West Seattle, Washington
17 Wednesday
(Photo courtesy South Seattle College)
921 graduates from the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Class of 2016 are on their way to the next phase of their lives, after last night’s 46th annual SSC Commencement Ceremony at Benaroya Hall downtown. Here’s the class breakdown from SSC’s Ty Swenson:
South Seattle College conferred a total of 921 awards this year, including 463 associate transfer degrees that enable students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities in Washington and beyond to complete their bachelor’s degrees.
Another 277 graduates earned associate degrees and certificates that prepare them to enter the workforce immediately.
Forty-nine earned their bachelor’s degrees, including the first class to obtain a Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Sustainable Building Science Technology.
And 132 graduates earned their high school diploma or equivalent, taking a significant step toward increased earning potential and future educational opportunities.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist rower Mary Whipple was the featured speaker.
P.S. If you’re thinking about going to SSC – registration continues for summer quarter, which starts June 27th.
(WSB photos)
After five (interrupted) days, Samuella Samaniego says she plans to take down the Orlando-solidarity/sympathy sash and banners at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza tonight at 8 pm. She adds, “A bagpipe musician has made himself available for the removal. I realized (that) if I did not do something different (for the removal), it might end up feeling like I was simply taking down a petition that had all the signatures it needed. The people who lost their lives, and/or their loved ones, who now have to find a way to live with the loss, should be honored with something more than cutting the ties that have kept the memorial secured to the Statue.”
We visited this morning to take the photos you see above; the panels are covered in names and messages so there’s not much room to add new ones, but if you want to see them before they’re gone, or to be there this evening as a tribute, now you know.
Thanks to the texters who shared the news and photo:
Just wanted to pass along that our 12U team “Blue Thunder” won the West Seattle Girls Softball championship (Wednesday) night. We beat the “Flamethrowers” in a nailbiter of a game. It was 5-5 going into the last inning. We scored 5 in the top of the inning and shut them out in the bottom of the inning. Final score was 10-5.
You can find out more about WSGS on the web and (with more championship news) on Facebook.
Just in from the King County Wastewater Treatment District, as the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project across from Lowman Beach continues advancing toward completion by year’s end:
King County’s contractor for the Murray CSO Control Project will begin working on Sundays inside the facility building starting as early as this Sunday, June 19th.
Work will occur during daytime hours and will be limited to quiet, indoor activities. A small crew will be conducting electrical and mechanical work inside the building using handheld equipment. This work will not exceed noise levels outlined by City noise ordinance. You may notice crews going to or coming from the site.
Thank you for your continued patience during construction. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns by email, by calling the project hotline at 206-205-9186, or by stopping by our booth at the Morgan Junction Community Festival this Saturday from 10 am-5 pm.
Hopes and dreams for Food Lifeline‘s new Hunger Solution Center in South Park (815 S. 96th) were written on a blackboard during last night’s celebration. The party of course included a ribboncutting, with FL CEO Linda Nageotte deploying the oversized scissors:
More after the jump: Read More
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
7:24 AM: Good morning. Quiet Friday so far. So here are the weekend reminders:
SATURDAY VIADUCT CLOSURE: The northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct will close for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. The closure is set to start around 4 am Saturday and could run as late as 3 pm but authorities promise to reopen roads as soon as all the runners clear each section. (The race website’s full list of closures projects a 10:30 am reopening.)
MORGAN JUNCTION COMMUNITY FESTIVAL: The small dead-end side streets Beveridge and Eddy are part of the festival zone off the west side of California north of Fauntleroy, 10 am-5 pm Saturday.
NEXT BRIDGE CLOSURE SUNDAY NIGHT: No closures on Friday or Saturday nights as usual for the Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-safety work on the west end of the West Seattle Bridge; Sunday night’s closure will be the regular 9 pm-5 am hours.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight:
STOLEN CAR: Rebecca‘s neighborhood in Gatewood has been hit again by car thieves. Her car was taken two months ago; we published her report, and an observant neighbor spotted the car nearby. Tonight, she says, two sisters visiting the neighborhood reported someone stole their car just feet from where Rebecca’s was taken in the 3900 block of SW Elmgrove [map]. It’s a 2009 Nissan Versa, baby blue, WA plate ending in 632, “trim near driver-side door hands loose near keyhole.” Call 911 if you see it.
