The Olive and Grape, which is taking over the spot at 8516 Greenwood Ave. N. from Olive You, plans to open just in time for next Friday’s Artwalk on Sept. 10. Owner Paola Corsini says she’ll open the doors at 4 p.m. and plans olive oil tastings for the evening.

I popped in today and they were still getting everything ready.

Corsini will have a soft opening next Wednesday or Thursday for invited guests to test out the kitchen and wait staff. She says everything will be made fresh in-house, even the bread. Her head chef, Garbis Husikyan ( nicknamed “Captain G”), is an Armenian from Turkey, so she says their Mediterranean food will be completely authentic.

“He knows a lot. He’s going to make different dishes every week and it’s going to be very fun,” Corsini said. ”He’s going to be a great asset; he’s going to bring a lot of color to this restaurant.”

The restaurant’s head waiter, Andrea Onetti, is from Rome and also a chef, and he’ll be bringing authentic Italian foods to the table, including fresh-made pasta.

The Olive and Grape’s phone number is 206-724-0272, but it won’t be hooked up until later today. You can sign up for The Olive and Grape’s newsletter online, and see lunch and dinner menus.

Local artist Chrystine Westphal was working on the wall murals inside today.

Westphal also created 12 paintings for Tarah Jade, which opened at 6801 Greenwood Ave. N. in June, and tomorrow she’ll be hanging 10 of her paintings at Scent of Youth day spa at 6826 Greenwood Ave. N.

The rental house at 108 NW 84th St. that was badly damaged in an arson last year, has been demolished. This afternoon, you can see the pile of debris, large dumpster and equipment from NW 84th St.

From the alley, there’s just a little bit of house left standing.

You can still see the charred wood from the arson.

Carlos Salmeron, who was living in the lower level of the house at the time, was badly burned in the fire, set by Kevin Todd Swalwell. Swalwell later admitted to setting 11 fires, including the massive Oct. 23 fire that destroyed four businesses in downtown Greenwood. In May, Swalwell was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Thanks to Lynn for the tip.

Seattle Public Utilities will pick up garbage, yard waste and recycling like normal on Monday, despite the Labor Day holiday. If Monday is your regular pickup day, put your containers out by 7 a.m. as usual.

The City of Seattle’s North & South Recycling and Disposal stations also will be open during their regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The North Recycling and Disposal Station is at 1350 N. 34th St. in Wallingford/Fremont.

Customers can report a missed collection after 6 p.m. on the day it was missed by calling (206) 684-3000  or filling out the online Missed Collection form.

Most of the old Fire Station 21 at Greenwood Avenue North and North 73rd Street has been demolished, but demo crews still have a ways to go.

Project Manager Rich Hennings says demolition will continue on the fire station for at least another week, maybe two, before crews can demolish the adjacent house to the east of the station. The first floor of the station is now gone, but the basement/crawl space still needs to come down.

Here’s what the site looked like Wednesday morning.

That basement used to contain a mechanical room and a weight room, covered with a thick concrete slab.

“The slab is very strong,” Hennings said. “There’s a lot of concrete in there. It will take them well into next week and probably into the next.”

Instead of just throwing away all the material, most of it is being recycled. “We are looking at over 90 percent recycled material,” Hennings said.

This morning we saw one worker sorting bricks into a big pile.

Hennings said the only material so far that hasn’t been recycled was some lead and asbestos from the roof. Wood is being turned into power-generating fuel or particle board, the steel is being melted down into new steel, and the bricks are being ground up and used for road base under concrete or asphalt.

Crews are working weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and they’ll be making quite a bit of noise as they jackhammer the concrete.

“It’s hard to take down concrete without making noise, (but) if somebody hears a jackhammer at 6:50 in the morning, I need to know about it,” Hennings said.

The adjacent house will come down sometime around Sept. 17, although Hennings said it might be a few days later than that. Weather isn’t too much of an issue for crews. In fact, a light rain is helpful in keeping the dust down.

After demolition is complete, crews will grade the site and then excavate for the building footings, and install culverts for storm water.

They’ll be stockpiling as much dirt as possible for back fill.

“It’s very difficult to store our material on a site that that’s small. But wherever they can they’ll be stockpiling materials for after the back fill is in place.”

Sept. 25 is the Mayor’s Day of Concern for the Hungry. You can donate to the food drive at several area grocery stores, with all food collected going to the Greenwood Food Bank.

