West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
Had no idea the big, beautiful trees lining the south half of 35th SW are called European Hornbeams – till today. We learned that when this news release came in today from SDOT, saying that private arborists will be donating their services to trim these trees (which line 35th from Roxbury north to Graham) 9 am-2:30 pm on Friday. (For drivers, that means some rolling closures of the curb lanes as the arborists work their way along the street.)
Six months ago (when we took the courtroom photo at left), it was a plea bargain to a lesser charge, and no added jail time. This time, 19-year-old West Seattle repeat offender Skyelar Hailey has pleaded guilty to two charges that call for prison time. We just confirmed with King County Prosecuting Attorney Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe that Hailey has pleaded guilty in connection with his most recent arrest, in the August 18th case that started with a purse theft from a West Seattle High School teacher, continued with items stolen at an acquaintance’s home nearby, and culminated in a foot pursuit involving police. (Full details of the incident are in this 8/23 WSB report.) Donohoe tells WSB that Hailey pleaded guilty yesterday to residential burglary and second-degree burglary; the standard sentencing range is 13 to 17 months, and he will be in court to find out his sentence on October 23rd before King County Superior Court Judge Greg Canova. (Hailey’s been in jail since his arrest two months ago, even though his bail was cut at one point from $25,000 to $15,000.)
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Thanks to Diane for calling, and mk for posting in the WSB Forums, about seeing activity today in the long-idle Fauntleroy/Alaska/39th pit nicknamed “Hole Foods” since it was supposed to become a residential/commercial development anchored by a Whole Foods store. WSB contributing journalist Christopher Boffoli went over to check it out; he took a few new photos (nothing visible that’s dramatically different from months ago) and talked to a worker who told him they were doing “routine maintenance.” As noted here yesterday in our report on WF opening its Interbay store, we are continuing to watch court documents, which have yielded the bulk of activity related to the project for some months now; the latest filings in the biggest combined lawsuit (the one including the foreclosure motion) involve arguments over whose financial claim takes precedence, the $21 million lender or a construction company.
Coming up this Saturday, an intriguing presentation at West Seattle’s Southwest Community Center, just announced as part of the city’s Youth Violence Prevention Initiative – read on for details:Read More
Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, Waid Law Office, located at 4847 California SW, founded by West Seattle resident Brian Waid. Brian brings 34 years of experience of legal experience to his practice, with expertise in handling both business and personal legal issues, currently focusing on legal malpractice, insurance bad faith and appeals. Brian says, “I have had clients seek me out years after resolution of their problem, to thank me for how I helped them solve it in a way about which they were proud even years later. Most people would prefer to resolve their legal problems without litigation whenever possible. When the client’s problems cannot be solved without court intervention, I am a strategic-thinking and bulldog litigator whose preparation and thoroughness make a difference.” Having practiced law in four states and numerous federal courts, Brian adds, he knows there’s no substitute for thorough detailed preparation. Brian is active in the West Seattle community – a member of the Rotary Club of West Seattle (past Rotarian of the Year) who spent 4 years as president of Hope Lutheran Church and has sung in its choir for 13 years. He’s active in the King County Bar Association and American Bar Association, and has served on the Bar Examiners Committee for the Washington State Bar Association. You can reach Waid Law Office at 206.388.1926 and online at WaidLawOffice.com We thank Brian Waid and Waid Law Office for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; the sponsor team, with info on joining, is all here.
One more reminder that two benefits are coming up to raise money to help Cafe Revo‘s founding family deal with the medical bills left after the untimely death of co-founder Chef Sean “Chano” Goff last month. The first one is tomorrow night – “dinner and a movie” at The Sanctuary at Admiral – dinner is 4-course Italian, movie is “The Big Night” (trailer above). You can buy tickets in advance at Cafe Revo (WSB sponsor), 2940 SW Avalon Way; here’s the official flyer. The second benefit is the Westenders-presented “Operation Chano” on November 7th; more on that here.
(WSDOT September photo of ferry-building at Todd)
Washington State Ferries announced last week that Harbor Island-based Todd Shipyards had submitted the only bid – for $114 million – to build new state ferries – and today, WSF says it’s officially given Todd the contract – read on for the announcement:Read More
(WSB photo from 10/1, by Kathy Mulady)
The folks at High Point Market Garden (32nd and Juneau; map) had said that their Tuesday farm stand might be open a little later into the fall than first planned – and indeed, Wendy Hughes-Jelen e-mailed to share the news that the farmers told her the stand will be open today, 3-7 pm.
Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) in Westwood Village is closed this week for its big move to bigger, more visible quarters. They’re not moving far – their new space is next to Chico’s, in the center of the shopping center. Joni Keppler from Wyatt’s sends photos including the one above with their safe on the move and this one with co-proprietor Kirk Keppler in the new store:
She says they’re expecting to be done in time to reopen Wyatt’s Jewelers in its new space one week from today, regular hours (10-6, Tuesdays-Saturdays).
