West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
King County has certified the results of the August 18th primary. You can find all results here; we’re breaking out how West Seattle-residing candidates did in the final certified countywide vote totals – top three in each race (top 2 move on to November 3rd election), West Seattleite with asterisk before name:
COUNTY EXECUTIVE
Susan Hutchison 110052 33.05%
*Dow Constantine 89833 26.98%
Fred Jarrett 40527 12.17%
SEATTLE MAYOR
Mike McGinn 39097 27.71%
Joe Mallahan 37933 26.88%
*Greg Nickels 35781 25.36%
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL POSITION 4
Sally Bagshaw 63348 51.01%
David Bloom 22690 18.27%
*Dorsol Plants 17822 14.35%
SEATTLE PORT COMMISSION POSITION 4
Tom Albro 121518 41.86%
*Max Vekich 81362 28.02%
Robert Walker 61848 21.30%
Besides Constantine and Vekich, two other West Seattleites will be on the November ballot – their races only had two candidates, so it was an automatic pass to the general – Tom Carr, incumbent Seattle City Attorney challenged by Pete Holmes, and David Ginsberg, challenging incumbent City Council President Richard Conlin in the Position 6 race. Finally, a few turnout notes from the August primary: 31.5% participation countywide (percentage of ballots returned); 38.5% participation in Seattle; among the County Council districts, ours – District 8 – had the second-highest turnout, 37.2%, eclipsed only by District 4 (downtown/north end) with 38.2% (the lowest was District 3 [easternmost King County] with 24.6%).
Discovered this during our periodic peek into the online records for the various lawsuits pending related to what was the Fauntleroy Place site (map), nicknamed “Hole Foods” since currently it’s a huge excavation awaiting a development that’s still supposed to include a Whole Foods store (as well as Hancock Fabrics and residential units): The newest development is that a legal action seeking “judicial foreclosure” was filed in King County Superior Court last week, by a firm identifying itself as 3922 SW Alaska LLC (the official address of record for the site), as a third party intervening in the lawsuits and liens pending regarding the site. The documents say that new entity holds the note/deed to the site as of late June (with the note’s most recent valuation listed as $21 million).
You can read the “complaint for judicial foreclosure” here; here’s an associated document, an order putting off a motion for summary judgment by a party to one of the lawsuits, because of the “intervention.”
As soon as we found this, we sought comment from Foster Pepper, the legal firm representing the party seeking foreclosure. They have not called back.
So to make sure we’re interpreting the action as accurately as possible, we informally consulted a real-estate-transaction expert (not involved in the case) who tells us it’s not unusual for a new entity to be formed in a situation like this to take over the financial and other liability. He adds, though, it’s not so commonplace for judicial foreclosure to be sought instead of nonjudicial – this type, he says, tends to take longer.
Bottom line, though, it’s another step in the path to getting the site’s future resolved, but it’s the first time the word “foreclosure” has been formally raised in this situation, and it could lead to the property being sold at auction. As we reported two weeks ago, Whole Foods’ official stance is that they are still expecting to open a store there, but they are “watching (the project) closely” to see if the commitments in their lease will be met. (When ground was ceremonially broken in June of last year – WSB coverage here – a February 2010 completion date was projected.) Lots more to follow up on this, of course, as we have done and will continue to do.
We mentioned that Friends of Seattle Public Library will have a rep at tonight’s Southwest District Council meeting. One other FSPL note: Group rep Sarel e-mailed overnight asking that we share a link to their website – which has been chronicling the weeklong closure – and a request for you to take a survey about the shutdown. You’ll find the link here.
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: Reps from community councils/associations and other major organizations in what the city refers to as the Southwest District section of West Seattle (map left) will gather in the board room at South Seattle Community College, everyone welcome, 7 pm. City Councilmember Bruce Harrell (who chairs the committee overseeing utilities and technology) will be a guest, as will reps from Friends of the Seattle Public Library and Southwest Seattle Historical Society to talk about the fire-damaged Alki Homestead.
NORTH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: Neighbors from all around North Delridge are welcome – note that because of this week’s library shutdown, NDNC will meet at Olympia Pizza (5605 Delridge; map), 6:30 tonight. Lots going on in the neighborhood (including plans for another get-together at mid-month, following up on the ice-cream social success).
