West Seattle, Washington
03 Wednesday
After almost four hours, the Southwest Design Review Board‘s doubleheader meeting has just wrapped up. We have it all on video, and detailed notes to come, but for right now, the bottom line: Both projects advanced. First one up, ~150 units and 115 parking spaces at 4745 40th SW, moves from the Early Design Guidance phase to the “recommendations” phase – meaning there might be just one more meeting for that project. Second one up, the ~370-apartment, 600-parking-space 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW megaproject, won final SWDRB approval – technically a recommendation to city officials – after four meetings. Both recommendations come with conditions that will be formalized by city planners, and this is nowhere near final approval for construction – a variety of other permit processes will follow, and there’s still time to comment (we’ll explain how in our longer coverage). The 4755 Fauntleroy team has said they hope to get their project going by year’s end; we’ll check with the 4745 40th SW team tomorrow.
With the West Seattle Grand Parade just nine days away, coordinators have a request: They’re looking for two people who have convertibles and would be willing to drive them in the parade, with dignitaries on board! The parade heads down California SW from Lander (by Hiawatha) to Edmunds (south end of The Junction) starting at 11 am on Saturday, July 20th. If you can – or might be able to – help, please e-mail parade co-coordinator Dave Vague ASAP at vagued@comcast.net – thanks!
(UPDATING late Thursday with video and more photos)
(Live SDOT camera looking north along California from Alaska)
In The Junction, the barricades are up and the pre-West Seattle Summer Fest fun (and setup!) has begun. California is closed from Edmunds to Oregon, then open for cross-traffic at Oregon, and closed again from Oregon north to Genesee; Alaska is closed between 42nd and 44th. Tonight’s plan includes:
*West Seattle Art Walk until 9 pm – see artist/venue previews, and the map/list, here
*44th/Morgan (video above), musicians live until 8 pm outside Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor)
*Bret Wiggins with two sets of his Elvis stylings outside La Romanza Bistro Italiano (WSB sponsor)
*Bubbleman scheduled to be under way now outside Elliott Bay Brewing
Check in on your favorite eating/drinking places – many have other special plans tonight; Puerto Vallarta called us earlier and said its kitchen will be open until 1 am.
ADDED 7:17 PM: We heard from Linda Cox with RE/MAX on 44th – they’re having a burger barbecue! Live music too:
So wander westward while you’re in The Junction.
7:36 PM: And a reminder that Art Walk is under way all over the peninsula, not just The Junction. Erik LaSeur shares a photo from the Center for Movement and Healing in Gatewood:
That’s artist Jolene Hagin, showing encaustics & oils. More to come!
The countdown’s almost over and West Seattle Summer Fest 2013 is hours away – but we have a few more previews tonight – including this: The brand-new West Seattle Timebank will debut at Summer Fest! The idea’s been percolating for a while, and there was an organizational meeting last year. Now, Tamsen Spengler sends word the West Seattle Timebank‘s website has just gone live, and the Timebank will be at GreenLife with Sustainable West Seattle (see the GL location on the map above), 11 am-5 pm all three Summer Fest days, Friday-Sunday. To find out more about it, check out the brochure here and the flyer for the July 24th orientation, here.
A judge has reduced bail for the woman charged with three felonies in the South Delridge crash that sent two people to the hospital last month. According to court documents, 26-year-old Kalameu Paulo of Seatac pleaded not guilty yesterday; she is charged with two counts of vehicular assault and one count of hit-and-run. 
Prosecutors allege she was under the influence when her van smashed into a smaller car at 17th and Cambridge early the morning of June 23rd, sending driver Logan Wicker and his passenger to the hospital; police say they caught Paulo running away from the scene.
At the arraignment, King County Superior Court Judge Ronald Kessler granted her request for lower bail, reducing it to $5,000 from the previously set $75,000. If she posts bond and gets out, she is supposed to participate in the alternative program known as CCAP (explained here), but will not be allowed to drive. If she does not post bond to get out of jail, she will be able to leave during the day for work or school release, according to court documents, which say that in either case, Paulo is supposed to be tested for drug or alcohol use twice a month. She is scheduled to return to court on July 24th. Meantime, as reported here earlier this week, a fundraiser for Wicker’s medical bills is set this Saturday at his workplace, Skylark Café and Club.
