Construction on Seattle Parks and Recreation's South Leschi Marina Wave Attenuator and Facility Improvements project was scheduled to get underway in mid-September, with initial work focused on preparing the site and beginning utility work. As of this writing, the contractor was scheduled to begin mobilizing the week of September 14. Early activity was expected to include bringing equipment to the site, installing fencing around the Seattle Parks parking lot, establishing tre

Early in the summer I put out a new bird feeder and perhaps coincidentally a few minutes later about 15-20 large birds flew into a big tree across the street overlooking my garden. They perched for about half an hour and then flew together south and disappeared from my view. With my new binoculars (and new interest in birding, thank you Nick Djunic for the beginner course at Seward Park Audubon) I could see they were Cooper’s Hawks. I learned there are many active nests in th

At the September 2nd Leschi Community Council meeting, members of Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) joined about 50 community members to provide an update on the Lakeside Avenue Improvement Plan. The plan had been shared out with the community via email, the LCC blog and LCC kiosk, and the LCC Board collected feedback via a survey ahead of the meeting. Some attendees at the community meeting participated in the survey, while others did not. The survey results were t

Some of the decisions that most directly affect life in Leschi aren't made at City Hall. They're made by King County and the State Legislature. This November, Leschi will vote on two offices that get much less attention than a mayor's race but reach further into daily life here: King County Council, District 2, and the 37th District State House, Position 1. Rebecca Saldaña and Toshiko Grace Hasegawa are on the ballot for County Council; Sharon Tomiko Santos and Kelabe Tewolde

There are a number of wonderful art exhibitions for you to visit in Seattle this September. At the top of the list is Carletta Carrington Wilson’s large exhibition at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. “Carletta Carrington Wilson: Object Lessons” closes on Sept 20. The Museum makes a perfect day trip with a bus to downtown Seattle, a beautiful ferry ride and a short walk to the museum. Wilson is a poet as much as a visual artist, and her wonderful sense of the multiple mean

Sept 2nd meeting recap, with links to the Lakeside traffic plan and options for submitting feedback.

The FIFA World Cup came to Seattle this summer and one of the popular spots for a watch party was Leschi’s Bluwater Bistro. There were TVs outside on the patio and an 85-inch screen indoors with additional TVs set up indoors. And the crowds poured in. Owner Bart Evans said that for the final game between Argentina and Spain there were as many patrons as for the Seahawks Superbowl last January. Bartender Fran Martin researched drinks to match the competing countries. If you we

Buster Simpson’s Plantings First in a series of occasional photo essays As we slide out of summer, let’s have a look at some of Leschi’s distinguished trees. Seattle has about 730 different kinds of street trees, which is to say, trees planted along a street right-of-way. This does not include trees in parks or on private property, categories we’ll also look at in coming articles. And I write “planted” advisedly: the last remaining original tree downtown was cut in 1879, and

On July 19, neighbors, friends, and volunteers gathered at Powell Barnett Park for a community work party led by Maisha Barnett, continuing the shared commitment to caring for one of Leschi’s treasured neighborhood parks. Approximately 17 volunteers spent the morning pulling weeds, spreading mulch around trees, and patrolling the park for litter. The event brought together a wonderful mix of community members, including a Garfield High School student volunteer, descendants of

After years of planning, construction on the South Leschi Moorage Improvement Project is expected to begin after Labor Day. The project, led by Seattle Parks and Recreation, will replace the aging dock and improve accessibility, helping preserve this important community asset for years to come. Construction was originally scheduled to begin in early May but was postponed in response to concerns raised by nearby businesses about the impact on their busy summer season. Since th

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Vision Zero team has developed a first version of an improvement plan for Lakeside Avenue. This project aims to enhance safety and accessibility along this important corridor. Funded by the Transportation Levy and the District 3 Project Fund, the plan focuses on reducing traffic violations and pedestrian risks and improving the experience for all. The Leschi Community Council is gathering community feedback to shape the final de

As I sat down to talk with Inye Wokoma about the multimedia art center Wa Na Wari, I asked him what I thought was a simple question: how did you get the idea to start a multimedia art center here? The answer took an hour and a half. The story is fascinating. It begins in Arkansas where Inye’s grandparents and his seven siblings worked as tenant farmers. But then World War II came and his grandfather, Frank Green, served in the military in the South Pacific . As soon as he ret