July 2013

Grumblings about the blistering pace of development in West Seattle and how it is quickly changing the peninsula’s longstanding small town charm have mostly resided in the usual places: online comment sections, coffee shops, bars and backyard barbecues.

In the past month that has changed into more formal opposition with the introduction of “Getting It Right For West Seattle,” a self-described “coalition of West Seattle businesses, residents, workers and visitors who care about smart development in West Seattle’s gateway area.”

Update for July 26 in italics: It's worth noting that Getting It Right For West Seattle was formed in large part from the help of The Main Street Alliance, a national advocate group that "works strategically to provide small businesses a voice that promotes vibrant businesses and healthy communities, and fosters leadership development of socially responsible business leaders."

We spoke with Boris Popovic, a canvasser for Main Street Alliance, who shared how "Getting It Right" came together.

From U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard will close to all marine traffic 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., July 25 to complete last week’s monthly saltwater drain screen structure inspection.

U.S. Navy divers from Naval Base Kitsap will finish inspecting welds and pressure washing the screen, items they didn’t have time to complete during the July 17, 5-hour closure. The structure, immediately upstream of the locks, prevents salmon from entering the locks’ saltwater return intake. The divers, closed 10, 10-foot-by-6-foot doors and inspected the 30-by-60 foot curved-front, mesh screen structure June 6. Monthly inspections are required until the doors are opened mid-September.

The operation requires the Locks be closed to all but emergency vessels on emergency calls. The staff will make maximum efforts to complete the work as soon and as safely as possible. Boaters may call the lockmaster on duty at 206-783-7000 to verify the locks are open.

A 2 and 1/2-story house in Frelard went up in flames last night, according to the Seattle Fire Department's Fire Line blog.

At 10:08 p.m., dispatchers at the fire alarm center received the call. When firefighters arrived, the whole house was already lit up. It took 72 firefighters 25 minutes to bring the fire under control and nearly an hour to completely extinguish the flames.

The cause of the fire was a burning candle which ignited gasoline vapors on the ground extending to the car. From the car, a 1994 Subaru Loyale parked in the driveway, the flames jumped to the garage, the deck and to the attic of the house. Firefighters were able to contain the flames to the one home and prevented it from extending to nearby structures.

Medics transported a female patient to Harborview Medical Center with second degree burns on her hands.

The fire investigator said the fire caused extensive damage to the structure and the contents. The damage estimate is $401,625.

The Free Friday night concert series is coming back to Providence Mt. St. Vincent (The Mount) starting Friday, Aug. 2. The first act is singer/songwriter Ian McFeron. In the event of rain he will appear inside the Cafe.

Free popcorn and snow cones, as well as great food, beer and wine are available for purchase. There are special activities just for kids too.

Here's the schedule of concert dates:

Aug. 2nd: Ian McFeron - A singer/songwriter with upbeat musical styles.
Aug. 9th: Convergence Zone Bluegrass - a 5 piece bluegrass/country acoustic group.
Aug. 16th: The 85th Street Big Band - a 20 piece big band featuring swing favorites from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, including tunes made famous by Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Nat King Cole.
Aug. 23rd: The Spyrographs - a 5 piece band that plays the best Spy, Pop, Surf and Bossa Nova hits of the '60s.

By Christy Wolyniak

Excited, amber-and-gold eyes meet guests at the door. This was DaVida, Claire Anderson’s yellow lab. To the ordinary eye, one might just see an exuberant and joyful canine -- but DaVida plays a much larger role in Anderson’s life: she is her guide dog.

“What I love most is that DaVida loves me. There’s nothing like endless, unconditional love. She’s always in a good mood. She always loves me. She’s the best mate I’ve ever had,” said Anderson.

It was through guide dog school that Anderson began writing detailed emails to her friends and family, telling them of her and DaVida’s adventures together.

“Some people said to me, ‘This would make a great book!’ and then I didn’t do anything for five years,” laughed a good-natured Anderson.

Finally, with the encouragement and assistance of her friend June Brasgalla, Anderson traveled to Brasgalla’s Florida residence and began retelling her adventures in guide dog school as Brasgalla typed. Six months later, “Sightless in Seattle” was completed -- it was published in February.