SATURDAY UPDATE: According to the jail register, Paulo posted bond and was released Friday afternoon.
The Admiral Neighborhood Association, the only community council in West Seattle to present an annual concert series, has unveiled this year’s poster for this year’s 5th annual Summer Concerts at Hiawatha (co-sponsored by WSB). Concert-series updates were part of the agenda at this week’s ANA meeting; ANA’s Katy Walum says the poster is once again a pro-bono creation by Kiran Robertson of Lovejoy Design. Special features this year include the Hiawatha fundraising barbecue during the Dusty 45s show on August 1st. That night also will feature face-painting, as will the August 22nd Fly Moon Royalty performance.
Ahead in our coverage of what else was discussed at the meeting: 2 special guests, including what you need to know about your property taxes, plus other information you might find of interest even if you don’t live in the Admiral area, including six parcels of city land that might wind up for sale:
Just got word from Seattle Parks that the repair work is over and Highland Park Spraypark (11th/Cloverdale) will reopen at 12:30 pm today. Its regular hours are 11 am-8 pm daily; info on the city’s other kid-geared aquatic facilities (wading pools and other sprayparks) can be found here.
Thanks to Trileigh Tucker for that photo of a black-capped chickadee having a blast in the birdbath. Remember to keep your birdbath(s) full – cloudy today but still dry and they evaporate fast!
WATER TAXI EXTENDED SERVICE: Just as we got ready to publish this, King County issued a reminder that the West Seattle Water Taxi will run late tonight to serve the soccer crowds.
WEST SEATTLE SUMMER FEST EVE! Though the festival doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, the fun starts when the streets close tonight, including: Bret Wiggins‘ Elvis stylings outside La Romanza Bistro (WSB sponsor); The Bubbleman outside Elliott Bay Brewery; Yada Yada Blues Band outside West 5; plus music at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor), too – 44th and Morgan featuring Alex, Maya and Conor, 6-8 pm.
SUMMER FEST STREET/BUS CHANGES START TONIGHT: See the details in the traffic/transit tracker we published this morning.
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: Happening tonight too, not only in The Junction, but in other venues around the peninsula! Check out the summer-quarter poster:
The list/map of more than two dozen venues is here. And you can preview some of the artists and venues on the official Art Walk website.
SPRAYPARK REPAIRS: As reported here yesterday, the Highland Park Spraypark is closed until a valve problem is fixed – crews were scheduled to start work this morning, and we’ll have an update when it reopens.
DESIGN REVIEW FOR TWO PROJECTS: It’s another doubleheader for the Southwest Design Review Board at the Senior Center of West Seattle – at 6:30 pm, they look at 4745 40th SW; at 8 pm, they look at 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW. Both were previewed here yesterday; our report includes links to the meeting “packets.” The meetings will include public-comment opportunities. (2nd floor, California/Oregon)
CLASSES FOR CAREGIVERS: “Powerful Tools for Caregivers,” a free six-week series of classes, starts tonight at 6:30 pm at Providence Mount St. Vincent. (4831 35th SW)
‘THE WAY OUT’: The Acrobatic Conundrum‘s show opens tonight at 7:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Details in the calendar listing. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
And to our south …
RATCITY ARTCITY: White Center’s monthly art walk features live painting tonight starting at 6 pm – venues and artists listed here.
Even more on the calendar!
We’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor today, West Seattle’s Thunder Road Guitars! Here’s what they’d like you to know:
Thunder Road Guitars offers a unique, hand picked selection of fine vintage and used guitars and amplifiers as well as boutique effects from some of today’s most innovative pedal builders. Also offering professional guitar repair and a great selection of accessories for the gigging musician, it’s safe to say that Thunder Road Guitars has been a welcome addition to the West Seattle community.
Frank Gross, owner and founder of Thunder Road Guitars, has had a passion for vintage instruments from a young age and has worked in the instrument retail field for more than a decade. At the end of 2011 he decided to launch TRG, initially operating as a web-based business. The store quickly expanded, and Frank opened their physical storefront in his hometown of West Seattle in November 2012. Since opening in West Seattle, TRG has expanded to offer a larger and constantly rotating selection of fine vintage, used, and rare guitars and amplifiers, as well as more recently offering professional guitar repair services by guitar tech Chris Thompson.
