West Seattle, Washington
21 Thursday
Tomorrow’s the deadline to sign up for West Seattle Girls Softball, and league president Steve Peer wanted to put out the call one more time. This year, for the first time, you can sign up online – this link will take you there. Steve adds, “We want to let people know that scholarships are available. It’s really simple – if a girl wants to play in our league – she’s going to play regardless of her parents situation. This is a time when we as a West Seattle community pull together – and WSGS is no exception! If a girl doesn’t have the means to pay the registration fees please contact Steve Peer @ speer17@msn.com and we’ll take care of it. The WSGS board is ready to reach out to those in need – especially in these tough times.”
As Washington State Ferries plots its future and ferry communities work to have a say, we have two updates: 
First, from the Kitsap Sun, a report on Saturday’s meeting of the “Citizens Write Plan C” group (a reference to Plans A and B in the WSF Draft Long-Range Plan); one of the main points they discussed, says the Sun, is shifting the two Evergreen State-class ferries that serve the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route, the Klahowya and Tillikum, to Port Townsend and building bigger boats for major runs rather than smaller new boats for PT. Meantime, two events are coming up this Wednesday: A ferry-communities rally in Olympia (details here); and a ferry update during the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s all-neighborhood meeting that night (details here). From FCA’s Gary Dawson, we also have an update on reaction to Governor Gregoire’s proposal to abolish the Ferry Advisory Committees, whose members are unpaid volunteers representing ferry communities, as part of her “government reform” plan. He was part of a discussion about it in a meeting of FAC chairs and ferry system head David Moseley late last week – read on for his comments:Read More
Gas is what’s going up, while oil keeps going down; this week, all but one station in our West Seattle-wide survey is charging more, though oil is selling for less than a week earlier. General sense seems to be, that’s happening because refineries are producing less since people are using less. Whatever’s up, here are the prices, lowest to highest:Read More
(added 11:05 pm, Dow Constantine’s video announcement of his candidacy)
We reported here last Thursday that County Council Chair Dow Constantine had told the 34th District Democrats the night before, he would make a “quick decision” on whether to run for County Executive, now that Ron Sims is leaving for D.C. After the meeting, he told WSB that “quick” meant “within a week to 10 days.” Apparently even quicker – seattlepi.com has just posted an item saying Constantine will announce tomorrow that he’s running. We have a message out to him seeking confirmation. ADDED 10:41 PM: Here’s the seattletimes.com story. ADDED 10:50 PM: And we’ve just received direct confirmation from the candidate himself, “It’s true.” (15 minutes later, his campaign sent the video link we’ve added above. Quote near the 2-minute clip’s start: “We need to hit the reset button on county government.”)
Early today, we spotted a listing on the King County Jail Register indicating that someone was booked last night for “investigation of homicide.” We checked this morning with Seattle Police to see if by chance it was related to one of the unsolved murders in West Seattle — and Detective Jeff Kappel from the media unit has just called us back with confirmation, so you’re hearing it here first: The 21-year-old man who’s in jail is being held in connection with the Friday night killing of a 71-year-old woman in the Sharon Lynn Apartments at Fauntleroy/Dawson (first reported here Saturday morning as a “suspicious death”). He says the suspect “is a family member, so it’s a domestic-violence homicide” and was arrested yesterday afternoon, about 8 hours before being booked into jail. That’s all the information available right now; the victim has not yet been publicly identified, and investigators have not yet described the manner in which she was killed. ADDED 9:27 PM: Police have now posted this on SPDBlotter (no additional details beyond what we’ve written).
Just in from Josh Sutton of the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor):
We had a glass break over the corner of our pool deck (light fixture), and have closed the pool & Hot Area for a thorough cleaning. At this point, we plan to reopen on Tuesday morning (2/17), as we will take all of Monday to be sure we’ve gotten it safe again. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Look for further updates (here on WSB), our website (www.westseattleymca.org), or call us at 206-935-6000.
