West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
(WSB photo taken from the South Park Bridge on Wednesday)
One day after kayakers on the Duwamish River witnessed history as the South Park Bridge creaked open one last time, the next round of community kayak tours on the river has been announced by the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, in connection with West Seattle’s Alki Kayak Tours, as well as Camp Long, and other organizations. Read on for the schedule, and how to save your spot:Read More
One week from tonight, it’s the biggest West Seattle Art Walk of the year – the night before West Seattle Summer Fest, which means that when you visit the venues in The Junction, the streets already will be shut down for the three-day street festival. At right is Anné Burke of TILA Real Estate, which is presenting a $10,000 “West Seattle Minute to Win It” contest during Summer Fest, with a chance to practice on Art Walk night – the game includes balancing 3 golf balls (which Anné is demonstrating in the photo), “ping-tac-toe,” and bobble-head, plus, she says, “the final game of a dice roll to spell out T-I-L-A.” You can practice during West Seattle Art Walk, 6-9 pm next Thursday (July 8th) at TILA offices, 4727 44th SW. P.S. The $10,000 prize competition is for 18+ only. (Watch the Art Walk website for more info soon on what else you’ll find – around the peninsula, not just in The Junction – next Thursday night.) P.S. Besides game practice, TILA has some other Art Walk highlights planned, including music, a magician, wine and chocolate, and 12 glass pieces donated by Avalon Glassworks, to be auctioned as a fundraiser for Northwest Hope and Healing.
We’re at City Hall downtown, where the Seattle Design Commission has given its blessing to the West Seattle Reservoir/Westcrest Park project design shown at last Saturday’s community meeting. From the Parks Department, project manager Susanne Friedman was there, along with Parks’ Michael Shiosaki, and SiteWorkshop architect Mark Brands. Commission members expressed not only support but even excitement about some of its potential elements, particularly the possibility for much of the landscaping to be planted as “Garry Oak savannah” (above).
They also liked the proposal to pay tribute to the underground reservoir with a grid of squares echoing the columns beneath, as well as markers on its corners (explained in the screenshot above, taken from Saturday’s presentation). A few new bits of information: Friedman said they still have “some details to go back and vet with Seattle Public Utilities” regarding “load limits” atop the covered reservoir; Brands said Parks is talking with the Department of Neighborhoods regarding “alternative funding” for the orchard/community garden proposed as part of the project. He explained the offleash-dog-park expansion that drew the most questions and concerns Saturday; commission members thought the suggested multiple-gate scenario had promise for getting people between what will then be two separate areas for dog romping. West Seattle-residing member Brendan Connolly gave the project team kudos for recognizing the importance of the nearby West Duwamish Greenbelt forest, but suggested perhaps an even “stronger response,” like a loop trail that takes people into the forest and back out to the park, to tie the two together more closely. There was some concern about a lack of lighting; Brands explained they’d like to consider solar, but “its cost is prohibitive right now” – maybe there are future possibilities.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Design Commission will see the project once more; the Arts Commission is scheduled to take a look at that aspect of the project (we’re checking to see if it’s on the agenda for the group’s July meeting). And, as Friedman said on Saturday, a public open house will be scheduled in fall to show an updated design, before final construction plans are made.
From the West Seattle Little League:
We’d love to encourage the community to come out and cheer on the West Seattle Little League All Star teams. The West Seattle All Star 10/11 team will play the Rainiers tonight in the CHAMPIONSHIP game for District #7. If West Seattle wins- we go to the state tournament in Yakima in 2 weeks. 5:30 pm @ Bar S field
The West Seattle All Star 9/10 team will play the Championship game on Saturday @ 10am @ Bar S. NOT sure who we’re playing yet—depends on the winner of tonight’s game in the 9/10 bracket. If they win- they will go to state in Shoreline in 2 weeks.
Good luck, All-Stars! (If you’ve never been to Bar-S, it’s along the Alki Point end of Admiral Way – here’s a map.)
As reported here last month, the project team for the Admiral Safeway redevelopment has announced that construction won’t start till September, because the city didn’t schedule the public hearing on the necessary back-of-the-lot “alley vacation” till late July. This morning, the official announcement of that hearing is out – it’ll be before the City Council’s Transportation Committee (chaired by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen) at 9:30 am July 27. This city webpage has details on how to comment before, and at, the hearing. While the “alley” isn’t recognizable as one, the way it’s used on the site now, it remains city right-of-way, and that’s why approval is required before it is given over to the project (that area will be under the future expanded store.)
