The attraction was mutual: The FCA Board was drawn to Lynn Olson's credentials, interests, and enthusiasm and she was drawn to the opportunity to help the community association grow and thrive.

On May 1, the association consultant began working with FCA leaders an average of five hours a week. She will relieve FCA volunteers of many administrative tasks, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of volunteers, and design and help implement a membership-development strategy.

A 20-year resident of West Seattle, Lynn volunteered after hours for various organizations while building a career in corporate marketing. She recently left the fast track to invest more time in the community and cultivate her interest in paper collage. Her list of present and past involvements includes the Admiral District Merchants and the West Seattle Junction Association.

"Lynn brings knowledge of the people and issues we deal with here, as well as the enthusiasm and creativity that will help Fauntleroy benefit from the many opportunities available to us," said FCA President Bruce Butterfield. "Board members are excited about her talent and feel her personality will fit comfortably with ours."

The goal, he emphasized, is not to have Lynn run the organization but to use her skills to leverage the contributions of volunteers:

"We look to her to help us coordinate and focus our efforts and to increase membership and volunteerism, especially among people new to the neighborhood."

Fauntleroy has some celebrating to do! This year marks FCA's 20th anniversary - 20 years of making waves in city, county, and state government when necessary to keep our neighborhood a neighborhood.

As many of us know, the main thrust of the group, then known as the Fauntleroy Environmental Association, was the fight to keep the state from expanding the ferry dock. Over the years since, traffic issues (including warding off attempts to make Fauntleroy Way S.W. a state highway and securing non-resident parking restrictions near the dock) have challenged us to work within the system to keep this place a nice home to come home to.

Changing our name to Fauntleroy Community Association, the broader scope it implies, and more volunteers enabled us, together, to make park, safety, environmental, and livability improvements that others will enjoy decades after we're all gone.

The fact that many concerns are ongoing has compelled us to take several steps to make learning about and getting involved with FCA easier. Our monthly board meetings are now consistently at the former Fauntleroy School (see page 6). We have hired Lynn Olson to help us with administration and membership development (see page 1). And we have launched a Web site (see page 5).

I hope to see you at our May 18th general meeting - and encourage you to bring a friend. We'll have an interesting agenda, as well as time for you to meet and greet your neighbors.

On a more personal note, one of the many people in city government who has been an invaluable resource to our community has moved on. Carla Cole directed the West Seattle Neighborhood Service Center for several years and recently left that position to be public information officer for the Seattle City Council.

Whenever we needed information or advice, she always came through - and always with enthusiasm and a sincere interest that went beyond doing her job. Thank you for your dedication to Fauntleroy, Carla, and to the whole of West Seattle.

Fauntleroy will host the South Sound Ferry Advisory spring meeting on Tuesday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hall at Fauntleroy, and funding for passenger-only service will be high on the list of topics of interest.

It will be the first advisory meeting since the Legislature passed a transportation budget enabling Washington State Ferries to project its level of service through June 30, 2001. It includes funding to continue passenger-only service during the interim between Vashon and downtown Seattle.

That's good news for residents of West Seattle as well as Vashon. Had passenger-only service been cancelled, we would have had many more commuter vehicles on our streets and on the high bridge.

The approved budget for ferry operations falls short of reinstating full service, however. Reductions affecting Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth routes include eliminating passenger-only service on weekends and late-night service between Vashon and Tacoma.

The budget does not provide dedicated capital funding for the ferry system beyond June 30, 2001. Nor does it fund construction to have the vessels and terminals needed for passenger-only service between Southworth and downtown, a route that would significantly reduce the number of vehicles on West Seattle streets during commute hours.

No doubt legislators felt pressure from citizen groups in King and Kitsap counties - including the Fauntleroy Community Association - to sustain as much passenger-only service as they did.

Backed by other community groups in West Seattle, FCA asked each member of the Seattle City Council to help us convince the Legislature of the importance of this service. Several Council members personally responded with their support. State Senator Mike Heavey and Representatives Eric Poulson and Dow Constantine worked diligently with their constituents to sustain the service.

