West Seattle, Washington
27 Monday
Were you at Easy Street Records for that historic show on Record Store Day 2015 – The Sonics, with special superstar guests (including Eddie Vedder, 22:26 into the video) – benefiting KEXP? The station just released that video of the show – which figures into Record Store Day 2016 (this Saturday!) in a big way, as announced by ESR, with the vinyl release of “The Sonics Live at Easy Street.” From ESR’s Rod Moody:
This LP will be available at all stores participating in Record Store Day, but we are the only store in the world that will be selling the Easy Street Special Edition, a limited edition of 500, which will include the following:
* Custom-screened, hand-numbered outer sleeve
* Copy of signed set list
* Ticket for the event
* Download card good for two free bonus songs from the concert not included on the album
* Detailed liner notes by Easy Street president Matt VaughanThe Sonics’ Record Store Day in-store last year was one of the biggest and most awesome events we’ve ever put on, featuring guests such as Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready, Ben Shepherd (Soundgarden), the Screaming Trees’ Mark Pickerel and Van Conner, Emily Nokes (Tacocat), Chris Ballew (Presidents Of The United States Of America, Caspar Babypants), Matt Lukin (Mudhoney), and many others (including myself!). The album was mixed by legendary NW producer Jack Endino and it sounds fantastic.
Over the weekend, if you’re visiting KEXP’s new home @ Seattle Center, you’ll find an Easy Street pop-up store there, noon-9 pm Saturday and 10 am-6 pm Sunday.
At the Junction store on Saturday, Greg Vandy from KEXP’s “The Roadhouse“ and the online mag American Standard Time will have a book signing and Q&A 3 pm-6 pm. Then Acapulco Lips‘ record-release in-store performance is at 7 pm, “also the debut of their West Seattle-based label, Killroom Records.”
Record Store Day kicks off at ESR (California/Alaska if you somehow didn’t know that already) at 7 am with “hundreds of exclusive, limited titles in all shapes, colors & sizes,” most of which will only be available that day. (Good thing they sell coffee, too.)
We’re now exactly one month from the 12th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day – Saturday, May 14th, many sales of many sizes all over the peninsula, 9 am-3 pm. We at WSB have been coordinating it since the fourth year and are excited about another awesome day in which West Seattle becomes the epicenter of person-to-person recycling.
In Week 2 of registration, the list has grown to 110+ sales, north to south, east to west; at apartments, townhomes, houses, businesses, retirement centers, schools, and of course the multi-seller courtyard sales at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) /Ginomai Art Center and C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor). Some are selling to raise money for nonprofits, some are selling to de-clutter and make a few dollars, some are selling just for the fun of seeing who shows up. You’ll find almost everything for sale somewhere – clothes, shoes, furniture, baby gear, books, dishes, toys, art, plants – just spotted a listing for an outboard motor, and one for a car! We’ll highlight more items in the weeks ahead.
If this is your first year – we close registration relatively early (we’ll announce the end date before the end of next week) so we can make the map/listings available a week in advance, to help people figure out where they want to go – some garage-sale devotees come from as far as Eastern Washington! So if you’re going to sell, better to sign up sooner rather than later. Just be sure you have your listing info (up to 20 words this year) ready, and head to the registration form here. (If you have just a bit of stuff to sell, you can inquire directly with Hotwire or C & P about one of their spaces.)
If you think the West Seattle Art Walk is just a Junction event – not so!
NEW STOP IN ARBOR HEIGHTS: Brand new on the Art Walk map/list tonight, Brace Point Pottery, at 42nd/100th in Arbor Heights. Three artists are featured tonight, including Warren Pope and his “Sea Creatures”:
Two potters are also featured – studio proprietor Loren Lukens and Konstantin Reutov (photo below):
As with most WSAW venues, Brace Point Pottery is open until 9 – plus you’re invited to visit during studio open-house hours 10 am-5 pm tomorrow and Saturday.
