West Seattle, Washington
08 Wednesday
(added 1:48 am: the sweeper that’s been patroling our corner for 1 hr+, though we have no bike lanes)
Funny thing, someone just brought up the continuing street-sand troubles at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting we’re covering right now – at the exact moment we checked our e-mail, and found this:
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is devoting additional resources to cleaning bike lanes starting tonight. Mechanical street cleaners and crews with hand sweepers will clear bike routes throughout the city.
The department has nearly completed its initial sweeping of sand from 1,531 lane miles of Seattle’s main streets and will continue its cleaning work with additional runs along the same major streets and will focus aggressively over the next several days on bike lanes.
SDOT deployed ten sweepers to clean up more quickly from the storms of December and early January, nearly double the normal number used. SDOT staff will be inspecting roadways throughout the city this evening to assess where additional emphasis is needed.
If citizens have concerns about streets still requiring sand removal or where additional sweeping would be beneficial, they can call SDOT at (206) 684-ROAD. The public is asked to heed “No Parking” signs placed to support sweeping. By doing so, they allow sweeping crews to clean as close to the curb as possible, removing the bulk of the sand on the roadway.
In particular, tonight’s concerned citizen was worried about conditions on 16th SW. If you don’t see cleaning on a street you’re concerned about – do call that hotline number. WEDNESDAY 12:46 AM UPDATE: Big loud street sweeper just swept through our nearest arterial-meets-arterial intersection in Upper Fauntleroy.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
That “unity wreath” — cutouts of hundreds of handprints — is one of the ways students at West Seattle’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School paid tribute this afternoon to Dr. King, one day after his official holiday, on the day a dream came true in D.C. The entire OLG student body, preschool through 8th grade, gathered in the church sanctuary at 35th/Myrtle (map) to read, sing, and pray, and the spirit of their words and music, on this historic day, could not help but move even the most hard-hearted onlooker. Third-graders read short tributes to people in their lives who they believe exemplified some of Dr. King’s values; one student honored her mom — “In my family, she is the peacekeeper”; another, his big brother — “He stands up for me”; and another student, President Obama, saying he and Dr. King “both want peace.” After reinforcing that by praying a Litany of Peace, students went out to the campus’s north grounds to release dozens of doves:
OLG school staff told us the doves are more like homing pigeons — after releases like this, they fly back to their keeper’s home. Side note: The school has an open house this Sunday – 9:30 am-1 pm.
We published an item 10 days ago about two U.S. Postal Service dropboxes, on Alki Ave and Beach Drive (shown above via Google Street View), flagged with notices of upcoming removal (they may even be gone already – we haven’t had time to check in person). As promised, we contacted the local USPS HQ to follow up. Spokesperson Ernie Swanson says he doesn’t have a full list of marked mailboxes, but “about 70 boxes … might be removed this month from the area considered the Seattle Post Office which covers ZIP Codes from 98101 thru 98199, which, besides the City of Seattle, includes the cities of Des Moines, Burien, Shoreline and Bainbridge Island.” Pre-removal, he says, that area has about 600 mailboxes – so that means more than 10 percent are likely to go away. Overall, he explained the reason for the removal as follows:
The Postal Service periodically conducts density tests on mail collection boxes. Those boxes that have fewer than 25 pieces of mail in them per day over a two-week period are considered for removal. Nation-wide, First-Class mail volume has been decreasing significantly over the last few years, some eight billion pieces a year since 2001. We have stepped up the pace on doing density tests. Currently, we are removing collection boxes throughout the City of Seattle. In fact, collection boxes around the country are being removed as a cost-cutting measure. The U.S. Postal Service is instituating other cost-cutting measures as well. We lost about $2.8 billion in FY 2008 and expect to perhaps lose that much again this FY.
