West Seattle, Washington
25 Monday
First word comes from Chris Monsos – it’s on the 911 log too. Adding a cameraphone photo in a moment. Not sure yet about details of the incident. 4:39 PM UPDATE: Added photo. Heading that way to find out more, now that the 39th/Holden drug raid is wrapped up (see previous post). Chris says whatever it was must have been small – nothing’s visible but he could smell smoke when he pulled up, and he sees the fire crew “squeegee-ing up water from the lobby.” 4:46 PM UPDATE: Our crew is there now – fire alarms can still be heard, and water can still be seen coming out of the lobby. We’ll let you know as soon as we find out what happened and whether it’s affecting club operations for the rest of today/tonight. 4:50 PM UPDATE: Two sources – the fire commander at the scene, and Cami from Alki (quoting the owner) – say it was a laundry-room fire; the commander says it started in the lint trap; out now, no injuries reported. Employees tell WSB the owner hasn’t decided how the rest of the night will go – first concern is getting people who were inside the club when this happened, back inside now to get their stuff. (Later note: Still no official word, so just call before you go.)
(more photos added to the bottom of this post late Friday night – scroll down)
Thanks to Rebecca for the tip. Holden is blocked for a few blocks starting at 41st and heading east; the first officer we saw at the scene said simply, “Drug raid.” We’re gathering more information; stand by. 4:14 PM UPDATE: Added photo of police vehicles near the scene; cropped it closely because we have no idea whether there is some sort of standoff involved, and it’s always been SOP not to publish anything during a standoff that might alert someone to the position of police at the scene. 4:21 PM UPDATE: Witnesses tell us one person was “taken away” by officers shortly after this all started 45 minutes or so ago. 4:32 PM UPDATE: The street’s open again now, though there are still officers outside the house where the “raid” apparently happened. We’re checking for additional information. 4:37 PM UPDATE: Lt. Norm James confirms one suspect arrested, but can’t elaborate beyond the fact this is a drug case; he says police are just wrapping up administrative-type details on scene now. ADDED LATE FRIDAY NIGHT: Thanks to Brian Hartman from photoelan.com for these photos taken as police moved in:
Tim Winston, best known lately for West Seattle Hi-Yu but serving this time around as a “Chief Sealth band fan,” sent the above photo with the following info:
Chief Sealth High Band has been raising money for new uniforms for several years and is closing in on the goal. They are trying to raise the last bit that will push them over the top.
The band members in the picture are wearing their current, difficult to fit & maintain, uniforms and holding a picture of the new uniforms. The new design has been a collaborative effort by band members, led by their director, Deborah Meyer.
If you can help out, please send your tax deductable donation to:
Chief Sealth Performing Arts
PMB #249
1606 SW 104th St
Seattle, WA 98146
Our Lady of Guadalupe School tells WSB its students are getting an environmental lesson by cleaning up the overgrown corner at 34th/Myrtle (north of the school, east of its playground) – and they’re going to get some help starting tomorrow from a herd of goats! The goats will be on site Saturday through Tuesday. OLG development director Chantille Henry adds, “Our Lady of Guadalupe School believes in teaching children the importance of stewardship and each class is assigned a different project to better the world around them. One class cleans Longfellow Creek, and another collects clothing and visits WestSide Baby, helping sort clothing and cleans the grounds, to name a few.” Meantime, tomorrow’s also the day for the huge West Seattle Gateway Cleanup along the Fauntleroy end of The Bridge, from 35th/Fauntleroy to Walking on Logs, where some clearing’s already been done in preparation for what hundreds of volunteers will do tomorrow:
Goats didn’t work out for this cleanup, but organizer Nancy Driver has reported previously that she and fellow organizers are very grateful to the state Department of Corrections for lending people-power to the pre-clearing project. Also a traffic reminder – the outside lane along the cleanup site will be closed tomorrow, 8 am-4 pm-ish, so if you’re coming back to West Seattle via The Bridge at some point, either take the Admiral exit or just remember to go slow!
