Its official name is Fauntleroy Place, but as reps of the development firm BlueStar wryly acknowledged at last week’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting on major Junction projects (WSB coverage here), it’s become better known as “the Whole Foods project.” Whatever you want to call it, we’ve just received word from BlueStar’s Eric Radovich that the official groundbreaking ceremony is set for the evening of June 12th, 5:30-7 pm. (Recap: This project [city project page here] will replace the current Schuck’s/Hancock Fabrics building at Fauntleroy/Alaska/39th with residential units over retail space that will be entirely devoted to two tenants: Whole Foods and Hancock.) 3:46 PM UPDATE: Regarding the question asked in comments about the status of the stores currently on the site, here’s what Radovich e-mailed back:
Hancock Fabrics began their “Everything Must Go” liquidation sale today. They will be open until the inventory is depleted (typically 30 days or so)…Schuck’s is a sub-tenant of Hancock Fabrics and I believe they have been given notice and will close in mid to late June. We will do our groundbreaking on June 12 regardless, and start with work in the north end of the parking lot.
As reported here last week, the construction schedule has moved way up for the Fauntleroy/Dawson (map) pedestrian signal. We spotted pole work under way a short time ago (shown in photo above, taken from the west side of Fauntleroy, facing south).
Sun’s out, first holiday weekend of summer is a week away, and you might be starting to think about summertime outdoor swimming in West Seattle. As mentioned previously, Colman Pool in Lincoln Park — one of the city’s two outdoor pools — opens this Saturday for the weekend-only preseason (schedule here); daily operation starts June 16, same day Southwest Pool (West Seattle’s only city-run indoor pool) closes for 3 1/2 months of work. West Seattle also has five city-run wading pools: Hiawatha, Delridge, Hughes, Lincoln Park, and Highland Park. They’re all on a clickable map on this city webpage with opening dates and operating hours; the first to open will be Lincoln Park, on June 14 (it’s in the northeastern section of the upper park area).
From the 34th District Democrats‘ site: The 7th Congressional District caucus over the weekend led to two Obama delegates from the 34th being chosen to go to the national convention in Denver in late August — Chris Porter from West Seattle and Nick Bordner from Vashon (a high-school senior). Read more here.
If you live in the Fairmount area – should disaster strike, that spot by the flagpole in the southeast Providence Mount St. Vincent parking lot is your neighborhood gathering spot for information. Sunday afternoon, Fairmount Community representatives (led by Sharonn Meeks, center in shades) set up this table there …
Meantime, the West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival crew coped this weekend with the semi-disastrous float woes, by riding instead in convertibles so they could represent West Seattle in the Port Townsend Rhododendron Festival parade:
That’s Carol Winston driving Queen Danica and Queen Sivona. A few more photos shared by Hi-Yu president Tim Winston, including a young court member showing off a tiny friend, ahead:Read More
That’s an aerial view of the Fauntleroy Triangle, centering on Fauntleroy/Alaska, as shared by Harbor Properties during the Design Review Board meeting for two Junction projects — including theirs at 38th/Alaska — last month (WSB coverage here). Tomorrow night, a representative from HP will be among the participants as Sustainable West Seattle‘s monthly meeting focuses on “sustainable development” possibilities in the area. Here’s how SWS president Bill Reiswig describes what’s planned for the meeting:
Marshal Foster, local West Seattle citizen and urban planner, will share some models of sustainable development and describe the opportunity at Fountleroy/Alaska. Following this we will have a panel discussion that includes: Sean Sykes, Sustainability Officer, Harbor Properties; Jim Burton and Justin Fogle, NW Ecobuilding Guild; Derek Birnie, Executive Director, Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, and Dave Montoure, president of the West Seattle Junction Association and proprietor of West 5. Topics addressed will include: What is your vision of positive uses of this space for West Seattle? What are the challenges to realizing a sustainable vision? What are the key benefits for the neighborhood and city? What are the most sustainable elements that we should advocate for?
Sustainable West Seattle – the group behind the hugely successful SWS Festival in The Junction two weeks ago – meets tomorrow night at Camp Long, potluck snacks and beverages at 7 pm followed by the meeting at 7:30. (To review what’s currently planned, and up for sale, in the Triangle/Junction area, check our clickable map.)
Thanks to Eric for the tip that the Ercolini Park playground — built with work parties like this one we covered last month — was open for business today. Not sure if this was just a “soft launch” or what; we’ll be checking with project leaders. (Ercolini is just west of The Junction, at Alaska/48th.) 10:20 PM UPDATE:David Cagen from Friends of Ercolini Park clarifies, “Someone opened up the fencing on Friday and people filtered through all weekend. Nothing was official nor sanctioned, but people had a good time!”
