West Seattle, Washington
26 Saturday
(Photo by Loren Beringer, shared via the WSB Flickr group)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
TECH IN NATURE: Burke Museum reps are at the High Point Branch Library 11:30 am-12:30 pm to explore with kids ages 4-8 how nature inspirestechnology – details in our calendar listing. Free. (35th/Raymond)
TODDLER STORY TIME: Songs, rhymes, fun for toddlers, 11:30 am, Southwest Branch Library; details in our calendar listing. Free. (35th/Henderson)
CHARLESTOWN COURT LANDMARK VOTE: The city Landmarks Preservation Board is scheduled to vote this afternoon on whether to confer landmark status on the Charlestown Court fourplex (file photo at right) at 3811 California SW, rejected for that status six years ago but being reviewed again with a new teardown-to-townhouses proposal on the drawing board. Here’s the agenda for the board’s 3:30 pm meeting on the 40th floor of the city Municipal Tower downtown; there’ll be a time for public comment if anyone wants to speak for/against. (700 5th Avenue)
HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN: Fifth of 12 Wednesdays this summer/fall when you can visit the High Point Market Garden Farm Stand 4-7 pm to buy organic produce grown there by local gardeners. (32nd/Juneau)
DANCE TIME WITH LAUREN PETRIE: 6-8 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle; details in our calendar listing. (Oregon/California)
ULTIMATE FAMILY FRISBEE: It’s now twice a week, including 6 pm Wednesdays at Fairmount Playfield. (Fauntleroy/Brandon)
MUSIC AND OTHER NIGHTLIFE … see the individual venues’ listings on our calendar!
6:59 AM: Seattle Fire units are arriving at a possible house fire in the 4800 block of 25th SW [map]. More to come.
7:07 AM: It was declared “tapped” relatively quickly. Via scanner, crews are reporting it as a “room fire” and saying two people were home at the time, both of whom got out OK.
7:29 AM: The fire is out and firefighters are leaving. Police are on scene investigating what was described via scanner traffic as an apparent (marijuana) “grow op.”
7:56 AM: City Light is on scene too; fire and police are continuing to investigate.
8:24 AM: SFD says the fire was started by a wiring problem, with damage confined to a “back bedroom” and estimated at $15,000. The SFD report says police are investigating “items found in the basement of the home.” Our crew, still on scene, says that the remaining fire crew is pulling material away from one corner of the back of the house (photo added above), apparently to check for anything still smoldering.
(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:52 AM: Traffic watch is on for Wednesday morning. Nothing major so far.
7:06 AM: If you’re in the North Delridge area, there’s a fire response in the 4800 block of 25th SW [map]. We’ll be updating it here.
8:10 AM: Thanks to Joe Szilagyi for the photo-accompanied news that 30th is closed north of Roxbury by Roxhill Elementary:
He says it’s posted as school-bus-bulb-related work, through August 24th.
5:28 PM: Car fire situation is blocking the bus and far=right lanes at the peak of the eastbound bridge.
While thousands partied in the streets for just-concluded Night Out 2014, the first round of election results came in. Seattle Proposition 1, to create a Park District, is passing, 52.4 percent to 47.6 percent:
Only a simple majority is needed for passage. Next door in North Highline (White Center and vicinity), the NH Fire District “benefit charge” measure is passing, 69.8 percent to 31.2 percent – this requires 60 percent approval. Here’s the full list of election results from around King County; next ballot count will be out ~4:30 pm tomorrow.
FIRST REPORT, 6:03 PM: Night Out is on! We’re visiting block parties around West Seattle again this year and will add updates here. Since we can’t get to them all, we’d love one from yours if you care to share – editor@westseattleblog.com (or Twitter/Instagram, where the hashtag is #SeattleNightOut and we are at @westseattleblog) – thanks; updates ahead!
FIRST STOP, ARBOR HEIGHTS – in the block where we attended a Seattle Police Living-Room Conversation at Block Watch Captain JoDean Edelheit‘s home two years ago. (That’s JoDean in the back row, third from right.) This block is getting busier, as it’s near the undergoing-renovations future home of Westside School (WSB sponsor) at 34th/104th.
SECOND STOP, SUNRISE HEIGHTS: Carole invited us to stop by; her husband Michael is Block Watch Captain and has also recently gone through a round of preparedness training, so he’s leading the neighborhood in getting everybody organized to start working on a neighborhood plan. That’s why there’s preparedness info at their party:
They’re hoping not only to be, well, more prepared as a result, but also to inspire other neighborhoods. (Have we mentioned lately – lots of preparedness info at westseattlebeprepared.org, including the location of your nearest Emergency Communication Hub.)
