2 new crosswalks confirmed for Delridge Way by Boren Building
(WSB photo from fall 2014: Looking south down 5900 block Delridge Way)
Big news tonight for the parents and staffers who have been pushing for safety improvements on Delridge Way at the Boren Building, permanent home of K-5 (soon K-8) STEM and temporary home of Arbor Heights Elementary: The city Department of Transportation has finally officially confirmed that two crosswalks will be built.
The STEM community got unofficial word more than a month ago, and we’ve been seeking SDOT confirmation ever since; the city, however, had to finalize some details, and finally this evening, senior transportation planner Brian Dougherty had an official announcement to share, not just in response to our most recent inquiry but also with those in the school community who had worked so hard to make it happen:
SDOT will be installing two new marked crosswalks near the Boren building for Arbor Heights and K-5 STEM. One crosswalk will be provided near the front door of the school, connecting the school to the Longfellow Creek Trail. Another crosswalk will be provided at 24th Avenue SW, connecting the school to Metro bus stops and High Point via the Graham Street stairs.
Both projects are tentatively scheduled to be constructed this year with funding provided through a combination of Safe Routes to School and Neighborhood Park and Street Fund.
The crosswalk to the front entrance was requested in a community proposal for use of the NPSF, as reported here last year, when we also covered the Seattle School Traffic Safety Committee convening at STEM and hearing firsthand about the safety challenges that school was facing, even before another full elementary-school population joined them, if only for two years.
In case you’re wondering, Dougherty’s note to school reps mentions one more thing: “Both crosswalks will have some form of push-button-activated stop light or warning light.”
Got surplus shoes? Get them over to the EQ Fitness donation drive!
Maybe someone gave you new athletic shoes as a holiday gift. Maybe you’re getting ready to treat yourself to a new pair. Whatever the circumstances, if you have athletic shoes you don’t need any more, 
take them to West Seattle’s EQ Fitness (WSB sponsor) so they’ll make it onto the feet of homeless people who need durable footwear to get through the winter, and beyond. This is the second annual shoe drive at EQ Fitness, and it’s lasting all month long. If you need an extra reason to stop by EQ (3270 California SW), set your calendar for 1-3 pm Saturday, January 24th, an open house with food, drinks, and demos of TRX, aerial yoga, and the new “booty barre.” Plus, a convenient time to donate shoes!
Getting to the downtown Water Taxi & state ferry docks will change, starting Monday
(Photo of today’s foggy sunset, by Chi Krneta)
Take the Water Taxi from Pier 50? Or state ferries from Colman Dock? Downtown-waterfront access is changing downtown from next Monday through mid-May, as announced today:
(Photo from Seacrest at sunset, by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
All vehicles will enter the Washington State Ferries terminal at Colman Dock via Yesler Way as part of temporary changes being implemented by the State Route 99 Tunnel Project and the Elliott Bay Seawall Project. Terminal access will also shift for pedestrians, bicyclists and King County Water Taxi passengers and remain in place through May 2015. Through traffic north and south on Alaskan Way remains unchanged. Drivers/riders exiting Colman Dock via Yesler Way may see some intersection modifications this week as construction crews prepare for the Monday shift.
Access changes
View a detailed map of the following temporary changes near Colman Dock:
· Drivers will turn left or right into the WSF terminal from Alaskan Way at Yesler Way.
o For southbound traffic, one lane of Alaskan Way in front of the ferry terminal will be dedicated to ferry access.
o A left-turn lane will accommodate northbound traffic at Yesler Way.
o Vehicles will exit the ferry dock onto Yesler Way or Marion Street.
· Pedestrian access through the Seawall Project construction zone will be maintained to the WSF terminal in two ways: the current pedestrian bridge at Marion Street, and at street level immediately west of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Street level access will be maintained at all times, although it will shift at various points during construction.
· Bicyclists will enter and exit the ferry terminal on the north side of Yesler Way via the shared-use path.
· King County Water Taxi riders will enter and exit via Yesler Way.
· Passenger pickup and drop-off (including access for people with disabilities) will be shifted to the west side of the roadway between Marion and Columbia streets.
· Taxi waiting areas are also available at the current location on the east side of Alaskan Way between Marion and Columbia streets. A new taxi waiting area will – be added on Marion Street between Alaskan Way and Western Avenue.
West Seattle Hack Night 2.0: Date set – now it’s RSVP time!
(WSB photo, November 2014 West Seattle Hack Night)
Back in November, the first-of-its-kind West Seattle Hack Night drew a bigger-than-expected turnout at WS Office Junction north of Morgan Junction – and now the date’s set for the next one. The announcement comes from OJ co-proprietor Stefan Hansmire:
The Office Junction will be hosting a FREE computer/coder hack night on Wednesday, January 14th from 6:30-9:00. Snacks and beverages provided. The agenda for the evening will be open – with the goal of fielding participants to learn what kind of applications they are working on so that we can tailor a future class with more focus.
You can RSVP now via the Meetup group set up before the November event – go here.