DOORSTEP THEFT: In the 9000 block of 4th SW [map], Sheila reports a doorstep theft last night:
Our neighbor returned a car battery recharger he borrowed, left it on the front step at 10 pm. We have video of a man quickly walking up the front walk at about 11:20, grabbing the small pouch with the charger in it, and walking quickly away. I’ve reported to police. … The guy was wearing a hat so can’t see his face. Short, apparently dark hair is best we’ve been able to make out. Coat with bright tape (like safety jacket) and high-top sneakers.
P.S. Reminder – this month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting is next Tuesday (June 21st), 7 pm, at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster; map).
P.P.S., ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: WSCPC president Richard Miller tells WSB that the guest on Tuesday will be SPD’s Chief Operating Officer Brian Maxey, who will be able to speak about the operations of the 911 Center, among other topics.
Rain or shine, the Morgan Junction Community Festival is on for Saturday, 10 am-5 pm in and around Morgan Junction Park (6413 California SW).
Last night, we brought you a thorough preview of most of what you’ll find at the festival, which is presented by the Morgan Community Association, with sponsors including WSB. But we promised that tonight we’d share the word about the food.
In addition to the area’s year-round restaurants, including Zeek’s Pizza (WSB sponsor) right next to the festival zone, four mobile vendors are scheduled for Saturday, according to festival organizers, and this year they’ll be next to Beveridge Place Pub, adjacent to the park, rather than across the street as in the past few years. They are:
Kabob ‘n Kabob
Dirty Dog hot-dog cart
Gourmet Tamales
Sweet Bumpas Ice Cream
And kitty-corner from the park, at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), look for the barbecue tent outside the store entrance – you can support the festival by getting a fresh-grilled burger, chips, and drink for lunch, $7 suggested donation goes to keeping the festival free! 11 am until about 3 pm.
One more preview tomorrow, and then we’ll see you in Morgan Junction on Saturday!
(UPDATED FRIDAY AFTERNOON with reader photo of electronic sign trailer now in place by Duwamish Head)
(Added: Post-meeting photo along Alki Ave. Quiet tonight, but when it’s warm …)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Full house in the Alki UCC parlor tonight, with beach-area residents bringing a variety of complaints to Seattle Police guests invited by the Alki Community Council.
Operations Lt. Ron Smith said there wasn’t much that could be done about most of the complaints. But he said the area had some good news nonetheless, as he opened with the overview: “Crimes against persons (in the Alki area) are down 21 percent.” That’s largely attributable to a reduction in domestic-violence cases, he said. Property crimes are down 11 percent – “this is one of the few neighborhoods that have a 31 percent reduction in car prowls.”
As he had told the Delridge District Council last night, he and precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis are leading the planning for security for the upcoming Seattle Pride events, and also are meeting with owners of LGBTQA bars. Today, the Southwest Precinct had 11 officers working; on Saturday, they will have that same level of staffing, with two of the officers assigned to bicycle patrol.
“We are again doing a summer emphasis – not to the numbers that you and I would like, but we have to be somewhat responsible in the deployment of overtime,” he added. In terms of hiring, the real impact from the process might be as far as two years away, he said, which drew a loud sigh from one attendee. “The mayor’s keeping his commitment in trying to hire more officers,” but they are having more of a challenge getting good applicants, he said.
“I think our concerns in Alki are quality-of-life issues,” most of all, he said. Then ACC vice president Randie Stone opened the floor. One resident said they had been sending e-mail to Southwest/South Precincts’ Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon (who was in attendance) and City Councilmember Lisa Herbold.
She listed two issues: Read More
While spot outages are reported fairly frequently, we’ve received several reports of this one, so it could be relatively widespread – we’ve heard from Comcast customers from North Delridge east to Pigeon Point. One customer says they’ve been told it’s supposed to be back on by 10 pm. Any other areas?
