JUNCTION PARKING FEEDBACK DEADLINE: If you have something to say to the city about its proposal for parking changes in The Junction – no pay stations, no RPZs, some areas changing to 2-hour limits – today’s the deadline for getting your comments in; contact methods are listed here, along with details on the proposals. (Thanks to Forest for the reminder.)
LOOKING AHEAD TO LATER THIS WEEK: Check out the WSB Events calendar for the full list. But two things to call to your attention for starters – Wednesday is Veterans Day, which means schools, banks and community centers are closed (normal trash pickup, the city says); Thursday night is the monthly West Seattle Art Walk – here’s the fall-quarter walking map/list of participants.
The impending start of construction for Link, Harbor Properties‘ residential/commercial building in The Triangle (most recent WSB report here), is the main peg for a story published by the Seattle Times (WSB partner) this morning. The story also takes a wider look at the area as West Seattle’s gateway, noting the city planning work that’s getting under way (as noted here). You can see the Times’ story by going here. ADDED 8:51 AM: Side note for those interested in the future of the adjacent Junction – a reminder that the Junction Neighborhood Organization meets tomorrow night, 6:30 pm, Ginomai (42nd/Genesee), with a presentation on right-of-way improvements proposed for The Junction – benches, street trees, sidewalks, etc.
Listening to the scanner on Saturday night, we heard a call for firefighters to check out smoke at the Rainier Yacht Club, and thought, “Isn’t that where the Westenders are having ‘Operation Chano’?” Didn’t hear the followup and forgot about it – till Nicky Ducommun e-mailed tonight to share the event wrapup, with Fuzz Hill‘s photos:
The Westenders Scooter Club’s “Operation Chano” was a great success! Our friend and fellow scooterist, Sean “Chano” Goff, co-owner with wife Sofia of West Seattle’s Cafe Revo, passed away unexpectedly September 17. Operation Chano was launched to raise money to help his family in a time of great need.
For the event Saturday night, our chefs, Corey & Gus were truly the lords of the kitchen, and put out a feast that had attendees going through the buffet line for seconds — and even thirds!! We had so many prizes in the raffle that even with the Westenders Prize Patrol ‘bundling’ prizes into prize packs, it took almost as long to give away the prizes as it did to watch our scooter-themed movie, “Mondo Scooterama”!
One event that caused particular mirth was the unscheduled appearance of the Seattle Fire Department. We had so many pots of water boiling in the kitchen for pasta, that an alert neighbor mistook the fogged up windows and steam escaping from the galley of the Rainier Yacht Club for smoke. The Seattle Fire Department was called and we were all reminded of why firefighter calendars are so popular. The extremely handsome, strapping men who arrived in two fire engines were wonderful, even giving all the children in attendance a tour of their trucks.
We had 50+ guests, and were pleased that about half were non-Westenders. Several clubs were well represented, particularly the Flying Monkeys SC and the F*** Yeah SC from Tacoma.
And this was a generous lot as well! On Sunday, a group of us rode out to Cafe Revo to present them with the proceeds!
Thanks again to everyone who gave so much of their time and resources to make this event a success!
Westenders Scooter Club
This was the second of two fundraisers for the Goff family; the first one was “Big Night” last month at The Sanctuary at Admiral (WSB coverage here). Chef Goff died in late September at age 43; Cafe Revo (a WSB sponsor), however, carries on, with his wife Sofia and its ace staff at the helm, serving the cuisine of Northern Italy in the Luna Park business district.
With interest in edible gardening growing like mad, Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle, sponsors of the West Seattle Edible Garden Fair and Edible Garden Tour (among other things), is looking tonight for your opinion: They’re exploring partnering withSeattle Tilth to offer some classes in West Seattle next year. Aviva from Community Harvest says, “The location would be at the St. James Annex, close to Westwood Village (map). The Community and Food Bank Garden which is forming at this location would provide the space for hands-on learning. In addition to Tilth classes, there is a possibility for classes in food preservation, cooking, and fruit-tree care.” Take a quick survey to let them know if you’d be interested: Go here.
