After the first mostly gray day in some time, the sun came out just in time for the first day of the “Dog Days of Summer” fundraiser at Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club – as explained here last week, the AH pool is closed to people for the year, so they’re opening it to dogs only, for a special session daily through Saturday, as a fundraiser for the water-polo team. Tonight’s session is on till 7; we were there in the early going, and a half-dozen or so dogs already were having a blast dogpaddling and ball-chasing around the pool.
AHSTC is at 11003 31st SW; tomorrow’s session also runs 5-7 pm.
The latest Seattle Police Aggressive Drivers Response Team report includes not only speeding citations from the West Seattle Bridge but also two West Seattle school zones – including 42 mph in the 20 zone by Roxhill Elementary – and a far-south stretch of 1st Avenue South. Details on SPD Blotter.
Holy Rosary School‘s annual WestFest this Friday and Saturday will be the kickoff to a huge West Seattle weekend. This afternoon, we have the final entertainment lineup from WestFest organizers – featuring a pet contest and youth-talent contest, plus local acts including the West Seattle Big Band. Here’s the overall list of festival activities; the entertainment details are after the jump:Read More
We’ve been telling you since July about the Mobile Chowdown food-truck festival in The Junction on Sunday, October 2nd – less than 3 weeks away. Today, organizers have gone public with the full truck lineup (about half were listed in this earlier report), plus word that the hours will be 11 am-5 pm. Read on!Read More
(POST-BRIEFING TOPLINES, 2:56 pm: Here’s the map showing which community centers are proposed for which level of service, citywide. Just added our video of the entire briefing, at bottom of this story, as well as the answer to the Neighborhood Service Center/SW Community Center question.)
11:59 AM: We’re at High Point Community Center, where Mayor McGinn, City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw and acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams are unveiling the proposal for how next year’s city budget will deal with community centers. We’ve just received the news release – a key component:
The preferred operating model would consist of five geographically based service areas, each with five community centers staffed by a team. Within each area, the centers would provide varying levels of service and each team would be led by a Senior Recreation Coordinator. This model preserves services to the greatest extent possible by keeping the centers open with varying levels of service.
Specifics on West Seattle community centers: High Point is proposed for “Level 1” service. Delridge and Hiawatha, “Level 2a,” Alki “Level 2b,” and Southwest, a “special-purpose facility.” Details are promised online at any moment now – still looking.
12:04 PM: News conference has begun. Williams is recapping “how we got here.” He says they took into account age and size of community centers, among other factors, in deciding which would deliver which level of service. “It’s a more tailored delivery model that doesn’t treat every center the same. … This proposal represents a fundamental shift in how we have operated our community centers.” Documents indicate more than 100 hours of service will be cut citywide, 1,095 next year compared to 1,214 this year (which in turn was down about 100 hours from the year before.)
12:08 PM: Now, the mayor speaks. He notes the revenue drop in the city budget, saying the gap will only get larger in the next few weeks, “so we have to continuously look for efficiencies and ways to save money.” Both he and Williams have said this moves away from a “cookie-cutter” way to operate community centers. The mayor says this will save the city more than $1.2 million. He goes over the geographic areas (mentioned above), saying each geographic area will have at least one community center with a “high level of service” – that’s High Point, in West Seattle. (The northwest and southeast sectors each will have two.) “This change came about because of budget pressures, but we do think we will have a more responsive, flexible and tailored system … than in the past,” McGinn says. According to the docs handed out here, a Level 1 community center will be open 70 hours a week, a 2a center (Delridge and Hiawatha) 45 hours a week, a 2b center (Alki) 25 hours a week.
12:15 PM: Councilmember Bagshaw is speaking now. She notes that Parks has taken a “disproportionate hit” in recent years, budget-wise. She is recapping the community consultation process that preceded this announcement. She says she had a two-fold expectation: Keep all 25 community centers open; make sure decisions were “community-driven.” She says that what is being proposed today is a “starting point … that could change.” If communities feel that they need more hours, they will have a chance to speak up, she promises (she stresses that twice.)
12:21 PM: Bill Keller of the Associated Recreation Council speaks next – these councils have taken a major role in operations at the centers that were dramatically cut last time around, including Alki. According to the docs given to the media here, of the city’s projected savings in these changes, almost $450,000 would come from ARC covering some of what the city pays for now. He says this year has been a “partnership experiment … and we learned a lot. We learned we couldn’t run those sites without Parks leadership. We had the doors open, we had programs running, but it wasn’t as good as it should have been.” So, he says, they made some changes this past July – the ARC contributed $234,000 in all to those five centers (including Alki).
