West Seattle, Washington
10 Wednesday
Another SDOT project update to share: Remember the proposal announced four months ago for an uphill bicycle lane between Olga and Spokane on Admiral Way? The city is putting it on hold and redesigning its proposal, after concerns about parking removal/changes. Here’s the letter sent to nearby residents by SDOT’s Sam Woods:
Dear SW Admiral Way Resident,
As you know, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has been studying how to make the uphill bicycle lane on SW Admiral Way a safer and more inviting facility by widening the bike lane and the buffer from SW City View Street to 80 feet south of 3508 SW Admiral Way.
Last May, we mailed a letter to you explaining the plan and inviting comments. The original proposal was to restrict on-street parking on the east side of SW Admiral Way within this section to allow for the improvement. A number of you voiced concerns about the loss of parking and about the proposed parking-time restrictions. After reviewing the comments, SDOT has decided to delay implementation of this project until 2014 and are working on an alternative that would preserve some on-street parking.
We will be in touch with you early next year when we have more information to share. Thanks for being engaged and we look forward to working with you. If you have additional questions please by e-mail walkandbike@seattle.gov or call 206-684-7583.
As shown on the map distributed with the May announcement, the now-scrapped plan would have removed street parking south of 3508 Admiral Way, and put a 4-hour limit on the shorter section northward from there to Olga. The city had said its repeated visits had shown few cars parked on the longer section, and that half of those that were parked there had been for sale.
(Click image to open full-size PDF with the map and its notations)
Hat tip to West Seattle Bike Connections for calling attention to this: Three months after announcing that its east West Seattle drainage/stormwater improvements would be paired with a “greenway” – a route targeted for walk/bike-friendly features – the city is circulating word it’s closer to identifying a route. From SDOT‘s update:
… After analyzing data and reviewing public input, the most-promising greenway route is 17th Avenue SW from Roxbury to SW Kenyon or Holden Streets. More studies will be done to see how to best make the connection north of Graham Street up to the West Seattle Bridge Trail. We will have a meeting this fall to get additional input from community members on this alignment. Potential east-west neighborhood greenway routes are also being considered for implementation in the future.
More details are in this letter sent to nearby residents; it also points out that the project, including the “natural drainage” features, might affect parking:
Natural drainage projects in the public right-of-way are likely to affect some on street parking. Seattle Public Utilities knows that parking and access from the street to the sidewalk is very important to residents and carefully considers and addresses the impacts on every block where a project would be built. Residents’ feedback about concerns regarding on-street parking is one of the pieces of input that help determine where to place natural drainage projects. If your block is identified for rain gardens, you will have opportunities next year to provide input about the design.
No date for the next public meeting, but we’ll publish an update when it’s announced. The project’s infopage on the city website is here.
The featured photo is from the weekend – some of the spectators who stopped to watch as the crane for 4730 California went up over the course of about eight hours on Saturday (WSB coverage here). One day later, another spectator event on the same stretch of street – the West Seattle Car Show (here’s our coverage of that, with the winners’ list added). But now, it’s a brand-new week, time to look ahead, so here are a few calendar highlights for today/tonight:
AFTERNOON BOOK GROUP: “I Heard the Owl Call My Name” by Margaret Craven is this month’s book; all welcome to join the group at Southwest Branch Library, 2 pm. (35th/Henderson)
BEATS AND EATS: After-school program for teens at Delridge Community Center, 3:30-4:30 pm on Mondays – learn cooking and DJing/music production! Details in our listing. (4501 Delridge Way SW)
MENTOR MIDDLE-SCHOOLERS: It’s something you’ll benefit from too – and you can find out how, at an informational session, tonight at West Seattle (Admiral) Library, 6 pm. (2306 42nd SW)
HOW TO HELP PUGET SOUND: Sustainable West Seattle‘s community forum tonight focuses on what you can do to help Puget Sound – simple actions that can be incorporated into your daily life. Come learn about them, and share them with others. Presenters include “Diver Laura” James with the Tox-Ick.org project. Senior Center of West Seattle, 7 pm. (California/Oregon)
**NOTE NEW DATE**
Never too soon to start thinking about next year’s education opportunities for your child(ren) – and that’s the thought behind the West Seattle education fair set for 6:30 pm-8:30 pm Tuesday, October 1st, in the gym at Seattle Lutheran High School in The Junction, sponsored by WSB. Free to families who want to attend; nominal fee for schools who want to participate, open to any and all from pre-K through middle school. Registration’s open NOW – schools can sign up online by going here!
