The King County News Blog reports that the sculpture and landscaping that surrounds the West Point Treatment Plant in Discovery Park has earned a place in the National Art Collection of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.

(photo courtesy of King County)

West Point’s art and landscaping was installed in the 1990s as a mitigation measure for the plant’s federally-mandated upgrade to more stringent secondary treatment standards.

Prior to the upgrade, the plant that treats about 133 million gallons of sewage each day, was a blight on Discovery Park’s prime beachfront.  Now it is  screened by 7,000 feet of sculptured concrete walls and walking paths. 

The Smithsonian describes the project this way:  Over 7,000 feet of sinuous sculpted walls screen the sewage treatment plant for the visitors of Discovery Park.  The multi-level wall defines the industrial structures imagery, the park walkways, the wetlands and the pedestrian bridge.

A Magnolia landmark is celebrating 20 years in business with a number of special events throughout September.

When Chef Ludger and his wife Julie opened Szmania’s in the Magnolia Village in 1990 they had a one year old son and a baby on the way.  Today, you can often see the three Szmamia boys (two are in college and one is high school)working in the restaurant.  The Szmania family is committed to Magnolia and their restaurant has made our neighborhood a dining destination for many.

Julie says that the past 20 years have been filled with their three sons, 19 pets, hundreds of great employees, and about a million pounds of Schnitzel.  Its been exciting and rewarding and she wants to thank the many loyal customers and friends they have made along the way.  They have packed September with lots of fun events and an appreciation savings opportunity for customers:

• First off you can buy $50 gift certificates for just $40 until September 20.  
• The official 20th anniversary party happens on Monday, September 20th with a kick off party for Oktoberfest.  Expect German food, music and beer along with a drawing for gift certificates and more. Call for reservations.
• The Everything Blueberry "Sip & Dip" is set for Tuesday, September 14th  6:30 – 8:30 p.m.  In conjunction with Washington Organic Week and Whitehorse Meadows Farm they will be celebrating local organic wines & growers. For $35 per person you get three wines and three courses involving one of the most healthy berries ever.
• The fall harvest cooking class happens on Wednesday, September 29th at 6 p.m. when Chef Ludger will prepare a four-course dinner while walking you through his recipes and secret chef tips.  Bring any fall vegetable and he’ll teach you how to cook it.  Pre-paid tickets are $55 per person, not including tax, gratuity or beverages.  Space is limited to 12 hungry, eager-to-learn guests.

Give the restaurant a call at (206) 284-7305 for reservations or gift certificates.  You can also visit their facebook page for the latest news.

Just got this note from Seattle Parks about the schedule for Tuesday (8/31)  at Mounger Pool today:

This is to let you know that the phones and internet are down at Pop Mounger Pool in Magnolia. Before the phones went down, the pool staff were getting lots of calls asking if the pool would be open today, and if swim lessons would operate normally.

The answer to both those questions is: yes. The pool will be open and operating a regular schedule until Sept. 12 – rain or shine. The only reason we close the pool is for thunder and lightning.

If folks want to check the pool schedule click here.

Just a reminder that the Magnolia Library (2801 34th Ave West) and all other Seattle Public Libraries are closed today and won’t reopen until Tuesday, September 7th.  Budget cuts forced the closure.  The good news is that no overdue fines will add up during this time.  For a list of things you won’t be able to do, click here.

We’ve noticed a spike in car prowls around Discovery Park over the past few days.  According to Seattle Police, two car prowls were reported in the east parking lot on August 24 and 25.  Another car prowl was reported in the 4300 block of 36th Ave W on August 24.

More missing animal news this weekend.  Just got this from Olivia.

We found a  young cat on Thursday evening (8/26) near 31^st Ave W and Grover.  He is now at the Animal Shelter on 15^th Ave (case number 10787).  He doesn’t have a microchip.