By Peggy Sturdivant

There’s a bulletin board just past the yoga room at Ballard Health Club. From it, looking right at me after class, was the face of a young man, his fair skin especially pale against a gray backdrop. “My name is Asher,” the poster read. “I am 22 years old. I have a brain tumor. For my birthday I’m getting brain surgery.”

If it wasn’t for such strong graphics, I might have passed it by. But there was the young, smiling face of a 22 year old, same age as my daughter. “The Kiss Café is throwing a birthday party on Saturday, July 27th.”

The already written column, the grocery store and the guests from London would have to wait. When I called Brenda Reed at Kiss Café, she told me to come down to learn more about the party and benefit. I was there inside fifteen minutes.

Brenda Reed and Oakley Carson opened Kiss Café in 2007. It’s the type of place with lots of regulars, in part because of the Ballard Drinking Team, the good food, huge beer selection, dogloving owners, 11-11 hours and breakfast all day. Brenda hired Asher Deaver for the kitchen in 2011. He was just twenty.

By Simone Alicea

Despite a busy West Seattle weekend, the newly created Friends of Morgan Junction Parks went on with their weeding and mulch party Saturday morning in an effort to encourage people to stop by the pocket park on California and Bevridge.

Barry White created the organization at the beginning of the summer in conjunction with the Morgan Community Association . White, a master gardening intern with King County Master Gardeners, wanted to encourage neighbors to take care of the park where the city couldn’t.

“As West Seattle becomes more urbanized, we’ll need visual counterpoints to all the concrete and glass,” White said. “People have a natural, sympathetic response that draws them to trees and plants.

The organization is registered with Seattle Parks, so there’s no interference with city-provided maintenance.

Information from Seattle Police Department Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon:

Dear Community Friends –

In an effort to keep you informed, and in our constant attempts to reduce future victimization, we want to let you know about level 3 sex offenders that have recently moved into South Precinct neighborhoods.

· Marcus Bright, 30 year-old African American male, is a level 3 registered sex offender who has recently moved to the 2700 Block of 60 Ave SW. Mr. Bright is no longer under Department of Corrections supervision.

· Charles Landry, 28 year-old African American male, is a level 3 registered sex offender who has recently moved to the9400 Block of 13th Ave SW. Mr. Landry is currently under Department of Corrections supervision.

Det. Fields from the Seattle Police Department’s Sex Offender Detail is assigned to check on these offenders and verify their information.

By Katie Nelson
HIGHLINE TIMES

In June, King County became the second county in the nation to require unused drug drop-off collections to be funded by pharmaceutical companies. Alameda County near San Francisco led the movement last year.

These secured drop-off boxes are an alternative to disposing of prescriptions in a garbage can or flushing them down the toilet, two common ways people get rid of no longer needed medication. Instead, citizens are asked to bring their pills to a drop-off checkpoint, where they are then transported to an incinerator.

Drop-off boxes in Burien are currently located at the Bartell’s Drugstore on Fourth Avenue Southwest and the King County Sheriff’s precinct office on Sixth Avenue Southwest.

Approximately 30 percent of all prescriptions are never ingested, according to Take Back Your Meds, a conglomerate of police, drug stores and health organizations committed to creating a drug return program in Washington State.

Historically, pharmacies or other sites have been financially responsible for disposing of medication.

By Katie Nelson
Highline Times

As a prelude to the creation of the long-awaited Highline Heritage Museum, the Highline Historical Society is hosting an exhibit detailing the experiences of local people during the Great Depression.

The exhibit, called “Hope in Hard Times,” is currently traveling throughout Washington and will reside in an undecided Burien location from Oct. 4 through Jan. 4. Burien is the only city in the Puget Sound area to present the exhibit, according to Cyndi Upthegrove, executive officer for the historical society.

“It is the story of Washington state during the Great Depression, and we’re filling it in deeply, hugely, with what happened [in Highline],” Upthegrove said, adding that they expect 8,000 to 10,000 visitors over the three-month period.

While many people’s minds may turn to the stock market crash on Wall Street or other more publicized representations of the Great Depression, Washington was equally affected, with a staggering unemployment rate of 33 percent for over ten years.