FUNDRAISER FOR FIRE VICTIMS: 4-8 pm at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) in Morgan Junction (6451 California SW; map), you can bid on silent auction items to help out local musicians/artists affected by a July house fire near The Junction last month. More on the FL website.
Not West Seattle-specific but of potential interest here:
SEATTLE SCHOOL BOARD: Last meeting before the new school year starts a week from today; agenda items include the new contract just approved by the teachers’ union. 6 pm, district HQ in SODO (2445 3rd S.; map)- here’s the agenda.
FINAL ELECTION RESULTS: The last few ballots are to be counted and the county will certify the August 18th vote today (watch for the final report here). The trends that took shape within the first week of ballot-counting haven’t changed – but now we’ll have the final numbers to read the tea leaves looking ahead to November 3rd.
More huge events coming up in West Seattle this month before a small pre-Halloween lull – and one of them is the 2nd annual West Seattle Junction Car Show, Sunday 9/20. WSB is proud to co-sponsor the show again this year; the official news release from the West Seattle Junction Association is out, so we’re sharing it here:
– Three blocks of downtown West Seattle at The Junction will be cordoned off on Sunday, September 20 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Second Annual West Seattle Junction Car Show (wsjunctioncarshow.com). This family friendly, community-oriented event will take place on California Avenue SW between SW Genesee and SW Edmunds streets and will feature classic cars and hot rods from the 1920’s to the 1970’s. Antique fire trucks from The Last Resort Fire Department, the Oh Boy! Oberto hydroplane and fire safety tips for kids from the fighters of the Seattle Fire Department will also be part of the festivities. Classic car enthusiasts can register their car on the day of the event for $20 and will be admitted on a first-come-first-served basis.
Trophies will be awarded in several categories, including Best in Show, Best of Decade, Best Ford and Best of West Seattle. DJ Galen Suave will be spinning classic hits from the 1950’s and 60’s. A gas grill courtesy of Junction True Value ($350 value) as well as over 20 donated items from West Seattle businesses will be raffled off. Raffle tickets are one for $1, six for $5 or 13 for $10 and will benefit the West Seattle Helpline. Day-of coupons for many Junction merchants will be available at the Information booth, as will Car Show tee shirts and Junction bumper stickers. As always, parking is free in The Junction at four marked lots, one on 42nd Avenue SW and three on 44th Avenue SW.
“This event, sponsored by The Junction and the merchants of West Seattle, is a chance for us to give back to the community. Attendees are welcome to stroll along the street and enjoy the show with their families,” explains Michael Hoffman, owner of Liberty Bell Printing and event co-chair.
If you attended last year, you’ll note one major change – the streets will be closed in the same “footprint” as West Seattle Summer Fest, a wider closure than last year. Find out more at wsjunctioncarshow.com.
After a rainy morning and early afternoon, the sun showed up full force for Tuesday night’s community picnic on the playfield next to Alki Community Center. Rain or shine, they promised – in the end, it was even nice enough for the planned burger barbecue to be all sizzle, no fizzle:
Activities and entertainment included free live music: Presidents of the United States of America rocker Chris Ballew, now a West Seattleite, performed in his kids-music guise, Caspar Babypants. In our clip, you’ll see how he somewhat startled the youngest audience members toward the start of a tune about dust bunnies:
After CB, The Not-Its finished out the bill – they posted video of their own to YouTube (we got the link via Twitter):
Lots more going on at Alki Community Center as the fall proceeds – you can find the full program listing in the areawide “combined brochure” for fall programs and classes; see it here.
Sometimes, there may be more to the story of what seems like a “nuisance house” in a neighborhood. At least, that’s what you could draw from this item we happened onto while wandering the Web – a West Seattle homeowner in dire need of help to fix up a house that got trashed while a crisis pulled her away (scroll down that page to see the photos). We contacted “Project Possible” to find out more; Scott Bishop told us his startup is meant to help people with extreme situations like this who run out of places to turn, but he then has to work to line up volunteer/donated help to pitch in. As you’ll see toward the end of the story on his website, some help is still needed, particularly a stump grinder; his contact information is there if there’s anything you can do.