12:25 PM: Big changes for Southwest Community Center, in the document. It will become exclusively a Teen Life Center downstairs; upstairs will become a Neighborhood Service Center operated by the Department of Neighborhoods. We’ll be asking in the Q/A whether that means the Delridge NSC will close (the Junction NSC closed earlier this year). Southwest Pool, the docs say, “will continue to operate as it does currently.” Now, Jim Cunningham from ARC is speaking.
12:32 PM: Q/A now. We ask our Southwest Neighborhood Service Center question – nobody here has the answer but the mayor’s staff will get back to us. Parks Sup’t Williams says community meetings will be held early next year (after the budget is finalized) to discuss specifics of what the community wants at each center.
12:35 PM: Thanks to Amy at MyGreenLake.com, who says the documents we’ve had in hard copy for half an hour are now available online – go here. As the Q/A continues, in response to a question, Councilmember Bagshaw stresses again that the community’s desire for how a center should be run will shape it. We asked, watching how Alki dealt with being a “limited use” center this year, with a heavy burden on its Advisory Council, if more centers’ councils would face that sort of task; Keller from ARC says that while each limited-use center’s council was tasked with its own financial burden last year, this year, they will all contribute together, and the ARC’s share of costs – that $445,000+ share – will come from one big pot. Responding to another question, Williams notes that all centers will have some level of drop-in use.
12:47 PM: The news conference is wrapping up. One High Point community member notes that program cost is an issue for her family. Williams responds by pointing out that the Parks Department “has a scholarship program” and points her that way. The mayor, in closing remarks, says that community members talking to each other will be the most important conversations in shaping this “…with the budget situation that we face.” Again, the full documentation on all this – with various documents (looks like PDFs) showing who’s affected where – are online now, here.
2:56 PM: Here’s our video of the 45-minute briefing in its entirety (we’ll substitute the Seattle Channel‘s version when it’s available, as its audio is bound to be clearer):
Note that the first City Council discussion of this proposal is set for 9 am this Thursday (September 15th) before the Parks Committee, which Councilmember Bagshaw chairs. Here’s the agenda. Meantime, Aaron Pickus from Mayor McGinn’s communications team has just answered our question about the SW Community Center’s big changes: “The Delridge Neighborhood Service Center would move to the Southwest Community Center as part of this proposal.”
(Atop the counter @ Red Cup; WSB photo, added Monday afternoon)
From Tricia at Red Cup Espresso in The Junction:
Red Cup will be accepting donations in support of one of our original baristas. Alex Paulsen Rice, who was in a bicycle accident last Thursday, shattered his clavicle and right shoulder, and is unable to work and pay bills. We would like to match every dollar donated from 9-12-11 to 9-17-11. We will have a donation box inside the shop on our counter as well as a card for friends and customers to sign.
They arranged for last night’s vigil to happen at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza (here’s our as-it-happened coverage) – and this morning, Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum volunteers are literally picking up after it. While the flowers will remain, they’re collecting unretrieved keepsakes/tributes, as the museum is keeping an ongoing collection (including John Loftus‘s 9/11/01 photos) regarding the statue’s role as a touchstone in 9/11 mourning and memorializing. (Regular museum hours are Thursdays-Sundays, noon-4 pm, by the way, if you haven’t been lately.)
Last year, what was originally Westside Symphonette metamorphosed into West Seattle Community Orchestras. This year, the community instrumental-music organization is on the brink of a new season, with word of more changes/additions. If you’re a musician (youth or adult), now is the time to join WSCO – registration is open, and rehearsals start one week from tomorrow. Read on for the full announcement with details:Read More
That’s not just a portable, that’s the Stockbox Grocers mini-mini-market, expected to open today, after a couple days’ extra preparation. It’s one of today’s highlights, from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar and other announcements.
STOCKBOX OPENING: From Carrie at Stockbox, just announced by e-mail:
Pending our final permit inspection this morning, Stockbox Grocers will open for business this afternoon at 2 pm! Stop by anytime to check out the store or to make a purchase: we are based in the parking lot of the WestHaven Apartments at 2201 SW Holden. The store is in the parking lot off of the 24th at SW Holden and our hours are:
Monday-Friday 2 pm to 8 pm
Saturday-Sunday 8 am to 8 pm
We have had an exciting week setting up the store and meeting many of our new neighbors. The visitors that we have had continue to comment on how much variety we were able to fit into the store – so I hope that we can surprise you too! We have a mix of inventory including produce, milk, frozen pizza, cleaning supplies, polenta, beans, cereal, baking supplies, chips and snacks, soup, ice cream, eggs, and more!
