West Seattle, Washington
18 Monday
Tracking back a link that brought someone to our site this morning … we discovered that if you Google the phrase:
MOST FAMOUS POLITICIAN
the first thing that comes up is Hizzoner’s home page. Completely and totally our fault. (Although you can argue whether it’s good or bad to be known by that phrase.)
Somebody shot and killed early this morning east of Fairmount Park. No arrest so far, apparently, but police say they don’t think it was “random” (which somehow doesn’t manage to be that reassuring). It’s been almost exactly three months since the last deadly WS shooting (a man killed in Arbor Heights).
Just in case you are completely sick of everything and anything related to the viaduct vote, we will share our thoughts, plus all the latest cool analysis links, after the jump:Read More
The first, and apparently only, count of the night for the viaduct vote is in:
Tunnel – 70% no.
Replacement-a-duct – 55% no.
More ballots to be counted tomorrow (and beyond).
While dropping off our ballot @ High Point Community Center, we grabbed a handy all-in-one spring brochure for HP, Delridge, and Southwest Community Centers, including SW Pool. Noticed while leafing through it this morning that registration for spring swim lessons starts tomorrow morning. 7 am sharp. That time is important, because lesson registration can turn into a madhouse (maybe not if you sign up online); classes are available for 6 months through adult age, and they fill up fast. We’re mentioning it because if you don’t live on the south side of West Seattle, you might not even be aware that Southwest Pool exists. It’s just east of Denny Middle School, and worth checking out if you feel like swimming but don’t happen to belong to the Y or a pool-equipped health club.
Slog discovers that ArtsWest and a big downtown theater company announced within two hours of each other that they’re putting on the same Tony- and Pulitzer-winning play. Apparently this sort of thing (one play, two places, same city) isn’t supposed to happen. The ArtsWest boss is quoted as saying, “I try to consult with other theaters but maybe I’m just a mosquito to them.” By the way, ArtsWest is auditioning for next season today.
-Two days short of the Ides of March, we’ll see whether voters choose to stab the tunnel or the replacement-a-duct out of their respective miseries … or both … or neither … or what …
-Or what, indeed? Tomorrow night, you can call in to ask Hizzoner himself. Not that you’ll be guaranteed an actual answer; so far this week, he’s just waffling.
-Haven’t voted yet, but still intend to? P-I offers one last roundup of info-links.
-That public viaduct tour later this month, during the twice-yearly inspection closure, is already sold out, says the DOT. No worries; here’s a better way to walk the lame-duck-a-duct.
A WSB reader with kids @ Lafayette Elementary across from the store’s south lot forwarded us this e-mail bulletin from the school, complete with handy phone number if anyone wants to call the store’s manager to ask whassup with all this. Full e-mail text, plus a photo of something interesting we spotted in that same lot this morning, after the jump:Read More
Those of us still shunned by Pagliacci, even with the delivery-zone expansion, are just going to have to wait another week to exuberantly try Garlic Jim’s … a commenter left word a few days ago that the grand opening was moved back a week, and GJ proprietor Ryan just confirmed it. New GJ grand-opening date: March 27.
The block of 47th just south of Admiral is blocked off this morning because of road work (possibly related to the “pedestrian improvements“? hard to tell — but they’re digging up the 47th corner pavement just north of Alki Mail & Dispatch in a big way).
-Second-to-last day to drop off your ballot (if you’re mailing it, it has to be postmarked no later than tomorrow). High Point Community Center is the WS dropoff spot, 7 am-8 pm today and tomorrow. (ALMOST as satisfying as non-mail voting.)
-The P-I drops by Diva to sample viaduct-vote opinions.
-Also from the P-I — a puffy overanalysis of what the v-vote debate truly means.
-Another voice for no/no: Will.
-Warning — The viaduct closes March 24-25 for its twice-yearly inspection. But you can sign up now to take a walking tour during the shutdown!
Haven’t seen it this windy in a while. Weather Service says Alki Point has gusts up to 43 mph. How are things where you are?