That’s the donation box at Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) as part of the inauguration-honoring shoe drive hatched by Bob Loblaw in the WSB Forums — through tonight you can take new (or gently used) shoes, at the Hotwire box or at Full Tilt Ice Cream in White Center. They’re going to Soles4Souls. (This is the second fill-up for the box at Hotwire, by the way.) Still need a call to action? Here’s the full video clip of this morning’s Inaugural Address (after the Oath of Office; speech starts 3 minutes into the clip):
Posted at SPDBlotter: Two people broke into a home in the 1200 block of SW Myrtle (near Riverview Playfield; map) 
late last night and held residents at gunpoint, beating two of them before getting away. Police say they first found out about it when one of the victims was driven to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. We’ll be checking for more info on this beyond what’s in the blotter entry. We’re also likely to hear more at tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting (7 pm, Southwest Precinct, all welcome). ADDED 12:37 PM: A few more details from Lt. Steve Paulsen at the precinct: “4 adult and 1 child victims were inside. There was an assault on two of the male victims which required hospitalization.. Some of the stolen items were recovered a short distance from the home. No suspects have been arrested yet.”
Quick followup on the coyote marooned atop a concrete post at Jack Block Park last Saturday (as reported by Chris, who sent us photos including the one above): Seattle Animal Shelter director Don Jordan confirmed this morning that it’s the same coyote brought to Schmitz Park that day by an animal-control officer. He tells WSB, “The Officer felt that it was stuck on the pier and needed some assistance, so he captured it and felt that Schmitz Park was the best option in the area for release. This is the first time that we have done this.” Jordan adds, “We are happy to field all animal related calls so we can assess the situation and take appropriate action.”
(WSB photos from Friday morning)
Four days now have passed since the early-morning fire that heavily damaged the interior of the historic Alki Homestead restaurant; yesterday, owner Tom Lin estimated in this update for WSB that it would take more than six months to repair and reopen. This morning, he just sent us another update, including some information related to the cause of the fire, listed by Seattle Fire Department investigators as too many Christmas lights plugged into one socket:
I just want to clarify why we never took down the Christmas lights. We lost reservations for over 600 people the week before Christmas due to the snow storm. Many of the customers called and asked Homestead to keep the lights up till the end of January. The fire was caused by the combination of old wiring, Christmas lights and other unforeseen factors. I don’t think any one is at fault.
I met up with the buyers of Alki Homestead today and many issues were discussed. Johnny and Rose still would like to proceed with the purchase of Alki Homestead after it is restored. However, the following conditions will have to be met:
1. The restaurant has to come back as Alki Homestead or there is no goodwill, hence they will not be interested.
2. If the build-out is more than buyers’ original budget due to fire, the seller may have to make up for the shortfall.
3. Buyers will be included in the restoration process to ensure the integrity of the building.
4. Buyers will not have their names released until documents are signed pertaining to the above conditions.I appreciate all the support from the community. So far, I believe we can still meet our payroll. It is just nice to know that people are thinking of our employees especially when the job market is really tough now.
Tom Lin
alkihomestead@yahoo.com
We have a followup question out to Tom — who sent the update a short time ago — regarding the buyers, who for the first time he publicly identifies as “Johnny and Rose.” Based on some intel we received when Tom first described the anonymous prospective buyers as a husband-and-wife chef team living in Fauntleroy, we believe “Johnny” is Johnny Zhu (background here, via LinkedIn). More updates to come; we also are asking Tom a question one WSBer posed – whether there’s any way to donate to help the Homestead staff.
