West Seattle, Washington
22 Thursday
(WDFW photo)
Before we get to today’s list of events, an FYI for tomorrow – it’s likely to be one of the busiest days of the year at Don Armeni Boat Ramp, because it’s the one-day “season” for spot-shrimp fishing in nearby waters, 9 am-1 pm Thursday, May 25th. Usually the turnout fills the Don Armeni parking lot. Spot shrimp are the largest shrimp in Puget Sound, per WDFW. The state says Elliott Bay will be open this year as well as the central Sound.
Family and friends are remembering Laurie Jo (Holdridge) Treosti, and sharing this remembrance with the community:
LAURIE JO (HOLDRIDGE) TREOSTI
October 21, 1948 ˜ January 17, 2023Laurie Treosti passed away peacefully at the age of 74 on January 17, 2023, in Vancouver, WA, after a long battle with cancer. She was born Oct. 21, 1948, in Seattle to Robert and Jo Holdridge.
She graduated from Chief Sealth High School in 1966. She received her BA in Education from Central Washington State College in 1970 and moved to Vancouver to begin her teaching career. Teaching was a passion that she enjoyed for 44 years, instilling her own love of learning in her students by empowering them to be resilient and work beyond any challenges they face. She modeled this every day in her career facing the daily challenges of having MS. She was an advocate for disability awareness. Often, former students would return to her classroom at Mill Plain Elementary to thank her for the impact she made in their lives. She made a difference to countless students and their families during her career.
While teaching, she pursued a law degree in the evenings. In 1991, she received her Juris Doctorate from Lewis and Clark Law School. She practiced law for 30 years at Boyd, Gaffney, Sowards & Treosti, focusing on Estate Planning. For 20 years before retiring from teaching she was both an educator and an attorney.
Laurie cherished time spent with her many friends and family. Her smile, wisdom, compassion and sense of humor will be missed.
Laurie is survived by her mother Jo (Holdridge) Bonzon; her brother Stuart Holdridge and wife Patty; niece Amy Holdridge, husband Ed Gallas and daughter Abby Gallas; nephew Jeff Holdridge, partner Rebecca Bailey and son Connor Holdridge; stepbrother Gary Bonzon; and stepsister Sherry Osmonovich, and husband Louie.
A celebration of Laurie’s life is being planned for this Spring/Summer. A memorial scholarship is being created to benefit Evergreen Public Schools students in Laurie’s name. Please share a memory @ www.columbian.com/obits
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)
6:01 AM: Good morning. It’s Wednesday, May 24th, three workdays to go (for most) until Memorial Day weekend!
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Gradual warming continues. Today’s forecast: Sunny, high in the upper 60s. Sunrise was at 5:22 am; sunset will be at 8:51 pm.
LOOKING AHEAD
If you travel near the West Seattle side of the 1st Avenue South Bridge, this alert is of note.
TRANSIT
Metro – Regular schedule, but trip cancellations are still possible. *Looking ahead to Memorial Day, buses will be on Sunday schedules.
Water Taxi – Continuing the spring/summer schedule, including late-evening runs Friday and Saturday nights. The West Seattle WT *does* run Memorial Day, on a Sunday schedule.
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 – another 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 a problem 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
By Monday afternoon’s deadline for appealing the city decision to grant nine zoning exceptions for the Alki Elementary School rebuild, six appeals had been filed with the city Hearing Examiner, which today ordered them consolidated into one case.
Two hours after the appeal deadline, Seattle Public Schools discussed the project at an in-person community meeting, which turned contentious as frustrated neighbors at times shouted their concerns about some of those zoning exceptions, particularly those related to transportation, including the removal of all on-site parking.
We reported last month on the city’s recommendation that the zoning exceptions – formally called “departures” – be approved. The district first mentioned in an online public meeting last June that it would seek departures, and a request for public comment went out last fall. However, the usual public process was truncated because of pandemic-related policies, and that’s part of what neighbors are upset about, saying they didn’t have a chance to participate in the design process or, later, to have their concerns heard.
So last night, after listening for an hour to district director of capital projects Richard Best, architect Becky Hutchinson of Mahlum, and transportation consultant Marni Heffron, they did what they could to be heard, at times shouting their disagreement with the project team’s contentions.
Story, photos, video by Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
The automotive industry needs skilled workers, and a new West Seattle facility is dedicated to educating them.
