West Seattle, Washington
19 Tuesday
(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Today’s commute arrives after another windy night, so once again, watch for branches and other debris if you’re heading out early. Might not calm down much before tonight, the forecast says.
TOMORROW – SHOW YOU CARE: Even if you don’t usually go to meetings, Tuesday night is an excellent time to make an exception to show up and show support for the West Seattle Transportation Coalition‘s campaign to get government at all levels to pay attention to our area’s unique transportation challenges. 6:30 pm Tuesday (January 14th) at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), hear directly as city, county, and state reps answer the questions West Seattleites have long been asking.
Before looking ahead to this week’s sports schedules for local high schools, weekend notes: The weekend began with Chief Sealth International High School winning a swim meet vs. – Trisha Montemayor shared the results: “Chief Sealth beat Eastside Catholic 161 to 132, with the boys winning easily 87-60 and the girls pulling out a win by 2 points, 74-72.” The team scores are here; individual results, here.
In Friday basketball, the West Seattle High School girls-varsity team had its second win of the week, WSHS 66, Franklin 34, and the Seattle Lutheran High School girls lost to Crosspoint Academy, 44-36. Friday’s boys-varsity basketball scores were SLHS 67, Crosspoint 60; Nathan Hale 69, Chief Sealth 54; and Franklin 71, West Seattle 38.
For the week ahead:
*The Chief Sealth International High School sports schedule is listed on the school’s Metro League page; competition at home includes a wrestling match tonight against Ingraham, boys’ basketball vs. O’Dea Tuesday night, girls’ basketball vs. Holy Names on Wednesday night; on Friday, it’s varsity swimming vs. Cleveland on Friday (Southwest Pool) and girls-varsity gymnastics vs. Ingraham and Nathan Hale.
*The Seattle Lutheran High School sports schedule is listed day by day on the school calendar here. This week’s home games are on Wednesday – girls’ and boys’ basketball vs. The Bear Creek School.
*The West Seattle High School sports schedule is listed in full in the school’s online newsletter Westside Weekly (see this week’s WSHS WW here). Home games include boys’ basketball vs. Rainier Beach on Tuesday night, girls basketball vs. RB on Wednesday night, and boys C/frosh team vs. Kennedy next Saturday afternoon.
Three development updates in our continuing coverage of what’s being built/planned:
WEST SEATTLE’S SECOND FOOTPRINT: The second “microhousing” – studio apartments clustered around shared kitchens/gathering spaces – complex to open in West Seattle apparently will carry the same brand as the first. This weekend, 3266 Avalon Way SW – the tall skinny building one door east of the 35th/Avalon 7-11 – appeared online as Footprint Avalon I (the corresponding webpage has been gutted since we saw it Saturday night). That would make it a sibling to Footprint Delridge, the two buildings that started renting recently across from Southwest Youth and Family Services, now now advertised as renting for $855 (with the footnote, “Not aPodments”). To the Avalon I name – that could mean 3050 Avalon Way SW, the only other microhousing project on the drawing board for that apartment-lined street, will turn up as Footprint Avalon II (it’s still in the permit process). Footprint also is behind the microhousing building in the works for 5949 California SW.
JUNCTION FLATS DESIGN: Another doubleheader when the Southwest Design Review Board meets this Thursday night – 3078 Avalon Way at 6:30 pm (as previewed here a week ago), 4433 42nd SW at 8 pm. The latter project, Junction Flats, now has its design packet available for public preview; it’s proposed for 78 apartments, two live-work units, and 52 parking spaces, on the site of three old houses across 42nd from Hope Lutheran.
See the full packet here; public comment is welcome at the meeting, which will be steps away from the project site, Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon).
FROM THE LAND USE INFORMATION BULLETIN: Two decision in on smaller projects previously mentioned here – a four-house project has won land-use approval at 4522 Delridge Way SW; here’s the decision. And the lot split at 3947 SW Kenyon, where two homes are proposed to replace one, has been approved; here’s that decision.
P.S. After a break, work resumes tomorrow (Monday, January 13th) on the California/Alaska/42nd Equity Residential project. There’s still a lot of excavating to do, so the tower crane for that site isn’t due until March.
