West Seattle, Washington
26 Wednesday
Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Walking through Fauntleroy Park one day last fall, Steve Hodson was surprised to hear the sound of chainsaws. Walking toward the south ridge of the park, he came upon a tree-cutting company taking down trees and dropping the debris on a recently restored hillside, crushing the new vegetation.
Hodson, who has been a park steward for many years, pointed out to the tree-cutters that they were dropping debris on a newly restored site.
West Seattle’s eagles have made headlines recently (both here and on TV) – but don’t forget the rest of our amazing avians – like the owl Trileigh photographed at Lincoln Park this morning:
It’s not only eagles who are increasingly active this season! Many of our forest species are feeling the energy of spring. If you keep your eyes, and especially your ears, open, you can see all kinds of life in our West Seattle parks. Here’s a photo from this morning of one of our Lincoln Park Barred Owls, named “Oswold” by one of my students in honor of young Wollet of a previous year. If you’d like to find owls, pay close attention to when other birds large and small are making a loud fuss…you may get lucky and find that the source of their concern is a nearby owl!
(We appreciate the tip – we’ve had about as much luck owl-watching as we have had whale-watching.) If you missed WSB reports on the owlet Trileigh mentioned, Wollet, check out this 2009 story.
(Photo added 1:51 pm)
The fence is finally coming down at Delridge Playfield, which has brand-new turf as the result of a multi-million-dollar renovation project. Seattle Parks confirms that the fencing should all be down by tomorrow. They have also set the date for a community celebration, according to Parks’ Karen O’Connor: Saturday, March 12, 12:30 pm-2:30 pm (north field).
West Seattle-based Grindline, which (as a subcontractor) created the design (above) for Delridge Skatepark, is one step closer to building it. A week and a half after the word that Grindline had submitted the “apparent low bid” in the second round of bidding (here’s backstory on the 1st round), project manager Kelly Davidson has an update this morning: “The formal Request to Award to Grindline has been submitted to City Contracting. This means that Parks has reviewed and approved all pre-qualifications and we will move forward with contracting and bonding. This process can take 2-4 weeks.” Once the bid is awarded, then a date will be set for construction to start. The city says Grindline’s bid was $483,000 (almost $20,000 lower than its bid in the 1st round).
8:08 AM: It’s an annual event to help Hiawatha Community Center raise money to cover program fees for those who wouldn’t be able to participate otherwise – and it’s happening right now. The annual “all you care to eat” pancake breakfast is under way till noon – $6/adults, $5 for kids 4-12, free for 3 and under, breakfast meats and beverages included, 2700 California SW.
10:30 AM UPDATE: Went by for photos, which we’ve just added. Still time to go have pancakes, sausages, and more!
If you saw police in the Lincoln Park area yesterday afternoon – here’s what it was about. Just out of the WSB inbox:
Yesterday about 3:30 PM, I (woman, late fifties, in good shape) was stalked by a white male, early 30’s, 5’11”, about 175, fairly attractive, with broad shoulders and about a 29 pant size – athletic. He had on a black ski hat, and I believe it had an orange stripe around it, a navy jacket with the collar up around his jaw, and light gray sweat pants.
I was walking from the south going north to the bluff trail, and just past the children’s zip-line ride towards the bluff trail. This man just appeared out of nowhere, and was heading for me, having to circle bushes that were too thick to walk through, but short enough to see over. He was looking straight into my eyes. As soon as he got around the bushes, about 8 feet from me, he noticed I had two dogs, so he made a U-turn and started walking next to me heading for the bluff trail. We were secluded and had not come to the trail yet. The park has bunch of little trails right there, and I was on the main trail. I don’t know where he came from.
My intuition, and the events with attackers at the park, put me on high alert, and I knew I didn’t want him behind me, so I stopped and told him to go ahead of me. He did, but as we walked, he kept slowing down, forcing me to slow down or get closer to him than I wanted to get. I knew there are benches along the bluff trail and we would come to one soon, so I waited him out and than stopped at the first view point with a bench. I did some stretching and must have waited about 10 minutes before I started back up the trail, thinking he had time to move along.