Certainly the presidential election has taken fascinating turns – but that’s just one race on a huge slate you’ll face when your ballot arrives in the mail, or when 
you go vote in person on November 4th. We got quite the reminder of that while covering Wednsday night’s meeting of West Seattle’s biggest political group, the 34th District Democrats – they got endorsement pitches from supporters of initiatives that may not even be on your radar screen yet. They also heard local organizers’ presidential get-out-the-vote strategies too. Two and a half hours of what the 34th DDs call “all the democracy you can handle” — here are the highlights:Read More
Before that round of handshaking followed the ceremonial groundbreaking an hour ago for the Alaskan Way Viaduct electrical-line relocation project, state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond (center of pic, white shirt) pointed to the BECU billboard in the upper left corner of the photo and said it hits home the point that Viaduct work “has arrived”; here’s video with her explanation of this project’s overall significance:
If you’re trying to envision exactly where those to-be-moved lines are – they’re visible on the underside of the Viaduct’s lower deck:
Seattle City Light’s chief of staff Sung Yang said the lines carry major supply far beyond the immediate local area:
They’ll be moved off the structure to help prepare for its teardown and replacement, starting next year (this work should be finished by late ’09). The only traffic effects you should notice during the yearlong, $17 million electric-line project are described this way in the official WSDOT news release: “During construction, drivers should expect occasional lane closures or traffic revisions on S. Atlantic Street, S. Royal Brougham Way, and S. Dearborn Street between First Avenue S. and Alaskan Way S. In addition, some parking near the sports stadiums will be removed in the area needed for construction.” Frank Coluccio Construction is the contractor. This isn’t the first major Viaduct project, by the way; the column-stabilization work (WSB coverage, with video, here) was finished earlier this year. Last note: Next Viaduct weekend-long inspection shutdown is currently set for October 18-19, as permaposted on our Traffic page.
Seems Magnolia/Interbay and West Seattle have a lot in common these days – not only the jail-sites fight (see below), but also future Whole Foods stores. MagnoliaVoice.com broke the story of a slowdown on the nearly complete WF in Interbay; as soon as we saw it early this morning, we e-mailed Eric Radovich at BlueStar – which is developing Fauntleroy Place, with the West Seattle WF (final approved design shown above) – and he replied early this am, “Still full (speed) ahead for us at this point … target Feb. of 2010,” which means no change from previous projections. A similar reassurance was issued a month ago, and FP has swung into major excavation since then. (Side note: If you haven’t heard of Magnolia Voice before, it’s a new neighborhood-news site affiliated with MyBallard.com, both operated by people who, like your WSB co-publishers here, are veteran journalists we happened to know personally long before they ventured into the online-community-news business.)
That’s the night view of the BlueStar project, still known as Spring Hill (but maybe changing), that just finally finished a Design Review process that exemplified how public comment and concern CAN make a difference. As some point out, the final chapter isn’t written until the building is built — but so far as this stage of the process goes, concerns from neighbors and criticisms from reviewers were not only heard, but also incorporated in the design approved tonight. Here’s a summary along with a few more views from the official presentation – plus the only real low note of tonight’s meeting before the Southwest Design Review Board:Read More
Just got word that South Seattle Community College (which we hope you know by now is really in eastern West Seattle) will be looking for a president – because its current leader, Dr. Jill Wakefield, has just been chosen as the college system’s first-ever female chancellor. Here’s the announcement sent by Patricia Paquette of the Seattle Community Colleges:
The Board of Trustees of the Seattle Community Colleges voted today to name Dr. Jill Wakefield, President of South Seattle Community College in West Seattle, as the next chancellor of the multi-campus district.
Wakefield will assume responsibilities on January 1, 2009, upon the retirement of the current chancellor, Charles H. Mitchell. She will be the 17th chancellor and the first woman chancellor in the history of the District.
The chancellor is responsible for overall operations of the state’s largest two-year college district, educating more than 50,000 students at Seattle Central, North Seattle and South Seattle Community Colleges; the Seattle Vocational Institute; and five specialized training centers located across the city.
Wakefield has been at SSCC for 30 years, serving as its president since early 2003.
We’ve been keeping you up to date on plans for the city’s “community-parking review” in The Junction — which ultimately will lead to a decision on whether changes are made in management of the parking spots managed by the city (pay stations? Residential Parking Zones on nearby streets? status quo?). We published our first report last February, when WSB went to the Municipal Tower downtown for the first media briefing on the plan; then in May, the city Transportation Department (SDOT) told us it expected to start the review in September — and in our May update, we included the West Seattle Junction Association‘s call for your comments on the parking situation. Now that it’s September, we checked with SDOT – and here’s what communications director Rick Sheridan told us about the parking review’s status, and how you’ll get to have a say:Read More
The Mayor’s Small Business Awards will be presented tonight, and the city’s just gone public with the list. On it: Anne Phyfe Palmer, operator of 8 Limbs Yoga, which includes a Junction location; and the West Seattle entrepreneur behind BabyLegs, Nicole Donnelly. Here’s the announcement with the full citywide list of winners.
