West Seattle, Washington
12 Sunday
One week ago, one of summer’s first big events, Loop the ‘Lupe, drew the largest turnout of its 7-year history to climb, run, crawl, jump hurdles in a 5K obstacle course. Now, one last obstacle, with which you can help even if you weren’t among them. From organizer Brian Callanan:
Great news: We just had our biggest Loop the ‘Lupe ever, with 703 obstacle racers, runners, and walkers! Congratulations, and thank you!
However: participation in our donation drive is down, and that’s where Loop the ‘Lupe needs help. As the cost of putting on this event rises each year, those donations are critical. This funding helps maximize the support of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s social outreach programs, like safe parking areas for our homeless neighbors, meals, rent assistance, and utility payments for those in need, and more.
Our goal for this year is $5,000, and we’re about $1,250 short of that, as of this writing.
You can help get this fundraiser to the finish line by going here.
(Snail on sea holly, photographed by Jerry Simmons)
Welcome to the second weekend of June. Mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here’s what’s happening!
SHOREWOOD ON THE SOUND STREETS OF GARAGE SALES: Loved West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day? Today, head to this community a short distance south of West Seattle and shop all day, 9 am-4 pm! Here’s the sale map.
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: 9:30 am-3 pm, the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Garden Center will be open, selling a vast variety of student-grown plants. (6000 16th SW, north end of campus)
SOUTH DELRIDGE FARMERS’ MARKET: The farmers’ market on the grounds of Hope Academy (9421 18th SW) is happening weekly this year, 10 am-2 pm Saturday, prioritizing vendors of color and presented by African Community Housing & Development.
CELEBRATING TEACHER KYLENE: She’s retiring from West Seattle Cooperative Preschools after 30 years, and a celebration is happening at Highland Park Playground (1100 SW Cloverdale) 10 am-noon today.
MORNING MUSIC: 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform. Learn about Marco’s music here.
FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am in West Seattle, registration required – see full details in our calendar listing.
FAMILY READING TIME: Every Saturday at 11 am at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW).
SPRAYPARK OPEN: Highland Park Spraypark is open daily, through Labor Day, 11 am-8 pm. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
GEORGETOWN CARNIVAL: Noon-10 pm, all kinds of fun, all over Georgetown – see the map, schedule, and more by going here.
VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: The center is open to visitors noon-3 pm, as explained here. (2234 SW Orchard)
WORKSHOP AND BEACH WALK: For shoreline property owners, as explained here. Starts at 12:30 pm at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) and includes a Lincoln Park beach walk. Preregister here.
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM CLOSED: It’s usually open Saturdays, but not today.
CANDIDATE FORUMS: The 34th District Democrats present an in-person doubleheader – King County Council District 8 candidates at 1 pm, followed by Seattle City Council District 1 candidates at 2 pm – in the theater at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).
VISCON CELLARS: 1-6 pm, visit the tasting room at Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) – selling wine by the glass or bottle. Learn about their wines here! (5910 California SW)
DUBSEA FISH STICKS: 6 pm home game at Steve Cox Memorial Park (1321 SW 102nd) for the collegiate summer baseball team‘s game vs. the Seattle Studs.
MUSIC, COMEDY, SHENANIGANS: That’s what “Perfectly Shaped Heads” promises at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), 7 pm.
PRIDE EDITION OF OUT AT THE BOX: 9:30 pm at Box Bar (5401 California SW).
If you have a show, sale, event, meeting, seminar, reading, field trip, fundraiser, class, game, or ? for our calendar … please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(WSB photo, May 30)
After a murder and other incidents, “resolution” is planned for the encampment on the east side of the north end of Myers Way, according to City Councilmember Lisa Herbold. From her newest weekly newsletter:
… On May 31st, I requested that the King County Regional Homelessness Authority consider this location for its State-funded work removing encampments in State Right of Way. The funding supports shelter and services to people living at a site. I’ve also learned that last week the Executive [mayor] also reached out to WSDOT (which owns most of the land under the encampment), also recommending the site for joint resolution. I was told that the decision was made recently to move forward with that joint resolution at Myers Way, which I fully support.
