West Seattle, Washington
24 Thursday
Are you a graduate of West Seattle High School? During this WSHS Homecoming Weekend, your fellow WSHS alum Jim Biava has a message, with a request:
Attention all West Seattle High School Graduates!
Congratulations to all West Seattle High School Alumni for having made it this far and for your successes, whatever they may be! Many of us West Seattle High School Alumni still live in West Seattle the place we call home. It’s a wonderful place to live.
The West Seattle High School Alumni Association benefits all of us in our community. The Alumni Association helps many students get the needed resources to continue their education to improve their lives. This year the Alumni Association awarded over $64,000 in scholarships. We facilitate keeping in touch with fellow classmates from whatever year you graduated. The Annual All-School Reunion, the Hall of Fame, the Scholarship Awards, the publication of the Chinook, and the Membership Chairperson who keeps us connected are direct benefits that the Alumni Association provides to all Alumni. The WSHS Alumni Association is the glue that keeps our community together.
The WSHS Alumni Association needs your help now.
We are the reportedly the largest High School Alumni Association in the country. However, we find ourselves with a few open and vital positions on the Alumni Board. We need people like you to join us and keep the Alumni Association the proud and benevolent association that it is. We need fresh new ideas and new faces to join us in keeping the tradition going that started many years and generations ago.
It takes a little time, one meeting a month, and some work. The personal satisfaction of helping your community and the camaraderie you receive are priceless!
Please contact Jim Biava at 206-387-2683 or e-mail to jim@JimBiava.com for more information on the opportunities. The Alumni Association is counting on you.
6:13 PM: If you’re seeing/hearing the fire response to the 9400 block of 20th SW, near 20th/Cambridge (map) – according to radio communication, it’s a small fire that firefighters believe began with a barbecue. No report of any injuries.
6:52 PM UPDATE: Firefighters on scene confirmed they were dealing with a barbecue-caused fire, no major damage.
Tomorrow, the Beat the Burn 5K (and festival!) is set for Jack Block Park. But that’s NOT the last 5K of the year in this area – a new one has just been announced, the West Seattle Monster Dash, on October 27th. It’s a benefit for the West Seattle Co-Op Preschools (WSB sponsor) – and it’s planned for a course in upper Lincoln Park. It’s a Halloween theme, organizers say, “so costumes are STRONGLY encouraged,” and they’re planning prizes for best individual and group costumes. Registration info’s here.
2:58 PM: Elsie‘s owner says she is missing and believes she was stolen out of his yard this afternoon in the 2800 block of SW 102th (just east of Arbor Heights, in the county), though he did not see it happen, so he doesn’t have any suspect description to share. He describes Elsie as “an extremely loving pit bull of about 60 pounds, ‘fawn’ coat, and pink lips.” If you see her, you can call him at 206-661-7427 – he says that number is also on her collar, light green with pink flowers on it. We are also crossposting to the WSB Pets page.
9:16 PM: Elsie’s owner says she’s home: “She was in fact taken from my property by car, and after much searching and fretting, she was returned for a small ransom.”
If you’re still looking for printed timetables and/or answers to questions about the bus changes that took effect today – including the launch of RapidRide C Line – look for the red-and-yellow bus at Westwood Village, and the balloon-decorated tent next to it. Metro reps will be there till 4. County Councilmember Joe McDermott was there in the early going, right after 11, as was “RapidRide Man”:
For info links related to today’s changes – check our roundup from last night.
We have two reader reports to share, both with break-in alerts. The first one is from an Arbor Heights resident:
Just wanted to give an alert out: My house on 35th Ave SW & 114th Ave SW was broken into (Friday) between 8 am and 2 pm. They came in through a side window, stole my computer, iPod & ransacked some rooms and then left through the front door. My dog was home in her crate, luckily they did not take her or hurt her (but they were not deterred by her either because she was crated).
And from the 1500 block of 42nd SW in North Admiral:
About 415 am we heard our dog bark incessantly. We didn’t think much of it until the morning when we went into our vehicle that was parked in front of our home, and it had clearly been rummaged through. Meaning, everything from inside the glove compartment and console had been pulled out. There was no visible damage to the car and nothing of significance was stolen. We believe our dog scared him/her off and we also believe that whomever it was exited through our backyard, as our dog eventually began barking toward the back of the house. Be on alert!
