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Spotlight Stories

West Seattle scene: Superintendent at Duwamish Longhouse
October 4, 2012 9:58 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle scene: Superintendent at Duwamish Longhouse
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

(Photo courtesy Anne Higuera)
Two nights after speaking to and with West Seattle and South Park families at Concord International School (WSB coverage here), first-year Seattle Public Schools superintendent José Banda returned to this side of the city, for a gathering tonight at the Duwamish Longhouse. He was there to meet with Native American families, to “brainstorm solutions and create a collaborative plan of action … to support and improve the performance of Native American students,” according to his letter of invitation to Native community members, who have implored the district to do more to help students succeed.

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West Seattle scene: Sunset beauty, and more sun to come
October 4, 2012 7:49 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Thanks to Mike Russell for sharing that view of tonight’s spectacular sunset via Facebook. The forecast once again stretches at least a week without any sign of rain.

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West Seattle traffic alert: Crash on northbound 99
October 4, 2012 5:55 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Refresh for latest “live” picture from traffic cam looking at NB 99)
5:55 PM: A crash on 99, first reported on southbound, then northbound, is affecting bridge traffic too – per the scanner, police intend to block off the 99 exit from the eastbound West Seattle Bridge “to alleviate (the) traffic mess.” No details of the crash itself, but we’ve been monitoring the traffic effects.

6:09 PM UPDATE: Metro says this is affecting buses too. Traffic apparently at a complete standstill.

6:39 PM UPDATE: Still backed up. No ETA yet. No scanner updates yet – if you are in it and finally get out of it, **when you get to your destination** (no texting and driving!) let us know, because we’re about to be away from the scanner for a while, though we’re monitoring other information channels. Thanks.

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Election 2012: Legalize marijuana? Forum planned at High Point
October 4, 2012 5:04 pm
|      22 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Though the election is just a month away – and voting by mail starts in just a few weeks – there have been few discussion forums in West Seattle, despite the prevalence of hot topics. Just got one announcement, though: A forum with presentations and Q/A regarding marijuana-legalization Initiative 502 is set for 5:30-7:30 pm October 18th at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW). On the pro-legalization side will be University of Washington professor emeritus and substance-abuse counselor Roger Roffman; on the anti-legalization side, Steve Freng, who works with the Northwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. All welcome.

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Trick-or-treat trifecta: Admiral, Junction, Westwood Village dates
October 4, 2012 4:03 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

It’s a West Seattle tradition times three – business-district trick-or-treating. Today, we have the complete picture of who’s doing what, when:

(WSB photo from 2011 Admiral Treats and Treasures)
ADMIRAL TREATS AND TREASURES: As first reported here last month, The Admiral District’s merchants are presenting this popular event – with a treasure hunt enhancing the treat-collecting – 3-6 pm on Friday, October 26th. Today, Admiral District Business Association president Parris Sadow of Atomic Boys also sent the full list of 47 participating merchants/sponsors:


Click the image to see a full-size view and read the list.

WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION HARVEST FESTIVAL: Also first announced last month, the West Seattle Junction Association and its merchants are expanding trick-or-treating into a full-blown Harvest Festival this year. 10 am-2 pm on Sunday, October 28th, the streets will even be closed (granting an oft-expressed wish from local families) for not just the trick-or-treating, but also a costume parade, fun activities (preliminary list here), and a special West Seattle Farmers’ Market setup in the street.

WESTWOOD VILLAGE TRICK-OR-TREATING: Today we stopped by the shopping center to find out the plan for this year. As usual, merchants will offer trick-or-treating on Halloween itself – 5 to 7 pm on Wednesday, October 31st.

(If you want to get a jump on other Halloween events – we have more than a few listed in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – just scroll down the page to browse as far ahead into the fall as you’d like!)

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Reminder: Find out tonight about South Delridge raingardens and other potential sewer-overflow-control plans
October 4, 2012 2:37 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Environment | Utilities | West Seattle news


(Click image to see larger version as PDF)
Though we didn’t publish a standalone daily preview today – please remember, ALL the preview information is available on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar at all times, 24/7, for the current day and future days/weeks/months – we did want to make sure South Delridge residents remember to check out Seattle Public Utilities‘ big community briefing tonight: It’s about the possibility of raingardens and/or new storage tanks to reduce combined-sewer overflows that have been going into Longfellow Creek. Here’s the city webpage with an overview. We’ve reported on this three times in recent weeks – a preview here before the Delridge Neighborhood District Council was briefed (here), followed a week later by the Highland Park Action Committee briefing (here) – but tonight is the big chance to get details and answers. 6 pm at the Salvation Army Center, 9050 16th SW.