This time last year, Charlestown Court — the oft-admired brick fourplex at 3811 California (map) — was soon to be reviewed for possible landmark status as a requirement before a proposal to tear it down could proceed; WSB closely covered the process, which ended in April with the city Landmarks Board deciding landmark status wasn’t merited. But instead of demolition equipment showing up – a new proposal materialized, and that’s what we have an update on tonight:
Two months after the non-landmark decision, West Seattle-based Nicholson Kovalchick Architects unveiled a new design that saved Charlestown Court’s distinctive “wings”; 2 days after revealing it at an Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, architect Michael Godfried presented it to the Southwest Design Review Board, which gave its approval. Now, the city has just granted a land-use permit for the project, while the construction-permit application is still under review. We asked Godfried about the project’s status; he replied, “The master-use permit is completed and the developers intend to build the project. Given the current economy the construction time frame is in question and we have not yet started building permit drawings. The developers also would like to complete the Dakota project on California before moving on to Charlestown.” (That refers to this condo complex at 4116 California, a teardown site that drew some interesting reminiscences here at demolition time.)
Didn’t get a chance to join in the National Day of Service today? Or – you did, but you’re still ready to do more? This weekend, you are invited to join in a major cleanup along Delridge — the North Delridge Neighborhood Council is teaming with the Chief Sealth High School Parents-Teachers-Students Association (PTSA). Just show up at Delridge Community Center (map) or the Chief Sealth parking lot (at Boren; map) between 9:45 and 10 am Saturday to get supplies (plus coffee and muffins); they’re hoping for enough help to clean up Delridge from Andover all the way to Sylvan Way (see map above). Part of the plan is to clear storm drains along the way, to prevent flooding next time it rains. Students can get community-service credit, too. Here’s the official flyer, with e-mail addresses if you have questions for an organizer.
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson is in Washington, D.C., for the presidential inauguration, and the district has just announced that she’ll talk with two West Seattle elementary-school classes via phone tomorrow afternoon: Highland Park Elementary at 2:15 pm, Gatewood Elementary at 2:40 pm. Here are excerpts from the district’s media advisory, explaining which classes Dr. Goodloe-Johnson will talk with, and why:Read More
Thanks to Roxhill Elementary principal Carmela Dellino for pointing us to a KIRO Radio story about a song written by a Roxhill teacher, and performed by students, in honor of MLK Day. (Find it online here, including audio of the story, in which you hear the kids sing part of the song.) Carmen explains: “Chris Robert, one of our Kindergarten teachers, combined the importance of King as a civil rights leader with the significance of our upcoming inauguration of the first Black president of the United States by writing a song. He taught all the Kindergarteners the song and incorporated it into a lesson about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. I am extremely proud of his work and all our teachers at Roxhill.”
Thanks to Toddy Dyer for sharing that photo of the Curran-Walker Family, Spangler-Ellerbrook Family, Vuletic Family, and Dyer Family, who teamed up to clean up Alki Beach and Whale Tail Park (where the photo was taken) during today’s National Day of Service. Toddy tells WSB the kids in the photo range in age from 1 through 8. Congratulations, and thank you, to everyone who joined in today (other photos and reports welcome, too! editor@westseattleblog.com).
As of noon, the burn ban is up to Stage 2 – meaning your wood-burning fireplace/stove can’t be used unless it’s your ONLY “adequate source of heat.” Full details here.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a National Day of Service and West Seattleites are doing their part. Till 8 pm, diapers are being collected at Jefferson Square Safeway for WestSide Baby — as we wrote here after hearing from organizer Katy, they particularly need sizes 4-5-6 and training pants – so buy some and drop them off! WestSide Baby helps hundreds of families in West Seattle/White Center every week and the need keeps growing; they’re also getting some help today from folks meeting at Fauntleroy Church between now and 4 pm to make blankets. We’re heading out to get pix of what’s happening and will add when we come back. (If you’re involved with another Day of Service event in West Seattle today, let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!) ADDED 11:52 AM: That’s Katy and daughters Bailey (10) and Greta (7 1/2), photographed outside the east door of J-Square Safeway about half an hour ago. Katy’s lined up volunteers to handle other shifts all the way up till 8 pm as planned.