(Video added 5:15 pm)
Exactly two weeks after more than 60 people gathered at Fauntleroy Creek to drum and sing in the annual ceremony calling the coho home, creek steward Judy Pickens says the first one’s shown up: “The first pair were sighted at about 1:00 this afternoon and we thought we heard another one coming.” Volunteers are watching the creek in the hours after high tide daily, and were scheduled to do so till late November. Whenever coho are known to be in the creek, the “salmon sock” shown in the photo below will be up on its pole at the creek overlook across Fauntleroy Way (and up the embankment) from the ferry dock.
(WSB photo from Fauntleroy Creek overlook, 10/25/09) ADDED 9:58 PM: The official account from Dennis Hinton:
The first coho spawners to return to Fauntleroy Creek were spotted at 1 pm Sunday by Steve Zarnick and family.
Between 3 and 4 pm Judy, Phil, Patrick and I counted six coho in the creek. All fish were estimated between two and five pounds. The largest was a bright red-sided hooked-nosed male, about five pounds.
Usual window for the coho return over the past 10 years has been between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Recent rains and high tides have probably given the fish the push they need to get up the creek.
That clip from our West Seattle Grand Parade video this past July includes the Denny (now International) Middle School Marching Band – and this weekend we have word that Denny’s band will march with Chief Sealth High School‘s band (also directed by Marcus Pimpleton) in the Macy’s Holiday Parade downtown the day after Thanksgiving. They’re among more than two dozen marching bands and community drill teams in the parade, according to a news release. The parade starts at 8:45 am on Friday, Nov. 27, at 7th/Pine and travels a zigzag route through the center of downtown; it’ll also be the final parade for West Seattleite Greg Nickels as Mayor. (If you know of West Seattleites participating in the many other groups in the parade, let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com – so we can mention them here as well as watching for them for photo/video ops while covering the parade; thanks!)
Holy Family Parish School middle-school teacher M. Barrett Miller e-mailed to share this photo, explaining: “One of our outreach programs is taking our Middle School students to the West Seattle Salvation Army to socialize and serve the elderly. I rotate the grades every couple of weeks to give all our Middle School students the opportunity to interact with the elderly at the center. Every day the Salvation Army serves lunch and offers an atmosphere of warmth and friendship to those who partake. Over the last year, our students have built a strong relationship with some of the attendees. I think the attached photo shows the joy of the program.” (The West Seattle/White Center Salvation Army location is here.)
Sundquist has this type of meeting monthly, as do other members, with no agenda except Q/A with whomever shows up, but he’s made them more frequent as the board approaches a scheduled vote on the attendance maps (and in fact his next one is just hours before that vote).
Several in the room Saturday afternoon wanted to discuss the concern reported here Friday night – the observation that the newest revision to the West Seattle attendance-areas map seems to draw a sharp line largely following West Seattle’s north-south economic divide, with the feeder-school list for Denny International Middle Schooland Chief Sealth High School dominated by those with more students from lower-income families, while the feeder-school list for Madison Middle School and West Seattle High Schoolis dominated by those with more students from higher-income families.
Sunday, 10 am-2 pm, 44th/Alaska, as always, growers, ranchers, farmers, food-makers from around Western Washington gather to offer you their best at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. When you go today, check out the info table to find out more about a contest that market managers have cooked up: They’re looking for the best Thanksgiving feast made with as many Farmers’ Market (WS, U-District or Broadway) ingredients as possible – with you sending your photos and recipes after you’ve prepared and enjoyed the holiday meal on Nov. 26. The contest rules are explained here. Grand prize: Brasa’s Chef Tamara Murphy comes to your place to cook for you and guests; 2nd place includes a $100 Farmers’ Market shopping spree.
Once again this fall, for the West Seattle High School Wildcats, the varsity-football season all came down to a faceoff with Ferndale, on the road, in Bellingham. WSHS led at halftime last night but came out on the short end, 28-21. We didn’t make the road trip this time; here’s the Bellingham Herald‘s game report.