We featured that very regal dog’s photo – shared by Evie, who took it outside PCC (WSB sponsor) – on the WSB Facebook page last night, asking for captions (check ’em out here; a couple commenters note the dog’s named Aslan). Seemed like a fun way to unleash a weekend. Now, here are today/tonight highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
YARD/GARAGE SALES: Weather’s still nice, so the season’s not over! Find the newest (free!) listings in the WSB Forums. And if you’re having a sale – here’s how to announce it there.
SCHMITZ PARK WORK PARTY: Help get the park/forest ready for fall/winter! 9 am-noon.
BLOOD DRIVE IN THE JUNCTION: 9 am-3 pm, the Bloodmobile is scheduled to be at 42nd/Alaska. Details here.
GUIDED TOUR OF LINCOLN PARK: Think you know the park well? Join Friends of Lincoln Park for a closer look, 10 am-noon, details here.
DRUG TAKE-BACK DAY: 10 am-2 pm, get your expired/unneeded medications to the Southwest Precinct for the latest edition of Drug Take-Back Day. More details, and a map, in the listing.
FREE YOGA! Longtime WSB sponsor SoundYoga presents one of its periodic free sessions, 10:30 am.
‘MEET RAPIDRIDE’ AT WESTWOOD: As we showed you first thing this morning, RapidRide is indeed up and running in West Seattle. Come get questions answered, take a closer look at a bus, and meet RapidRide Man, 11 am-4 pm at Westwood Village.
FOOD BANK DRIVE AND BLACKSMITH DEMONSTRATION: Both happening at Village Green Perennial Nursery (WSB sponsor) today – the food drive for White Center Food Bank is all day, the blacksmith demonstration (info here) is 1-3 pm.
VIETNAMESE STORY TIME: At Delridge Library (Delridge/Brandon), 11:30 am-noon – details here.
JUST SHAKE IT! Benefit dance party at The Bridge, 4-9 pm – read about it on the FB event page.
SWYFS GALA: Tonight, Southwest Youth and Family Services is “Celebrating West Seattle” with their annual fundraising gala, with doors opening at 5:30 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy. Ticket info here.
NIGHT HIKE AT LINCOLN PARK: Owls, raccoons, and more … depending on who shows up … wildlife-wise, and you! With naturalist Stewart Wechsler. 6:30 pm. Details on his website.
LOTS OF LIVE MUSIC: Check the WSB calendar for all the listings.
‘ANDREW JACKSON’ CONTINUES: At ArtsWest, 7:30 pm tonight, the “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” run continues.
WATER TAXI FOR WSU-OREGON GAME: The county’s added one extra late run for tonight’s Cougars-Ducks game.
Under the direction of new music teacher Ethan Thomas, the West Seattle High School Band made its marching debut Friday night, at halftime during the WSHS homecoming game at Southwest Athletic Complex.
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
The band’s debut was one of the bright spots, considering the game was a 47-7 loss for WSHS. But it had its moments on the field:
(West Seattle’s #2 Siddique Newkirk gets some yardage with help from teammates Thomas Tuong, left, and Garrisson Smith)
More of Nick Adams’ WSB photos, with game notes, ahead:
For posterity’s sake, we went to Westwood Village to record the start of the first-ever RapidRide C Line trip. The online Trip Planner said 4:58 for the station on SW Barton west of 26th; driver Arthur told us his schedule said 4:57. His bus was parked in the Metro holding area a block west alongside Roxhill Park when we went over to say hi.
“Brand-new bus,” he told us. “Smells new.” Indeed, it did.
Arthur says this is his first RapidRide route; previously, he drove the articulated buses on routes including West Seattle’s 21 and 22.
P.S. No passengers at the first stop for the first run, but then again, it’s Saturday. Our coverage of the RapidRide debut and other local route changes continues later today; as noted in our final reminder story last night, Metro plans an informational event at Westwood Village – by Barnes and Noble – later today, with a RapidRide bus and even RapidRide Man (whom we photographed at countless community events in recent months), 11 am-4 pm.
Seahawk Spirit triumphed not only in the stands but also on the field Friday night at Memorial Stadium downtown, where Chief Sealth International High School trounced Franklin HS in varsity football, 60-26.