I am sorry to say that since it is President’s Day, the Southwest Community Center pool is also closed.
We’ll let you know tomorrow if they’re still on track to reopen Tuesday.
(August 2008 photo by John LaSpina)
We talk a lot about the two waterways bordering West Seattle to the north — Elliott Bay — and the west — the rest of “open” Puget Sound, but not so much about our eastern border, the Duwamish River. Yet all the while, it’s a working waterway, with industry, fishing, and … environmental cleanup, as well as future planning. So what’s ahead? Here’s your invitation, just out of the inbox, to find out in a few days:
You are invited to join the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition for the release of the Duwamish Valley Vision Map & Report!
Thursday, February 19, 4–6 p.m. at the Duwamish Tribe’s Longhouse and Cultural Center, 4705 West Marginal Way South.
The Duwamish Valley Vision Map has been a year in the making and is the result of community workshops, surveys and interviews in four languages with over 500 residents, workers, business owners, industry leaders, youth, elders, fishermen, housing and homeless advocates. The map and report describe the future vision of the Duwamish Valley’s environment, community amenities, transportation, and economic development.
Please join us for our Vision Release Open House ~
~ View the vision maps
~ Pick up a CD copy of the report
~ Enjoy light snacks with the project partners, and
~ Stay for the Duwamish Tribe’s screening of 2 films by Sandy and Yasu Osawa at 7 p.m.r.s.v.p. to contact@duwamishcleanup.org
From saveseattleschools.blogspot.com, authored by volunteer writers who thoroughly cover Seattle Public Schools issues:
A presentation made to the School Board last week on school transportation included proposed changes to “bell times” for schools around the district. Middle and high schools would all start at 8 am, which means, in West Seattle, Madison and Denny Middle Schools, Pathfinder K-8, and West Seattle and Chief Sealth High Schools. Right now, per district webpages (linked to the schools’ names above), Sealth, Denny, and Madison start at 7:40 (added, see comment re: Madison/7:45), WSHS at 8:10, and it would be a dramatic change for Pathfinder K-8, which now starts at 9:10. Also per the presentation (see it here), elementary-only schools would start at 9:15, which is a bit later than most start now (particularly Roxhill, which has an 8:50 bell time). If this wins final approval, it would take effect this fall for 2009-2010, and then potentially be reviewed again before 2010-2011.
In Gatewood, neighbors and friends spent part of Valentine’s Day working to give nature a helping hand in one of West Seattle’s semi-hidden greenbelt treasures, Orchard Street Ravine (map). Among them, Morgan Community Association‘s Cindi Barker, who shared these photos and a quick report:
We had a very successful day planting in the Orchard Street Ravine. Nearly 20 people turned out and worked their tails off for 4 hours to get 350-plus plants into the ground. Half of the plants were donated by the Green Seattle Partnership, the others were purchased with the last of the ProParks Levy funding allocated for the ravine and trail project. Many of the plants that went in today were bareroot native trees, to complement the understory plants put in before Christmas. Today’s weather was much more enjoyable than during that frigid planting party! The remaining blackberry thickets seen in the boundary areas will remain for a year or so to provide ground cover for the wildlife, until the new plants are established and spread out. We’ve had madrona trees grow over 3 feet in one year, so this is a rich environment for native species. Remember that future work parties will be on the second Saturday of the month, from 9:00 to 1:00.
As noted in this report earlier today, Valentine’s Day is a big day for florists – but one West Seattle florist is looking ahead to something even bigger, now that the holiday is over. When we spotted that big banner (shown above) outside Bobo Botanicals at 3435 California SW, we wondered whether the shop was going out of business, so we put a call in to owner Anka Bobo. Her emphatic answer: NO – “we’re not going out of business, we’re staying in business.” She does acknowledge, “The economy’s hit us really hard,” but she’s doing what she can “to keep everything going” — including moving to a studio on Charlestown Hill where she will continue her floral business “by appointment only.” Her original lease hasn’t expired yet but she is helping the owner get the word out about the search for a new tenant. And as she gets ready to move at the end of the month, she’s got sales going to reduce her inventory. She’s focused on staying in West Seattle — she grew up here, went to West Seattle High School, then moved away but came back to raise her kids. (If you want to check out her moving sale before the month ends, here’s a map.)
