(Street-level rendering by Fuller Sears Architects, showing the middle of the new store’s California SW frontage)
We’re at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in North Delridge, where a major development proposal has just reached a milestone: The Admiral Safeway redevelopment project has finished the Design Review process. The process is a two-meeting minimum for any project, but this was the 5th design-review meeting. Safeway plans to tear down the current store and moving a house on Safeway property behind it, building a larger new store, a small one-story retail building, and a residential/flex-work-units project on the 42nd SW side of the property. Only one issue remained for this last meeting – the new store’s California SW frontage – and it took less than an hour for the board to give its approval. Four board members were present, and only one was on the board when it started going through the Design Review process in September of 2008 (here’s our first report). They’re about to turn out the lights here in the Youngstown theater, as board members and development representatives wrap up post-meeting chat, so we’re moving back to HQ to finish the story. This isn’t the last review for the project overall – it still needs City Council approval for alley vacation (behind the current store) and partial rezoning. ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: Read on for the details of the meeting:Read More
The elementary-school science fair is nowhere near as common as it used to be – so Pathfinder K-8 is excited that it’s continuing to have one each year. Tonight, the cafeteria at Pathfinder’s new site was abuzz with projects by about 100 students, and most of the young scientists stood nearby, ready to talk about them – like Anthony Giomi (above), who enlisted the help of his brother Xavier and sister Lydia to study the performance of certain types of bubble gum. He wasn’t doing a demonstration during the fair, but others were – like the group with “Oobleck, a non-Newtonian fluid” – cornstarch, water and coloring, firming up as it was squished hand-to-hand:
We got a whirlwind tour from longtime Pathfinder parent/volunteer Eric Baer, who’s a scientist himself and was judging tonight’s exhibits – those who get the orange certificates you see on this next one, get to move on to the state tournament:
Winners in the state tournament in turn get to move on to a tournament in Washington, D.C., according to Baer.
(Photo by Will, added 8:26 pm, taken at a Beach Drive necropsy scene today)
We’ve received a few notes this week about dead sea lions on local beaches. That’s not always newsworthy – usually we advise people to check the resources on the West Seattle-based Seal Sitters‘ website, regarding who to call with news of seals, dead OR alive – but it seems there’ve been more than usual this week. Robert sent us a Facebook note early this morning after happening onto the scene south of Alki Point where one had been found; he said that Parks employees at the scene told him there was another one further down the western West Seattle shore. Though Seal Sitters’ primary focus is watching over live seals, they are often “in the know” about other happenings with marine mammals, so we checked with them, and Robin Lindsey confirmed, “We had two dead male sea lions on the beach here. Also, one decomposed harbor seal that Parks buried this morning. And lastly (hopefully) a beautiful dead adult harbor seal at another small park.” She said state biologists were planning to do necropsies at the scene this afternoon, then tow the bodies out. We spoke with her a short time ago and she had not yet gotten word on official cause of the sea lions’ deaths; we have also left messages for National Marine Fisheries Service‘s media liaison. Lindsey said, “We usually have a lot of deaths this time of year, but four dead pinnipeds in West Seattle in one day is (unusual).” ADDED 8:28 PM: Added a photo that Will – who had e-mailed us about a dead sea lion earlier in the week – took today at a necropsy scene on the beach. He says those who were participating found a bullet – that’s something we plan to ask authorities about, since another person who e-mailed us said they’d heard talk of sea-lion shootings elsewhere in the Sound.
To follow up on questions raised following our Wednesday afternoon report on the impending closure of a significant section of 23rd SW in North Delridge, we took them to SDOT‘s Marybeth Turner first thing this morning. She’s just replied with what you might call a fact sheet – read on to see it in its entirety (note the part about parking restrictions on other streets):Read More
For the second consecutive week, West Seattle’s future RapidRide bus service resurfaced at a local community-group meeting. Last week, WSB’ers had a lot to say following our report on the Southwest District Councildiscussing a request to reopen the issue of its Triangle route. Today, a two-part update: First, the Fauntleroy Community Association got an update Tuesday night on how RR will travel through Fauntleroy. FCA is hoping to book a Metro rep for its March 23 all-membership meeting so that residents can take questions directly to the source.
