West Seattle, Washington
08 Friday
King County Councilmembers have presented their annual Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service awards – here’s who received one in our area:
King County Councilmember Joe McDermott has awarded West Seattle resident Michael J. Scott with the Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service, an award that recognizes individuals whose work has answered the question asked by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “What are you doing for others?”
“Michael Scott’s work at Swedish Hospital and as an SEIU 1199NW Union Delegate exemplifies the spirit of the Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service,” McDermott said. “These awards provide us an opportunity to honor unsung heroes like Michael who have shown a commitment to improving the lives of those around them, while typically receiving little recognition for the good they do every day.”
Scott has served as a union delegate for the last 15 years with the Service Employees International Union local 1199 Northwest. In his work with the union, he has fought for better patient and staff safety, high standards for infection control, and better recruitment and retention of healthcare workers, an important factor in providing the best care for patients. Most recently, Scott and his union made patient safety concerns a top priority in contract negotiations.
Scott has also served as a member of the union’s executive board, helping to set goals that improve the lives of both health-care workers and their patients. Scott is a graduate of Seattle Central Community College and lives in the Avalon neighborhood of West Seattle.
This marks the fifth year that councilmembers have each selected someone from their district whose work embodies the spirit of King’s question.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:58 AM: Good morning! We just checked around – no current alerts or incidents to report.
WEEKEND REMINDER: The SB Highway 99 tunnel will close Friday night into Saturday morning for repair work, 10 pm-8 am.
Last August, we reported on teenage ultra-runner Riley Nachtrieb making it 82 miles of the way on the 138-mile Olympic Discovery Trail. Then in September, as also reported here, she completed a mini-documentary about the odyssey, “Broken.” Now, her filmmaker dad Erik Nachtrieb, who worked on it with her, sends word that “Broken” has won a film-festival award!
West Seattle High School Senior Riley Nachtrieb’s short film, “Broken,” documenting her 140-mile run across the Olympic Peninsula, is awarded “The Spirit of Adventure” amongst all the films submitted in the 2020 Auburn Adventure Film Festival.
Last weekend was the three-day Auburn Adventure Film Festival, with the award ceremonies Sunday night. 160 International films were submitted with only 32 selected for screening during the festival. Riley’s self-funded project was amongst films that were sponsored by REI, Filson, Danner, and Eddie Bauer. Riley Nachtrieb is the Director of Video at WSHS, co-captain of the cross-country team, an ultra runner (someone who runs 30-100-mile races), and an aspiring filmmaker. She was the subject of the film, as well as, worked closely with her father and 1iOpen Productions to create this film, which was never meant to be a film.
This is 10 minutes of her 24-hour emotional rollercoaster finding the strength to ask herself questions few 17-year-olds have to face. This is more than a run, it’s watching the evolution of emotion, maturity, and the human potential of a young woman in real time.
Riley continues to run, is involved in the Seattle film community, and will be heading to college while writing screenplays and filming. Her award-winning film can be seen here:
Friends and family are sharing this remembrance of Mauree McKaen:
Mauree McKaen
November 6, 1946 – February 6, 2020Mauree McKaen, also known as Mo, left the world she loved on February 6, 2020. Behind her, she leaves a blazing path of beauty and memories that are etched on the hearts of friends, family, and even strangers who met her just once. She was an energy to contend with, a sister, a mentor, a guide, and a friend, with a sense of humor that made everyone laugh, even the doctors who diagnosed her terminal cancer and worked to keep her pain-free in her final days. She wasn’t just one in a million, she was one of kind.
Mauree was born in Pinckney, Michigan and received her MSW from the University of Michigan. As Executive Director of Family Group Homes for Youth in Ann Arbor, she helped create positive living environments for young people from troubled families. After moving to Seattle in her early thirties, Mauree pursued her J.D. from the University of Puget Sound. Rather than practice law as a full-time occupation, she started her own consulting company, Leadership Unlimited, through which she helped organizations change their cultures and mentored leaders to become more conscious of their impact on others. Mauree also served a term on the Seattle Ethics Committee, among other community roles.
They say a dog is “man’s best friend.” Well, Mauree was every dog’s best friend. She couldn’t walk down her own street, or pass a puppy in a foreign country without engaging in a deep conversation with the furry creature, who would often, then, much to the chagrin of its owner, try to follow her home. This passion led her to start a dog care business upon retirement.