We hope his owners read this and retrieve him from the shelter as soon as possible.  He is very cute and extremely friendly.  A picture is attached.  If the owner finds him, please call Olivia at 206-313-3626 because she would be happy to know he got home safely

UPDATE: The cat’s owners have been found, all the way in Ballard.   Rio says his family was absolutely thrilled to be reunited with the cat.  This from Rio: We brought the black kitty, who we’ve named Midnight, to the clinic today to have him treated for a few open wounds that happened very recently. Fortunately he was micro chipped and we were able to successfully contact his owners. He’s been missing for three months from the Ballard neighborhood blocks of 48th and 3rd Avenue NW – he travelled a very long ways. We are looking to reunite him (his real name is Gary) with his family soon. Thanks Magnolia Voice for posting this for us.

We got this note from Rio who is looking for the owner of this cat:  For some time, a timid yet very friendly (once trust is developed) male black cat (possibly young) has been camping out nearly full time on our terrace located on the west side of Government Way and 31st Ave West.

He isn’t wearing any collar to help identify him or who may be his owners.  The only distinctive marking he has is a nick/tear in his left ear perhaps from a cat fight in the distant past.  We are hoping that he does have a home nearby and can get in touch with his owners so they know he’s not missing.

In the meantime, we’ve temporarily made a bed for him and set out some food and water.  He has a voracious appetite which leads us to believe he could be lost or abandoned.   If no one comes forward to claim him after some time, we will take him to the clinic to scan for a microchip rather than pursue this immediately as we would like to avoid causing any distress to him.  If he has no chip, we would like to find a nice home for him.  We?d love to adopt him, but we have three indoor kitties already, two of which have medical needs.  Therefore, I am uncertain if bringing him into our home would be ideal for all.  

If you have any information about this cat, let us know in comments or drop us a note at tips@magnoliavoice.com and we will connect you to Rio.
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Seattle Magazine has just published its list of the 48 best sandwiches in the city and one of Magnolia’s newest restaurants made the list with a ham and cheese sandwich to die for!

The  Rustic Ham and Cheese at Melt Café is listed as a "One Of A Kind Fave” by the magazine.  Here is what they say: 

“At Melt Café, you get three options: Order a Classic if you prefer your sandwich as listed, a Melt Me if you desire one toasted, and a Piled High if you?re a meat-avore who needs the extra protein and a scoop of caramelized onions, too. For less than $10, the Rustic Ham and Cheese is a sweet deal that comes with hand-carved slices of smoked ham, shingled pieces of Brie and mustard on an excellent Macrina baguette"

The Rustic Ham and Cheese sells for $ 7.95. and comes with chips and  homemade pickled veggies.

Melt owner Teresa Schultz, as you can imagine, is thrilled about the news.  “This is an amazing honor and tribute to our hard work and dedication, making high quality sandwiches, utilizing grass fed local beef, local Macrina artisan breads, on site roasted meats, and only scratch – made fare. I received the news we were to be included in the article via a fact-checking phone call from the magazine.  We didn’t know we were on their radar, and had been in business just five months when they finished the article back in June.”

Schultz says that the crew at Melt Café, located at 2818 Thorndyke has been working hard to get to know folks in the community, including collecting donations for the Magnolia Little League.   She says that they have lot of regulars and new folks coming in daily.  The big favorites are the Rustic Ham and Cheese, Beef and Cheddar Dip, Tuna Melt, BLTA+S, Chunky Chicken Salad with homemade chutney, and the vegetarian  Mushroom Melt.

The congregation of the Magnolia United Church said goodbye to a giant maple tree this week.

Church leaders say the old maple was dying and becoming a safety risk. They held a prayer service around the giant tree last Sunday.

The tree parts were taken to the Meyer Wells Company in Interbay.  They are known for helping people preserve a piece of their favorite trees.  "Humans have a really strong connection to trees," said John Wells, president of Meyer Wells. "Especially if they grew up with them or have lived around them for a while."

Part of the this tree will become a maple table for the entry area at the church. Meyer Wells recently made a table and bench from a salvaged walnut tree for the Magnolia Library.

(Thanks for the pics Julie!)

KING TV also did a story on the maple tree and you can see it here.

The City of Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board voted unanimously to designate the Admiral’s House at Smith Cove as an historic landmark.  According to a media release, board members found the property met multiple designation standards, including its cultural heritage; its distinctive visible characteristics of an architectural style and its distinct location.

The house was originally owned by the U.S. Navy and is now owned by the public-private venture of the Navy and Forest City.  Forest City Military Communities is in a partnership with the Navy to provide and manage military housing in the Northwest and other regions of the country.