(WSB file photo)
Need some inspiration? We know one place you can find it … West Seattle Stadium (4432 35th SW), tomorrow night through Saturday morning, during the annual Relay for Life. It’s a cancer-fighting fundraiser but it’s also a gathering of hundreds of your West Seattle neighbors, starting with the survivors’ lap at 6:30 pm, following the opening lap at 6. Also a highlight: The luminaria ceremony at 10 pm, during which you’re invited to light one for someone you’ve lost to cancer and/or someone who’s fighting the battle. The full agenda for Friday night and Saturday morning, concluding with closing ceremonies at 8:30 am Saturday, is here. Even if you just show up to applaud the survivors at 6:30 pm tomorrow, it’s a stirring sight to see.
P.S. You can donate through a button on that same page. This year, they’re also having a textile drive – clothing, shoes, and more – see the list of donatable items here.
After an unannounced three-week break, Seattle Public Utilities crews will resume flushing work this weekend, continuing to clear local water mains of sediment (mostly rust buildup). SPU’s Ingrid Goodwin sent this progress report with word of what’s next, including the map you see above:
SPU will resume water main flushing in West Seattle Sunday night, June 19, starting on SW Donald Street between California Avenue SW and 44th Avenue SW.
We took a three-week break from flushing to allow our staff to assess our progress, make adjustments and plan for the next sequence of flushes.
To date, the SPU flushing crew has flushed about 10 miles of pipe in West Seattle to minimize discolored water.
Flushing results have been very positive: water is flushed until clear and the crew is measuring chlorine and turbidity (cloudiness) throughout the process to make sure water quality standards are met at the end of each flush.
The attached map [above] shows the area that has been completed. We anticipate finishing the remaining sections of Area 1 (shaded in purple) this summer.
In the fall, SPU anticipates starting to flush Area 2, which will be in the 498 pressure zone, from approximately Myrtle Reservoir north to SW Spokane Street.
SPU reiterates that if you have any water-quality issues – even if it’s brown water that the flushing might have stirred up on its way to clearing things out – please call them, 24/7, at 206-386-1800.
P.S. For more backstory on The Big Flush, here’s our previous report.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share this afternoon. First, posted by SPD Blotter‘s Jonah Spangenthal-Lee:
A complaint about a sleeping passenger on a shuttle bus Wednesday led police to arrest an armed felon with a stolen handgun.
Officers Michael Sudduth and Todd Wiebke boarded the bus in the 1600 block of Harbor Avenue Southwest around 3:15 PM, approached the slumbering suspect and asked him to leave. The man waved them off and went back to sleep.
Officer Wiebke once again tried to rouse the man, shaking his shoulder, but the man stirred only stirred enough to roll over onto his side, revealing a handgun in his waistband.
Officers quickly arrested the man and took his gun. Although someone had tried to destroy the gun’s serial number, officers were still able to decipher it, leading them to discover the weapon was reported stolen last year in Kent. Police also learned the suspect is a convicted felon, unable to legally possess firearms.
Police booked the man into the King County Jail for unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of stolen property.
The suspect, 28, is still in jail as of this hour; we’re checking to see if he has a bail hearing this afternoon, and will update with any additional information. (4:59 PM UPDATE: His bail is set at $75,000. His last known address, as listed on documents submitted for the hearing, was in White Center; the jail register shows this is his fourth booking in just under a year, following bookings for drug cases, an assault case, and at least one failure-to-appear warrant.)
Second, a followup to the case of the missing art, reported here last week – art that was supposed to be shipped back to local artist Rebecca Woodhouse after a California exhibit instead was labeled with someone else’s name; that person picked it up and did not respond to repeated inquiries, so police considered it theft (yes, state law says that can include misdelivered items).
Rebecca tells us finally heard from a relative of the man who picked up her art – and learned he’s been in jail since a week after the art was picked up on May 16th. This week, the detective on her case retrieved it and got it back to her; one box had been opened, she said, but the artwork was intact and undamaged.
(WSB photo, 2015, Clay Eals @ announcement of new owner for Alki Homestead)
Congratulations to Clay Eals – author, historian, heritage advocate, and journalist – who has just been announced as this year’s recipient of the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community. It’s awarded each year in connection with the West Seattle Grand Parade, presented by the Rotary Club of West Seattle, this year on Saturday, July 23. The official announcement continues:
Eals is perhaps best known locally as editor of the “West Side Story” history book and for his leadership of the successful drive to secure city landmark status for the Admiral Theater and, more recently, as executive director of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society.