SEPTEMBER 29 UPDATE: As noted in comments, Seattle Lutheran has postponed the education fair to October 28th. Watch for an updated story tomorrow (9/30).
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
7:04 AM: No problems of note reported so far in the early going. As for this week’s road work, the closure on SW Orchard between Delridge and Sylvan is scheduled to shift today to the westbound side, as explained on the main page for the Delridge Repaving Project.
7:17 AM: Per the scanner, police are checking out a car blocking eastbound Edmunds at California that might be stalled or otherwise abandoned.
7:36 AM: Steve sends a warning about “flying foam peanuts” on the eastbound bridge – apparently somebody “lost a bag of them and it has broken open, swirling around roadway.”
8:01 AM: In comments, Susan says it’s even worse than that – westbound too and higher volume.
The newest video shared by “Diver Laura” James takes you 100 feet beneath the surface of the Sound, near Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), where a diving friend tipped her to, then guided her to, an octopus nest where the eggs were hatching late last Tuesday night.
The video stands on its own as a sight to see, but it’s timely because tomorrow night Laura and other advocates will be part of this month’s Sustainable West Seattle community forum, discussing and advising ways you can help protect Puget Sound. The Tox-Ick.org campaign, to help you do what you can to reduce toxic runoff, will be spotlighted along the way. You’re invited to come learn how to make a difference – in simple but powerful ways – 7 pm Monday (September 16th), Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon).
(Can’t see the clip? Go here to view it on Instagram)
6:10 PM: How serious is the thunder/lightning that’s moving through our area, the second bout today? So serious, the Seahawks-49ers game at CenturyLink Field has just been temporarily suspended for safety reasons. The National Weather Service says “scattered” thunderstorms are expected through this evening – bringing with them cloudbursts like yet another one we’re seeing and hearing right now (and the one recorded earlier in our brief Instagram clip above). No power outages in West Seattle so far – just flickers – but the City Light map shows scattered small outages elsewhere in the city.
6:22 PM: NWS has issued a “short-term forecast” saying this wave of storms, with “frequent dangerous lightning,” is expected to continue until about 7 pm.
6:46 PM: Since pets unfortunately can get spooked and bolt during thunderstorms, we want to make sure you’re aware that WSB hosts the only West Seattle-specific page for lost-and-found pets. Just got word of two more reunions, in fact. E-mail info (and a photo if you have one) to editor@westseattleblog.com.
7:23 PM: The weather has quieted and the Seahawks game has resumed.
(UPDATED TUESDAY with entertainment lineup – scroll to story’s end)
(WSB photo from WestFest 2012)
Now that this weekend’s big events are (mostly) over, we’re looking ahead to a festival that’s just five days away – Holy Rosary’s WestFest, next Friday and Saturday (September 20-21). Here’s the official announcement:
Come one, come all! Holy Rosary’s annual fall festival is right around the corner! Located at 4142 42nd Avenue SW, we throw open our doors and welcome all Friday 9/20, from 6 pm to 10 pm, and Saturday, 9/21, from 10 am to 10 pm. We are gearing up to host the season’s premier event for the West Seattle community; come see great local music and talent, eat delicious food, dob a round of bingo, race down the rides, try your luck at the cake walk, play carnival-style games galore, and so much more. There’s a beer garden for adults too — there is truly something for all ages!
Bring your young children early Saturday morning, from 10 am to noon, for “Toddler Time” at WestFest. Avoid the crowds and lines! They’ll enjoy better access to the blow-up rides and games with kids close to their age and ability.
