West Seattle, Washington
23 Sunday
(WSB cameraphone photo of the crowd just before public comment began)
Though it was not an agenda item, the just-announced co-locating of K-5 STEM and Middle College High School at Boren generated discussion, and a promise, at last night’s Seattle School Board meeting.
After half a dozen people voiced concern during the public-comment period, three board members did too, including West Seattle’s Marty McLaren, who promised a “public discussion” on the issue.
Ahead, more of the discussion, plus a budget item that might – or might not – relate to K-5 STEM’s eventual permanent home:Read More
(1st 3 photos by Torin Record-Sand for WSB)
At Solstice Park about an hour ago, NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen looked off to the west with some trepidation/anticipation, a few minutes before the official 1st sunset of summer was supposed to happen, somewhere behind all this …
We counted more than 70 people scattered around the hillside viewpoint over the Lincoln Park tennis courts, where for the past three-plus years, Alice has showed up on equinoxes and solstices to explain them – and anything else astronomical that folks want to know about.
But as part of her volunteer ambassadorship, Alice organizes other events too – next up, a Mars landing party on August 5th, previewed a bit with Lego rover models at Solstice Park tonight:
Alice yelled out to the crowd that she’s still looking for a venue “with Internet and a roof,” available around 10:30 pm on August 5th. If you have a suggestion, reach her through her website, alicesastroinfo.com.
ADDED 11:32 PM: Thanks to those who shared their photos! First, Jordan Petram caught the color that the sunset yielded, even without the hoped-for alignment view at the park:
Cathy Jaramillo caught a closer view of Alice as she explained how that alignment would work if the sun were in view (note the stone in the lower right – that marks the spot):
And from Scott Scowcroft, the view of the crowd, looking northwest:
Note the cupola of The Kenney (WSB sponsor) off to the right.
Here’s a 5K you may not have heard much about – but your support can save lives. At West Seattle Stadium this Saturday afternoon, big steps will be taken for the most tiny and endangered among us – drug-exposed and medically fragile newborn babies. The event is “Walk for the Babies,” a 5K (twelve and a half times around the track) to benefit the Pediatric Interim Care Center, a 22-year-old facility/program which takes care of those tiny patients “at an interim level between hospital and home … at a savings to the taxpayers of Washington State.” Here’s a video about it:
PICC is described as “the only specialized, 24-hour facility available for the safe withdrawal of drug-exposed newborns” in our state.
The Walk for the Babies idea hatched, we’re told, when West Seattleite Phoebi Crawford called PICC to ask what they needed – blankets? diapers? etc.? – and found out they just need money, because they have lost $400,000 in funding. The walk, which has more than 70 people signed up so far, is hoping to raise $100,000. You can donate by going here; if you want to participate in the walk, call Phoebi at 206-707-6220.
Along with tonight’s overnight WESTBOUND closure of the Spokane Street Viaduct – which means you can’t get to the bridge from I-5 or Beacon Hill – another one’s just been added for tomorrow night (late Thursday night to early Friday). Details ahead in an SDOT advisory:Read More
In previous discussions of the city’s impending “plastic-bag ban” – taking effect July 1st, as noted here last weekend – some have wondered how small businesses, especially those selling carryout food, are dealing with it. The Junction’s renowned Bakery Nouveau is telling its behind-the-scenes story on its website today – including the tax complications that it’s anticipating with the fee required for paper bags.
(Springer, photographed in 2002 by West Seattle-based researcher Mark Sears)
She’s one of the most famous orcas to pass through West Seattle waters – and as we first told you a month ago, the 10th anniversary of Springer‘s family reunion will be celebrated on Alki 11 am-3 pm this Saturday, at an event hosted by West Seattle-based The Whale Trail. The latest update on the festivities:
Ten years ago, a ferry quartermaster noticed a lone juvenile orca (A73, Springer) near the north end of Vashon Island and contacted local researcher Mark Sears, who confirmed the sighting. These actions led to the only successful orca reunion in history, being celebrated this Saturday at the Alki Beach Bathhouse with first-hand accounts of the rescue, updates about Springer and why her story matters to the recovery of the Southern Resident orcas today, a killer whale mask dance, and dedication of four new West Seattle Whale Trail signs. Hosted by The Whale Trail.
*Duwamish Tribe Singing Feet Dancers
*Introductory remarks by Martha Kongsgaard-Goldman, Chair of the Leadership Council of the Puget Sound Partnership
*Stories of the rescue and reunion by members of the rescue team
*Le-La-La Dancers, First Nations dance company from Victoria who were present when Springer went home
*Information about orcas and kids’ activities
Participating organizations include NOAA Fisheries, the Seattle Aquarium, Seal Sitters, the Whale Museum, and Friends of Lime Kiln.
Celebrate Springer! events conclude with a festival July 12-15 in Telegraph Cove, British Columbia where Springer was reunited with her family in July 2002.
For more information, check out the Celebrate Springer Facebook page and The Whale Trail,
Earlier this month, we showed you the work of a group of Harbor Island workers calling themselves HIPE – unveiling murals and planters in an area once plagued by dumping. Today, we have news of a different group of Harbor Island workers beautifying part of the industrial, man-made island – Jackie from Matson Navigation shares the photos and this report:
A couple of years ago I wrote you about my coworkers and my volunteer project where we helped with the “stencil a storm drain” program in the Alki neighborhood.