(Photo by Robin Lindsey)
Two weeks ago, West Seattle-based Seal Sitters asked for help in finding space for a fundraising sale. They’ve found it – courtesy of a WSB sponsor! – and it’s coming up a week from today – here’s the announcement:
Seal Sitters will host an estate jewelry sale on November 14th at Merrill Gardens/Admiral Heights retirement home, 2326 California Ave SW (across from the Admiral Theater).
More than 500 pieces of jewelry will be for sale, including earrings, clip earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, pins, brooches, and watches. All of the jewelry is in very good condition; most of it has probably never been worn and most likely was purchased in the last 20 years. There is wide variety of styles for all budgets. The extreme generosity of a colleague has made this event possible. Seal Sitters thanks Merrill Gardens for the donation of their facility for this event. Cash, credit and debit cards accepted.
Other goods will be for sale, as well as fun raffle items. See photos of our beautiful seal pups and learn about our organization. Proceeds from the sale go directly to help defray Seal Sitters’ many operating expenses such as phone dispatch, web hosting and educational materials.
Help us protect the seals!
Seal Sitters would like to thank the West Seattle Blog, Coastal, Liberty Bell Printing, NW Art, Alki Mail, Bakery Nouveau and the West Seattle community for their generous support!
ADMIRAL SAFEWAY BECU BRANCH CLOSING: Thanks to Diane for the tip – she got a letter saying the Admiral Safeway BECU branch is closing as of 1 pm December 5. The letter says, “The Safeway building is being reconstructed so we must close this location.” The most recent estimate given by Safeway for when they hope to start construction is next summer (and late summer at that), so we’ll be checking with BECU regarding why they’re closing this far in advance. The letter does say the BECU ATM at the store will remain open as long as the store does.
PILATES NAME CHANGE: Thanks to Mike for the tip – Pilates Westside in Morgan Junction, which opened 6 months ago, is changing its name to Pilates al Dente. Mike spotted the notice posted on the storefront that also mentions a change in ownership. Online records show that name registered to one of the original owners we interviewed last spring. No website for Pilates al Dente yet.
THERAPEUTIC ASSOCIATES/WEST SEATTLE PHYSICAL THERAPY: Earlier this week, we briefly mentioned this firm’s new digs in Capco Plaza, the building with the new QFC, on the 41st SW side. We’ve since received an official announcement from them, including the benefits of their new location: “designed with their patient’s needs in mind and includes free parking, an easily accessible elevator and upgrades to state of the art equipment.”
The Saints girls soccer team just won their district tournament. Sophomore Ashley Shaw scored both goals for the Saints. They beat Orcas 2-1. They will start the state tournament next weekend facing the #6 team from their district. Go Saints.
Just got this from Kristina, and WSDOT has also tweeted it: The 1st Avenue South bridge’s northbound side is stuck open. No word yet on how soon that’ll be fixed. Big backup stuck behind it. 3:12 PM UPDATE: And good news, it’s been fixed, traffic should be back to normal shortly.
Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Next rainy morning you commute – by car OR bike – those huge puddles may be a little less prevalent, thanks to the efforts of some of your West Seattle neighbors this morning: Before the wind and rain took a break, intrepid community members turned out in force in northeast West Seattle this morning to rake leaves from sidewalks and gutters, clear drains, and collect trash.
Rose Feliciano, who lives near the Pigeon Point portion of the bike trail, has been trying to keep it clear of leaves since her bicycling friends mentioned “the path is getting smaller!” Additionally, through the city’s Adopt-a-Drain program, Rose has been working to maintain a clear drain at Delridge and 23rd –the site of the West Seattle Bridge onramp. Unfortunately, she didn’t get out there quite soon enough yesterday morning to beat the BMW that drove through the deep puddle, stalling their engine. She notes: “It doesn’t take much for those drains to get clogged.”