Because this work is supported with blended funding, both from the State Right of Way program, King County Funding, and City of Seattle funding, the LEAD Policy Coordinating Group, of which I am a member, also has to agree that LEAD should take on the project. The City contract for LEAD services requires resources focused on geographic areas. So, we have LEAD resources specifically focused on South Delridge and Highland Park, you may remember the work they did at the Rosella Building in December and the Roxbury/Delridge Triangle before that. The Myers Way/Arrowhead Gardens area is not currently included as a focus area, but that will hopefully change. On Friday, I requested that LEAD refocus its District 1 specific work to Myers Way. I hope to have an outcome of that request to report out next week.
The City’s Unified Care Team, which responds to encampments, reports it’s been a complex site for the City to work in for several reasons: because the majority of the site is not City property, and the site has challenging topography and requires an in-depth safety plan that take into consideration EPA regulations in run-off areas, soil saturation levels that affect use of heavy machinery used in site resolutions, and land inclines and soil shifting.
Nonetheless, the UCT has been on site providing trash mitigation and geo cleans for RVs; along with 3-4 visits per week from outreach workers who also mitigate fire hazards and conduct needs assessments for residents.
It’s been a month since Arrowhead Gardens residents met with city reps (WSB coverage here) who agreed that removal of the encampment was needed, but had no firm commitments. That was three weeks before the shooting that killed 35-year-old Reginald Moore.
By Sunday, the sunshine is expected to return, along with 70ish temperatures. Perfect day to try a kayak! Mountain to Sound Outfitters (WSB sponsor) invites you to Seacrest on Sunday for a test paddle – here’s the announcement:
(Photo courtesy Mountain to Sound Outfitters)
On Sunday, June 11th, from 10 am-1 pm, Mountain to Sound Outfitters is stoked to host Eddyline Kayaks at Alki Kayak Tours (1660 Harbor Avenue SW) for our annual Eddyline Kayaks Test Paddle.
If you are interested in exploring our beautiful waterways via kayak, this is the event to talk to industry experts and try some of the best locally made kayaks in the world.
Pre-registration is required. Registration fees apply to any kayak or SUP purchase.
The registration link has more information about the event and the kayaks.
Summer vacation has begun for at least one local school, and for many others, it’s just days away. In case you’ve wondered, we looked up the last-day-of-school dates – here’s what we found via online calendars:
TODAY (June 9): Summit Atlas
TUESDAY (June 13): Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor)
WEDNESDAY (June 14): Our Lady of Guadalupe
THURSDAY (June 15): Westside School (WSB sponsor)
NEXT FRIDAY (June 16): Highline Public Schools, Holy Family, Holy Rosary, Tilden School (WSB sponsor), Vashon Island School District
JUNE 30: Seattle Public Schools
Note that for most schools, the last day is a shortened day, so you’ll see activity outside the usual scheduled hours.
When Washington State Ferries held an online community meeting this week for its southernmost routes (video above), it included bad news for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth – WSF now doesn’t expect to restore 3-boat service to the route before “early 2024.” (The previous official estimate was to have weekday 3-boat service back last month.)
Getting in the way are the same twin troubles they’ve been mentioning for months – personnel and vessel shortages. In the former, they still need more licensed deck officers most of all – the system currently has 170 and needs 200 – and there’s a long process to qualify; WSF says it’s doing OK on hiring entry-level crew members. Regarding vessels, one current example was given – M/V Cathlamet had to be pulled from the Triangle Route this week and replaced with the lower-capacity M/V Sealth because of a domino effect that started when the Bremerton route’s only boat, M/V Walla Walla, started having trouble again. (It’s the one that ran aground on south Bainbridge Island earlier this year.) It’s out for two weeks.
Also discussed briefly, the Fauntleroy dock/terminal replacement project. WSF’s David Sowers said they’re still working to develop a “preferred alternative”; in the meantime, you might notice some work around the dock next week – a boat will be working near and under the dock to map eelgrass and microalgae.