From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 25, make a donation at:

• Greenwood Market - 8500 3rd Ave. NW
• Greenwood Safeway - 8704 Greenwood Ave. N.
• Green Lake PCC - 7504 Aurora Ave. N.
• Shoreline Central Market - 15505 Westminster Way N.

The Greenwood Food Bank is run by the Volunteers of America. They need volunteers from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. to help collect food at the stores and bring it back to the food bank. If you’re interesting in volunteering for a three-hour shift, contact Erin Pankow at epankow@voaww.org (425) 259-3191.

Each month, the Greenwood Food Bank serves over 3,000 individuals. Families, children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities receive a 3 day/9 meal emergency supply of food. The Greenwood Food Bank also provides homebound seniors with monthly deliveries of food.

Donations are accepted at the Greenwood Food Bank Tuesday – Friday, 9am-4pm 9041 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103. Or, make an online donation at www.voaww.org. For each dollar donated, the Greenwood Food Bank can purchase six meals.

Sasquatch Studios at 6108 Phinney Ave. N. will carry children’s clothing and accessories made by nearby business Mimi Rose, after Mimi Rose closes its doors next month.

Mimi Rose owner and designer Margaret Rose is closing up shop and taking an extended vacation to Turkey. Her whimsical children’s clothing will continue to be made in Seattle. Sasquatch Studios owner Sacha Maxwell says the Mimi Rose line will complement the local designers she currently stocks.

Mimi Rose, at 6001 Phinney Ave. N., has everything in the store on sale now. Rose plans to close by Sept. 30.

Christina wrote to tell us that her car was stolen from her carport in Bitter Lake, just north of Greenwood, over the weekend:

We live in Bitter lake, and woke Sunday morning to our Honda Element missing from our driveway. It was stolen from our carport between 10pm Saturday and 8am Sunday. Unfortunately, it is the second car stolen from our driveway in the last two years. Both times, the thieves have been sophisticated enough to by-pass anti-theft devices and have done it in the middle of the night while we were home. Our next step is to install a video and motion-detector system (we’ve had other thefts in addition to the cars and it’s getting ridiculous, so we feel like we need to do more to prevent it).

We’ve notified the police, but thought others might want to know. And, what other steps have people taken to protect their cars/homes/belongings/families?

So, how about it readers? What advice can you offer to keep thieves from stealing your car, especially if you’ve already installed various anti-theft devices?

It’s time once again for the Woodland Park Zoo’s Fall Fecal Fest, where gardeners hope to be the few lucky ones able to purchase the zoo’s prized Zoo Doo or Bedspread.

Photo by Ryan Hawk, Woodland Park Zoo.

Zoo Doo is the most exotic and highly prized compost in the Pacific Northwest, composed of exotic species feces contributed by the zoo’s non-primate herbivores. It’s perfect for vegetables and annuals. Bedspread, the zoo’s premium composted mulch, is like Zoo Doo but with higher amounts of wood chips and sawdust. It’s the perfect mulch for perennial beds and woody landscapes such as native gardens, rose beds, shrubs, tree rings or pathways.

To have a chance at the doo, send in a postcard between Sept. 1-19; just one postcard for each drawing. For Zoo Doo, mark your postcard “Zoo Doo.” For Bedspread, mark your postcard “B.S.” Entry cards will be selected randomly for as many entrants possible. The Zoo’s “Dr. Doo” will contact the lucky drawn entries only.

Send a standard postcard to:
Dr. Doo
Woodland Park Zoo
601 N. 59th St.
Seattle, WA 98103.

Include the following information:

• Name
• Day and evening phone numbers
• Preference: Zoo Doo or Bedspread
• Amount of Zoo Doo or Bedspread you’d like to purchase (anything from a garbage bag to a full-size, pick-up truck load)
• Weekday or weekend preference for pick-up

The cost for Zoo Doo and Bedspread: Pick-up truck 8×4 bed: $60; 6×4 bed: $45; 6×3 bed: $35. Limit one full truck per person. Garbage cans: $8 to $10 depending on size; bags: $4 to $6 depending on size. Two-gallon and pint-sized buckets are available anytime at the ZooStore for $14.95 and $4.95, respectively.

Pick-up dates for Zoo Doo or Bedspread are Oct. 2-16. The zoo provides the shovels and the lucky winners load their compost.

If you plan to drive over the Aurora Bridge on Sunday, remember that Seattle Department of Transportation is still working on the suicide prevention fence, so you’ll have to deal with lane closures and backups in both directions.