(Friday morning photo by David Hutchinson)
Three days after fire damaged Alki’s historic Homestead Restaurant, its owner has a clearer picture of the road ahead to getting it reopened. As we reported Friday morning, investigators say the $400,000 fire was an electrical accident – sparked by too many Christmas lights plugged into a single socket. Tom Lin, who bought the Homestead after longtime owner Doris Nelson passed away, provides this update on what’s happening now with the restaurant (an official Seattle landmark), its employees, and the prospective new owner he was in the process of selling it to when this happened:
The dust has finally settled after 3 chaotic days. I know many people are interested in knowing what is going on with Alki Homestead after the fire, and I will update as much as I can as we proceed with the cleanup.
First of all, I must thank the Fire Department and the Police Department for the prompt response time. I believe the phone call was made at 5:20 AM and they had the fire out by 5:40. I don’t think anyone can ask for more than that. It was such a blessing that fire started at 5 AM instead of 5 PM and no one got hurt.
At 6 AM, my longtime employee, Bonnie, who worked for Mrs. Nelson for 17 years and has worked for me for 3 years, showed up in tears wanting to talk to the Fire Chief. She had one request, she asked if anyone could get the reservation book so she could call all the customers who had reservation for the weekend. A “firewoman” went inside, grabbed the charred reservation book and handed to Bonnie.
After examining the damage, I think it will take longer than 6 months to reopen Alki Homestead. The damage is quite extensive. I believe the entire roof needs to be replaced. The middle part of the second floor will have to come down. There is a big hole in the ceiling of the first floor where the fire went up and that also punctured a hole in the roof.
This is our photo from Friday showing that damage:
Tom continues:
The ceiling of the main dining room is pretty much charred. The fireplace actually stopped the fire from spreading to the left side of the dining room. All the tables and chairs are gone. Luckily, the dining table that is over 100 years old is still standing. The King and Queen’s chairs are ok. The PI clock and the sideboards are charred. All the chandeliers are melted. I think we can salvage the pictures of the Barnards.
I will know more next week after we get the official damage report. I have already instructed the general manager, Chris Long, to supplement employees with their salary for at least 3 months. It is more than a job for most of them and we will not leave them on the street at any cost.
I know we have lots of gift certificates outstanding. We will try to get other restaurants in Alki to honor them or we will redeem the gift certificates with cash. I will post the details soon. If any restaurants would like to honor our gift certificates, please e-mail me.
I have spoken to the buyer of the restaurant business and he is still interested in taking over, except it will be on a later date. I will disclose the buyer’s identity later in the week after our meeting tomorrow. We will be renegotiating the terms of the sale and hopefully come to an agreement.
I bought Alki Homestead because I wanted to preserve the part of history that has been very important to this neighborhood. Some people may still want to treat me like an outsider, but I have as much at stake as anyone else who lives here. In any event, our goal is to restore the restaurant and hopefully make it better. We will get a better facility that will meet the ADA standards, from the bathrooms to the handicapped ramp. Hopefully wheelchair customers won’t have to go through the kitchen and hopefully the bathrooms will be big enough to accommodate wheelchairs with no steps going up and down. This may be our chance to update the restaurant, think positive. Both Alki Homestead and the pan-fried chicken will return.
So much for the thoughts tonight, hope to get some feedback soon. My e-mail is alkihomestead@yahoo.com.
Tom Lin
For those who’ve never been inside, this Wikimedia photo shows what a special place it’s been:
But just hours after the fire, so many of those interior fixtures, as Tom mentioned, were in a charred heap outside:
We will be following up with Tom for those future updates he mentioned.
Eerily, we can’t help but note that it’s just a few weeks till the first anniversary of the fire that closed another beloved West Seattle restaurant for months – the Charlestown Cafe fire in February 2008 – that one, too, an accident; the Charlestown finally reopened almost five months later.