It’s the Steve and Sharon Huling Automotive Technology Center on the main campus of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) on Puget Ridge, and a ceremony this afternoon celebrated its long road to reality – the plan has been traveling that road for more than a decade (we covered a “future home of …” sign-placement event at the site in 2011).
Now it’s built and open, and carries the names of the couple who have been major SSC benefactors for decades, with a special link to automotive-tech education because of their longtime family business. In honor of the occasion, Mayor Bruce Harrell proclaimed today to be “Steve and Sharon Huling Day,” according to a proclamation read at the event by SSD’s interim president Dr. Jean Hernandez:
Tours of the new 50,000-square-foot facility, which has actually been in service for months, followed speeches by college leaders and supporters, the Hulings, and even a graduate. We recorded it all on video:
Among the speakers, faculty member Doug Clapper emphasized how badly needed the facility is. “We’ve got more jobs than students right now.”
He recalled the facility plan being “first scratched out” as “a dream” that finally came true. It’s a program where the dream of a better life became reality through education and employment for graduate JoAnna Edwards. Her words of gratitude were full of emotion as she told those gathered, “You gave me the opportunity – I snatched it and ran with it.”
She went back to school at 36, a mom of three, a person who had struggled with rough times. “I was always waiting for somebody to rescue me; this school taught me how to rescue myself.” Now she has a new career and a job at an Eastside dealership.
A college supporter/adviser and local industry entrepreneur, Todd Ainsworth of Swedish Automotive (WSB sponsor), was another of those who noted the industry had a shortage of new workers. He was also a former student, mentioning a connection with SSC going back to when he took apprenticeship classes there.
And, addressing the Hulings, Ainsworth offered a comment that many a longtime West Seattleite could echo – “My family bought cars from your family!”
Seattle Colleges‘ interim chancellor Dr. Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap, who previously led SSC as president, talked about how having a new, modernized facility can inspire students as well as enhancing their education. “You bring people in who may not have a sense of what they want to do, then they walk into a place like this and say, ‘THIS could be my classroom?’.”
She also noted the Hulings’ support for the college’s 13th Year Promise scholarships, dating back long before that became a city-backed program. The Hulings themselves (whose children were there for the occasion) offered words of gratitude as well as praise for the program.
Steve Huling pointed out that the industry is continuing to innovate – “an industry that’s just starting to reinvent itself, with electric cars.” To underscore that point, several EVs from Lucid Motors were on display at the event.
(It was noted that’s what the Hulings drive.) In addition to high-tech equipment, the new building also has art:
“Oil Bloom” by Will Schlough, made from recycled oil drums painted into a flower, is over the staircase in the building’s foyer; the artist was there (lower-left corner of the photo above) to answer visitors’ questions.
Overall, dean of hospitality and service occupations Brian Scheehser, who emceed this afternoon’s event, declared the new center “an incredible learning space for our students.”
You can find out more about the Automotive Technology program at SSC by going here.
Another Kia theft. This report is from KG:
Stolen 2014 white Kia Sorento. Plates AVL7377. Last seen May 23 [today] around 10 am by SW Admiral Way & 60th Ave SW. Police Report # 23-141978. If seen, please call 911.
Evening whale-watching, anyone? Kersti Muul tells us that as of 6:30, orcas were northbound off The Arroyos, east in the channel.
Meet four of the 16 high-school juniors honored this year for academic achievement by West Seattle’s Alki Masonic Lodge #152. They are all from West Seattle High School – from left, Joaquin Huerta, Ruby Athan, Kamil Ignacio, and Linda Alvarracin. Also honored but not present at the ceremony were eight juniors from Chief Sealth International High School – Jurry Flores, Ocean Freeman, Amirah Helms, Tyler Jones, Jayson Nguyen, Joy Ohta, Samantha Scaia, and Stoli Sylwester – and four more from WSHS – Gaia Corvino, Quinn Dumont, Nathan Kellison-Miller, and Leah Morgan. The presentations were made during the Masons’ 42nd annual “School Awards Night in Support of Our Public School System.” The honorees are nominated by their schools’ faculty, and the awards include monetary gifts.
Some holidays, the West Seattle Water Taxi is out of service. But next Monday, on Memorial Day, Metro says the foot ferry will be running between Seacrest and downtown (though the Vashon Island Water Taxi will NOT run that day). It will be on a Sunday schedule that day – you can see the times here. (Metro buses will be on Sunday schedules that day, too.)