Meantime, Susan Lantz-Day reported to the FCA board that Metro is still working on where RR will stop in relation to the ferry dock when it officially revs up in fall 2012, and addressing disability-access issues. The service, she says, will not lead to the addition of traffic lights in the area; a uniformed officer will still be on hand to direct traffic. The stops will use curb bulbs. FCA board members remain concerned about the east side of Fauntleroy, across from the dock, where the current bus shelter sits atop an access-challenged, taller-then-normal curb. Board president Bruce Butterfield said it’ll be vital for them to reiterate these concerns to the Metro at next month’s gathering (watch fauntleroy.net for more details). Now, part 2: We talked with Metro deputy general manager Victor Obeso re: some of the questions raised after last week’s RapidRide report – read on for our summary of that conversation:Read More
ORIGINAL 11:30 AM REPORT: Out of the WSB inbox this morning, from Gretchen:
We woke up to our car on cinder blocks, all four wheels stolen. We’re at 17th and Thistle [map]. Think it happened about 1 am. I woke up, feeling like I heard a thud, but don’t sleep well so kind of wrote it off. My 2 year old woke up as well. I went in to his room, fixed his blanket, everyone went back to sleep. Saw it at 6 am this morning. It’s a Honda Civic, so-so rims, 2 year old tires. Was parked in our driveway on Thistle, which gets traffic, but of course not much at 1 am. Our bedroom window is only 10 feet away from where the car’s parked. We have lights on in the backyard and on the front porch. We have dogs that bark at things, but they didn’t hear this. The people who did it were obviously very quiet. We reported it this morning and an officer came over. He said it’s the 2nd one this week in W Seattle. They didn’t leave anything behind, but the officer told me they often do leave tools. Car was still locked. Not sure how one can prevent something like this happening, other than listening to my gut and checking on things when I woke up. I had a feeling…damn. Wish I’d listened to it. Lesson learned.
(Last wheel-stealing reported here was 2 1/2 weeks ago.) Side note: Just half a mile directly east of where this happened, crime updates are part of the agenda for the Westwood Neighborhood Counciltonight, 7 pm, Southwest Community Center (2801 SW Thistle). ADDED 1:42 PM: Betsey just e-mailed to say, “My neighbor directly across the street woke up to all four wheels gone and her car up on blocks. She did file a police report.” (This is on 11th SW near Thistle, blocks east of the first report, Betsey says.)
And still another sign that what winter we had, appears to be in the rear-view mirror (knock wood): Thanks to Scott for the news that the Garden Centerat South Seattle Community College(WSB sponsor) is scheduled to open for the season today, 11 am-3 pm. It’s on the north side of the campus; here’s a map. (This is also where Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle will have its first annual Seed Swap and Sale a week from Saturday; more info here)
“MISSION: SUSTAINABLE” PREMIERE PARTY: Megan Hilfer and Martin Westerman, seen in the clips above, are two of the West Seattleites involved with a pilot project to create a reality show, “Mission: Sustainable,” about lifestyle eco-makeovers. They’ve produced a 45-minute pilot and it will be shown at a “green-carpet” party at Seattle Center‘s Fisher Pavilion tonight; you’re invited, it’s free, be there by 7 pm. Though the original RSVP site shows “sold out,” Megan – who co-hosts the pilot – says there should be room, just don’t be late.
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: That’s the tasty art of Jessica Creager, on view at Wallflower Custom Framing (WSB sponsor) – which is honoring the occasion with cupcakes and chocolates – during tonight’s West Seattle Art Walk, 6-9 pm, all over the peninsula. Other spotlighted artists are featured at wsartwalk.com; last night we featured Holy Rosary students with a Haiti-fundraiser bake sale during The Kenney’s Art Walk event, and remember the shuttle service that can take you there and other southern points, including shuttle sponsor Sterling Images Gallery, from The Junction (full details here). Your Art Walk walking/driving map is here.
WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 6 pm tonight, the school known as “Westside” opens its doors to incoming 9th graders and their families, with an open house that includes presentations, performances, panel discussions, and even free admission to a basketball game. The full program’s on the WSHS home page, here.
ARBOR HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY OPEN HOUSE: This school is also welcoming prospective families tonight, 6:30-8:30 pm. (Data point: AH is the only local public elementary we know of that’s on Facebook and Twitter [@arborhts].)
ADMIRAL SAFEWAY DESIGN REVIEW: 6:30 pm tonight, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. This will be the 5th time the project has come before the Southwest Design Review Board. You can see the newest design revisions here – the focus tonight is supposed to be on the California SW frontage (newest rendering above). Remember that public comment IS taken at these meetings – so if you have an opinion on this project, be there if you can.
(Marcee Stone, left, and 34th DDs chair Tim Nuse; photo by Dina Johnson)
The biggest news from Wednesday night’s34th District Democrats meeting – the group’s State Committeewoman, campaign-reform advocate Marcee Stone, announced she is running for the State House seat currently held by Rep. Sharon Nelson (who has said she’ll run for the State Senate seat that Sen. Joe McDermott would leave if elected to County Council this fall). Stone talked about her local roots, including growing up in White Center and attending the University of Washington, and about her campaign pledge, which you can read here, as linked from a new writeup on the 34th DDs site. (Her announcement comes days after Triangle Pub‘s “Mac” McElroydeclared he’s running for the seat as an independent.) Another big announcement: Seattle’s Congressman Jim McDermott will lead a community meeting in West Seattle on February 18, 7 pm at Youngstown Arts Center (that’s two days before the current 34th District legislative lineup presides over the Town Hall noted here). Other notes from the meeting, including a new push for extra school money from the feds, ahead:Read More
This may well be coincidental, as the person who e-mailed us acknowledges, but given the recent reports of apparent mail theft in Arbor Heights (here and here), she wanted to share this information:
Tonight, around 11:30 pm, I saw a white pickup truck stopped in front of mailboxes on 40th Ave SW between 100 St SW and 98th St SW [map] heading North. The truck has loud exhaust and looked clean. Seattle Police have been notified, but also count on West Seattle Blog for a lot of important information.
Police have said repeatedly that if you see something suspicious happening NOW – even if you’re not sure it’s an emergency – go ahead and call 911, and leave it to the operator to properly route.
Thanks to WSB’er “grr” for the tip – The Swinery has just announced online that they’ll be closing soon for at least two weeks of remodeling. They’re going to be closed tomorrow for related work, the post says, adding that they’ll reopen on Friday and then be open through Feb. 21st, closing 2/22 to start work to finish their kitchen and get it “licensed.” You can read the entire explanation here.
From left, that’s Grace Peer, Siena Jeakle, Sophie Baker and Colleen Donahue. Steve Peer shared the photo and explains they’re Holy Rosary7th graders who’ve been going door to door seeking donated baked goods and distributing flyers for tomorrow night’s bake sale at The Kenney during theWest Seattle Art Walk. Proceeds will go to Haiti quake relief. And there’s still time for you to help – you can bake something tomorrow (or, for our fellow night owls, tonight!) and drop it off at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way; map) right up until sale time (6-9 pm Thursday). This, by the way, fits in perfectly with something new that’ll be offered during tomorrow night’s Art Walk to get more people to The Kenney and other southern stops – Ron Sterling of Sterling Images Gallery, one such stop, at Lowman Beach, has rustled up a shuttle between The Junction and his side of town – read the full details about where and how to catch it, in this WSB Forums post.
Spring has almost sprung and West Seattleites are sharing beautiful bird photos. (Wait till you see the eagle couple tomorrow!) Katie sent this pic, explaining, “Today there were lots of robins in my neighborhood near the Junction. Dozens were all over two holly trees in my yard, eating berries and singing away!”