West Seattle Crime Watch: More Lincoln Park car prowls
Lynne texted this photo taken in the south parking lot at Lincoln Park this afternoon:
She was parked next to that vehicle and reports that she returned to her car around noon, same time as the prowled vehicle’s owner. Police were called. As signs in the parking lot warn – and as is the case with many parks – Lincoln Park continues to be a hot spot for vehicle break-ins; Colleen has also e-mailed with a Crime Watch report, saying her car had been broken into twice in two weeks in the north parking lot, first on December 23rd, then again on yesterday. She said she had noticed “a large green truck with tinted windows pull up very close next to my car” yesterday before discovering her window had been smashed again. Both incidents, Colleen said, have been reported to police (who offer prevention advice here).
P.S. The police-reports map (which you can configure for date/type of crime) shows at least six car break-ins reported in Lincoln Park lots in the past month; that number could be low, as we know from e-mail exchanges that people don’t always report the prowls, especially if nothing was taken. (In another one-month check in mid-December, the map showed 11.) Do report it if it happens to you; you can even do so online.
West Seattle development: Demolition of the Day, 4400 SW Alaska
West Seattle’s Year of the Busy Backhoes continues. Today’s demolition is at 4400 SW Alaska, kitty-corner from the Junction parking lot that is home to the West Seattle Farmers’ Market each week. As first reported here in May 2013, the 74-year-old brick multiplex is making way for 36 apartments and 4 live-work units in a building that won final Design Review approval last February (follow that link to see a “before” photo and a rendering of “after”). It’s two doors down from an under-construction apartment building of similar size, though very-different design, at 4535 44th SW, and as first reported here in November, yet another apartment building is proposed on the block, 60 units to replace 8 at 4528 44th SW.
P.S. Thanks to tipster LB, who sent word Monday that “no parking” signs had gone up outside 4400 SW Alaska – that’s what led us to go by this afternoon, discovering the backhoe at work.
P.P.S. You can catch up on our development/demolition/construction coverage any time by scrolling through this archive (newest-to-oldest).
From West Seattle to Kurdistan: John Murphy’s work with Yezidi refugees fleeing ISIL
(John Murphy with Yezidi children; photo used with permission)
A West Seattle man is starting the New Year thousands of miles from home, working to help refugees who fled northern Iraq for Kurdistan. John Murphy is a Highland Park resident who, among other things, founded and leads The Cabiri. Right now, he is working to help Yezidi refugees, members of an ethnic minority forced from their homes by ISIL, which has targeted them with genocidal violence (here are reports from U.S. media and the BBC).
While nonprofit non-government organizations (NGOs) are helping some of the Yezidi refugees, others have taken shelter with relatives and sympathizers in towns around the region, and they are who Murphy is helping. We learned of his work via West Seattleite Lola Peters, who forwarded a message from Murphy that explains, “I’ve known Yezidi for two decades and have an ability to work within their culture. … The NGOs, although doing their best, they have lost people in the cracks. I am working with a private Yezidi collective to find needs, fulfill them, and mitigate hardships in the areas that have gotten (missed).”
Murphy has set up an emergency fund for the Yezidi refugees via this GoFundMe page, where you can read a short summary of his project. He also writes about it in-depth today at SeattleStar.net, noting, “Regardless of the largest refugee exodus since the Armenian genocide, few know exactly what is happening,” and concluding, “We in the West made this mess; let’s clean it up.” (While researching this, we happened onto a mention that U.S. military operations related to ISIL have cost $1 billion so far.)
West Seattle Tuesday: From blues to bicycles to basketball…
(M/V Tillikum on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route. Photo by LB Bryce, shared via the WSB Flickr pool)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
BABY STORY TIME, TIMES TWO! 10:30 this morning, it’s Baby Story Time at two local Seattle Public Library branches – Southwest (35th/Raymond) and West Seattle (2306 42nd SW) – you’re welcome to bring one or more 4- to 12-month-olds to either.
WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: At its first 2015 meeting tonight, you’re invited to come talk about what you would like WSBC to take on in this brand-new year. HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, 6:30 pm. (41st/Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE SHAMBHALA MEDITATION: The weekly group is in session at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center starting at 6:30 pm, as explained here. No experience required. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
HIGH-SCHOOL BASKETBALL: Two home varsity games on the peninsula tonight – 7:30 pm, the West Seattle High School boys-varsity team hosts O’Dea (3000 California SW); also at 7:30 pm, the Chief Sealth International High School boys-varsity team hosts Garfield. (2600 SW Thistle)
BLUES TO DO LIVE, 1ST ANNIVERSARY: 8 pm at Feedback Lounge, the Tuesday blues showcase celebrates its first year, featuring Lucy Hammond and Ben Rice, presented by Thunder Road Guitars (which will show off a classic guitar!). FL and TRG are both WSB sponsors, BTW. And if you’d like to look ahead – here’s who’ll be singing (and playing) the blues in the weeks ahead. (6451 California SW)
MORE NIGHTLIFE: Bingo, karaoke, trivia … see the listings/venues here.
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