In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight – we start with two reader reports. First, from Nerissa:
Around 12:15, my house was broken into. We are on the corner of 47th and Andover. [map] My roommate was downstairs watching the game and the people or person must have only been in for a minute or two. They came in through the back door which *was* a half-glass French door with what looks like a crowbar. They took laptops, iPods, iPod chargers, and some jewelry. They may have left out the front door and were quiet and quick. We didn’t notice until I got home since my roommate assumed it was me walking around upstairs.
We checked the SPD map; the burglary rate is back down, eight mapped in the past week in West Seattle.
From Joleen in Westwood:
My bicycle was stolen within the past week. It’s a white women’s bike, 18-speed I think. It was locked to the beam in my carport. The bike lock was cut, likely with bolt cutters. My back gate was left open as well…
If you’re wondering what brought police to West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) this afternoon:
(Photo added 8:57 pm, courtesy Brian Allen)
After a reader tip, we went to check, and learned on scene that it was another case of liquor shoplifting, which has plagued so many stores since privatization. One suspect was taken into custody.
Finally – we got a note from neighbors at 40th/Findlay (map) who wondered if anyone else has been hit by tree vandalism/theft. Three “young trees” were cut down in a planting strip and front yard – not lost to stormy weather, we’re told; saw marks were visible on the stumps. We haven’t heard of any trees targeted since the holidays, in a couple cases that appeared to be thieves seeking free Christmas trees (which they could have instead gotten from at least two local lots that wound up giving away remainders).
Our stormy weekend hasn’t been kind to trees. The one in Benjamin Hutchinson‘s photo, above, toppled onto an Alki sidewalk overnight. Our Saturday coverage showed several cases of sizable trees or branches falling in the wind – bringing down wires in The Junction, mashing a car on 40th SW in Morgan Junction. Trees are a big part of what makes our city so beautiful – Seattle has seven times as many trees as people! – but you might wonder sometimes which one(s) are at risk in the next 45+-mph gust. We took the tree-safety question to arborist Mark Harman from longtime WSB sponsor Stonehedge Tree Experts, who is also a certified tree-risk assessor. Here’s his reply:
With these strong winds recently and the accompanying damage that may result from trees or their parts flying off or falling on your car or home, it makes one take a second look at the large trees around us. Should we be worried about the trees in our yards or the neighbors’ yard? Here is my opinion from a guy who has been working with trees for the last 30 years from Washington to Idaho.
Around here in the Seattle area, it is very unusual for a healthy tree to totally blow over. Of those trees that do blow over or those trees that lose the top part of the tree, almost all of those episodes could have been predicted if an experienced Arborist had looked closely at the tree prior to it falling apart. There are almost always signs on the tree that show its problems. Trees have “body language” – they can tell us if they are sick, hollow, rotten, twisting, failing, or tipping over. We just have to be educated to read those signs.
Every tree species has its own problems:
From new Senior Center of West Seattle board member Nichole Casado, word of two volunteer positions the center needs to fill, fast:
At our recent meeting I learned the Senior Center is in urgent need of a volunteer to pick up food at the Food Bank located at Morgan and 35th and drive it to the Senior Center around 9:30 am every Tuesday. An SUV or regular-sized truck is a large-enough vehicle. The Food Bank has staff to load the vehicle and the Senior Center has folks lined up at drop off for the unload.
Also, the Senior Center is looking for a volunteer who would like to work in the Café on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30-1:30. This person would prep and serve soup-and-sandwich-type meals. Anyone interested in either of these much-needed roles should contact Karen at the West Seattle Senior Center – ksisson@seniorservices.org
The center’s number is 206-932-4044. It’s in The Junction at California/Oregon.
(Photo courtesy West Seattle Totems)
A new round of congratulations today for members of the West Seattle Totems, whose coach Joe Matter shares periodic updates – like this one, including news of state-championship winners and national-level competition ahead:
The West Seattle Totems, the junior rifle team located at West Seattle Stadium, wrapped up a successful December schedule of 4 matches.
