West Seattle, Washington
13 Sunday
In honor of Flag Day, we start off with a photo from the American Legion Post 160 Memorial Day commemoration at Forest Lawn (WSB sponsor) two weeks ago (might substitute a new flag photo later). Here’s what else is happening, from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
LOW TIDE AND EXPERT EXPLANATION: 10:25 this morning, the tide will recede to -2.9, the first of three days with the lowest tides of the summer. From 10 am-1 pm, Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists will be at Lincoln Park and south of Alki Point to assist with low-tide explorers (here’s the full schedule)
WSHS GRADUATION TONIGHT: West Seattle High School‘s grads get their diplomas tonight, 5 pm, at Memorial Stadium (5th and Harrison downtown).
SANISLO POTLUCK: At Sanislo Elementary School, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm: Around the World Potluck and Game Night: Bring a dish from your family’s culture to share. There will be games, raffles, and a free book given to every child. If the weather is nice, we will be outdoors!
DENNY SCHOOL SITE PROJECT MEETING: The community meeting regarding Denny demolition and sports-facilities (etc.) construction is tonight at 6 pm, Southwest Community Center (details here).
COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MEETINGS TONIGHT: Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, Admiral Church lower-level meeting room, 7 pm (as previewed here) … Fauntleroy Community Association board meets 7 pm at the schoolhouse.
TRIVIA TONIGHT: Rock music trivia every Tuesday night at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 8 pm (and are you ready for tomorrow night’s Lowman Brau debut?)
Tonight’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council was the first of several the group hopes to have outdoors, weather permitting, this summer. A bit chilly – but the group braved the breeze and met in Greg Davis Park, instead of nearby Delridge Library.
The big news – and we’ll be following up on this tomorrow for more details – chair Karrie Kohlhaas reported getting a call from the Downtown Emergency Services Center, which she says is proposing a 75-unit apartment building on a site she described only as near Delridge Library. (We haven’t yet found anything on the city planning website, or elsewhere, that correlates.) DESC’s clients include people facing challenges from homelessness to mental illness to substance abuse, and they operate several buildings in other areas of the city. Karrie said DESC plans an informational meeting (later this month; we’ll verify the date when we speak to DESC), to get community input.
Concerns voiced by those at the NDNC meeting included the fact that Delridge is already short on services and businesses such as a grocery store, and has transportation challenges – particularly between east and west, getting into the rest of West Seattle. They also wanted to know more about the people with whom DESC works, and how their facilities operate. Karrie urged everyone to bring their questions to the meeting. (Tuesday morning note: Pete Spalding from the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council tells WSB this is on their Wednesday agenda as well, 7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. And he confirms the community meeting date as 6 pm Monday, June 27, Delridge Library.)
Another major topic: Urban chicken-raising:
Iris, daughter of NDNC’s Holli Margell, got a close-up look at one of the chickens brought by Red Star Urban Farms. They provided general tips on chicken-raising, most notably security. Think cats are the biggest threat to chickens? Think again. Dogs, raccoons, and coyotes, NDNC was told. Also important: Knowing what kind of chicken is right, for what situation you’re bringing them into – for show? to be a pet? to produce eggs? or to be food? You need to make your choice before you move on to building coop.
One last topic of note: A new projected date for Delridge Day/Delridge Skatepark dedication festivities. Now it’s looking like September 17th. NDNC will be looking for food vendors and planning picnic-style games, among other things.
NDNC usually meets the second Monday of the month, 6:30 pm – watch for word on the next outdoor location!
Two notes from the Admiral Neighborhood Association: First, they’re the latest neighborhood group to launch a website – it went live over the weekend; you can see it here. Previously, their main means of communication was a Yahoo! mail group. The website includes information on the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series (co-sponsored by WSB), which previously had its own site.