7:20 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Marcia for tweeting this photo from her neighborhood’s party:
@westseattleblog the 9000 block of 13th Ave SW is having a blast tonight for #neighborhoodnightout! pic.twitter.com/E888uKnSxg
— Marcia Ventura (@marciaventura) August 6, 2014
Via text, more preparedness, at 23rd and Cambridge, including this photo:
The texter (206-293-6302 any time!) says neighbor Patty Doty got a grant to “put together emergency kits to distribute tonight to our neighbors!” Meantime, back onto our travels:
OUR THIRD STOP, GATEWOOD: Sue‘s neighborhood has an annual “flags of all nations” display:
The biggest flag there in the middle synergizes with the sign – the flag is for Hawaii, the sign says No Ka Oi (Hawaiian for “is the best”) Party. We also discovered while visiting that Jeff is an award-winning amateur winemaker:
As we continue our travels, we’re noting MANY side streets closed off for block parties – way to go! And closing streets takes some logistics – and signage:
OUR FOURTH STOP, HANSEN VIEW: The sign above is from Hansen View just south of The Mount, where Night Out always means a big party. Including bluegrass band The Mighty Fallen.
We just missed visiting firefighters. Lots of neighbors having a great time!
Hansen View is home neighborhood to West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network leaders Deb Greer and Karen Berge, who we’ll see again – and you should come too! – at Delridge Day this Saturday. Meantime, a photo texted from Gatewood:
The band is Woodland, playing near 35th and Rose – thanks for the photo!
OUR FIFTH STOP, FAIRMOUNT: We were leaving Hansen View, headed to Junction Plaza Park (stop #6), when we noticed two Seattle Fire vehicles at a block party, so we pulled over, and got a group shot including the visiting firefighters:
This is Fairmount, south of The Triangle, not to be confused with Fairmount Park or Fairmount Springs. Then it was north to …
OUR SIXTH STOP, JUNCTION PLAZA PARK: The re-activated Junction Neighborhood Organization threw a party in the park … we didn’t arrive until it was almost over, but caught the small spirited group that remained:
West Seattle Bike Connections joined JuNO for the party. Police and fire had visited earlier too, as had City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who was making West Seattle rounds. JuNO had water balloons, too … now THAT is a party. JuNO’s director René Commons says they hope next Night Out will bring their SECOND annual party in the park.
ADDED 9:23 PM – OUR SEVENTH AND FINAL STOP, SEAVIEW: 5900 block of 44th and vicinity – thanks to Kelli for inviting us. A 1970 El Camino was a canvas for chalk art:
Heather from Sparklez Face and Body Art was creating art too:
And the group:
(added) WE STOPPED HERE TOO: Thanks to Sarah for kindly pointing out in comments that we had neglected to publish anything from one of our stops, 6000 block of 37th – and this was actually the first invite we’ve received, from Aaron. Found the pic!
(back to Tuesday night in-progress report) Next: Photos from the inbox – thanks for sharing! First:
That’s from Steve at 16th and Trenton. One block over, at 15th and Trenton, a party photo from Chris:
Next, from Leslie on Canada Drive SW:
Tweeted by Jason in Admiral:
40th Ave SW block party! (Hanford/Hinds) @westseattleblog #SeattleNightOut pic.twitter.com/65xuyLGRWa
— Jason G (@jgrotel) August 6, 2014
Lots of kid activities at tonight’s parties. Even a bouncy house in Belvidere, on 36th SW – thanks for this e-mailed photo:
Further south on 36th SW, here’s the group photo from Jenny‘s neighborhood (“between Findlay and Brandon, best block EVER!” she declared):
Also very proud of their block:
We love our neighborhood and thought you might like a glimpse of our amazing gathering. 61st Ave SW – between Hinds and Spokane St.
Mary Pyper and Janinne Brunyee, Block Watch Co-Captains
Pigeon Point always has a big bash, and Pete Spalding shared photos – here he is with Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske:
Deputy Chief Mike Washburn also stopped by, as did a Seattle Fire engine:
But neighborhood mingling remained the big draw, as it was with parties from north to south, east to west:
Next, we head all the way to the other end of West Seattle – Jim Edwards of West Seattle Big Band and West Seattle Grand Parade fame shares a photo from North Shorewood:
A first-time event in North Shorewood on 102nd SW. The west end of the block is the City of Seattle. The east end of the block, unincorporated King County. From 28th SW to 30th SW. We are also participating in an informal radio net with the West Seattle Radio Club.
