December 2013

West Seattle Brewing is still finishing its craft brew pub but as co-owner Drew Locke acknowledged, "It's time to get it open." The brewery/pub is located at 4415 Fauntleroy Way S.W. Here's our previous coverage on the business.

They had a soft open on Dec. 14 with just a few friends in a private party event but plan to open to the public next Thursday Dec. 19. The opening will be limited to just a few days a week as they ramp up their production on site running from Thursday through Saturday 4pm to 10pm.

Two big brewing tanks ready to go are in the space that once housed Tervo's Delicatessen years ago, and should begin brewing sometime in the next 30 days.

West Seattle Brewing will open with nine beers to begin with and expand to 18 as they ramp up production.

Kevin Fawcett, co-owner said that opening the business has meant a learning curve. Getting everything to work properly matters more in a business than it does to a home brewer. "People are waiting and you've got to be able to pour them a beer."

A 46 year old woman's death in Highpoint is the focus of a homicide investigation tonight. According to the victim's mother and brother, the victim was stabbed multiple times. Her brother said, "Why did they have to kill her like that?" They said she was born in 1968.

He said he spoke to a neighbor who had spoken to the victim on the phone last night the last time she was known to be alive.

Around 12:30 pm police came to the 5900 block of Highpoint Drive S.W. to check the welfare of a homeowner at the request of a relative of the victim. Inside they found the victim, dead.

Homicide and CSI detectives responded to process the scene and continue to actively investigate.

The suspect(s) remain at large.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Seattle Police Homicide Tip Line at (206) 233-5000. Anonymous tips are welcome.

This remains an active and on-going homicide investigation.

Information from the Seattle Police Blotter

Officers located and arrested a young male burglar inside a woman’s home early this morning in West Seattle.

At approximately 3:31 a.m. officers responded to the 3200 block of 59th Avenue SW for the report of an occupied residential burglary. Preliminary investigation indicates that the female homeowner was inside her house and heard multiple voices. She called 911.

Officers arrived on scene and found the home’s doors unlocked. Officers entered the house and located one male suspect inside. There were no signs of forced entry.

The 14-year-old male suspect was arrested and booked into juvenile detention for Investigation of Burglary.

The woman homeowner was not injured.

information from West Seattle Transportation Coalition

Got a rant about transportation in West Seattle or maybe a rave to share? If so, the West Seattle Transportation Coalition (WSTC) wants to hear from you. They plan to begin a series of “Listening Tours” to learn about transportation and mobility issues that affect the West Seattle Peninsula. The first of the ‘tours’ starts this weekend.

At each ‘Tour Stop,’ Coalition members will take your comments about transportation and the peninsula. “We’d like you to tell us works and what doesn’t work about transportation in West Seattle; what do you think can be improved, or what do you think is needed,” said WSTC Outreach Chairperson Deb Barker. Transportation methods such as car, bike, bus, ferry, scooter, skateboard, rollerblade, wheelchair, or walking are included. As a newly formed grassroots group dedicated to advancing and improving all transportation modes in order to benefit the West Seattle Peninsula, the WSTC will tabulate all of the comments they receive to determine on-going transportation goals and objectives for all of the people of the West Seattle Peninsula.

Monday, Dec. 9
Boys basketball
Olympic 68, Evergreen 44
Anthony Berry-You tossed in 22 points for the Wolverines in a losing cause this past Monday. Walter Hayden was next with nine.
Shorewood Chr. 75, Puget Sd. Adv. 44
Jordan King poured in 26 points and JJ Young 19 as Shorewood Christian of West Seattle routed Puget Sound Adventist on Monday.
Michael Lorenz added 14.

Tuesday, Dec. 10
Boys basketball
Eastside Cath. 80, Chief Sealth 44
Leeandre Dickerson swished in 17 for Chief Sealth in Tuesday's loss to Eastside Catholic.
Lakeside 57, West Seattle 48
Ruslan Bunduzha scored 18 points for the Wildcats on Tuesday, but they still fell short against Lakeside.
Sea. Luth. 62, Darrington 31
Cody Jones led the Saints to victory with 22 points this past Tuesday.