Wristbands for Blow-up Rides:
Hard to find comedy in West Seattle’s nightlife – but this Wednesday (September 18) will be an oasis of laughter at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) with six comics on one bill – headlined by West Seattle’s own Mona Concepcion. The “Fantasy Island” theme is inspired at least in part by Mona hailing from Saipan, the reason she describes herself as “the world’s only female Chamorro comedian.” Long before she became a standup comedian, she was a funny writer, and her blog-format website kirida.com was a mainstay on the old WSB “blogroll” page. Show’s free, and it starts at 8 pm Wednesday.
1:30 PM UPDATE: Man reported missing has been found and is safe.
EARLIER:
(UPDATED post-show with award-ceremony video, list, more photos)
Sunbreaks at the West Seattle Car Show – and “bright overcast” in general! Come on down to The Junction for what looks to be a few hours of good weather, now that even the fog has passed. Next door at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, it’s the Zucchini 500:
That continues until 1 pm; the car show will continue for a few hours past that – c’mon down! Though admission is free, consider bringing a few dollars for raffles benefiting Pencil Me In For Kids, which provides school supplies to kids in need. You can get your tickets at California/Alaska, which is where we (in our sixth year as a co-sponsor) are hanging out too – a few yards from the SDOT camera providing this view looking north:
This is the sixth year of the car show – produced by Michael Hoffman of Liberty Bell Print and Design. More car photos shortly!
11:47 AM: This might be the most unlikely sight at the show, at the northeast corner of California/Alaska:
It’s here on behalf of the Seattle Lutheran High School auto shop – and here’s what it’s from:
The photo explains that “this year’s project (is a) frame-up rebuild of a 1963 Bel-Air wagon.” If you pass that corner, stop by our nearby table for a free WSB-labeled ice scraper – we brought along a few leftovers from our giveaways at last year’s fall-festival season.
Not much ice-scraper weather last year, but you never know, might come in handy.
Speaking of weather, another sunbreak is moving through, and things have definitely dried out since the brief thunderstorm a few hours earlier – which even at its height didn’t deter spectators. We spotted a couple Junction entrepreneurs snapping pix:
That’s Dean from West 5 at left, Matt Vaughan from Easy Street Records at right. Dean’s co-proprietor Dave Montoure is here too – we photographed him with mom Paula, whose ’58 Nash Metropolitan is in the show:
12:31 PM: The sun’s even brighter. The forecast suggests this is the big break before stormy weather this evening, so now is PRIME TIME to get outside if you haven’t come on down yet. Turnout’s been excellent:
Thanks to everyone who has stopped by to say hi! Couple more hours to see the cars before the winners are announced. Speaking of which, more photos, starting with this 1970 Ford Gran Torino:
And a 1956 Alfa Romeo:
Voting wraps up around 1 pm. Lot of folks here are looking ahead to tonight’s football game – we’re seeing Seahawks jerseys everywhere.
1:55 PM: About an hour until the awards are announced, so if you’re still thinking of coming to the show – it’ll likely be clearing out around 3:30 pm, so don’t wait too long. We’ve seen one politician so far today – Mayor McGinn circulated in the late morning:
He and challenger State Sen. Ed Murray will both be in West Seattle this Tuesday (September 17th), 1 pm, for a forum/debate at the Senior Center of West Seattle (as previously reported here) – all welcome. Back to the cars:
That’s a 1956 Porsche. For some reason, it’s the mid-’50s cars that have caught our eye today – this is a ’56 Ford:
The rain’s continued to stay away except for a brief sprinkle that blew through about an hour ago.
3:40 PM: The show’s a wrap – awards have been handed out and the cars are leaving. We rolled video on the awards ceremony and will add that here after we upload it back at HQ.
5 PM: Thanks to whomever texted us that the streets in The Junction are open again – as you can see via the “live” camera in this story.