Next year … maybe a band appearance? If you live out that way, keep watch for flyers next summer! Heading back north, to Gatewood again, Long B. Nguyen photographed his SW Portland neighbors:
From the 6300 block of 41st SW, Fairmount Springs vicinity, Jenny explains the next photo as “not everyone at our block party, but still a picture of neighbors enjoying each other.”
From the 3400 block of Belvidere Avenue, Erika shares a photo of the youngest neighbors, noting, “We had another fantastic night of community gathering with our neighbors and the gang of kiddos had so much fun riding bikes and scooters, as well as jumping in a bouncy house! We love National Night Out and look forward to it all year!”
From 46th SW between Walker and Hill in North Admiral, a photo texted earlier in the night:
And from Rutan Place SW, John shares a photo of his well-attended block party:
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: Two more – first, from Diane, the late crowd on 45th SW between Alaska and Edmunds:
The block party had double this amount in attendance earlier, with games, bubbles, a balloon artist, & sidewalk chalk for the kids. Most had headed home by this late hour to get little ones to bed and missed the photo. The block party also had 2 musicians who sang for them through the evening, accompanied with a guitar and double bass cello. A great block party for 45th Street!
And Don‘s neighborhood in Fairmount Springs had visitors who brought goodies – the Ben & Jerry‘s truck that’s making Seattle rounds this month:
Thanks again for sharing glimpses of awesome West Seattle neighborhoods.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The proposal for rechannelization – aka “road diet” – for Southwest Roxbury’s westernmost arterial mile was no longer a surprise when it was explained last night for the second time in five nights. At least some of the ~30 people at the second meeting about the design proposals for SDOT’s SW Roxbury Safety Project had clearly checked out news of the plan that circulated after the first meeting last Thursday.
Road diets have their critics, but this proposal did not draw an angry crowd to last night’s meeting at the Greenbridge YWCA in White Center, led by SDOT’s Jim Curtin, who also presented last Thursday’s briefing. One person voiced open concern about possible traffic congestion as a result. Several others, though, asked why the rechannelization couldn’t cover the entire arterial stretch of Roxbury, all the way east to Olson. And the general mood of questions/comments was in favor of something even more restrictive than SDOT is suggesting.
But before we get to that: In case you missed it, rechannelization – one lane each way, with a center two-way turn lane, west from 17th to 35th – is part of what SDOT is proposing. We detailed the entire plan in our coverage of last week’s meeting – please read that for full details; we went to last night’s meeting mostly to check out the questions/comments the second time around – it was scheduled as a rerun rather than a followup. Here’s the SDOT slide deck, same thing last night that was shown last Thursday:
ORIGINAL 2:52 PM REPORT: Seattle Fire crews are headed to a house-fire call at 26th and Trenton. Details to come.
2:58 PM UPDATE: This has now changed to a fire off 26th SW near Thistle (map), further north than first reported. It’s a small fire, reported to be out, possibly set. Most of the units have been dismissed.
3:31 PM UPDATE: The fire was set in a bush in a residential neighborhood east of Southwest Athletic Complex – dangerously close to homes.
5:01 PM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore tells us investigators determined it was accidental – “improperly discarded smoking materials” are blamed; a nearby resident put it out with a garden hose before firefighters arrived.
From the West Seattle development files:
(September 2013 WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
4730 CALIFORNIA CRANE COMING DOWN: Developers of 4730 California, the midblock project between Alaska and Edmunds, have announced the date their crane will come down – August 16th, one week from Saturday. That’ll be 11 months after it went up, drawing a crowd. Here’s the official notice:
Compass will be removing our tower crane on August 16th. Setup will start at 6:00 AM. The work will start at 7:00 AM and continue for about 8 hours. During this time the sidewalk in front of the jobsite will be closed and the parking restricted on both sides of the street. Uniformed police officers will be on site to direct traffic and pedestrians. When our crane was erected last September we drew a large crowd on the west side of California Ave SW. We invite you all to watch from the safety of the sidewalk when we take it down.
