West Seattle, Washington
13 Saturday
(“The Carnival,” painting by Frances Smersh)
Along with what’s on our daily highlights list, here’s another option: You are invited to visit an ongoing art show today – or any day in the next 3 weeks – at Providence Mount St. Vincent. On behalf of The Mount, Cynthia Flash explains:
Many West Seattle residents are familiar with Frances and John Smersh, who own Click! Design That Fits in the West Seattle Junction. Some also know that the couple has been quite forthcoming about Frances’s younger-onset Alzheimer’s, which was diagnosed in 2015 when she was just 48 years old. As the disease has progressed, Frances has continued to ground herself with art. Her pieces, always organic and abstract, have taken on an increasingly gestural quality. She works primarily in acrylic on wood block and continues to experiment with different mediums and techniques.
Because of Frances’s diagnosis, it’s even more poignant that she is able to host a show of her abstract paintings this month at Providence Mount St. Vincent assisted living and nursing home, where she volunteered as an assistant in the art class for several years. Her artwork will be on display through February 15th and the public is invited to stop by to look. The Mount is happy to host a show of a former volunteer who means so much to The Mount community.
The Mount is at 4831 35th SW and you are welcome to stop by to see Frances’s art 7 days a week, any time between 8 am and 8 pm.
Dates are now set for feedback meetings on two more Delridge projects we’ve covered:
7035 DELRIDGE WAY SW: Last month, we noted the plan to replace an almost-century-old house with 9 townhouses and 9 offstreet-parking spaces. It’s in the Early Community Outreach for Design Review process, and a site tour for anyone and everyone interested is set for 10 am next Saturday (February 1st). You also can comment via a form linked at the bottom of this project webpage.
9201 DELRIDGE WAY SW: Last month, the revised proposal for this site had an Early Community Outreach meeting (unattended except for us).
(2018 WSB photo of project site)
The ex-auto-shop site was once proposed for a self-storage building but zoning changes disallowed that, so now the plan is for a 5-story building with 46 apartments, 3 live-work units, 2,000 square feet of retail space, and about 20 offstreet-parking spaces. It’s now going to the Southwest Design Review Board, with the first of at least two reviews tentatively set for 6:30 pm March 19th (Senior Center/Sisson Building, 4217 SW Oregon).
(Steller’s Jay, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Happy weekend! Highlights for today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
BUSHFIRE BENEFITS: Support Australia’s fire-recovery efforts by dining/drinking at Arthur’s in Admiral, 8 am-11 pm – more info here. (2311 California SW) … And tonight at 8 pm, The Lumber Yard Bar in White Center is one of several LGBTQ+ bars in the metro area raising money for the fire-recovery effort via the “Bush Bash.” (9619 16th SW)
BENEFIT WORKOUT: Happening at, and for, Neighborhood House – top fitness instructors leading a 90-minute workout fundraiser – details in our calendar listing. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
TRY BASEBALL WITH SOUTHWEST LITTLE LEAGUE: 10 am-noon at Arbor Heights Elementary:
Come try baseball for FREE or simply get your body back into the swing of baseball! Southwest Little League is hosting a free skills clinic for new and experienced players on January 25 from 10 am-12 pm at the Arbor Heights Elementary gym.
Our coaching staff will be running multiple drill stations covering everything from throwing mechanics, to fielding, to batting. The board of directors will also be on site to answer any questions parents may have about our league. We hope to see you there!
(3701 SW 104th)
OPEN HOUSE @ THE BRIDGE SCHOOL: Cooperative elementary school invites you to come learn about it. 10 am-noon. (10300 28th SW)
OPEN HOUSE @ COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF WEST SEATTLE: 10 am-2 pm, adults-only open house to learn about this preschool. (9450 22nd SW)
OPEN HOUSE! APARTMENTS FOR 55+: Tour the Parkview Apartments at Daystar (WSB sponsor), a new senior-living option, during this noon-3 pm open house. Treats and incentives! (2615 SW Barton)
RISE UP! ‘HAMILTON’ TRIBUTE BAND: 1 and 7 pm at the Vashon Center for the Arts (WSB sponsor), as previewed here. (19600 Vashon Highway SW, Vashon Island)
TALK WITH YOUR SCHOOL BOARD REP: Drop-in community-conversation time with Leslie Harris, who represents West Seattle and South Park on the Seattle Public Schools Board, 3-5 pm at Delridge Library. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
DENISE GLOVER TRIO: 7-9 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), “original Americana music and a few covers.” No cover. All ages. (5612 California SW)
‘THE REVOLUTIONISTS’: 7:30 pm at ArtsWest – comedy by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Kelly Kitchens. Check for tickets here. (4711 California SW)
GAIL PETTIS: Award-winning jazz vocalist at Pacific Room on Alki (WSB sponsor), 8-10 pm. Cover and show info here. (2808 Alki SW)]
EVEN MORE ... browse the full the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:
BURGLARY ON VIDEO: That video is from inside Steve‘s home in the 9000 block of 35th SW, after burglars broke a window to get in around 5 pm January 17th. Some items were stolen, says Steve, who adds that the SPD case # is 2020-020431.