More notes and photos ahead:
Two development notes tonight:
DEMOLITION DONE: At 5247 California SW, the former home of (among others) “Psychic Barber” Rick Cook (who is now at The Classic Barber Shop) and other businesses is now rubble. We had noted previously that the house behind the commercial building was taken down first; then a plywood facade went up along the California SW street front,and finally yesterday the one-floor building came down. A three-story mixed-use building with underground parking is planned, according to online city records.
DESIGN REVIEW MEETING FOR VESSELIYE: The third Southwest Design Review Board meeting about a four-story mixed-use building at 9051 20th SW in South Delridge, is now on the schedule. 35 apartments and four live-work units are now proposed for the project called Vesseliye (described at the 1st Design Review as a Slavic word meaning “joy”), which was originally two buildings, as noted in this WSB report from June, but was changed into one and so went back for a second round of Early Design Guidance. Its third and possibly final review is now set for October 25th at 6:30 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle. P.S. For those interested in fine-point details, the developer of this project has documentation online including the floor plan from its master-use-permit application.
It’s been almost five years since the term “RapidRide” first appeared on our site (in this story). Now, it’s a matter of hours before the new bus route hits the West Seattle road. Shelters and lit-up signboards are in place – and they do look a lot like what was shown in renderings way back at the start of 2008:
But tomorrow’s changes go far beyond RapidRide’s debut. Some routes have been changed, some dropped, some added, and those changes happen tomorrow too.
*All bus riders, all routes, will pay when entering the bus (and remember,there’s no more downtown Ride-Free Area) – info here
*For the list of which routes have been dropped and added – and new schedules for others – see the links here
*For the changes on the new Route 50 – until two road situations can be resolved – see this story
*For Metro’s answers to more than 20 specific questions asked by WSB’ers in a special Q/A, see the two links in the WSB Forums
Tomorrow, 11 am-4 pm, Metro will be at Westwood Village for a special RapidRide C Line launch event – here are the details:
The C Line gets going with the start of morning service on Sept. 29. It replaces the Metro Route 54 and will offer frequent all-day service between Westwood Village and downtown Seattle.
Residents can learn more about the new service and its amenities from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday (Sept 29) at Westwood Village. A RapidRide coach, Metro staff and RapidRide Man will be located in the parking lot in front of Barnes and Noble bookstore to share information about the new C Line and provide trip planning advice.
The C Line will offer 10 to 15-minute service most of the day – so frequent riders won’t even need a timetable. Metro has nearly doubled the number of trips provided in this corridor; half of the new trips began in 2011 and the other half will be added when C Line service begins.
New RapidRide buses will come equipped with low floors, three doors for easy boarding, environmentally-friendly hybrid technology, on-board WiFi and security cameras.
As many residents have already seen, 34 RapidRide stops have been added all along the C Line corridor. The stops include well-lit shelters, extra benches and a light beacon that riders can turn on to let bus drivers know they are waiting for the bus at night.
Larger RapidRide stops are called stations and will feature real-time “next bus arrival” signs and provide off-board ORCA card readers. The C Line corridor will also have a transit-signal priority system that gives buses the green light through busy intersections. The majority of these features will be in place for the launch of the new line.
We’ll be covering the launch and route changes throughout the day – and for the first commute on Monday. We’ll be interested to hear from you on observations not just from RR, but from other services too. Here are all the ways to reach us (besides commenting on stories and posting in the Forums!) 24/7.
While work has begun at the Roxhill Skatespot/Playground site, there’s now a change in plan for when community volunteers will be at the site building the new “castle” play structure. Here’s what Mat McBride, who has been coordinating the project, has announced to those already signed up to help:
We just learned from the Seattle Parks Department and playground contractor that the build dates have been moved back due to certain materials being unavailable. We are working with Seattle Parks right now to identify a new build schedule. We are still building a park, but we will not be working October 17-21. The sign-up sheet will be closed and those of you who had the opportunity to confirm your shifts (thank you!) should receive additional notification.
McBride says he’ll have an update when more information is available about new dates, and you can watch the community website at roxhillcastle.wordpress.com. We’ll be checking with Parks on Monday for more specifics on the situation.