Holiday weekends, unfortunately, are always times of great need for blood. So Kim at Puget Sound Blood Center says they’re hoping more prospective donors will make appointments for one of two drives in West Seattle in the next few days – tomorrow, there’s a last-minute mobile drive at Westwood Village (by Pier 1), 9 am-3 pm (closed 11 am-noon); Monday, they’ll be at PCC West Seattle (WSB sponsor), same hours. Walk-up donations will be welcome but if you think you can participate in either one, please call for an appointment ASAP – 800-398-7888.
2 coyote-sighting notes in the south half of West Seattle in the past 12 hours. First, from Dave in Westwood:
Got up @ 3:10 am to change a diaper … sleepily glanced out the window. Wasn’t expecting to see a coyote staring back at me across the street. Once it knew I had seen it, it ran down 34th toward Barton [map]. It also appeared like his/her left hind leg was injured, as it ran very awkwardly. Maybe that’s just how coyotes roll, but it didn’t move like a dog or wolf.
Next, from Kelly:
I’m almost positive I saw a coyote on Cambridge & 21st [map] @ about 9:20 pm. it was walking west on cambridge, I drove past, turned around to get another look, and it was walking into a woody area on 23rd. Run, kittens, run!
And that’s the point toward which we share these reports – in case you want to reconsider where your pet goes by itself, for example, if coyotes are seen nearby (and even if they’re not seen, chances are that they aren’t far). The state offers advice for how you (AND your pets) can co-exist with coyotes – read it here. (Previous sighting reports are archived here.)
(Previous WSB reports: #1 “as it happened” here, #2 with video here, #3 with photos here)
As our area wakes up to its first day with one less bridge – for at least a few years – Christopher Boffoli‘s video shows you what it was like to be there last night. This morning, a night for the history books is followed by a morning facing the practicalities of how to get around; TV traffic reporters are offering advice, as well as traffic-camera images like this one. The official “closure plan” has resulted in maps of how to get around the area – if you didn’t check them out before, here’s where to find them. Getting to South Park itself remains relatively quick and easy from south West Seattle, and the area will be working to market itself as a destination – a promotional brochure is one of the early steps. Meantime, the search for money to build the replacement bridge continues, with $80 million pledged, of the $130 million needed; the next major step is application for a federal grant that could bring in more than half the remaining amount. And small steps toward the project continue so that it will be ready to go when funded – next Tuesday, for example, the county conducts a public hearing on “right-of-way realignments” (official notices here).
(Photo by Kevin McClintic)
Around 8 o’clock Wednesday night, the South Park Bridge‘s final opening was also a severing of the physical tie to the other side of the Duwamish. “Half of Boeing came here for lunch,” Boeing employee Michael told WSB contributor Keri DeTore; Georgetown Community Council Chair Holly Krejci said: “Georgetown will miss the connection and solidarity with South Park.” SP resident John added, “Life just got a lot harder — we as a community can’t sustain these businesses. We have to make this (neighborhood) a destination — this is the best neighborhood I’ve ever lived in.”
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
But at least for the night, the concern about the years ahead without a bridge – even with funding for a new one starting to build up, it wouldn’t be done for at least three years – was eclipsed by the party atmosphere of the bridge wake, on the bridge and alongside it:
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli)
Classic old transit buses were the final vehicles to cross. Earlier – perhaps in homage to the bridge’s age (70) – other classic vehicles were seen:
(Photo by Kevin McClintic)
Meantime, more than a few elected officials came to South Park for the bridge sendoff, including Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, photographed talking with King County Transportation Director Harold Taniguchi:
(Photo by Keri DeTore)
The mayor told Keri: “We’ve worked to provide support to the local businesses and will work with the community. We have an interdepartmental team of police, fire, SDOT, neighborhood and economic groups to provide services to the broader community. We will do our share to work on the bridge replacement.” Similar vows have come from county elected officials like Councilmember Jan Drago, decked in a pink hat and pink boa – same color on the tulle that fluttered from the bridge as it went up:
(Photo by Tracy Record)
Though $80 million has been raised toward funding a new bridge, many are concerned about where the remaining $50 million will be found. South Park resident Betty had an idea: “Put single moms in charge of the funding — they’ll get it done!” Speaking of done, the end of bridge operations means the end of the line for bridge tenders here:
(Photo by Kevin McClintic)
One last round of photos – this is a Flickr grouping from the occasional contributor we refer to as Junior Member of the Team – he was part of the five-member WSB team covering the historic occasion:
And we also have a shot to add from the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) bridge memorial – customers were invited to help build a bridge:
The Feedback, of course, created what was pretty much the official shirt of the wake – everywhere you turned, someone was wearing the distinctive white-on-black shirt (as you can see in many of our photos).