6:51 PM: Jim Clark has a wonderful gallery of car-show photos – browse them here. And he shared these two with us for publication:
Meantime, here’s our video of the awards ceremony that concluded the show:
(added) We asked show producer Michael about a written list – here’s what we received:
Favorite West Seattle Car – Bob Harvey / 1937 Buick 10
Favorite Foreign Car – Dennis Saxon / 1965 Austin Healy MKIII BJ8
Favorite Ford – David and Alissa Riker (father & daughter) / 1970 Ford Torino
Favorite Mopar – Gini Bailey / 1933 Plymouth Coupe
Favorite Chevy – Mike Wilson / 1962 Chevrolet Belair
Favorite 20s – Greg Holmes / 1929 Ford “A”
Favorite 30s – Terry Skiple / 1932 Ford Coupe
Favorite 40s – Steve Neilsen / 1947 GMC COE
Favorite 50s – Ken Thompson / 1950 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight DLX 4 door
Favorite 70s – 1970 Dodge Challenger SEParticipants’ Choice:
Winner: Chris Alther / 1966 Chevy Nova supersport
Rudy Alviar / 1951 Chevy Bel Air 2 door hardtop convertible
Ron Rolfsness / 1957 Chevy Cameo Pickup
Michael Daily (Mission Moto) / 1975 Honda CB125
Bill Dwyer / 1954 MG MGNSRA Safety Award – Fred E. Yeates / 1938 Olds 2 door
Sponsor Awards:
Liberty Bell Print & Design – Scotty Almoslino / 1967 Pontiac GTO Convertible
Don Swanson Insurance – Jack Gentry / 1968 Chevy Impala
West Seattle Thriftway Award – 1968 Chevy Camaro
Gary Parker Memorial – Steve Olson / 1967 AMC Rebel SST
P.S. – Next street-closing celebration in The Junction will be this year’s Harvest Festival on October 27th (as announced earlier this month).
(ADDED: Trio with umbrellas at West Seattle Car Show; WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
9:41 AM: And just after we published the calendar highlights for the day, lightning/thunder/rain arrived. Here’s the “lightning radar” from our friends at KING 5; the rain radar shows it’s moving through from southeast to northwest. We’ll keep you updated on how this affects the events for today/tonight; so far, we have one change, in High Point, where HP’s own “Night Out” will move indoors at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center instead of being outside in local parks.
9:55 AM: The thunder has moved on and the downpour has stopped.
10:44 AM: And now the sun is trying to break through. To commemorate the occasion, the car show DJ is playing “Here Comes the Sun.”
That’s another photo from the West Seattle Car Show, which is on right now – fog or shine! Here are the toplines on that and other highlights for today, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (follow that link for even more listings):
WEST SEATTLE CAR SHOW: Sixth annual edition (co-sponsored by local businesses including WSB), with participating classic vehicles lining California SW in the heart of The Junction – closed to traffic – until mid-afternoon. The official end time is 4 pm but awards start around 3 and given that the weather might worsen later, we suggest you come see the pre-1980 cars/trucks/motorcycles early! If you’re coming by bus, note the reroutes here.
ZUCCHINI 500: As has been a tradition for years, WS Car Show day is also Zucchini 500 day at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, which you will find in its usual spot at 44th/Alaska. Kids can make zucchini-mobiles and run them on the track, 10 am-1 pm (the market continues until 2).
SEATTLE CHINESE GARDEN WORK PARTY: From the SCG at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor), a photo and invitation:
Enjoy a few hours outdoors in a beautiful setting at the Garden’s monthly work party. Many hands help banish the weeds. Meet new garden manager Bob Seely, who recently moved to Seattle from the East Coast, where he managed large private gardens. Bob also has lived in Japan and has deep appreciation for both Japanese and Chinese garden style.