You’ll be looking at that scene along Alki for two more months, because the expected completion date for the 53rd Avenue Pump Station expansion project on Alki has moved back a few more weeks. Two recent notes asking us for updates led us to contact King County Wastewater Treatment spokesperson Martha Tuttle, who says they’re now expecting the project to wind up in early November, instead of the October date discussed when we published an update in late spring. She explained:
Although the construction is substantially complete, the new pump station must go through significant testing to be fully functional. … We will not be clearing away the barricades/signs/ materials until the pump station is fully operative, which is around the first of November. Sorry for that news. We know the walkers, joggers and bikers are really tired of our presence.
Work on the pump station began 19 months ago (here’s our first report from February 2008). The county website explains what’s being built – tripling the size of the underground pump station.
As scheduled (and reported here 2 weeks ago), Angelina’s Trattoria is now closed in Admiral so its new owners can make renovations. We got a note via Facebook from co-owner Allison Rich, regarding the closure and the staff status:
I wanted to let you know that Angelina’s is now closed; the paper will go up on the windows tonight, and the buildout will start when all permits are in order. We are still hoping to open in early October. We are keeping the chef and manager, as well as meeting with all of the current staff tomorrow.
Staffers had posted an open letter to customers in the comment section following our previous report. The new owners are planning to add new restrooms and a bar during the renovation work; they’ve said they’re keeping the name, and while the menu will remain Italian-focused, there’ll be some “not Italian” offerings too.
Half an hour from now, as previewed yesterday, Alki Community Center hosts a picnic and concert – food starts at 4:30, music (with Caspar Babypants followed by The Not-Its) starts at 6. In response to a WSB’er question, we checked to make sure there was no chance of rainout – Mary Pat at Alki CC says it’s on, rain or shine (the stage has a tent), and please bring that requested food donation for Northwest Harvest.
The person at left was photographed prowling a townhouse in the 4500 block of 40th Ave SW just a little while ago, according to WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli, who saw it happen and just finished talking with police. He says: “I was sitting at my desk working (with a view of the alley) and I saw this guy walk up to my neighbor’s door across the alley and try the doorknob. The door was locked. So then I saw him look in the window by the door. He was looking around, trying to appear casual, but clearly up to something. When I saw him go around to the other side of the house and jump the railing onto the deck I picked up the phone and called 911. I didn’t know it but my neighbor and his two small children were actually home. Apparently the thief saw or heard them and decided not to proceed any further. He jumped back over the fence and sauntered down the alley towards Alaska. I grabbed several pictures and was able to give print outs to the SPD. They were on the scene in less than five minutes with multiple officers looking for this guy. Perp was about 6 feet tall. Slim. Light skinned black man. At least one stud earring. Clean cut. Blue dress shirt with vertical dark stripes. Khaki pants. Black oxford shoes. He wasn’t carrying any bags or clipboards or anything.” To reiterate, what Christopher did — calling 911 — is what police urge everyone to do if you see something or someone suspicious.
This afternoon, we’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor: Fitzpatrick’s Interiors and Upholstery, which has been in business in West Seattle for 37 years. Here’s what owner Margaret Fitzpatrick wants you to know about her business: She is an expert in upholstery and fabric selection. Margaret’s private selection of fabric is wonderful and she shops the Seattle Design Center for clients as well. Margaret offers personal design service for fabric selection in your home as a part of the upholstery process. The quality of the work is excellent and the work is guaranteed. Client satisfaction drives the business. Fitzpatrick’s Interiors and Upholstery has had two storefronts in West Seattle, and Margaret taught upholstery for the Community Colleges for 10 years. Now, Margaret works out of her home by appointment. Call for a free in-home estimate in West Seattle. Pickup and delivery is part of the upholstery service. Besides chairs and couches, Fitzpatrick’s services include cushions, decorator pillows, window seats, foam replacement and slipcovers. Margaret says, “I am hugged frequently when delivering projects because of client delight. I love my job, and it is ‘green business’!” You can call Fitzpatrick’s Interiors and Upholstery at 206-937-9643.
Thanks to Fitzpatrick’s for supporting independent neighborhood-based news/information/discussion by joining the WSB sponsor team, all listed here with info on how to join.