MAIL THEFT/VANDALISM: The report and photo are from Parker near Delridge/Juneau:
(Wednesday) morning my wife found that our locked mailbox, along with all the others in the cluster, had been broken open and emptied of their contents. We have no idea who did it but I wanted to tip you off to keep an eye out for what might be a larger problem in West Seattle. I can only speculate about what they were targeting but people are receiving their W-2s this time of year. It may be the first step of an identity theft operation.
If mail theft happens to you, in addition to reporting it to police, be sure also to file a report with the Postal Inspection Service.
The Vashon Center for the Arts has joined the WSB sponsor team to ensure you know about entertainment options like this, a ferry ride away:
Rise Up, the Hamilton Tribute Band! is coming to the Kay White Hall on Saturday (January 25th), 1 and 7 pm! Rise Up is an ensemble of top Seattle vocalists and musicians that performs the amazing music of “Hamilton,” a record-breaking Broadway musical and winner of 11 Tonys including Best Musical. It is a sweeping national cultural phenomenon with music that marries hip hop, R&B and Broadway.
Rise Up delivers a performance that captures all the sophistication, detail and emotion of the music of “Hamilton”. Rise Up has performed extensively in the Northwest, selling out venues including The Triple Door in Seattle, Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia, Rialto Theater in Tacoma, Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland, and many others. Rise Up was named runner up for Best New Musical Act in Seattle Weekly’s Best of Seattle 2018. (Note: This is not a theatrical performance of the musical “Hamilton” but rather a live performance of the smash hit’s music.(
VCA Members – $24, Sr./Students – $26,
General Admission – $30, Premium Seats (first 2-3 rows) at $35
Tickets are available online.Vashon Center for the Arts started more than 50 years ago, making it the oldest private non-profit community arts organization in the State of Washington! VCA is a one of a kind art center located on beautiful Vashon Island. A short 20 minute ferry ride away from West Seattle, it’s home to The Kay White Hall – a 300 seat performance theater built in 2016 which attracts international, regional and local talent. The 2000 sq. foot art gallery presents art exhibits on a regular basis (usually monthly) that include paintings, sculpture, mixed media, photography, wood, glass, ceramics and fiber. And VCA offers a variety of dance and art education classes for youth and adults year round and has robust scholarship opportunities for families in need.
Here are some quotes from our visitors: “Intimate venue, professional acoustics and bonus lobby art gallery.” “Beautiful space and excellent selection of both performing and visual arts.” “The hall has amazing quality sound. Nice comfortable venue.” These reflect how people experience the Kay White Hall and art gallery, but VCA offers so much more. Our Dance school and Arts Education program have been cornerstone to bringing the arts into the lives of children and adults for generations. We frequently hear from students that their experience at VCA has changed their lives. Here’s an excerpt from a handwritten letter from one of our dance students. “You have opened my eyes to the thing I love the most. I am so grateful for you pushing me and giving me so many opportunities.” Art changes live. For many of us, it’s our life blood. That’s why people keep coming to VCA and why all of us who work here believe in what we do. We hope you venture across the waters and join us for performances, classes, summer camp, or a leisurely walk through the gallery!
VCA is at 19600 Vashon Highway SW – here’s a map.
Thanks to Jim Borrow for that view, from Upper Alki, of this afternoon’s rainbow. This followed several rounds of pounding rain during the day – “embedded thunderstorms” moving through, per @WestSeaWx – and the forecast suggests we’ll see more rain off and on through the weekend. Meantime, one more rainbow view:
Happy Rainbow Friday 🦄 #seattle pic.twitter.com/2Iz8mIy7ay
— Dené Miles (@DeneMiles) January 24, 2020
As noted here a week ago, the Terminal 5 project is doing some weekend pile-driving to catch up from a month and a half lost to a problem with pile breakage. In addition to Saturdays – including tomorrow – port spokesperson Peter McGraw just sent word that a Sunday date is set too: Pile-driving is now planned for Sunday, February 2nd, between 9 am and 5 pm.
