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Proposals sought by Parks: West Seattle Stadium; Alki firewood
February 26, 2009 11:04 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

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If you don’t frequent the city Parks Department‘s page for “requests for proposals” – you might have missed word that the city has finally published the official “request for proposals” to get a private operator for West Seattle Stadium. It’s one of two RFPs of West Seattle interest — the other seeks vendors to sell firewood at Alki (and Golden Gardens). More on that in a moment. First, the stadium proposal has been in the works a while (first covered here last fall), and still seeks an operator that will pay for improvements as well as run the stadium; the desired improvements are described in the RFP this way:

At minimum, the City has identified the North Grand Stand area, including the restrooms, locker room, walkways, and concession building as a focus for major renovation.

That appears to be a shorter wish list than the draft version of the RFP (9/08 WSB report here). Proposals have to be turned in by March 26; a decision is to be made, with applicants notified, by April 23. Now, about that firewood – the RFP for the vendor search is the last surviving remnant of last summer’s brief beach-fire-ban flap:

Interesting tidbit buried in this RFP – year 1, the vendor-sold firewood would be just an option for beach-fire fans, but if there’s a year 2, they would no longer be allowed to have the option to bring their own:

The Department is seeking proposals from operators to sell wood to the general public for beach fires at specific beach locations in these two parks, from May 1 2009 through April 2010. The Summer months which includes May through September and selected special events, such as the Christmas Ship event, would be the required and most-beneficial times to sell. (NOTE: Park Patrons are not required to purchase wood from this concession and are allowed to bring in their own wood during this first year. If the Department decides to extend or advertise again the following year, we will require that all Park Patrons must purchase the wood from the permitted vendor.)

The Department will select the concessionaire(s) that best demonstrates the ability to provide
innovative, affordable, safe and reliable services to park patrons while paying reasonable concession
fees to the Department. The price of the wood must be no higher than the average price of wood
sold in the Seattle metro area stores (ie Safeway, Albertsons, etc.) You are encouraged to offer
services and/or products that would be complimentary to the existing uses of the park. The
Department reserves the right to approve any proposed business activity.

If you want to seek that contract, March 11 is the deadline for your proposal. Forms and details for both RFPs are linked from this city page.

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Alki/Golden Gardens beach-fire update from Parks: “No changes”
January 21, 2009 12:38 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

beachfirefromhell.jpgYou probably remember the brief but fiery controversy last year when a Parks Department briefing paper posited the possibility of dramatic changes in the rules regarding beach fires at Alki and Golden Gardens. Eventually, the idea was tabled, and the Parks Board — now chaired by Alki resident Jackie Ramels — asked for a post-summer update on how things were going. That update is finally scheduled to happen at tomorrow night’s Parks Board meeting, and the briefing paper has just been posted on the Parks Department website. In short, no changes are planned/proposed for this summer at either beach – but the department is going ahead with plans to seek a vendor to sell “clean-burning firewood” so that fire-ring users will have that option. The briefing paper also includes myriad stats on how many fires and problems occurred at both beaches last summer, and includes this overview:

Certain behaviors continue to be a challenge including parking at Golden Gardens, alcohol consumption at both parks, and burning of inappropriate material that cause hazards and illegal fires. Parks staff is effective at eliminating illegal fires when they occur and report that most people are cooperative when it is pointed out that alcohol is not permitted. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is contacted regarding incidents such as fights and significant parking issues. Overall, the beach fire program was successful in preventing illegal fires, use of illegal burn materials and enhancing the general adherence to park rules.

The briefing paper says beach-fire “program” costs at Alki this past summer totaled more than $27,000, while Golden Gardens costs were more than triple that. (For comparison’s sake, Alki had five fire rings last summer, GG had 13.) Tomorrow night’s Parks Board meeting, by the way, is at 7 pm, parks HQ in Denny Park downtown; this is NOT an action item – just a briefing.