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Aloha! Marination ma kai opens its Seacrest Boathouse doors
October 4, 2012 1:07 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Right under a sign that welcomes you with ALOHA, not one, but three Japanese maneki-neko (“beckoning cat”) figurines – symbols of good luck – are at the Marination ma kai ordering counter to welcome you too. We dropped by just after the doors at Seacrest Boathouse were unlocked for an unspecified period in “soft open” mode. The sign on the door explains the “limited menu” we reported last night – the basic fare their truck serves:

By 11:10, they were already fairly busy. They’re expecting to stay open tonight till 8.

P.S. See more of what’s happening inside and outside the renovated restaurant space in our sneak-peek report from last week.

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Lincoln Park ‘resident goose’ attacked by dog, readers report
October 4, 2012 10:22 am
|      137 COMMENTS
 |   Pets | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

(Added: August photo of the geese, courtesy of Myrtle)
10:22 AM: We’ve received two reports of this so far. First one was from Sig:

A man on a bike with his dog running loose at the south end of Lincoln Park at about 8:15 this morning allowed his dog to attack one of the beautiful white geese. The dog injured the goose on the land and took it out in the water all the way to the moored boats. No sign of the goose so hopefully he will show up. His partner is honking on the beach and very frightened. The man got on his bike as soon as he could get the dog to come back (still no leash in sight) and took off in a dark Subaru Outback with a bike rack on the back and top. Hopefully someone can watch for the injured goose and help him.

Second one came from a reader who didn’t want to be identified:

I just got back from a walk at Lincoln Park where some bozo’s dog – off leash – attacked the resident geese on the beach.

I arrived just after the event so my story comes second-hand from a Parks employee who witnessed this and told me what had happened.

Apparently the dog attacked the geese, leaving feathers all over the path, and then chased one of the birds through the water all the way to the ferry dock.

As I arrived the dog’s owner, who had walked south down the private part of the beach, about halfway to the ferry, coaxed the dog back to shore then high-tailed it out of the park on his mountain bike. (He was wearing a yellow and black biking shirt)

There were about 20 of us watching and looking for the goose. I continued my walk then returned to that area about 20 minutes later- but no goose..

I am sharing this because dogs are not allowed on public beaches (period) and there is no off-leash area in Lincoln Park yet I see dogs running free there almost every day. Each time I do I grumble to myself about it rather than confronting the owners. I know people love their dogs.

If you’re not familiar with the Lincoln Park/Fauntleroy area white geese – here’s a photo of one – they (or, perhaps, their relatives) have been on the beach there for years (we remember seeing them more than a decade ago). Their room to roam is curtailed right now, possibly forcing them further south, because of the Barton Pump Station Upgrade Project work that has taken over the pocket beach at Cove Park immediately north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock. We’ll be following up to see if we can find out what has happened since the search mentioned above; please let us know if you hear/see anything.

3:01 PM UPDATE: If you haven’t seen this in the comment thread yet: We checked with Parks, and they told us Animal Control was planning to visit the park to investigate – they had indeed received a call about this to dispatch earlier today. A commenter subsequently reported that both geese were found and seem to be OK, which was confirmed by a beach resident who has seen them.

ADDED: From Dewey Potter @ Parks: “One employee observed most of the incident, confronted the individual about his dog being off leash, and notified Seattle Animal Shelter. The Sr. Gardener who called me back said the description in the WS Blog of the dog owner is accurate. If anyone can provide a name, a license number, or other identifying information, SAS staff will talk with the dog owner and tell him what the penalties are for having a dog on the beach and for harassing wildlife.”

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Another West Seattle traffic alert: North Delridge road work
October 4, 2012 9:41 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news

Just in from SDOT:

SDOT crews will resurface an area of Delridge Way SW between SW Andover and SW Genesee streets from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today (October 4). One lane of traffic will remain open in each direction. This spot repair was funded by King County Metro.