We found those three neighboring homes on 26th SW near Westwood Village, displaying flags on today’s anniversary. No official West Seattle commemorations that we know of (please advise if you’ve heard of one) – we will be visiting the Alki Statue of Liberty later to see what’s happening there, given its informal role as a remembrance location, dating all the way to the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. On this date last year, the recast statue made its debut in a ceremony that was both an unveiling and a tribute (WSB coverage, including video, here); a year earlier, on September 11, 2006, the old pedestal stood empty, as the original statue (now at the Log House Museum gift shop) had been taken away so the recasting process could begin.
(Updated version of WSB clickable Junction/Triangle development map)
Heard about this after last night’s 34th District Democrats meeting (full report on that is still in the works), and it’s just been confirmed by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen: Toward the widely voiced concern that the Junction and Triangle areas be looked at in a “big picture” sense while so much development roars forward, Rasmussen is asking Junction developers (here’s our report on their West Seattle Chamber of Commerce appearance yesterday) and leaders of the Chamber and the West Seattle Junction Association to be at the September 22nd City Council “briefing” session. Also invited: along Representatives of city agencies including SDOT (transportation) and DPD (planning). Rasmussen staffer Brian Hawksford explains, “The purpose would be to have the developers describe their projects to the Council in an informal setting and to explain how they hope the city can be helpful in the overall improvement to the streetscape.” Rasmussen himself elaborates:
I see all of the development that is being planned in the Junction area as a tremendous opportunity to create one of the greatest residential and commercial neighborhoods in the City. For that to happen it is important for the developers and the City to work together to insure that design of the buildings, landscaping, transit planning, traffic management, parking and pedestrian walkways are all coordinated and complementary. The City can play a major role to insure that the coordination occurs. Recently I met with representatives of the Fairmount Community Council and they too see this potential. I would like as many people who are interested to participate.
I know it may be difficult for the public to attend this meeting during a weekday here at City Hall. The meeting is planned to be held here … because I would like the Council to understand the importance of this effort. It will be televised and can be viewed online as well. If people would like more meetings to be held, we can do so in West Seattle.
The meeting’s at 9:30 am September 22nd at City Council chambers downtown. It will be shown live, as are all such council sessions, by the Seattle Channel — channel 21 on cable, or seattlechannel.org online.
Last month, we brought you in-depth details of the $150 million redevelopment project on the drawing board for The Kenney, the longtime retirement community in Fauntleroy. (Read our story here.) Today, we get word from The Kenney’s CEO Kevin McFeely that two meetings are set next week to discuss the project with, and answer questions from, neighbors and other area residents/community leaders: 6 pm Wednesday at Fauntleroy Church (with official invitations going out to everyone within a half-mile radius), 6 pm next Thursday (9/18) at The Kenney (targeting local neighborhood associations and business groups). The project also is tentatively scheduled for its first Design Review Board hearing — which is a public meeting too — at 8 pm October 23rd (location TBA); here’s the city’s project page.
It’s the second-furthest-along of the Junction megaprojects – Capco Plaza, which longtime local businessman Leon Capelouto is building between 41st and 42nd on the north side of Alaska. Capelouto was one of four developers, with 8 projects between them, who spoke to the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly luncheon today, and we were there to get the latest:Read More
It was fun while it lasted, but now it’s over: Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) barista Blayne got kicked off “Project Runway” tonight (along with Terri), after a design that judges called “a joke.” However: “No one is sorrier to see you go than I am,” PR regular Tim Gunn told him. “You can’t second-guess yourself,” Blayne said cheerily and circumspectly, referring to himself. We’ve got someone at the Ginomai viewing party, so we’ll add reaction from there when we get it. ADDED EARLY THURSDAY MORNING: Here’s what Blayne’s Hotwire boss Lora Lewis told the WSB video crew afterward:Read More
Just added to the Design Review calendar, a second project for the 10/9 meeting, which previously had only the 35th/Graham mixed-use building on the agenda: 3008 63rd SW (map), described in the city files as three single-family homes slated for demolition, to be replaced by seven units. The lots are immediately south of the Cactus end of the ex-Alki Market building, east side of 63rd just south of Alki SW. No meeting site listed yet, but the Alki project presentation is scheduled for 6:30 pm 10/9, the High Point project for 8 pm.