(WSB photos, Thursday)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We can see the end now.”
That’s how 35th/Avalon/Alaska project spokesperson Adonis Ducksworth summarizes where things stand. We talked with him and two key project managers at SDOT HQ after requesting a sit-down interview about what’s complete and what’s left to be done on the repaving-reconfiguration-and-more project.
Also in the conversation on Thursday: construction-engineering supervisor Elsa Tibbits and engineer Jeremy Walliman.
(L-R, SDOT’s Jeremy Walliman, Elsa Tibbits, Adonis Ducksworth)
First a little backstory: First word of the project came almost three years ago.
(Rendering by Sazei Design Group)
After three meetings in 2+ years, the mixed-use project at 8854 Delridge Way SW has won final Southwest Design Review Board approval. Toplines from last night’s review meeting:
The architects began with how they had addressed the issues highlighted in the previous review last September. The revised design has a more toned-down look; the types of materials and colors have been reduced in number, with a focus on more earthy tones.
While board members were OK with the new plan overall, questions about the ground-floor “commercial” space took up most of the meeting. Early on, the project team was asked what the space would be; architect Hamid Korasani from Sazei Design Group‘s reply – it was intended as office space for the building’s management and leasing agents. They said the owner had no plans for a café or coffee shop, so no ventilation or other required food-service-related elements were included.
Public comment centered around the open space proposed for the area right in front of the office space. The plan called for furniture outside it; people living nearby were concerned it might be a magnet for loitering. Board members pointed out that the outdoor space faces onto two very busy streets (Delridge and Henderson), so it really didn’t make sense to have outdoor seating in such a busy, noisy space, especially if the commercial space wasn’t going to hold a cafe or something similar.
So the plan was approved 5-0 with the provision that there be no outdoor furniture and that the street-front area outside the office space use more landscaping and generally be rearranged to bring more attention to the office entrance.
Even if you missed the meeting, you can still comment on the project by emailing the assigned city planner, Wayne Farrens, at wayne.farrens@seattle.gov, who will be writing the final report over the next few weeks.
(Bewick’s Wren, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Highlights for today/tonight:
GRAND OPENING: As previewed here Monday, today and tomorrow, Lula Coffee in The Junction is celebrating with specials and an invitation to visit the remodeled shop. (4451 California SW)
BENEFIT BEVERAGE SALES: In front of the south Lincoln Park parking lot, hot cider, 4-5:30 pm:
To raise money and support Immigrant Families Together, students and parents from the Taproot School have been selling lemonade (summer) and Hot Cider (by donation) to ferry travelers and park goers since school began in September.
(Photo courtesy Taproot School)
They gather in front of the southern Lincoln Park parking lot, with mobile sellers to catch those in line. All proceeds go to Immigrant Families Together and all supplies have been donated or created by the students and families.
(Fauntleroy/Cloverdale)
AUSTRALIA BENEFIT: The West Seattle Eagles invtte you to dinner starting at 5 pm, benefiting the fund for wildlife affected by the Australia bushfires. All ages welcome, membership not required. (4426 California SW)
‘PROMISED LAND’: Highland Park Improvement Club screening of the docmentary about the Duwamish and Chinook Tribes’ fight for recognition. Doors open at 7, film at 8. (1116 SW Holden)
SID LAW: Live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. No cover. All ages. (5612 California SW)
COMMUNITY YIN YOGA: 7:30 pm at Bikram Yoga West Seattle. (4747 California SW)
NICOLE WALTERS: Jazz singer live at the Pacific Room (WSB sponsor) on Alki, 8 pm. Cover and show info here. (2808 Alki SW)
AT THE SKYLARK: Dead On Cue, The Mercy Ray, The Grindylow, 8 pm. $8 cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
FIRST REPORT, 9:20 AM: The whales are back! Southbound south of Fauntleroy, Kersti Muul tells WSB. We’ll update this post with any additional info throughout the day.
12:12 PM: Kersti says another “large pod” is headed this way, currently southbound, mid-channel, off Bainbridge Island, “spread out.”
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7:11 AM: Good morning. No incidents/alerts so far.
TUNNEL CLOSURE TONIGHT: 10 pm tonight until 8 am Saturday, the NB Highway 99 tunnel is scheduled for a maintenance closure.