We told you this morning about what police called a suspicious death in a building at Fauntleroy and Dawson. Police now say the victim was a 71 year-old woman and her death is classified as a homicide. More information at SPDBlotter. Google Street View of the building (you can click inside the image to move around and get an idea of where this is, if you’re not familiar with the area):
ADDED 6:55 PM ALONG WITH THAT IMAGE: For context – this is the second homicide case of the year in West Seattle (first one, the still-unsolved Steve Bushaw shooting on 2/1); there was only one for all of last year, a woman in Highland Park killed last spring by her husband, who then killed himself. In 2007, there were three (all men killed by someone they knew – the third case, the 59th/Admiral shooting in October ’07, was ruled self-defense, after a trial WSB covered extensively; the other two ended with plea bargains – here and here). Also, one very good point made in an unrelated crime thread in the WSB Forums: Everyone concerned about crime in our area is not only welcome, but encouraged, to attend the next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting – it’s coming up this Tuesday, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room, and since there are almost always several reps from the precinct there, you will get the latest on the homicides, and other local crimes, firsthand, as well as a chance to ask any questions you have (the special guest is the SPD 911 team leader, to help debunk myths about when to call 911 and when not to).
Yes, Valentine’s Day procrastinators, you can still get flowers. One option: Follow the trail of rose petals (who needs bread crumbs?) to Linda’s Flowers and Gifts at Admiral/California (map); we stopped by last Valentine’s Day to chronicle the craziness of this very busy day, and they invited us back. The shop’s namesake and owner Linda Harader was busy with what she says remains the Valentine favorite – red roses:
As you can see in the background of that photo, balloons are bouncing around the shop too. At the work table, here are Debra (left) and Virginia:
And in the other direction, with the boss in the foreground, Melody (in pink) and Wendy:
They’re there till 5:30 tonight or “until we’re done.” When we stopped in about an hour ago, they were finishing their pickup orders, but they say they’ve got plenty left for walk-ins. (There’s a flower shop on the south side of West Seattle too, Sharon’s Westwood Florist on 35th south of Kenyon.)
Thanks to Franci for the tip: “Lots of emergency vehicles” on The Bridge, westbound; 911 log confirms it’s a “motor vehicle accident.” More when we get it; no backup visible in the traffic cam views, but we’re still checking on an exact location. 10:48 PM UPDATE: Just checked The Bridge, traffic flowing smoothly, crash cleared.
Megan e-mailed overnight about police activity in and around a building at Fauntleroy/Dawson (map), which had been preceded by a medic call earlier in the night (“7 per rule,” which usually means serious distress or injury), and then was followed very early this morning by the Medical Examiner taking away a body. According to Lt. Steve Paulsen from the Southwest Precinct, it’s a “death investigation that can be classified as suspicious” and investigators were called in to thoroughly process the scene “to be on the safe side.” That’s all the info we have so far but will update when we know more.
(WSB photos by contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
Police are still on the scene of what appears to be a single-car accident. An overturned car is blocking the two northbound lanes of 35th as investigators try to determine what happened. Witnesses on the scene reported that a single female occupant was removed from the car and was treated at the scene before being transported to the hospital. Police are not saying if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash. 12:15 AM UPDATE: That report was from Christopher, this is an update from TR: We just checked the scene — the car’s been turned upright, and traffic was getting through on the southbound side of 35th – looked like the car would be towed and the north lanes cleared shortly. Information on the victim’s condition may be hard to come by but we will check again and post a followup when we find out.
Heavy rescue call in the 8600 block of 35th; text says it’s a flipped car. Details as we get them.