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER: First of six days for canine swimming sessions – dogs only, pool is closed for people until next year! – at Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club, fundraiser for water-polo team, 5-7 pm, details here.
NORTH DELRIDGE MEETING: Monthly North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting, 6:30 pm. Dragonfly Pavilion at 28th/Dakota (weather permitting – otherwise, Delridge Library), including development updates and a look ahead to Saturday’s Delridge Day festival.
FREE TAI CHI: Weekly “Foundations of a Tai Chi Lifestyle” class, 7 pm, outdoors on the Plaza (Commons Park Amphitheater) or indoors when wet at Neighborhood House (6400 Sylvan Way SW). Questions? Contact: caylen_storm@yahoo.com.
Thanks to Holly for the tip: If you drive Glenn Way between Oregon and Genesee (map) on the west edge of The Junction, note that a downed utility line is blocking one lane. No outage or crash listed online, so we don’t know the cause, but she says that despite warning cones, a few vehicles already have driven right over it. Nothing else unusual reported so far this morning, in WS or outbound (another reminder, we’ve recently added a few more cams to the WSB Traffic page).
9:18 PM: Scanner says a vehicle has overturned at 36th and Barton, and that’s why a big “heavy rescue” response was headed that way. We’re en route.
9:26 PM: Two cars are involved in the crash – one is right-side up, one is upside down. A private ambulance is on scene so it appears at least one person is hurt. Working to see if we can find out who hit who. The “heavy rescue” call was downgraded fairly quickly – no “heavy rescuing” needed after all.
9:50 PM: Police at the scene wouldn’t comment. We do know that indeed, only one person was taken to the hospital. Tow trucks were called for both cars. In comments, a neighbor says the car that flipped hit a parked car.
(P.S. Unrelated but we’ve gotten some texts asking about the westbound West Seattle Bridge – a problem on the high-rise has backed it up; [update] via Facebook, people who drove by say that looked like a rear-end crash with at least two people hurt.)
ORIGINAL 7:13 PM REPORT: Hundreds have gathered at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza as the day ends and the 9/11 10th anniversary vigil begins, at the site of so many vigils in the first few weeks after the attacks. Though it’s not dark yet, candles are being lit:
At right, looking at the tributes and memorials that have accumulated at the statue’s base during the day (our earlier report is here), is Vicki Schmitz-Block from Fauntleroy. We’re told there is no formal program – you can just come down to remember and look back, as this solemn anniversary makes way to night. At least two TV stations are here too.
7:24 PM: A round of “America the Beautiful” has broken out – and then applause. This event was organized by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum, whose Clay Eals has been showing their 9/11 memory album to visitors:
And now, they’re singing the national anthem, loudly, proudly. Some are waving small flags. One woman is wrapped in a flag-pattern sweater. … “Amazing Grace” followed, as did other songs, including “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” (update: here’s the video):
7:48 PM: It’s getting dark enough for the candlelight to stand out, ringing the base of the statue (which was recast four years ago and unveiled here on September 11, 2007; the plaza was built around it the following year, and dedicated in September 2008). Rev. Randy Leskovar of West Seattle’s Calvary Chapel offered a prayer. Absent a formal program, people are coming and going, and probably will for a while.
8:10 PM: Still at least 60 or 70 people gathered. More candles, and quiet tributes, and a luminaria bearing a wish:
Mary Fierke and Ellen McClain led the music, including congregational renditions of songs from “Amazing Grace” to “America the Beautiful.” The service was followed by a dessert reception in The Mount’s café.
These first two photos are from September 11th, 2001, when the first night after the 9/11 attacks brought the first gathering at Alki’s Statue of Liberty, and they are by John Loftus. He thinks he might have been the only person to take photos that night.
John tells WSB, “I had an early (2 megapixel) digital camera and was able to shoot discreetly without using flash. The objects left at the Statue of Liberty have been extensively photographed, but I don’t know that there are other photos capturing the images and mood of the people at the shrine that same night it happened. When the Log House Museum did a show on the 1st anniversary, one of my photos was blown up 6 feet long, I recall.” Today, John placed a framed poster at Liberty Plaza, with a collage of his photos. WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand captured an image of it this morning, even before we heard from him about it; we published a wide shot this morning, but here’s a closer view:
He says he visited the Log House Museum 9/11 display this afternoon and that his photos were indeed the only ones in the album from that first night. Meantime, tonight’s vigil, organized by the museum, is coming up at the top of the hour (7 pm).