He is a lifetime member of and volunteered in many roles for the historical society since its founding in 1984. In 2013, the organization’s board hired him as its first executive director. Besides staff oversight of the historical society, he is directly responsible for its volunteer recruitment, fundraising and outreach.
(2014 photo by David Hutchinson)
During his tenure as executive director, the organization has restored, raised, and unveiled the Admiral totem pole at its 1904 “Birthplace of Seattle” Log House Museum on Alki, culminating in a 2014 ceremony drawing 1,300 people, including 950 schoolchildren. The historical society also facilitated the transition of ownership and in-progress restoration of the beloved 1904 Fir Lodge/Alki Homestead and staged “Group Hug” photo events for the Homestead (1,000 schoolchildren in 2015) and the Admiral Theater (750 schoolchildren earlier this month):
(Photo by Jean Sherrard, courtesy Southwest Seattle Historical Society; click here to see full-size version on SWSHS website)In that span, the organization broadened its ranks of donors, sponsors, members and volunteers, strengthened the collection and exhibit operations of its museum, built its annual Champagne Gala Brunch to capacity crowds at Salty’s on Alki, revived and revamped its annual “If These Walls Could Talk” home tours, and created two ongoing monthly series: “Words, Writers, & West Seattle” featuring local authors at Barnes & Noble Westwood Village and “SouthWest Stories” featuring local history speakers rotating among the Seattle Public Library’s five branches on the peninsula.
Along the way, the organization won honors from the Association of King County Historical Organizations for Best Single Impact Event (for the 2014 totem unveiling) and from the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce as Nonprofit of the Year for 2015.
(WSB photo, 2015, Westside Award for SWSHS as Nonprofit of the Year)
Eals’ earlier achievements came during and immediately after his 15 years as an editor, reporter and photographer for four Northwest newspapers.
During his five years as editor of the West Seattle Herald and White Center News (part of Robinson Newspapers), the papers produced “Bridging the Gap,” a 104-page special section in 1984 that chronicled local transportation history and the opening of the high-level West Seattle Bridge, and followed that by publishing in 1987 the first local history book, “West Side Story,” which took its inspiration from “Mr. West Seattle” Normie Beers. A yearlong project that involved the papers’ entire staff and scores of volunteers, the 288-page “West Side Story” remains the definitive account of local community heritage.
Soon after his departure from Robinson Newspapers in 1988, Eals was elected president of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society board to succeed founder and first president Elliott Couden. In his first month of three years in that position, faced with the imminent closure of the Admiral Theater, Eals involved others, including local elected officials, in staging a closing-night picket event that led to an intensive community campaign that six months later secured city landmark status for the moviehouse, whose lobby operated as the Portola Theater starting in 1919 and which was expanded and opened as the 1,000-seat showcase Admiral Theater in 1942.
Because of its landmark status, the Admiral was saved from potential demolition. It reopened in 1992 under the new ownership of the Gartin family, which owns it to this day. It will undergo a massive renovation this summer, including conversion to four screens and the exposure of long-covered underwater auditorium murals, while preserving the building’s historic features.
Over the years, on behalf of the historical society, Eals also served on Earl Cruzen’s “Murals of Seattle” team in 1989-1993, led several yearly “Homes with History” tours in the 1990s, participated in the 1994 campaign to secure Alki voter approval of the historical society’s purchase of the building that became its museum, emceed dozens of society events and worked to deepen the organization’s partnership with South Seattle College. After a fire damaged the inside of the city-landmark Fir Lodge/Alki Homestead, he represented the society in a coalition of four heritage organizations behind a “This Place Matters” effort to ensure preservation and restoration of the log building one-half block from the museum.
The society’s most recent campaign, to seek city landmark status for the Campbell and Hamm buildings in the West Seattle Junction, stems from the yearlong West Seattle Junction Historical Survey, for which Eals participated on the steering committee.
In his professional life in addition to his journalistic positions, Eals worked 13 years as an editor and writer for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, five years as communication officer for the Encompass children’s services nonprofit in North Bend, and two years as a journalism teacher and adviser at South Seattle College.