(Pago Pago photo by Telemai via Flickr)
HIGH POINT RELIEF EFFORT: Posted on the High Point Neighborhood Association website – a desperate need for money and various items to be donated to help the High Point Lighthouse Samoan Assembly of God assist people coping with the aftermath of the tsunami/earthquake disaster in the South Pacific. They’re trying to get assistance together no later than October 23rd – so the sooner you can help, the better.
WORLD VISION BENEFIT AT EVERGREEN HIGH SCHOOL: A disaster-relief event is set for 9 am-1 pm October 24 at Evergreen (map), in conjunction with World Vision. The items they’ll be collecting are listed on the White Center Community Development Association website.
(September photo by Auburn, during an Alki Kayak Tours trip)
Tonight at City Hall downtown, Alki Kayak Tours will be honored as one of the Mayor’s Small Business Award recipients (originally reported here). And that’s not the only big news for the West Seattle-based company – you might recall proprietor Greg Whittaker‘s search for a storefront – seems they’ve found one – he writes:
… We will be opening Mountain to Sound Outfitters at 3602 SW Alaska St. [map] We will offer Ski retail/rental/service, Paddlesports, Skates, and Vehicle Rack Outfitting. The licensing and setup is under way, but we will plan on a Thanksgiving week opening. We will also be in attendance at the Seattle Ski Fever and Snowboard Show.
Back to the award, Whittaker says, “It is an honor to be able to represent the interests of sustainable tourism in West Seattle.” Also among the winners (all listed here along with ticket info for tonight’s reception/ceremony) is Cupcake Royale, which has a shop in The Junction.
PIGEON POINT NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: Short meeting last night – with “getting the word out” about PPNC and its activities a major topic. The group recently switched to a new type of mailing list and is reviewing how it’s working. Also noted, the upcoming Green Seattle Day – November 7th – find out here how to get involved. PPNC’s next meeting will be a holiday potluck in December.
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Both meet tonight. FCA‘s at 7 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy; Admiral’s at 7 pm in the basement meeting room at Admiral Congregational Church. (Added 7:38 am – ANA president Mark Wainwright says the agenda will include updates on the Admiral Safeway redevelopment project, next summer’s concert series, officer nominations and a discussion of next month’s election.)
ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Larry Carpenter sends details on the ACC meeting coming up Thursday night at 7, Alki Community Center:
ACC member Ed Hanson will report on the potential impact on West Seattle of Alaska Airlines’ “Greener Skies Initiative.” Ed is the West Seattle representative on the Roundtable advisory group to the King County Airport Administration (Boeing Field). Changes in the altitudes and flight patterns of Alaska’s Sea-Tac flights could impact Boeing Field operations and increase traffic over West Seattle and Elliott Bay. Other agenda items include an update on the Homestead property and discussion of members’ goals and priorities for the coming year.
MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Official announcement from Steve Sindiong of MoCA‘s 7 pm October 21st meeting:
The Morgan Community Association (MOCA) Quarterly Meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 21, at 7 pm at The Kenney at 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW. Agenda items include the Neighborhood Plan Update, Pro-Parks levy and park opportunities, Murray Pump Station and Lowman Beach Combined Sewer Overflow projects, Kenney status report and emergency response. For more information, contact Steve Sindiong, 206-679-5915 or e-mail at: gnoidnis@comcast.net
FAIRMOUNT COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Official announcement from Sharonn Meeks of the 6:30 pm October 21st meeting:
I have arranged for the Southwest Precinct of the Seattle Police Department to come to our meeting on October 21st at 6:30 in the chapel at Providence Mount Saint Vincent. Officer Mazzuca will discuss the issues that relate to our community as well as West Seattle at large. Benjamin Kinlow, Community Crime Prevention Coordinator for West Seattle, will also make a presentation and answer your questions. Harbor Properties will be making a presentation of the very soon to be under construction LINK Project at the corner of 36th and Alaska.
Other meetings are coming up in the next two weeks too, of course (see the WSB Events calendar), but these are the neighborhood-association meetings on the horizon.
The northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct is blocked right now by a two-car crash, and officers are blocking all onramps to NB 99, including the one from the eastbound West Seattle Bridge. No word how long it’ll take to clear. 3:56 AM UPDATE: Took about an hour – the scene is now clear and The Viaduct is open again.