As the most determined and steadfast patron the Goodwill has ever known, Mauree was a shrewd shopper. She could find a brand new, never been worn, Ralph Lauren jacket in a bin of hidden clothes no one else bothered to look through and walk out looking like a million bucks. Other’s tried, but never quite had her eye for quality at a great price.
She was the champion of animals, children, the elderly, or anyone down on their luck. While she was a woman of modest means, she gave generously to those in need.
She loved politics, but despised most politicians. As an avid consumer of political news, from local to international, she would engage with anyone willing, seeking to share the imperative of a saner, kinder, more just world.
Mauree was an adventurer and traveled widely during her life, both across this country and abroad, hiking parts of the El Camino trail during her last three years on Earth. Her joy in discovering new cultures and finding new friends made her youthful into her seventies, and she had a knack for entertaining everyone on her path with her infectious laugh and stories of her travels—even if it was only to the grocery store.
Mauree’s greatest gift was her ability to love people as they are, to inspire them to live into their own greatness, to believe in the human spirit, to look for the best in everyone regardless of their past or their station in life—to cherish the beautiful, to care for the broken, to model what it means to be an extraordinary human.
She was a shining star who illumined, inspired, and guided others to lead lives as joy-filled and giving as hers. Her infectious laughter, curiosity, and belief in the possible nourished and guided us all. Through her example she showed us who we could be, how we could give, and what a well-lived life was.
In lieu of flowers, her friends and family ask that people honor her legacy by taking action to make the world a better place, to act with greater kindness, to alleviate someone’s suffering, to make a difference in the life of another in some small or great way every day.
Among those who will miss her most are her two dearest and longest friends, Laurie McDonald Jonsson and Carol E. Anderson, her treasured mentee turned true confidant, Julie Mierswiak, her nature-loving soul sister, Archer, and her big-hearted, dog-loving neighbor circle, Susan Hurst, Kindree Brownbridge, Dave Grieve, and Mary Slowinski, her sister Mary Jo Nichols, her brother Kevin McMacken, and her beloved Ridgeback dog, Caleb,
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
Today was scheduled to be the first day of Ola Salon‘s consolidated operations at its Burien location, after shuttering its original space in West Seattle’s Luna Park neighborhood. The salon sent its clients an announcement including, “We would like to thank you for supporting Ola Salon and Spa in West Seattle over the past 15+ years. It has come time for Ola to move out of our current location and merge into our newer location, Ola Salon and Spa in Burien, which is only 15 minutes away (less than 10 miles South) at the end of February. Remember when everyone thought West Seattle was so ‘out of the way’!?” The Burien address is 1835 SW 152nd. This leaves two business spaces vacant in the Luna Park business district, since the former Shack Coffeehouse is still seeking a tenant, according to its marquee. P.S. Thanks for all the tips on this!
That’s the official packet (also here in PDF) for next week’s Southwest Design Review Board debut of the 5-story apartment building proposed at 3417 Harbor SW, just north of the West Seattle Bridge. The packet goes into full details of the proposal, including the three options for “massing” – size and shape – which is a key focus of the board’s first review, officially called Early Design Guidance. The packet by architecture firm Atelier Drome says that the project team’s “preferred” option would have 126 apartments and 71 offstreet-parking spaces.
The packet also has details on the proposed landscaping/streetscape – including “a welcoming corner entry plaza featur(ing) a special paving pattern to signal the entry to passersby on the sidewalk along with a welcoming two-sided bench” – and notes they want to remove one “exceptional tree” on the site, a bigleaf maple that they say is in poor health. One design point likely to be a subject of discussion: ” Locating the parking at the basement level minimizes the visual impact of the parking on the majority of the facades, but presents a design challenge on the Harbor Ave facade – a site long concrete wall.” The SWDRB meeting is at 6:30 pm Thursday, March 5th, at the Senior Center/Sisson Building, 4217 SW Oregon, with a public-comment period. If you can’t be there, you can send comments to the assigned city planner – crystal.torres@seattle.gov.
Celebrate Leap Day by seeing what’s up with Delridge Grocery Co-op since the ceremonial groundbreaking back in November (WSB coverage here). You’re invited to an ice-cream party at the store space on Saturday – here’s the announememt:
Delridge Grocery Co-op invites you to a special afternoon House Party this coming Saturday (Leap Day, February 29). Come see how construction is progressing, enjoy some special ice cream, and learn about how you can help spread the word about our growing Co-op (more on that below).
