July 2015

On Thurs., July 16, the campaign for District 1 candidate Shannon Braddock, People for Shannon Braddock, received a $44,000 dollar contribution from Screen Strategies Media. Based out of Fairfax, Virginia Screen Strategies Media has worked on promotions and advertisements for numerous campaigns in Washington State.

The contribution has sparked outrage and questions of ethics among the other District 1 candidates. This contribution puts Braddock well above the pack in terms of campaign funds.

As one candidate noted a recent Facebook post to the District 1 page showed a screenshot of a new Braddock advertisement that purportedly played on FX during an airing of “The Avengers”.

The timing of the contribution seems to coincide with the Seattle Times’ recent endorsement of Philip Tavel for District 1 last Wednesday, July 15.

Braddock was unavailable for comment but her campaign staff member Christian Sinderman responded by clarifying this was neither a “donation” nor a “contribution” but rather an “independent expenditure” of which Braddock and her campaign had no involvement with.

July 19 is STUFF THE BUS day for WestSide Baby for the 15th year. It is the largest diaper drive in Seattle The goal this year is to collect 500,000 for the 10,000 children under three living in poverty in King County.

How can you help?

Come along to the big yellow bus, bring diapers to donate to the effort.

The event's kickoff drive is at West Seattle Homestreet Bank, 4022 SW Alaska St, Seattle, WA 98116 on July 19th from 10.00am to 2.00pm

Their finale drive at St. Joseph Parish, Capitol Hill, 732 18th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112 on July 26th from 9.00am to 2.00pm

You can also donate at ALL Seattle Les Schwab locations!

Or find a drop off donation location on this page.

If you can’t make it to a drop off location there are many other ways you can help:

Text DIAPERS to 80888 to make a $10.00 donation!*

$1,000 = 4,347 diapers! $500 = 2,174 diapers! $100 = 2 cases! $50 = 1 case! $20 = 1 package!

or DONATE ONLINE.

Today is West Seattle Garden tour day. July 19 from 9 am to 5pm some of the best gardens in West Seattle are open for public tours and the tickets are still available.

If you're a last minute ticket buyer on tour day, you can still pick up your ticket booklet today from 8:30am to 11:30am at Metropolitan Market in Admiral. (Metropolitan Market will only be selling tickets during this specific time period on Sunday, July 19th.)

Metropolitan Market
2320 42nd Ave SW
Seattle, WA
(206) 937-0551

Otherwise visit the Tour website for more information:

http://westseattlegardentour.org

The Barton Street Combined Sewage Overflow pump station and Cove Park both just adjacent to the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock opened for a celebration and tours for the public on July 18. The station, which collects sewage and storm water runoff was showing its age at 50 years and had to be upgraded. King County began the process in 2012.

The project replaced outdated electrical equipment, pumps, and associated equipment. The new pumps will have increased capacity from 22 million gallons per day (mgd) to 33 mgd.

The new facility has upgraded heating, ventilation and air conditioning installed.
A new underground vault was built to house a new backup generator system capable of 12,500 watts and running for a full day without external power. Also installed a new odor control system.

The station takes raw sewage and storm water overflow and pumps it north to the next station still being built, called the Murray Basin CSO just across from Lowman Beach Park. From there it travels north Alki to another station then over toward and under the Duwamish River then north along Elliott Bay to West Point where it is treated.

With high temperatures making the route warmer than normal the West Seattle Grand Parade was a sunny celebration of all things community on Saturday July 18.

Produced by the West Seattle Rotary Service Foundation the parade began at 11 am and made its way from the Admiral District to the West Seattle Junction with Grand Marshall, Dow Constantine, joined by his wife Shirley Carlson and daughter Sabrina on board a convertible driven by Bob Bell of the Puget Sound Miata Club.

Drill teams, bands (including the All City Band directed by Sealths Marcus Pimpleton) the float from the Marysville Strawberry Festival, The Hi-Yu Festival float, and many other entries entertained what appeared to be a much larger crowd than in past years as the parade seems to be enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

The Genesee Schmitz neighborhood is in need of some friendly reinforcements (adults and kids) to join them in this year's West Seattle Parade, set to start at 11am down California Ave. SW.

In an email post they stated:
"This is a fun way to get your Saturday exercise and meet some folks from both our neighborhood and other neighborhoods in West Seattle. (We walk with the other neighborhood councils.) You are also virtually guaranteed to see people you know along the parade route!

The parade starts at California Ave SW and SW Lander St (one block south of Admiral Way). The parade is 1.5 miles long. We will walk south to California Ave SW and SW Edmunds St (West Seattle Junction).

The parade begins at 11:00 am. We will let you know later today where in the procession we're placed, and thus when we should gather to be prepared. Just like last year, the parade begins at Lander and California Ave. We'll be assigned to wait either adjacent to the playground of Lafayette Elementary or the east side of California near the tennis courts at Hiawatha Park."

ArtsWest in the West Seattle Junction will offer something more akin to a nightclub experience this summer as it debuts "After Hours with Mathew Wright" in a series of Monday evenings from July 20 through Aug. 17.

Hosted by Artistic Director Mathew Wright, these one-night only cabaret-style events feature five leading ladies in Seattle theatre. Each of them will share stories from their lives and careers through provocative, freewheeling interviews and sing everything from Broadway standards to pop songs, backed by Mathew Wright, ArtsWest Artistic Director on piano.

• 7/20 Sarah Rose Davis
• 7/27 Jessica Skerritt
• 8/3 Cayman Ilika
• 8/10 Laura Griffith
• 8/17 Katherine Strohmaier

Fire Station 11, at 1514 SW Holden St. in the Highland Park neighborhood is holding a public open house on July 18, 2015, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"Thanks to voters, Fire Station 11 has been upgraded to provide a safer environment for our firefighters as they serve our community,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “This is your fire station, and I encourage you to join the celebration.”

Fire Station 11 is one of 32 neighborhood fire stations being upgraded, renovated or replaced through the Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Program, which was approved by Seattle voters in 2003. Built in 1971, Fire Station 11 was in generally fair condition, but required seismic retrofits to meet current earthquake safety standards. Remodeling to enhance operations was also part of the $1.04 million project.

Fire Station 11 houses one engine company (E11) and a reserve ladder unit. The crew remained at the station during construction.

Earlier today Seattle City Light employees cut down a healthy Korean Ashe at the proposed homeless encampment site in Ballard (located at 2826 NW Market Street).

The move was made exactly 10 days after the City notified the public about planned action to cut down the tree.

The notification was posted on July 6 after SCL determined the site was contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides and needed environmental remediation action. The post was stuck to the tree located on the site.

Citizens had 10 days to comment on the action, but some Ballard residents complain that it took place without proper time for public comment.

“This has taken place even before the community has had a chance to have a meaningful public process around the proposal. This is really frustrating,” wrote Ballard resident, Marty McOmber.

An application for yet another major housing development has been filed with the Seattle Department of Planning and Development in West Seattle.

The proposed project is a 54 unit residential development (eight townhouse structures with 37 units and 17 single family dwelling units) in an environmentally critical area.

Parking for 70 vehicles will be located within the residential structures. Final Environmental Impact Statement was dated September 24, 2004 and was prepared by Seattle Housing Authority.

Comments on the proposed development can be made on the DPD page here:
http://web6.seattle.gov/DPD/LUIB/Notice.aspx?BID=1050&NID=20066

Comments will be accepted through July 29, 2015.