(SDOT camera image)
Another advisory about possible traffic effects from road work later this week – this time, on the West Seattle Bridge. Here’s the announcement from SDOT:
We are planning overnight lane closures on the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge to perform routine preventative maintenance this Wednesday and Thursday. There are no problems with the bridge, and crews will be working to protect the interior of the bridge by applying waterproof sealant to access hatches along the surface of the bridge deck.
The closure will begin at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24 and end by 5 a.m. the following morning. If necessary, the closure will be repeated the following night (Thursday, May 25). This work requires dry weather and is subject to change. The bridge will be reduced to one lane in each direction overnight between State Route 99 and Delridge Way SW. All on- and off-ramps will remain open as normal.
3:32 PM: Just got an update from SDOT that this work has been postponed “due to a delayed materials shipment.” No new date yet.
For almost three years now, intrepid artists affiliated with Highland Park Improvement Club have been creating A-board art installations outside the fire-shuttered HPIC building at 12th/Holden. This started when SW Holden was traffic-jammed during the bridge closure, and has continued. But today, one of the boards has disappeared. Kay @ HPIC hopes you can help find it:
Someone has made off with one of the HPIC A-Frame signs. Our volunteers complete these as a set and we need all of them to tell our stories. Hoping someone just pulled up and tossed elsewhere! Folks can email us at hpic1919 (at) gmail.com if they see it, and a volunteer can come pick up.
HPIC’s first A-board art installation went up in August 2020, and the art has changed several times since then.
That photo texted from The Arroyos in southwesternmost West Seattle is first word we got today of that alarming-looking but relatively common phenomenon. It’s not “red tide” but rather a bloom of microorganisms called Noctiluca – explained here by the state Ecology Department, which says that “sunshine, nutrients, and warm temperatures contribute to large seasonal blooms.” Experts say it’s not toxic but it is a sign of environmental imbalance, as noted here.
This alert is from the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, for work that will affect traffic:
King County Wastewater Treatment Division is building a wet weather storage facility near the intersection of SW Michigan Street and 2nd Ave SW to reduce combined sewer overflows into the Duwamish River. Starting as early as May 25, crews will spend up to four business days potholing, or digging small holes, to better understand the locations and condition of utility lines including sewer, power, water, telephone, and gas lines. This work will occur at the storage facility site and near the following locations:
-2nd Ave SW between SW Michigan Street and Highland Park Way SW
-SW Michigan Street east of 2nd Ave SW
-Highland Parkway SW near the intersection with 2nd Ave SW
-W Marginal Way SW near the intersection with SW Front StreetWhat you can expect
-Work hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on business days between May 25 and May 30. Potholing on Highland Park Way SW may require night work due to high traffic volumes in the area.
-Temporary lane closures with flaggers on site to assist vehicle and pedestrian movement. Lane closures will not be concurrent, and each will last up to three hours.
-One drill rig and up to four service vehicles on site.
-Noise and slight vibrations during work hours, including engine noise and periodic hammering.
-Occasional truck traffic accessing the site during work hours.
As for the project itself, we’ve reported on it several times, most recently here. Construction of the 1.25-million-gallon tank and surrounding facilities is not expected to begin before 2025.
(Photo by Mike Cohen, taken while flyin in last week)
Here’s what’s happening for the rest of today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
POSTCARDS TO VOTERS: Weekly meetup for long-distance political advocacy and networking, 10:30 am at C & P Coffee Company – just drop in to join in. (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).
CHESS CLUB: Tuesdays 1:30-3 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon): “Are you looking for a new activity to keep your brain sharp and clear? The Senior Center Chess Club welcomes both novice and experienced players. Join us at 1:30 p.m. for lessons, short tutorials, and chess for all levels of expertise.” (Questions? Email conwell@conwelld.net.)
CITY COUNCIL: 2 pm this afternoon, it’s the full council’s weekly meeting, online or at City Hall (600 4th Ave.). See the agenda here; the meeting is viewable via Seattle Channel.
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
BURGERS, BRAINS, AND BREWS: Seattle Beer Week festivities continue at Ounces, with a smash-burger pop-up 5-8 pm plus trivia at 7 pm. (3809 Delridge Way SW)
WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY ORCHESTRAS: First of two free concerts this week, 6 pm at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle) – details in our calendar listing.