(Boeing Field-provided graphic of air traffic from Thursday night)
We’re slugging our way through a big stack of followups – something we appreciate getting to do, because in our citywide media days, that’s what often fell by the wayside: If you have to cover an entire huge region, like Western Washington, there’s always something new to rush to, and you seldom get to look back. But for small independent sites focusing on a single neighborhood, followups are more feasible. Here’s the latest : Remember those low, loud passenger and cargo planes that startled many West Seattleites over the course of about an hour last Thursday night? We were finally pointed to local FAA spokesperson Bob Fergus, who confirms today what some aviation-savvy commenters had suggested:
… on the evening of complaints that you referenced, we experienced a peculiar weather pattern that, although not common it isn’t rare either, had prevailing winds from opposite directions at Boeing Field and Sea-Tac Airports. In this case Boeing takeoff pattern was to the north while Sea-Tac’s was to the south. That forces Boeing departures to make a much sooner turn westward after taking off to the north to avoid any potential conflicts with Sea-Tac departures headed south. While it is a safe operation, it nonetheless does cause more noise due to a lower altitude when turning westward very soon after a Boeing departure to the north.
WSB’er Karen also had forwarded a reply she got from Boeing Field (King County International Airport) noise officer Sharyn Parker, saying the same thing, enclosing the graphic above (the bold line was a cargo flight during that time; you also see green departing tracks from KCIA and red arrival tracks from Sea-Tac), and concluding: “Please be assured that this type of flight event seldom occurs and does not represent a change in flight patterns for KCIA.”
Meantime, we are now working with the FAA to answer a few questions that have arisen since our original inquiry, regarding regional-media stories over the weekend – unrelated to the Thursday night situation – about a possible future change in flight patterns, to save fuel. As detailed in this Sunday story from seattletimes.com (WSB partner), the potential change could result in turns over Elliott Bay rather than over North Seattle. Would that mean more jet noise for West Seattle? What’s the status of this proposal and how can you comment on it? Look for a separate update with whatever we find out.
Later this week, 19-year-old Skyelar Hailey wlll appear in court to answer charges in connection with the August 18 case that started with an alleged purse theft inside West Seattle High School, continued with an alleged theft inside an acquaintance’s home, and ended with a foot pursuit that led to his arrest (all detailed, with the court-document narrative, in this August 21 story). At the time, police also took into custody a 17-year-old girl who was with him; they hadn’t yet decided about charges against her when they filed the charges against Hailey, but now they have: She is charged with two counts of residential burglary – which is what Hailey is charged with – and one count of second-degree identity theft, regarding ID from the victim that police say was in the girl’s purse when she was arrested. (We are not identifying her because she is charged as a juvenile; WSB policy is generally to not identify juveniles unless they are charged as adults, which can happen, but mostly in violent-crime cases.) Hailey remains in jail, with bail set at $25,000, pending Thursday’s court appearance; the juvenile suspect has been arraigned but information on her custody status is not publicly available.
Just noticed this, though the official news release came out Monday – Puget Sound Energy, which provides natural-gas service in our area (and regionally), is looking to cut rates 17 percent. Here’s what seattletimes.com (WSB partner) wrote about it.
No major public meetings tonight, but tomorrow night, you might want to show up for the Southwest District Council‘s monthly meeting at the South Seattle Community College board room if you’re interested in libraries or landmarks: The agenda includes a Friends of Seattle Public Library rep talking about the SPL budget – hot considering this is the week the libraries are shuttered to save $ – and a Southwest Seattle Historical Society rep discussing what’s up with the landmark Alki Homestead Restaurant, closed since the fire last January. Also on the agenda, Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell, and a discussion of the candidates’ forum the SWDC and its counterpart the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council plan to co-sponsor before the November election (as reported here last month). The council meets at 7 pm Wednesday, board room at SSCC (campus map here; map of the Robert Smith Building, containing the board room, here).
While most local schools don’t start till next week, today is the first day of classes at Holy Rosary, the first full day of classes for Our Lady of Guadalupe (after a half-day yesterday), and the second day for Holy Family.
Several West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share … First, if you haven’t seen it in the WSB Forums already, Jennifer reported what you might call the “stolen car swap” – her car was stolen, and someone else’s (similar) stolen car left in its place. Read her story, and see a photo, here. Now, to the P-Patch pilfering at Longfellow Creek, as reported by Shannon, who says the same thieves keep returning:
They have been spotted four times now in the past few weeks and confronted at least twice. They are two men driving a blue Isuzu truck with Washington license plates A35–3U. We would like to first warn other gardeners in the area to be on the look out for these folks. Second, we would appreciate any help with stopping these people by reporting them to the police immediately. If you see this truck anywhere, call the police.