The US Army sponsored the Washington State Air Rifle Qualifier in West Seattle, where 19 members of the Totems competed in a 60-shot standing match. Alec Patajo led the field with a 573 out of a possible 600 point to win the state individual championship. The Thunderbirds, consisting of Alec Patajo, Corinne Blair, Casey Iwamoto, and Owen Yeasting, shot a combined score of 2238 to finish 2nd in the state and 11th in the country. Alec will receive an invite to the finals to be held in Ft Benning, Georgia, at the home of the Army Marksmanship Unit. The Thunderbirds missed a team invite by just a few points.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program sponsored the Washington State Three Position Air Rifle Championship, also held in West Seattle. The Thunderbird team won the state title, shooting a 2304 out of a possible 2400 points. The win guarantees an invite to the regional championships to be held in Layton, Utah, in April. The Chiefs, consisting of Sierra Avril, Jack Ellis, Sumner Ames, and Katelynn Brown, shot a 2236 to finish 4th in the event. Alec Patajo shot a 583 to capture the state individual championship.
USA Shooting, the Olympic governing body of the shooting sports, sponsored two matches in December:
(Micro-scene in Schmitz Park, photographed by Machel Spence)
Happy Sunday! Today’s calendar is a little busier:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Year-round – 10 am-2 pm today; see the produce calendar here, but remember it’s more than produce. Cider, meat, fish, baked goods, cheese … (44th/Alaska)
REMODELING/CUSTOM-BUILDING WORKSHOP: 2 pm at Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor), free workshop – but call to see if there’s room, and if there’s not, get on the list for the next one! (California/Findlay)
STRAUSS, DEBUSSY, CHOPIN, PIAZZOLA … are the composers whose work is set to be featured today at 3 pm, West Seattle (Admiral) Branch Library, by the Ladies Musical Club. Free concert! (2306 42nd SW)
WEST SEATTLE GREEN SPACE COALITION: 3 pm, Delridge Branch Library. As most recently mentioned here, this is the citizens’ coalition asking Seattle City Light for more time to be part of determining the best plan for the future of former substation sites in West Seattle and vicinity. All welcome. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
COOK SOMETHING FRENCH … and bring it to today’s West Seattle Cooking Club meetup, 3 pm at Beveridge Place Pub. (6413 California SW)
GO SWIMMING! Various public swim sessions are on the Sunday schedule at Southwest Pool. (2801 SW Thistle)
You’ve seen the pups onshore, you’ve seen the adults briefly peek from the water before submerging … but unless you’re a diver, you just don’t get this kind of look at harbor seals. The occasion was somber – “Diver Laura” James was back off Seacrest, checking on the dying sea-star population – but she and her diving companion were delighted by the harbor seals who joined them, as their video shows. While to the untrained eye, the seals might seem to be looking for something they’re just not finding, Laura says that’s not it at all: “Very typical for the West Seattle harbor seals. They were hunting for the little golden fish that are illuminated by our dive lights. They’ve learned through the years that divers are great as ‘hunting assistants’ and they utilize our dive lights to help them capture shiner perch for dinner. They actually teach their offspring (or the smaller seals) to do it.”
As for the sea stars – no good news, nor even answers, yet; separate update to come.
(August 2011 WSB photo from Summer Concerts at Hiawatha)
Another announcement tonight from the Admiral Neighborhood Association – in its role as the only West Seattle neighborhood group that presents an annual concert series. ANA has just put out an early call for musicians interested in being part of Summer Concerts at Hiawatha this year (note that the series dates are set, so if you are a potential spectator rather than a potential performer, you can at least do some early calendar-marking):
Hello and Happy New Year!
We are now accepting submissions for bands/acts for the 2014 Admiral Neighborhood Association Summer Concerts at Hiawatha Park. This year’s concerts will be held on Thursday evenings – July 24th, July 31st, August 7th, August 14th, August 21st, and August 28th – beginning at 6:30 pm.
Concerts are free to the community and made possible by sponsorships and support from Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Associated Recreation Council, the Admiral Neighborhood Association, and area businesses.