This morning at 8 am, sign-ups open for the 20 always-coveted public-comment spots at the start of Wednesday’s Seattle School Board meeting (e-mail boardagenda@seattleschools.org or call 206-252-0040). It’s 
the last regular meeting for board members before they vote a week from Thursday on school-closure recommendations that currently call for Cooper Elementary (photo left) on Pigeon Point to be disbanded so that its building can become the new home of Pathfinder K-8, which operates in the former Genesee Hill Elementary building that the district’s been trying to close for years. As even Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson (who by the way is in D.C. for the presidential inauguration) has said, the proposal — which includes several other changes around the city — could change before the final vote. The School Board meeting at 6 pm Wednesday isn’t the last chance to have a say, though; this Thursday, 6:30 pm at district HQ, it’s the final formal public hearing on the proposal; the 40 public-comment spots at this meeting already are spoken for (see the list here – three people are identified as speaking about Cooper, and we recognize at least one more Cooper-linked name elsewhere on the list). P.S. Before these two meetings, West Seattle School Board rep Steve Sundquist has another one of his coffee chats – 9 am Wednesday, Coffee to a Tea in The Junction. And the Cooper community continues to add to the information available on its anti-closure website, CooperSchoolWorks.com.
(Photo by Matt Durham of MattDurhamPhotography.com)
We’ve mentioned it a few times before – now it’s just days away: Washington State Ferries is almost done collecting public comment on its Draft Long-Range Plan, which includes some potentially major operational changes, but there’s one last public hearing – right here in West Seattle, 6 pm this Wednesday night at The Hall at Fauntleroy. The community group responsible for the ferry system’s local dock, the Fauntleroy Community Association, says that plan could have far-reaching traffic effects on all of West Seattle, not just Fauntleroy – here’s one of the documents it’s circulating ahead of the hearing:
The Washington State Ferries’ hearing at Fauntleroy on January 21 is a very important meeting for West Seattle. It discloses their Long Range Plan (LRP) that affects our peninsula for 30 years and beyond. Some of the details of the plan will be presented at the meeting followed by an opportunity by any and all who wish to speak. The audience turnout is also crucial as it shows this is an urgent matter, dealing with our quality of life and effects on traffic and property values. Spread the word!
As this is a testimonial hearing, questions and answers with dialogue will not take place. Testimony, however, will be recorded and become a permanent part of the LRP presented to the Legislature for approval January 31. Reviewing the plan at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries reveals that some major points of conflict for discussion and rebuttal are apparent.
1. After years of seeing the LRP proposing to shift the Southworth route directly to Colman Dock, at the last minute the plan reversed that proposal and the Southworth traffic remains in West Seattle indefinitely.
This is unacceptable.2. The plan cements in place the existing traffic and all future growth from Southworth at the Fauntleroy facility that is already operating at capacity.
This is unacceptable.3. The projected combined population growth for West Seattle and Vashon Island will substantially increase traffic congestion both approaching and on the West Seattle Bridge in years to come. Continuing to route Southworth/Kitsap County vehicles here indefinitely means their population explosion will impact our transportation needs and livability of our neighborhoods.
This is unacceptable.4. The plan to widen the Fauntleroy dock and erect an overhead walk-on loading ramp is detrimental to the environment of Fauntleroy Cove, shields and distorts personal property views and adversely affects local property values.
This is unacceptable.5. On April 28, 1997, Seattle City Council Resolution 29566 stated that WSF initiate no expansion of the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock and to take all steps to reduce existing traffic.
To ignore that resolution is unacceptable.6. A complex component of the plan is a Reservation Ticketing System that can add more traffic snarls, safety hazards and confusion around the dock and neighboring residential streets. (WSB note: Read more about that system here)
These and other details of the LRP are detrimental to businesses, residents and taxpayers of West Seattle. We are paying for their growth. Please express your opinion at this urgent meeting so your voice is heard before decisions are made. Notify our state and local elected officials of your concerns.
Also, attendance is crucial at this meeting. Share this flyer with friends, neighbors, co-workers and anyone you know living or doing business on the West Seattle peninsula and encourage their attendance. The deadline for comments is at this meeting of the Ferry Advisory Committee: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 9131 California Ave SW, at 6 PM.
