June 2022

The art of retirement: Beloved teacher Brian Gaynor goes out with flying colors

By Patrick Robinson

How do you become beloved? Constant caring about others is a good place to start and Brian Gaynor whose last day as a teacher was this past week should know. 

Gaynor spent 20 years at Highland Park Elementary, then the last six at Gatewood Elementary teaching fourth grade. Along the way he found time to enjoy the sport of paddle boarding. He has worked as a raft guide, scuba instructor, on dive boats, and grew up surfing in Claremont, California. 

Those skills came in handy when in 2019 he along with others performed a water rescue as written about on the Gatewood Elementary Facebook page:

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SDOT: High bridge repair - Preparing to thread post-tensioning cables; pouring sign structure foundations

 

Bridge Status June 17

This week, we continued preparing for post-tensioning on the West Seattle Bridge. Our prep work included welding and fastening sections of protective ducts to our temporary rigging inside the bridge. We also performed more pre-tensioning epoxy crack injection and carbon-fiber wrapping work to reinforce sections of concrete near the new post-tensioning structural components. While we continue to use the work platforms beneath the bridge to complete epoxy and carbon-fiber work, we are also using an under-bridge inspection truck to reach other sections of the bridge’s girder that are not accessible from the work platforms.

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Man punched and hit with bat goes to hospital after robbery attempt

#2022-153581/Southwest Precinct/First Watch: 

On 06-16-2022 at 10:21am , Seattle Police responded to an incident in which a male victim was walking at the 5000 BLK of California Ave SW (between SW Dawson St and SW Hudson St) at approximately 6am, and an unknown male walked up to him.

The suspect demanded money and punched the victim in the jaw.

The suspect then struck the victim with a baseball bat. The victim fell unconscious.

The victim eventually woke up and walked home. The suspect didn’t take anything because the victim didn’t have any money on him. The victim had a broken jaw and possible head injury.

Seattle Fire responded to treat the victim, and he was transported by AMR to HMC. Robbery was notified about the incident, and they will conduct a follow up.

The area will be canvassed for evidence.

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RV and homeless encampment cleanup nearly complete on Andover Street
50,000 pounds of trash were removed from the site; Final cleanup set for Monday at 10am by local volunteers

The homeless encampment on Andover Street SW near the West Seattle Health Club that has been the scene of a shooting and other crimes was removed today as promised by Mayor Bruce Harrell's office.

Workers from Seattle Public Utilities  and other agencies were on hand to aid in the cleanup which saw some RV's depart under their own power and others being towed.

SPU's Sabrina Register provided a statement:

Prior to the start of today’s RV Remediation and encampment removal on SW Andover Street between 26th Ave SW and 28th Ave SW, six RVs, three trailers, one box truck, three vehicles, two tents and 13 people were on site.  

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West of Chicago Pizza goes all in; New location on Alaska Street opens July 8

West of Chicago Pizza Company, (WCPC) is more than just a place to get authentic deep dish pizza.

In fact its a kind of world unto itself.The owner, Shawn Millard while not a Chicago native has for the past four years operated on an entirely to-go basis out of the KBM Seattle Commissary Kitchen on Delridge Way SW offering the real thing. Deep, richly layered and flavored pizza that around here is a relative rarity.

But it's always been his dream to operate out of a brick and mortar location. Now that dream is a reality. 

On July 8, the new location will open at 3770 Alaska Street SW in the former Chaco Canyon location.

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Community invited to weigh in on tree regulations
Proposed zoning code updates aim to strengthen protections for trees on private property

Information from the City of Burien

The City of Burien is considering zoning code changes to help protect trees on private properties. Code changes are being studied to see how the City can protect and preserve large, healthy trees and making sure the trees are replaced when they must be removed. 

The community is invited to take a short survey on tree protection and regulation on private property. Feedback from the survey will be presented to the Burien City Council when they review proposed zoning code changes this fall. The survey closes on July 31, 2022.

Learn more about tree regulations and how to get involved at burienwa.gov/TreeRegulations. 

Neighborhood
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Notices on Andover Street RV's went up June 13; They must be gone by Thursday June 16

Mayor Bruce Harrell's efforts to clear encampments and RVs took the next step in West Seattle on Monday when, as promised, they delivered 72 parking notices to RV's parking on Andover Street SW in West Seattle. The location has been the scene of a recent shooting and other crimes reported to Seattle Police. The Mayor's Office Jamie Housen, Director of Communications shared this update with WestsideSeattle on Wednesday evening:

"On June 13, parking enforcement officers visited SW Andover St between 26th Ave SW and 28th Ave SW to provide 72-hour notification to RV and vehicle occupants of the exact area that needed to be free of vehicles so SPU crews could perform an RV Remediation to thoroughly clean the area and dispose of trash and debris on June 16.  At the time of the notification, there were 15 RVs, 11 vehicles and one utility trailer.  

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Taste of White Center June 25 will bring the flavors of diversity
27 restaurants signed up and more are likely; Fundraiser for White Center Food Bank

Information from the White Center Food Bank

The White Center Food Bank is excited to bring together our neighborhood’s wide variety of restaurants for a family-friendly event and fundraiser. With more than 27 restaurants participating, attendees can purchase $5 tickets to try a variety of foods from roasted corn, banh mi sandwiches and gyoza dumplings to specialty ice cream, bubble tea and shaved ice.

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Duwamish River Opportunity Fund to provide $250,000 for community-initiated projects
Seeking proposals to support Duwamish River neighborhoods

Information from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods

For years, Duwamish River neighborhoods have been impacted by environmental injustices, including the Superfund clean-up occurring in and along the river. To support them, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is again seeking proposals to the Duwamish River Opportunity Fund (DROF) to help fund community- based projects that improve the quality of life for communities living in the Duwamish River Valley. The total amount of funding is $250,000.

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