Missed our candidate forum this past Tuesday and/or want another chance to see the City Council District 1 candidates? Tomorrow is your next chance – and as a bonus, it’s a doubleheader, also including the first local faceoff between the County Council District 8 candidates. The 34th District Democrats are presenting the forums Saturday afternoon as a prelude to their endorsement votes next week, but the forums are open to all. They’re happening at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), with County Council candidates Sofia Aragon (Burien mayor) and Teresa Mosqueda (at-large Seattle councilmember) at 1 pm, City Council D-1 candidates (we’re checking on their final RSVP list) at 2 pm. We’ll be recording both forums on video and will publish them Saturday night, as soon as they’re uploaded.
P.S. Next Wednesday (June 14th), there’s yet another chance to see the City Council candidates, also at Youngstown CAC, focusing on transportation, mobility, and climate issues, presented by a coalition of regional organizations; their forum starts at 5 pm and you can RSVP for in-person or online attendance here.
11:18 AM: Seattle Parks has unveiled its whittled-down list of potential sites for new dog parks around the city. They have funding to design and build two – and to design a third; funding stipulates that one of the two has to be in West Seattle, which has only one off-leash area, at Westcrest Park in the southeast corner of the peninsula. The citywide list was presented last night to the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners. We watched the meeting, which was held at Parks HQ downtown and streamed online. This item started at about 1:20 into the meeting:
The Parks project team explained that the nine “preferred” sites citywide were from the original list of 30. One of the criteria to make the final cut: They needed to be sites already owned by the city. Here are the two in West Seattle:
Upper Lincoln Park – This site is a grassy area south of the sports field. Parks staff noted that the grass is worn in the area and that suggests to them that the area is already being used as an unofficial dog park. Here’s what was shown at the meeting:
West Seattle Stadium – This site is actually south of the stadium, west of the golf course, and downhill/east of Rotary Viewpoint Park. Parks staff noted that one big challenge would be parking, as the stadium/golf course lot fills up during event times. Here’s what was shown at the meeting:
(More than a decade ago, at least part of that site was proposed for a driving range, ultimately scrapped.)
As noted on the Parks website, the department also studied proposed sites at Me-Kwa-Mooks, Hamilton Viewpoint, and Delridge Community Center (we first reported the study sites in March; most had been suggested by community members). The briefing was relatively short, as they went quickly through the full list of nine sites. Next step is an online survey that’s supposed to start today – we’ll add the link here when available.
11:51 AM: Here’s the survey link.
(Thursday sunset as the clouds moved in, photographed by Jan Pendergrass)
As the weekend approaches, here’s what’s on the schedule for today/tonight, mostly as featured on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
GARDEN CENTER OPEN: Need more plants for your garden, containers, etc.? You can shop at the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Garden Center, open with a wide variety of plants, until 3 pm. (North end of campus, 6000 16th SW)
SPRAYPARK OPEN: 11 am-8 pm, rain or shine, Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale) is open daily.
SCRABBLE CLUB: You’re invited to play 12:30-1:30 pm at Margie’s Café in the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon).
LINE DANCE PARTY: 1:30 pm-4 pm at High Point Community Center (6920 34th SW), presented by Lifelong Recreation – our calendar listing has the link for pre-registering.
VISCON CELLARS: Stop by Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) for wine by the glass or bottle, 5-9 pm (5910 California SW).
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Itchy Kitty, Mr. Dinkles, Miss Prince, 7 pm (doors at 6), $10, all ages, at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW).
LIVE AT EASY STREET: Hunter Pinkston is onstage at 7 pm, free, all ages. (4559 California SW)
LIVE AT C & P: Songwriters’ Showcase tonight at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW), 7 pm. No cover.
Something to add to our calendar? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
9:04 AM: Thanks for the tips. On this rainy morning, there’s a power outage that Seattle City Light says is affecting 41 customers, shown on the outage map in an odd patchy footprint along the bridge and on Harbor Island:
Among those affected, we’re told, is the Nucor steel mill. We’re checking with SCL on the cause.
9:49 AM: Down to 15 customers. Meantime, a smaller outage continues in Riverview, six customers, blamed on “bird/animal contact.”
10:13 AM: The larger of the two outages is over, but the one in Riverview continues.
AFTERNOON UPDATE: The Riverview outage ended by 1:30 pm, a texter tells us. SCL blames both on bird mishaps.
8:50 AM: A commenter reports the light is out at 35th/Avalon. That’s possibly because of a patchy power outage we’ll be writing about separately.