After I began walking up the trail, I met a woman with a cute dog and we talked about dogs while our dogs played a bit. Next I came upon an older couple who pointed out an eagle in a tree to me, so I talked to them and watched the eagle for a while. The guy I had let pass me, the creep, had plenty of time to move up the trail.
On the trail is a workout station to do pullups, and at that station, I thought I would go into the woods and “relieve myself”. After all a woman in her late fifties has to pee all the time. Well thank God & Goddess that before I went into the woods, I stopped to check if anybody was around, and there was that guy! He was behind a tree and I could see his arm. As I moved closer to him to make sure what I was seeing, he moved around the tree hiding from me. He almost caught me with my pants down! A lesson for me!
After I finally realized he was hiding from me and I had better get out of there, I went back onto the trail and a young woman with headphones on was jogging down the trail. I stopped her, thinking she wouldn’t hear the guy come out behind her, and she & I walked out of the park together. We decided his behavior was too strange and we called 911.
By the time we got to the north parking lot, at the instruction of the 911 operator, the police were on their way, and took our statement in the parking lot. The police called me last night, telling me a total of four cars searched the park, and they did not find the guy.
All & all, it was a pretty scary afternoon and I am sure as I think about how that guy was staring hard into my eyes that he had ill intent for me or some other woman. This is not the first time my dogs have saved me from predator men. I grew up in Lincoln Park and have been going there my whole life, and am always careful to stay on main trails, but nonetheless, this guy found me at the most secluded juncture of my walk.
Please pass this along. I wish to remain anonymous.
There was some scanner traffic regarding this search yesterday – we had checked with police, who had nothing to report at the time, but we are checking again. While at this point there is no indication this had anything to do with the suspect arrested, charged, and released last week, Duane Starkenburg, we should note that part of the conditions of his release on bond was an order to stay out of Lincoln Park.
ADDED 11:25 AM: Responding to our followup e-mail, she says she was shown a photo of Starkenburg and “it was not him.”
We are at Corner Café on First Hill along with about 40 people who came for a coffee conversation with City Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw and Sally Clark – many of them from youth-sports groups furious about the major fee increase they have to pay because of the new city budget. Among them, West Seattle Little League president Mark Terao, who sounded the alarm citywide recently and was unhappy to hear Councilmember Bagshaw tell him flat-out, there’s nothing they can do about the fee increases this year – they’re in the 2011 budget to stay, but they can certainly talk about next year’s budget, although they couldn’t guarantee cuts next year – only that there won’t be another increase for 2012. She also said that leagues having trouble paying the fees should contact her. Seattle Lutheran High School and West Seattle Soccer Club are other West Seattle concerns that have been mentioned. And youth-sports reps from all over the city have pointed out, as has WSLL, that they put major amounts of their own money and volunteer time into field prep, upkeep and improvements, which should be taken into consideration, instead of charging them the same increases as other types of organizations. Bagshaw acknowledged, and apologized, that the teams did not get clear advance notice of how things were going to change: “This did not go well, that you didn’t know.”
We’ll add video later; this isn’t the only topic of the councilmembers’ meeting, which was announced as open to all – they’ve also heard concerns about human-services cuts and the Department of Neighborhoods changes/cuts – Bagshaw described the latter as “just nuts,” but also said, it’s nuts to cut other services too, and notes “nobody wants anything cut,” so, “when things get better, we’re going back.” And what they heard included a message from one attendee: “We want to be part of the process.” (Also among the attendees from West Seattle, City Council candidate Michael Taylor-Judd.) More later.
ADDED: Video of Seattle Lutheran High School athletic director Bob Dowding explaining their concerns to the councilmembers:
On this day when many kids aren’t in school, a reminder about a before- and after-school program at one of West Seattle’s city-run community centers. From Brian Judd at High Point Community Center:
Through a partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Associated Recreation Council, High Point Community Center provides a licensed School Age Care Program for our neighborhood children. The program offers a caring and creative learning environment for children ages 5-12. We provide care in the morning from 7:00 am-9:00 am and from 3:00-6:00 pm in the afternoon. During the Breaks and Holidays we also provide camps as well as a summer program! Our daily schedule offers various projects and activities that range from cooking to jewelry making, homework time, games and snacks. The staff is energetic, encouraging and are looking forward to working with your children!