Cheerleading isn’t just for sports – this routine was part of a mega-pep rally this afternoon at Seattle Lutheran High School on behalf of the Lutheran Elementary School Tournament participants from sister school Hope Lutheran. More than 60 students from Hope’s fifth- through eighth-grade classes have headed south to Concordia University in Portland for the 48th annual edition of the tournament, where more than 1,000 students from around the West are competing in academic and athletic events. According to Bil Hood, Hope students are participating in 10 events including swimming, music, math, drama, Knowledge Bowl, science, spelling, chess, basketball, plus cheerleading – the students in the top video – and drill team – the ones you see here:
Of course we already have INCREDIBLE events in West Seattle every spring/summer – but a few new ones are in the works, and in case you hadn’t heard about them yet:
STREET SCRAMBLE: Just got the word on this. March 20th, get ready for Alki Street Scramble, the first in a series of Street Scrambles around the area this spring/summer. As explained on the official website, the concept is: “Thirty locations are circled on a neighborhood map. On foot or bike, how many can you visit in 90 minutes? In 3 hours?” The locations haven’t been chosen yet, but keep an eye on streetscramble.com.
(“I Feel Like Funkin’ It Up,” from 2009 Honk Fest West) HONK FEST WEST: This raucous three-day music event is planning to spend its third day in West Seattle. It’s been mentioned briefly at some recent neighborhood-council meetings but now it looks like plans are beginning to solidify. Mark April 11 on your calendar – either for revelry or for earplugs. Here’s the official website.
We’re adding more springiness (and summer fun) to the Events calendar as we get it – we can also suggest you save May 8 for the annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, coordinated by your friendly neighborhood news site (us) – you can fan WSCGSD on Facebook! – and June 5 is not only slated as Delridge Day, but Sustainable West Seattle president Brian Allen confirms that this year’s SWS Festival is being planned in conjunction with the DD event.
With some of the facilities he manages visible right out the window from the Salty’s on Alki meeting room, Port of Seattle CEO Tay Yoshitani gave an upbeat speech this afternoon to the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. It wasn’t all about finances – he touted the new Workplace Responsibility Officerwhose hiring was announced yesterday, after alluding to the “dark path” the port faced amid various controversies not too long ago. As for the port’s business, he says the cargo business “turned the corner” about half a year ago, and is up more than 20 percent since then — “none of the other West Coast ports are experiencing that” — though it was down 7 percent for the entire year. His overall report card for the port’s 2009 financial picture: “We were off 4 1/2, 5 percent … about 450 million bucks.” Cuts are hard to make, he said, “because most of our expenses are relatively fixed” – but they made cuts that “amounted to 31 million dollars” and “came in with net operating income at 98% of budget.” As a result, Yoshitani said, the port’s bond rating is strong, and projects are proceeding, including the restarted construction of the $420 million rental-car facility.
Other points of pride: Delta marketing Sea-Tac Airport as a “premier gateway to Asia,” with more news to come on that front in the next six months; Carnival running Alaska cruises from Seattle starting this year – the parent company to what Yoshitani estimates is at least two-thirds of the global cruise business – and some environmental programs, including compensating vessel operators for using low-sulfur fuel while in port instead of cheaper bunker fuel, plus the “Clean Trucks” offer to buy back old trucks for up to $5,000 each; Yoshitani says they’ve bought 59 in the two months since the program began, and a dozen more are in the works. In the Q/A period, Yoshitani was asked about his opposition – which he said was “personal” – to a proposed federal reform, F4A, that would allow local governments to regulate port trucks (which The Stranger‘s been covering). He said he took a “personal position” because he believes it would be problematic for “different states to have different laws” in this area, and says the Clean Trucks program is what the Port of Seattle implemented instead, with an expansion coming, he said, to encourage retrofitting of newer trucks.
Also from Q/A – he was asked about threats to the Port’s business as posed by Panama Canal expansion – allowing much-bigger ships to continue directly to the East Coast instead of docking in the West because the canal’s not big enough – and by other ports such as Prince Rupert, B.C. He says the West Coast (U.S.) ports are banding together to do their best, collaborating with the railroads, the Longshore Workers Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, to counter such threats. However – “How do we make our piece of the pie as large as possible? That’s the subject of another discussion,” he concluded.