Ferry-system managers and members of the Vashon, Southworth, and Fauntleroy advisory committees will be at the May 16 public meeting. It will be an excellent opportunity to raise questions and make comments about funding or other ferry issues. Fauntleroy won't host it again until January; I encourage you to attend. - Gary Dawson

A diverse program drew a crowd of more than 80 people to FCA's nature forum in March at the Hall at Fauntleroy. A strong attraction, reported organizer Bob Best, was the premiere of a video produced by Seattle Public Utilities primarily to document construction of the fish ladder on Fauntleroy Creek.

"Having lived through the construction, residents seemed to enjoy seeing the project in the context of ongoing restoration of 'their' creek, plus several local folk were featured in the production," he said. Other presenters were also a hit:

• Sue Kuehl, habitat grants manager at King County Department of Natural Resources, gave an overview on salmon habitat
• Mark Sears, community resident and associate researcher with the Center for Whale Research and the Whale Museum, reviewed marine-mammal activity in the area over the past 20 years
• Leo Shaw, an educator with the Seattle Aquarium and volunteer with its Beach Naturalists Program, talked about animals living on area beaches

Thanks to all the presenters and to Tuxedo-n- Tennis Shoes for making this free event possible.

Last fall, the Seattle Police Department tallied 600 "Block Watch Night Out" parties throughout the city. Having an exact count is difficult because a Block Watch is only as active as its captain, according to Wayne Lennon, SPD's crime prevention coordinator.

He told the March gathering of the West Seattle Anti-Crime Council that Block Watches fade when captains get tired, move away, or believe crime is no longer a problem in their area. A little creativity, he advised, can keep Block Watch alive and well:

• Start or revitalize Block Watch when criminal activity has everyone on your street concerned.
• Rotate captain duties to prevent burnout; be sure neighbors know who's "on" this quarter or this year.
• Take advantage of citywide publicity for the annual "Night Out" to draw people to your meeting.
• Use food and the prospect of meeting new neighbors as enticements.
• Meet midwinter, when people will appreciate a break from cold, damp, dark days.
• Get immigrant neighbors involved by organizing a potluck around their native foods.
• Borrow SPD's version of Trivial Pursuit; the game prompts neighbors to get acquainted and learn about safety and crime prevention at the same time.

To initiate a Block Watch, request advice, or borrow the game, contact the Neighborhood Service Center in the Junction or on Delridge.

If you need to know whom to contact in the city about a problem, have a complaint to lodge, or need tourist information for guests, the Citizens Service Bureau is the place to call - or e-mail.

The Department of Neighborhoods operates the bureau to provide quick information and improve service to constituents by every department of city government. In addition to fielding some 54,000 questions and complaints a year, the staff delves into a variety of complex issues for citizens.

The Citizen Service Bureau's central e-mail address is City.Action@ci.seattle.wa.us. Call 684-8811 to speak with a staff person.

In April, a dozen volunteers, among them Ruth Lantz (left) and Chris Bath (right), helped Tom Jay (center) prepare and install a concrete "tideline" carrying stones and community artifacts from the sidewalk down to the beach. A coat of graffiti-resistant sealant will cap the job later this month.

Tom's creation for the park next to the Fauntleroy ferry pier includes a replica of a Coast Salish sealing canoe and a petraglyph-type image of the first European sailing ship in local waters. 

Photo by Ware Lantz

Bernie Alonzo has had the tempting smell of fresh-baked bread in his lungs since he was a kid helping in his father's bakery. In 1974 when he and his wife, Lorraine, visited friends in West Seattle, they checked out the little bakery for sale in Fauntleroy. Buying it was, well, only natural.

Now 25 years later, he's still baking, offering breads, cookies, and doughnuts fresh from the oven, along with a genuine hospitality that makes The Original Bakery as much community center as business.