Girls basketball
Darrington 47, Sea. Luth. 22
Abby Sanders scored a team-high seven for Seattle Lutheran in a loss to Darrington on Tuesday.

Wednesday, Dec. 11
Boys basketball
Hazen 71, Evergreen 26
Hayden hit nine for Evergreen in Wednesday's loss.

With the departure of The Bridge from the land at 4435 35th S.W. the road is clear for the development there to go ahead and the decision to go ahead is now in place. The Herald covered the early stages of this development here. The Department of Planning and Development has granted conditional approval. Those wishing to make a comment about the project can do so on the DPD Notice of Decision page here and comments will be accepted until Dec. 26.

A six-story structure will be built there with 151 residential units above eight live- work units (9,552 sq. ft.) in an environmentally critical area. Parking for 152 vehicles will be located at and below grade.

The text of the decision including a description and design guidance follows. The full text is available at the link above.

Site and Vicinity Description

information from SDOT
 
This weekend the speed limit on the Spokane Street Viaduct is increasing to 40 miles per hour (mph) between I-5 and First Avenue South. While the speed limit was 35 mph based on the structure’s original design, the Spokane Street Viaduct Project widened the roadway, which allows for a 40 mph speed. The project officially concluded last December, but the lower speed limit remained in place while the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) monitored operations. SDOT has concluded the Spokane Street Viaduct is functioning well and that the speed limit can be safely increased.
 
Last weekend SDOT replaced aging and worn overhead signs on the structure. The new signs are made of a reflective material that works so well the electric lighting associated with overhead signs is not needed. The Washington State Department of Transportation currently uses this material and we are taking this opportunity to review its use in Seattle.
 

The Argosy Cruises Christmas Ships have been a tradition around the Puget Sound area for years and regularly visit West Seattle shores. On Monday night, Dec. 16 they will make their first stop at Salty's on Alki.

They should begin around 9:15 pm so early arrival is encouraged.

Nems Scarim, Public Relations Manager for Salty's said, "Not only are we inviting our guests out for dinner Monday night, but also the entire community is invited enter onto our HEATED patios to enjoy hot cider and cookies. The patio will be well lit with tiki torches, lanterns and hand-held candles., making for great photo-ops, facebooking & tweets. The heat lamps will be crankin' as the Christmas Ships approach from the East at 9pm."

Caroling by Pacific Sound Chorus will be heard from the ship and you are invited to sing along.

If you are coming down for dinner that evening reservations are advised and can be made at www.saltys.com or by calling 206-937-1600 (no need to make reservations for visiting the patio for Christmas Ship viewing).

Salty's on Alki is located at 1600 Harbor Ave. S.W. in West Seattle.

Mark Knoll, a West Seattle developer came to the Morgan Junction Community Association(MOCA) meeting at the Highpoint Community Center on Dec. 12 and explained the reasoning and intent behind the 30 unit apartment project at 6917 California Ave. S.W. that has drawn controversy over the plans to build the structure with no additional parking.

"I'm probably one of the only developers who would show up for a meeting like this. It's because I care what the neighbors think," Knoll said.

A second “Parents Night Out” benefiting the non-profit Evergreen Community Aquatics Center will be held at center’s pool in White Center from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14.

For a minimum donation of $30 per child, parents can give their children a fun evening of swimming while they go Christmas shopping or to a dinner or a movie.

The White Center pool faces a Jan. 15 deadline to raise $15,000 to keep the facility open.
Larger donations at “Parents Night Out” will be gratefully accepted, said WhiteWater Aquatics president Brian Hastings, who recently told Burien City Council members, “It costs a lot of money to heat a 250,000 gallon pool.”

By Jan. 15, “either we will have the money to pay our utility bill or we won’t,” Hastings warned the council members.

This prompted high school senior Megan Kawaguchi – a member of the Evergreen Community Aquatics Center swim team, who has earned a swimming scholarship to the University of Utah – to urge the council members, “Please help us keep our doors open.”