4730 California has 88 apartments and 71 parking spaces, plus retail space that is currently listed for lease.
Now to Morgan Junction:
“30 APARTMENTS, NO PARKING” PROJECT UNDER CONSTRUCTION: At 6917 California SW, construction has begun for the apartment project that drew regional attention because of neighbors protesting its lack of parking; its developer met neighbors at one point to answer questions. Site work began with demolition of the last old house on the site. Neighbors were appealing the project’s “determination of nonsignificance” but the hearing set for May was canceled after they negotiated an agreement instead; we found that document in the Hearing Examiner‘s archived files, and you can read it here. The apartment building is going into the empty space you see in our photo above; the under-construction structures to the right are townhouses and single-family homes, as mentioned here when we broke the news last fall about development plans for the site.
North to Charlestown/California:
(WSB photo from Landmark Preservation Board meeting in June)
LANDMARK OR NOT? VOTE TOMORROW: Almost two months after the city Landmarks Preservation Board agreed to consider city-landmark designation for Charlestown Court, which is again proposed for demolition and redevelopment (as first reported here in January), the board is scheduled to vote at its meeting tomorrow afternoon. The board said “no” to the designation first time it came up six years ago, when a different development proposal was pending. Then another proposal emerged that would have preserved its facade; that stalled with the recession, and an eight-townhouse plan is now in the works. The board’s meeting is open to the public, 3:30 pm Wednesday, 40th floor of the Municipal Tower downtown.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Cathy:
My 1999 blue, 4-door Honda CR-V was stolen last night from 44th Ave. near Findlay. It has a bike rack on the back attached to the spare tire. License plate 230UZC. Please help – I love this car and besides that, can’t get to work.
If you think you’ve seen it, call 911.
It’s Election Day, Night Out, and more – from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
(WSB photo added at noon: Tisha, Liora, and Benjamin @ West Seattle Stadium ballot van, which had received 100 ballots by 11:30)
ELECTION DAY! Your ballot needs to be in the mail by tonight, postmarked with today’s date, OR turned in at a King County Elections dropbox or ballot-dropoff van by 8 pm. Here’s the list of the latter two options (which do NOT require paying postage, while mailing your ballot DOES) – you’ll find the vans at West Seattle Stadium (off 35th south of Avalon) and Greenbridge (on 8th SW south of Roxbury). If you still need a reason to vote – here’s one – deciding Seattle Proposition 1, a change in the way extra tax money is raised for city parks. That link includes the “ballot title” and basic pro/con statements; the full text of the measure is here. If you’re in White Center or nearby unincorporated North Highline, you have a big ballot measure too, regarding fire district funding. P.S. If your ballot envelope is already “stuck” (ours were), here’s what to do. Tonight’s first and only vote count should be out by 8:15 or so, and we’ll of course report it – the Parks vote here on WSB, the North Highline Fire District vote on partner site White Center Now.
NIGHT OUT! 6-9 pm, it’s block party time, for fun with a purpose – community-building, neighborhood-strengthening, to enhance safety. Preparedness is on many neighborhoods’ agendas, too, as well as crime prevention. Not sure if there’s a party near you? Here are a few notes:
*As previewed here Monday, the Junction Neighborhood Organization invites nearby residents to Junction Plaza Park
*Some local neighborhoods’ events are (voluntarily) map on the Seattle Police website
*For official permission to close your street, you had to have registered with the city before today, BUT if you didn’t, hey, invite the neighbors over to your yard, courtyard, driveway, sidewalk … We’ll be out with live coverage as usual.
Also happening today/tonight:
KALEIDOSCOPE PLAY AND LEARN: Free weekly sessions at High Point Library this month for toddlers/preschoolers 2-5 years old, 1:30-3 pm, details in our calendar listing. (35th/Raymond)
WINE-TASTING CLASS BEGINS: 6 pm at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor); details in our calendar listing. (6000 16th SW)
CANNING-CLASS SERIES BEGINS: 6:30 pm at the West Seattle Tool Library – details in our calendar listing. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
LOTS OF LIVE MUSIC! See the individual venues’ listings on our calendar.
