March 2012

press release:
Last month the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Roadway Structures crew began constructing a new paved path and staircase at 61st Street SW. This will connect the lower staircase, built last year, to the top of the slope at 60th Street SW. The stairway has been closed since mid February while this work is underway.

The crews have been working diligently with the goal of reopening the staircase by the beginning of April. They have just completed the second concrete pour out of the four needed for this project and have the railing almost ready to put in up to the alley. They also completed a retaining wall needed to prevent ground erosion. They expect to have the staircase opened to the alley by the end of the day on Monday, March 12th. They are scheduled to pour more concrete next week and to make the last pour during the week of the 19th, weather permitting. Some landscape work, sidewalk and drain work at the top of the stairway will be completed after the sidewalk is reopened.

For further information, please contact SDOT Roadway Structure Manager at 206-684-8325.

Stephen DeAngelo, nationally known cannabis activist and host of the Discovery Channel's Weed Wars paid a visit to West Seattle's Northwest Patient Resource Center (NWPRC) on Friday March, 9 to meet owner John Davis and tour the facility, now a collective garden distribution point for cannabis.

The business, which opened in May of last year, is located at the corner of 35th Ave. s.w. and s.w. Roxbury Street. The West Seattle Herald covered their opening.

CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO SEE MORE

DeAngelo, active in the field of cannabis reform for nearly four decades is the founder of Harborside Health Center in Oakland CA.. "Harborsside has more than 94,000 patients which makes us the largest retailer of medical marijuana on the entire planet," DeAngelo said and has served as a model medical cannabis dispensary for others.

SLIDESHOW, Click on photo for more

The 4th Annual Cove to Clover presented by Mick Kelly's Irish Pub kicked off with the Pub Crawl Friday night. Official pub crawl stops included:

Mick Kelly's Irish Pub, 435 SW 152nd St.

Elliott Bay Brewery, 255 SW 152nd St.

Tin Room Bar, 923 SW 152nd St.

913 The Place Next Door, 913 SW 152nd St.

Hobnobber, 447 SW 153rd St.

Sidestreet Kithcen and Bar, 717 SW 148th St.

CC's Lounge, 635 SW 152nd St.

Bison Creek Pizza, 630 SW 153rd St.

Eat Local, 810 SW 151st St.

Burien Press, Fine Coffee, Fine Print, 423 SW 152nd St.

All proceeds from the pub crawl directly benefit the Cove to Clover's charities. According to the Cove to Clover website, the beneficiaries of the 2011 Charity Contributions totaling $37,000 include:

Highline Area Food Bank $16000

Highline Schools Foundation/Schools $12500

Hospitality House $3000

Para Los Ninos $2250

YETI Club $1550

Emergency Family Relief $ 500

Highliners $500

The most recent addition to medical marijuana access facilities for patients in West Seattle and White Center will open on Wednesday, March 14 in a retail space at Arrowhead Gardens Apartments for senior living (9220 2nd Ave S.W.).

The name is Sure Can Access Point, according to the company voicemail, and the Herald is still awaiting a call back from the owner for additional details on the business model and safety features.

The business has been confirmed by construction workers on site and John Davis, owner of the Northwest Patient Resource Center (NWPRC) in West Seattle, chairman of Seattle’s Hempfest, and chair of the recently formed Cannabis Standard and Ethics Committee where “we created best practices and a compliance arm so we can check ourselves and assure that we will abide by them.” http://ccsnewa.com/

Department of Planning and Development documents show a segmented floor plan with a separate lobby, waiting area, transaction room and lounge. It is unclear at this time whether the lounge will be used by patients for smoking purposes. The windows are frosted, a common practice for patient confidentiality and a low profile.

press release:
The contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation on the Spokane Street Viaduct (the elevated roadway between the West Seattle Bridge and I-5) Widening Project will institute another round of closures next week. The Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed to all westbound traffic on Thursday and Friday nights, and First Avenue S will be closed at S Spokane Street at night Monday through Thursday.

In addition, motorists in the area will experience a permanent shift in the path for northbound traffic on East Marginal Way moving through the intersection at S Spokane Street when they are shifted onto the new East Marginal Way Grade Separation structure.

During the monthly gathering of West Seattle neighborhood group leaders at the Southwest District Council on March 7, a flourish of upcoming spring activities (from the Alki Summer Streets Event to Metro RapidRide C Line construction schedules) were revealed.

In the fun category:

A Story Runs Through It: Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Film Festival
Lois Maag with the Dept. of Neighborhoods revealed a citywide film festival that should be right up the alley of aspiring West Seattle filmmakers, young and old, with an appreciation of their neighborhood.

The festival is part of the Seattle Center’s Next Fifty celebration in 2012 and will include workshops to learn how to make short films and an opportunity to create and submit your film for a competition with “modest cash rewards,” as Maag said.

By Sam Reed

In a season that seems like it started eons ago – way before Winter Break, and even prior to Thanksgiving vacation – the Winter sports season at Chief Sealth International High School is officially in the books. Over 160 student-athletes represented our Seahawks in Metro League competition, one of the most competitive leagues in the state. These students, representing boys and girls basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, swim and cheerleading, dedicated many hours to bettering themselves, supporting their teammates and sacrificing hours of sleep and study to don a Chief Sealth uniform in battle. Their accomplishments will be recognized an our annual Winter Sports Banquet, scheduled for Thursday, March 15 in the Chief Sealth Galleria.

This Winter sports season was one of both individual and team accomplishments, both from a strong group of trailblazing upperclassmen as well as fiercely competitive group of younger student-athletes. This mix should ensure only more success in the years to come.

UPDATE 3:15
Power is now fully restored.

UPDATE 2:35
Power has been restored to all but 10 customers of City Light after an outage that began at just after 1:15 pm affected more than 28,000 customers in South Seattle. The problem was caused by a wire tripping a relay at the south substation according to City Light.

Original Post
A power outage affecting 28,000 customers of City Light, traced to the south substation is expected to be fully repaired by 6pm tonight according to the agency.

The outage extends from mid Boeing Field up to just south of South Dearborn with others also out north of there.

You can check on the system status of the outage at the City Light System Status page.

Press release:

Highline Medical Center will close the 17 bed Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) located at the Specialty Campus in Tukwila in April 2012.

Highline Specialty Campus continues to provide Acute Rehabilitation services for patients recuperating from major surgery, illness or an accident.

In addition, Highline Specialty Campus provides Geriatric Psychiatry and Addiction Recovery Treatment.

To learn more about Highline Medical Center healthcare services visit www.HighlineMedicalCenter.org

The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement warning about high wind event likely to take place Sunday night and into Monday morning. The current forecast models don't indicate it will have a major impact in West Seattle but conditions change rapidly with weather and this is a strong storm.

Special Weather Statement

POTENTIAL HIGH WIND EVENT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...

THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A SIGNIFICANT AND DAMAGING HIGH WIND EVENT FOR PARTS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE DAY ON MONDAY. THE STRONGEST WIND AND THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGE WILL BE ALONG THE COAST. DEPENDING ON THE EVOLUTION OF THIS WEATHER SETUP...THE NORTH INTERIOR...THE ADMIRALTY INLET AREA...AND THE SOUTH PUGET SOUND REGION COULD ALSO EXPERIENCE STRONG AND DAMAGING WIND ON MONDAY.