photos – she says they drew the 50-plus needed to qualify for a $1,000 prize to go toward a runoff-fighting raingarden at WSHS:

That’s student Sage accepting the check. If you didn’t make it to one of the presentations in this series, no worries – you can view the PowerPoint, and video, online! Just go here.

Bon voyage to West Seattle Water Taxi crew hero

March 22, 2012 7:00 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| King County Water Taxi | West Seattle news

(May 2011 photo, courtesy of Roger)
That was the scene near Seacrest last May when the West Seattle Water Taxi crew rescued a diver in distress (WSB coverage here). The whole crew was honored as heroes in a special ceremony weeks later (WSB coverage here), but in particular, Aaron Barnett was hailed for quick work in getting into the water to help the diver.

Today was Aaron’s last day with the Water Taxi service, we are told by two WSB’ers who ride the Water Taxi, including Paul Swortz – who took the recent photo of Aaron you see at right. Both Paul and another WSB’er, Tim, e-mailed to say that Aaron got a warm sendoff, including donuts and coffee this morning, special announcements this afternoon. We missed the chance to try to catch an interview with Aaron, but Tim says he’s going back to school. Good luck, Aaron!

Seacrest switch: City says Marination will be ‘delayed’

March 22, 2012 5:46 pm

| 46 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Now we know why the city postponed the open house that had been scheduled next week for community members to meet the proprietors of Marination, which won the concession contract for Seacrest Boathouse. The city Department of Planning and Development says the plan needs an additional type of permit. The Parks announcement, headlined “Marination opening at Seacrest Boathouse delayed,” explains:

Since early March, Marination has been working with Parks to prepare and submit architectural and design plans for remodeling and tenant improvements of the boathouse. Most of these proposed improvements are for the interior of the building. As Marination was preparing to submit its building permit application to the City’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) on March 8, DPD staff informed Marination that additional review would be necessary for a conditional use permit needed for the restaurant use.

The space in question is the kitchen area that was formerly a boat repair space. The need for a restaurant permit was not anticipated, since the boathouse has been used primarily as a restaurant/food service facility since the late 1990s. A conditional use permit typically takes two to four months for review and approval. This timeline will likely delay Marination’s anticipated opening of June 2012.

Seattle Parks and DPD are working closely with Marination to complete this process and continue to work toward an early summer 2012 Opening. There will still be an Open House at the Boathouse in late spring to introduce Marination to the public and to provide the public with an update.

Marination co-owner Kamala Saxton had actually told WSB last month that they hoped to be open by July, fearing a June estimate might be too optimistic – but that was before this twist in the process.

8:14 PM UPDATE: We just talked with Greg Whittaker of Alki Kayak Tours. Last month, he and Marination’s Kamala both told WSB that they had agreed (though it wasn’t 100 percent finalized) that AKT would stay on as subconcessionaire for watercraft, skate/bike rentals, and all the things AKT had been doing. Tonight, Greg says his business is the official “interim concessionaire,” to cover the longer-than-expected gap till Marination can take over. We asked if that means anything different from what AKT has been doing and he mentioned one thing – they’ve agreed to sell beverages! Exactly how that’s going to work, they haven’t figured it out yet, since his interim deal with the city is brand-new. Meantime, we also have asked Marination for comment; stay tuned.

Update: 99/Viaduct partial closure tonight; more traffic notes

March 22, 2012 5:25 pm

| 11 COMMENTS

| Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(UPDATED 8:41 PM with more traffic effects tonight, and tomorrow)

Drive 99? Note that the weekend closure mentioned on the sign is NOT the only Highway 99 closure ahead:

TONIGHT: Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct is CLOSED SOUTHBOUND OVERNIGHT.

EARLY SATURDAY TILL EARLY MONDAY: 99/Viaduct is closed both ways, 6 am Saturday till 5 am Monday (if it reopens earlier, we’ll publish an update).

THEN, TWO WEEKS LATER: The Viaduct/99 will close again from 11 pm Friday, April 6th, till 5 am Monday, April 9th.

ADDED 8:41 PM: Sorry to have not had this all in one place sooner but there are a variety of things to note for tonight, and tomorrow, besides tonight’s overnight 99/Viaduct closure. First, from the weekly lookahead:

*Tonight, per SDOT: “The 1st Ave S off-ramp from the West Seattle Bridge will be closed overnight. The 4th Ave off-ramp will remain open from the Spokane Street Viaduct for access to the SODO and downtown area.”