As an author, he wrote and secured publication of two books, both biographies, on child film actress Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu in “It’s a Wonderful Life”) in 1996 and singer/songwriter Steve Goodman (“City of New Orleans”) in 2007. He also wrote for and designed a third book, “Rain Check: Baseball in the Pacific Northwest,” in 2005.
Eals, who turns 65 in July, was born in Seattle, grew up on Mercer Island, and secured a journalism degree from the University of Oregon in Eugene. “My mother was born and raised in West Seattle, across the street from the wading pool at Hiawatha Park, and when I was a child we often visited my grandparents,” Eals says, “so I developed my love for West Seattle at an early age.” He and his wife, Meg, moved to West Seattle in 1982. They live in the North Admiral neighborhood. They have a daughter and granddaughter who live in Philadelphia.
“Looking back, I think that in my professional and personal roles I have evolved into a pied piper,” he says. “This reflects my belief that no matter what we think about how or why we are all here on this earth, we are not meant to be hermits. We are meant to connect with other people, to engage and inspire them – and to appreciate the gifts of those who came before us. We stand on the shoulders of giants. And no matter what we pursue and how we spend our time, it’s not about the physical things, but rather it’s about bringing people together, in real time, for common purpose.
“One of my favorite words is the verb ‘champion,’ and my favorite phrases include ‘a sum greater than its parts’ and ‘making something out of nothing.’ What all of that means is that we accomplish anything in this life only when we build relationships with others. And over the years, I have been fortunate to collaborate with a great number of extraordinary people. When you come down to it, it’s all about gratitude.”
ABOUT THE ORVILLE RUMMEL TROPHY: It’s named after the man who founded the parade in 1934, Orville Rummel – lots of background in the story we published the year we were honored with it, in 2010. The award was first presented in 1984. Here’s the full list of recipients from 1984 through 2015:
1984: Charles and Ann Gage
1985: RB Chris Crisler Jr.
1986: Morgan and Carol McBride
1987: Margaret Miaullis
1988: Charles Jung
1989: Aurlo Bonney
1990: Katie Thorburn
1991: Dorothy Poplawski
1992: Dan Wiseman
1993: Virgil Sheppard
1994: Dorene Smith
1995: Doris Richards
1996: John Kelly
1997: Dick Kennedy
1998: Jim Edwards and Barbara Edwards
1999: Lt. David E. Cass
2000: Husky Deli/Miller Family
2001: Stephanie Haskins
2002: Forest Lawn
2003: Sue Lindblom
2004: Edgar and Ann Phipps
2005: Karen Sisson
2006: Walt DeLong
2007: David and Doreen Vague
2008: Tim St. Clair
2009: Morey Skaret
2010: West Seattle Blog
2011: Cindi Barker
2012: Shirley Vradenburgh
2013: Judy Pickens
2014: Earl Cruzen
2015: Donn Weaver
2016: Clay Eals
(Killdeer, photographed along the Duwamish River by Mark Wangerin)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, highlights for the rest of today/tonight:
ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP: 1 pm at Providence Mount St. Vincent – details in our calendar listing. (4831 35th SW)
ERCOLINI TOYS: 2 pm today and 10 am Friday, Seattle Parks will meet with community members at Ercolini Park to talk about solutions to the toy concerns reported here last week. (49th SW/SW Alaska)
TINKERLAB DROP-IN: STEM-based crafts and fun for all ages, 4-5:30 pm drop-in at High Point Library. (35th SW/SW Raymond)
DELRIDGE GROCERY FARMSTAND: 4-7 pm, fresh fruit and vegetables on sale in the Super 24 lot. (5455 Delridge Way)
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GRADUATION: 7:30 pm at Benaroya Hall downtown. Public welcome; no tickets required. (200 University St.)
FOOD LIFELINE’S GRAND OPENING: 5 pm, with program at 6 pm, it’s the grand opening of Food Lifeline‘s new Hunger Solutions Center near South Park – all welcome. (815 S. 96th St.)
