West Seattle, Washington
08 Saturday
Also from last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting: The board agreed to support a proposal by members Sherry and Ron Richardson, to request signage along Fauntleroy Way asking drivers to turn off their engines while waiting, to reduce fuel use, noise, and pollution.
Thanks to Todd for the tip – more of the work promised by the city along Barton near Westwood Village is getting done – the tape and cones are protecting newly poured ramps at the crosswalk between the shopping center and Roxhill Park. This WSB report from April has more on what’s to be done in this area (which is just east of where parking restrictions were put into place to try to discourage “car ranching”).
Three quick updates in the fight over where the city might build a potential new jail for misdemeanor offenders (it’s announced 4 sites as finalists, and 2 of them are in southeast West Seattle): First, the city’s added another page to its informational web site — the new Frequently Asked Questions page features its answers to some of the questions it’s received. Second, two more neighborhood groups discussed their positions on the issue last night; the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s board “voiced its opposition to the siting of jails in residential areas on the basis of land-use planning policy and the unnecessary costs and logistics of inmate transfers and lack of access to services needed by inmates (legal, bail, and city services),” according to Lynn Olson; meantime, we were at the Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting as members considered whether to sign on to a letter officially opposing the sites, and it’s decided to abstain for now. Third, the 34th District Democrats will discuss the jail-sites fight at their regular monthly meeting tonight, 7 pm, The Hall @ Fauntleroy.
With a few weeks to go to the original deadline for the Fauntleroy Community Services Agency to make a deal with Seattle Public Schools to buy the historic schoolhouse – now that the district’s selling it as “surplus” — we checked to see where things stand. According to an update issued this week by FCSA, “The district has extended the deadline to reach a purchase and sale agreement to August.” FCSA also says there’s still a possibility the back lot may be developed and says it “has been discussing what kind of development, who would own the property, who would receive payment for the development rights, and ensuring that any development would be compatible with the tenants and uses in the school.” They also are continuing to work on a formal application to have the schoolhouse designated as a city landmark (as we first reported last month), adding, “city staff has been very encouraging that the entire building could be eligible for designation.”
(2006 Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade photo courtesy of parade organizers)
Two parades are coming up in West Seattle next month – the big American Legion Grand Parade down California SW during Hi-Yu is July 19th, but before then, on a somewhat smaller scale – literally, in terms of participants’ size – there’s the 4th of July Kids’ Parade in Admiral. And its organizers say now’s the perfect time to jump in and help out. Here’s their announcement:
4th of JULY KIDS PARADE…sponsored by Admiral Junction Businesses and the Holy Rosary MOMs group!
Celebrate the 4th of July by bringing your family and friends to the 14th Annual 4th of JULY KIDS PARADE! Decorate wagons, bikes and trikes and join this old-fashioned parade. All are welcome – both spectators and participants. It’s not a parade without spectators! Bring your lawn chairs and cheer for our kids, there’s no shortage of great viewing spots along the parade route (look for the flags).
The Seattle Police and Fire Departments will lead the parade starting at 10:30 am at the 1100 block of Sunset Ave. SW (44th Ave. SW and Sunset) on the morning of July 4th. Following the parade, enjoy the fun and games in Hamilton Viewpoint Park. Bring a blanket and some lunch (leaving some room for treats from the Holy Rosary MOM’s group concession stand) and join the fun!
We need volunteers to help out at the parade! If you can help with general organization, set-up, children’s games, water balloons, or clean-up, please let us know. Our critical areas are children’s games and water balloons. If you are a fun, enthusiastic person who would like to lead the kids’ games at Hamilton Park, we need you! We also need game helpers to hand out 3-legged race ties, organize kids into age groups for races, answer questions, help out with the little ones, etc. Last year we had a heat wave on the 4th of July, and we ran out of water balloons in 5 minutes. This year a heat wave seems like a distant after-thought, but I’m sure the water balloon fight will still be a hit. We need water balloons!! If you can deliver 25-50 water balloons before the parade, please let us know. If you have a service group that is willing to donate their time to blowing up water balloons for a worthy cause, please let us know. We can only blow up so many before our fingers turn numb!
We also have need of a game-day photographer. Someone with photographic skills who can document our parade all-stars for future publicity.
Contact: Sherri Chun sherri.chun@att.net or Jodi Bennett jodiandwayne26@msn.com
Organizers also just confirmed that one of the Admiral District’s most famous residents will be on hand too – Mayor Nickels is scheduled to help kick off the parade at 10:30 4th of July morning.