The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce has monthly lunch meetings and other events. Next monthly lunch will be at the Southwest Precinct. The annual Awards Breakfast is coming up April 7, 7:30 am at Salty’s. Chamber membership info – we should disclose WSB is a member – and lots more is online at wschamber.com.
That’s Benjamin Kinlow, crime-prevention coordinator for the Southwest Precinct, with Admiral Neighborhood Association president Katy Walum at last night’s ANA meeting. He’s holding one of the flyers that he circulates in neighborhoods that have burglaries but no Block Watch groups. The one he’s holding is the “first burglary” alert; if there’s a second in the same neighborhood within 12 months, and still no Block Watch, there’s a pink flyer; a 3rd one, bright yellow; and he says he’s even circulated some “4th notices.” His point: Form a Block Watch. His page on the Southwest Precinct website explains how. Just last week, he told ANA, 40 people showed up for a Block Watch-organizing meeting he led. West Seattle has hundreds of Block Watch groups; almost 300 of them had block parties for Night Out last summer. He was asked how to tell if your block HAS a Block Watch; Kinlow’s reply, “If you don’t know if you have one, then you probably don’t have one” – in other words, a good Block Watch is an active one; communicating with neighbors can be a huge step toward fighting crime. ANA will work with him to invite area Block Watch captains to a future ANA meeting, date TBA. He offered a few more random crimefighting tips: If you have a ladder outside, put it away – they can be stolen (for either breaking in through upper windows, or for metal-theft money); he also suggested “No Solicitors” signs for entire blocks – so if someone is seen nearby, you KNOW they’re likely a caser. One other date he shared: Picnic at the Precinct will be 1-4 pm August 14 this year. More to come from last night’s Admiral meeting, non-crime topics, in a separate report; but first, we have a few Crime Watch reports to share – including someone who just got one of those “burglary but no Block Watch” flyers – read on:Read More
A reminder today from the family of Jade West Cafe proprietor Wah Wong (left), badly hurt along with son Jason Wong when a drunk driver hit them outside their Beacon Hill home two months ago: 5 pm today is the deadline to send a message supporting the toughest sentence possible when the driver, Rodney James, is sentenced Friday, two weeks after pleading guilty to vehicular assault. (Prosecutors are requesting a two-and-a-half-year sentence.) The request for e-mail support was first made by Wah Wong’s son Jimmy Wong, who spoke with us while visiting from California weekend before last. The family has sent three links for those interested in e-mailing their support: Guidelines for what to write, here; sample statement, here; archive of news stories (just for reference, no need to include in the letter), here. Their reminder e-mail adds:
– You can keep your message short (no need for a LONG essay – a paragraph or two is sufficient)
– You do NOT need to physically sign your letter (just name and date at the end will do)
– If you have any specific questions, feel free to call Diane Priest, our crime victims’ advocate (206-684-7702)
The future of the Jade West Cafe, which Wah Wong ran as mostly a one-man show, remains undetermined; he and Jason are now continuing their recovery at home in Beacon Hill. We plan to be in court to cover the sentencing on Friday.
(Photo in this story is from 2008, courtesy Paul Sureddin)
Seattle Parks (which just joined Twitter – @seattleparks) is out with a heads-up notice about what will be closed this Friday because of budget-related furloughs. Among the closures – Southwest Pool. The list also includes the reminder of closures for next Monday’s holiday. See the full list here. P.S. Parks’ Joelle Hammerstad tells us the Friday furlough/Monday holiday situation, akin to what happened in mid-January, should NOT result in a rerun of this – she says their new security vendor “didn’t get our message to leave the parking lots unlocked last time. That shouldn’t happen again.”