WEST SEATTLE TIMEBANK: At the Senior Center of West Seattle – orientation at 6 pm, potluck 6:30 pm, meeting 7 pm, all welcome! Details here. (California SW/SW Oregon)
ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: 7 pm at Alki UCC – agenda highlights include an update on summer safety planning by Seattle Police. (6115 SW Hinds)
UNPLUGGED! OPEN MICROPHONE: 7 pm, come play at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) – more details here. (5612 California SW)
HIGHLAND PARK PLAYGROUND: 6 pm at Highland Park Elementary, it’s the interactive presentation of the new playground design – ice cream, too! Details here. (1012 SW Trenton)
BELLY-DANCING SHOWCASE: 7:30 pm at The Skylark, the monthly all-ages, no-cover Alauda showcase. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
THAT’S A LOT, BUT THERE’S STILL MORE … on our complete calendar.
Thanks to @smyliegrl for calling this KUOW report to our attention via Twitter: A C-Line rider serenaded his fellow passengers in West Seattle with the 1965 classic “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” to counter Orlando-massacre despondency. In the KUOW clip, you’ll hear part of it – and a followup interview with the singing passenger. (Lyrics here.)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:37 AM: Good morning. No incidents in/from West Seattle, but traffic to and from the Fauntleroy ferry dock may be heavier today because the south Vashon Island ferry run is temporarily out of service while its vessel gets an underwater inspection (explained here, and yes, that’s why TV crews are at the dock, and why there’s a TV helicopter over Fauntleroy right now).
Tonight’s also the final overnight closure of the west end of the bridge for this week – and remember that it will have a late start (10:30 pm) because of the Copa America Centenario soccer match at CenturyLink Field.
6:54 AM: TV helicopter over Fauntleroy again (see above). Meantime, a cancellation just tweeted/texted by Metro:
Transit Alert – Route 57 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Alaska Junction at 7:06 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) June 16, 2016
6:59 AM: And another Metro cancellation:
Transit Alert – Route 56 to downtown Seattle due to leave 61 Av SW & Alki Av SW at 7:20 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) June 16, 2016
7:11 AM: Washington State Ferries just announced that the south Vashon ferry run will be in service again shortly – passed its underwater inspection – meaning no more fears of extra Fauntleroy traffic today, so the TV helicopter should be leaving.
Saturday is getting closer! And so far, looks like sun will grace the 2016 Morgan Junction Community Festival. We have even more information tonight about what you’ll find in and around Morgan Junction Park during the festival, which is coordinated and presented by the Morgan Community Association.
Festival hours are 10 am-5 pm. When you get there, you’ll find a program at the festival-info booth in the park. The overall schedule grid is here; here are the featured events:
Music/entertainment lineup:
Alan Erlich, 10:00
Endolyne Children’s Choir, 10:45
Ellis Brothers, 12:15
Comfort Food, 1:00
Tongan Choir, 2:00
Broken Horses, 3:00
Gary Benson, 4:00
Vendors and Community Groups, starting at 10 am
More than 40 commercial vendors and community group reps will be in the parking lot behind Zeeks Pizza (WSB sponsor) and Whisky West, on Beveridge Place, and Eddy Street. Highlights include the Seed and Plant Exchange booth; Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) will feature an architect with whom you can discuss backyard cottage design/build ideas and requirements, Parie Hines of LD Arch Design (also a WSB sponsor); a representative from the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) will be available; and dozens more (we’ll be there reporting live as usual).
Writers’ Realm – Starting at 10:30 am, it’s back, featuring fifteen West Seattle authors, with readings and book sales at booths in the parking lot vendor area behind Zeeks and Whisky West – the authors’ list is here.
Kids’ Activities – 10:30 am to 3:30 pm. Jennifer Young, owner of My Three Little Birds (WSB sponsor), is coordinating the children’s activities. Chief entertainment for the kids is The Bubbleman, of course. He begins his always-pleasing wild and colorful show at 11:30 in the park. Craft activities start at 10:30 and end at 3:30. In addition to the crafts, face painters will be in the kid activity area from 10:00 to 3:30 and a balloon artist between 12:15 and 3:00. Mode Music Studioss (WSB sponsor) will hold half-hour Kindermusik sessions for younger children beginning at 12:30 and ending at 3:30.
Seattle Police Mounted Patrol – visiting at some point between 12:30 and 4 pm
Meet the horses (and the human officers), who are based right here in West Seattle.