Exactly one month till the first-ever West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival – combining the traditional business-district trick-or-treating with a close-down-the-streets dose of FREE family festival fun, AND a special California SW edition of the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. One big component of the festival (10 am-2 pm October 28th) is an array of activities sponsored and presented by local groups, schools, and businesses. Susan Melrose from the WS Junction Association is putting out one last call for ANYONE interested in organizing and presenting an activity for the festival. Here’s what’s planned already:
Sustainable West Seattle – Cider Pressing
Westside Baby – Face Painting
Delridge Food Coop – Pumpkin Walk
Hope Lutheran Church and School – Games
Community School of West Seattle – Mini Farm and Games
West Seattle Christian School and Hotwire Coffee – Cut-out wood frame photo booth (take your own), photo frame craft project
Guide Dogs For The Blind – Puppy Origami
American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 160 – Fishing for rubber duckies
Young at Art – Art Project
WS Blog/WS Bowl/WS Baby (WSB x 3) – Pumpkin Bowling
City Mouse Studio – Kooky Spooky Costume Comp’
West Seattle Eagles Hall – Fishing for fun in kiddie pool
Fitness Revolution with Jill – Win a treat for doing a fitness activity
West Seattle Music Studio – Music Listening activity (by students)
West Seattle Montessori School – Make your own bookmarks
Any other organizations/businesses/schools interested in offering a fun activity to make the first-ever edition of this festival unforgettable? E-mail Susan ASAP at susan@wsjunction.org.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Tonight is West Seattle High School‘s homecoming game – and it caps off a big week that included the first 2012-2013 PTSA meeting.
“It’s the first meeting of the year and we are really revving to go. I’m excited to be here because I think West Seattle High School is really turning a corner” – especially in terms of parental involvement -began the new PTSA president, Tracy Burrows. “Now, we’re just building on the foundation … of the last couple of years.”
The theme of moving forward and upward recurred throughout the meeting. Principal Ruth Medsker shared promising academic news; PTSA leadership spoke about goals for the year.
A procession of Seattle Police motorcycle officers through the Admiral District drew some attention this morning, and brought in several inquiries.
(7/21/2012 photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
We’ve confirmed it was one final sendoff for the former leader of the SPD Motorcycle Drill Team, Officer John Bernasconi, retiring after 43 years with SPD. We covered the ceremony honoring him (above) during this past summer’s West Seattle Grand Parade – he chose the WS Parade for his final ride (instead of Seafair Torchlight) because he’s a native West Seattleite. SPD explains that this was Officer Bernasconi’s last official workday; in appreciation for his service and camaraderie, his now-former co-workers escorted him home after he turned in his equipment, motorcycle included.
(August 2011 photo – what the water-main improvements are meant to prevent)
If you’re in the Arbor Heights areas where the city will be replacing water mains and adding fire hydrants as part of the project sparked by the August 2011 house fire – watch your mailbox. Seattle Public Utilities is sending you this one-sheet, now that the date has been set for work to start on October 8th. They’ll move from south to north, starting on SW 105th between 37th and 39th; Award Construction is the contractor, and the city says crews will work Mondays through Thursdays, completing construction by mid-December, with road restoration to follow. As the flyer says: “When completed, these water-system improvements will increase firefighting capabilities, resulting in all properties in Arbor Heights being within 1,000 feet of a 1,000 gallon-per-minute fire hydrant.”
P.S. In case you missed it – one month ago, we researched and published a one-year-later followup on the fire and these planned improvements; see it here.
Heard about the Caine’s Arcade Cardboard Challenge (inspired by the now-famous video above)? West Seattleite Marie, who publishes Make and Takes, is hosting one as part of the worldwide event on Saturday, October 6th, but needs to find a venue! She says:
The location would need to be indoors and large enough to host up to 30-40 people with room for cardboard creations, multiple tables preferred. Children, and adults, will bring in their pre-made cardboard creations to display and for others to play with, cardboard-arcade style. This event is also in need of cardboard, scissors and tape donations as well, for those who want to create while they are there. If you have any information that would help, please e-mail Marie at marie@makeandtakes.com.
If she gets a place set up for 10/6, we’ll add a followup with where you can go to be part of it!
(From Dan Murphy: The sunrise, from a bus, through a fence, over WS Stadium. Plus: Rainbow photos here!)