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West Seattle traffic alert: 35th/Avalon signal problem
October 4, 2012 8:57 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news

8:57 AM: Thanks to everyone who has messaged us about this: There’s signal trouble and a resulting backup at 35th and Avalon. Checking it out; more shortly.

9:04 AM: Problem is that north-south signal is stuck on red and east west is stuck on green. Police just arrived.

9:31 AM: The officer directing traffic got the north-south flow going again. A couple of notes we’ve received indicate the signal was also having trouble around 8 o’clock last night, though the sudden flood of reports that came in around 8:45 are the first we’d heard of it. We’ve left the scene for now but will go back to check – let us know if you see it fixed BEFORE we report an update. Thanks!

11:07 AM: Looks normal now. Noticed an SDOT worker on scene, too.

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Metro bus changes, weekday #4: Thursday reports, updates
October 4, 2012 7:03 am
|      126 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

(Wednesday afternoon photo, looking east on SW Alaska while northeast-bound on Fauntleroy Way)
All week, West Seattle bus riders have been reporting what they’re experiencing, in the first week of RapidRide C Line service and other Metro changes. It’s now weekday #4, and we’re again inviting you to share your experiences. One note: On Tuesday night, Metro shared some responses to the ongoing concerns, including an overview of which routes are available for getting into and out of West Seattle. They’ve sent an updated PDF with working links, so if you weren’t able to use the previous (docx) version, try this.

So far this week:
Wednesday rider reports
Tuesday night: Updates from Metro
Tuesday rider reports
Monday pm reports
Monday am reports
Saturday informational event
Saturday morning: 1st RR bus

9:37 AM UPDATE: Just a note for later-in-the-commute riders – there were delays around 8:45-9 am that you can’t blame on the bus system:

That’s our photo looking at the northbound lanes on 35th while the north-south signal at 35th/Avalon was stuck on “red.” We started getting messages about the problem after 8:30 and headed over to check it out; around 9 am, a police officer arrived and started directing traffic, but several buses were stuck for a while.

2:44 PM UPDATE: Even before we could check in with Metro for an update, we’ve received one from spokesperson Jeff Switzer:

Thursday morning we had two full RapidRide C Line buses that had to pass stops in West Seattle, but we had two standby RapidRide buses added at key times to help serve that peak commute time demand. Things continue to work into a more reliable rhythm for riders and bus operators.

We have two standby buses available Thursday afternoon also, and coordinators are actively monitoring demand with plans to add the buses when needed. This could occur when they see delays in the system from congestion, or when buses fill up more than expected. We continue to analyze demand, knowing that delays and ridership can be dynamic day to day.

On Friday, we again will have two standby buses and a transit coordinator tracking when best to add them to serve transit demand and keep the service operating.

5:29 PM UPDATE: And we’ve heard from County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who we’d contacted earlier today to ask for his take on how things have been playing out – he represents West Seattle (and surrounding areas) on the County Council, and is a member of its Transportation Committee:

Like many West Seattle residents, I am closely watching the implementation of the recent service changes, particularly the RapidRide C line. I rode the line into work and back home again on Monday and saw the overcrowding firsthand. It does appear that are some unanticipated loads during these early days of implementation.

I have been in contact with Kevin Desmond and Metro on a daily basis. He has shared with me the same plan of action that I believe he has shared with you. Metro has added two additional fleet buses plus two cover buses for peak times, tapped into the service hour reserve pot and continues to count passengers at peak times to better inform our next steps.

I recognize this was a somewhat rough start to the beginning of this service, but I hope the additional coaches and service hours will help relieve the congestion. I will continue to keep an eye on this.

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Video: School Board hears West Seattleites’ BEX-IV concerns; finalizes Fairmount Park contract
October 3, 2012 11:45 pm
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Tonight’s Seattle School Board meeting had two key points for West Seattle. First, though the BEX-IV levy was not on the board’s agenda tonight, it took up much of the public-comment period during the board’s meeting, mostly regarding moving up the timeline for the Arbor Heights Elementary rebuild.