Did you see the signs? West Seattle Democratic Women‘s human-trafficking-awareness campaign is in a new phase with pop-up signage – the sign above was the fifth of six signs displayed Saturday along Harbor Avenue, and you’ll see them again this Thursday, 4-6 pm, on Fauntleroy Way just east of Morgan Junction. Elizabeth Heath, chair of the WSDW campaign, shared the photo and explained that WSDW is displaying the signs “a la the highway ‘Burma Shave’ signs of the past. One message was: Human Trafficking//Near Your Home//Don’t Delay//Pick Up The Phone//For Help, Call 888-3737-888″ – a national hotline to report human trafficking – followed by a sign for WSDW and its website. She adds, “Passersby on foot, on bikes, and in cars showed support by waving, blinking lights, or stopping by to learn more about the issue. You can expect to see these folks and their signs on various busy West Seattle streets over the next six weeks. Here’s a chance to learn more about Human Trafficking and how you can make a difference.” WSDW’s campaign has its own page on the group’s website, here. Not sure you would know human trafficking if you saw it? Some basic info is on this brochure from another local organization, Seattle Against Slavery.
Thanks to Chief Sealth International High School assistant principal Cheryl Sullivan for the photo and news: This morning in Yakima at the conference of the Washington Association for Career and Technical Education, Sealth teacher DeAira Handugan (left) “received the WA-ACTE New Teacher of the Year Award. She will represent Washington (and Sealth!) at the regional awards in April, 2015, in Kansas City.” That’s an honor for a teacher in specialties including woodshop, agriculture, auto body, video production, computer, business, and her specialty, Family and Consumer Sciences, for which Handugan also is being honored by the organization today, with the “outstanding service to Family and Consumer Sciences” awards. Congratulations!
SIDE NOTE: While teachers and staff start back sooner, this year’s first day of classes for Seattle Public Schools is four weeks from tomorrow – Wednesday, September 3.
(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Time to keep watch on what’s happening while you head from here to there. Metro started the day with a text alert that the first West Seattle Water Taxi shuttles of the day, 773 and 775, are “delayed” – no word on why, or how much of a delay. (If you are a rider and notice a delay much later into the morning, please let us know.)
‘NIGHT OUT’ REMINDER: Tonight is Night Out, an evening of community-building, safety-enhancing block parties around our city and the rest of the nation, 6-9 pm. That means a lot of “street closed” signs around local neighborhoods. If you’ll be on the move during those hours, be extra careful!
7:11 AM: Text alert says Water Taci shuttle service has resumed.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Three weeks ago, we reported on the sudden ouster of the longtime director of the Senior Center of West Seattle, 
Karen Sisson, news that shocked and saddened many community members – one of whom even picketed.
While the center owns its own building and has its own board of directors, its staff/administration is through the citywide nonprofit Senior Services, which would not comment on the reason for Sisson’s dismissal. Less than a week after her termination, the West Seattle board declared it had voted full confidence in her leadership, and its president Dave Robertson stressed that they were pressing for answers.
We’ve been asked what’s happened since then. Here’s what Robertson told WSB today:
As board President of the West Seattle Senior Center, I would like to thank the West Seattle community for its support to the Senior Center and to Karen Sisson. The Board of Directors of West Seattle Senior Center is hopeful that it will be able to amicably resolve issues with Senior Services, and in the meantime, the Senior Center does not want to lose Karen’s talents and experience in helping seniors in West Seattle.
The Senior Center has been an integral part of the West Seattle community for 40 years, and Karen has been Center Director for more than 25 of those years. Karen’s dedication to seniors and to the Center is without question. Her work is phenomenal. As we continue to work on this issue, we thank you for your support and patience.
Since our last followup, we also made contact with Karen Sisson, who had her own words of thanks:
I have so appreciated the support from the community, it is overwhelming to me.
I am also overwhelmed with the loss of my job, working to better the world of seniors in West Seattle. I have always loved my work, the connection to the community and with the seniors individually. It is so rewarding to see what staff can do to change the course of their world.
Above all, I would ask that the community continue to support the Center and its staff during this transition period. Your support of the Center is the only reason it has been so successful. The West Seattle board is strong and has strong leadership under David Robertson, and Nancy Sorensen who actually used to be president of the SS board. They have some very hard decisions to make and i wish them well in that process.
In the meantime, I will volunteer for Aylene the Stop n’ Shop manager, and assist the board should they request.
While neither Senior Services nor Sisson elaborated on the reason given for letting her go, Robertson said in his first public statement that it had to do with an e-mail.
That Gatewood home is scheduled for demolition – but not to be replaced by new development. You might call it “un-development.”