Thunder Road Guitars is located at 3916 California SW (map) and is open Wednesdays – Saturdays 10 am – 6 pm and Sundays-Tuesdays by appointment, and online 8 days a week at thunderroadguitars.com. Stop in and say hello!
We thank Thunder Road Guitars for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
Since our West Seattle Little League All-Stars update last night, one more district championship to report – Judy sent word that the Juniors won the District 7 tournament last night in Burien and are on their way to the state tournament starting July 20th in Spokane. And last night’s victory, she says, was a thriller: “They won 7 to 6 in the bottom of the 7th inning. They started their at-bat down 5 to 6 — so scored two runs to win.” The victory was over the home team, PacWest. Congratulations and good luck at state!
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! One West Seattle transit note today: SDOT was expecting to complete the final work on Phase 3 of the Delridge Repaving Project – overlapping a few days with the start of Phase 4 – in time for this morning’s commute, so Metro Route 120 should be back to its regular route on southbound Delridge Way between Holden and Thistle.
If you travel through SODO, note that the stadium zone is BUSY today – an afternoon Mariners game and two soccer matches tonight – SDOT has the details here.
We’re also looking ahead to bus and street changes taking effect in The Junction tonight and continuing through West Seattle Summer Fest for Friday/Saturday/Sunday:
That’s the live SDOT cam in The Junction, where no-parking restrictions take effect at 4 pm today along California SW between Genesee and Edmunds and along SW Alaska between 44th and 42nd, the streets that will close by 6 pm for Summer Fest prep and will stay closed until everything’s cleared late Sunday night. That means major bus changes in the area too – check here before you head out, and/or make note of these direct links to individual routes’ reroute info:
*RapidRide C Line
*Route 22
*Route 37
*Route 50
*Route 55
*Route 57
*Route 128
*Route 773 (Water Taxi shuttle)
Go bowling on Sunday and help local students! The photo and announcement are from Jeanne Flohr at Seattle Lutheran High School, who :
The SLHS football team is holding their annual bowling fundraiser this Sunday, July 14, 2013 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the West Seattle Bowl. This is a great way to enjoy fellowship and fun with family and friends while supporting Saints athletics. Proceeds from the event will benefit the SLHS football and cheer programs. Cost is $20.00 for two games, including shoes. Bowling teams are welcome. For more information, please contact Football Coach Jeff Scott at 206-696-5333.
West Seattle Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB) is almost here – and our countdown continues with more miscellany:
CLOSING THE STREETS: In the heart of The Junction, the no-parking signs take effect at 4 pm Thursday; California between Genesee and Edmunds and Alaska between 44th and 42nd will be closed by 6 pm and will stay that way until cleanup is over late Sunday night.
SUMMER FEST EVE/ART WALK ON THURSDAY: Along with Bret Wiggins‘ Elvis stylings outside La Romanza Bistro (WSB sponsor), The Bubbleman outside Elliott Bay Brewery, Yada Yada Blues Band outside West 5, there’ll be music at Click! Design That Fits, too – 44th and Morgan, with Alex, Maya and Conor, playing 6-8 pm. (And browse the Art Walk highlights – not only The Junction – on the official website.)
GOT LITTLE ONES? Once again this year, Donna Ryan will open her City Mouse Studio and Store (4218 SW Alaska, just east of Cupcake Royale, as “a space for parents of little ones to nurse, feed, change, relax, and break from the heat.” And on the south end of the festival zone, the Early Days moms’ support group plans a changing/feeding area in the Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor) booth, which should be by Northwest Art and Frame, between Edmunds and Oregon on California.
SIDEWALK SALES: There’ll be plenty! A couple notes –
*JF Henry & Co. starts 8 am Thursday.
*Easy Street Records‘ sale during Summer Fest goes like this:
Used CDs – $1/ea
Used DVDs – $3/ea OR 4 / $10
Used Vinyl – $1/ea OR 12 / $10
BENEFIT SALE: Nyla at Cherry Consignment, at 4142 California SW just north of the festival zone, will have this going on Saturday:
The Ruby Room is having its annual Dresses for Divas sale this Saturday, July 13, 2013 from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m, at Cherry Consignment. Come buy a $10 party dress and support The Ruby Room send a low-income teen to her school dance in style.
PIZZERIA 22 HEADS SOUTH: Once again this year, Cary Kemp will be at Summer Fest – with “wood-fired pizzas all weekend long at our booth: Margherita, Pepperoni, and the Primavera.”