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Just published online: Newest edition of the Alki News Beacon
January 14, 2009 2:16 pm
|    Comments Off on Just published online: Newest edition of the Alki News Beacon
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | West Seattle online

News from the beach, semimonthly, courtesy of the Alki Community Council (which has a business meeting this Thursday at 8:30 pm at Alki Community Center, right after the Elliott Bay Water Taxi/Seacrest open house) — you can read the new News Beacon right here, right now.

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Alki seal pup update: Back at sea after “17-hour nap”
January 11, 2009 1:43 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Saturday photo, by Colby)
The harbor-seal pup who decided to climb the Alki boardwalk-to-beach staircase across from Pegasus is back out to sea, after an all-day/all-night vigil by the Seal Sitters, on whose behalf Brenda just posted this update in the comment section following our Saturday coverage:

A little past midnight on Saturday, the juvenile pup Forte aptly lived up to his name by returning to the sea at low tide. He had a little trouble navigating the big steps on Alki back down to the beach, but he demonstrated his strength and health by doing so after enjoying his 17 hour nap in the middle of the city’s busiest beach.

We are happy to see the pup back in the waves and wish him good fishing, safe journey, and calmer seas! Thanks to NOAA and their full-time stranding expert, Kristin, for her good advice.

Thanks to all the intrepid Seal Sitter volunteers who kept vigil over Forte all those long, chilly hours and to the West Seattle neighbors who showed concern and care by keeping their distance and just letting the pup rest amidst us.

Keep your eyes out for any other pups on our beach. We are so fortunate to share our shores with wild animals. It’s what makes our neighborhood a little larger than just us, a little more welcoming to all. For further information on Forte’s big day on Alki Beach and more photos, see the Seal Sitters blog at www.sealsitters.org

And thanks so much for the West Seattle Blog’s concern and coverage.

Your neighborhood Seal Sitters

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Update: Alki harbor seal gets a name, and is doing OK
January 10, 2009 3:29 pm
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | Wildlife

ORIGINAL 3:29 PM POST: Thanks to Colby for the tip and the photos – a baby seal is up on the landing between two waterfront staircases on Alki, across from Pegasus. The area is taped off and under Seal Sitters guard. (4:16 PM P.S.: A commenter asked if it’s alive – Colby’s note included this: “Aside from a little blood on his nose, he (or she?) appears to be resting. Every so often, one might catch a peek of him taking a nice restful breath.”)

7:42 PM UPDATE: Lots of great updates in the comments – thank you all! – most recently, this, from Lynn:

Update from the Seal Sitters: the NOAA biologist discerned from our photos of the Alki pup, which we named Forte which means strong in Spanish, that the wound on his nose is a superficial and not life threatening. Forte is underweight for this time of year but all other signs suggest good health (I.e. Stretching in the banana pose, alertness, steady and calm breathing, no coughing and no discharge from mouth, nose or eyes.) It is natural for a seal to haul out on our beach to rest after foraging and these big storms. Thanks to eveyone for keeping their distance and allowing the pup for sharing our shores. We are grateful to NOAA for their guidance and we will keep the WSB updated. If you want to volunteer for watching over Forte, call 905-SEAL (7325).

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West Seattle snow: “New waterfront condo”
December 22, 2008 12:56 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

Putting up a few separate items before we top the home page with the “afternoon updates” post – this deserved a post of its own. “Admiral Skier,” who clearly is familiar with our intensive coverage of West Seattle development issues and projects in less-snowy times (all archived here, newest to oldest), e-mailed:

I was out on a ski around Alki today and came across a new waterfront condo. I don’t think this one went through the design review process, but maybe you saw the permit come up?