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Deb Breuler, co-owner of the Luna Park-area restaurant Avalon:
During the early morning hours our patio at Avalon restaurant was
vandalized. Two large planters were knocked over. Plants were pulled up, chairs were broken and thrown to the sidewalk out front. It must have happened quite late we were here until 1 am and back at 8 am. It has since been cleaned up and none of our diners had to miss a beautiful day on our patio. It was disheartening to know this happened in our community. If anyone saw anything?? I have reported this to the police.
As he did while helping search the 9/11 rubble in New York a decade ago, retired fire captain Rudy Alvarado wore a red/white/blue bandanna this morning, leading the day’s first formal 9/11 tribute in the West Seattle/White Center area. As the Holy Family Community Street Fair began for the day, he read the Firefighters’ Prayer:
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports this morning, starting with 2 women out for a walk, approached by a pickup-truck driver who they say was engaging in lewd behavior, and intent on them seeing it. Details, plus a car-part theft, ahead:Read More
11:07 AM: Another update via Orca Network – they’ve been spotted just off Vashon’s eastern shore at Dilworth, which Google Maps shows as directly across the Sound from Seahurst. But perhaps they’ll head back north later – on our side!
In all its ruffled glory, standing on the beach, the bald eagle photographed by Melanie Dixon seems just as fierce and regal as when soaring above. Our 9/11 anniversary events list is here (and our morning visit to Alki’s Lady Liberty is here); what follows is the rest of today’s highlights, from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
HOLY FAMILY COMMUNITY STREET FAIR: Second day of the festivities at 20th/Roxbury, with pony rides, karaoke, salsa cookoff, vendors, live music, food, more. The official flyer is here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Today’s update (and a look ahead) from market management:
Wine Tasting at Wilridge Vineyards & Winery
Fresh Roasted Peppers from River Farm
NEXT WEEK [9/18]: Sas-Squash Fest!! Chef Demo, sampling, music, ugly squash contest and the long-awaited Zucchini 500 Races hosted by the Kiwanis Club! C’mon down!
Every Sunday, you’ll find the market at 44th/Alaska in The Junction, 10 am-2 pm.
LOOKING FOR A HOME: Friends of the Animals Foundation is at Next to Nature in The Junction with local rescue kittens (“and a few nice cats”) looking for permanent and loving homes, 11 am-3 pm.
COLMAN POOL’S LAST DAY OF THE YEAR: We took that photo on July 4th, the day the outdoor pool at Lincoln Park marked its 70th anniversary, and the weather today is just as beautiful. Swimming starts at noon; note that next year’s opening is scheduled to be later than usual because of work in the offseason. Today’s schedule is here.
AFTERNOON TUNES: Why Ask Why, described on the C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor) calendar as an “eclectic acoustic duo.” 1-3 pm, 5612 California SW.
TOX-ICK’S WEAK SPOTS, REVEALED!Sustainable West Seattle presents “Don’t Feed the Tox-Ick Monster,” first edition of this educational event, 2 pm – 3 pm, West Seattle Christian Church, 4400 42nd SW. (Audience members will be eligible to win up to $1,000 in prizes like water cisterns, landscape consulting, car-wash gift certificates, oil changes, bus passes, and more.).
ARTSWEST MATINEE: “Amy’s View” continues its first weekend at ArtsWest Playhouse in The Junction, 3 pm matinee.
Tonight, the Alki Statue of Liberty will again be a gathering place, to remember, and to hope, as it was a decade ago. This morning, tributes are already there – including this poem:
As shown here earlier this week, Alki’s Lady Liberty is holding a flag for the occasion. Across the street, a large flag went up this morning:
Tonight’s vigil is at 7 pm, sponsored by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum, whose 9/11 exhibit is viewable today from noon till 7, just a block south at 61st/Stevens. (photo added 1:48 pm)
Other West Seattle/White Center commemorations are on this list.
Local diver Laura James is documenting what we’ve been warned about but can’t see … what’s pouring into Puget Sound, beneath the surface, carrying debris and toxicity from what’s on the surface, ashore. The video above was shot near Alki, part of Laura’s project to document all the runoff-carrying pipelines around West Seattle. She shares the video just as Sustainable West Seattle is kicking off its campaign against the Tox-Ick Monster, starting with a presentation – with prizes! – today, 2 pm, West Seattle Christian Church in The Junction (southeast corner of 42nd/Genesee). And if you’re still not convinced it’s a battle you need to join, here’s a different look at Laura’s work – part of an upcoming documentary with a broader look at threats to Puget Sound:
P.S. If you just can’t get to today’s presentation about fighting Tox-Ick … you have other chances this fall, all listed here.
We’ve been telling you 
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