ADDED 7:24 PM – SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE: The gallery at SSC is in the Brockey Center toward the south end of campus. This month’s exhibit is “Butterflies: A Fantastically Queer Journey,” including Bianca Wright‘s photographs of transgender women and graphic designer Allan C. Carandang, whose work on display includes bright and bold images of drag performers:
The artists weren’t there yet when we stopped by a little while ago, but we talked with gallery coordinator Akiko Masker. She talked with us about the gallery’s mission to encourage and support diversity, working with the Queer Straight Alliance not only in relation to this exhibit but also for an event coming up at SSC on April 30th, Queer Con. “Butterflies” (which includes nude images) will be on display in the gallery until then; admission is free, and gallery hours are usually Mondays-Fridays, 10 am-4 pm (tonight, until 9)
See the map/list of tonight’s Art Walk venues in our daily preview.
(WSB photo from Tuesday)
Back on Tuesday, we brought you first word of a Bellevue Police raid at a house in Highland Park. BPD didn’t have a lot to say that day, but now they do:
Bellevue police Tuesday arrested five people suspected of being part of a large identity theft ring that allegedly operated out of a residence in West Seattle. Investigators with the department’s Special Enforcement Team were conducting surveillance on a residence in the 9400 block of Ninth Avenue SW in West Seattle when they saw two people leave the residence and get into a stolen car.
After obtaining a search warrant for the residence and vehicle, they arrested five people in the residence, including the two who had gotten into the stolen car earlier. They arrested the suspects, two women and three men, on suspicion of crimes including possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property and identity theft.
During the search of the residence, police found credit cards, Washington drivers licenses and personal and financial documents of dozens of people. They also found and seized equipment used to make fraudulent identifications and financial documents.
In the stolen vehicle they found multiple crowbars, suspected stolen credit cards, gloves, screwdrivers and a brass knuckle-shaped stun gun.
(Bellevue Police photo)
Multiple shaved keys and narcotics were recovered inside a small backpack that officers had observed one of the suspects place inside the vehicle. A stolen credit card was also recovered from the center console. Investigators were able to link the stolen vehicle and one of the suspects to an April 7 vehicle prowl in Bellevue.Investigators are contacting victims, including multiple Bellevue residents, and the investigation is being forwarded to the King County Prosecutor’s Office for consideration of charges.
We’ll keep an eye on the case to see if any local crimes turn out to be part of it.
Washington Huskies alum/fan? Oregon Ducks alum/fan? Get your beach chair(s) ready, because the regional rivalry hits the sand this Saturday on Alki Beach. One of our routine Google Alerts delivered news of the Huskies-Ducks beach-volleyball match at 2:30 pm Saturday. It’s the first-ever “home” match for Washington, which will consider Alki its “home” this year. Admission is free; this story from gohuskies.com explains who plays who when on which court.
Two biznotes this afternoon:
LOCAL REP ON MAYOR’S COMMERCIAL-AFFORDABILITY COMMITTEE: A West Seattle entrepreneur is one of the members of a new committee just announced by Mayor Murray to tackle a topic that resonates here as well as in other neighborhoods: How to ensure that small independent local businesses can afford to keep operating in our city.
The local member is Frank Gross, proprietor of Thunder Road Guitars (WSB sponsor) in The Junction. He was there (city photo above, third from left) as the mayor announced the new Commercial Affordability Advisory Committee in the International District. The committee, says the city, “will consider a broad range of solutions to commercial affordability, including incentivizing the construction of smaller commercial spaces, further activation of public spaces to the benefit of food trucks and other small businesses, and inclusion of affordable commercial storefronts in more affordable housing projects.” Read the full announcement – and see the full list of committee members – here.
ADDED 7:47 PM: We stopped by Thunder Road this afternoon to ask Gross about the committee (and to take the photo we’ve added above). He says he participated in a discussion with the city and the West Seattle Junction Association and was contacted about the committee as a springboard from that. He says he hopes the committee’s work will make a difference; he knows the search for affordable space is tough, as you might recall, his shop was previously in a smaller space between Admiral and The Junction, and he feels lucky to have found its current spot toward the south end of the heart of The Junction. He says the committee will have its first meeting before the month is out.