Working with Full Tilt Ice Cream, we’ll be serving a special flavor whipped up just for this occasion — Vegan Marionberry with Chocolate Swirl. Thanks to our social media community for a lot of great ideas, and Carly Glenn (who follows us on Instagram) will be getting a DGC T-shirt for helping us decide to go non-dairy.
Girl Scouts will also be on hand selling cookies in front of the Co-op — perfect for adding to your ice cream.
Our Ice Cream House Party is the kickoff to our new DGC House Party Plan — a return to our roots in how we spread the word about our Co-op and a way that our members can help keep us growing.
To make our store successful and move forward with our goals — healthy food available at affordable prices, investing in our community — we need to grow the number of owners we have (currently standing at 570).
And that’s where our Co-op owners and interested members of the community can help by spreading the word with neighbors and friends in West Seattle at your own house party, dinner soiree, or pub hangout.
If you want an excuse to have a gathering that can help make a difference, a DGC board member can stop by to give a short introduction about the Co-op to your guests. We’ll tell you all about it at our own House Party.
It’s happening 2-4 pm Saturday at the DGC future-store space, 5444 Delridge Way SW.
(WSB photo)
12:21 PM: Seattle Fire sent a big response to an apartment building at California/Dawson after reports of smoke. First units on scene say it is a Dumpster fire inside the building. Avoid the area. Updates to come.
12:24 PM: The response is being downsized, as crews quickly got the fire “knocked down.”
12:30 PM: It’s out. They’re requesting the SFD investigator to come figure out what started the fire.
(Photo sent by Bill)
12:37 PM: Adding photos. Firefighters pulled the Dumpster out into the alley. No injuries; the building is a bit scorched.
From Angela via email:
My car was broken into last night. I live on 38th Ave SW, cross street SW Hanford st. They got away with my car charger and cord, the manual to my car, a few pairs of sunglasses, and a tube of hand lotion. Nothing super valuable, just very annoying. I must have left my car unlocked (though i swear i locked it…. but thankful for no damage). I did the online reporting of this incident for statistics purposes. If anyone sees a Subaru Forester manual while out walking, pick it up for me!!!! I can’t imagine the thief/thieves keeping that….
Thanks to Brooke for this week’s #TurkeyTuesday photo – we appreciate pics of The West Seattle Turkey, now completing Month 10 in peninsula residence! Now, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
MARDI GRAS EVENING: It’s Fat Tuesday. You’re invited to a “family-friendly Mardi Gras evening,” 5-7 pm at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church. (3050 California SW)
TRACK WORKOUT: Meet at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) for this free weekly workout. (2743 California SW)
FAMILY STORY TIME: Bring the kids to Delridge Library, 7 pm. Free. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
TUESDAY TRIVIA: 8:30 pm at Admiral Pub. 21+. (2306 California SW)
TUESDAY OPEN MIC: Your turn! 9 pm at Parliament Tavern. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
PREVIEW THE DAYS/NIGHTS AHEAD: Browse our complete Event Calendar!
Help a local teen get others moving! Here’s the announcement:
West Seattle Bike Drive
Saturday, February 29th
10 am-1 pmDrop off your used unwanted bike, bike parts, and bike accessories to benefit Bike Works, promoting the bicycle as a vehicle for change to empower youth and build resilient communities.
Hosted by 8th grader Spencer Mueller
**Parking lot behind** Hope Lutheran Church & School
4456 42nd Avenue SW
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:58 AM: Good morning! No current incidents/alerts in our area.
NEW BUS PATHWAY: Second weekday that most buses from/to West Seattle are using the Columbia Street Transit Pathway downtown. (The map and route list are in this preview.)
ROAD WORK: As previewed here, work is scheduled to continue today on 26th SW north of Roxbury.
Three suspects who were charged two weeks ago in unrelated West Seattle cases all appeared for arraignment today before King County Superior Court Judge Patrick Oishi. Here’s what happened, according to court documents:
ALKI SHOOTING: 21-year-old Allan D. Hawley was arraigned on 2 counts of first-degree assault, filed against him in the February 2nd Alki Beach shooting that left two other men injured. Hawley requested that his $400,000 bail be reduced, but the judge said no, so he remains in King County Jail. His record includes 1 felony conviction, as a juvenile, in a burglary case.