If you would like to be considered for this year’s concert series, please submit the following preliminary information to info@admiralneighborhood.org:
(1) Band name and brief description of genre/style
(2) Band website or other link to where the band’s past performances may be viewed/listened to
(3) Band’s fee for a 90-minute performance, including a 10-minute break, if desired. Please indicate whether this fee is negotiable
(4) Number of members of band and types of instruments played
(5) Stage size requested and special sound/equipment requests
(4) Band contact name, email address, and phone number
Past artists performing for the series have included The Dusty 45s, Caspar Babypants, Star Anna, LeRoy Bell, Glenn Crytzer & his Syncopators, Fly Moon Royalty, Massy Ferguson, Reilly & Maloney, Pearl Django, and Yogoman Burning Band, to give an idea of the caliber of talent and diversity of appeal we seek.
Band submissions will be reviewed over the next few months (please remember we are volunteer-driven!) and we hope to contact bands and announce our lineup by about May or June.
We also appreciate reader recommendations of bands to consider for the series (that’s how we found The Local Strangers for our 2012 series!).
Thanks so much to all. We look forward to putting together another smashing ANA Summer Concert Series, and we’re already dreaming of warm summer evenings on the lawn at Hiawatha!
Katy Walum
Admiral Neighborhood Association
This will be the sixth year of the concert series, launched in summer 2009.
Highland Park has no sports bar/lounge where you can go for a big game like today’s Seahawks victory over the Saints – or a small game, for that matter – but the Highland Park Improvement Club transformed itself into a viewing venue – same way it morphs into the pop-up Corner bar one night a month. Members and neighbors gathered to watch today’s game – and yes, there was at least one Saints fan in the crowd:
That’s Mike in the Saints jersey and Jim in the Seahawks jersey. By now, of course, you know who won. The Seahawks stay home to host the NFC Championship next Sunday, 3:30 pm, vs. either Carolina or San Francisco, depending on who wins those teams’ faceoff tomorrow; tickets for the January 19th game go on sale this Monday at 10 am.
(SEE OUR MORNING COVERAGE by going here)
(ADDED: Top photo from south of Alki Point today, courtesy Jeff Abel Photography)
2:34 PM: Another round of strong wind is moving through, in the company of sideways rain. Earlier, the precip even fell for a while as hail, and the proof is in the photo from Christa and Jenny Hickcox, who observed, “Glad we are watching the game from home today!” There are still some who aren’t able to – after this morning’s big outage affecting about 9,000 homes and businesses in several areas of West Seattle, Seattle City Light now says it still has about 250 homes/businesses without power in more than 30 areas around its system. We know some of them are in Seaview, near Juneau west of California SW. One outage area from earlier has lingering environmental concerns:
If you missed it in our morning coverage – not that you’re likely to be hitting the beach until this calms down, but Lowman Beach is posted as “closed” after a sewage overflow during this morning’s outage. King County Wastewater Treatment sent portable generators to the Murray Pump Station there as well as to Barton in Fauntleroy to get them both back in operation. Upgraded backup-power systems are in the works for both sites.
2:56 PM: At least one vehicle in West Seattle did not fare so well:
.@seattledot road crew making quick work of the downed tree on our street! cc @westseattleblog @wsdot pic.twitter.com/rLlIp3g93C
— lux2 (@lux2) January 11, 2014
4:03 PM: Turns out that’s the first downed tree shown in our morning coverage, on 40th SW in Morgan Junction. Here’s a closer look at the vintage car totaled by the tree:
Now that the tree’s been cut up and cleared, the road is open again. Meantime, the National Weather Service thinks the wind might last a little longer – it’s extended the wind advisory to 1 am.
5:28 PM: Congratulations to the Seahawks and fans! One note – we heard from several people worried about explosions they were hearing. As Laura pointed out on Facebook, fireworks have become a post-win tradition for many, and that’s what the explosions were. Meantime, pockets of powerlessness remain, and City Light says it’s still working on dozens of small outages:
@macjustice @westseattleblog You are not alone. Crews are working to restore power to about 300 homes and businesses in 40 separate outages.
— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) January 12, 2014
Sunday is likely to see lots of yard cleanup – weather permitting – with debris like what’s seen in the photo Luckie shared:
EARLY SUNDAY MORNING: Everybody in West Seattle SHOULD have power now, according to City Light’s map.