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Beach-fire fans, take note: Parks Board to get a “status report”
December 2, 2008 8:05 pm
|    Comments Off on Beach-fire fans, take note: Parks Board to get a “status report”
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

beachfirefromhell.jpgRemember the brief battle over beach fires earlier this year? To recap: Parks Department staff prepared a briefing document in June suggesting a ban (WSB coverage here), public outcry ensued, the Parks Board turned a hose on it? The agenda for next week’s Parks Board meeting is out, and the “written status report” requested by the board will be part of the meeting. The agenda also includes (as we mentioned yesterday) the park-naming policy review, an update on fees, and the latest on reservoir-lidding (WS has two such projects — Myrtle, which is done except for the park component, and West Seattle next to Westcrest, which is well under way). The Parks Board meets at 7 pm Thursday 12/11, parks HQ at Denny Park downtown.

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Next creation, Alkihenge?
October 27, 2008 10:19 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Seen around town | West Seattle beaches

From Beach Drive Blog, the return of the rock stacks.

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Lowman Beach temporarily a less-swinging place
October 14, 2008 11:02 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

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While visiting Lowman Beach a few days ago to get photos for this ducky little WSB story, we were surprised to see its swing set had vanished, nothing left but the sand square. It’s the only piece of official play equipment at that park, and it’s been a favorite of ours for years of walking down to Lowman with Junior Member of the Team. So we asked the Parks Department what’s up, and heard back this morning from Carol Baker, who manages park maintenance for this section of the city. She says it’s an upgrade, and that a sign will be posted at the site to advise park users as follows: “The swing set has been removed. It will be replaced with a new swing set, curb, and new safety surfacing. The new swings will be open by November 2008, weather permitting.”

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West Seattle scenes: 3 more weekend pix
September 8, 2008 1:47 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Pets | Seen around town | West Seattle beaches

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Congratulations to the Westcresters team (click that pic for a full-size version so you can see everyone better!) for their achievement in this weekend’s PAWSWalk – they raised more than $4500! (Some of it, from a doggie-treat bake sale at Westcrest last weekend, and we hear some WSB’ers stopped by.) Next, a different view of Sunday’s Car-Free Day on Alki (our full coverage is here):

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Babs sent that after returning from what she termed a “glorious bike ride.” And speaking of glorious, we got this next shot while at the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza for the Saturday sunset concert (coverage here):

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Don’t mean to jinx anything, but there are indications next weekend might be nice too. Lots going on – including the West Seattle Gateway Cleanup and the Evergreen State Barbecue Championship on Alki; we’ll be previewing the big events in the next day or two.

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Mars Hill baptisms at Alki, year 2: Church’s “FYI”
August 22, 2008 12:34 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

We told you last month that Mars Hill Church was planning water baptisms at Alki again this year. Tonight the church has posted an update on the event planned for next Tuesday night, including an FYI that “This event pertains to the West Seattle campus only and is not an all-campus event like last year.” The update also says the event will include “BBQ, epic beats via DJ Sandman, a brief message, testimonies.” (Here’s our coverage from last year.)

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Having a ball: Alki beach-volleyball tournament results
August 18, 2008 12:27 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

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(photo by Brian Todd, Aus der Traum Photography)
Ah, beach-volleyball weather, suddenly seems like a distant memory with thunder rumbling in the distance again tonight … WSB was the “media partner” for Saturday’s EVP Beach Volleyball Pro Tour stop at Alki, and tonight we have the final word on not only the winners, but also how/when you can see it on TV – that plus more pix ahead:Read More

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West Seattle Weather Watch update: Beach now, art tonight
August 14, 2008 2:43 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle weather

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We’re into the 80s and likely headed into the 90s – we can report there’s still room at Alki for you as of our reconnaissance mission a short time ago – surreys like the one above (Space Needle WHICH way?) are out in force, and the snow-cone stand in the background looked to be doing brisk business. Around Alki Point, the shoreline’s also fairly uncrowded, though geese are patroling the water in sizable numbers:

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By the way, we thought this might be the right time to remind you about the ice-cream map we posted here earlier this summer. Find it here (along with additional reader comments about cool treats). Speaking of maps, click right here to get one for the West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk, with more than 30 venues participating all around West Seattle, from The Junction to Admiral to Delridge – 6-9 pm, a great excuse to get out of the house during the hottest time of the evening (especially if your home is like ours and holds the heat well!).

