West Seattle, Washington
04 Wednesday
We didn’t think he was long for this world after the School Board smackdown of his Phase II Closure Recommendation last Wednesday, just hours after it came out. And now comes the news – superintendent Raj Manhas is leaving.
West Seattle might make the news again tonight, thanks to yet another car crash. We saw at least two tv camerapeople getting video of a car that smacked into a brick column in front of the Admiral Heights complex on California just north of Admiral earlier this afternoon.
The superintendent’s final recommendations just came out, and he’s not backing down from the Pathfinder/Cooper merger. But he did decide not to close Roxhill after all. The final word rests with the school board, in two weeks. UPDATE: Here’s the P-I story, with Roxhill reaction; there’s also some in the Times writeup.
Chalk another one up for West Seattle Blog Spouse, who bet me that the ex-Remo Borracchini spot in The Junction would become a “fancy bakery with something French in its name.”
Sometime in the past 24 hours, a sign went up, as follows: “Coming soon (to delightfully spoil West Seattle with bread, pastry, cakes, chocolates and coffee)/Bakery Nouveau/home of world baking champion 2005/USA top 10 chocolatier 2004/William Leaman.”
According to a variety of online references, Leaman’s been at Essential Baking Company in North Seattle for a while and does indeed have quite an impressive resume, dating back into his teens. West Seattle’s got a fair amount of good bakeries — so could this mean we’re in for something great?
-If you need to travel Alki Avenue/Harbor Avenue near the crash zone (see post below), beware — might be closed for a while — we were just down there a bit to the west side of the bend in the road, and yellow tape still stretched across the road, requiring drivers to turn around and head back toward the beach. Didn’t get to check where the shutdown was on the Harbor Ave side. Meantime, more updates are posted now: P-I story, also channel 5, also channel 7, nothing on the Times site as of 11:45 am … Consensus seems to be the SUV was speeding big-time before careening off the road.
-Speaking of traffic, we also cruised past Chief Sealth HS to see how jampacked the parking areas were for the Mars Hill/WS test run. Lots and lots of signs for “church parking,” including over on the Southwest Community Center side. Hope they are paying the city and school district a bundle of bucks for the privilege of tying all that up …
Just heard the news … two people killed early this morning after missing a turn and driving into the bay. Police 911 call log (link’ll only be valid till 11:59 pm tonight) cites 1238 Alki Avenue (map), with the first callout around quarter past 5 am. As the folks on the Yahoo “Alki Beach Community” group point out, the only local-news source with an online mention right now (including a video link) is channel 4. One of the ABC group members also says police are waiting till low tide early this afternoon to tow the car. This comes five months after another crash in the area that killed 2 people.
As expected, the city council says “Go, tunnel, go.” However, note paragraph number three … can’t wait to see what the council’s definition of “infeasible” is.
Just announced by Seattle Public Schools this morning ... now Roxhill is on the chopping block, and Pathfinder is poised for a move to Cooper. Here's coverage from the P-I, and from the Times.
… is the fact that a fellow blogger is actually claiming to be excited to be “scooping” WSB. And more exciting STILL is what “Robla” has posted — a link to the Westwood Village website (scroll down the directory on the right) revealing that PIZZA IS COMING TO WV!!!!! (oh yeah, and Taco del Mar, too, but we’ve already got that in Jefferson Square)
Now the big question — does anyone have any idea what a “Gionnoni’s Pizza” is? Google draws a big fat blank (aside from the aforementioned Westwood Village link). What is this dastardly trend of places opening without websites where we can find out more about them? (like Talarico’s, which finally advertised a website in the Hi-Yu Festival booklet but as of this writing, that website is still “under construction”)
Anyway, thanks, “Robla”! We had news about a new Junction biz (thanks to a tipster) but now it’ll have to wait till later …
Back from a grand tour of WS with several bits of news. Most will have to wait for morning, except for this bit of breaking news from the Junction: An eviction notice is posted on the front window of Emily Ann’s Dollar Boutique (the former Kitty Corner, next to Key Bank, across from and to the south of Easy Street). It’s dated today and gives the store 10 days to “vacate.” Beneath that posting, rather superfluously, is a simple page with this bold print: WE ARE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
-Not only is West Seattle home to the mayor, we’re also now home to Miss Seafair! (Official coverage and photo on the Seafair home page, here.) So now if you’re joining us at the Torchlight Parade downtown on Saturday night, you can cheer crazily for her as well as for the fine folks on the Hi-Yu float.
-Haven’t heard a lot of noise on the school-closure issue lately, but the final School Board vote is set for tonight. There’s been a lot of excellent, thought-provoking discussion for the past few months — including issues beyond the closures/consolidations — on the “Saving Seattle Public Schools” blog, whose main contributor will be a Pathfinder parent next year.
-Lost/found dog/cat notices are sadly common on poles and windows — but last night while out and about, we spotted a “found rabbit” notice. It’s in the window of Pet Elements on the south end of Morgan Junction, and pretty vague, mentioning only that a “small domestic rabbit” was found “on California Avenue” and suggesting a call to the Seattle Animal Shelter if it might be yours.
The ruling’s in, according to a short post on the Seattle Times’ home page, which says regulators have pulled the school’s two titles because of the girls-recruiting scandal.
A WS Blog visitor forwarded us this e-mail overnight … won’t get to head out and independently verify it till later, but it looks like the garden shop on the north edge of the Junction is pulling up stakes:
Farewell from In Bloom
When we first opened the store in November 2003 it was with the dream of creating a welcoming environment to showcase and sell the things we loved: garden accessories, house plants, vintage pottery, home decor, and local crafts.