WEST SEATTLE COWORKING RIBBONCUTTING: 6 pm, West Seattle Coworking (WSB sponsor) celebrates its new expansion location at 9030 35th SW with a ribboncutting and rooftop party. Interested in attending? Email manager@westseattlecoworking.com and Ross will send you an invite.
SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you can play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).
MORE TRIVIA: Two more places where you can play Tuesday nights – 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW); also, 7:30 and 8:30 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at The Lodge (4209 SW Alaska).
BELLE OF THE BALLS BINGO: Play bingo with Cookie Couture at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), 8 pm. Free, all ages!
You can look into the future any time via our event calendar – if you have something to include on it, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
From Phoebe:
2011 Infiniti G37 Sport – 4-door with silver lining and white interior. Stolen last night around 8 from just outside Hall at Fauntleroy – if seen please call 911. License # CGH4399. Police report # 23-141027
9:45 AM: Jeff notes in comments below that a stalled truck has jammed the eastbound West Seattle Bridge ramp to NB I-5, and sent this photo:
Earlier:
6:00 AM: Good morning. It’s Tuesday, May 23rd, four workdays to go until Memorial Day weekend (unless yours starts earlier!).
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
We’re moving back toward warmth. Today’s forecast: Partly sunny, high in the mid-60s. Sunrise was at 5:23 am; sunset will be at 8:50 pm.
TRANSIT
Metro – Regular schedule, but trip cancellations are still possible.
Water Taxi – Continuing the spring/summer schedule, including late-evening runs 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 – another 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 a problem 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!
The photos and report were sent by West Seattle High School music director Ethan Thomas:
The West Seattle High School Music Program traveled down to Southern California last Saturday. The Marching Band and Orchestra had performances at Disneyland and California Adventure yesterday and are participating in Studio Soundtrack Session Workshops today.
We will be wrapping up our tour by visiting Hollywood and Santa Monica tomorrow [Tuesday] before heading back to Seattle tomorrow evening. The Orchestra is under the direction of Taylor Fritts and Band is directed by Ethan Thomas.
(WSB photo)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
After 35 years with Southwest Youth and Family Services, executive director Steve Daschle is saying goodbye.
This Wednesday (May 24th) will be his last day on the job.
Even if you’ve never met him, his work likely has touched your life in some way – if not his work with SWYFS, then certainly his many other community endeavors.
First – about SWYFS, if you’re not familiar with it. “We’re sort of a quiet organization, but effective,” Daschle summarizes. It’s a regional human-services nonprofit headquartered in a blink-and-you-miss it beige building at 4555 Delridge Way SW. That’s adjacent to Delridge Playfield, which Daschle’s office overlooks. But SWYFS wasn’t there when he started in 1988 – it was at 35th/Henderson, and then moved to Delridge, in a former Parks building, in 1996 (the building was vacated when Delridge Community Center’s current building opened in 1994).
From Ben, in the Westwood area:
Some items were dumped on my property this afternoon.
If all or some of them are yours, email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – and we will connect you with Ben.
6:20 PM: Various areas of West Seattle just lost power for a minute or two. You? (So far, no widespread outage reported, but it was more than a “flicker.”) … So far we’ve heard from North Admiral, South Admiral, The Triangle, Gatewood, Upper Fauntleroy (us). Also High Point, which reported “booms” around the same time, and South Delridge. No SFD calls so far, though.
7:06 PM: The booms seem to have been along SW Graham. LyndaB near 36th/Graham believes balloons might be the culprit. (Added: Texted photo)
Tomorrow morning, the City Council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee gets its latest periodic briefing on Seattle Police staffing. Here’s what we learned from the briefing presentation, which was posted today:
The Southwest Precinct (West Seattle and South Park) ended the first quarter with 54 officers and 10 sergeants. That’s up from 50 and 8 a year earlier, one fewer than the 56 and 9 from a year before that. (Those two charts were shown here.) Overall, the entire department ended the quarter with 1,029 fully trained officers, and 949 in service; SPD had projected it would make 31 hires during the first quarter and actually hired 26, while they projected 27 more officers would leave, and separations totaled 28. They’re now expecting the year will end with 33 officers fewer than they have budgeted for, and they expect that money will instead have to be spent on overtime, 80 percent of which SPD says goes toward meeting minimum staffing levels. Meantime, most of the $3.8 million budget for recruiting and retention has remained unspent; the meeting presentation attributes this mostly to the mayor’s office working on a “new marketing plan.”