Not only are these men stealing from the gardeners who work so hard on our plots in the Longfellow Creek P-Patch, but they are stealing from the food bank plots we maintain there as well. The P-Patch is on city property and is marked as a city P-Patch. There is no reason for confusion on their part as they have been confronted and told this is not open to the public.
Just to reiterate what police have told us and say publicly at every crime-prevention meeting we attend – do NOT hesitate to call 911 if you see a crime, or something suspicious, in progress. Possible life-threatening situations are their first priority, police note, so you may not always get instant reponse.
One more Crime Watch report, went by Thomas on Friday, that we didn’t get the chance to share till now:
I wanted to let you know about a break-in that my wife and I just discovered. It happened on 46th between Raymond and Graham [map] sometime between 9:30 and 1:30 [Friday].
As far as we can tell they took a playstation, 3 laptops, about 45 DVDs, 75 CDs and some costume jewelry. No obvious signs of forced entry. The front door was wide open when we got home. Thankfully our cats stayed inside and are safe.
South Seattle Community College (which you of course know is in West Seattle) isn’t just a place for vocational courses, 2-year degrees, other traditional community-college offerings … not only do they offer 4-year degrees too and some studies you might not expect, they also offer one-time events and continuing-ed classes, like what’s coming up next week with FSN Northwest reporter Jen Mueller – “Talk Sporty, Lite,” described by the folks at SSCC as a “happy hour” event previewing a workshop Mueller will teach in October for the “sports-challenged” who want to be able to talk sports with friends/family. It’s at 5:30 pm September 9th, $20/person including appetizers and wine-tasting (gotta be 21 for that last part) – read on for the rest of the announcement from the college: Read More
These photos were taken and shared by Gatewood pilot Long Nguyen, suggesting it “would be cool for folks in WS to see their neighborhood from the air.” He was on a training flight with a student in early August when he took the top photo, which he sent us first, adding this one in a followup exchange:
For a larger view of the 1st photo, go here; for a larger view of the second one, go here.
With a little more than a week to go till school, the Seattle Education Association announced tonight that its members ratified a one-year contract in their vote late today. (Contract details on the SEA website.) School is scheduled to start a week from Wednesday. ADDED 10:06 PM: Haven’t seen an official news release from SEA yet, but Seattle Public Schools just sent one – read on:Read More
Tomorrow night’s Alki Community Picnic has been in the WSB Events calendar for a while but without the extra details we just got from Mary Pat Byington at Alki Community Center, (5817 SW Stevens), where all the fun is happening tomorrow afternoon/evening: It starts at 4:30 pm — free food and a “jump toy” for the kids – plus music from Caspar Babypants (aka West Seattle-residing rock star Chris Ballew of The Presidents of the United States of America) at 6 pm, followed by The Not-Its (shown above in a clip from last year’s Halloween party at Full Tilt Ice Cream in White Center). Mary Pat adds, “Please bring a can food donation for Northwest Harvest.” (That regional organization distributes supplies to local food banks.)
Just a little more than a week to go till school starts – and dozens of West Seattle kids still need your help. West Seattle Helpline is sponsoring WSB to help get the word out about its backpack and clothing drives – the photo above is from one of the recent distribution days. We checked with Helpline executive director Anna Fern today for an update:
We have given away over 130 backpacks filled with school supplies. So we gave away about 40 backpacks and school clothes at the Clothesline each day during our three day give away.
We now have a waiting list for 47 more backbacks. Seattle Schools start next (week) so it still is not too late to donate…by calling the Helpline 206.932.4357 or donating through Paypal on our website.
Our next focus is going to be on clothing drives for items for school age children. We are desperate for more! Each child/student can take up to three outfits plus a coat or a pair of shoes. You can see what an incredible amount of clothing this translates to.
Call the Helpline number above, or contact them online here, for info on how to donate clothing; you also can drop off backpacks at Coffee at the Heights (WSB sponsor) in Sunrise Heights or Capers in The Junction.
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