Before School Care: $175
After School Care: $275
(Addition child Discount: $10)Please contact us at: highpoint.childcare@seattle.gov to learn more about our program.
High Point Community Center
6920 34th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98126
(206) 684-7422
(Panorama of Bar-S fields; photo courtesy West Seattle Little League)
Some sunny Saturday, not that far away, the West Seattle Little League will take the field at Bar-S Playfield. Right now, in addition to dealing with their ongoing Snack Shack project at the field, they are signing up players – and dealing with what WSLL president Mark Terao calls “shocking news”: They’re being asked to pay almost $13,000 in fees to the city this year, up from $5,000 last year, to help balance the city budget.
In a reply to Terao, circulated in a league-wide e-mail, Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, who chairs the Parks Committee, says the fee increases – for adult sports as well as youth sports, and other activities – are “unfortunate but necessary.” Tomorrow, WSLL reps are planning to bring their concerns to Bagshaw and Councilmember Sally Clark at a community-conversation event they are hosting on First Hill, and at least one other local youth-sports organization is hoping to do the same – more on that later.
For one example of how the fee increase translates, Terao explains:
(Rendering of “vertical playpen” that’s part of the challenge-course plan)
By Karen Berge
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
More than 25 people attended the community meeting at Camp Long on Thursday night to learn more about the new ropes/challenge course that is scheduled to be built there this spring.
Meeting organizers from Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Camp Long Advisory Council and WSU 4-H were on hand during the meeting, as well as before and after, to field questions. (See their full PowerPoint presentation here.)
Before things got busy today, we were pursuing a few followups. Here’s news from one: Delridge Playfield project manager Ted Holden tells WSB, “I am really hoping that by next week the fences will be down, the goals up and the kids enjoying the field.” He says that if crews get some dry weather this week, they can finish the turf installation, then: “After that, the General Contractor needs about 2 days to finish the concrete work at the site entrance and we can call it a wrap.” It’s been more than six months since playfield work started; Holden notes it’s taken longer than expected because the July start “cost us those all-important dry days.” As noted on the project webpage, the field’s new design includes “two striped soccer fields, one softball field, one baseball field, one woman’s lacrosse field overlaying the north soccer field, one men’s lacrosse field overlaying the south soccer field, two striped Ultimate fields overlaying the south soccer field, and one smaller Ultimate field demarcated with ‘cone dots’ overlaying the north soccer field.”
Seattle Parks is about to decide whether or not to go ahead with the controversy-beset West Seattle Golf Course driving range. Last time we checked with project manager Garrett Farrell, to find out what was next after last year’s public meetings (most recent one, October) and unpopular design concepts, he suggested checking back in mid-January. So we did. Though Farrell wasn’t available for comment today, Parks leadership fielded our question and sent this answer through spokesperson Dewey Potter, saying they’re almost done with a review that might lead to the project being canceled completely :
You probably know that this project is the first project under the 2009 Golf Master Plan. The intent was to locate a new driving range west of the clubhouse along 35th Ave. SW. Unfortunately, as we moved into the detailed design and engineering phase, it became apparent that the location presented a number of unforeseen problems.
Our design team developed an option to locate the driving range closer to the clubhouse at the fairway for hole #9. This location would necessitate reconfiguring the hole and several pathways. Through three public meetings, the design team has tried to design the driving range in a way that preserves the integrity of the existing course and contains the overall project costs. As you know, the fairway 9 location has stirred some controversy and opposition by many West Seattle golfers.
Late last year ago Acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams and Acting Deputy Eric Friedli met with staff and closely reviewed:
1) the proposed plans for the driving range and related changes to the course
2) the public input received through the public review process
3) the costs and available funding for the project.We have asked staff to conduct an additional review and analysis of the driving range project in the context of the entire Golf Master Plan for our review in January. After review of the project it is entirely possible that we will not press ahead with the West Seattle driving range project. We want to make sure that if the project does move forward it is consistent with the history of the course and meets the needs of the golfers; if it does not go forward, we will adjust the overall Golf Master Plan in a way that meets the needs across all our municipal courses. Eric met with the West Seattle Golf Men’s Club on January 12 to get a better understanding of their concerns.