SEATTLE MOBILE RETAIL TOUR: Second stop for these six mobile retailers, with West Seattleites among them – full details on their Facebook page; they’ll be in the 7-11 parking lot at Edmunds/Erskine/California throughout the festival.
More to share Thursday morning – and it’s not too late to let us know what your business/organization/etc. is up to during West Seattle Summer Fest! E-mail editor@westseattleblog.com ASAP. We also want to know for our continuous live coverage, anchored again from the Information Booth at California/Alaska – see you there! Basic links to EVERYTHING Summer Fest are in our previous preview.
Exciting times for the West Seattle Little League All-Star teams in tournament play. Right now at Pac West in Burien, the WSLL 10-11 All-Stars are playing South Highline Nationals for a chance to advance to the District 7 semi-final game. Two other WSLL teams already have won their District 7 tournaments and are getting ready for state play:
Above, the 9-10 All-Stars; next, the 11-12 All-Stars:
Laurie Rasmussen shares the overview:
Both the 11-12 All Star team and the 9-10 All Star team won their respective divisions on Saturday to move on to the state competition beginning on July 13th. We are so proud of the boys of summer. Before the games began Saturday, with the 9-10 year old team on field one and the 11-12 year old team on field 2, the 11-12 year old team came over to field one to wish the younger team good luck.
Chris Frost from the 11-12 year old team told starting pitcher Nate Rasmussen, “Nate, I believe in you and know you can do it.” Rasmussen said it was very inspirational for him to hear those words from a player they all admire. It was a very special scene and had parents in tears with the sportsmanship of our WSLL boys.
For details on both of those championship wins, read on:
Tomorrow night – steps away from West Seattle Summer Fest Eve/West Seattle Art Walk entertainment and exploration – serious business will be under way on the second floor of the Senior Center of West Seattle: Two neighboring projects on the east edge of The Junction will return to the Southwest Design Review Board for its next doubleheader meeting. We’re previewing them briefly here along with our final, belated recap from the most recent SWDRB meeting. First, the Thursday projects:
4745 40th SW: As the meeting begins at 6:30 pm tomorrow, the board will see this ~150-apartment project for a second round of “Early Design Guidance.”
Here’s the official “packet” with the information and renderings submitted to the city pre-review, accompanied by explanations of how the architects believe they have responded to the board’s comments from the first review in May (WSB coverage here).
4755 FAUNTLEROY WAY SW: At 8 pm tomorrow, the board will see this ~370-apartment, grocery-and-drug-store project – biggest mixed-use project ever in West Seattle – for the fourth and possibly final time.
Here’s the “packet.” This project also has been going before the citywide Design Commission as part of the process of getting its “alley vacation” approved; our report on its most recent meeting is here. And there’s been a new development since even that meeting – a campaign branded as “Getting It Right for West Seattle” has appeared, focusing on this development. We are still researching it; an organizational announcement it’s circulating is signed by Elena Perez, who works as a community organizer for UFCW 21, which has mustered a delegation for just about every public meeting related to the project, whose grocery tenant is non-union Whole Foods. The stated goal of “Getting It Right” is a Community Benefits Agreement (here’s background from a different project). We expect to hear from the new group at tomorrow night’s meeting.
Meantime, ahead – one last round of notes from the most recent SWDRB meeting, which included the second “Early Design Guidance” session for the Admiral area’s biggest project ever, 3210 California SW:
The photo and coyote-sighting report are from Diane:
This morning once again, there was a raucous squawking of crows in the Delridge P-Patch. When we looked around, we saw a coyote run through the garden and walk into the picket-fenced yard alongside Cottage Grove Park.
We were harvesting peas from the Giving Garden plots. We’ve already harvested and donated over 250 pounds of produce to White Center Food Bank this growing season.
Congratulations to the gardeners on their generous gifts! Meantime, what the crows did is more or less what you are advised to do when you see a coyote, for your sake and theirs – scare it away. As always, we share this informational link with specific advice.
Last night was a busy night for community-group meetings. We made it to Fauntleroy (story here) and Admiral (story to come), but for coverage of the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Council, we point you to this thorough summary just published on the WWRHAH website by council secretary Joe Szilagyi. Topics included how to advocate for a safer SW Roxbury, one Arbor Heights neighborhood’s push for a traffic circle (here’s their online petition), and asking the city to help the county stave off those potential Metro cuts. Watch WWRHAH’s website and Facebook group for TBA info on the August meeting.