*Also tonight, per SDOT: “The northbound on-ramp from S Royal Brougham Way to the Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR99) will be closed overnight.”

*And more for tonight: “A single eastbound lane on the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed overnight. Access to I-5 will be maintained.”

*Yet more for tonight: “Eastbound S Spokane St will be closed between East Marginal Way S and 1st Ave S each night.”

*And for Friday morning, this too from SDOT, announced late today: “Tomorrow morning, March 23, motorists traveling in the vicinity of the Seattle Center may encounter heavier traffic than usual. Between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. a crowd of 3,500 or more will be attending a private event at the Key Arena. Traffic could build in the area as early as 7 a.m. and likely will impact the morning commute between the Center grounds and I-5. Charter buses will be unloading and loading attendees during the event on streets near the Key Arena.” (Multiple WSB’ers tell us the “private event” is the Amazon all-hands meeting.)

DESC Delridge project: Tax-credits decision today

March 22, 2012 4:49 pm

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| DESC Delridge project | West Seattle news

(Delridge streetfront view, from project renderings shown to Design Review Board)
Delridge Community Forum, one of the groups that has been closely tracking DESC’s 66-unit Delridge Supportive Housing project, reports that the state Housing Finance Commission approved its request for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (explained here). (We have messages out to WSHFC’s media liaison.) That follows approvals for city, county, and state funding. Land-use and construction permits are still pending with the city; DESC hopes to start construction by year’s end. The project’s Community Advisory Committee, meantime, meets next Tuesday (March 27), 6:30 pm, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (see the agenda here).

SPU trailblazer retires: Meet Kerry Copeland of West Seattle

March 22, 2012 2:30 pm

| 20 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

(Photos courtesy Seattle Public Utilities)
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

March 2nd was the last day of a 30-year career for a West Seattle woman who has been called a “trailblazer” and a “pioneer.” In the beginning, though, the names she was called weren’t so complimentary.

Kerry Copeland has just retired from Seattle Public Utilities, where she was one of the first female water-line workers hired in the 1980s.

Being a water-line worker is being “on the front line.” It’s hard work, with lots of digging, often in difficult weather conditions. When SPU started recruiting women, Copeland was interested because she’s always been very physical and attracted to non-traditional jobs. “One of our tests was digging a 2×2 trench within a certain amount of time. We went to the West Seattle Reservoir to do it, and the place looked like a graveyard because so many groups of people had been digging trenches!”

Copeland passed the test and became one of the first women on the “front line.”

March 22, 2012 1:23 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Environment | Sunrise Heights | West Seattle news | Westwood

(WSB photo of test site at 34th/Trenton, March 2011)
Fifteen months after announcing its plan for “green stormwater infrastructure” to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) at Barton Pump Station by the Fauntleroy ferry dock, the county has narrowed down the potential sites where it might place raingardens and swales to keep stormwater from overwhelming the system. (It’s been testing in the neighborhoods – with equipment like the truck above, as well as drill rigs – for the better part of a year.) Here’s the map showing which streets (in green) have been identified for closer study:

(Sorry, the streets weren’t named on that map, but you can see a larger version, along with the accompanying letter and “fact sheet,” by going here.) News of the map follows King County’s announcement of two meetings, March 28 and March 31, promising status updates. Read the announcement in full, ahead:Read More

Metro Route 120’s future, and more, @ Delridge District Council

March 22, 2012 12:46 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Delridge District Council | Transportation | West Seattle news

From last night’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center:

METRO ROUTE 120 – OPEN HOUSE AHEAD: A team of Metro reps came to talk about Route 120, which travels the length of Delridge on its current route between downtown and Burien. They noted that it’s one of the system’s top-10 most-used routes, averaging 7,000 people a day. And there are changes ahead, they said, including: A northbound bus-only lane on Delridge between Oregon and Andover, for peak hours (off-peak, they said, it can be used for bikes and parking). They also plan to reduce the number of stops along the entire route, spacing them to a quarter-mile apart instead of an eighth of a mile, which they described as an efficiency issue. Most important: If you want to get full details of the planned changes and offer comments, Metro is having an open house in a month, 5:30-7:30 pm April 24th at Youngstown. (That news is so fresh, it’s not even on Metro’s website yet, but it will turn up there soon, they promise.)

