I was very disappointed to see that you had very little coverage of the annual West Seattle Parade.
It would have been a great opportunity for your paper to announce this major summer activity in West Seattle so that more West Seattleites would be aware of it and it would have enticed many to read your paper to look for their parade pictures in the paper.
"Dow made sure our communities will be served by transit and roadway investments," stated the political ad next to Dow Constantine's smiling picture. Maybe Alki Avenue has roadway investments, but it doesn't have a daily, direct to downtown and back daytimes and evening bus.
If one has a 4 p.m. appointment downtown, the last direct bus is 9:45 a.m. It is a pathetic hardship on the seniors who no longer drive. They have no choice but to relocate. When we purchased our homes we were on a bus line.
We commend your superb article in this week's (Aug. 8) West Seattle Herald in regard to the merger of two High Point elementary schools into one (named West Seattle Elementary).
Your report from many various stakeholders to this "change" was excellent.
May we suggest, Ms. Schilperoort, you do a follow-up article several months from now - to see how the "change" is now viewed by the various stakeholders.
Was this "change" in fact a "good" change?
We greatly admire your responsible journalism.
Well, I guess the Smith Tower is now going to be lost to us. I wish I had the money to save the building. To me, it is our history.
Why do all the people from out of town have to take away all things good? I hope I'm not the only one who will miss the memories.
Being born and raised here with eight others - most gone (only) two of us left. I, for one, will miss knowing part of us will be gone forever. Hoping it will not be.
Kathleen Vogel
Delridge
I read your cover story regarding lost views (Aug. 8) with great interest - and a little disbelief. Along with my partner, I am the recent buyer (not the developer or builder) of the new house under construction in Fauntlee Hills that has upset some of the neighbors due to its impact on views.
At the time we purchased the home, we honestly had no idea its being built was controversial. While the developer who purchased the lot and is building the home has no ties to West Seattle, my partner and I have lived and run a business here for 15 years.
In November the people of Washington will vote on Initiative 960, a measure is sponsored by Tim Eyman that would re-affirm current law requiring state tax increases be adopted with a two-thirds vote in the Legislature, subject all fee increases to legislative approval, require non-binding public advisory votes on tax increases not sent to the voters for approval, and provide voters with a detailed cost analysis of all proposed tax and fee increases.
The initiative would not cover Seattle or King County governments.
Text of Initiative 960
The text of Initiative
Building permits for 1,103 new residential units in West Seattle have been issued in the past 18 months by Seattle's Department of Planning and Development and another 137 have been removed, some due to condo conversions.
There have been 412 apartment-to-condo conversions in West Seattle in just over the past two years, according to Dupre and Scott Apartment Advisors.
Most of those units, 239 at the West Ridge Park complex, are being converted by Mosaic Homes, a Canadian-based company that recently bought West Ridge Park Apartments in the Delridge neighborhood.
Rental rates have increased in West Seattle by 7 percent to 10 percent in the last year, but the demand for rentals is stronger than ever.
"For landlords, this is the best rental market I've seen," said Mike Gain, of Cayce and Gain Real Estate Management.
A West Seattle group proposes moving the Elliott Bay water taxi dock from Seacrest Park south about one-third mile because there's much more room for parking and the site is better protected from storms.
The Pier 1-Pier 2 Committee recommends the water taxi's pick-up and drop-off location be moved to Pier 2, southeast of Salty's on Alki.
The new floating dock would jut north-northeast into the bay next to Jack Block Park. Two vessels could dock simultaneously.
A ticketing pavilion and a covered waiting area could be built next to the dock.
Candidates for West Seattle's Seattle School Board position told the community last week what they would do to restore confidence in the public school system and unite an often-divided board.
Candidates from each of the four open School Board positions came to meet community members one-on-one before a moderated forum held at Pathfinder K-8 Alternative School.
Four of five West Seattle candidates showed up: Maria Ramirez, Edwin Fruit, Dan Dempsey and Steve Sundquist.