Ahead: A video collection of highlights, plus “what’s next” for the bridge-replacement project and its neighbors.
A student-educator team from Chief Sealth International High School will be in Colorado next week after being named “Bezos Scholars” – read on for the details in a Seattle Public Schools announcement:Read More
(Our “as-it-happened” first report on tonight’s South Park Bridge closure can be seen here)
At the end of our “as it happened” first report on tonight’s South Park Bridge shutdown and wake, we added a clip showing the bridge’s final few minutes, right around 8 pm – siren sounding, bells clanging, gates going down, drawbridge coming up, then a toast, and a song. Now, some other moments to share – first, the top clip, the chant that broke out after South Park’s Bill Pease, using the loudspeaker from a deputy’s car, suggested a moment of silence. (This was from the mildly defiant crowd that refused to move as far back as authorities asked them to – in the end, they “won,” and got to watch the drawbridge-opening from just behind the striped gates.) Meantime, the final vehicles to cross were long-retired buses, brought back out for the occasion – part of our team was at the south end of the bridge as the barricades were moved just long enough for one to head up:
Next, more of the sounds of farewell: Members of the Northwest Junior Pipe Band played toward the end, up near the bridge-tender tower on the west side:
Also performing as a tribute to the bridge … Duwamish Tribe drummers:
Still more to come – video and photos. Even if you don’t have any particular sentiment regarding the South Park Bridge, this was quite the spectacle.
Two reader reports to share tonight – first, an encounter near Solstice Park (we received this in e-mail but it’s since turned up in the WSB Forums, where some are wondering if it’s a person who’s been arrested in the area before – read it here); second, a door-to-door alert – read on:Read More
(Below are our updates as the South Park Bridge closure unfolded. Processing video/photos now for separate stories later)
ORIGINAL 6:23 PM REPORT: We’re on the South Park Bridge – which will be an impossible feat in less than an hour – and it’s quite the scene, on and around the bridge.
People are streaming up and down the bridge on its sidewalks – City Councilmember Sally Clark just walked by our spot alongside the bridge-tender tower:
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Across the way, there are decorations:
Right alongside the walkers, a just-as-steady stream of vehicles – some of which would pass this way anyway, some of which are clearly cruising for show (we’ve seen a few classic hot rods). Down on the brick path that a new bridge will – if all goes well – someday follow, there’s a group of tents. And in the street close to the south end of the bridge, there’s even a group of chairs, awaiting an audience for the bridge’s final “opening,” which also will be its closure. Every TV station in town is here too, of course, though they are vastly outnumbered by dozens, if not hundreds, of others with cameras large and small. Duwamish Tribe drummers are walking by, preparing for a ceremonial crossing. (Here’s Christopher Boffoli‘s photo of Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen with South Park resident Bill Owens, an organizer of tonight’s wake:)
Going the other way, toward the South Park end, Council President Richard Conlin, pushing his bicycle.
More to come; the crowd up here on the bridge continues to grow. Also here: newly nominated-to-be-permanent SPD Chief John Diaz.
6:47 PM: We’re going offline for a bit to cover these final minutes. The hooting and hollering is starting to build. Up here atop the bridge, it’s shoulder-to-shoulder, and then some.
7:33 PM: People are still thronging the bridge – some have pried off the round yellow lane markers – the final vehicles to cross, in both directions, were classic buses, both long gone, but we’re not sure yet how all the people will be cleared. See our Twitter feed for tons of photos, till the bridge is officially closed. Wait – we can hear some official-sounding calls to clear the bridge – looks like the moment is nigh.
8:04 PM: RIP South Park Bridge – after a spate of crowd resistance – the last few hundred on the bridge refused orders to move all the way down to the street, and held steady about 10 yards behind the bridge gates. So at right around 8 o’clock straight up, the sirens sounded one last time, and the bridge, decorated with pink tulle, opened one last time.
Some are still milling, and a Transit Police car is here just in case (it moved in to help convince the crowd to at least move behind the gates). After the bridge leaves finished rising, the crowd began to sing “Amazing Grace,” followed by a round of “South Park Bridge is falling down” (to the tune of London Bridge). More later. P.S. The Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) T-shirts were seen in force.
8:15 PM: Your editor here is the last person atop the bridge. Time to leave. Sounds of the celebration/wake are rising from the restaurants below.
