August 2014

information from King County

Crews finished installing the outer wall of the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Project storage tank on Wednesday, August 13. The 80-foot deep underground wall is made out of four-foot wide concrete cylinders called secant piles. The secant piles interlock to form a watertight ring that will house the storage tank. Crews began installing the secant piles in late May. The secant pile drill and crane will leave the site by August 22. King County and its contractor know that installing the outer wall was loud and disruptive. Thank you for your patience during this work.

The County contractor will spend the rest of August preparing to dig out the area within the outer wall where the tank will be built. Pumps will be installed to control groundwater inside the ring and excess concrete will be removed from the work area. Platforms for the digging equipment will also be built.

information from Sustainable West Seattle

Come see what is happening and catch up with friends at the Sustainable West Seattle annual picnic on Thursday, Aug. 21.

New location!: This year the picnic will be held at the Community Orchard of West Seattle. Come tour the orchard, hike through the arboretum, press some apples for cider and blend some smoothies on a pedal powered blender.

Bring chairs, reusable or compostable plates and utensils and a main dish or salad to share or something to throw on the grill. We will provide charcoal grills, tables, drinks and musical entertainment.

Start time for the picnic is 5:00pm and will continue until 7:00 pm.

The address is 6000 16th Ave. SW, use the North Entrance to the college campus and then head east toward the orchard and greenbelt area. Bus access is through Metro Routes 125 and 128. Buses stop at the central entrance to the college. You will need to walk to the northern end, which is about a 5 minute walk.

Aug. 21, 5-7 p.m.
Community Orchard of West Seattle
on the campus of South Seattle Community College

information from Alaska Airlines

They say cats have nine lives. Thanks to Alaska Airlines employee Robin Yong, a cat from West Seattle has all nine intact.

Yong heard the tale of Itty Bitty Kitty, a lost cat from West Seattle, via Facebook. Kitty, an older, orange and white tabby, ran away from home as his owners prepared to move from Seattle to Ohio. He missed the trip, slipping away as the car was being loaded. When his owner, Beth Lewis, realized that Itty Bitty was missing, the road trip was postponed as she searched high and low for her beloved pet.

But it was during the Fourth of July weekend, and the noise of fireworks likely kept him away. After a two-week delay, and no Kitty, the family made the painful decision to make the trip without him.

Even after the state recreational cannabis stores have opened there is still a salad of options for individuals looking to buy pot.

After the new recreational pot shop, Cannabis City, opened in SODO in early July, users were alarmed with the price. Also the lag in rate the stores are opening is leaving users on the north end aching for something closer.

At $20 a gram, state cannabis is twice the market rate for medical cannabis, and almost three times as much for street prices – four times if you have a “friend.”

So who’s buying the state bud? On the first day Cannabis City sold out of over 10 pounds.

information from King County

Acting upon new recommendations from an independent task force, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced today how King County will implement a reduced-fare program for lower-income bus riders by March 2015.

King County Metro will be the second major transit system in the nation to offer this type of fare.

"One of the ways we create opportunity is by helping people get to work, get to school, and get to the services they need to reach their full potential," said Executive Constantine. "This reduced fare program will ensure that those who have lesser means still have access to opportunity."

The reduced fare will be $1.50 for those who qualify. It takes effect on March 1, 2015, the same day that all regular Metro fares will increase by 25 cents – the fifth fare increase for Metro riders since 2008. In that time, off-peak fares will have increased by 100 percent.

Task Force recommendations

information from the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition

On Saturday, August 23, 2014, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/TAG, Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, South Park Arts and other will host the city's 9th Annual Duwamish River Festival at Duwamish Waterway Park (7900 10th Avenue S.) in the South Park neighborhood. For the first time at this festival, attendees will have the opportunity to take part in a collective art project. In partnering with South Park Arts, we invite everyone to construct a part of a mural that, once put altogether, will express how the Duwamish is a “river for all” and be displayed in the South Park community!

The festival is a family friendly event and will feature updates on the Duwamish River Superfund cleanup; free food, kayak and boat rides; live music representing the Duwamish Valley’s diverse cultures, interactive booths, rain garden walks, and family-friendly activities, as well as a raffle with amazing prizes! We will also have special guests and appearances like Lucha Libre wrestlers and Rat City Roller Girls!

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society will be conducting a walking tour of the Riverside Neighborhood at 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014. Riverside is defined as the area beneath the West Seattle Bridge and along West Marginal Way.

Led by area residents Frank Zuvela and Advisory Council member Jerry Vandenberg, the tour will start from Riverside Plaza, which was dedicated in January 2012, at the corner of West Marginal Way and Marginal Place Southwest. Clay Eals, executive director of the historical society, will be on hand to assist.

Cost for the tour is $5, payable upon at the outset of the tour. In addition, a booklet titled “Riverside” will be for sale for $10.

Zuvela’s family arrived at the mouth of the Duwamish River in 1904, and like the majority of Riverside’s fishing families, his forebears came from Croatia.

Riverside Plaza features multi-colored commemorative tiles for families and home sites that are arranged to repeat the patterns of the neighborhood. From the plaza, the tour will cover 18th, 17th and 16th Avenues Southwest as well as the low-level Spokane Street swing bridge.

A car accident in which a car hit a pole knocked out power for more than 4200 City Light customers on Wednesday night Aug. 13, at 116th and 10th Ave. SW south of White Center.

City Light reported that the accident happened around 9:20pm but said they planned to "switch around" the outage and restore power ASAP likely within an hour.

You can check City Light system status here: http://www.seattle.gov/light/sysstat/

25 years ago John Bennett bought the building at 2918 Avalon Way SW to make room for his antique store. When Pat and Ron's tavern closed in the other side, Bennett took over the space and created the Luna Park Cafe. It transformed the former dive bar into a cheerful, funky, unique combination of his love for juke boxes (he owned Jukebox City at the time) and for local history and memorabilia. It's a unique collection of coin operated novelties, lunch boxes, street signs, historic photographs, and an old time diner feel. They boast some of the best milkshakes in Seattle and have a large diverse menu.

On August 21, the whole city is invited to celebrate their anniversary starting at 4pm and will run until 10pm. Two live bands, The Bullets and a Beatles tribute band Britt Mania will perform and the event will feature the following:

• Clowns, performers and magicians
• Caricature drawing
• Face painting
• Photo ops
• Vendor booths
• Free picture buttons
• Door prizes and contests
• Food and drink specials
• Barbecue
• Beer garden

Editors Note: We are pleased to announce with some pride and definite excitement that Pat Cashman has joined us as a contributing writer. Cashman's well known stints with KING TV's Almost Live, as the commercial face for Taco Time Northwest, and others, his time on local radio and now with his latest television venture "The 206" keep him very busy. We're happy to have his comic and thoughtful writing on our pages.

By Pat Cashman

No one knows for sure when singing was invented.
Maybe it happened during caveman days, when Trog said to Ogg: “Remember yesterday when you were discovering fire and you burned your hand and started screaming real high? Well I must tell you ya---it sounded real good! In fact, all the women in our tribe want to know if you can do it again---except this time, put words to it.”

Since then, the theme of saying “goodbye,” has been a constant in music, poetry, literature and movies. It is generally regarded as the hardest task in life, except for doing your own taxes---and changing a newborn.