9:09 AM: Police are responding to a reported crash at 8th/Henderson.
9:22 AM: That location’s been corrected to 8th/Barton and it’s closed the southbound leg of the intersection, per emergency-radio exchange.
10:49 AM: Crash involving a school bus blocking Dumar (between Delridge and 16th). No injuries reported – one child was on the bus, officers told dispatch.
Earlier:
6:03 AM: Good morning. Welcome to Friday, June 9th.
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Cloudy, chance of more showers, high in the mid-60s. Sunrise was at 5:12 am; sunset will be at 9:06 pm.
TRANSIT
Metro – Regular schedule, but trip cancellations and temporary route suspensions can and do happen at any time.
Water Taxi – Continuing the spring/summer schedule, including late-evening runs on Friday and Saturday nights.
Washington State Ferries‘ Triangle Route continues on the 2-boat schedule; sailing cancellations remain possible on short notice, so check here for alerts/updates and see Vessel Watch for boats’ locations.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also up at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low Bridge – east-end vicinity:
1st Ave. S. Bridge – alternate route across the river:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed to see if the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities). Thank you!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Fewer RVs and greenbelt campers. More traffic calming. “Partnership” with police.
That’s part of what Alki/Harbor Avenue-area residents listed as “accomplishments” when they met with city reps Wednesday night for the fourth time in their ongoing push against crime and street disorder in the West Seattle waterfront area. (Here’s our coverage of their meeting back in December)
But they say there’s work yet to be done. For one, they’re particularly concerned about the increase in gun violence, with the recent shooting deaths of Peyman Shojaei at Don Armeni Boat Ramp and Davonté Sanchez near Whale Tail Park. And they want the city to install signage reinforcing the no-parking hours of 11 pm-5 am. They also want to see traffic calming extended further north/westward toward the beach.
The meeting at Admiral Church was facilitated by Mike Gain (above), one of the leaders of the ad-hoc community group.
City reps in attendance included, above from left, Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Dorothy Kim (currently acting precinct captain), SDOT’s Bill LaBorde, Unified Care Team rep Tom Van Bronkhorst, Seattle Parks’ Andy Shaffer, and Deputy Mayor Greg Wong (who had to leave an hour into the meeting). The city delegation included other reps from the mayor’s office, SPD, Office of Economic Development, and Seattle Public Utilities.
Another of the community group’s leaders, Steve Pumphrey, showed photo and video examples of what he and his neighbors have been trying to get stopped, including waterfront parties with blasting music in the 3 am vicinity and drivers doing donuts and other stunts. (See his slide deck here.)
(SDOT camera image from shortly after crash)
Two and a half months after two 18-year-olds died when a wrong-way driver hit them on the West Seattle Bridge, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed charges. 36-year-old West Seattle resident Delfino Lopez-Morales is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of reckless driving. We have been watching court files closely ever since the crash, and just found the charging documents. In them, investigators say he had a blood-alcohol level of .14, almost twice the legal limit, three hours after the crash, and a THC level suggesting he had used cannabis within a few hours of the crash. Court documents add that an empty beer bottle was found in the truck he was driving. The two victims, Khalea Thoeuk and Riley Danard, both from Snohomish County and on their way to Alki to celebrate Riley’s birthday, were killed instantly. The charging documents say Lopez-Morales, driving a friend’s truck, was going 100 mph when he hit them. He was seriously injured and has been under medical care since the crash, at Harborview Medical Center until sometime in the first half of May, when he moved to rehab. Here’s the investigator’s narrative from the charging documents:
6:23 PM: Get out and wander the peninsula tonight – it’s West Seattle Art Walk night!
Our first stop was West Seattle Grounds (2141 California SW) in North Admiral, where illustrator Andrew Gregg is showing work tonight. Much of his art is focused on athletes, as you can see in the background of our photo. If you visit WSG before 7:45 pm, you can also catch live music by Taylor John Hardin, one of three Art of Music performances during tonight’s Art Walk.
6:41 PM: Paul Gerard is another of the Art of Music performers; as shown above, he is performing until 7:45 pm at Wildflour (4709 California SW; formerly Flying Apron) in The Junction. The visual artist there tonight is Jenna Brechbiel.