Just in from Cinthia:
My car was stolen between the late evening of January 22nd and early morning of January 23rd. 2014 Chevy Cruze. Dark gray with black interior (no tinted windows). Washington plate AYS6208. It was taken from the 8500 block of 16th Ave SW. Police incident number 20-27059. If you see it, please call 911.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged 25-year-old Solomon D. Whitt with first-degree murder in the death of his roommate, identified by authorities as 41-year-old Jana Layman. As reported by Seattle Police yesterday, Ms. Layman died January 13th, three days after she was taken to the hospital after Whitt claimed she had fallen down the stairs in the Junction home where he lived with her and her two children. He was arrested six days later. The charging documents say he attacked her after she asked him to move out. Prosecutors say Whitt has no criminal history but asked that his bail remain at $2 million because of “the danger he presents to our community.” He remains in jail awaiting arraignment. The charging documents say the defendant and victim met while working in a youth-sports program, and that he moved in a little over a year ago to help with her children. A commenter following our Wednesday report says donations are being accepted via this church website – choose “Jana’s Family Care Fund.”
Through the morning and afternoon, we published updates on Southern Resident Killer Whales in the area, first southbound, then northbound before sunset. Tonight, some photos! Thanks to David Hutchinson for the first and third photo, Kersti Muul (today’s original tipster) for the one directly below:
Kersti says members of all three resident pods were in the area today; her photo above shows Onyx (L87) and Nugget (L55).
We just missed the whales by the time we got to Alki to have a look, but Donna Sandstrom of The Whale Trail was there, assisting with land-based viewing, which is one of TWT’s missions.
Also meeting this week for the first time since October: HPAC (which now encompasses Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge). For one, the group voted on a new logo, created by Dina Lydia of Digital Genie:
:
Other topics:
DISCUSSION WITH POLICE: Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand was there, and encampment-related issues were a big topic, as was traffic.
Here are the toplines from the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s first meeting since October:
CRIME TRENDS: Southwest Precinct crime overall was down almost five percent in 2019 from 2018, said the precinct’s operations commander, Lt. Steve Strand. They’re hoping to repeat that in 2020. Lt. Strand stressed the importance of reporting all crime so they know what’s happening and where to focus patrols. (If it’s happening now, call 911; if not, most crimes can be reported online – go here.)
When Kyle told us last week about the removal of the unauthorized speed-camera signs in Arbor Heights, he observed that ideally SDOT would have installed one of the new lower-speed-limit signs while there. It’s been more than a month since the announcement that all arterials would go to 25 mph – with our part of the city among the first to get new signage – so we asked SDOT for an update. The reply:
We are underway with necessary preparation work to enable us to install the new speed limit signs. We installed new speed limit signs on Rainier Ave S in December, and expect to drastically ramp up installations in February. We are prioritizing reducing speeds in Southeast Seattle first, and will then move on to West Seattle and the Central District. It will take us several months to complete this work in these neighborhoods, and up to a year and half to complete sign installations citywide.
Over the past month, our maintenance crews and planners have been working to prepare for this project. We have begun manufacturing the new signs and have also been working to determine the most effective locations for new signs on arterial roads in South and West Seattle. This requires planners to analyze crash data and scout out every arterial road to determine where signs will be most visible based on the landscape ahead of issuing work orders.
In addition to reducing speed limits, we also plan to greatly increase the number of speed limit signs in order to increase awareness of the change. Today, many arterial roads have speed limit signs roughly 1 – 1.5 miles apart. Increasing the frequently of signs makes them more visible and improves their effectiveness, so we are planning to place new signs approximately every 0.25 miles citywide. This will be a very large project, requiring us to manufacture and install about 2,500 – 3,000 new signs throughout Seattle.
P.S. We have another SDOT-project followup on the way, tonight or tomorrow: What’s left to do on the Avalon/35th/Alaska project, and how long it’ll take; we went downtown for a snow-delayed interview with project leaders.