(Photo courtesy ANA president David Whiting)
If the city moves to every-other-week garbage pickup for single-family homes, will curbs routinely look like that – or will people throw away less, to adjust? As first reported here back in November, the City Council is expected to decide by March whether to move ahead with every-other-week service, so community briefings and meetings are starting now, with a Seattle Public Utilities rep coming to talk with the Admiral Neighborhood Association on Tuesday night (7 pm, lower-level meeting room at Admiral Congregational Church, California/Hill). The city did a test run of every-other-week service in 2012, including part of Highland Park. If the council goes ahead with the change, it would take effect no sooner than April of next year.
(Thanks to Sam on Alki for the photo of this morning’s rainbow!)
Power-outage coverage is winding down after five hours, and the weather is in something of a lull too. If you’re looking for things to do before/after The Big Game (1:35 pm), check the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar. Not TOO busy, but some options – including multiple venues with live music tonight, long after the game’s over.
(TOPLINE: Power went out for thousands around 4:30 am; many got it back around 6; California reopened 8:10 am in north Junction after tree/line-down trouble; outage led to overflow at Murray Pump Station on Lowman Beach)
(WSB photo from California/Genesee, taken around 7:40 am just before crews finished fixing tree-downed lines)
WEATHER REPORT, 12:43 AM: Second straight windy night, and this time there’s an official alert to go with it – the National Weather Service has a wind advisory in effect until midnight Saturday night, with the possibility of gusts up to 45 mph at times. So charge your phone and anything else battery-powered, just in case.
FIRST OUTAGE REPORT, 4:40 AM: As commenters are noting, some have just lost power. If that includes you, please call City Light to be sure they know. So far, we have heard from people in Morgan Junction, Fauntleroy, Gatewood, Arbor Heights, Marine View Drive, The Arroyos, Vashon Island; here on the Gatewood/Upper Fauntleroy line, we’re OK.
4:47 AM: At least 4,750 out in West Seattle, according to one Arbor Heights resident who has already called SCL. Via Twitter, the utility says at least 28,000 are out systemwide, but that’s without West Seattle on their map yet.
4:58 AM: Fire crews are at the California/Frontenac transformer fire mentioned in comments, according to the 911 log. A commenter in the White Center area mentions power’s out where he is, too. Police are closing California between Dakota and Oregon north of The Junction (map) – apparently, per radio communications, a tree has taken down wires and a power pole.
5:10 AM: While the outage isn’t on City Light’s map, an update on their website does mention two separate outages totaling almost 9,000 customers (one home/business/school/etc. = one customer) in West Seattle and points south, as well as others elsewhere.
5:35 AM: Another tree reported down – 40th blocked, says e-mail, between Morgan and Fauntleroy (map), east Morgan Junction area. Thanks to the tipster for sending this photo:
Also, an update on the California SW road closure on the north side of The Junction – it’s reported between Genesee and Oregon.
6:04 AM: Commenters in Arbor Heights, (part of) Fauntleroy, The Arroyos report the power’s back on. Meantime, South Delridge seems to have joined the outage.
6:34 AM: Two hours since the outage began. Just got word from the King County Wastewater Treatment District that its pump stations both lost power and have mobile generators – noisy, they warn (if you can hear them over the roar of the wind!):
(WSB photo of portable generator, county van @ Murray [Lowman Beach], added 8:05 am)
A strong storm overnight may have caused power outages at King County’s Barton and Murray pump stations in West Seattle.
Crews responded early Saturday morning with mobile generators to restore power at the stations, which pump wastewater to the West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle. Employees will investigate whether the power outages led to wastewater overflows into Puget Sound.
If overflows occurred, King County will post public warning signs on the beaches, notify health and regulatory agencies, and sample water quality over the next several days.
7 AM: If you’re just waking up – some are still out of power; the City Light map has never fully reflected the WS outage in the past few hours, so don’t use it as a judge of where it’s out and where it’s not. If you wake up and find your power is out, DO call City Light to make sure they know – 206-684-7400. (added a few minutes later) You might also wake up to find trees/branches down. Just got word of another one:
Lisa says that’s the “top of a massive tree down in alley between 45th and 46th and Hill and Walker.” (map)
8:05 AM: Just back from a quick trip down California SW to The Junction. Everybody appears to have power – so your favorite coffee shop(s) are OK for your early-morning visits. The tree that came down between Oregon and Genesee was being sawed up; that section of road was still closed – let us know if you see it reopen; we’ll go back to check later, too. Also saw a City Light crew by the Solstice Park tennis courts in Fauntleroy.