Also in The Junction, Matthew Cory is the featured artist at Compass (4509 California SW):
Some receptions run as late as 9 pm, so you still have time to go out and enjoy some art!
4:47 PM: Thanks for the tip! That’s one of two new stop signs on 44th SW where it meets SW Findlay [map]. This is just west of California/Findlay, where SDOT installed a pedestrian-activated “half-signal” last October. The reader who emailed us about this earlier today said “yield” signs had been there previously, adding, “Not sure why the change – no recent increase in accidents or near-misses. Also, when traveling north on 44th, the new stop sign is obscured by a tree.” Same tree that’s in our photo, but the sign only comes into view when you arrive right up to it. We have a question out to SDOT about the rationale for the installation.
6:50 PM: SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson responded, “This was a standalone project. The new stop sign is intended to enhance safety and provide clarity for people traveling through this intersection.”
(WSB photo, 2022 Seafair Pirates Landing)
Between news updates, we’re also checking in on big summer events – many of which are happening in July. Today, we’re noting that the Seafair Pirates Landing on Alki is exactly one month away. According to Seafair, the Pirates are expected to arrive on the beach around 1:30 pm Saturday, July 8th (which is two weeks before their expected visit by land during the West Seattle Grand Parade). Just be on the beach by the Bathhouse and listen for the cannon fire offshore that usually warns of the Pirates’ approach.
Two thefts in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN BLACK ELANTRA: From Ryan:
Reporting stolen 2012 black Hyundai Elantra. License plate AKU4990. Police report # 23-158866. Stolen from (3400 block of) 40th Ave SW between 2:12 am and 3:12 am this morning, Thursday 6/8.
FRIDAY UPDATE: Via text, we’ve just been told the car was found in Toppenish (near Yakima).
STOLEN PRIDE FLAG: From Travis: “I wanted to report to you this that someone stole our Pride flag this morning from off our front porch. It happened a few minutes before I get up for work. We live near Delridge Way and Thistle.” This security video shows the thief walking up and pulling down the flag (it’s not embeddable/downloadable but you can see it if you click the link). It’s been reported to police; we’ll add the number when available.
SDOT is looking for feedback on a new proposal for part of West Marginal Way SW: landscaped medians:
We are seeking input on proposed landscaped median islands and a raised crosswalk. We are looking to understand driveway operations that would inform the median island size and feasibility.
Here’s the notice with information on proposed locations and how to comment. The deadline is June 20. SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson also says they’re planning to evaluate the recently installed protected bike lane and “other safety elements” this summer.
(Low-low tide photo by Theresa Arbow O’Connor)
Here’s our list of what’s ahead, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SPRAYPARK OPEN: Daily operations continue for Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale), 11 am-8 pm.
WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome to this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayers@gmail.com to see where they’re playing today.
LOW-LOW TIDE: -2.4 feet at 2:55 pm, not super-low but still low enough for interesting shore exploration.
THURSDAY FOOD-TRUCK POP-UP: 4-8 pm at Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW), Levantine Cuisine will be visiting.
HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: Also at HP Corner Store, meet up at 6:30 pm for a three-mile run!
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK WITH MUSIC: As previewed here, this month’s West Seattle Art Walk includes three free Art of Music performances, in Admiral, The Junction, and Morgan Junction. Art venues are all over the peninsula! See them here (art receptions generally start at 5 pm); see where to find the music here (6-7:45 pm).
WESTIES RUN CLUB: Meet at The Good Society (California/Lander) at 6 pm for a 3-mile run – more in our calendar listing.
BOOK LAUNCH: 6:30 pm, meet the author of “Cracked” at Emerald Water Anglers (4502 42nd SW; WSB sponsor) during this book-launch event including salmon sliders.
ANOTHER WEST SEATTLE DOG PARK? A report on off-leash-area expansion is part of tonight’s 6:30 pm Board of Park Commissioners meeting – more info here – attendance link here.
CAMPAIGN KICKOFF: City Council District 1 candidate Maren Costa invites people to meet her during a 7-9 pm kickoff event at Pizzeria Credo (4520 California SW).
There’s even more in our calendar!