JUNCTION ROBBERY: 38-year-old Monique S. Anderson also was arraigned today. She is charged with one count of second-degree robbery, accused of getting violent while trying to steal sunglasses from West Seattle Optix in The Junction on February 5th. Anderson also requested a bail reduction; that motion was denied and she remains jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail. Her record includes three adult felonies and one juvenile felony.
TOOL THEFT/BUYBACK STING: 31-year-old Jared M. Bruce had already been released on personal recognizance by the time he was charged in this case. When charges of attempted stolen-property trafficking and unlawuful gun possession were filed, his bail was raised to $75,000. Though he has 17 adult felony convictions (along with 8 juvenile felonies), he remains out of custody, now ordered to be an electronic home detention. He told the court he’ll be living in Lakewood.
ORIGINAL 2/24 POST: When longtime West Seattle community member – and WSB community participant – Jan Seeley died last November, her family announced a memorial on what would have been her next birthday, and promised a reminder when the date approached. That date is Wednesday, March 4th, so it’s time for that reminder. Jan’s daughter Jess sent the details:
3-6 pm March 4th
The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW)Please join us to celebrate the life of Janet Seeley. We’ll be gathering in the Vashon Room at The Hall at Fauntleroy in West Seattle. Please bring your memories to share. Some wine and beer will be available, and also potluck foods as mentioned below.
We will be collecting donations for the West Seattle Food Bank if you’d like to give back in some way. This was a resource that was there for her in some hard times, and I’d love our community to support them! The links here are lists that the food bank needs, rather than just canned goods from the pantry.
This will be a potluck event, so please consider bringing a dish to share. Make sure if you bring a dish, that you bring it back home with you when you are done, we do not need leftovers. Here is a sign up sheet.
In the WSB Community Forums and comments, Ms. Seeley went by JanS. Here’s her obituary, published here December 1st.
MARCH 1ST: Jan’s daughter says this is canceled for now due to illness.
Two years after Tap Station closed at 35th/Kenyon, the next tenant is working to overhaul the space. Readers have noted the work going on, and today we finally found someone there who confirmed to us that – as suggested in permit files – it’ll be a new branch of Realfine Coffee. Julie Mierzwiak opened Realfine at 4480 Fauntleroy Way SW in fall 2015, and added a Capitol Hill shop a year and a half ago. We’re told the work on the new shop is proceeding relatively slowly, so it’s still likely months away from opening.
(WSB photo from 2019 West Seattle 5K)
As noted in today’s edition of the West Seattle High School newsletter Westside Weekly, the date is set for this year’s West Seattle 5K – Sunday, May 17th. It’s the 12th annual run/walk to raise money for the WSHS PTA to help students; WSB has been a sponsor every year since the start, and we’ve signed on again. THey’re still seeking more sponsors, so if your business/organization is interested, email westseatttle5k@westseattle5k.com. Meantime, if you just want to run/walk – the route’s along Alki – stay tuned, as registration opens soon.
(WSB photo from January)
West Seattle has been without a vehicle-licensing office for almost two months now, and that isn’t going to end very soon. As first reported here in late December, longtime subagent West Seattle Licenses closed at year’s end, with information emerging a week later of an investigation into “improper transactions made by employees at the office.” Meantime, King County – which administers the contracts for offices like this – said it would be looking for a new subagent to serve this area. So today we checked back on where things stand. Regarding that search, county spokesperson Cameron Satterfield told WSB that the Request for Proposals is being finalized and “the posting should go up late this week or early next week.” (You can watch for that here.) As for the investigation, we checked with the state Department of Licensing, which told us there’s nothing new yet – they’re continuing what they call an “administrative review (of) irregularities” since receiving the records and equipment after West Seattle Licenses closed.
Even before winter’s end (three and a half weeks!), it’s time to plan for summer. The city’s Summer Playground Program will include three West Seattle parks this year, and an announcement today opens the search for program providers:
Seattle Parks and Recreation is seeking individuals, groups, or organizations to provide culturally relevant, safe, active and reliable programs to the community through the Summer Playground Program. The focus of the Summer Playground Program is to provide free healthy meals, as well as fun, innovative and active programs at park sites across Seattle that will have a positive impact on the children, families, and communities of Seattle. The Summer Playground Program will run from July 6 to August 21, 2020.