8:15 AM: Per scanner, California is now reopening at the aforementioned spot. Wherever you are, go out and check for branches – we saw more than a few on some neighborhood roads during our recent jaunt.
8:57 AM: In south Morgan Junction, some lost power again. At least one business is affected – The Little Gym at California/Myrtle just reported via Facebook that it is without power. (Added: We just went down the hill to check, and the rest of that block, including Caffe Ladro, has power. Outages can be inconsistent that way!)
9:13 AM: Commenters in that general area and to the west say they’ve just been re-connected.
9:45 AM: King County says both Murray and Barton Pump Stations have their power back now, but they’ve confirmed there WAS an overflow at Murray – no details yet on how long/how much – so the beach will be posted as closed. Signs are also going up at Barton (north of Fauntleroy ferry dock) just in case.
2:02 PM: As chronicled in comments, some have since lost power – either again, or for the first time. City Light says it has only 250 people without power around its system, so if that includes you, please call to be sure they know – 206-684-7400.
Hours till game time … and we’ve collected some West Seattle scenes from “Blue Friday.” First – from left, Sue, Ardeen, and Doree are the “Lunch Ladies” of Denny International Middle School, and they rocked the ‘Hawks spirit – personally as well as decoration-wise:
In true Seattle-sustainability spirit, they made decorations out of old pizza boxes during winter break. For as far as the Seahawks get this season, they’ll keep it going – and by the way, they have a wish list, maybe Russell, Marshawn, or Richard visiting the Denny lunchroom? Of course, other West Seattle schools sported spirit too. Josh shared this photo from Westside School (WSB sponsor):
From K-5 STEM, here’s 7-year-old Brooklyn, whose mom Stacey explains, “She put this outfit together on her own……even painted her nails! Takes after her mom. . Go Hawks!”
Also at STEM, Robin Graham from the K-5 STEM PTA shares this link – kids spotted around Boren today who instead of Owls were “Hawks for a Day.” Meantime, you might call these kids “Hawklets”:
Mindi shared the photo from Munchkin Junction. In The Triangle, The Grove-West Seattle Inn added the Seahawks flag to their roster:
And we have to take one more look at the downtown skyline – from the Russell building’s #12 to the CLink color:
Thanks to Craig Young for the photo. And just as we were about to hit the “publish” button, we received this unique alternative view of the building:
Those are twins Eudora and Guthrie Itano Parson, age 7, whose granddad Steve shared the photo and noted, “This is how we ‘Do’ in Seattle: Our kids learn to live in the rain, they read ‘Books’ and cheer for the Seahawks.” Kickoff is 1:30 pm Saturday.
One night after we reported on a 1920s-era California SW brick building that is facing demolition again, we have an update on one that apparently is not.
Some interior work that has just begun at 2141 California SW (map) is drawing lots of attention – a half-dozen people pinged us about it today alone. You’ll recall this was the longtime home of Admiralty House Antiques, 
closed last summer when owner Fred Dau finally retired. He brought in an estate-sale expert to sell off its quirky contents, and told us in an interview that he then hoped to sell it quickly. Within a month, we reported that a sale was pending and a development proposal had emerged – leaving the former store intact while building three residential units behind it, facing SW Walker. We have kept watch on public records since then; there was briefly another proposal, to tear down the store and put up a mixed-use building, but that then was superseded by yet another plan, back to keeping the commercial building and adding three units behind it, two townhouses and one live-work. A sale finally closed in December, with the site bought for $775,000 by an LLC registered to West Seattle-based financier/developer Dan Duffus, who has built other projects nearby, including the live-work units that are home to Mind Unwind and Caffé Fiore one block south. The workers who were on site today said that the building’s being split into two commercial spaces; we don’t know whether tenants are already signed up.