That’s the dramatically different new design just unveiled by Junction-based Nicholson Kovalchick Architects for the mixed-use project at 3811 California SW (map), currently the site of the 80-year-old brick fourplex known as Charlestown Court:
It’s been 14 months since we first told you Charlestown Court was marked for teardown, and two months since we brought you the city Landmarks Board‘s decision that it didn’t merit landmark status, which seemed to open the door for demolition. But instead, a surprise twist last night, as we briefly mentioned earlier — full details ahead:Read More
(fall 2007 photo by Mark Bourne)
New information as the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza gets closer to construction: The group that raised money for the project has gone public with details of what it’s planning for a Sept. 6 event celebrating its expected dedication, and the Parks Department project manager has talked with us about the latest details — including a couple recent changes in the plan, and the one big concern that could cause construction snags — read on:Read More
In about two hours, it’ll be exactly 30 years since the freighter crash that you can thank for the existence of The (high) Bridge. And as you probably know, the case took an even weirder twist years later, when the captain who hit the (old) bridge, Rolf Neslund, was murdered by his wife — a killing that area author Ann Rule turned into one of her recent best-sellers. Six years and one month after the freighter crash, the current (high) bridge opened. You can find great photos of the massive construction project here.
Two big agenda items at tonight’s Westwood Neighborhood Council meeting at Southwest Community Center: The future of the Denny Middle School site, once the school’s torn down after its replacement is built on the Chief Sealth High School campus, and the fight over the two southeast West Seattle sites on the city’s “final four” list of possible misdemeanor-offender jail locations — read on:Read More
(photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Just back from tonight’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting. Huge news for those who lamented the plan to tear down Charlestown Court, the 80-plus-year-old brick fourplex (photo above) across from Charlestown Cafe. Quick backstory – its owner wanted to tear it down and replace it with a mixed-use building; the landmark proposal slowed its progress, but after the “no” vote un April (WSB coverage here), it seemed the backhoes were on their way. The project is set for one more Design Review meeting this Thursday night — and tonight, when the ANA got a preview from the architecture firm on the project, Junction-based NK Architects, a surprise: A brand-new design that would preserve and lift the two distinctive front sections, or “wings,” of the building — arches and all — as part of the project, demolishing only the rectangular back section. We’ve got a photo of the design rendering and many more details we’ll share in the full writeup later tonight (as well as other news from the ANA meeting).
We’ve got someone on the scene to find out more – he reports “smell of smoke in the air” and traffic blocked off at 16th/Henderson (map) – on approach to the scene of a “fire in building” call at 9027 16th SW, an apartment building. More shortly. 5:28 PM UPDATE: 16th is closed between Henderson and Barton till the fire units all clear out – but that may not be too long; firefighters at the scene tell WSB “contents of a room” caught fire, and we’re seeing some units already pulling back. No injuries reported.
At left is Cheryl Crazy Bull, special guest at the West Seattle Rotary meeting today at The Kenney. She’s president of Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, but on an even wider scale, she’s in her fourth term as board chair of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Her appearance brought special student guests to the Rotary lunch — representatives of the Native American student clubs at West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth High School. Other Rotary news included the dates for their upcoming berry sales — strawberries starting June 27, raspberries starting July 11, blueberries starting July 25. More info on that (and other upcoming events) on the West Seattle Rotary website.
Thanks to those who called and e-mailed to ask about a police motorcade just spotted along California SW in the Admiral vicinity – we’re checking with the precinct. When it happened around this time last year (late May to be precise, WSB writeup here) it was a training exercise. 2:23 PM UPDATE: And thanks to the Southwest Precinct‘s Lt. Steve Paulsen for speedy confirmation that yes, this is/was “annual training.”
That lovely cauliflower photo is courtesy of Aviva with Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle, which is now recruiting participants for its upcoming first-ever Edible Garden Tour. Here’s the official announcement:
Are you a gardener in West Seattle or White Center who is growing an abundant food garden?
Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle is having an Edible Garden Tour July 26th.Are you…..
Committed to growing food in an urban environment?
Interested in meeting other food gardeners?
Sharing information and inspiration?We are looking for a diversity of gardens both in size and driving principles. Please add your garden to the tour!
Call: Helen at 206- 932-9537 (before 8 pm please) or e-mail Aviva at: info@gleanit.org
In other “edible garden” news, we have an update on Longfellow Creek Garden:
That’s one of the photos sent to us by organizer Zach, as he announced that Cedar Grove has donated 30 cubic yards of compost. He’s also continuing to organize volunteers, and currently asking if there’s a regular day of the week/month they want to sign up for. His e-mail address is zach@growingwashington.org; you can also track LCG’s progress at their site, longfellowcreekgarden.blogspot.com.