That’s our video of all the West Seattle speakers – including one whose focus was on K-5 STEM at Boren. Ahead, text summaries of all the speakers – and the latest on the plan to reopen Fairmount Park Elementary, with a design-contract “emergency” vote tonight:

Read More

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Encore! Seattle Chinese Garden brings back ‘Chinese Corner’
October 3, 2012 10:31 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Hurry! If you’d like to learn a little Chinese language and Chinese culture, the Seattle Chinese Garden (which is in West Seattle – photo above – on the north side of the South Seattle Community College [WSB sponsor] campus) invites you to the second edition of “Chinese Corner” (here’s the wrapup from the first edition)! But if you don’t sign up fast, you’ll miss the chance. Here are the basics:

The six sessions will be on Mondays from 4 to 6 pm on 10/15, 10/29, 11/12, 11/26, 12/3 and 12/17. The sessions will introduce Chinese culture and basic Mandarin Chinese conversation with fun games and exercises for people of all ages. The professional teachers will be provided by our co-sponsors the Confucius Institute of the State of Washington and the Chinese Language Teachers Association Washington State. Teacher aides will be the students from the Mandarin Chinese program at Chief Sealth International High School.

To register for this free class (donations welcomed), people can register by filling out this form, or e-mailing chinesecorner@seattlechinesegarden.org

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Roxhill Playground renovation: New dates for community build
October 3, 2012 8:35 pm
|    Comments Off on Roxhill Playground renovation: New dates for community build
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | Westwood

Update on the Roxhill Playground renovation project: Mat McBride, who’s been organizing the “community build” for the new “castle” play structure to go on the site of the now-torn-down “castle,” says a new date’s been set: Friday, November 2nd, through Tuesday, November 6th. (It had been set for mid-October, but as noted here last week, preparation of the site – which is under way, along with construction of the neighboring skatespot – hit some snags that required the schedule to be pushed out.) McBride says they’re signing up volunteers again (and asking already-signed-up volunteers to re-check the schedule) – go here. And he reiterates, “We still need volunteers. Lots of them in fact.” For project updates and information, check out the community website roxhillcastle.wordpress.com – or contact him at roxhillcastle@gmail.com.

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Blessing of the Animals at Alki UCC, St. John the Baptist
October 3, 2012 4:45 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Pets | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

(WSB photo: Alki UCC’s Rev. Diane Darling at “Blessing of the Animals” service in 2009)
Early October means time for the Blessing of the Animals in honor of the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, and the local congregations that have been offering this service in recent years are doing it again this Sunday.

INTERDENOMINATIONAL SERVICE AT ALKI UCC: This Sunday at 10 am, you’re invited to a “Blessing of the Animals” service. The church‘s announcement says, “This year Pastor Diane Darling, Rabbi Zari Weiss, and Rev. Ann Holmes Redding (Christian, Jew, and Episcopal/Muslim) will bless the animals you bring to worship. Dogs on leashes and critters in carriers, please! You also may want to bring a blanket or cushion to sit on.” 6115 SW Hinds.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: St. John’s says its interim priest Reverend Greg Peters “will be blessing animals at both worship services, 8:00 am and 10:15 am, and also at noon in the West Seattle High School Parking Lot,” which is at 3000 California SW, immediately north of the church.

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West Seattle school questions answered at Superintendent Banda’s regional meeting in South Park
October 3, 2012 3:35 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   South Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Superintendent José Banda listens as Concord Elementary principal Norma Zavala speaks)
Story and photos by Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

One month into his first school year as Seattle Public Schools superintendent, José Banda came to the city’s southwest sector last night for a “regional meeting.”

It happened at Concord International School in South Park, but it was intended for the West Seattle community too. And they turned out in force, including – as promised in this letter published here last week – Sanislo Elementary, which got some reassurance relating to its kindergarten-class-size concerns during the Q/A period, which also brought questions from Arbor Heights Elementary, K-5 STEM at Boren, and Schmitz Park Elementary parents.

After Superintendent Banda was introduced with a biographical outline, including his 30 years of work in education, he turned the floor over to Concord Principal Norma Zavala, who spoke to the crowd about the school and its programs. she described its highlight as being “a school that is truly truly diverse – linguistically, ethnic, geographical, gender orientation, everything … and that’s the beauty of being an international school – we’re working every single day to apply a global perspective to our problems, to our successes, as adults and as children.”