Other numbers of interest in the presentation slide deck include response times. For the Southwest and West Precincts, they improved in all categories, though other precincts saw response times increase in some categories. For Southwest, the average response time for a “Priority 1” call is now 10 minutes, a full minute faster than a year earlier, though still well above the department’s 7-minute goal. Average response times for “Priority 2” calls in the SW Precinct fell from 44 to 41 minutes.
Tomorrow’s meeting is at 9:30 am, at City Hall and online; you can see the full agenda, and commenting info, here.
Another chance for community involvement before the holiday weekend. HPAC – the community coalition for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge – is meeting on the fourth Thursday this month instead of Wednesday, so that’s 7 pm this Thursday, May 25th. Also different: This meeting is happening in person, and at a first-time location, Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery in South Delridge. That’s especially appropriate because this meeting will focus on the South Delridge Action Plan, as HPAC leadership explains:
The meeting is open to all residents and business folks in the area. Learn what progress has been made on the City planning so far, and give thoughts on their efforts to work with the South Delridge Community.
What unique issues does this southernmost area of West Seattle face? What can we learn from successes and failures of growth plans elsewhere? How can we keep our homegrown spirit vibrant and healthy, providing food, housing, and community for all – while dealing with the wave of development speeding our way? What City services are lacking? How can the City work more closely with unincorporated White Center/ King County to better integrate community services currently provided?
Head to 9414 Delridge Way SW on Thursday night to discuss all that and more.
West Seattle’s ArtsWest (4711 California SW; WSB sponsor) plans five productions – including Seattle premieres, a world premiere, and a Pulitzer winner – for 2023-2024, and has just raised the curtain to reveal the lineup. Here’s the announcement:
ArtsWest has announced its 2023-2024 season SOMETIMES I DREAM…, with five productions – all Seattle premieres – featuring the work of Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights, new collaborators, and the premiere of a brand-new holiday show specially built for Seattle. This is the third season programmed by a collective of ArtsWest Associate Artists in collaboration with ArtsWest Artistic Director Mathew Wright, with this year’s Associate Artist roles taken on entirely by ArtsWest staff.
Pithy and joyous quotes inspiring us to pursue our dreams have resounded across space and time – but it can be a difficult path, especially when the world seems to have other plans for you. Dreaming big takes courage, curiosity, and imagination – but it often takes support from the outside world as well. What would it take to create a world in which everyone is free to pursue a dream? In one of their boldest outings yet, ArtsWest explores the pursuit of dreams through five distinctly different lenses in a season of searing comedy, beloved music, and touching humanity, designed to subvert expectations at every turn.
SOMETIMES I DREAM…opens this fall with the Seattle premiere of MATT & BEN (September 7-October 1), award-winning writer and comedian Mindy Kaling‘s NYC Fringe hit about Hollywood’s most famous bromance – which originally starred Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers in the title roles – in a biting satire on the Hollywood dream machine.
Fresh for the holiday season, December will see the world premiere of SNOWED IN (November 30–December 23), created by Mathew Wright and Corinne Park-Buffelen, a holiday special reinvented for the 21st century and starring some of Seattle’s most-beloved musical theater talent.
In the new year, ArtsWest will present the Seattle premiere of Liz Duffy Adams‘ BORN WITH TEETH (February 1–February 25), a queer-punk-inflected encounter between Christopher Marlowe and the young upstart William Shakespeare in which they attempt to write a history play together before they either fall in love or kill each other.
April will see the Seattle premiere of this year’s Pulitzer Prize winner in Drama, ENGLISH by Sanaz Toossi (April 4–April 28). Co-produced by Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble, ENGLISH is a deeply moving and brilliantly funny meditation on language and identity in an Iranian TOEFL classroom.
Rounding out the season is two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage‘s latest Broadway triumph, CLYDE’S (June 6–June 30, 2024). Presented in partnership with The Hansberry Project and directed by Seattle luminary Valerie Curtis-Newton, CLYDE’S explores the dreams of the workers at a truck stop café – and the ways in which we can act as obstacles or aids to each other in the pursuit of those dreams.
More about next season’s ArtsWest plays is here. You can lock in your tickets by buying a subscription here. Meantime, ArtsWest’s current production “Zach” continues through this Sunday, and the season finale “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is onstage June 28-July 23; more on this season here.
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