NAME CHANGE FOR ADMIRAL SALON: A new sign atop what was Shanti Salon and Spa at 2138 California SW announces its new name: Ella & Oz Salon. Its staff tells us that Ella & Oz “remains an Aveda salon offering a full menu of hair services along with enhanced Aveda rituals. Additionally, their team is joined by an Aveda-trained, professional esthetician offering skin treatments including facials, body wraps, as well as full waxing services.”
12:13 PM: Demolition of the former Fire Station 32 is finally under way, six months after we reported that the project to rebuild FS32 is nine years behind the schedule in the original plan for the voter-approved 2003 Fire Levy. The new station, to be built at the same 38th SW/SW Alaska site, will look like this:
(From Fire Station 32 “schematic design” packet dated August 2013, by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson)
Until the new station is ready, temporary Station 32 remains on the site of a future city park on 40th SW between Alaska and Edmunds. Among the equipment based there is Ladder 11, which we spotted driving by its former home while we stopped for our photos this morning:
The project is budgeted at $18.6 million. Construction is supposed to last about a year.
3:14 PM: We went back to check on the progress, and the crew was having a tough time knocking down the tower, even using a piece of debris as something of a battering ram.
As of 3 pm, it appeared they were stopping down for the day, but we’re going back to doublecheck.
12:35 PM FRIDAY: We went by the site three times this morning. No activity spotted during visits one and two – then, when we went back an hour after #2, the tower was down.
FRIDAY EVENING: Some of the building is still standing; the photo above this line was taken looking over the fence on SW Alaska, after the crew finished for the day.
Be on the lookout for Kit‘s van:
My 2003 white Ford E250 van was stolen between midnight Wednesday and 3pm Wednesday (the 13th) from the covered parking at 4540 45th Ave SW, The Westerly Apartments. The parking area actually faces Glenn Way. It has some body damage on the passenger side, and it has a bumper sticker on the back that says “Film is Truth.”
I have reported it to the police.
Biggest event on tonight’s schedule – the April edition of the West Seattle Art Walk! Here’s the map/venue list – note that this list stretches from Arbor Heights to Admiral to Puget Ridge and beyond:
6-9 pm, you’ll find art at those 15 locations, and at most of them, you’ll also get to meet the artist(s). See the official Art Walk site at wsartwalk.com for highlights.
Also from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
TINKERLAB: The next in this series of creative, fun, free STEM-related drop-in events at local libraries is 4-6 pm at High Point Library – details here. (35th SW/SW Raymond)
EDUCATION CONVERSATION: As previewed here last night, 5-7 pm, you’re invited to Neighborhood House’s High Point Center to talk about hopes, dreams, and concerns related to local schools, the only West Seattle event scheduled as a prelude to the Mayor’s Education Summit later this month. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
FREE TAX PREP: Time’s running out to get your taxes done, and if you need help, you have a few more chances for the free assistance offered by the United Way of King County, including 5-9 pm tonight at the West Seattle Food Bank – details here. (35th SW/SW Morgan)
SECOND THURSDAY OUT! 6 pm, meet at the Senior Center of West Seattle: “Social time followed by dining out at Lee’s Asian Restaurant. All GLBTQ and their neighbors and friends are welcome. No membership required. Come and meet your neighbors and build community.” (California SW/SW Oregon)
LIVE MUSIC: Guitarist Travis Hartnett plays the Admiral Bird tonight, 6-8 pm. (California SW/SW Admiral Way)
MORE FOR TODAY, TONIGHT, BEYOND … on our complete calendar.
This summer’s big events are getting closer – and the Alki Art Fair (co-sponsored this year by WSB) has a request right now:
Did you know that the Alki Art Fair includes a silent auction?
Want to promote your business/product while also helping us raise money?