Announced by SDOT: Weather permitting, paving crews will work in the 2300 block of Sylvan Way SW next Tuesday (January 14th), 8 am-5 pm: “One lane will remain open and traffic flaggers will assist alternating directions of traffic through the construction zone.”
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The largest development currently planned for West Seattle now has a larger-than-life name:
The Whittaker.
The name chosen for 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW is a tribute to the West Seattle native who first made history as the first American to summit 29,028-foot Mount Everest, Jim Whittaker (right).
The legendary outdoorsman was, typically, outdoors when he talked with us about it – near the sea, not far from the mountains, standing in the rain at a spot where he could get a cell connection. Exactly one month shy of his 85th birthday, Whittaker says he has never had a building named for him before, jokingly telling us, “That’s usually something that happens after you’re dead.”
We also talked with spokespersons for project developers Lennar and Weingarten about the name choice and the status of what until now was just nicknamed “the Whole Foods project,” after its first announced tenant.
(Screengrab from Wednesday night – note the unlit section on the left)
Several people have asked us in the past few days about a string of streetlights that have gone dark on the westbound high-rise West Seattle Bridge. It’s particularly noticeable because the bridge lights were changed to LEDs just a few weeks back, and if anything, those bulbs are supposed to last a lot longer than old-fashioned ones. We checked with Seattle City Light today, and spokesperson Peter Clarke says they’re working on it: “We have a crew assigned to check the lights out tonight when it’s dark so they can ID exactly which lights are out.” We’ll follow up again next week to see what they found out and what will be done about it.
P.S. We drove this stretch mid-evening Friday and noted that the lights are out on the north side, starting at the exit from SB 99 to the westbound bridge, until the peak of the high-rise.
Following up on our report from last weekend that the trial was about to begin for Lovett Chambers, charged with shooting and killing Travis Hood in Morgan Junction two years ago: 
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says pre-trial motions continued throughout this week and will continue next week, so the trial is not expected to get to opening statements until week after next. Those motions decide matters large and small, from what evidence will and won’t be admitted to how often the defendant can get a haircut during the trial (answer: weekly). Both sides have laid out their cases in trial briefs as well as motions, hundreds and hundreds of pages worth – some documents so big, we can’t get them to download through the online system. We’ve reported before that Chambers’ lawyers are expected to focus on self-defense as well as post-traumatic stress disorder; one recent document contends that the latter is due to what he went through in prison when he was much younger. According to court documents, his record has been clean for more than 30 years. Chambers is on trial for second-degree murder, reduced last summer from the original first-degree charge.
If you’re interested in the community coalition that’s asking the city to slow down with its project to decide within months what to do with former substations that have sat idle for decades, this Sunday is your next chance. The West Seattle Green Space Coalition will meet at 3 pm Sunday (January 12th) at Delridge Branch Library (5423 Delridge Way SW). Last weekend, the coalition raised concerns about tree-cutting and other work under way at some of the sites even before Seattle City Light has taken its suggestions to the City Council. The sites are listed here. A few days after this Sunday’s meeting, WSGSC will be talking with the utility, so if you have any comments to share and can’t make it Sunday, e-mail co-chair Mary Fleck at maryfleckws@gmail.com.
For the first time ever, South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) is sending a team to the national Aerospace Maintenance Competition,coming up in Las Vegas this March. The team’s members are all women, points out CrystalRose Hudelson, who thinks it’s particularly exciting as interest in STEM studies and professions grows among women and girls:
Hudelson spoke with us at the team’s first meeting on Thursday. She is vice president and founder of the SSCC chapter of the Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance; her teammates are Jennifer Lesher, Melissa Wang, Sarah McKenna, and Agnes Choung, and their coach is SSCC instructor Mary Hadley – Hudelson says they’re all donating their time and energy to make this happen. The school’s two-year Aviation Maintenance Technology program has more than a half-century of history – read about it here – and it’s hoped this will attract more female students, who currently comprise four percent of the project’s 200+ enrollment.
The Vegas competition, by the way, isn’t just for students – it includes professional categories too, and features 16 scheduled events, each allotting up to 20 minutes for completion. We’ll check back with the SSCC team as the competition draws closer!
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