Bark of Morgan dog parade and contests – 1:30 pm on, bring your leashed dog to SW Eddy just north of Morgan Junction Park – costumes encouraged! Parade through the festival grounds and then return for judged contests around 1:45 pm – more info here.
Spatter of Morgan – 3-4 pm
You’ll have the chance to “spatter” the soon-to-be-demolished building north of the park (site of future park expansion!) with water-based paint.
Tomorrow – we’ll preview Morgan Junction Community Festival food! (Thanks to festival publicity coordinator Susan Madrid for providing the detailed information featured above.)
It’s (soft) opening night for Whisky West in Morgan Junction! Thanks to Samuel for the tip; we went over to confirm and to get a few photos.
It’s been two months since we reported that Colin and Donna Pickering, the West Seattleites who run The Whisky Bar downtown, were taking over and renovating the 6451 California SW space that had been Feedback Lounge. Just the other day, they told us they hoped to be open in time for this Saturday’s Morgan Junction Community Festival – and indeed, they are.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
At City Hall, the Landmarks Preservation Board has just unanimously approved the Admiral Theater‘s renovation plans – a key step toward getting the work done in the months ahead.
The board’s approval is necessary because much of the historic moviehouse is protected by the city ordinance designating it a landmark – including its site, exterior, lobby (but not its restrooms or carpet), and the east and west walls with historic mural art.
FarAway Entertainment (the theater operator, not building owner)’s Sol Baron presented the plan, after first describing the Admiral’s ship-evocative design. “What we’re proposing is limited exterior improvements, updating our bathrooms – right now they probably haven’t been updated in decades – make them handicapped-accessible … Main thing we’re doing from our business perspective is converting the 2-screen auditoriums to 4 screens. A corridor that’s actually a tunnel is how we’re going to access them … (they’ll have) stadium seating, it’s going to be a pretty classy place – around 220 seats in 2 auditoriums, the other two will be significantly smaller.”
Baron said the exterior work will be limited, but they’ll be “replacing water-damaged sections of the roof … replacing emergency exit doors … inside, the doors will be painted the same colors …. lobby doors will be painted the same color … we’re not making any chnages in the color or look.” Also some improvements are planned to deal with stormwater issues, including a downspout, and a steel canopy over two alley-side stairwells that “collect water.” Some exterior “patching and painting” is planned, too.
On to the interior: They want to change the bottleneck of how the entry works – requiring you to go through the ticket counter the moment you set foot into the building – so that people have some access to more of a “public space” in the lobby. For one, they’ll transfer condiments to a condiment counter, which will enable the addition of one more concession stand. They’ll reconfigure what’s in the lobby, and also change the look of the concession counters themselves.
(WSB file photo)
Overall, they want to pull as much signage as they can away from the Captain Vancouver mural (above) so that it’s showcased even more.
Enhancing the theme, Baron told the board they’re ordering a custom carpet “that will have nautical themes.” He said some of the mural art that will be uncovered inside the theater is believed to be in OK shape but will need restoration work, and they hope to partner with the community on that. New curtains are planned too.
The only member of the public to speak was Southwest Seattle Historical Society executive director Clay Eals, who campaigned to save the theater almost three decades ago when it was in danger of closing forever. “This is a hugely exciting turning point, in fact, it will go down as a landmark year … the theater is a bellwether for the community.” He mentions the 1989-1992 closure, “and in those three years there were many empty storefronts” as a result. “This is what’s going to keep a landmarked business building alive. … The beauty of this is, these changes are being done without harming, and with in fact enhancing the historic features of this building … that caused this board to vote it to be landmarked 27 years ago.” He mentions that the centennial of the building itself (in its pre-Admiral incarnation) is just three years away. “Exposing the murals … will be a tremendously inspiring thing.” He called it “the next phase of a jewel … the only theater in the community … the only theater between the airport and downtown.”
Landmarks Board member Deb Barker (a West Seattleite) said that “cleaning up the mural in the lobby really makes a lot of sense …” Board member Rob Ketcherside said it will be good for the mural art to be seen by more people. Barker said, “What’s there now, you really have no idea that the side walls (hide the murals).”
