Help wanted
-A WSB reader from the West Seattle Unitarian Universalists asked us if we’d mind mentioning that the WSUU congregation is looking for a music director. Full posting is on their site; or send an e-mail inquiry here.
-The school year may be almost over, but learning doesn’t stop when the last June bell rings. The Youth Tutoring Program needs volunteers for its summer reading program, right here in West Seattle. We heard about it from a WSB reader who says she’s been volunteering for YTP and loves it; she adds, “The long-term effects of this impact our neighborhoods and communities as a whole, as well as each individual child.” Click to read more about YTP and how you can help:Read More
WS Gas Price Watch: Below $3 a gallon!
OK, so it’s $2.99 diesel at Admiral/Cali Chevron, but that’s still below three bucks. And regular isn’t far behind — now down to $3.05 (left photo). At least two other WS stations are down to $3.09 for regular — Cali/Andover Exxon and Delridge Arco, where (right photo) the guy with the thankless job of fixing 12 sets of numbers with every price change was busy again, just moments ago. How low will it all go? Maybe not much lower, if you believe the national reports. But on the other hand, it’s worth noting that suddenly West Seattle gas prices are significantly below the Seattle average.
Lady in wading
Next Monday, if you’re out for a walk on Alki around 9-something am, watch for a woman heading out into the water. No, not a polar-bear swimmer … a County Public Health employee. We’ve seen her the last two Mondays – today, wading quite some distance from shore – taking water samples, then returning to her official county government car. Trying to find out where we can see the test results!
Latest repaving update from the city
This just in from the Seattle Department of Transportation:
Work on California between SW Genesee and SW Spokane Street has been completed except pavement striping, to be done within the next three weeks.
Final paving of California Avenue SW between Spokane Street and SW Admiral Way is tentatively scheduled for the last week of June.
The contractor plans to begin work on SW Admiral Way between 41st Ave SW and SW Olga Street the first week of July.
The entire project is scheduled for completion in mid-August. Normal work hours for the contractor on California Avenue SW are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
During the peak periods (6-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.) at least one lane of traffic in each direction on California Avenue SW will remain open. At other times, traffic on California may be restricted to one lane with the use of flaggers. Turns to and from side streets to California Avenue SW may be restricted. Detours may be necessary at times. On-street parking is not allowed in the construction area.
Bye-bye, blacktop
If your familiarity with Lafayette Elementary goes no further than having seen its brick exterior along the busy block of Cali (photo below) just south of Admiral, across from Safeway — you probably don’t know about the sad shape of its playground — cracked old blacktop, no grass except for the weedy kind poking through those cracks.
All that’s about to change; the city’s just issued a permit for replacing some of that blacktop with grass, part of a playground renovation project that’s been years in the making, and the groundbreaking celebration is set for one week from Thursday — the Lafayette PTA wrote us to say everyone’s invited (9:30 am June 21). They’re still collecting $ for future phases of the playground; click this e-mail link to contact someone for more on that; click ahead to see the official invitation for next week’s event:Read More
Coming up this week … and beyond
TUESDAY: One last event in memory/honor/celebration of popular WS waiter John Hartley (photo at right), who died suddenly last month — John Hartley Memorial Karaoke @ Skylark, 9 pm-1 am. Free; donations will be accepted to help his roommate stay in the house they rented together; singers will be encouraged to share stories and memories.
THURSDAY: The next West Seattle Art Walk in The Junction. Go here to see the artist/location lineup as it stands so far (at left – the Art Walk’s new logo), then get yourself down to The Junction 6-9 pm that night (and every second Thursday).
A WEEK FROM NEXT SATURDAY (JUNE 23): Four hours that could save your life — and your family. Neighbors and groups from all over WS will gather at WS High School (theater and commons) 9 am-1 pm to talk and learn about WS Disaster Preparedness — how ready are we, what can you do right now to be as ready as you can be, and more. See the poster with full details here.
Award-winning wine, made in West Seattle
If you think the nearest winery is in, hmm, maybe, Woodinville — nope. The Puget Ridge Winery is in east West Seattle at SSCC, and it’s just won an award for student-made wine — click to read the college’s press release:Read More
What kind of heartless lowlife would steal a tricycle?
A WSB reader just e-mailed to say someone stole their 5-year-old’s tricycle from their yard in Westwood, his first and only bike, and they’d like you to be on the lookout, since it has sentimental as well as monetary value. Full text of their e-mail below the photo:
Stolen from our Westwood Village yard, probably by some joker who got tired of riding it a block away. So just in case it shows up let us know, we don’t have the funds right now to buy a bike for our 5 year old and it was a special 2nd birthday present. It was red, rusty, monster front tire, ladybug bell on front. Attaches to a red wagon but they were too busy to steal that, too, hence why we think it was a lark.
If you see it, their contact info is in this post on Craigslist.
Everybody’s a critic: Our first (sort of) arts review
When the folks from The Community Theatre e-mailed to ask if we’d be interested in seeing “Carver’s Pieces” and possibly writing about it, we wrote back, funny you suggest that, we’d been thinking about doing a little arts reviewing here at WSB now and then, since one of us actually used to do that for a living (not in Seattle). So if you want to read the results of our journey into Youngstown Arts Center to shake the rust off that particular branch of the skillset, click ahead!Read More
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