After posting a request for help on the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council e-mail group asking for leaf-raking assistance on the bike path today, she was joined by three more volunteers including Andy and Andre (photo above). Rose will be continuing her efforts until the trees have finished dropping their leaves. And her group wasn’t the only one out in northeast West Seattle this morning:
The North Delridge Neighborhood Council not only meets monthly but also gathers four times a year for Adopt-a-Street street cleaning. In their efforts today, they’ve also joined the Adopt-a-Drain program and before the group set off with their bright yellow bags, leader of the Adopt-a-Street program Nancy Folsom asked volunteers to “Check for drains as you go.”
They are also focusing on clearing street gutters for bicyclists. As part of the Adopt-a-Drain and Adopt-a-Street programs, the city provides plastic bags to the volunteers, then sends out a truck to pick up the full bags. (For more info on Adopt-a-Drain, go here; for more on Adopt-a-Street, go here.)
Last night, we reported on another holdup at Tervo’s Mini-Mart in The Triangle. Today, thanks to a Twitter tip, we learned there was a second convenience-store robbery in West Seattle last night – Delridge Deli Mart (map) also was held up. Official police information may be difficult to come by immediately, with so many resources dedicated to the officer-murder investigation, but we went to the store to seek confirmation, and a store staffer confirmed they were robbed. No word yet on time or description, but there’s been an ongoing series of store holdups in this area – Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith told us last night that the Tervo’s suspects matched the description “from October 22nd” — that’s the night (our report here) that John’s Corner Deli in Sunrise Heights and the Country Deli in Highland Park were both robbed.
One day after both the memorial for murdered Seattle Police Officer Tim Brenton and the shooting of a man who investigators say they believe is linked to the case, SPD is planning a media briefing at any moment. KING5 is working on streaming it live – watch this link.11:57 AM UPDATE: They weren’t able to make that work. But reporters at the briefing are tweeting — including KING’s Chris Daniels (twitter.com/chrisdaniels5). We’ll publish whatever official news release emerges from this in addition to links to coverage. And the Times has some of the details that are emerging – including what was found in the suspect’s apartment – a “cache of weapons … and bomb-making materials.” KING’s Daniels reports that police are saying the suspect is also linked to last month’s firebombing of police vehicles, and they are describing him as a “lone domestic terrorist.” 12:42 PM: Many additional details in the Times story now – see it here. 1:23 PM: Police have now published their statement on where things stand – see it here. They say they’re asking the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to file charges.
West Seattle Hi-Yu may be a summer festival, but its volunteers don’t take a break in winter – it’s always time to look ahead to next year, including raising money with the holiday ornament sale. Hi-Yu vice president Deena Mahn shares the photo and info: “West Seattle Hi-Yu is once again selling beautiful hand-blown glass holiday ornaments. Our 2009 ornaments were designed and hand blown especially for Hi-Yu by Christopher Sternberg-Powidzki of Glasshouse Studio in Pioneer Square. These ornaments will make great gifts for your family, friends, teachers, clients, co-workers, employees and yourself! The proceeds of the sale will go directly to the Miss West Seattle scholarship program, building a float that represents the West Seattle Community in parades throughout Puget Sound, and various community events.” The ornaments are selling for $20, and you can reserve one (or more!) now by calling 935-6517. Deena says you’ll also be able to buy ornaments at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market on Sunday, Nov. 22, and at the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle Pancake Breakfast Dec. 5th (you’ll find both of those events on the WSB Events calendar page, too).
West Seattle High School‘s varsity football team is on the road tonight to play Ferndale at Bellingham’s Civic Stadium. Meantime, Chief Sealth High School played last night at Memorial Stadium downtown, in a game with multiple weather delays (lightning understandably clears the field) – read on for our game report:Read More
We published the West Seattle Weekend Lineup earlier than usual yesterday – so in case you missed it once all the other big news of the day started sweeping in, check it out here. A few highlights:
GREEN SEATTLE DAY: Volunteers will converge on greenspaces in West Seattle and elsewhere to do planting, restoration and pre-winter cleanup. Full list here.