Baron explained that all this is essential to make the theater a successful commercial venue, and that the building’s owner had looked at other possible uses, but continued operation of a moviehouse would be vital to truly honoring the reasons it was made a landmark.
With that, the board voted unanimously to give its approval. As noted in our coverage of the “Group Hug” event outside the theater earlier this month, Baron expects the work to get going by mid-August.
(Click to see full-size PDF)
The city has just taken the next step in the plan to divest itself of most of the southeastern West Seattle land known as the Myers Way Parcels: It’s gone public with the official preliminary report and recommendations for what to do with the 30+-acre site – read them here.
The 33-page document contains basically the same recommendations as the draft unveiled at last month’s meeting of the Highland Park Action Committee (here’s what we published that night). It also contains the “draft public involvement plan” (Appendix C), including a community meeting set for 6:30 pm June 30th at the Joint Training Facility, just north of the “parcels.” Here’s the official notice.
Toplines from the preliminary report remain along the lines of, keep a north section to expand the JTF, sell the center west “developable” section for commercial purposes, and sell the south and east areas to a buyer that would be able to keep much of it in its natural state – such as an adventure park (here’s our May report on a prospective purchaser with that idea) – unless no such buyer emerges within two years, in which case Seattle Parks would get that part of the site. The report reiterates that the site has been evaluated for housing but determined to be largely unsuitable due to factors including toxic kiln dust and a lack of utilities.
From the report, a summary of comments received so far:
• A majority of the comments received expressed the desire to preserve all the property as parkland or open space.
• Two responses were from commercial developers. One is interested in developing a sustainable adventure park. One development team would like to construct a stateof-the-art facility distribution center at the Myers Way property.
• Six people wanted to be kept informed.
• One person wanted to have a dog off Leash Park established.
• One person who lived in Arrowhead Gardens wants the City to develop parking so city vehicles would no longer park at Arrowhead Gardens.
• Three people were concerned with the illegal dumping near and on the property and the homeless encampments.
As mentioned in our West Seattle Wednesday calendar preview, the Myers Way Parcels are on the agenda at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting tonight (7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center), with a guest scheduled from the Seattle Green Spaces Coalition, which wants to see the site preserved as greenspace. Also – the city’s main infopage about the parcels now contains many more related documents.
The “next steps” for all this include the possibility of a City Council briefing on the public-involvement plan no sooner than two weeks from now (no date set yet so far as we can tell). When there are final recommendations, those would go to the council for a vote. The property’s fate is open for public comment until any such final decision.
In case you were wondering about what was initially a sizable “assault with weapons” Seattle Fire response to the 2900 block of SW Avalon Way this past half-hour: It’s down to one unit; we just went over to find out what happened. We’re told two people got into a fight; one had a “small kitchen knife,” and both wound up with cuts. No serious injuries.
(WSB file photo)
Less than three weeks until the 4th of July, and the annual kids’ parade was a major topic at last night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting.
West Seattle Fit4Mom‘s Emily Williams, who’s taking the parade-coordinator baton from Jackie Clough of Alki Party Treasures (WSB sponsor), said they’ve confirmed Mayor Ed Murray as the parade-kickoff speaker (a role held in years past by other local electeds including former Mayor Greg Nickels, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and County Council Chair Joe McDermott). The sound system and parade permits have all been handled, but contributions are still needed to cover the costs – the crowdfunding campaign is just past halfway to its goal.
Volunteers are also needed for parade day, which also features the traditional post-parade games at Hamilton Viewpoint Park, so if you’re not planning to be a participant or a spectator, maybe you can pitch in that way – e-mail jackie@alkipartytreasures.com.
The ANA will again sell concessions after the parade, which starts at 10 am on July 4th, from 44th/Sunset.
SUMMER CONCERTS AT HIAWATHA: The six-Thursday-night free outdoor-concert series starts July 21st; the lineup’s due out soon – ANA’s Dave Weitzel said the selection committee will be making some decisions this week.
OTHER ISSUES: No HALA discussion – the promised city guest was a no-show. Next month, ANA plans to host City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, for topics including the “statement of legislative intent” that could affect the future of community and district councils (see our recent story here).
The Admiral Neighborhood Association meets second Tuesdays, 7 pm, at The Sanctuary @ Admiral (42nd/Lander).
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