Another blustery-day webfind: guy in Delridge touting his band Swampdweller’s new CD out @ Easy Street. (UPDATE: Two links removed after reader reports of virus trouble. If you have a Mac — ours didn’t have any trouble with the links — and you want to check them out, just go to Google Blog Search and look for Swampdweller.)
-No ballot dropoff today; just tomorrow and Tuesday, 7 am-8 pm, High Point Community Center and assorted non-WS locations.
-Times editorial: Yes on replacement-a-duct.
-Small online vote with seven options: Surface/transit wins.
-If seven options aren’t enough, how about a “tube”?
-A non-local blog calling itself Designing Public Consensus takes a look at all this.
Our endless online search for West Seattle-related people, places, and things just led us to 2People, thanks to a post at WorldChanging mentioning that 2People was founded by “West Seattle transplant Phil Mitchell.” So what makes it more than yet another enviro-info site? As far as we can tell from our first tour around 2People, it not only challenges you to take action — small steps will do — to help fight the climate crisis, it also points you to WHAT you can do — like something we weren’t previously aware of: Easily and cheaply buying “clean electric power” via City Light. You can sign up here right now, for just a few bucks a month. (And if you join 2People, please add us to your network — we’re signed up as, what else, West Seattle Blog.) P.S. Need motivation? Read this.
-Tough choice but decided to go to the Alki cat adopt-a-thon instead of the SW library grand opening (one-day-only event vs. many chances from now on to see the books’ beautiful new digs). Did not emerge with a new cat. Old cats greatly relieved.
-Looks like Casa Feliz is back from the dead after 2 months away. Tried calling to ask what happened, nobody answered. All info welcome.
-Eagle-eyed reader notes the cameras on light poles by the new Admiral/Olga traffic signal (photo below). Will they be traffic webcams, or “run the light and you’re busted” cams? We’ll see if we can find out.
-Another dropoff day at High Point CC, 11 am-3 pm only. Looks like 100K of our citymates already have voted; so much for the boycott idea.
-Uh-oh, start tracking your home’s value on Zillow to see if it really does start dropping like a rock because of the whateverduct dithering. (And if it does, this guy has no sympathy.)
-Thinking of supporting the replacement-a-duct? Take a close look at construction closure projections first.
-Who knows what we’ll really eventually wind up with? Could even be the rebuild remix.
The church blog is asking for MH members from all over the city to help prep for the Easter opening on 35th SW by coming to a work party on St. Patrick’s Day. Picking up from a comment below — perhaps their labors will be best utilized praying for parking spaces.
Reader asked what’s up with all the helicopters … looks like a frantic rescue under way at a construction site. LATE NIGHT UPDATE: The man buried in the trench didn’t make it.
First we saw a warning posted on one Admiral Junction store’s door this morning; then we got e-mail from another shop … so this is new and could get ugly. 
See the sign at left? At least a dozen are now planted all around the parking lots on three sides of Admiral Safeway. And the fine print, “monitored by employees of Diamond Parking 24 hours a day,” is no idle threat. As neighboring businesses are warning their customers, those DP employees are writing tickets. The photo below shows one in action on the south side of Safeway (bad news for families from Lafayette Elementary across the street). The parking situation in Admiral has been tough for a while; right or wrong, this won’t make it any easier.
Yes, we’re that close to spring. But the West Seattle events roundup for this weekend feels like spring already. Check it out!Read More
Looks like Mars Hill is finally fully moving into its “real” WS home (ex-Doxa) on Easter.
-USA Today tries to relate the viaduct vote to the rest of America by describing it as “a landmark visible in the opening credits of … ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.”
-The P-I finds people to expound on the vote’s pointlessness, says voters are misinformed anyway, and finally issues its official editorial position: same as ours.
-The Times looks at post-viaduct land values, notes $600 million of work can be done without a consensus, hauls out a pro-replacement-a-duct columnist, and gives the pro-retrofit side some space.
-Once again today, you can drop your ballot off @ High Point CC, 7 am-8 pm. (Same hours Monday & Tuesday, but it’s 11 am-3 pm Saturday, and no dropoff Sunday.)
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