9:40 PM: Until we move this into a separate story – video of the bridge’s final moments, followed by toasts, and a hymn:
After getting the word that Marination Mobile won’t be making its usual Saturday stops in West Seattle this weekend and next, we followed up with co-proprietor Kamala Saxton on something we had heard a while back – that the popular food truck was looking for a new West Seattle spot. Kamala replied it’s true, they need to move:
We have been granted an extension from the Seattle Housing Authority to stay at our current location until August, however, after that we will need to find a new WS location. … We are absolutely committed to remaining in W. Seattle on Saturdays and any leads you have would be greatly appreciated.
The 35th/Graham site (map) where they’ve been for a year has long been tabbed for a future development project – so we wondered if maybe the move mandate meant the project was starting up. We checked with Housing Authority media liaison Virginia Felton, and found out something a little different:
A long-planned cleanup is going to put the site out of commission, starting in September. “There’s pretty serious petroleum contamination on the site,” Felton explained, “but we finally got the money trickled down through EPA to the state to King County to do the cleanup.” Even after the cleanup, the site will be fenced, and “it’ll be a big pit for a while,” she said, adding that more specifics about the cleanup will be available by late summer. As for Marination Mobile – SHA hasn’t been able to find anything in High Point that’ll work, according to Felton; Saxton said her entreprise has examined some obvious possibilities like the remaining Huling sites in The Triangle, and Youngstown Arts Center, but nothing has clicked yet – so again, any suggestions, post them here (or contact them through marinationmobile.com). [Photo credits: Top picture courtesy of Daniel, from July 2009; center photo taken by us today]
(Photo courtesy Joe Follansbee – added Thursday)
Just got last-minute word that the tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain are scheduled to sail in Elliott Bay, including along the central waterfront and past Duwamish Head, during the next hour and a half or so, as a detour on the way to a stay in Lake Union – read on for the official announcement:Read More
Three and a half hours left till the South Park Bridge‘s permanent closure; we went down for a look, and found the barricades awaiting placement at 7 pm – also spotted (too quick for us to get a shot) people photographing the bridge, before its leaves open – and stay that way – till they are dismantled. As for how long they will sit in the upright position, we asked King County Department of Transportation, whose spokesperson Rochelle Ogershok says that right now, it looks like “late summer” before the drawbridge sections will be removed. (Demolition of the rest of the bridge is further into the future.) As noted in our preview earlier, South Park invites one and all to its wake – here’s the schedule of events. And even if you are driving in the area BEFORE 7 pm, note that some changes have taken effect – as Jim pointed out in a comment on our earlier story, “Watch your driving through the area. SDOT has already changed lane assignments as of Noon. You are going to be down one right turn lane off of E Marginal Way southbound. Also the right lane on Cloverdale is no longer a left turn lane, it is right turn only. This seems a little premature, and is bound to screw up the afternoon commute.”
(WSB photo from July 2009)
Just circulated by the Seattle Housing Authority, word that the High Point Market Garden produce stand will open for the season a week from today – Wednesday, July 7th. It’s scheduled to be open 4-7 pm every Wednesday till September 29th, according to the announcement. The produce that’s sold at the stand is grown and harvested on site; the garden and stand are at 32nd/Juneau – here’s a map. (Hat tip: Delridge Neighborhood District Coordinator Ron Angeles‘s mailing list.)
They were a hit last year, and this summer, SDOT is sending weekend traffic alerts again. This coming weekend is particularly busy, so read on to see the full list (which we’ll also link to the WSB July 4th page), which includes mention of the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade (all welcome to participate!):Read More
New WSB sponsors are offered the chance to let you know more about their business – and today, we welcome Sweet Pea Cottage Preschool of the Arts, opening in West Seattle this fall. Here’s what they would like you to know: Sweet Pea was founded by artist and educator Carmel Baird, who believes art is the window to learning, and ALL children should have access to an arts-based education. Carmel continues to touch the lives of young children at Sweet Pea Cottage on a daily basis in her role as Artistic Director. All of our teaching staff are also working artists in the Seattle community. We foster a lifelong appreciation of the arts through early exposure. We believe every child is an artist, and we encourage each child to connect with the artist within themselves. Families attending our program have often said that our program is unique and special because it incorporates the arts in every aspect of early childhood education, has amazingly talented teaching-artists, and fosters a sense of community among children and families. Most families seek us out because we have a reputation in the Seattle community for providing a top-notch early childhood arts education. There are hundreds of alumni families throughout the Seattle area that have a deep appreciation for the unique education their children experienced while at Sweet Pea, and we look forward to serving hundreds more! Sweet Pea Cottage Preschool of the Arts is online at sweetpeacottage.org, 206-217-9767, and other contact information here, if you’d like to find out more about their upcoming West Seattle location.