Second – tomorrow night is ANA’s monthly meeting, with lots on the agenda, including the concert series and the 4th of July Kids’ Parade (previewed here earlier tonight). 7 pm at Admiral Congregational Church, lower meeting room, California/Hill – see the full agenda here.
(WSB photo of 2010 Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade participants)
Start decorating now! Hard to believe – it’s only (exactly) three weeks till the Fourth of July. And yes, once again this year, West Seattle will have its very own unique parade – the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade on Independence Day morning (a Monday this year). Organizer Sherri Chun sent the official word tonight:
The start time is 10:00 am, at the intersection of 44th and Sunset (in front of 1137 Sunset Ave. SW). Kids’ games and treats afterward at Hamilton Viewpoint Park (games are cancelled if it rains). For those who haven’t done this before, it is an easy 1/2-mile walk through the neighborhood, ending at Hamilton Viewpoint Park. Bring your scooters and strollers, and wear your best 4th of July colors! Many thanks to the Admiral Neighborhood Association for providing concessions this year, to Dave Weitzel at Weitzel Construction for providing our port-a-potties, and to Holy Rosary Parish for underwriting our liability insurance, and making our permits possible.
Many people ask if they can help out. There are 2 ways you can help out. One is by bringing a dollar per kid for the donations box. Our permit costs have gone up considerably this year (we have a Parade Permit and a Parks Permit). We need to FILL THE BOX if we are to continue this great tradition. The Admiral Neighborhood Association does not financially support this event – we are community and self-supported. The second way to help out is by bringing a dozen or two water balloons for the annual water balloon toss. Thank you!
It is a BIG, fun parade if you haven’t been part of it before – check the video, and photo gallery, in our 2010 coverage.
A championship weekend for West Seattle Pee Wee Baseball! League president Eric Olson shares the photo and this report:
West Seattle Pee Wee Baseball played their championship games for the Pinto (7-8 year olds) and Mustang (9-10 year olds) on Saturday. Congratulations to the Menashe Pinto and Alki Lumber Mustang teams for their hard-fought wins. The championships were extremely close, requiring a double-header and extra innings in the second game for both divisions.
For more pictures and a complete update on how the championship games went on
Saturday, visit the WSAPWB website, and the West Seattle Association of Pee Wee Baseball Facebook page.
Thanks to JayDee for the view of the USS John C. Stennis passing by West Seattle shores this afternoon. Last month, the Stennis’s strike group had a change-of-command ceremony, while training to prepare for deployment, as the Kitsap Sun reported here; its own website has more about its preparations for deployment.
Two-scoop announcement from White Center’s Full Tilt Ice Cream this afternoon – they’re celebrating their third birthday next Monday by (a) being open – and subsequent Mondays too (founder Justin Cline says that was in the works anyway) – and (b) making a “matching gift” to the White Center Food Bank – however much ice cream they sell next Monday (June 20th), they’ll give that amount to the food bank. (What? Never been to Full Tilt? Barely a block south of West Seattle, 9629 16th SW. They open at 2 pm on weekdays.)
Today we welcome a new sponsor, HHL Insulation, owned by Humberto Hernandez-Lopez. New sponsors get the chance to tell you about their business, and here’s what HHL wants you to know: They are West Seattle’s green insulation contractor. At HHL Insulation, Humberto stresses the importance of having a positive impact on the immediate environment. He says, 
“We get a lot of clients from just word of mouth around the street here. People here like to support local businesses and know the value in doing so. It supports our local economy and also has a positive impact on the environment. HHL Insulation also likes to give back to our community by offering superior customer service and also offering eco-friendly insulation materials. We are aware of the importance of our impact on the community and the environment. Choosing our company means you will get the service you deserve. We pay attention to every detail and make sure the customer is happy during the entire process. We know that we are coming into your home, and we respect your living space. We do our best to be efficient and get the job done on a timely matter so you can get back to your life and enjoy your newly insulated home.”