Bernie is the fourth owner of a business started in 1936. Bill Latta owned it from the 40s to the 60s, then sold it to Florian Dunbar, who sold it to Bernie. From the day he met "Mr. Dunbar," Bernie knew he had big shoes to fill.

"Mr. Dunbar was a great baker. I was really lucky to work closely with him after I bought the bakery," he said. "Every time he came in, he taught me something." The senior baker initially came in three days a week and then less and less until he died in 1978.

Bernie kept "The Original Bakery" although the name is legally "Bakery The Original."

"In the early days, it wasn't uncommon for a baker to sell his business, then open another bakery down the street," he explained. "The deed makes sure that people know this is the original bakery here."

Bernie and Lorraine have lived in Fauntleroy since they bought the business. Their three children grew up helping with all aspects of the bakery. For a few years, Lorraine stocked the bakery with cards and gifts for the special occasions that brought customers in for made-to-order cakes.

As his predecessor did, Bernie enjoys offering free wall and shelf space to local artists to display their work. He often has handcrafted items for sale as well to benefit the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center or another community service.

Bernie plans his early-morning baking so that he sells out at the end of the day or comes close. He gives any leftovers to area food banks or organizations such as Little League teams. If he has a loaf of bread left that he knows someone especially likes, he'll call to see if the customer wants it for the freezer.

Over the years, Fauntleroy tastes have changed, he said. Customers want to eat healthier and in smaller portions. He's responded by shifting to recipes using canola oil, more whole grains, and less sugar. People also have more allergies.

"What I worry about most these days are the people who are allergic to nuts," he said. "I used to put a mixture of nuts in breads but now I use only one kind so I can assure customers of what's in my products."

Keeping pace involves keeping an eye on the competition as well as responding to customer requests. Everyone seems to be selling baked goods, he said - grocery stores, coffee shops, drug stores - and he has to be flexible and smart to compete.

"When something new comes along, I have to weigh cost against potential use," he explained. Being able to decorate cakes with photographs is "in" now, for example, but Bernie knows he's not likely to sell enough photo cakes to justify spending $4,000 for the equipment. Of course, he could be wrong.

"I never thought espresso would be such an integral part of our business," he recalled. "When we bought the espresso machine nearly 15 years ago, many people didn't know what espresso was!"

Though they mean more work for him, Bernie looks forward to holidays and special occasions. They enable him to vary his routine baking, he said, and share in the family spirit with his customers. Wedding cakes sprinkle the spice of celebration throughout the year and he hopes that, by "cross marketing" with neighboring businesses, he'll be baking more of them.

"With a deli, florist, and photographer in addition to the hair salon, bed and breakfast, and reception hall, we'll be able to do a whole wedding right here in Fauntleroy!" he said.

"I'm excited to see what's going to happen with this new business activity. Whatever change brings, I want to be part of it and still offer my customers what I do best."

A big part of what The Original Bakery offers is a constancy in the midst of change, a fact that Bernie knows the young people who are moving back into the neighborhood appreciate.

"You try to survive in business," he said, "but having people appreciate you as an important part of the community is a real plus. It's been a nice reward for me."

As a kid, guest storyteller Jane Wilson MacGowan had Fauntleroy Cove out her front door and the woods of the Fauntleroy Creek "gully" out her back door. These vignettes of her childhood are from her presentation this past winter to the Salmon Clan (K-1 students) of Pathfinder School for a class project on the watershed.   Little Jane Wilson enjoyed fishing at the mouth of Fauntleroy Creek. The lettering on the bridge reads "Private Property No Picnic Parties No Fires." Photo courtesy Jane MacGowan

When I was born, my folks took me home to an apartment on Queen Anne Hill. They decided, though, that Queen Anne was no place to bring up a child so my father took the streetcar out here and looked all around from Brace Point to Williams Point to find a place to build a house. He chose a piece of ground above the mid point of the cove.

* The Dorn house is now owned by Mary and Mike Ashby; the Wilson house belongs to Paul Zievers.