As mentioned on the Delridge Grassroots Leadership site on Tuesday and in a Youngstown Cultural Arts Center e-mail update sent out this morning, a group of local teenagers is in Washington, D.C., right now, “representing Seattle and creative young people across the country at the historic concert ‘A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement‘,” as the Youngstown bulletin describes it, going on to say, “This opportunity was granted by the Grammy Foundation through Kathleen Allen, community arts liaison with Seattle Public Schools, when she was moved by the students’ performance for the opening of their exhibit at the Frye Art Gallery.” They’re the founding youth of Youngstown Records, which recently launched. The exhibit, created in collaboration with Youngstown-based ArtsCorps, is titled “I Wish I Knew Who I Was Before I Was Me,” is at The Frye Museum – free to see – through the end of May. The DC concert they attended, hosted by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, is scheduled to air on PBS tomorrow night (read more about it here). Youngstown Arts Center, in North Delridge, is a hotbed of artistic exploration and talent – keep up with its classes and goings-on here. (Photo by, and used with permission of, Laura O’Quin)ADDED 6:26 PM: ArtsCorps just shared this update from the youth in DC: Read More
FORECAST: Doesn’t look like we’ll see an encore of the sunshine in Chas Redmond’s Tuesday afternoon photo of Gatewood blossoms: Cloudy with intermittent rain.
HOPE LUTHERAN SCHOOL SENDOFF: More than 60 Hope Lutheran School fifth- through eighth-graders head to Portland this afternoon for the annual Lutheran Elementary School Tournament, a five-state competition including academic and athletic events. They’ll be cheered on at a 1:30 pm pep rally.
ANIMALS FIRST FOUNDATION: Join AFF at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 6:30 pm, to find out about animal-advocacy issues and to have fun playing Bunco – more details in this WSB Forums post.
An update on one of the most recent “West Seattle Help for Haiti” projects mentioned here – Victoria Shaw of The Mural Project asked for art-supply donations (see the original request here). She now sends word that KeyBank in The Junction (California/Alaska) “has graciously volunteered to be the dropoff point for anyone wishing to donate new or used art supplies for the school in Haiti. There will be a box in the lobby through the end of February.” Meantime, we have news of an art project involving a local school, related to a natural disaster within our own borders:
Students in 7th Grade Art at Madison Middle School in partnership with Eckstein Middle School designed Fundred Dollar Bills to help raise awareness about lead-contaminated soil in New Orleans post Hurricane Katrina . The art project focused on contemporary artist Mel Chin who uses his artwork for environmental and social issues. The students learned about certain plants that can absorb chemicals from the soil to return it to safe levels. The bills will be collected in an armored truck from Eckstein Middle School on February 11th, 2010, and delivered to Congress to help raise the necessary $300,000,000 for clean-up of the soil in New Orleans.
Story and photos by Mary Sheely
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Applications for the 2010 Neighborhood Projects Funds (NPF) should be turned in to the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council by March 3, and plans for Delridge Day and the next phase for the Delridge Produce Cooperative are both under way. All were discussed at tonight’s meeting of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council in the boardroom at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.
Ron Angeles, Delridge District Coordinator for the Department of Neighborhoods, filled the group in on the first two items. Most pressing is the deadline for applications for the NPF, which Angeles and Dave Ellinger, co-secretary of the North Delridge council and a member of the District Council, urge applicants to complete by March 3.
The NPF awards money for neighborhood-proposed improvements such as sidewalk repair, traffic calming, or playground updates. The District Council will review all proposals and then select three for evaluation by the Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle Parks and Recreation. Learn more at the NPF website.
Any resident can fill out an application, and Jessie Summa-Kusiak, owner of Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor), had hers turned in by the meeting’s end.
To follow up on 
For the second consecutive week, West Seattle’s future 
ORIGINAL 11:30 AM REPORT: Out of 
With some of the facilities he manages visible right out the window from the Salty’s on Alki meeting room, Port of Seattle CEO Tay Yoshitani gave an upbeat speech this afternoon to the 
That’s Benjamin Kinlow, 
A reminder today from the family of Jade West Cafe proprietor Wah Wong (left), badly hurt along with son Jason Wong when 
a 
Ron Angeles, Delridge District Coordinator for the
| 19 COMMENTS