Currently, the house is vacant. Forest City plans to sell the home to a private party, who will be required to maintain that house and site as stipulated by the landmarks ordinance.

“It’s been a thrill to contribute to such an important and visible project,” said Mimi Sheridan, local historian and preservationist, and author of the Admiral’s House landmark nomination. “As a Magnolia resident myself, I know how much this building means to Magnolia and Queen Anne. The community has really been behind this. People came forward to let us know the importance of the house and, together, we have been able to set aside and preserve a unique part of our history and community.”

In addition to being a Seattle landmark, the Admiral’s House is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places because of its association with the history of the Navy presence in Seattle and for its embodiment of the Colonial Revival style. Forest City is working with the Washington State Historic Preservation Office to complete this listing this year.

Its been a tough road for the Fighting Cock Roaster restaurant on  Thorndyke and now it is shut down again.  The restaurant got rave reviews for its chicken and sandwiches but it was listed for sale back in January for $60,ooo.  No word on whether this closure means that someone purchased the restaurant but there is a lock on the door today.

The restaurant opened  in November of 2008 but closed the following March when owner Jon Davis said he needed to restructure. He reopened with an expanded menu last September but then put the restaurant on the market. We took these pictures through the window this afternoon and the kitchen equipment has all been cleared out.

It appears that not much has been left behind.

Thanks to everyone who wrote us asking what was up. We will let you know if we get any more information about the future of that location.

UPDATE:  Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has not found any problems with the water in the Magnolia area.  Bill Wells, Water Quality and Treatment Manager for SPU, writes in comments:  “SPU has not found anything out of the ordinary regarding chlorine levels in our regular monitoring of water quality in the Magnolia area. The amount of chlorine added to the water (a normal practice to ensure safe drinking water) has also been fairly consistent over the summer.  Any time our customers have a concern about water quality, they are welcome to call our response center at 206-386-1800. If warranted, a visit from one of our water quality inspectors will be arranged.”

We wanted to share a topic that is being discussed in the forum and see if anyone else is experiencing the same trouble.  Two readers are concerned about the smell of chlorine in their tap water:

SeattleJim writes: A few weeks ago we started to notice a very strong Chlorine taste and smell in our water. Seattle Public Utilities said we were the only complaint. It has continued on and off for the last few weeks, sometimes almost undrinkable. Has anyone else had an issue? We are near Ruffner and 33rd.

And gweaver had a similar experience:  My husband started a bath for our kids a couple of weeks back and when we went back into the bathroom (the door had been shut while the bath was filling up), we noticed an overwhelming smell of chlorine. We don’t use chlorine bleach in our house; we don’t clean with any bleach or chlorine products. The smell was in the water and it was STRONG. I meant to phone the city to ask what had changed. I will certainly call now that I know it wasn’t an isolated incident. We don’t drink unfiltered water in the house because I always smell chlorine faintly, but this was very pronounced.

Anyone else experiencing the same troubles?  Let us know in comments below.

Magnolia soccer players got a big treat when two Seattle Sounders dropped by to talk with the kids and demonstrate some of their professional moves.

The kids got to meet the players and get their autographs

David Estrada (left) and Jamel Wallace took questions from the Magnolia players.

And they showed the kids how to do it!

Here are some pics from Tuesday night when Taylor Graham came to sign autographs for the U-7 teams.

Here is Tyson Wahl showing the kids how to do it.

Thanks for the great photos Kym!

We have heard from a number of people wondering about some loud blasts that were heard in the area around 35th Ave West and Emerson streets on Sunday morning.

Trent in our forum asks “Does anyone have any idea what the 10 or so loud shots/explosions were last night at 4 a.m.?”  Somebody else thought is sounded like gunfire.  Another reader said “I was out walking the dog when I heard at least 10-20 shots near 36th and Emerson.”   And from our facebook page “Does anyone know what the 10-15 blasts in Magnolia were just before 4:00 am Sunday morning? They didn’t sound like fireworks or car backfire.”

We are checking too but wanted to open it up to our readers to see if anybody knows what this was all about?  Let us know in comments below.