The review should be complete in the next week or so and we will schedule another public meeting to present and discuss it with the golf community, and we’ll let you know when that meeting is scheduled.
The three design concepts proposed so far came out in August (concerns included a potential 90-foot-high net), September (concerns included potential alteration of 2 existing holes on the course), and October (concerns included potential changes to 3 holes).
Almost a year after first word of a “ropes course” coming to West Seattle’s Camp Long, the plan is advancing, and Seattle Parks has just sent word of a community meeting where you can find out more about it:
Seattle Parks and Recreation is hosting a public meeting for the community to learn about the new ropes course coming to Camp Long; it takes place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 27 at Camp Long, 5200 35th Ave SW.
Last year, Seattle Parks and Washington State University 4-H entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to bring a ropes challenge course to Camp Long.
Parks’ news release continues after the jump:Read More
As previewed here last week, the re-bidding process for Delridge Skatepark is officially open today – the city is advertising for bidders starting today, and will open the bids on February 2nd. Skatepark construction is estimated to cost about half a million dollars. The Delridge project – planned for the greenspace north of Delridge Community Center, at the northwest corner of Delridge and Genesee (photo above, with tags blurred) – was the first topic for the citywide Skatepark Advisory Committee last night. After noting that the project was about to go out for re-bidding, committee members discussed their frustration with the way the first bidding process ended – the low bidder didn’t meet the qualifications that were developed with SPAC input, but instead of then automatically giving the contract to the 2nd-lowest bidder, which was associated with the local company, Grindline, that designed the park, Parks management decided to rewrite the qualifications. One big frustration for committee members, particularly chair Ryan Barth and West Seattle’s Matthew Lee Johnston (who elaborates on the frustrations in this new post at SeattleSkateparks.org), was the fact that the city could not legally send the project out for a design/build bid; Parks staffer Susan Golub explained state law prevents that. Barth and Johnston wondered how to push for a change in that law – while noting that could take years, and more skateparks will be built in the meantime. (Delridge is one of five citywide slated for construction this year – “The Year of the Skatepark,” Barth dubbed it before adjourning the meeting.)
New progress toward starting construction on Delridge Skatepark, which went on hold for a while last fall in a controversy over bidder qualifications, resulting in a decision to have the project re-bid: Seattle Parks‘ project manager, Kelly Davidson, tells WSB this afternoon: “Delridge Skatepark was signed off today by City Contracting. It will be advertised on Tuesday 1/11 and it will bid on Wed 2/2.” If all goes well from there, she says, groundbreaking is likely in March. (The project’s also on the agenda for next Monday’s Skatepark Advisory Committee meeting, 6 pm at Parks HQ downtown.)
As you might recall from the most recent city-budgeting process, Seattle Parks‘ community centers are under the microscope in an attempt to figure out what role they should have in their neighborhoods, and how they should be run, among other issues. The office of City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw – who chairs the council’s Parks Committee – just sent a reminder that a new team is being formed to come up with recommendations, separate from the budget process, which already has brought major cuts to some centers, including Alki. They want community members on the team as well as city reps, and the application deadline is approaching – Monday afternoon. It’s a short-term commitment; the team’s supposed to make a recommendation to the council this summer. Here’s how to help.
From Seattle Parks this afternoon, what you can expect from their community centers, parks, pools, etc. in the next few weeks – read on!Read More
Look what the weekend rainstorm washed up at West Seattle Golf Course. The storm also left its mark in several places around the course, through which Longfellow Creek runs. After a one-day closure on Sunday, on Monday (as first reported here), golfers were barred from using carts, because of path damage:
One person with an exemption: course superintendent John Price, who drove WSB’s Christopher Boffoli around the course Monday afternoon on a tour of the storm-damaged spots.