Drop in any time during the morning; some volunteers might stay beyond noon. Bring garden gloves and your favorite weeding hoe or tool.An intrepid photographer, Bob’s son, risked life and limb to take the photo of the Garden site and sweeping skyline view. September/October Public Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 11:30 am to 5 pm • Admission is FREE
Get to the garden from the north entrance of SSCC. (6000 16th SW)
SECOND-TIME SALE: Fauntleroy Church‘s big sale has an encore period for shoppers today, 11 am-1 pm. Might even be some holiday decor left (our photo is from sale prep on Friday):
Details on the church website. (9140 California SW)’
CHILDREN’S POTLATCH: The Duwamish Longhouse hosts this free event with storytelling, kids’ crafts, and Duwamish singing/dancing, noon-3 pm; details in our calendar listing. (4705 West Marginal Way SW)
WANTED – LOVING HOMES: Got room in your heart and home for a cat/kitten? While you’re in The Junction for the WS Car Show and Farmers’ Market, stop by Next to Nature for the Friends of the Animals Foundation‘s adoption event, noon-3 pm. (4543 California SW)
JET CITY METRO AT SKYLARK: Did you catch this middle-schooler band’s story (and music video) here in the other day? (If not, go here, now!) They’re on the all-ages bill at Skylark Café and Club today, 4 pm. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
HIGH POINT NIGHT OUT: The High Point neighborhood decided to have its own “Night Out” instead of joining in the nationwide event last month – and tonight’s the night. Six picnics in six parks, among other plans UPDATE: With the weather, events have been moved indoors, to Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 SW Sylvan Way). It all starts at 6 pm.
Two alerts to share today:
WEST SEATTLE CAR SHOW: Above, that’s a “live” (refresh this page for the newest image) view of the heart of The Junction, where California SW is scheduled to be closed between Genesee and Edmunds 6 am-~6 pm today for the West Seattle Car Show (show hours are 8 am-4 pm). This also means some Metro Transit reroutes – click each route listed below to see the Metro PDF with route-specific information:
*RapidRide C Line
*Water Taxi Shuttle
*Route 22
*Route 50
*Route 128
WEST SEATTLE WATER TAXI: Yes, it WILL run an extended schedule for tonight’s Seahawks-49ers game. See that schedule here.
Thanks to Jeralee for sharing the photo. She reports:
33 family members walked in the (Walk to End Alzheimer’s) in Tacoma (Saturday). Walking for my Uncle Frank, who has had Alzheimer for several years, and also in memory of my mother Henrietta Henke and grandparents Ed and Hattie Little. All from West Seattle – we were all FOOTIN’ FOR FRANKIE.
Their team fundraising made the top 5, according to the walk’s official webpage. If you’d like to Walk to End Alzheimer’s, next Saturday (September 21st) there’s a walk in Seattle, at South Lake Union – info here.
11:59 PM: From Seattle Police via Twitter a few minutes ago:
@11:39 pm, teenage male shot at but not hit @ 30 Ave SW & SW Juneau St. [map] Nobody injured in incident. Suspect vehicle, white SUV, fled scene … Officers & Gang Unit detectives actively investigating. No more information available at this time.
12:22 AM: Scanner traffic indicates the SUV was believed to be a Dodge Durango.
Some fun summer events are intricately planned and formally booked … some are just “let’s see who shows up and what happens.” The generally annual “Alki Classic” bike/trike/unicycle ride, barbecue, jugglefest, etc., is more along the latter lines. One of our favorite anonymous community contributors shared photos from this year’s edition, which included fun at Lincoln Park under the clouds (below) as well as the late-in-the-day sunshine (above).
The route from Lincoln Park was scheduled to proceed toward the event’s namesake beach – so if you saw a group with human-powered wheeled transportation of all configurations, as well as some juggling, now you know who it was. As noted in our morning preview, it’s always open to the public, so if you missed the advance word, watch for it next year!
After a first-week win, Seattle Lutheran High School‘s football team is now 1-1 following their second game of the season, a 40-0 loss to Lake Roosevelt on Saturday afternoon at West Seattle Stadium. The Saints have another non-conference game next Saturday, hosting Oroville, from Central Washington, at 2:30 pm September 21st.