At Anchor (Luna) Park on Alki Avenue, that video shows the scene as an enthusiastic woman (who told us she does this every year) and two kids greeted Walk with Us to Cure Lupus participants at the first turnaround point (for a shorter loop than the 5K walkers). While hundreds of people joined in that awareness- and money-raising event this morning, a trio of triathloners spent the afternoon under a tent in The Junction to fight leukemia and lymphoma — more on both events ahead:Read More
With temperatures still in the 80s as Saturday night began, Highland Park Elementary truly had a tropical-island atmosphere for its luau last night. (Above, video of a young dancer who was one of many entertainers, getting a little help from a young assistant; shortly afterward, other kids were invited up on stage to get a chance to sway to the island music.) A little education sneaked in with the entertainment and luau food — with info about recycling on display at the back of the cafeteria. We hadn’t been inside Highland Park Elementary before – it’s a beautiful school inside and out (see photo below), built in 1999 (background here) to replace a 1921 building, at 10th and Trenton.
“WALK WITH US TO CURE LUPUS”: Hundreds of people will walk a 5K route on Alki this morning to raise money to fight lupus. Registration starts @ 9, the walk @ 10. Teams are walking as well as individuals; check out the team list here.
PLANT SALE FOR FURRY FACES FOUNDATION: Second day of this animal-rescue group’s big annual two-day sale – we dropped by for this photo on day one:
SPINNING TO FIGHT LEUKEMIA: West Seattleites Kerry Murphy and Megan Jasper will be spinning — riding bicycle-training equipment — 11:30 am-4:30 pm today in front of West 5, raising $ for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and getting ready for one of its Team in Training triathlons next month. (Kerry’s raising $ online here; Megan’s raising $ online here.)
ENTREPRENEURS: Want to help young people strategize small for-profit businesses in Alki this summer? Come to a meeting @ the Homestead (61st south of Alki Ave) at 11:30 today. (Previous coverage here.)
BE A “MASTER OF DISASTER”: The neighborhood-readiness campaign around West Seattle continues today with an event for Fairmount-area residents, noon-2 pm on the southeast side of the Providence Mount St. Vincent parking lot. (Previous coverage, including a map, here.)
SHOPPING AT THE FARMERS’ MARKET? We always post the weekly fresh sheet, so here’s today’s edition:Read More
Yet another group of folks working hard in the hot Saturday sun — the 40-plus volunteers helping put the almost-finishing touches on the preschool playground at West Seattle Elementary in High Point. These few seconds of video will give you an idea of just how busy they were:
Just steps away from where all the work was under way on the west side of the school, this window display chronicles the playground project’s progress:
Organizers at the site told WSB today that this work would leave the playground 90% complete, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally open it will be scheduled very soon.
Some of this work traces back to the “Day of Service” event that brought Governor Gregoire, U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, and other dignitaries to WS Elementary on King Day (WSB coverage here); we photographed early playground-project prep during a preview a few days earlier.
Monday night’s Highland Park Action Committee meeting is likely to be lively – the agenda includes the city’s recent announcement of two jail sites almost literally in Highland Park’s back yard (click on the map above for exact addresses). While covering an unrelated event in Highland Park (neighborhood map) tonight, we received a copy of a bright yellow flyer neighbors are circulating, with text exhorting those concerned to “attend what may be the most important meeting for our revitalized neighborhood.” To recap – the city is deciding whether to build a jail for misdemeanor offenders, and a week and a half ago announced that the list of potential sites is down to four (WSB coverage here), including these two. A decision is expected later this year. A section of the city website is now devoted to this potential project (see it here) and the city has hired a consulting firm, The Keller Group, for public outreach; a representative, Cynthia Scheiderer, attended the Southwest District Council meeting in West Seattle shortly after the jail-sites announcement week before last. We checked with Scheiderer on Friday to see where things stand; she told us, “We’re working hard right now to get community meetings planned and scheduled; no dates/locations are set just yet but will be soon and we’ll keep you posted. … There will be multiple opportunities for people to attend meetings and they’ll be held June/July. Also, we’re happy to attend community meetings and provide handouts of the maps/information and take questions and comments.” She also provided us a contact on the city team working on the jail-site project, and we’ll be talking with them next week for another update. Meantime, the Highland Park Action Committee meeting is at 7 pm Monday, at the Highland Park Improvement Club, 11th & Holden (map); the HPAC website is at highlandpk.net; the city’s accepting comments/questions through this webpage.