For the past few months, a small sign in front of it has been the only clue it’s set to become a pocket park, aside from this webpage. Seattle Parks owns it because its owner made a “reserved life estate donation” for that purpose. The sign has long promised an upcoming public meeting for neighbors, and now the date is set – 10 am Saturday, August 16th, at the site known as the Watton property after the donating family, 3823 SW Willow. It’s scheduled for demolition a month later, in mid-September; George Watton, who died last January at age 94, bequeathed the money for that, too. He and wife DeLayne Watton (who died in 2007) had lived there since building the house after he returned from World War II in the late ’40s. After demolition, the city will work on site restoration and turf establishment, and promises it “will work with the contractor to minimize the impact to the neighborhood.”
Long before today’s announcement, we had done some research after getting a tip about the site. Donald Harris with Seattle Parks told us that George Watton had said, dating back to 1992, that he was interested in donating his property to the city after he died. The city won’t accept “just any property,” but this one appealed, Harris explained, because “you can see how it could be this great little overlook for the neighborhood.” Mr. Watton’s health went downhill after he took a fall late last year; he had to leave his beloved home and move in with family in southwestern Washington. According to Harris, they said they wanted to start the process of transferring the site, and there was some hope it might be transformed into a park before he died, but that didn’t work out. Mr. Watton did stay engaged with the planning process for a long time, Parks says. His monetary donation to cover demolition and some park development totaled about $60,000, and because of the special type of account it went into, it grew over time. The demolition won’t be simple, but eventually, Harris said, people will be able to go up onto the site and sit and enjoy it.
3:22 PM: The “heavy rescue” call at 4th Ave. South/South Spokane St. right now is described by Seattle Fire as a rescue involving a “bicyclist trapped underneath a semitruck.” That’s all we know right now – avoid the area; updates as we get them.
3:35 PM: The bicyclist has been extricated from under the truck, according to the scanner, and is described as a 26-year-old man, conscious with injuries including significant “abrasions” after being dragged for a distance. Medics are rushing him to Harborview Medical Center.
4:24 PM: Couldn’t figure out from other sources how traffic was being affected, so we’re now here at the scene. Westbound Spokane is closed at 4th – this happened on Spokane, under the bridge, just west of Spokane. Southbound 4th is closed at Spokane but just as we arrived, scanner discussion suggested they hope to reopen that section at least part of the way soon. Northbound 4th and eastbound Spokane are unaffected – that includes the ramp from the eastbound bridge.
4:38 PM: Traffic Collision Investigation Squad investigators (photo above) are on scene, so that one section of road, westbound Spokane west of 4th, is likely to be closed a while. Though southbound 4th has reopened, police are still on the right side, and it’s moving slowly right now, so we would still advise an alternate route. We’re on 1st now and it is moving at a normal pace.
6:55 PM: SDOT tweets that the intersection is open again in all directions. SPD’s early summary of the collision says the rider was in stable condition when hospitalized.
Two months after the sudden shutdown of A Terrible Beauty, 
another Junction restaurant has closed. La Romanza Bistro proprietor Aimee Pellegrini confirmed to us via e-mail that her restaurant at 4521 California SW has shut down. We were checking on its status because of multiple reader e-mails pointing out that La Romanza did not open either day this weekend, and that it appeared some of its interior furnishings had been removed; we noted its website was down and that its phone was answered with a recorded message saying simply, “La Romanza is closed.” Then our e-mail inquiry was answered, confirming that the closure is permanent. The restaurant opened as the Tuscan Tea Room in fall 2010 as an adjunct to Pellegrini’s well-regarded Romanza Floral business, and then morphed in April 2012 into a full-service restaurant, offering Italian cuisine as well as the tea service and live music. No indication so far what’s next for the space.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon – first, from Kristy:
Saturday night (8/2) around 10:15 pm I was driving north bound on 35th Ave SW when, at the Roxbury intersection, a brown two-door older car blew through his red light heading west and t-boned my black toyota prius. If anyone has information, please contact police (incident #14-254719). He backed east on Roxbury after it happened and then took off. His car sustained front end damage and we did get a partial license plate thanks to a helpful witness (who thoughtfully stayed with me until police arrived).
Thanks so much, West Seattle!
Not far south, Fumiko in Arbor Heights says package thieves have hit:
My friend suggested that I contact the blog and let you know that I had one package stolen from my front door step on July 23rd (USPS confirmed delivery on that day) and also about 6 months ago I had another package stolen from the same location. I live on 35th near 100th.