We thank Sweet Pea Cottage Preschool of the Arts for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
From left, that’s Geoff Rowe and Greg Chelgren from Junction TrueValue, Pam Carter on behalf of the West Seattle High School cheer team, Jim Sansburn from John L. Scott,
Terry Gangon and Quang from State Farm Insurance, and Rich Bianchi from Keller Williams Realty. They visited the West Seattle Food Bank headquarters this morning to present the food bank’s share of proceeds from last Friday’s West Seattle Community Car Wash fundraiser – $2,020, a slight upward revision from the preliminary total reported back on Monday. Fran Yeatts from the Food Bank was on hand to greet them. Organizers also want to thank Michael Hoffman at Liberty Bell Printing for donating tickets and flyers, as well as Jack Miller from Husky Deli and community-group volunteers from Mars Hill Church, who showed up to help wash cars. The event also raised $577 for World Vision‘s Haiti-relief work.
With more than a month passing since the beating of a teenager in Highland Park came to light in startling TV-news stories, with claims of a racist motive, and no news of any arrests, people have continued to ask about the case’s status – we got another note just this morning. We’ve been checking with police periodically, and just talked again with Det. Mark Jamieson in the Seattle Police media unit. The short answer: It’s still an “active and ongoing investigation.” Longer answer: The DNA evidence is still being processed; the case files, Det. Jamieson told us, show that the detective who’s handling it has received an update that the lab is working on the analysis this week. He also says that the victim and his “custodial parent” – not the one who’s done media interviews along the way – have been getting updates from police, as is their primary responsibility as the investigation proceeds. Det. Jamieson says SPD understands community frustration and fears that there are dangerous people on the loose who might attack someone else, but all they can say for the record is that it’s “an ongoing investigation until it’s resolved.”
(Photo courtesy King County Department of Transportation)
Less than four months’ time has gone by since South Park residents — and others who use the 14th Avenue South Bridge — started getting major, repeated, public warnings that King County would close the deteriorating old bridge permanently at 7 pm June 30th. (Here’s our report from the 1st major public meeting back on March 9th.) June 30th is here, and much has changed – while some of the fury over the closure turned to acceptance, much of the energy also has channeled into two drives: First, to make sure money would be found for a new bridge (as of last Friday, $80 million has now been committed toward the $130 million needed); second, to make sure that South Park’s businesses do not wither and die during the bridgeless time. Tonight’s “wake,” 6-10 pm, is partly meant to make a statement along the latter lines, so South Park is hoping that many will come to not only mark the end of their bridge’s life, but to see what they are like as a community, and how they plan to survive and thrive during a tougher-than-usual time. There are ceremonial events (including a final walk on the bridge) planned before 7 pm, with live art (muralists painting the bridge), live music, and restaurant specials during the evening as well (here’s the schedule).
(Photo by Dale Rowe, from April demonstration on the South Park Bridge)
If you’ve never been to South Park, one way to get there is to take Roxbury all the way east, and keep following as the road curves around and over Highway 509, then becomes Cloverdale S., the main east-west route, which ends in the business district at 14th (the bridge is a left turn/northbound from there). And/or you can mark the occasion right here in West Seattle – Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) is planning a South Park Bridge Wake starting at 6 (details on the FL home page, where you also can read about the bridge memorial T-shirts the Feedback’s been selling, so popular that South Park residents have made runs up here to procure more).
(County rendering of what the South Park end of the bridge will look like, right after the shutdown)
As for the practical aspects of the closure – at 7 pm, the barricades go up, and so do the bridge’s “leaves,” permanently. Demolition comes later. Three bus lines were rerouted as of 5 this morning. You can read about all that here. And on the emotional side – we wanted to share two links that have been brought to our attention: a South Park Bridge tender’s farewell, and memories from a couple who met on the bridge.
(August 2009 photo by Matt Durham)
#1 – BEACH BLAST BACK: Thanks to Christy from Coastal for the tip: The Sounders FC Soccer Beach Blast Tournament is coming back to Alki for a second year. Registration opens next Wednesday (though apparently teams from last year have been invited to pre-register); the tournament’s on August 22nd. Lots more info here.
#1 – WORLD CUP WATCHING: No more Team USA, but diehard soccer fans are still cheering FIFA World Cup Soccer as the tournament field narrows. Our original “where to watch” list is probably a little dated now that things have changed, but we did get an update from Beveridge Place Pub, about their schedule for the remaining games, including some early opens – click ahead to see it (and if you have a venue that’s still showing matches, let us know):Read More
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