See some of what else they saw, after the jump:
Hope you’re not going for a walk in Lincoln Park in this weather – but if you were planning on it, you might reconsider. One of the uphill trails is closed tonight, according to Seattle Parks‘ Joelle Hammerstad, “out of concern that it may slide.” West Seattle geologist and photographer Trileigh Tucker pointed out the problem, and took the photo above, showing what she described in e-mail to Parks as “a new ground crack, about 5-6 meters long, along the west side of Trail #3, which leads gradually up from Colman Pool to the bluff.” Parks sent an inspector, and what he saw led them to cordon off the area; Hammerstad says a parks engineer will go out tomorrow for a closer look at the situation.
Two weeks after the Seattle City Council finalized a budget for next year – which among other things changes Alki Community Center into a “limited-use” facility – the details of what that means for people who use the center are finally worked out, while those involved acknowledge it’s a work in progress.
We sat in last night on the meeting of the all-volunteer Alki Community Center Advisory Council, whose members will be more responsible than ever for what happens at Alki CC – most of its programs are funded through the council, including preschool and child care. Among the toplines of what’s ahead: We know the new hours; we know that (as first reported here in October) the popular Alki Art Fair won’t happen next year unless someone else is found to present it; and we know that tonight will be the last time the West Seattle Art Walk includes an Alki Bathhouse stop.
Read on for details:Read More
Congratulations to volunteers from West Seattle’s Hiawatha and Alki Community Centers for winning 2010 Denny Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Stewardship, as presented by Seattle Parks last night. From the announcement:
Up and Coming Youth Award
Natalie “Wolfy” Whithan, Hiawatha Community Center Teen Council
At just 17, Natalie is already making a big impact in her community. She is a member of the Hiawatha Community Center Teen Council and the Youth Engaged in Service program. She has helped the center create more organized office systems, reshaped the Teen Advisory Council, designed colorful bulletin boards that highlight the teen program, led younger youth in fun activities, and ran special events at both the Hiawatha and Southwest community centers. She is a bright light to those around her.Associated Recreation Council Volunteer of the Year Award
Darrell Glover, Alki Community Center Advisory Council
Darrell not only helps lead the center with important policy and monetary decisions through his work on the advisory council, but he also rolls up his sleeves to help out for special events. He advertises events to businesses, parents, and friends before the event; sets up tables, passes out equipment, and supports staff during the event; then takes out trash, sweeps up afterward, and ensures the work is done before going home himself.
Natalie and Darrell were two of six West Seattle-linked nominees, as first mentioned here last month.
Though registration started yesterday for Seattle Parks community centers and pools’ winter programs, if you tried to find a copy of the winter brochure, you couldn’t. This, we’ve learned today via a discussion on Twitter, is because the department has needed extra time to figure out the schedules for the budget-determined “limited hours” community centers – including Alki – since the budget was just finalized two weeks ago. Parks says the brochures might be posted online as soon as tomorrow (watch the right sidebar on the home page for your favorite community center – the West Seattle/South Park centers and Southwest Pool all combine their schedules into one brochure); the printed version will follow. But you don’t have to wait for the brochure to get program information – check out the online-registration system SPARC by starting here. (P.S. Your West Seattle Community Centers, which are part of the WSB sponsor team, are “likable” on Facebook too.)
2:07 PM P.S. Just discovered on the Alki Community Center webpage that its Advisory Council meets tonight, 7 pm, to talk about next year – a meeting certainly of interest to anyone wondering how the budget cuts will affect its offerings.
Following our earlier report about Walt Hundley Playfield getting Parks and Green Spaces Levy money for new turf, as recommended by the levy’s Oversight Committee last night, here’s more big news from that meeting: Of the two West Seattle projects that were finalists for money from the levy’s Opportunity Fund, both will get money – one from the fund, one from other sources. The committee is recommending $520,000 for Puget Ridge Edible Park, a site for edible gardening, education, and more, proposed for a parcel in the 5200 block of 18th SW. (Added Wednesday – Stu Hennessey tells WSB that work should start next spring.) And it’s recommending that the Highland Park Spray Park – originally scheduled for a very basic installation where the HP wading pool is now – get “inflation funding” so that it’ll get the water- (and fun-) maximizing features that community advocates led by Carolyn Stauffer were asking for. The recommendations need approval from acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams, and then the City Council will vote on them next year.
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