If a student in your family is planning to take the SAT – you might be interested in this announcement:
Seattle Lutheran High School is hosting a SAT Prep class February – April – and you need to sign up fast:
WSHS and CSIHS students (or any other high school) are invited to join SLHS students in taking a SAT Prep course taught by a Kaplan instructor and held at Seattle Lutheran HS in The Junction. The target audience is juniors but sophomores are welcome to join if they’d like to get a head start on preparing for the SAT. Please click here to see the flyer with dates and times and to register online. The registration deadline is January 24. Keep in mind that the class often fills before the deadline in past years. Please contact Tami Clark with any questions at tclark@seattlelutheran.org
(Bald Eagle, photographed by Dan Ciske)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
BASKETBALL: Seattle Lutheran High School plays at home tonight vs. Rainier Christian. 6 pm girls, 7:30 pm boys. (4100 SW Genesee)
WEST SEATTLE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN: 6 pm at the West Seattle Golf Course, with special guest Ron Sims. Here’s how to RSVP. (4600 35th SW)
WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House High Point. Featured guest: King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who is a vice chair of the council as well as a Sound Transit Board member. All welcome. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
SOUTHWEST DESIGN REVIEW BOARD: As previewed here, third review meeting for mixed-use 8856 Delridge Way SW project. 6:30 pm at Senior Center/Sisson Building. Public-comment period included. (4217 SW Oregon)
AT THE SKYLARK: Sue Quigley, Brad Jaeger, Aly Crase. 7 pm. $8 cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
8:28 AM: Southbound orcas, south of Fsuntleroy, with “more coming,” reports Kersti Muul. Let us know if you see them!
9 AM: Kersti says a NB group is heading out of Colvos Passage (west side of Vashon).
2:16 PM: The now-NB orcas, mentioned by Kersti in a comment, are passing Three Tree Point south of here, but visibility on the water is poor as the rain/fog persists.
2:40 PM: Kersti is on the shore just south of Fauntleroy and says they ARE visible, even without binoculars, as they continue heading slowly north.
3:39 PM: Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail says they’re south of Alki Point now, putting on the best show in a long time!
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7 AM: Good morning. 2 problems reported right now – a stalled vehicle on NB 99 at Lander, and a crash on the westbound West Seattle Bridge at Delridge. Texters also mention an eastbound crash, but we aren’t seeing a dispatch on that so far.
7:05 AM: Now SDOT is mentioning the eastbound WS Bridge crash – and SFD has corrected its dispatch log to reflect it’s responding to the EB bridge, not WB.
7:20 AM: Multiple texters/tweeters describe it as a six-vehicle crash No major injuries, apparently, as most of the SFD dispatch has been dismissed.
7:34 AM: Crash scene not cleared yet; city map shows, unsurprisingly, feeder routes backed up.
8:29 AM: Finally clear.
10:15 AM: Thanks to David for the tip. If you’re headed to I-5, heads-up on an embankment fire just north of the bridge.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Alki Elementary principal Rena Deese told her students that this morning’s guest speaker was there to inspire: “She went to space, and you can do whatever your dream is!”
But Dr. Soyeon Yi – who made history as the first (and only, so far) South Korean in space – was entertaining, too, especially as she explained the particulars of, let’s just say, bodily functions in space.
Dr. Yi spent 11 days on the International Space Station in April 2008 after winning a competition – with more than 36,000 entrants! – to be South Korea’s first astronaut. As she told the Alki Elementary students, who sat rapt in the gym for her half-hour appearance, Korea had a “relationship” with Russia, so that’s where she trained. Hardest thing? Learning the Russian language, she said.
A favorite memory from that “relationship” – support from cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who in 1963 became the first woman to go into space. During Dr. Yi’s training, Tereshkova encouraged her in a sort of grandmotherly way, she told the students. And she was there for the launch. You can see the blastoff in this Science Channel report on Dr. Yi:
What she misses most about space, she told the Alki students, is the view of Earth – you can look at photos or videos of that view, she explained, but nothing matches seeing it with your own eyes.
While in space, she also did science experiments, meditated, and, she noted, had fun. In zero gravity, she observed, you can look like you’re flying, so you can pose as a superhero! She even sang in space, and played what she called “the evidence” – a recording of her singing “Fly Me to the Moon” aboard the ISS. On a more somber note, she said, all those who go into space are “ambassadors of a peaceful Earth,” showing a photo of herself holding the flag o the United Nations, whose secretary-general at the time was South Korea’s Ban Ki-moon.
After a few more space stories, such as the bodily-function discussion (takeaway: don’t forget to turn on the suction pump!), she talked to the students about gratitude – “remember you always have something to be grateful for.”
The Alki Elementary PTA, for one, was grateful for Dr. Yi’s visit, underwritten by money raised at their annual auction, including a private lunch with two families at recently opened Outer Space Seattle a few hours after her presentation:
(Photo courtesy Outer Space Seattle)
Several years after her space trip, Dr. Yi moved to the U.S., and according to this online bio, now lives in Puyallup.
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