If you can donate blood – or just time – here’s an upcoming West Seattle opportunity we were asked to share with you:
West Seattle Community Blood Drive
Thursday, June 29 I 1:00-6:30 pm
Bethany West Seattle Fellowship Hall, 8600 9th Ave SWDid you know that every 2 seconds someone needs blood?!
This is an opportunity to give back to the community, through donating, as you are able, or through hosting folks as they come through the doors.
Sign up to donate or volunteer as a host!
Email meganc@churchbcc.org with any questions.
As you’ll see on the donation-signup link, there’s a date coming up in August, too.
6:03 AM: Good morning. Welcome to Thursday, June 8th.
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Sunny, high in the mid-70s. Sunrise was at 5:12 am; sunset will be at 9:05 pm.
(Wednesday sunset scene – photo by James Bratsanos)
TRANSIT
Metro – Regular schedule, but trip cancellations and temporary route suspensions can and do happen at any time.
Water Taxi – Continuing the spring/summer schedule, including late-evening runs on Friday and Saturday nights.
Washington State Ferries‘ Triangle Route continues on the 2-boat schedule; sailing cancellations remain possible on short notice, so check here for alerts/updates and see Vessel Watch for boats’ locations.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also up at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low Bridge – east-end vicinity:
1st Ave. S. Bridge – alternate route across the river:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed to see if the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities). Thank you!
(WSB photos)
Every part of Seattle actually has three city councilmembers – the district rep, and the two at-large members who represent the entire city. Approaching the midpoint of her first term, at-large Councilmember Sara Nelson visited the West Seattle Junction business district today. Her hourlong mini-tour was doubly relevant, as she chairs the council’s Economic Development, Technology, and City Light Committee, and is a business owner (founding Fremont Brewing with her husband in 2009) – she reminded the proprietors she met today that “I’m a small-business owner too.” Her tour guide was Junction Association executive director Chris Mackay, who first briefed Nelson on the state of The Junction – from public-safety concerns (including the recent hiring of private security) to event planning (with tens of thousands of people expected to converge on The Junction for West Seattle Summer Fest July 14-16. The big job is to keep The Junction “clean, safe, and fun.” They headed out to stops in three businesses – first, The Beer Junction:
Owner Allison has long been on The Junction’s Block Watch committee. She told Nelson the past three years have been especially tough for small-business owners, not just public-safety challenges, but also the 2 1/2-year West Seattle Bridge closure. Both Nelson and the assistant accompanying her said they could help with problems such as better connecting with other city agencies. From there, they headed south to Northwest Art and Frame for a chat with owner Dan:
He told Nelson things were going fairly well – his store started closing earlier, and that eliminated some problems they’d been having in the evening. He also talked about the difficulty of getting police response for thefts; Nelson said she’s working on an easier way to at least file after-the-fact reports. Meantime, she also listened as Dan spoke proudly of his half-century in business and at least one staff member who’d been working there his entire adult life.
Before Nelson’s hourlong visit wrapped up, she also stopped in at My Three Little Birds and heard about how businesses support each other by sharing real-time information on problems; Mackay noted she’s working on getting a better communication tool for businesses to use.
Before Nelson left, we asked about the day’s hottest citywide topic – Tuesday evening’s council vote rejecting the proposal she, Councilmember Alex Pedersen, and City Attorney Ann Davison had put forth to match city code with the new state law on drug possession. What now? we asked. Nelson said she wasn’t ready to talk specifics but “I’m not giving up.”
Tomorrow night, plan to wander West Seattle and enjoy this month’s Art Walk – with the return of The Art of Music. From organizer John Redenbaugh, here’s who’s performing this time:
The next free admission Art of Music performances presented by the West Seattle Junction Association are coming up on Second Thursday Art Walk Evening June 8 at THREE locations — Paul Gerard in The Junction at Wildflour Gluten-Free Baking Co. (formerly Flying Apron); Taylor John Hardin in the Admiral District at West Seattle Grounds, and Larry Murante in Morgan Junction at Zeeks Pizza.
Performances are scheduled to begin at 6 pm and run till 7:45 pm to complement and support the West Seattle Art Walk offerings.
As for the art venues – see the list above, including venues with food/beverage specials; find detailed previews here. Art Walk hours are “5 pm until late” but individual participating businesses set their own schedules.
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