He also adds that he works to make sure the client stays informed before work has even begun: “From the first meeting where we give you the estimate to the end of the job, the customer is always informed as to what is going on. They appreciate that we take the time to show them the process and give them the different insulation options to choose from. All this is done to inform the customer and let them choose. We don’t push anything on them. Or try and sell something they don’t need, which is common practice in this business. We don’t believe in this way of doing business. We would rather have a company that is honest and takes pride in honesty and integrity. Customers usually seek us out because they know someone who has had a great experience with our company.” Humberto is also a member of a local soccer club, and he enjoys dining out in West Seattle. HHL Insulation offers online scheduling at hhl-insulation.com, or you can call 206-510-8800.
We thank HHL Insulation for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
The West Seattle Water Taxi‘s regular vessel Rachel Marie is back in service after almost a week of repair work. It was returned to the run without fanfare yesterday afternoon, according to this update on the county website, which means the Melissa Ann is back on the Vashon route.
Since that crash last Thursday, with a car hitting a house in the 1700 block of SW Holden, we have learned more about the circumstances and what happened to the driver who police say was to blame. And we’ve heard from someone else on the same street whose car was smashed by a different driver days earlier. Read on:Read More
(Christopher Boffoli’s video from WSB ‘Liberty Belle’ tour story in 2009)
Thanks to Stephanie for the tip on this story: The restored B-17 known as “Liberty Belle” crashed in Illinois this morning, with all 7 people on board surviving. It was featured here two years ago, when it gave tours from Boeing Field, and WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli went along on one. The Chicago Tribune has details and photos from today’s crash.
7:50 AM TUESDAY: That same link has new photos and information today, bearing out what a commenter notes below – “Liberty Belle” made an emergency landing, everyone got out, and then fire spread through the restored plane.
This one does not directly involve West Seattle’s traffic lifelines (99, 509, etc.) but it includes other major Seattle-area highways and begins with the dire-warning line “Drivers can expect region-wide congestion Father’s Day weekend …” Full details from WSDOT here.
On the Sustainable West Seattle website, Kate Kaemerle has just published an obituary remembering Dale Roose, a former West Seattleite who died at age 55 in Tucson after a long fight with cancer. Kate’s writeup recalls Mr. Roose’s participation as a West Seattle Tool Library founding member. He and wife Tina Roose also had been WSB participants while living here, and you may also remember them for two West Seattle Crime Watch reports – he was the cancer patient whose car was stolen twice, including this past February, just as he and Tina were about to move. The first time, their story also was picked up by KING 5 TV, and both cases drew community offers of help. According to the obituary on SWS’s site, no funeral is planned, but donations can be made to the American Cancer Society in Mr. Roose’s memory.
For surface-street drivers just east of West Seattle: The recent East Marginal Way/Spokane intersection alert included a note about another upcoming project on East Marginal Way, just north of that area. Word just in from SDOT indicates that will start to affect traffic this Wednesday:
A contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation will reduce East Marginal Way South between South Hanford and South Horton streets to one lane in each direction starting June 15 between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. In addition, the roadway will be reduced to one shared lane for both directions of traffic, controlled by traffic flaggers, at night between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. The work requiring this traffic pattern is expected to be completed by June 17. Drivers should expect congestion. Access to nearby businesses will be maintained.
The purpose of the work is to prepare for the bypass route that is expected to be
open to traffic on June 20 for the E. Marginal Way @ S. Horton Street Bridge
project. For more information, please see the project Web
site.