(WSB photo from 9/21/08 Junction Car Show)
We’ve been pleased to bring you first word this week of several notable upcoming events, including Elliott Bay Water Taxi opening day April 5 and Cafe Revo‘s opening day February 21. Tonight, one more date for your calendar: The 2nd annual West Seattle Junction Car Show is a go — Michael Hoffman from Liberty Bell Printing says it’s set for Sunday, September 20th, and this year, they have clearance to close SW Alaska at California as well as both Junction blocks of Cali, so the car show will have “the same footprint” as West Seattle Summer Fest (which is coming up July 10-12, and craft/food/band applications are online now). Michael adds, “This year we are planning on a section of antique and classic fire engines.”
Out of the inbox, from Greg in Seaview:
Sometime during the night of Feb 12 or daytime Feb 13, a Yakima roof rack was stolen off of my car parked in the 5000 block of 48th Ave SW [map]. The car was damaged by the thieves and this was the third car theft we have had in the past three months.
Less than two weeks ago, we had multiple rack-theft reports in this story and the ensuing comments.
In an icy wind, with seagulls and crows chasing an eagle overhead, we toured the Alki Point sidewalk project zone this morning with SDOT’s Sandra “Sam” Woods (foreground with documents) and Eric Sill, Alki Community Council leaders, and neighbors. Its goal: To finish the pedestrian connection on the north/west side of Alki, from the park’s western end at 65th SW to where open waterfront begins again at the Beach Drive turn. Much of the money for this work is coming from the Neighborhood Street Fund. It’s been a controversial project – some upset neighbors even threatened a lawsuit at one point. The plan detailed during today’s tour goes to great lengths – and widths – to avoid taking away the long-used perpendicular parking spaces outside waterfront homes (the major source of controversy) as seen here:
Along most of the currently sidewalkless area, the new sidewalk will be built out in what currently is part of the street, which as a result will be dramatically narrowed (it’s not an arterial anyway), while the parking spaces will remain on the other side of the new sidewalk. Technically, some of those spaces will be “public parking, but it will feel private,” Woods explains. Read on for more details from today’s tour:Read More
Thanks to Heather for e-mailing to point out that Spring Hill Restaurant founder Mark Fuller is a semi-finalist for Best Northwest Chef in the prestigious James Beard Foundation awards, announced today. We’ll find out who wins in May.
(2008 TV feature on Mateo Messina and his work for “Juno”)
A news release from the The Symphony Guild calls our attention to the fact that the recently announced Grammy Awards included one for a West Seattle native son: Mateo Messina, who shared Best Compilation Soundtrack for the hit movie “Juno.” As the news release notes, Messina is now based in California but writes and produces a concert every year to raise money for “uncompensated care” at Children’s Hospital; the next one is November 6th of this year, with the theme “Symphony of the Superhero.”
Just back from Alki Point, where we toured the upcoming sidewalk-completion project zone with SDOT workers, neighbors, and Alki Community Council leaders. Working on that story right now – many more details since the update we published last weekend — but wanted to share something that landed in the inbox while we were out, the city’s announcement of its Bicycle Master Plan Progress Report – read on for the summary (which takes note of “sharrows” like the one above, which have appeared on many stretches of West Seattle roadway in the past year or so) and link:Read More
We told you about this growing effort – last night was the first open meeting to discuss how to make it happen, and Galena White has posted a report on the co-op website – including:
We all agreed that a working mission statement could be, “Bring inexpensive organic produce to Delridge.” We’d like to see a storefront as soon as possible, but we know that we need lots more people to get involved to make that happen. Most of us liked the idea of a Mobile Market, with the exception of Jen, who has experience in that area and says that: while a Mobile Market could be useful, in the long term she thinks that a storefront would work better. We were all interested in the prospect of a cafe attached to a storefront that would use the fresh ingredients at their peak of ripeness, because Delridge lacks a healthy restaurant.
As Galena mentions in the full report, there’s still plenty of time to get involved – next meeting’s next week.
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