Interesting West Seattle tidbit at the end of the City Council Parks and Recreation Committee meeting that just wrapped up – the committee (chaired by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen) approved an “easement in perpetuity” for two property owners in the 39th/Barton vicinity (map) over Fauntleroy Park, six years after they fixed a problem described as tracing back to a winter 1997 landslide from their slope into the park. Parks Department employees at the meeting noted that “fair market value” was paid for the easement, though we couldn’t find the purchase price in the fine print of what the council just approved. No doubt there’s a ton of backstory on this; we’ve been digging around online and only finding bits and pieces, though it looks like there was at least one public meeting in 2001 prior to the city-approved/landowner-paid work that fixed the problem.
#1: Delridge Library is a “homework help” hotspot all school year long. 5:30 tonight, you’re invited to go thank the volunteers who’ve provided that help, and celebrate the impending end of the school year.
#2: Westwood Neighborhood Council gets a Denny/Sealth project update tonight, 7 pm, Southwest Community Center, and also plans to take up the issue of those two city-jail sites proposed for southeast West Seattle.
#3: Admiral Neighborhood Association gets updates on projects including a potential playground proposal, 7 pm, Admiral UCC.
#4: Fauntleroy Community Association — monthly meeting night for FCA too, 7 pm, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse.
Many more West Seattle events, stretching from tonight well into next year, are on our frequently updated Events page.
(photo courtesy Friends of Ercolini Park)
Two updates – first, Friends of Ercolini Park confirms that the official city-involved event to celebrate the park’s opening is now set for 10 am July 12 (but as we’ve reported before, the park and its playground are open now; the city’s working to fix the one last loose end, getting play sand for the pit). Second update — One agenda item for tomorrow night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting involves “a potential new playground on a Parks-owned piece of land at California & Hill immediately adjacent to the UCC Church.” (That church is where the ANA meets tomorrow, 7 pm.)
When last we updated you on the repair work to get the Charlestown Cafe open again — it’s now been four months since fire forced it to close — co-owner Larry Mellum was hoping for a reopening around June 10th. We just checked back with him today, since that date’s almost here; here’s his reply, with two bits of news:
Things are progressing well on our construction. I will try to give you a more specific “reopening” date later this week but we expect to be open before the end of June.
I know many people have asked about our staff and what will happen with them. Last week we held a meeting to get an idea of how many people we will have to replace. Everyone attended!!! So, it looks like we will have a good staff to “reopen” with.
If you want to catch up on all our WSB coverage of the Charlestown Cafe — both the fire situation and the development proposal that had been tabled just before the fire hit — check out this archive.
You’ll hear about this in citywide media but with so much park land and other city property in West Seattle, it seems important to link here too — Mayor Nickels just announced a proposal “to prohibit firearms on all property owned by the city of Seattle, including parks and community centers,” according to the official city news release; read it here. The announcement says a public hearing is planned, but also notes that City Council approval is not required for the rules the mayor wants to put in place. You can send comments to the mayor’s office here.
Caught this photo around noon while heading to the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), where we had the chance to chat with a great group of seniors interested in hearing the latest on WS development and other happenings. (When we headed back the other way, the lights themselves were back under wraps.) Previous WSB coverage of the Fauntleroy/Dawson signal is here and here.
Never mind the clouds and mist and drizzle, Pathfinder K-8 students were out walking laps this morning on their Genesee Hill campus to show support for PE teacher Lou Cutler (left) as he celebrates his birthday the same way he does every year – doing those laps to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which helps grant wishes for kids with life-threatening illnesses. He does one lap for every year he’s been alive – that’s 57 this year, about 10 miles! This year’s run is also a tribute to 9-year-old Maddy Murakami, a West Seattle girl who died in April; Pathfinder PTSA co-president Eric Baer says, “Lou worked with her and managed to get her wish granted – she wanted to meet Ashley of High School Musical.” We’ll share the results of today’s walk – past editions have raised thousands of dollars for Make-A-Wish — when we get the word from Pathfinder.
Just in case you were wondering: Middle College High School, which is based at South Seattle Community College, has its graduation there at 7 pm Wednesday; West Seattle High School‘s ceremony is at 5 pm Thursday (at Memorial Stadium); Seattle Lutheran High School‘s graduation is 7:30 pm Thursday; Chief Sealth High School‘s ceremony is scheduled for 1 pm Saturday.
We usually crop the rear-view mirror out of “taken from the car” photos. However, the above shot seemed to capture the flavor of our drive-by survey of West Seattle gas prices late last night. It shows the station that now has the highest WS price for regular – $4.33 @ 35th/Barton Exxon. Just ahead – the full West Seattle survey, which now includes a map as well as the text list of current and past prices:Read More
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