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New “Seattle Free School” class in WS: Beach volleyball!
August 14, 2008 12:30 am
|    Comments Off on New “Seattle Free School” class in WS: Beach volleyball!
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle beaches | WS & Sports

volleyball.jpgInspired by beach volleyball competition at the Olympics? Envious of what you see on the sand at Alki (and by the way, the EVP Pro Tour will be there Saturday)? The wildly popular Seattle Free School has just announced a free “beach volleyball for beginners” class, 6 pm August 22nd on Alki. But you have to sign up – here – ASAP.

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Mars Hill announces another “beach baptism event on Alki”
July 21, 2008 3:08 pm
|      37 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

That video clip and another one we posted on YouTube after the 9/14/07 Mars Hill Church baptisms at Alki remain the most-viewed WSB videos ever (while also among our lowest-quality clips, since we got our first video camera just three days earlier). In the ten months since, not only have we gone through some changes, so has the Mars Hill-West Seattle website, where we just found this update with word a new round of Alki baptisms is planned during an end-of-summer barbecue, 6-9 pm August 26th. While the post proclaims, “A West Seattle summer would not be complete without a beach baptism event on Alki,” at this point it’s not described as a regional event, unlike last year, which MH leader Mark Driscoll declared “the biggest mass baptism in Seattle history” (WSB coverage here).

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Reader reports: Potential “red tide” @ Lincoln Park
July 19, 2008 3:09 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

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Michale Farrar sent that photo along with one of two WSB reader reports we have received today about this unusual coloration along the northern Lincoln Park shoreline. (Thanks also to Amy for e-mailing about it.) The state Health Department‘s biotoxin page doesn’t include any new “red tide” alerts, nor does its hotline; we’ll let you know if we find out anything from anyone else. UPDATE: In comments, JanS notes a tv story last night about the same thing at Seahurst Park in Burien, and says that report described it as a nontoxic algae bloom.

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Alki Community Council meeting: New “street end” park, and more
July 18, 2008 4:13 am
|    Comments Off on Alki Community Council meeting: New “street end” park, and more
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

The intersection of Bronson and Harbor doesn’t show up on online maps – or else we’d have one above this sentence. But it’s a real place – on the water side, a city-owned “street end” – and the Seattle Department of Transportation is finally ready to turn it into a park. SDOT “shoreline street ends” program manager Patti Quirk, who’s a West Seattleite, came to last night’s Alki Community Council meeting to talk about the plan – something community leaders have long pushed for, but couldn’t quite get approved, till now. Read on to find out more, plus other toplines from the ACC meeting:Read More

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Sunset shots, from Alki to Seacrest
July 18, 2008 1:00 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle beaches

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Thanks to David Hutchinson for the sunset silhouette of the Tribal Journeys canoes and onlookers at Alki (here’s our earlier report, with more info, photos, and links) – the canoes will be on the beach till Saturday morning, so there’s still time to go see them in person. Meantime, thanks to Austin for photographing this fireboat show near Seacrest:

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Photos, video, news tips, reader reports always appreciated, editor@westseattleblog.com (other contact options listed here) … thanks!