Gary Dawson, Chair
Fauntleroy Ferry Advisory Committee
garyann@quidnunc.netBruce Butterfield, President
Fauntleroy Community Association
Bruce@BruceButterfield.com
(Zack with Otto the dachshund – explained below)
After we shared the news Friday that donations had fully funded the care needed by Zack the stray cat – who turned up on Jane‘s doorstep and then turned out to be in dire need of costly care – some folks clamored for one more followup, with more details and photos. So Jane has obliged:
It has been two weeks since Zack had his surgery and he got his stitches out (Friday). It was really rough the first twelve days and we did not get much sleep. Zack had his worse moments from 11:00p.m. till around 5:00a.m. Zack is still on pain meds but he is doing great.
It is amazing how fast Zack became part of the family. Zack loves his roommate Maxine (who came to me 8 yrs ago a feral cat) and I was surprised to see how much Zack loves his cousins Otto (a Dachshund) and Sophia (a Chihuahua). Zack is bigger and the Alpha male. Zack loves it when Sophia and Otto run around him trying to play, then he puts his big paws out and they have a good time. Photos attached. Zack even alerted me before the dogs did that someone was at the door. It was so cute, he growled.
Again, thanks to everyone who has followed Zack’s story and supported Zack via the WSB and donated for his surgery. Oh, to those who asked, I was not looking for another dependent, Zack just happened my way and he needed love and care which I could not refuse. I did try to find Zack’s owners but if he did have one, they did not take care of him. Zack is a big love and he just loves cuddling up and hanging out with his new family.
Sincerely, Jane
Another photo of Zack – he’s on the carpet, Maxine‘s on the chair:
Just got a phone tip – SDOT re-striping crews are working in the westbound lanes toward the Fauntleroy end of The Bridge right now, heading toward 35th – which the city also has said is a “priority” – so be on the lookout there too, in case they are continuing on.
As pointed out in comments on our report about several West Seattle incidents police investigated early today, SPDBlotter now has an item on the “shots fired at house” case in the 1800 block of SW Dawson (map). No injuries, no arrest(s) reported so far. (An automated feed of the newest WS items from SPDBlotter is part of the WSB Crime Watch page, so whatever they post will go there first.)
That’s just some of what’s new, according to today’s Ripe ‘n’ Ready list of what you can expect to find at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, 10 am-2 pm, 44th/Alaska.
Lots of West Seattle activity on the police scanner these past couple hours – one report from someone in Highland Park who thought someone fired shots at his house, another call about possible shots heard closer to the Westwood area, beer getting shoplifted from the 16th/Holden 7-11 … Then, NOT from the scanner, Lisa e-mailed a firsthand report of a “sparkler bomb” in Admiral:
I live in Admiral by the PCC and had a “sparkler bomb” explode in the parking strip in front of my house about an hour ago. My house is swarming with about 5-6 police right now collecting all the fragments. It was crazy scary. There is a hole in my parking strip and fragments up to my front porch and 2 houses beyond. The police think it’s random, and have a suspect.
Lisa’s not sure if that suspect is in custody yet, though. (We will of course follow up with police.) Meantime, one other e-mail mentions hearing “explosions” in the Admiral area around 2 am, most likely the same incident. Five months ago, something similar happened in Highland Park; here’s our report about that one (be sure to read the comments, which brought out a lot of information about what a “sparkler bomb” is).
That video feature is about Alki Elementary School winning the Governor’s Health Bowl sponsored by the Washington Health Foundation. The WHF sent us the link along with word that Alki Elementary will have teacher and student reps in Olympia next month to be honored for the school’s accomplishment; during the competition last fall, with more than 400 schools participating, they “logged more than 130,000 miles of health,” according to WHF’s Joe Furia. (Joe
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