Earlier today, we reported that West Seattle-based Southwest Youth and Family Services (headquartered just southeast of the Delridge Community Center) is tabbed for a big role in the new youth-violence-prevention initiative announced by the mayor. SWYFS director Steve Daschle was among the West Seattleites at today’s announcement (others included Southwest Community Center coordinator “Junior” Kitiona); we talked with him this afternoon in search of details about what this new role means to his agency:Read More
That’s the scene from the first half of last night’s transportation forum presented by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce — the first hour was open-house format, so attendees could get information on virtually every major transportation project that’s about to affect West Seattleites; the second was Q/A moderated by CR Douglas. WSB contributor Evan Baumgardner covered the Q/A session — we thought that you might like to know exactly what was asked, and exactly how it was answered — Evan’s transcription follows:Read More
Another update on the first-ever West Seattle Junction Car Show coming up September 21st (one week from Sunday!), co-sponsored by WSB — Michael Hoffman of Liberty Bell Printing says more than 140 cars are now registered, and they’re expecting about 300 (preregistration is closed so you’ll need to show up on show day, first-come first-served – call June @ 206/334-6606 with questions); as previously mentioned, California SW will be closed in The Junction for the car show, Edmunds to Alaska, Alaska to Oregon, Oregon to the post office. What you see at left is the cool design for T-shirts that will be sold (first-ever show! collector’s item?) – price starts at $10 (XL and up will be a bit more; sizes run to 6XL). The day’s highlights also will include a pancake breakfast at the West Seattle Eagles, starting at 7 am; Puerto Vallarta will open at 7 am with a special breakfast menu; the West Seattle Farmers’ Market‘s annual Zucchini 500 races (kids get to make zucchini vehicles!) will be happening 10 am-1 pm. Now, about those cars – all are pre-1975, no 4x4s, says Michael – and at least one dates back to 1920! There also will be a raffle and 50/50 drawing to raise money for the Maple Valley Street Rats Scholarship Fund – available to students studying to work in the automotive field – the MVSR is organizing the show along with the West Seattle Junction Association.
No massive topic on tonight’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting agenda, but some things you should know about: The time’s set for the Fauntleroy Fall Festival, 2-6 pm October 19 at Fauntleroy Church, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, and Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) – “better than ever,” promises FCA; some volunteer help is still needed – the FF page explains who to contact. Next week, the church will host a state meeting about the Alaskan Way Viaduct (updated from our original post – FCA’s Phil Sweetland says after further discussions, the meeting WILL be at the church, 5:30-7:30 pm). The following week, Fauntleroy Church WILL be the venue for a screening of the “final cut” of “The Fauntleroy Story: 100 Years of Community,” the 35-minute documentary produced in part with city $ (we attended a preview earlier this summer), 7 pm 9/24 (DVDs will be available for a suggested donation of $10). We recently mentioned the Fauntleroy Art Show is in the works for early November at the church – Judy Pickens sent word a few days ago that artists from outside West Seattle are now welcome as well as WS artists (read more here about what they’re looking for; Oct. 1 is the deadline to apply). Also in the works: Calling the salmon home at the Fauntleroy fish ladder, set for 5-6 pm Sunday 10/26, BOYD (bring your own drum). And right before then, scheduling will begin for volunteer shifts between 10/27 and 11/27 to document coho coming into the creek to spawn — more info available on the FCA website.
As Bil Hood puts it, “The building may not look finished, but school began tonight for Hope Lutheran School. Parents and students met with teachers tonight for a back-to-school BBQ.” Bil sent the photo above, plus this one from tonight’s event:
He adds: “Most classrooms are finished and ready to go. A few classes will be in alternate accomodations until next month. Regular classes begin tomorrow.” Project progress is being chronicled on the Hope Lutheran website: HopeSeattle.org. (We reported on the groundbreaking for the church/school project that’s under way – along with 2 others nearby – see that report here.)
We’re at the Westwood Neighborhood Council meeting, where a school-district rep has just announced that the Design Team process to figure out what’ll happen to the current Denny Middle School site will start with two meetings at Denny to “listen to stakeholders,” with the first one tentatively scheduled for 9/22, more or less “the same meeting held twice” at different times of day for school staff/student and community-member convenience. (The second date will likely be in early October but may change – WNC is working to set up its own community meeting around that time.) You still have time to sign up to be on the Design Team; here’s the form on the district’s website. The district also confirms that Denny is scheduled to move midyear 2010-2011 – during winter break – from its current location, to the new building to be built on the Sealth campus. More from this meeting, as well as tonight’s transportation forum and the Fauntleroy Community Association meeting, coming up later.
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