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Surf ‘n’ birds: Eagle family snapped on the shore
July 17, 2008 9:36 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | Wildlife

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(click to see a larger version)
You see them soaring overhead – or sometimes perched in a tree or on a piling – but this is a somewhat unusual view of West Seattle bald eagles, courtesy of Susan Grossman of Singing Pixel Photography. She writes:

I was very excited to watch this eagle family interact on the Duwamish Head end of Alki this morning. While the bird in the foreground is gigantic, it seems to be a half-fledged chick. It was running along the beach on and off for a good half hour, flapping its wings and crying piteously and hopping into the air and crashing back down, while Mom sat on the pontoon with what looks like an older or better-developed sibling and watched. Eventually Mom and sibling came back to the chick. Mom seemed conflicted; the youngster would crouch and flap his wings and peep yearningly at her exactly like a begging sparrow chick, and Mom would move toward him and stretch her head toward him, then jerk away. Eventually Mom flew back to the pontoon and Sibling stayed on the beach with the youngster, huddling with him and grooming him in what looked like a comforting way, and watching while he found some fish and excitedly ate it. Eventually Youngster made it into the air and Mom joined him and the family soared off.

I don’t know much about eagle behavior, but it looks like the chick, which is monstrously huge but a baby nonetheless, is at that stage where the parent starts being impelled to start withdrawing parental care. But everyone in the group looked miserable and conflicted. Do eagles live in multi-age groups? The sleeker young eagle definitely seems better-developed and looks older, but he or she also clearly had a strong bond with the ruffled youngster.

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Seen on the shore: Eye-catching boat at Lincoln Park
July 17, 2008 1:09 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches

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Bruce Butterfield of the Fauntleroy Community Association tipped us to this boat when he saw it passing southern West Seattle shores – by the time we got down to Lowman Beach for a look, it was on the beach at Williams Point (by Colman Pool) – we couldn’t take the time to walk over there right now to find out more, but caught this photo via zoom. 4:48 PM UPDATE: Looks like it’s part of Tribal Journeys – just got some photos from Alki – posting them separately. Web site here.

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Coastal coyote: Sighting by the sea
July 17, 2008 11:21 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | Wildlife

Out of the WSB inbox, from Patricia:

During the usual morning dog walk, we were on Beach Drive headed towards Alki point, just across from the Sewage Treatment Plant when I heard a running sound. Looked down at the beach (tide was out) and a coyote was looking at us as it ran south along the beach.

Pretty exciting to see. Expect to see them up on the hills and in the parks, but not on the beach!

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What else happened today: Beach Drive cleanup
July 11, 2008 8:48 pm
|    Comments Off on What else happened today: Beach Drive cleanup
 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle beaches

Home now from Day 1 of West Seattle Summer Fest – our running updates/photos/video from earlier are here; we’re going to post another wrapup/look-ahead report with more pix a little later – but we’re checking around to be double-sure we didn’t miss anything too big this afternoon, and just found this: Beach Drive Blog reports that volunteers from REI were out cleaning up the Beach Drive shoreline at Emma Schmitz Viewpoint. (You’ve got a couple chances to join volunteer cleanups tomorrow, by the way – two Saturday midday work parties in West Seattle are listed, along with dozens of other happenings, in our WS Weekend Lineup.)

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Alki pump-station project update: More trucks, noise ahead
July 10, 2008 9:30 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

For the first time in months, Metro sent out a major update on the year-and-a-half-long 53rd Ave. Pump Station expansion project that’s been under way along Alki since March. Major points: Next week, for a period lasting up to 36 hours (likely Tuesday/Wednesday), a particular phase of the project will require wastewater to be trucked away from the spot instead of channeled through pipes. Crews will work around the clock, but Metro warns people to expect “increased noise, more truck traffic on the road and potentially odor.” Here’s how the “Vactor” trucks will get to and from the site:

Trucks traveling to the West Seattle Pump Station will follow Alki Avenue Southwest to Harbor Avenue Southwest. Trucks traveling to the Alki Stormwater Treatment Plant will follow this route: Alki Avenue Southwest to 63rd Avenue Southwest to Beach Drive Southwest to 64th Avenue Southwest to Southwest Wilton Court.

Then in late July, four to five weeks of “sheet pile driving” will commence, to stabilize the site for excavation, and residents are warned this is likely to bring vibrations as well as more noise. You can read the entire Metro project update here; the project’s main infopage is here.

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