Please consider a donation. Past auctions have included lots of original artwork, gift certificates for local health+beauty services/ restaurants/ shops/ performances and more, and fun items for home and garden use.
Please email info@alkiartfair.org if you can help.
The fair is set for July 23-24 along the Alki Beach Park promenade.
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
7:23 AM: Another quiet morning so far, second-to-last weekday of Seattle Public Schools‘ spring break. One road-work note: SDOT says the 30th/Yancy/Avalon project will switch to the east side of the intersection today. During this phase of the project, 30th and Yancy will both be closed at Avalon.
NEW METRO SURVEY: This one’s about late-night bus-riding. If you use the bus between midnight and 5 am, Metro really wants to hear from you. Even if you don’t, your replies could be helpful. Take it here.
Tonight’s West Seattle High School baseball recap is from Caryn Johnson, along with a big reminder about Saturday at The Safe:
This afternoon West Seattle lost a heartbreaker to Bishop Blanchet at Hiawatha. The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead in the first inning, but just couldn’t hold on in the end, losing 3-6. Carson Wright pitched a great game for West Seattle and Daniel Lo came in to close out the 7th inning. But in the end, the bats of West Seattle just couldn’t produce enough runs to come out ahead.
Next game, Friday – West Seattle hosts Roosevelt at Hiawatha at 3:30PM
Remember that West Seattle will be playing Olympic HS (from Bremerton) on Saturday, April 16th at Safeco Field in the High School Baseball Classic at 12:30. Entry to the game is free and parking is $5 in the Safeco parking lot. Come out and cheer on the Wildcats!!
Thanks to Krista Livingston for the photo and report:
This coyote was jumping around, playing in our yard (edge of Schmitz Park) at Charlestown and 52nd Ave SW. I know you get lots of sightings. Thought the neighbors would like to know the coyotes are out day and night.
If you scroll through our archive of coyote sightings, you will definitely be able to verify that. And if you do see one, please remember that the best thing to do for your sake and theirs is to scare it away – as explained in the state’s one-sheet about coexisting with coyotes.
Neighborhood House‘s High Point Family Resource Center sends a reminder of the “education conversation” tomorrow, the only West Seattle event scheduled as a prelude to Mayor Murray‘s upcoming education summit:
This community meeting is a great opportunity for West Seattle families to engage with the City on a number of school related topics. The meeting will include:
· Mayor Murray Video Introduction
· Community-Led Topics
· Discussion Break-Out Groups
· Interpretation Services
· Light dinner, tea and coffee – catered by Banana Grill
All are welcome, 5-7 pm Thursday, 6400 Sylvan Way SW. (The summit itself is set for Saturday, April 30th, at Garfield Community Center.)
(WSB photos)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Almost a year after the Barton Pump Station Upgrade Project north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock was finished, and adjacent Cove Park restored and reopened, a loose end dangles: The future of the little white beachfront house at 8923 Fauntleroy Way SW, immediately north of Cove Park.
King County bought it to use as a construction office during the three-year pump-station project.
Now, as was revealed in a discussion at last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting, there’s a chance its site could become a slice of city parkland – at little-to-no cost for the city. Sort of an expansion of Cove Park, though that is actually a community-maintained, SDOT-owned street end.
Some neighbors are adamantly opposed to the idea, wanting the house to remain in use as a single-family residence, and were at the FCA meeting to say that directly to Chip Nevins, acquisition manager for Parks, who was there, he said, as early “due diligence” in determining the site’s fate.
Nevins explained that while Parks generally wouldn’t have an interest in acquiring Fauntleroy-area property, since the area is already “rich” in parkland – including Lincoln Park a short distance north – it would be hard to resist a chance to get something like this for free or near-free. If someone was told “do you want to make the park bigger and it won’t cost you any money, why wouldn’t you?” he asked.