DELRIDGE ADOPT-A-STREET: Join the North Delridge Neighborhood Council at Delridge Community Center, 9:45 am, for this quarterly cleanup – all gear/supplies provided.
GREEN UP YOUR OWN YARD WITH NATIVE PLANTS: The West Seattle Wildlife Habitat Project‘s selling native plants to continue raising money for the demonstration garden at Seacrest. 3223 47th SW (map), 10 am-4 pm.
DON’T LET IT SLIDE: Timely, to say the least. Lots of information on landslide prevention is available — and answers to your questions — at a city-sponsored meeting at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) with engineers, geologists, arborists and more expertise, 10 am-noon at the Judge Warren & Nobie Chan Education Center near the Arboretum (park in the northeast lot).
SOUTHWEST LIBRARY ART AND ANNUAL MEETING: The annual community art show is under way at Southwest Branch Library (map) – today, meet the artists at an afternoon reception with refreshments, 2-3 pm, including a sculpture demonstration by Heidi Henry. Then you’re welcome to stay for the Friends of Southwest Library‘s annual meeting, 3-5 pm.
OPERATION CHANO: The Westenders Scooter Club folks are sending out one more reminder – tonight’s the pasta/movie/raffle fundraiser for the family of Cafe Revo‘s Chef Sean “Chano” Goff – full details at westenders.org.
Tomorrow afternoon, when West Seattle’s School Board rep Steve Sundquist hosts a community chat at High Point Library (1-2:30 pm), a group plans to bring that graphic to his attention. It’s a mashup of Seattle Public Schools‘ newly revised attendance-area maps for West Seattle with data from the U.S. Census and other sources. The group, Friends of West Seattle Public Schools, says it shows that the new maps would “(divide) West Seattle along economic lines (and) undermine educational progress in West Seattle.”
The thick black line is the group’s approximation of the new line between the attendance areas for West Seattle HS/Madison MS and Chief Sealth HS/Denny MS attendance; the deeper-colored areas of the map are higher-income areas; there is a further gauge of economic demographics in each area – the triangles mark elementary schools, the white-centered triangles for schools where fewer than half the students qualify for free/reduced-price lunches, the soild-colored triangles for schools where a majority of students qualify for that assistance. The group says, “The originally proposed Sealth boundaries, if applied also to Denny, would be a good place for the district to start. It had a greater socio-economic / racial mix, while meeting the objective of fostering family engagement.”
Here’s a link to a longer statement the group has made. They are urging anyone else who’s concerned to be sure to speak out during the comment period that’s under way now – by going to tomorrow’s meeting for starters (here’s a map to High Point Library), by e-mailing board members and district executives – here’s the list they provided:
Just confirmed with Lt. Ron Smith at the Southwest Precinct, per a tip we got earlier: Tervo’s Mini-Mart on Fauntleroy Way in The Triangle was robbed again tonight, for the second time in two weeks. Lt. Smith says the description was the same as the robbers who held up the store on October 22nd – “two Hispanic males, late teens to early 20s.” No arrests so far; nobody hurt during the stickup.
They’re exploring partnering with 
Sunday, 10 am-2 pm, 44th/Alaska, as always, growers, ranchers, farmers, food-makers from around Western Washington gather to offer you their best at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. When you go today, check out the info table to find out more about a contest that market managers have cooked up: They’re looking for the best Thanksgiving feast made with as many Farmers’ Market (WS, U-District or Broadway) ingredients as possible – with you sending your photos and recipes after you’ve prepared and enjoyed the holiday meal on Nov. 26. 
Last night, we 
the photo and info: “West Seattle Hi-Yu is once again selling beautiful hand-blown glass holiday ornaments. Our 2009 ornaments were designed and hand blown especially for Hi-Yu by Christopher Sternberg-Powidzki of 
| 3 COMMENTS