The superintendent acknowledged parents were wondering “what IS IT we’re focused on?” and “where are we going?”

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Marination ma kai: West Seattle’s newest restaurant opens tomorrow – if all goes well
October 3, 2012 1:09 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

1:09 PM: One week ago, Marination opened the doors of its almost-ready Seacrest Boathouse location for a sneak peek (here’s our coverage) – and now, they’re getting ready to open the doors for real. They’ve announced via Facebook that tomorrow’s the big day. We’re checking to see what time they plan to open.

2:25 PM UPDATE: Went over to Seacrest to get the answer – 7 am tomorrow.

3 PM: Marination co-proprietor Kamala Saxton does have a caveat via e-mail – they are working with their kitchen team today (it did smell good while we were over checking on the time!) and will make the FINAL call tonight regarding opening tomorrow. So by mid-evening, we should get word on whether it’s confirmed, or changed.

8:50 PM UPDATE: 11 am tomorrow with limited menu, full bar, says Kamala – they’re still working out a few things in the kitchen.

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Video: Walk To School Day in Highland Park, with the mayor
October 3, 2012 12:45 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | Safety | West Seattle news

Highland Park Elementary students gathered for a group photo after a memorable International Walk To School Day stroll. Not only were they basking in October sunshine, they also were celebrating new safety improvements in the area (crosswalk, speed bumps, stop signs) – with a VIP guest on hand:

Actually, those are both VIPs. Photographed with Mayor McGinn, that’s Rachael Wright, a parent volunteer who has worked hard to get safety issues addressed, including securing grants to fund them (as mentioned in previous WSB coverage including this big safety celebration last spring). This morning, she was part of the crowd crossing at the 11th/Holden crosswalk that’s become a reality

Carrying the banner – CityYear corps members who work at HP Elementary:

They huddled with the mayor too:

And, as the walk proceeded, Highland Park Elementary principal Ben Ostrom chatted with the mayor:

Highland Park community leaders were on hand too – we saw HP Action Committee co-chair Carolyn Stauffer, and members of nearby Highland Park Improvement Club.

ADDED: Wouldn’t be an appearance without a speech – we recorded that too:

Find out more about Safe Routes to School here.

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Walk-to-School Day scene: Schmitz Park Elementary
October 3, 2012 11:53 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Thanks to Schmitz Park Elementary PTSA president Mark Wainwright for sharing the photo of SP students gathered at the campus flagpole after taking part in International Walk to School Day. They even had a color-coded map of their routes!

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West Seattle Wednesday: Debate-watching; history-preserving; School Board…
October 3, 2012 10:58 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news

Thanks to Mark Wangerin for the photo of harlequin ducks in West Seattle waters. Before the day gets away again, there are some highlights we wanted to point out – among a LONG list of possibilities you’ll find on the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:

TRAFFIC ALERTS: On West Marginal Way, you may happen onto the manhole work that King County announced yesterday … No highway/bridge closures scheduled; more traffic alerts listed here.

EXTRA WATER-TAXI RUNS FOR M’S GAME: With the Mariners playing a late-afternoon game, the West Seattle Water Taxi has added evening runs: “In addition to its normal schedule, a 7:15 pm sailing from Pier 50 and 7:30 pm sailing from Seacrest will be added.”

PARENTING SUPPORT: Noon-2 pm, parents of babies are welcome to drop by Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor) at 4746 44th SW (just buzz to get into the building) to check out the Early Days drop-in support group.

SCHOOL BOARD: With the board scheduled to have a final proposal for the BEX IV levy before its next meeting, they’ll be hearing today from many people with an interest in the final draft – the list of those signed up to speak includes more than a few West Seattleites. Here’s the agenda; remember the meetings now start at 4:15, and public testimony starts at 5 pm.

WHERE TO WATCH THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) and Skylark Café and Club both say they’ll have Obama vs. Romney on their bigscreens tonight (both are also restaurants as well as bars – you can have dinner, drinks, AND debate). 6 pm. (ADDED 1:12 PM) More locations: Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) will stream via the Net at 6 and discuss @ 6:30 pm … A Democratic Party fundraiser/watch party is planned at Alki Arts at 5:30 pm ($35/person) – details and RSVP link here …

WHAT TO DO ABOUT DEVELOPMENT: The Southwest District Council has been talking over its past several meetings about possibly pursuing some kind of historic district in West Seattle in order to keep the new wave of development from completely subsuming the area’s “character.” That discussion continues at its monthly meeting tonight (the agenda’s on our calendar), with city Historic Preservation Officer Karen Gordon on hand, 7 pm at the board room of South Seattle Community College (6000 16th SW).