This city map shows the work zone and the bypass they hope to have in place by this time next week:
(Photo by Stephen Elser from last round of low tides earlier this month)
We’ll see low-low tides all week – -2.2 today at 9:38 am, but it’ll be lower in a few days. Meantime, first day of the last full week of school for Seattle Public Schools students; we’re also in the last full week of spring – since summer arrives a week from tomorrow. But first, on with today. From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
NORTH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: NDNC meets at 6:30 pm, NOT the usual location – here’s the meeting announcement:
Join us as we head into our new format for summer meetings – we’re taking NDNC outside! We will be holding our monthly meeting in a different Delridge park each month this summer, weather permitting. (Tonight) Greg Davis Park at Brandon and 26th, less than a block away from the library. If it rains, we’ll use our regularly scheduled library conference room instead. Our special guests on Monday will be the guys from Red Star Urban Farms, giving us a tutorial on how to raise your own backyard chickens in Seattle.
(added) PIGEON POINT NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: Also meeting tonight – 6 pm, Pathfinder K-8 school cafeteria.
RACE TO NOWHERE: The documentary critiquing the education system and sparking discussions on how to change it will be screened twice today/tonight in the Arbor Heights Elementary library, sponsored by the Arbor Heights PTSA, with discussion afterward. 3:30-5:30 pm with child care provided, ticket info here; 6:30-8:30 pm, ticket info here. Organizers are also launching the online discussion group West Seattle Education Advocates, to continue the dialogue.
LIVING GLUTEN-FREE: Living Gluten-Free. Special event all day at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy/West Seattle (WSB sponsor); stop in and talk with a naturopathic doctor.
NIGHTLIFE: Trivia with Tom Hutyler at Christo’s on Alki, 7 pm … Karaoke with Kelli at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor), 9 pm
If the school at 8402 30th SW were to stay open one more year, it would celebrate its 60th anniversary. David T. Denny Junior High School – named after the first member of the Denny Party to arrive in Seattle – opened in the fall of 1952, with 1,030 students, according to this Seattle Public Schools document telling its story, which says its enrollment peaked at more than 1,600 a decade later, with 22 portables in use.
But now, Denny’s five buildings have only a matter of days left to house students and staff. After the last classes later this month, Denny principal Jeff Clark and his team will move into their new building barely a block east, adjacent to Chief Sealth International High School, and the old buildings comprising the original Denny campus will be torn down.
This Tuesday, an informational meeting about the demolition and ensuing sports field/park construction is planned, mostly for neighbors and other interested community members.
But for the sentimental side of a school about to be turned into rubble, a gathering this weekend packed the punch.
Community members – alums, former staffers, anyone and everyone – were invited in for “One Last Look” on Saturday morning, concluding with memories shared in the cafetorium.
Among those reminiscing – Denny’s renowned music director, Marcus Pimpleton, also a former Denny student, talking about the support he received while studying there – and the support he has worked to give while teaching there:
The “essence” of Denny, Pimpleton insisted, will move with it to its new building. And its co-location with Sealth brings many possibilities, said Aurora Lora, the district’s executive director of West Seattle-region schools:
Many concerns and questions about the Denny/Sealth site-sharing have simmered in the years since the co-location plan surfaced; the schools’ principals answered questions just last month. But as Lora said, the focus now is on the move, and a fresh start. As for the demolition/construction project, the community meeting is at 6 pm tomorrow (Tuesday, June 14) at Southwest Community Center – we have more information on that, and the schedule for the months ahead, here.
The fields are set for the August 16 primary – and another Seattle City Council candidates’ forum is on the horizon for West Seattle. 
As previously noted, council candidates will be at the WS Chamber of Commerce‘s next monthly luncheon meeting June 22 for a “speed networking” event. And just announced this weekend, the next day – Thursday, June 23 – the West Seattle Democratic Women will host all four candidates for City Council Position 1 – Maurice Classen, Bobby Forch, incumbent Jean Godden, and West Seattleite Michael Taylor-Judd. Though WSDW usually meets for lunch, this will be an evening event – no-host bar at 6:30, dinner at 7, program at 7:15 pm, and the group says “candidate endorsements will be considered.” Dinner is $12 WSDW members, $15 nonmembers (or you can just get coffee/dessert for $5). Reservations or questions: wsdwomen@yahoo.com, 206-935-3216.