(P.S. Another Metro open house of potential interest – downtown on March 29th, there’s one about the impending elimination of the Ride-Free Zone. Full details here.)

Also at last night’s DNDC meeting, City Council President Sally Clark – a note about her appearance, ahead:Read More

West Seattle road work: Repaving for 1 more block of California SW

March 22, 2012 10:23 am

| 10 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Just in from SDOT:

Our Street Maintenance paving crews plan to resurface California Avenue Southwest between Southwest Hudson and Southwest Dawson streets [map] toward the end of next week. They expect to keep the street open to both directions of travel as well as the sidewalks. The schedule is weather dependent — both for completing the projects they are doing before this one, and for this project.

They’re promising an official advisory when they have a better idea of exactly which day(s). This will be the fifth block of California SW south of The Junction to get repaved/resurfaced in the past half-year – last September, it was the block from Edmunds to Hudson, and then in December, it was Findlay to Graham.

West Seattle Thursday: Gear-swap dropoff; Sunrise Heights preparedness; tackling Tox-Ick…

March 22, 2012 7:59 am

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(“Inch worm” moth larvae at Lincoln Park, photographed by Machel Spence)
Winter just won’t let go, even though all the creatures and plants of spring, big and small, are determined to move on. At least we didn’t get the snow here on the peninsula. From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar, highlights for today/tonight:

WSHFC TALKS DESC FINANCING: 1 pm downtown, the last chance for public comment regarding financing of the proposed 66-unit Delridge Supportive Housing project at 5444 Delridge Way SW. Here’s our preview from last night.

GEAR-SWAP DROPOFF: Mountain to Sound Outfitters is having its semi-annual gear swap Saturday and Sunday – but first, you need to drop off your no-longer-needed gear! Today and tomorrow, 3 pm-7 pm at M2SO (though the swap will be at the VFW Hall across the street this weekend), which is at 3602 SW Alaska. More details here.

WINE TASTING: At West Seattle Cellars, 5:30-8 pm: Wines from Gecko Wine Company and Michael Florentino Cellars, with winemaker Brad Sherman.

SUNRISE HEIGHTS PREPAREDNESS TRAINING: Sunrise Heights is gearing up to be sure neighbors are ready for anything, with the help of a city grant, and a special 2-hour Sunrise Heights Emergency Preparation and Planning (SHEPP) session tonight is a major step. Join neighbors in the multipurpose room on the north side of Westside School. Snacks and pizza provided; supervised play area for kids available. 6-8 pm; more details here.

MULTI-CULTURAL NIGHT DURING WORLD WATER WEEK AT SEALTH: Families are invited to sample food and enjoy student entertainment at 6 pm at Chief Sealth International High School.

WEST SEATTLE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN: Starts with dinner at 6, West Seattle Golf Course (4470 35th Ave SW). More details on the WSB calendar entry, and at westseattledemocraticwomen.org. Screening and discussion of “Inside Job” about the global financial crisis. Reservations required, call (206) 935-3216 or e-mail wsdwomen@yahoo.com ASAP to be sure there’s still room.

TAKE ONE HOUR TO HELP PUGET SOUND, AND WSHS: Tonight, with just one hour, you can find out simple ways to help Puget Sound by preventing/reducing toxic runoff from everyday activities – AND you can help West Seattle High School win a $1,000 grant for a raingarden project – which they’ll get if at least 50 people show up. 7 pm at WSHS – details here.

‘LITTLE VOICE’ AT ARTSWEST: 7:30 pm curtain time for tonight’s performance; details and online-ticket-buying link on the ArtsWest website.

LIVE MUSIC: 9 pm, Lian Light, Jori & The Push, Death’s Three Daughters at Skylark Café and Club; 10 pm, jazz at Locöl (details here).

UPDATE, SOUTHBOUND VIADUCT CLOSED TONIGHT, AND FULL CLOSURE THIS WEEKEND: Just a reminder in case you have missed the announcements – southbound Highway 99 is closed overnight tonight, from Denny Way to the West Seattle Bridge; then that same entire stretch of 99 and Alaskan Way Viaduct is scheduled to close in both directions from 6 am Saturday till 5 am Monday for inspection and maintenance work.