Motorcycle noise, car-share parking, and Lincoln Park were among the topics discussed at last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association board meeting. Toplines ahead:
Multiple WSB readers sent word of Internal Revenue Service agents at Admiral Pub this morning, seen there as early as 7:30 am. Here’s what we have found out so far: A WSB crew has gone there twice to try to get information – the first time, we saw one man with IRS-CI on his jacket. He said he couldn’t comment but added he believed the pub would open as usual today. No vehicles or agents were visible outside at the time, but after another reader reported seeing agents carrying out boxes around 11 am, our crew went back; the agents were gone by the time we got there. Local U.S. Department of Justice spokesperson Emily Langlie tells WSB only that this is “an ongoing matter” and that there will be no further comment. The person who answered the pub’s phone also would not comment except to say they will indeed be open today.
After we reported Sunday on the stolen pickup spotted by WSB reader James, whose 911 call led to two arrests (one in his photo above), police reported finding the truck full of stolen items. And they have just published an SPD Blotter update with 70 photos of some of the items, in hopes of getting them back to their owners. Here’s just one of the photos, showing some of the items, which range from camera equipment to jewelry to books and more:
Too many photos for us to republish the other 60-plus here – so please go directly to SPDB to have a look.
Meantime, both suspects, a 20-year-old man and 33-year-old woman, remain in the King County Jail, as noted in our Monday followup, and we’ll have another update later when the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announces its decision on new charges against them. Both already had prior warrants out for their arrest.
5:18 PM UPDATE: King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Ian Goodhew tells WSB charges were filed against either suspect today because they did not receive the case from police as a “rush file.” That means the $20,000 bail set for each has been dropped – the law sets a deadline for releasing suspects if they are not charged. However, each suspect still has unresolved warrants, and that means her bail is now at $15,000, his at $10,000, according to their current statuses on the jail register; we will be watching to see if that changes. Goodhew says, “We are following up with SPD and asking them to get us the cases ASAP so we can evaluate and file if possible.”
Just got word from Seattle Parks that Highland Park Spraypark will not open today. They have had parts on order to fix a problem that has shut it down at least twice since its official opening a week and a half ago, and in the meantime, a “temporary solution” stopped working, so it’s closed until the parts are installed. The parts have arrived and the installers will be at the spraypark tomorrow morning; whenever they’re done, the spraypark will open, but they don’t know how long that will take. Parks spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad says the problem is a malfunctioning “electronic filter control valve (with) a leak in the pressure line.”
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Wednesday! One early reminder to share today – tomorrow (Thursday) night at 6 pm is when the roads in the heart of The Junction close for West Seattle Summer Fest setup; California from Genesee to Edmunds, and Alaska from 44th to 42nd. There will be bus reroutes too – check your route here.
1:11 PM UPDATE: Thanks to tipster P for word of a big crash on northbound I-5 just north of the West Seattle exit. Blocking lanes, says WSDOT via Twitter – so avoid I-5 for a while if you’re heading north.
Relatives and friends will gather this Friday afternoon to celebrate the life of John Picinich. Here’s the remembrance shared by his family:
John Antonio Picinich, 76, passed into eternity on Friday, July 5, in Susak, Croatia. He was born in Susak, Croatia, on September 14, 1936, to the late Antonio and Gaudenzia Picinich. John was a longtime resident of and business owner in West Seattle. He is survived by his wife of 3 years, Debra Kohler of FL; previous wife Rita Michelotti, of West Seattle, and his children, Marina (Matt) Bovenkamp, Gina (Steve) Evans, Nello (Michelle) Picinich; 10 grandchildren (Micah, Ariana, Rebekah & Siena Bovenkamp; Rachel & Hannah Fox; Benjamin, Landon, Maia & Amelia Picinich), and siblings Tony Picinich and Karmela Kurilic.
John was a loving father and husband. He enjoyed his work and had a passion for boating. He loved his homeland of Susak. He was a friend to all and loved by many. His charismatic personality will be missed.
An open-house celebration of his life will be held on Friday, July 12, from 3-5 pm at Hope Lutheran Church, 4456 42nd Ave SW.
(WSB publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
| 7 COMMENTS