This Thursday night’s West Seattle Candidates’ Forum (7 pm, Youngstown Arts Center) has gained a pre-show attraction: Nancy Folsom announced that the artists chosen for the Delridge Community Center Playfield project 
will be there that night at 6 pm to meet anyone interested in talking about what’s meant as a companion creation to the future skatepark (site at left). She says Zachary Bohnenkamp, John Osgood and Kevin Sullivan were chosen from nine artists/groups that sent letters of interest, adding that the team was chosen “because of the artistic merit of their work, their experience in public art projects, and their ability to work collaboratively with a community. I want to note that all the submissions were strong and the decision wasn’t easy, and I am grateful to all the artists for considering our project. The ten reviewers included two neighbors, a person from the skateboard park design team, a city Parks Department person who can advise on feasibility, two Youngstown Cultural Arts staff, and the director of the Service Board, a tenant organization of YCA that mentor youth. People have been generous with their time and help, which has been invaluable. We are currently working on identifying funding sources, developing a project plan, and the artists are starting to investigate ideas for the piece. I hope the neighborhood will take this opportunity to get to know the artists and to give the artists an opportunity to get to know us.” Come for the artists (6 pm), stay for the forum (7 pm), Thursday at 4408 Delridge Way.
When more than 100 people gathered to talk about neighborhood planning, past/present/future, in that air-conditioned room at Youngstown Arts Center on one of those record-setting-sizzler nights in late July (WSB coverage here), city reps promised there’d be a followup meeting this fall. As noted here last week, the date was recently set for November 5th; tonight, we have the official announcement and the official location, thanks to Sharonn Meeks, who’s president of the Fairmount Community Association and is on the citywide Neighborhood Plan Advisory Council. Here’s the city announcement she forwarded:
During June and July, many neighbors joined in meetings and many other hundreds participated in on line questionnaires to review the Draft Neighborhood Status Reports and comment on changes— good, bad, and unexpected —that have occurred since Seattle’s Neighborhood Plans were written in the late 90’s. We explored growth, transportation, housing, economic development, utilities, neighborhood character, open space and parks, public services, public safety. The Planning Commission’s reports on comments can be reviewed at http://www.seattle.gov/planningcommission
So, what did we hear?
Come to the November meeting in your area and find out.The Neighborhood Plan Advisory Committee (NPAC) and the Seattle Planning Commission want to report back to you on the trends that emerged so far and to get your help to identify the continuing priorities and new issues that should be emphasized in the final Status Reports and a State of the Neighborhood Report that will be presented to the City Council and Mayor. These reports will contribute to policy decisions including decisions about whether or how to updates neighborhood plans. Your input will also be important as NPAC shapes its recommendations on conducting, prioritizing and funding updates to the neighborhood plans listed below.
All Meetings at 6-8 pm.
Thursday, November 5th Mercer Middle School, 1600 S. Columbian Way [map]
Admiral, West Seattle Junction, Delridge, Georgetown, Morgan Junction, Westwood-Highland Park, Columbia City Hillman City Genesee, Rainier BeachTuesday, November 10th Seattle Central Community College, 1701 Broadway
Queen Anne / Uptown, Belltown, Pike Pine, First Hill, Eastlake, Capitol Hill, Central AreaThursday, November 12th North Seattle Community College 9600 College Way N.
Broadview/Bitterlake, Haller Lake, Aurora Licton Springs, Crown Hill / Ballard, Greenwood/Phinney Ridge, Wallingford, Fremont, Green Lake, Lake City, University CommunityFor more information, contact David Goldberg at davidw.goldberg@seattle.gov or (206) 615-1447
Though you might have seen some TV warnings of overnight wind, the National Weather Service says that for the city, the worst of it isn’t expected till Wednesday. Maybe up to 25 mph tonight and tomorrow, but gusts up to 40 mph are in the Wednesday outlook.
Most of the SHARE-organized group that is supposed to be targeting Councilmember Tom Rasmussen‘s Beach Drive-area neighborhood tonight is actually camping out along Beach Drive, in the parking strip in front of condos in the 3700 block of Beach Drive, across from Cormorant Cove and several blocks downhill from Rasmussen’s neighborhood (where three of them were planning to set up camp). As noted here earlier, since the group spent the night in Mayor Nickels’ North Admiral neighborhood on September 28th, it has moved on to several other councilmembers’ neighborhoods, including three nights near Councilmember Tim Burgess’s Queen Anne home; it’s lobbying for $50,000 in bus-voucher funding with no strings attached.