Assessor’s records show the county bought the 2-bedroom, 1-bath, 1948-built house and its 35-foot-wide, one-third-acre lot (tidelands included) for $950,000 in 2008. Now, it’s considered surplus, and that status, as with most government agencies, triggers a disposition process. Nevins said the county has suggested a sort of swap might be possible – its pump station includes some land leased from SDOT that, like Cove Park, is technically part of the Barton street end, but if it could get possession of that land – through a street-vacation process – the city could wind up with 8923 Fauntleroy Way in return.
This would be something of a complicated process, not just because of the street vacation, but also because Parks would want to figure out if there is community interest in acquiring the beachfront site. So a public meeting will be organized, and some other means of feedback will be set up. City Councilmember Lisa Herbold was at last night’s meeting – to “observe” this item, she explained – and indicated she’d already been hearing from “both sides”; if a street vacation is involved, it ultimately would require approval from the City Council, so she and her colleagues also would be getting feedback.
If the site was accepted by Parks, what would be done with it? one attendee asked. Nevins suggested at one point that at the very least they would probably want the county to pay to have the house demolished, so that wouldn’t become the city’s responsibility. Beyond that – maybe open space? Or at least some plantings? One neighbor expressed concern that while the current administration might decide on that, someone down the line might decide to build a picnic shelter or other facilities that could attract more, and more problematic, usage.
Nevins reiterated that many questions remain to be answered – such as, has the city been making money in permit payments for the county’s usage of the pump station site, and would that be revenue lost in this prospective deal? (If we’ve found the correct city legislation, it appears the county pays the city $84,387 a year.)
And, he added, many layers of process remain to be gone through. The public meeting would likely happen before summer, though, so stay tuned; if the city and county moved forward with what in essence would be a “trade,” the process would likely take up to two more years.
(WSB photo from Alki’s first-ever “car-free day” in September 2008)
Last month, we reported that the city’s “car-free day” events – now called Seattle Summer Parkways – would include a West Seattle date this year, after skipping our area last year. At the time, the date hadn’t been set. Now, it has, according to the official webpage: Sunday, September 25th. That’s a long way off, so details are all but nonexistent, except that the city has posted that it’ll be happening on Alki. Just telling you now so you can get it on your calendar!
(BACKSTORY: The first such event, called “Car-Free Day,” was in September 2008; then for six years, it was scheduled on the same May day as the West Seattle 5K run/walk.)
(Otherwise charming garden photo originally provided to WSB to illustrate this now three-year-old event announcement has been removed by site owners under protest following threats from lawyer claiming that those who provided it were not authorized to do so.)
Lots of excitement back in February when the first-ever Westside Plant and Garden Art Fair was announced. Now, it’s just a few weeks away, and organizers have sent the highlights of what you’ll find during the event, 10 am-4 pm Saturday, April 30th, and 11 am-3 pm Sunday, May 1st:
This community event will be held at the Westside Unitarian Universalist Church, 7141 California Ave. SW, and promises to have something for adults and children alike, including:
*Hundreds of perennial, herb, veggie and berry starts.
*Garden art created by local artisans Sarah Barrick, Brian Brenno, Terri Goodwin, Carol Farnham, Elaine Moore, and Linda Thorson.
*Gardening advice from local Master Gardeners as well as from Jenny Mandt, Garden Coach at West Seattle Nursery.
*An opportunity to sample OMG! Artisanal Olive Oils & Vinegars, the perfect accompaniment for the season’s fresh greens. Phil Harris, creator of Seattle’s OMG! Flagship Store, will be on hand to share his recipes.
*A “low-mileage” garden tool, accessory and book sale which will also include sustainable freshly cut local bamboo stakes in 6’ and 8’ lengths.
*A Garden Cafe serving fresh baked goods each day.
*Creative children’s activities.
And much more … For further details and schedules, visit WestsideGardenFair.weebly.com.