SIDE NOTE: All 4 Position 1 candidates participated in the 34th District Democrats‘ forum a month ago – we have it on video here; last Wednesday, the 34th DDs gave a dual endorsement to Godden and Forch.
Alki photographer extraordinaire David Hutchinson shared these photos, explaining:
There is always interesting wildlife to see while walking along Harbor Avenue. It can be Sea Lions or Harbor Seals out in Elliott Bay, Canada Geese and their goslings along the shore, or Bald Eagles being pursued by crows. The attached photos were taken recently. The first is a Bald Eagle heading home in the evening to its nest near Salty’s. The second is a Killdeer protecting its nearby nest with a typical distraction display.
For the sake of both the airborne and seagoing wildlife, it’s important to keep our shorelines clean; toward that end, as noted here previously, David and others with the Alki Community Council are involved with beach cleanups; last weekend, those cleanups were featured in this report on KING 5 News (with interviewees including Eilene Hutchinson and Seal Sitters’ Robin Lindsey).
Before we have to get back to all the seriousness, as the new week looms, yet more weekend whimsy: Stacy shared the photo, explaining, “Sunny Sunday fun on Alki today.”
If you were at Alki today, among the surrey pedalers, the sunbathers, the volleyball players, and everyone else enjoying the afternoon, you might have noticed … pom-pom-waving cheerleaders. The young women of the Chief Sealth International High School Cheer Squad spent six hours washing cars at Alki Auto Repair. Since the clouds stayed away until late afternoon, they had perfect weather – and by the time we checked in around 2:30 pm, they had already raised $500. (Side note: Last day of school for Sealth and other public high schools in Seattle is still a week and a half away – June 23rd.)
Most groundbreakings involve dignitaries, never-used-before-and-never-will-be-again shovels, and one ceremonial jab at the dirt. Not the groundbreaking at West Seattle’s Our Lady of Guadalupe this afternoon. The parish’s pastor, Father Jack Walmesley, got behind the controls of a backhoe and dug into the future site of OLG’s Parish Life Center and Gymnasium, as parishioners cheered (and, off camera, Tom Hutyler emceed). Earlier in the event, “Father Jack” wore more traditional priestly garb as he spoke about the project – we’ll add that clip laterhere’s that clip:
The new 10,000-square-foot facility will include community meeting space as well as areas for parish events and sports (read all about the project here – and see sketches – here).
It’s been half a century since a vaccine breakthrough led to the near-eradication of polio in the U.S. But as the Rotary Club of West Seattle is explaining today in The Junction – the rest of the world is a different story, particularly isolated areas of Asia and Africa. Till 5 pm today, West Seattle Rotarians are by KeyBank with an iron lung – the device that paralyzed polio victims needed to keep breathing. Contributions will go toward the Rotary International campaign to match a nine-digit grant from the Gates Foundation for worldwide polio vaccination, to wipe out the disease once and for all. (P.S. The WS Rotary’s Berry Sale is under way too, supporting all their charity programs including the Christmas Shopping Spree – you can order online; deliveries are just weeks away.)
Five West Seattle Crime Watch reports this morning – starting with the search for a hit-run driver. Amy sent the above photo and explains:
Our 1997 Toyota Tercel was struck by a hit and run driver Saturday morning (6/11) in the 3900 block of SW Orchard. The car is totalled with front body damage on the right side. The perps lost control coming around the corner at 39th and Orchard, tore up our neighbors parking strip and came to a hard stop against our parked vehicle pushing it backward about five feet. Damage to the car that hit would be the front passenger side. We did not hear the accident but our neighbor heard the crash sometime around 12:30 to 1:00 am. It was not a pretty car, but we had it for 13 years, it ran great, and it was much needed transportation for our family. We did call the police and received a case number-11-187004
After the jump – 4 more reports, starting with a stolen tandem bicycle (photo included):Read More
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