Back from School Board rep Steve Sundquist‘s Q/A session on the proposed school-attendance-area maps, arranged by the PTSAs of Schmitz Park, Lafayette and Alki Elementary Schools, and there was one big headline: Sundquist says the maps for West Seattle were WRONG out of the gate when announced last week – the Denny Middle School and Chief Sealth High School attendance areas ARE supposed to be, and will be redrawn to be, exactly the same, which in turn will affect some elementary boundaries. The divergence led to questions in comments on our coverage last week, from people puzzled by why Denny/Sealth would not have the same attendance area, since they will be sharing a campus soon. (Sundquist said Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson had announced this error – and one other, affecting part of North Seattle – at last week’s School Board meeting, the night after the proposed maps were made public, but we can’t find any mention of this online anywhere, and he acknowledged tonight that the error hadn’t been explained on the district website yet – in fact, the Sealth website still points to our original story with the two now-revealed-to-be-erroneous maps.) Nonetheless, Sundquist urged attendees – who peaked at more than 70 during tonight’s meeting in the Schmitz Park gym – to provide feedback to the district based on how the proposed maps appear now (newassign@seattleschools.org, and those 2 meetings coming up in West Seattle later this week). And there was plenty of feedback tonight on other components of the plan – (added 6:39 am) – read on:Read More
(WSB photo from last Tuesday)
Just last week, we showed you crews putting down the new artificial turf for Hiawatha Playfield. Got word this afternoon from project manager Garrett Farrell that it turned out to be defective, so it has to be pulled up and replaced, which is sliding the completion schedule a bit. He says:
Contractor Field Turf began installing the new artificial turf on October 6th. Defects were found in the fabric and they have moved immediately to replace the product at Hiawatha.
The first load of new material will be on site Friday 10/16/09 with the balance arriving next week.
This delay has impacted our project schedule. All remaining work at Hiawatha is weather dependent.
Parks is actively coordinating the re start of the field turf installation with rubber surfacing of the new track scheduled to start 10/19/09.
Farrell adds, “Field Turf has done several great installs for Parks and knew right away that this was not consistent with the product they supplied to date. The old stuff will stay in place until we get all the new stuff here next week; then it will get replaced.” Watch the Hiawatha project website for schedule updates – according to Farrell, if the weather isn’t too bad, intensive efforts by FieldTurf could keep them on track for completion before Thanksgiving.
SDOT has now sent word of work this week on another section of Beach Drive, in addition to this one:
SDOT paving crews have been given the go-ahead to pave a block on Beach Drive SW, from SW Oregon Street to SW Snoqualmie Street starting Wednesday, October 14 and possibly continuing through Tuesday, October 20.
First the crews will grind off the old surface and then they will lay new asphalt. When they are grinding, (Wednesday and possibly Friday) one lane will remain open in each direction, with bicycles sharing the same lane as motor vehicles, and the crews working from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. When they are paving (possibly Friday, and could extend into Monday and Tuesday of the following week), all traffic will share one lane, assisted by a traffic flagger, and the crews may work as late as 6 p.m. Sidewalks will remain open.
The paving is needed to restore the street surface.
Another quick update on the long-gone bus stop on SW Alaska by the new QFC: SDOT‘s Marybeth Turner sends word that the city’s received the sign they need to restore the bus stop, and that work will happen within a day or two.
(From left, Chas Redmond, city attorney candidate Pete Holmes, former City Council candidate Dorsol Plants)
Voting starts later this week; vote counting starts on the official Election Day, three weeks from tomorrow. So campaigning, and campaign coverage, revs into high gear, and if we get word a candidate’s campaigning/speaking in West Seattle, we’ll be there. This morning, city attorney hopeful Pete Holmes visited The Junction to talk with supporters (like the two well-known West Seattleites in our photo above), reporters and businesspeople. He is challenging two-term city attorney Tom Carr, a West Seattleite; Holmes lives in the Seward Park area. While many candidates in other races are somewhat mellow about drawing distinctions between themselves and their opponents, not this one. At his Junction visit today – the first of at least five campaign stops on this day alone, he told us – Holmes again sought to contrast himself, for example, on the issue of how to fight graffiti vandalism:
For his part, Carr describes graffiti vandals/taggers as his “personal pet peeve.” (We talked with Holmes about several other issues and will add more to this report.) Both candidates were in West Seattle last month for a debate before the West Seattle Democratic Women; here’s our coverage; here’s the city Voters’ Guide with more information on both candidates.
They started with a sleepout in Mayor Nickels’ North Admiral neighborhood – they then moved on to the non-West Seattle abodes of several city councilmembers – and tonight, SHARE says, they will be back in West Seattle, sleeping outside Councilmember Tom Rasmussen‘s Beach Drive-area home, and by the shore nearby. From their news release:
Mr. Rasmussen lives on a small street. Our protesters will (divide) into two groups. Some will sleep outside of his house while the majority will sleep on the strip by the beach one block away.
SHARE says its main point of contention is a request for $50,000 from the city for bus vouchers; the city has said it would provide the money if SHARE promised not to close its shelters, a promise SHARE has said it cannot make because of funding challenges.
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