Two updates on two early-stage projects we’ve mentioned before, both in what’s becoming a very busy corridor along Edmunds between 40th and Fauntleroy:
4754 FAUNTLEROY WAY SW: New names and a new size for the project proposed for the parcels currently holding the Capitol Loans pawn shop and the parking lot to its north. We first reported last December that a seven-story building with 125 units and 90 offstreet parking spaces was proposed. Now, after a new filing with the city, it’s described as 133 residential units, 134 offstreet parking spaces (on two underground levels), still seven stories (the site is zoned for up to eight). The developer is now listed as Holland Partner Group, a Vancouver (Washington)-based company best known for apartment complexes; the architect is now Mithun (it was Caron). This will have to go through Design Review, but no date’s set yet.
Less than a block away, another update:
4800 40TH SW: When we reported on a proposal for this 40th/Edmunds site two years ago, but it went idle as its prospective developers moved their attention next door to 4801 Fauntleroy Way SW. That 53-unit mixed-use project which has since passed both phases of Design Review. Now, a new site plan has just been filed to reactivate 4800 40th for redevelopment; the city filing has only the summary, “demolition of existing structures on site, and construction of a new multi-family residential building with (1) level of below-grade parking, and (4) levels above grade. The ground floor will consist of both residential and commercial uses” – no unit count mentioned so far.
That video will fill you in on the Major Taylor Project, beneficiary of a big bike ride that starts in West Seattle this Saturday. You’re invited to be part of it, per this announcement we just received:
Cascade’s Ride for Major Taylor is fast approaching this Saturday, April 16. Now in its second year, the 25-mile pledge ride will take hundreds of riders through the culturally rich communities of West Seattle, Delridge, Burien, SeaTac, Tukwila, and White Center before returning to the finish line celebration at Big Al Brewing in White Center.
Registration remains open until Wednesday (today), April 13 at 11:59 p.m. Day-of registration will be available for an additional fee from 9-10 a.m. at the start line at Chief Sealth International High School.
The Ride for Major Taylor is a pledge ride in which students, families and community members are encouraged to raise support for Cascade’s Major Taylor Project. Registration fees and all pledged support helps provide bikes, cycling gear, tools, snacks and much more for participating students across 14 Puget Sound area schools throughout the year.
Full route and additional information available at cascade.org/rideformajortaylor.
Named after Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor, the first African American cyclist to achieve world champion status, the Major Taylor Project is a year-round youth development cycling program for middle and high school students. The Major Taylor Project uses afterschool cycling clubs as a forum for helping students develop confidence, goal setting abilities, bicycle maintenance and handling skills, and deep connections with their peers and communities. The program serves more than 300 students in King and Pierce Counties annually.
“This is a really special day for the Major Taylor Project and the students,” said Major Taylor Project Director Ed Ewing. “Like all the event rides that they work so hard to complete, this ride is their chance to show support for each other and share with their communities how much cycling has helped them grow as young people.”
Sealth and adjacent Denny International Middle School are the two West Seattle schools participating in the project.
(Tuesday night’s surprise sunset colors, photographed by JayDee from Upper Alki)
Some of what’s up for your Wednesday:
WEST SEATTLE TRIO @ WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE FAIR: As mentioned here last night, the award-winning underwater-robotics team AMNO & CO. is part of today’s White House Science Fair, and the live stream starts on the White House website at 10 am our time – it’ll be here.
LIBRARY STORY TIMES: Spring break is a great time to check these out if you haven’t gone before and have the chance to do it today/tonight. Three today – Preschool Story Time, 10:30-11 am at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW); Baby Story Time, 11-11:30 am at High Point Library (35th SW/SW Graham); Somali Story Time, 5-5:30 pm, also at High Point Library.
FREE HEALTH WORKSHOP: Noon at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), learn about “energy enhancement” as part of the Y’s ongoing Wellness/Disease Prevention series. Free! More info here. (4515 36th SW)
LOCAL BIZ MEETUP: Noon-1:15 pm at West Seattle’s only coworking center, Office Junction (WSB sponsor) – local businesspeople are invited to come network – take a break, get a change of pace and place! (6040 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE/WHITE CENTER VIETNAMESE TEA TIME & CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP: 1-3 pm, new addition to the calendar, at Greenbridge Community Center:
Please come to meet with friends, exchange information, storytelling, entertainment, singing, and planning for future meetings. We can help with language support (translation/interpreter) or settle the bills such as electricity, water , cable TV, internet. Hosted by Tram Chung, a family support worker serving Vietnamese elders and caregivers in West Seattle, White Center, Burien, and South King County.