(Echinacea at Delridge P-Patch, by Laura Goodrich, shared via WSB Flickr group)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
BALLOT-DROPOFF VANS: Voted yet? Tomorrow is Election Night, so time’s running out; if you send your ballot back by mail, you need a stamp, but if you use a King County dropbox or van, you don’t. Two vans are in our area 10 am-5 pm today and 10 am-8 pm tomorrow – the West Seattle Stadium driveway (enter from northbound 35th just south of Avalon) and the 8th SW business area just south of Roxbury (parked on northbound 8th).
SW ROXBURY MEETING: 6 pm, it’s the second of two meetings for SDOT to outline its proposals for the SW Roxbury Safety Project. As reported here last Thursday night, the west end of the corridor – 17th to 35th – is proposed for “rechannelization,” but that’s just part of a package of plans for the crash-plagued street, all the way eastward to Olson/4th. Tonight’s meeting is at the Greenbridge YWCA. (9720 8th SW)
WEST SEATTLE HI-YU MEETING: As announced by the volunteers who make West Seattle Hi-Yu‘s events and parade float happen:
We look forward to seeing everyone at our next General Meeting, Monday, August 4th. St. John the Baptist Church Hall, corner of 42nd and Hanford, 7 pm. The last month has been a fun and busy one since our Grand Parade including Greenwood, Torchlight and Lake City. In August we will spend some time doing some fundraising and taking applications for the 2015 junior court before our next scheduled parade in September.
All welcome.
AND THERE’S MORE … on our calendar.
Live in The Junction? There’s a “block party” for you tomorrow night during Night Out. René Commons from the local community council, the Junction Neighborhood Organization, shares the announcement:
JuNO – The junction Neighborhood Organization is staging the First Annual JuNO Neighborhood Night Out Block party at Junction Plaza Park. The event is open to all and we are looking for talented musicians from the neighborhood to perform in the park. JuNO will be roasting hot dogs – kosher and vegan – and staging contests. This is a potluck and we are asking people to bring a side dish or dessert. We will have tents set up and will feature information on crime prevention and emergency preparedness.
Neighborhood Night Out at the Park welcomes all to show their neighborhood STYLE:
Best Hat
Best Dressed Dog
Best Kids costume
Best Decorated Bike (Yay! We have a bike corral in the Junction!)
Best YodelAdult Balloon Toss
Kids Balloon TossOpen call to all neighborhood musicians, dancers and magicians to perform; please contact event coordinators!!!
Looking for volunteers to help set up and stage gamesEvent Contact: Lilah Gael – lilahgael@gmail.com – & René Commons – wsjuno@yahoo.com
The park is on the northwest corner of 42nd and Alaska. Any other neighborhoods having a party open to those beyond the immediate block, let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. No major road work on the schedule so far for this week, so we have just one reminder for you: Tonight is the second of two SDOT meetings about the SW Roxbury Safety Project proposals; a “road diet” from 17th to 35th is one of the proposals unveiled at meeting #1 last Thursday (WSB coverage here). If you’re interested, be at Greenbridge YWCA at 6 pm tonight.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
This edition of our periodic feature The WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block?” Or on the bridge, or the beach, or …
*In the 1500 block of SW Cambridge, a driver pulled over for talking on her cell phone was unable to provide the officer with her license or proof of insurance. What she *did* have were five felony warrants (totaling $65,000): Three for DUI and two for driving with a suspended license. She was booked into King County Jail.
*On Monday the 28th, the manager of an Alki coffee shop called 911 after checking the welfare of a patron who had been in the bathroom a long time. She opened the door, saw him with a belt around his arm and suspected he was injecting drugs. Officers arrived and questioned the man who, the previous day, had fallen asleep in the same bathroom. At the request of the manager, he was trespassed from the business. When a records check showed that he was wanted on a felony warrant by the King County Sheriff’s Office for residential burglary and trafficking stolen property ($50,075), he was booked into the King County Jail.
One of the benefit events we spotlighted this weekend was the second annual bake sale by two young West Seattleites working to help the Humane Society and the animals it cares for. Carey, who sent word of the sale in advance, shares the wrap-up and photos:
Thanks to the WSB and the West Seattle community for sponsoring Gwen and Muriel’s bake sale to benefit the Seattle Humane Society! With your support the barrel was filled with food and toys for cats and dogs and the proceeds were TWICE what they were last year. We are so thankful for our community and their generosity!
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