LEARN ABOUT WILD MUSHROOMS: Hunting for them can be rewarding – and dangerous, if you don’t know what you’re doing. Special presentation at 6:30 pm tonight, Southwest Library (35th and Henderson), details here.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT SOCCER: Delridge Playfield – 7 pm – adults and “big kids.” Details here.

PRIDE SKATE’S ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY: 9-11 pm tonight, be at Southgate Roller Rink to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Pride Skate! Details here.

Again, MUCH more on the calendar!

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Fewer ‘bioswales’ planned for Westwood/Sunrise Heights project, says county
October 3, 2012 9:29 am
|    Comments Off on Fewer ‘bioswales’ planned for Westwood/Sunrise Heights project, says county
 |   Sunrise Heights | West Seattle news | Westwood

(County map – the larger, shaded area is the entire “basin” that feeds the Barton Pump Station)
After the latest round of research and feedback, King County says fewer bioswales (19, instead of the original 31) are planned for Westwood and Sunrise Heights neighborhoods where “green stormwater infrastructure” is planned to reduce combined-sewer overflows at the pump station the area feeds – and fewer streets will be involved. That’s part of an announcement they’ve just sent about an open house coming up a week from Saturday:

Neighbors are invited to an open house on Saturday, Oct. 13 to learn about design updates to King County’s Barton Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control project in West Seattle.

The open house is set for 10 a.m. to noon at Westside School, 7740 34th Ave. S.W., Seattle.

Combined sewer overflows occur during heavy rain when stormwater fills sewers to capacity in older parts of the city. To comply with state water quality requirements, King County will control CSOs from the Barton Pump Station through a system of bioretention swales and Green Stormwater Infrastructure in West Seattle’s Sunrise Heights and Westwood neighborhoods.

Project staff will share a number of design updates that reflect new technical information and community member feedback, including:

· A reduction in the number of bioswales and impacted streets.
· Fewer and smaller curb bulbs to preserve parking.
· Preservation of property access and tree canopy.
· Rebates and financial incentives for residents to voluntarily install raingardens and cisterns through Seattle’s RainWise program.

Additional information is available at the Barton CSO Control Program website, or by contacting Kristine Cramer at 206-263-3184 or kristine.cramer@kingcounty.gov.

Area residents are receiving a flyer – if you haven’t gotten it already – that you can see here.

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West Seattleites participating in International Walk to School Day
October 3, 2012 7:27 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

7:27 AM: Safety reminder this morning – depending on where you drive/ride/walk/run, you may see more students on the sidewalks and in the crosswalks, because it’s International Walk to School Day. Some schools are doing special “Walking School Buses” (and some do them daily). In the Highland Park Elementary area, there’ll be some extra pomp-and-circumstance with Mayor McGinn coming to help dedicate newly completed safety improvements along routes to school. Schmitz Park Elementary also sent word of their “Walking School Buses,” and even this map of routes that students (and parents if available!) are welcome to join. If your school has a special event and somebody takes photos – please consider sending/sharing one that we can include in our coverage. Thanks!

8:34 AM: Just added the Instagram photo the mayor tweeted from the Highland Park crosswalk; we have a crew there too and will publish their work in a separate story later.

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Metro changes, weekday #3: Wednesday updates
October 3, 2012 6:42 am
|      88 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

6:42 AM: As reported here last night, Metro has acknowledged the reports/complaints of full buses and says it’s “working to address the issues.” They also offered information (same story link) recapping other routes running from and to West Seattle. So again today, we’re setting up a story page for updates and riders’ reports. Let us know how it’s going.

11:20 AM: Thanks yet again for all the reports. Meantime, also from the comments, Chas Redmond from Sustainable West Seattle notes that the group plans a transportation forum October 15th with key county and city decisionmakers on hand – so come join the discussion. Details in his comment.

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