Whole lotta love at the Admiral Theater this morning as local TV legend JP Patches put on a show for loyal fans of all ages, known as “Patches Pals.” That’s a clip of JP signing autographs and meeting fans in the lobby afterward – more video ahead:Read More
The wall along the sidewalk on the Delridge side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center got a facelift at midday today, thanks to a group of UW students — one of whom is Vitaliy Demyanik (at left in photo below, with participant Inigo Esteban), who manages a local College Pro Painters franchise. He’s a 4th-year student at the UW, and led a team described in the official announcement as “15 students from the Business and Economic Development Center at the Foster School of Business” in today’s cleanup, with donated materials and labor. (The paintout was scheduled for three hours, but when we got there barely 2 hours into it, they’d made quick work of it.)
We caught those young women and their penguin pal staking out The Junction to promote the nearby Hope Lutheran rummage sale, raising money for a summertime mission to Mexico. (They’re going till about 2 pm; another rummage sale at nearby West Seattle Christian Church [WSB sponsor] has a similar goal, and it’s continuing till 5 pm; you can hit both in the span of about a block.)
Thanks to John Smersh from Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District for that photo from nearby Admiralty House Antiques, which he says is open today for the first time in a long time, selling tools at 50% off on outdoor tables (you’ll recall it “closed for remodeling” in January; WSB coverage here). Now, to the other side of West Seattle, and the High Point Community Center:
The women in the blue shirts are nursing students from Seattle University standing by to help you get healthier at their High Point Health Fair, under way till 4 pm at High Point CC. Door prizes and refreshments, too, all free – plus some educational exhibits:
That exhibit about indoor air quality was manned by Abby Suplizio, who we introduced you to here in our recent feature about the West Seattle chapter of CoolMom.org, which she leads. She teaches a twice-yearly course about indoor air quality and other safety concerns through the American Lung Association of Washington (more online here). We’ve been out covering many of the day’s other events too, including JP Patches at the Admiral Theater; more coverage coming up later.
That’s the start of a trail into the West Duwamish Greenbelt — which covers many acres of eastern West Seattle but isn’t nearly as well-known as the trails of Lincoln Park, Camp Long, Schmitz Park, and so on. From that trailhead at 14th SW and SW Holly (map), we joined a group Friday afternoon on one of the free guided monthly hikes offered by the West Seattle-based Nature Consortium, whose executive director Nancy Whitlock led the way:
More photos, video, and what we learned about this semi-secret stretch of greenery that’s not very far off the beaten (and driven) path, ahead:Read More
ANOTHER APARTMENT BUILDING UP FOR SALE: The 32-unit Garden Terrace apartment complex at 4830 Fauntleroy (just south of the Triangle area) just went on the market (listing details here), $4,650,000. Its flyer includes a page pointing out future mixed-use developments in the area, but seems to be a little geography-challenged by which parcel is identified as Harbor Properties Mixed-Use (unless they know something we don’t).
WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli sent us that photo recently from the megaproject construction site at Alaska/41st/42nd – just one of dozens he’s contributed to WSB in the past year-plus. His contributions have been invaluable, a word that barely begins to describe it – not only has he shared lovely shots like those of a heart-melting baby seal, he also is incredible with breaking news (remember the Fauntleroy car-on-cable?) — often the first word we’ll get about a major breaking story is a text from Christopher, who’s already there. (Charlestown Cafe fire and the recent Delridge-area SWAT incident, just two cases in point, as well as the “wire fire” south of The Junction.) Right now, Christopher’s getting a national showcase in the current issue of Everywhere Magazine (the magazine, shown at right, is sold in West Seattle at Barnes and Noble). In this edition, you’ll find photographs he took in Copenhagen, plus his article about Japanese electronic toilets. This is the May-June issue of Everywhere; you won’t find its content on its website, so you’ll have to check the newsstands. Here’s a shot from Christopher’s spread (click it to see a larger image):
Thanks to those who’ve texted us in the past few minutes about a big police presence with roadblocks just west of The Junction – described by one text as Genesee between 45th and 49th and Alaska, by another as 47th to 51st between Hudson and Juneau. We’re monitoring to see if we can figure out what it’s all about – sounds like some sort of search under way; no medic calls in the area so doesn’t appear to be anything that left someone hurt, or worse, at this point. 11:49 PM NOTE: Still no details on this … if we don’t get any tonight, we’ll let you know when we are able to find out from the precinct what it was about.
Two weeks after Charlestown Cafe co-owner Larry Mellum told us 
who’s already there. (
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