(9800 8th SW)
PLAY GAMES! Star Wars and D&D game groups play at Meeples Games (WSB sponsor) tonight – see the schedule on the right side of the Meeples homepage. (3727 California SW)
COED ULTIMATE FRISBEE: New 6 pm drop-in game with the folks who bring you West Seattle Ultimate Family Frisbee. 6 pm at Fairmount Park playfield – rain cancels. (5400 Fauntleroy Way SW)
BOSTON SENDOFF & WEEKLY GROUP RUN: Going to Boston for the Marathon? Join the weekly group run at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) tonight at 6:15 pm, followed by a celebratory sendoff – details here. (2743 California SW)
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: Our area’s largest political organization meets at 7 pm tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy. The agenda (see it here) includes this weekend’s Legislative District Caucus and candidate forums for three statewide positions. (9131 California SW)
OPEN MICROPHONE: 8:30 pm at The Skylark (all ages until 10, then 21+) – details here. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
MORE! See for yourself on our complete WSB West Seattle Event Calendar.
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
7:06 AM: Good morning! No incidents in/from West Seattle so far. Notes for today include:
AFTERNOON BASEBALL: The Mariners play the Rangers one more time at Safeco Field, 12:40 pm.
30TH/YANCY/AVALON PROJECT: SDOT announced earlier this week that this work could switch from the east side of the intersection to the west side as soon as today – we’ll head out to check shortly. (8:28 am update – SDOT tells us the change will be made TOMORROW, Thursday.)
HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE NORTH OF DOWNTOWN: Another overnight closure of SB 99 north of downtown is set for overnight tonight, 10 pm-5 am, between Valley and Thomas.
SPRING BREAK CONTINUES … for Seattle Public Schools, which reopen next Monday (April 18th).
(2015 AMNO & CO. photo – from left, Nicholas Orndorff, Clara Orndorff, Alex Miller)
Tomorrow morning, you can watch live online as the next White House Science Fair celebrates young achievers from our area – AMNO & CO., the underwater-robotics team of Clara Orndorff, 19; Nicholas Orndorff, 16; and Alex Miller, 17. We’ve reported on their success several times in the past few years – including this international-competition win last summer – but it doesn’t get much bigger than a trip to the White House. AMNO & CO. will be part of President Obama’s sixth and final White House Science Fair starting at 11:15 am our time on Wednesday – see the list of participants from all over the country, here.
First of two reports from tonight’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting, which wrapped up this past hour at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse:
(Photo courtesy King County Wastewater Treatment Division)
King County Wastewater Treatment Division reps assured FCA that the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project will be done by the end of the year – the county, in fact, they insisted, is “highly motivated” to finish it by then. The facility itself, a million-gallon tank meant to keep most combined-sewer overflow from spilling into Puget Sound, should be operational by early October. That isn’t the end of the project – next fall and winter will bring restoration of Lowman Beach Park, where an underground pump station is undergoing upgrades and where construction trailers and some other project support has been staged; a ribbon-cutting and celebration is expected to happen next spring.
In the far more immediate future, 6,000 homes in the area are about to get a mailer with the final timeline, and you’re invited to an “information session” at the site two weeks from tonight, Tuesday, April 26th, 5 pm-7 pm.
BACKSTORY: After five-plus years of talking and planning, construction began more than 2 1/2 years ago with demolition of the block of residential buildings that had been on what’s now the tank site. When operational, it’s expected to reduce the number of Puget Sound-polluting overflows – which typically happen during major storms – from an average of five a year, to one.
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