In Bloom has lived up to many of our dreams, providing us the opportunity to meet many wonderful customers and artists, as well as giving us an outlet to showcase fine products and creative ideas. Unfortunately the demands of running a store have taken their toll on our health, happiness, and well-being. And so, with our hearts full of warm feelings and our heads full of happy memories, we are closing the store in August 2006.
Sorry to hear it. That’s a tough location, right at the edge of the business district, but one that we think will be a boom zone within a few years — these nice folks may just have been ahead of their time.
Not sure exactly what’s up — we’ll check while en route to the Pirates in a bit — but WS Blogger Spouse tells me that Alaska is all torn up on the block between Easy Street and Key Bank. Last-minute work in time for next weekend’s Summer Fest/Street Festival/etc.?
Speaking of which, the whole music schedule is up online for the festival … and as a tipster told us a few weeks back, it’s quite a lineup, sponsored by West 5, Easy Street, and KEXP.
Wow, in the olden days, the music lineup was pretty much something that couldn’t have been sponsored by anything more eclectic than (bless their hearts) the Senior Center and Poggie’s Tavern. How far WS has come!
The superintendent’s “final” (for now) school closure/change list is out — and Pathfinder’s move to Boren is now out. Pathfinder will stay on Genesee Hill but the district says it’s got to go somewhere. More on Saving Seattle Public Schools, including links to full details.
The West Seattle Bridge reopened in both directions late this morning after wreckage from the overnight crash was cleared. We’ve heard that the Water Taxi did extra business because of the traffic nightmare, and it’s adding some extra runs for folks returning home tonight. As of mid-afternoon online reports, no information apparently about who the crash victims were or what exactly caused the crash.
If you use the high bridge to leave WS in the morning, check the traffic reports and the bridge cams before you go — right now it’s closed both ways because of a deadly crash. Here’s what’s online right now in the relatively early morning: P-I, channel 7, channel 5.
If you’ve never had to detour around the bridge before, beware the low bridge as an option — in situations like this, it clogs pretty fast. Heading south through White Center and then north on Highway 509 can also work.
Made it over to get a closer look at “Al’s.” Sorry I got it wrong while driving by the first time — it’s Al’s CAFE and Espresso, not “Deli.” Small hand-lettered sign promises “soups, salads, sandwiches.” It was closed by the time we got there, so I can’t vouch for any of that myself. An interesting sighting nearby, though — a couple doors down, next to West Seattle Cellars, a liquor-license notice is posted for “Vino Verite” — with a handwritten sign promising “Wine Bar Soon!” (I see it’s got a Web site too.) Makes sense, but I’m wondering what’s up with all this “Verite” — that’s the real name behind the Cupcake Royale people, too.
Just noticed somebody new’s moved into the former Bubble Lounge Caffe (that’s the way they spelled it) on the east side of Cali Ave, a few blocks north of Morgan Junction. Big “Grand Opening” sign for “Al’s Deli and Espresso.” Didn’t have time to stop in to find out more — will wander by as soon as feasible.
New liquor license application filed for something called the “Divina Cantina” at 4212 SW Genesee, just north of the Junction. A search on that address comes back right now with some sort of drywall business. No time right this moment to drive by and have a peek — but isn’t that the church zone?
The new school-closure plan is out, and HP Elementary got cut from the list (PDF document; West Seattle’s moment in the sun starts around page 16). Fairmount Park still has the Grim Reaper hanging around, though. Meantime, since High Point’s not closing, Pathfinder’s looking at a NEW new home — Boren (the current temporary home of Cleveland High, the past temporary home of Madison Middle). If the district manages its assets wisely, I see some lovely new view homes coming to Genesee Hill … they could at least honor the to-be-relocated school by calling the mini-subdivision Pathfinder Pointe, perhaps. Or — will Genesee Hill go the way of its current students’ “new” home, which according to this district info-sheet has been “closed” longer than it’s been open (yet lives on with rotating occupants)?
Back from a peek at the Cupcake Royale grand opening-fest in the Junction.
As we stood in line for the freebies, along with dozens of other cupcake-curious folks, West Seattle Blogger Spouse hissed at me, “WHAT does it say on her T-shirt?” referring to the chirpy young CR staffer handing out mini-cupcakes “to tide (line-waiters) over.”
“Legalize FROST-itution,” I reassured WSBS. Just one of several mildly suggestive slogans on T-shirts for sale inside the shop, which was busy and buzzing, if semi-spartan. A big blue star dominates the back wall, loosely coordinated with the medium-blue paint gracing the ceiling (though the walls otherwise are off-white).
But I know you’re not here for a decor discussion. Sorry to say, I didn’t try the cupcakes; hadn’t had dinner yet. One of my escorts did try ’em, and describes the chocolate-with-chocolate-frosting cupcake as “airy.” (Side note — the beverage selection includes some old-school bottled sodas, like Squirt and Crush.)
Meantime, Coffee to a Tea with Sugar (aka Sugar Rush Baking Company) across the street bravely soldiered on. Both CTS/SRBC and CR have posted hours till 10 pm. Clearly no one associated with these joints remembers the dim days when the Junction had nothing open till 6, much less 10. P.S. The Super Supplements signage is up in the old Urban Fitness place, and it just looks wrong, somehow.
… but Alki Elementary, which was on the last list, is not one of them. That surprises me, as I’d guess the district would make a mint from selling that land to condo developers.
The ones that did make the list just made public tonight are Fairmount Park and High Point. However, that fancy new-ish building at High Point won’t close — the district wants to move Pathfinder over there.
Maybe the district figured that Genesee Hill real estate is worth more than the Alki land? Better views. More later when the official district docs are out …
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