It’s a turbo preview today – much news in the works, even before we see what else the day brings – so for the COMPLETE roundup of what’s up today/tonight, we point you to the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar. For a preview of what’s behind each line, mouse over its right side and click the “plus” sign; then, to see the full entry, click “READ MORE” and the page will open, usually including a map. Here’s the big event for tonight:
WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL HOMECOMING: Barbecue at 6 pm, game at 7 pm, vs. Rainier Beach, at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle). WSHS fans are asked to wear white. Details in the brand-new edition of the Westside Weekly newsletter.
Much more – from gardening to music, and beyond – on the calendar.
What do West Seattle and South Park residents want from their police? That was one of the key questions as the first Safe Communities Initiative gathering brought more than 100 people to Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in North Delridge last night. Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen told those gathered, “We’re here to listen.” While much of the meeting was held in small-group conversations – like the one in our top photo – Capt. Paulsen and Mayor McGinn spoke for a few minutes at the start, and we recorded that on video:
Among the police there to listen – out of uniform – was Community Police Team Officer Jonathan Kiehn, at left:
Each group recorded its requests and ideas, and the pages of notes were collected after about an hour. Here’s one representative page:
If you couldn’t get to the meeting – scroll down this page for a form you can use to tell SPD your top safety concern. That same page lists the “Safe Communities” meetings to be held in SPD’s other four precinct areas later this fall.
P.S. The mayor’s office also points out that SPD is still offering “Living Room Conversations” if you’d like to get your neighbors together for a face-to-face with local police – we covered one in Arbor Heights last spring.
P.P.S. The Vicious Puppies Crew – local breakdancers – performed at the event, and we recorded that too:
7:23 AM: Thanks to Don Brubeck for sharing the photo – rainbows to start the day, and a shower!
7:38 AM: Thanks also to everyone else who has sent photos! Jason Axley says he “caught this on my way to the bus”:
This one’s from Kari:
The forecast calls for high clouds, and then another chance of showers tonight.
ADDED 10:03 AM: Click ahead for more photos shared by WSB’ers: Read More
We start West Seattle Crime Watch tonight with a report that there’s been a major break in connection with the drive-by shooting September 10th at 26th and Hudson. No one was hurt, but it was a close call for one driver, who wound up with a bullet hole in his windshield, as our photo shows. The announcement was made by Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen at tonight’s Safe Communities meeting (separate meeting report to come); we hope to get more details tomorrow. (Update: The big break is that police have found a car linked to the incident – no arrest yet, but progress.)
Also tonight, we just got word that a stolen car reported here recently has been found – 12 blocks away from where it was taken. Karen says her CR-V was undamaged. But, she adds, “In the car I found what appears to be the remnants of stolen mail from 2 West Seattle residents.”
Another WSB’er named Karen was hit by scooter thieves – her black-and-purple Honda Elite scooter was stolen in Gatewood, 7100 block of 36th SW, yesterday or last night, license #951570.
Finally – in Sunrise Heights, HM is having a problem with what s/he calls “delivery snatchers”:
Just wanted to let neighbors know of two recent porch thefts in the Sunrise Heights neighborhood. On Friday we had two new leather dining room chairs delivered to our front porch (they were supposed to be held at the FedEx store, but there was a mixup) and they were taken off the front porch sometime that afternoon or evening. This morning we had groceries delivered and we know they arrived sometime between 3am – 6am, and when I went to the porch at 6:30am to get them all but a box of waffles had been taken.
Please be careful of what you have delivered to your house and be on the lookout for “delivery snatchers.”
After compiling a long list of concerns about the megaproject proposed for 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW – and because, in the words of Southwest Design Review Board member Layne Bennion, it’s a “humongous project” – the board decided tonight to ask the project team to come back for a second round of Early Design Guidance.
That means there will be at least two more meetings before this project clears Design Review. It was agreed that the only workable alternative was #4 – outlined in the rendering above – and the project team confirmed that was closest to what it hopes to have in the project – around 370 apartments, 570 parking spaces, a grocery store and drugstore (still unnamed) and other retail. Major concerns included what the key corner at Fauntleroy and Alaska would look like, and how the drive between the project’s two buildings would work. Much more in a separate report later; we estimate 50 or so people attended, and there were some thoughtful and thorough comments (from 13 of the attendees). We have all but five minutes of the two-and-a-half-hour meeting (camera change) on video and will upload it to include with the full-length story.
Next step: The project team goes back to the drawing board to address the issues brought up tonight, and when they’re ready, a date will be set for that second EDG meeting.
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