One more reminder before Sunday arrives – California SW will be closed in The Junction, between SW Genesee and SW Edmunds, 
6 am to 6 pm tomorrow, for the sixth annual West Seattle Car Show. The show itself runs 8 am-4 pm; spectators are free, while pre-1980 cars/trucks/motorcycles are $20 if you haven’t pre-registered (yes, there are trophies!). Looks like the weather will be best in the morning, so come down early, have breakfast or lunch, and we’ll see what happens. The West Seattle Farmers’ Market is on as usual, too, 10 am-2 pm, featuring this year’s Zucchini 500 (10 am-1 pm). We’ll be in The Junction reporting live; hope to see you there.
Thanks to Karen for sharing photos from today’s Sundodger Invitational cross-country meet, which brought hundreds of runners from more than two dozen high schools and colleges (none from West Seattle) to Lincoln Park. These photos are from the high-school-varsity girls’ 5,000-meter race, in which Karen was cheering for niece Rachelle Kline of Auburn-Mountainview HS (in blue):
Team and individual results are here.
Thanks to Denny International Middle School principal Jeff Clark for sharing the photo from South Park’s big event today. He reports: “The Denny International Middle School scholars did an outstanding job today marching in the Fiestas Patrias parade! I am so proud of our scholars, staff, and families for representing our school in such a dynamic way in this important community event. Go, Dolphins!”
The parade and accompanying community fiestas that followed comprise a combined celebration of independence for multiple Latin American countries; the South Park fiesta is on until 6 pm, the one at Seattle Center until 11 pm and again tomorrow – details here.
Two crime-prevention meetings ahead that you might want to check out:
DENNY, SEALTH PRINCIPALS @ CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: The special guests have been announced for Tuesday’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting:
We will have Chief Sealth International High School principal Aida Fraser-Hammer and Denny International Middle School principal Jeff Clark; they will discuss safety and security in their schools and the surrounding area. We will also discuss if having a combined campus has presented any unique safety problems.
Fears of such problems were amply voiced six years ago, before the new Denny was built adjacent to a renovated Sealth; the new school year is the third one of full co-location. The WSCPC meeting is at 7 pm Tuesday (September 17th), Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster).
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY SAFETY: The Fauntleroy Community Association found out via its recent community survey that crime prevention/safety is a topic of intense interest in their area, so FCA is hosting a special forum on Thursday, September 26th. It’s at The Hall at Fauntleroy in the historic schoolhouse, and will start with an ice-cream social at 6:30, meeting at 7, including presentations by Southwest Precinct police, and community Q/A.
After three months of demolition and excavation at the 4730 California project site, the crane is going up today, as first reported here a week ago. Spectators included mom Lisa and daughter Annika, talking with construction superintendent Peter Davidson of Compass, the general contractor:
While much of the equipment for the project has been brought in from the alley, this had to come in from California SW, which is why it’s happening on a weekend morning:
The project’s high-profile spot – long home to the Petco store that has since moved to Capco Plaza at 41st/Alaska – has drawn spectators for weeks, often kids fascinated by the process, too young to be caught up in the debate over development and density:
Our photographer had to go through a safety briefing earlier in the week to get close enough to see the detail work required to make sure a high-flying project like this goes off safely:
This is the second crane in the area, after the one installed in June for “The Blake” about two blocks south at 5020 California SW. This project, meantime, is planned for seven stories and 93 residential units, including 15 ground-level live-work units, plus retail; it passed its final design review in November.
The crew expected this to take only a matter of hours – so the road should be clear this afternoon, long before it closes 6 am-6 pm tomorrow for this year’s West Seattle Car Show.
4:05 PM NOTE: We went back to The Junction to check on the crane’s progress and wound up staying through the lifting and placement of the horizontal section – an even-bigger spectacle – will add those photos when we can (check back!). But first, here’s video of the hoist, shared by Larry Murante (thank you!):
Even after that went up, two parts remained – including the cap, which required crew members to walk all the way out to the tip of the piece you see lifted in that clip.
ADDED: More photos, from the final stage of Saturday’s installation – perhaps the most dramatic:
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