- From 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 29, crews working for WSDOT will close two of three northbound lanes to remove and replace rivets on the east side of the bridge.

- From 1:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. all six lanes on the bridge and the southbound Fremont Way on-ramp will be closed while crews move construction equipment to the west side of the bridge. WSDOT scheduled this brief full closure at 1:30 p.m. to help southbound traffic heading to Sunday’s Mariners’ game.

- At 1:45 p.m. crews will reopen all northbound lanes and one southbound lane.

- Two southbound lanes and the southbound Fremont Way on-ramp will remain closed until midnight while crews work on the west side of the bridge.

Drivers can avoid the closures and delays by:

- Taking southbound SR 99 across the bridge before 1:30 p.m. Another option is using southbound SR 99 after 7:30 p.m., when delays caused by the closure will be very short.

- Taking northbound SR 99 across the bridge after 2:30 p.m. Drivers also should consider using northbound SR 99 in the morning before traffic volumes increase.

- Checking traffic conditions before hitting the roads. Check SR 99 traffic at web5.seattle.gov/travelers and I-5 traffic at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle, and tune into to radio traffic reports.

Drivers can reduce traffic volumes and minimize delays on SR 99 by:

- Reducing, postponing or combining trips.

- Riding the bus or carpooling.

- Biking or walking.

This Sunday crews will continue work to remove and replace more than 1000 rivets and bolts for the construction of a safety fence to deter suicides. Drivers can expect additional closures for rivet removal in September. Crews are working Sundays because rivet busting is too noisy to do at night. Nearby residents can expect to hear construction noise from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The Seattle Public Library is offering more workshops for job seekers, in partnership with WorkSource at South Seattle Community College. Workshops are free and registration is not required, but seating may be limited, so get there early. Each workshop is held at several branches. The Greenwood branch at 8016 Greenwood Ave. N. is holding the following workshops:

• Resume Basics - Learn what employers are looking for in resumes and receive a resume template that can be used in paper or electronic form; 4:30-6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 23.
• Beginning a Job Search - Learn how to develop a successful job search plan in tough economic times; 4:30-6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30.
• Job Interview Basics - Learn how to successfully prepare for a job interview. Learn about common interview questions and body language; 12-1:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 16.
• Online Job Search Basics - Learn how to submit online resumes and complete Web-based job applications. Prerequisites: Internet Basics 1 or the ability to navigate a Web page; Resume Basics or an existing resume; 12-1:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 30.

The library is also offering free beginning computer classes for people who have little or no experience with computers. Registration is not required, but seating may be limited. The following classes will be at the Greenwood branch:

• Computer Basics 1 – Learn how to use a computer keyboard and mouse; 6-7:30 p.m., Wed., Sept. 22.
• Computer Basics 2 – Learn how to use basic features of the Windows software operating system. The session will cover using the toolbars, scroll bar and text boxes; 6- 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 29.
• Internet Basics 1 – Learn how to navigate a Web page and how to use Web browsers and search engines; 6-77:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 13.
• Internet Basics 2 – Learn how to find information using Web directories and search engines; 6-7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 20.

And don’t forget the library system closes next week for a furlough. All library branches will be closed from Monday, Aug. 30 through Monday, Sept. 6 (Labor Day). Branches will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 7. The Greenwood Library is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday for you to check out any last-minute items. No books will be due and no fines will accrue during the furlough, and all book drops will be locked.

Crews started demolishing the old Fire Station 21 this week, to make way for the new two-story station. Here’s what the site looked like early Friday morning.

And this was the site at 12 p.m.

James, one of the equipment operators from Maclin Enterprises, told us they would be recycling more than 80 percent of the old station’s materials - with a goal of 90 percent or more. The metal will be ground up and shipped overseas to be turned into new metal products, old brick will become roadbed, and the wood used as fuel.

The house directly to the east of the station will be torn down next week as part of the new station’s expansion plans.

Construction on the new station will take about a year. Meanwhile, the Defenders of Greenwood are operating out of industrial trailers and a tent five blocks south, at North 68th Street and Greenwood Avenue North.

The old Fire Station 21 at Greenwood Avenue North and North 73rd Street is coming down.

The Defenders of Greenwood moved five blocks south to the corner of Greenwood and North 68th Street, where they are currently living in industrial trailers, and Engine 21 is housed in a heavy-duty tent.

The old fire station will be rebuilt on the original site. Construction on the two-story station is expected to take about a year.

(Rendering courtesy Miller Hull Partnership.)