The Summer Playground Expanded Recreation Program Request for Proposals (RFP) is targeted to the following SPR locations: Beacon Hill Playground, Brighton Playfield, Judkins Park and Playfield, Madrona Playground, Othello Playground, Pratt Park, Powell Barnett Park, Lakewood Playground, E.C. Hughes Playground, Highland Park, Roxhill Park, Georgetown Playfield, Little Brook Park, and Greenwood Park.
Summer Playground Expanded Recreation RFP applications can be completed and submitted at seattlepark.gosmart.org. Applications are due by Tuesday, March 31, 2020 by 11:59 p.m.
You can apply for one or multiple sites. The criteria and other info can be found here.
(Townsend’s Warbler, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, highlights for the hours ahead:
TOUR SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE: 2 pm, see the campus and find out more about studying there. Sign up here. (6000 16th SW)
AFTERNOON BOOK GROUP: 2 pm at Southwest Library, This month’s book is “The End of the Affair” by Graham Greene. (9010 35th SW)
FREE TAX HELP: 2-7 pm at Delridge Library, reservations not required, as explained here. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
2ND SEATTLE IRON & METALS COMMUNITY TOWN HALL: Care about Duwamish River-vicinity health? Be there, 6 pm at South Park Community Center:
Hear from Seattle Iron and Metals on their progress since the January 2019 settlement over long-running pollution problems at their site. Project delays, improvements made, and other updates community members should expect based on the settlement will be covered. This event is the second Community Town Hall and is a follow up to last year’s gathering. Representatives from Seattle Iron and Metals, Puget Soundkeeper, and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (DRCC) will be present to discuss and answer questions from community members.
Here’s our coverage of last year’s briefing. (8319 8th Ave. S.)
ZEN MEDITATION: 7 pm at Fauntleroy UCC, hosted by Puget Sound Zen. All welcome, meditation experience NOT required – details in our calendar listing. (9140 California SW)
3 TRIVIA/QUIZ NIGHTS: Three options tonight:
*Best of Hands Barrelhouse (7500 35th SW; WSB sponsor), 7 pm, $2/person, 21+
*The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), 7:30 pm, free, all ages
*Parliament Tavern (4210 SW Admiral Way), 8 pm, $2/person, 21+
WHAT’S AHEAD TOMORROW AND BEYOND? Browse our complete Event Calendar!
Friday is the nomination deadline for the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s Westside Awards. The awards recognize Business of the Year, Emerging Business of the Year, Not-for-Profit of the Year, and Westsider of the Year. Nominations come from the community – chamber membership is NOT required. Just use this quick form for each nomination. You can go here to see the criteria and lists of past winners. This year’s winners will be honored at the annual Westside Awards breakfast at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 7:30 am (new date) May 5th.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning! No current incidents/alerts in our area.
BACK TO SCHOOL: Seattle Public Schools resume classes today after midwinter break.
NEW BUS PATHWAY: First weekday for most buses from/to West Seattle to use the Columbia Street Transit Pathway downtown. (The map and route list are in our reminder published last night.)
ROAD WORK: As previewed Sunday, work is planned today and tomorrow on 26th SW north of Roxbury.
One more reminder that most West Seattle buses are now on the new downtown pathway – Monday’s the first weekday since the switch. Here’s the map and route list one more time:
Columbia Street, once best known for an onramp to the southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct, is now carrying buses to and from surface Alaskan Way, connecting to Third Avenue. This SDOT post shows its configuration. Let us know in WSB traffic-coverage discussion tomorrow how it goes!
Three weeks ago, we noted a plea hearing was scheduled for Michael Gutierrez, the former West Seattle High School JV-girls basketball coach charged with inappropriate sexual communication with a player. It didn’t happen on the date shown in online court files then, but documents now show it did finally happen. Gutierrez pleaded guilty to one count of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. That’s what he was charged with last June, about four months after he was fired from the part-time coaching job following a district investigation. Charging documents said he “engaged a student-athlete he coached in (in)appropriate sexual communication in electronic communication and in person. The defendant kissed the girl and also grabbed, or spanked her bottom on a number of occasions.” Gutierrez, 29, has no criminal record and is scheduled to be sentenced by King County Superior Court Johanna Bender on March 13th. According to the case files, prosecutors are recommending a one-year jail sentence that will be suspended if he successfully completes two years of probation. The conviction will require him to register as a sex offender.
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