I wanted to share with you that last night we were back at it! My small office worked together with the Port of Seattle to clean up a site at Terminal 10 (on Harbor Island, where Matson is also located). We worked to remove morning glory and other invasive plants, helped cover the area with mulch, and remove litter from the beach.
The site is a little bit of prettiness on Harbor Island, as well as a home for fish and wildlife. It felt really good to help tidy the area up a bit, and get some much needed sun at the same time.
Terminal 10 is just north of the old flour mill, as explained on this Port webpage.
(“Final schematic” for skatespot configuration at Roxhill Park)
A milestone for the Roxhill Park skatespot/play area project – the construction work has gone out to bid today, according to Seattle Parks project manager Kelly Davidson, with a bidding deadline of July 11th, three weeks from today. (You can see the summary of work, estimated at more than $542,000, on the city’s eBid website, which lists West Seattle’s Grindline, designers/builders of Delridge Skatepark, as among the potential bidders.) The project is complex, with some of the skatepark features/work donated to the city, and the new play structure to be put up by volunteers. Davidson says they’re expecting to break ground at Roxhill in early August.
Out of the WSB inbox:
A group of people in Southwest Seattle would like to get a Timebank started and are hosting an informational meeting to explain how it works and determine if there is enough interest.
Timebanks use a low overhead, self-organizing internet based system to help people exchange their talents, passions, and resources with other members so that they enjoy the necessities and the niceties of life. At its simplest, an hour you spend doing something for a SWEL Timebank member goes into the bank as a time hour. Then you have a time hour to spend having another SWEL member do something for you. People of all ages are welcome.Timebank Informational Meeting
Wednesday, June 27th 7-8 pm
Senior Center of West Seattle
4217 SW OregonThere are more than 100 timebanks in the United States, including one in East King County, called Eastside Timebank, which serves the cities of Kirkland, Redmond and Bellevue. There is also one in North King County called SWEL Timebank, which serves Shoreline, Woodway, Edmonds and Lake Forest Park. Timebanking is a great way to get to know members in your community. Representatives from Eastside and SWEL Timebanks will be at the meeting.
If you have already been on the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct this morning, you know this already, but SDOT has now confirmed it – the 1st Avenue South offramp reopened this morning, a day earlier than anticipated, because the contractor finished the work that had required one offramp to be closed continuously for the past several weeks. This also means an end to bus rerouting, too, as Metro has just confirmed in an advisory. We just updated our list of scheduled closures for the rest of the week, which include Saturday’s 5 am-3:30 pm closure of the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.
Thanks to Monty for this morning’s view of Mount Rainier, out in all its splendor just in time for summer to officially arrive at 4:09 pm today. Here are highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar for the rest of today/tonight:
TONIGHT’S SCHEDULED BRIDGE CLOSURE: The westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct are scheduled to be closed, along with one eastbound lane, 10 pm-5 am. (We’re checking to see if this plan is changed at all by this morning’s opening of the 1st Avenue S. offramp, which according to last week’s announcement was not supposed to happen till tomorrow.)
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING: In both public comments and on the agenda, there are items of interest for West Seattle at tonight’s meeting of the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors. The list of public-comment speakers includes several who plan to address the announcement (first reported here Friday) that Middle College High School will move from South Seattle Community College to portables at the Boren Building, which also will be home to the new K-5 STEM elementary. The agenda includes next year’s budget, with funding for reopening Fairmount Park – to come from past-levy-related money rather than next year’s BEX IV levy – among the line items. Board meetings now start at 4:15 pm, with the public-comment period at 5, at district HQ in SODO; here’s the agenda.
DINNER AND MUSIC AT THE SENIOR CENTER: Doors open at 5 pm for a turkey dinner and live music at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon), headlined by Casey MacGill. Details here; reservations requested.
2 HOT TOPICS AT DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: Tonight’s 7 pm meeting of the council with reps from organizations around eastern West Seattle has two hot topics on the agenda: the proposed Delridge rechannelization, and the plan for 200 Highland Park homes to get trash service every other week as part of the city’s pilot project starting next month. Public’s welcome; the meeting’s at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).
SUMMER SOLSTICE SUNSET WATCH: As previewed here last night – be at Solstice Park around 8:45 pm and watch the sunset (expected just after 9) with West Seattle-residing NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen. Her website explains the event, and how to get to Solstice Park if you haven’t been there before.
More on the calendar!
The punk band Random Orbits will head out on tour today as planned, reports KING 5 (whose story from last night’s newscast is embedded above), even though they suffered a big loss in an Arbor Heights car prowl sometime overnight Monday night/Tuesday morning. According to a post on the band’s Facebook page, the thief/thieves made off with:
Fender 72’ Telecaster Deluxe – serial # MZ9576505 – “SCS” is carved into the back of the head stock
Gibson SG Standard – Serial # 112610579 – Cherry Red
G&L 1981 SB-1 Bass Guitar- Serial # B015960 – Black
David Eden Traveler – Bass Head – Serial # 1887
Marshall JMC 900 – White, with “No Beer On Top” written across the top
2500 dollars Cash which was inside a box of beer koozies/stickers/posters
If you have any information on the break-in or the stolen items, you can call police and refer to incident # 12-191715. Random Orbits is scheduled to play Leavenworth tonight and then keep heading east, all the way to New York state over the course of their tour’s first week.
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.
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