West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
Just a few months till Seattle Public Schools aims to have a final decision on the future of the Denny Middle School site, once the new Denny is built and occupied on the Chief Sealth campus nearby – and tonight was the first of three key meetings in the process that are all happening this week. The Westwood Neighborhood Council organized this one in hopes of clarifying community priorities for the Denny site, and the cozy group in attendance emerged with a list:Read More
Last month, we updated the city’s timeline for a Junction-area parking review — while some of the work will start before the end of the year, most of it won’t happen till next year, several months later than the earlier projection. We mention this because you might be wondering what’s up with that review if you read this P-I article about the controversial results of a similar city study in Fremont.
(photo courtesy Scott C)
Shortly after that photo was taken, more than a dozen people sat down under that canopy at Orchard Street Ravine on Saturday morning – subsequently besieged by rain and wind – to hear city Parks Department managers unveil a new proposal for the 38th SW “connector” into the ravine – and some were aghast. Previously, the department was looking at building a stairway into the ravine along what is technically 38th Ave SW right-of-way – now, suddenly, it’s proposing a simpler trail instead. What galled many of the people who gathered to hear about this was the amount of money, and time, spent to get to a point that some consider being almost back at square one. Read on:Read More
Didn’t want to wait too late to share these, since so many folks nail down Halloween plans early. First – while at West Seattle Bowl this afternoon, we found out about half a dozen lanes are left for Halloween Family Glow Zone bowling on Sunday 10/26, 5:30-7:30 pm – $70/lane, up to 6 people, shoe rental, pizza, and soda included – plus there’ll be a costume contest, with prizes. Call 932-3731 to ask about reservations. Second – a P-I blog points us to this nefarious plan for that same day; looks like the 4th annual Seattle Zombie Walk is targeting West Seattle. (No known relation to the Thrill the World-West Seattle zombies who’ll be dancing in the world-record attempt downtown on Saturday 10/25, with a Junction encore at 2 pm that day during Junction trick-or-treating.)
Just in from WSDOT: They’ve now decided to close the Alaskan Way Viaduct (and Battery Street Tunnel) continuously, from 6 am Saturday 10/18 to 6 pm Sunday 10/19. Project spokesperson Emily Fishkin explains, “We’ve extended the closure overnight on Saturday to allow crews to repair concrete panels in the southbound lanes, closer to the Spokane Viaduct.”
No wind advisory so far for our area, but a “special weather statement” issued this morning does cover the city; it warns of “gusty winds” but adds, not as strong as Saturday. So far today, more than a quarter-inch of rain has fallen at the nearest major measuring station, Boeing Field, according to this datapage (look at “KBFI”). (Looking way ahead to next weekend, the “forecast discussion” suggests a “more benign weather pattern.”)
Way back in January, when we reported on City Council President Richard Conlin speaking to the Alki Community Council, we mentioned he was working on a proposal to curb so-called “megahouse” development, aka “McMansions.” Two months later, Conlin told the Southwest District Council he was still working on it, but the process was “frustrating.” Now, this afternoon, there is word councilmembers have passed a bill about it – here’s the official news release:Read More
We’ve had several reports of car break-ins in recent days, and here’s another one: Don e-mails to report, “My truck was also broken into on the night of the 3rd. It was on 42nd near Blockbuster on Fauntleroy. Radio and some change is all that is missing. Damaged the locks on both doors to gain entry.”
Working on details – more shortly.
City Light says about 4000 customers are without power as of 1:15 this afternoon. The boundaries are listed as Webster SW on the north down to 113th Place SW, 30th SW on the east to Puget Sound on the west. Crews have been dispatched and as of 1:45 no time was given for when power would be restored.
Update 2 pm: According to Mike it’s affecting some traffic signals near Lincoln Park.
Update 2 pm: The Webster and Cloverdale signals are out (Webster shown in photo above, taken just before 2 pm), as are the ferry dock toll booths.
Update 2 pm: Fauntleroy power just came back on. Still waiting to hear back from City Light about the cause. Thanks to everyone who sent e-mail/text tips about the outage!
Thanks to much to Mike for finding this: Two weeks after 92-year-old Rosemary MacCorkindale was hit by a car and killed while crossing California at Dawson (9/22 photo above), we finally know more about her, thanks to this online obituary running today. It describes her as “very athletic,” born in Rainier, OR, and having outlived her husband Robert MacCorkindale. The obituary doesn’t mention any children of theirs but does say she is survived by a sister who lives in Idaho, and that Ms. MacCorkindale loved to spend time at the library, so memorial donations to the Seattle Public Library Foundation are suggested. Police are still investigating the crash; three days after it happened, we reported that detectives wanted to hear from anyone who saw it happen. She was the fourth pedestrian hit and killed in West Seattle in less than a year (after Gregory Hampel near Camp Long in August, Teri Soike near Westwood Village in February, and Oswald Clement at 35th/Othello last October); the rally planned by neighborhood activists hoping to improve pedestrian safety is at 3 pm tomorrow at 35th/Juneau, where a 15-year-old High Point girl was hit and injured by a car last month.
Back in June, we covered a regional briefing in SeaTac by King County Sheriff Sue Rahr (left), sounding the alarm about how the county’s budget crisis might affect public-safety services — services that affect Seattle residents (and other cities) as well as those in unincorporated areas like White Center, including the Prosecuting Attorney‘s office and the courts. Now, as budget-decision time approaches, the sheriff has just announced another series of public meetings at which she, Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, and two presiding judges will appear; one is October 29th in White Center – details are on our partner site, White Center Now. (Another meeting that’s not too far away from West Seattle will be at Town Hall downtown, 7 pm on November 3rd.)
Bridge traffic had 40-plus fewer cars this morning, thanks to that shuttle: It’s a Microsoft Connector bus heading east on Alaska from 40th after picking up riders at the Masonic Temple lot (where MSFT has rented park-and-ride spaces, as reported here) this morning — its first official run from West Seattle to Redmond after announcing the service expansion last month. The wifi- and bike-rack-equipped Connector also picks up WS riders further north (the route map’s in our original report). If you work for another non-WS company that provides a commuting solution to cut down on car traffic, we’d love to hear about that too.
Though Denny Middle School won’t be moving into its new location on the Chief Sealth campus for 2+ years, Seattle Public Schools wants to lock down a plan for the current Denny site’s future within a matter of months. A district-organized Design Team already has had its first meeting; tonight, the Westwood Neighborhood Council is offering the community a chance to voice its hopes and dreams. 7:30 pm, Southwest Community Center. (As we mentioned over the weekend, this is the first of three Denny/Sealth-related meetings over the next three nights; we are also reminded this morning that Friday night also brings a major school district-related meeting to West Seattle — 6:30 pm Friday, West Seattle High School library, the community meeting to talk about what should be in the district’s next levy request; see the flyer here.)
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