West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
Those are – still – key points of Delridge concern about the upcoming conversion of Metro Route 120 into the RapidRide H Line. The points were made during the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council discussion last Wednesday night that wrapped up a weeklong round of in-person feedback about the plan, including the introduction of a proposed package of stops and road changes labeled “Option 3“:
(You’ll note that this includes rechannelization in some areas, which would include the removal of 270 on-street parking spaces in what are labeled as Sections C and E. SDOT says its studies showed 10 percent to 50 percent utilization of those spaces now.)
If you didn’t make it to any of the three recent events (a week before Delridge, Metro and SDOT held drop-in sessions in Burien and White Center), you might also want to scroll through the maps/renderings (below) that show how the stops would change along the route, plus specific changes proposed for Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Henderson:
(You can see the full-screen PDF version of those maps/renderings as pages 4-9 here.) The DNDC discussion of the Delridge plans followed the third SDOT/Metro open house of the week. We recorded the discussion on video:
Metro and SDOT reps were on hand for this as well. But it was far from the first time that neighborhood advocates including DNDC reps had spelled out the same concerns – including stop location/spacing – since the 120 is point-to-point transportation for many in the Delridge corridor, not just a way to get to and from downtown. The frustration was voiced at one point by DNDC’s Pete Spalding of Pigeon Point, who said this was at least the fifth time in three years that the group had listed its concerns. Michael Taylor-Judd of North Delridge wanted to be sure the project team was talking with groups including seniors who would be especially affected by an increase in stop spacing – while the third-of-a-mile spacing proposal is closer than RapidRide’s usual half-mile-apart spacing, it’s still a tenth-of-a-mile increase over the average on Delridge now.
YOUR FEEDBACK: If you have something to say about what’s currently under consideration for the Route 120/H Line conversion – where the stops are, how they’re spaced, and/or changes on Delridge – this is the time to say it, before the project team finalizes a recommended design, which will happen in the months ahead. RapidRide@seattle.gov is the address for project comments (though the county runs Metro, this is a joint project with SDOT, not only because of the road changes, but also because the city contributes funding for bus service). Design is to be completed this year, with construction of the stops and road changes starting in 2019 and continuing in 2020, when the H Line is to be launched.
5:55 PM: Just a reminder – as first noted here on Wednesday, a commercial-production film crew is working in The Junction tonight, and traffic is being stopped intermittently on California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska as a result. We just arrived for a firsthand look and also noted that the traffic stops also involve SW Alaska at California (photo above). As the production scout had told us, the crew (from locally based StraightEIGHT) is “filming a car” being driven on that block – repeatedly. That’s what we’ve seen so far; we’re also checking to see how long they plan to work (the permit runs until 11 pm).
6 PM: Just talked to the scout who had first contacted us, Dave Drummond, who’s on site with the crew, answering bystanders’ questions, etc. – he says they’ll likely be done between 9 and 10 pm. (And while they’re filming a car, it’s not a new car – (added) see photo above – and not a car commercial.)
Again, this is not a continuous traffic stop – and the road has reopened for long stretches between shooting sequences – but if you’re Junction-bound in the next few hours, just be aware you might encounter one of the stops.
10:08 PM: Just went back to The Junction to check; the crew is indeed packing up.
Another stolen vehicle to watch for. The report is from Erica in High Point:
Our Toyota 4Runner was stolen last night.
SW Myrtle/30th Pl SW
License Plate: AVD5251
Make: Toyota
Model: 4Runner
Year: 2015
Color: Black/Black Interior
If you see it, call 911 – the police incident # is 2018-025186.
As first reported here on Thursday, a purchase offer is listed as “pending” by the owners of the property where C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) has been open for 15 years. That came just a week and a half after they listed the 5612 California SW site for sale, asking price $1.25 million. When we contacted C & P proprietors Cameron and Pete Moores about the “pending” status, they told us they still have hope of buying the property – and now they’ve explained why: In an update this afternoon on the GoFundMe crowdfunding page that has so far drawn more than $53,000 in donations, Cameron wrote:
Pete and I have the right of first refusal as part of our lease. That means that any offer the owner accepts, we have 15 days to respond with our own offer, which we intend to do. That is only possible with your generous support and the commitment of many of our neighbors to invest in this piece of history. We will be posting more information as we approach the deadline …
In a previous GoFundMe-page update, Cameron wrote that the offer accepted by the property owners is from West Seattle-headquartered development/financing firm Blueprint Capital, for $1.285 million. The property is zoned Lowrise 3-Residential/Commercial.
That’s one of the videos produced by the Class of 2017 eighth-graders from Our Lady of Guadalupe School (3401 SW Myrtle; WSB sponsor) as part of the Juan Diego Project. You can see what this year’s students are doing by visiting OLG’s Open House one week from today. Here’s the announcement:
Immigrants, homeless youth, the elderly, the environment – these topics and more encompass the culminating projects of this year’s eighth-grade class at Our Lady of Guadalupe School in West Seattle.
Dubbed “The Juan Diego Project” for the school’s namesake, this academic venture allows students to choose a social-justice topic or service organization they are passionate about and then design an enterprise where they make a difference in that field.
The students will exhibit their research and experience during OLG’s open house from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on January 28, 2018.
For almost 20 years, eighth graders at OLG have performed service to an audience that is marginalized, vulnerable, or underprivileged. They aim to improve these conditions by doing more than holding drives. These students go outside the classroom and into the community interviewing immigrants and telling their stories, teaching people with disabilities how to ski, playing soccer with kids who have cancer, and yes, hosting drives to assist homeless youth.
“It’s a good chance to grow as a steward in our community and help yourself become aware of what’s going on around you,” said student Estella Turla, who is working with YouthCare and learning about homeless families and teenagers. “It helps you see how other people, like the homeless or immigrants, view the world – people who are put in situations where you don’t necessarily know what it’s like.”
In addition to service opportunities, the eighth graders learn to navigate databases accessed through the Seattle Public Library. They conduct extensive research, draw conclusions and lead a seminar, essentially teaching the class and any guests about their topic.
Ben Woodhouse’s project involves caring for our school garden that his class created last year, and he’s currently researching the benefit of urban gardens around the world.
“The project is a way to express what you care about in life within a class setting,” he said. “I like being outdoors a lot, so taking care of the garden was something I wanted to do. It was fun last summer harvesting vegetables and sharing them with the foodbank. I knew I was helping others, not just myself.”
Last year’s eighth grade class created videos highlighting their Juan Diego Projects and overall experiences at OLG. They can be found here.
Along with the animal-related-project video we embedded above, the others you’ll find on that page – all published to YouTube, each just a few minutes long – range from “Fighting Local and Global Poverty” to “Living Healthy Lives” to “Erasing Insecurities” to “Preserving Forest.”
1:44 PM: If you’re wondering about the police response in North Delridge right now – officers are investigating a reported burglary at a house in the 5400 block of 26th SW. Early information is from radio communications; no other details so far but it’s a significant response, indicating the call came in either with burglar(s) still in the house or having just left.
1:49 PM: And now police report, no burglary after all.
Around 5 am, we got texts from a few people in southwesternmost West Seattle and beyond – The Arroyos and Shorewood – wondering about what appeared to be a helicopter search/rescue operation involving the U.S. Coast Guard. We couldn’t find out anything at the time, and later tried reaching the USCG by phone with no success, but now this USCG news release is just in, distributed by the King County Sheriff’s Office:
Coast Guard air and boat crews rescued one woman and recovered one man after their 15-foot paddleboat was reportedly beset by weather near Three Tree Point in Burien, Wash., Sunday morning.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Port Angeles and a Station Seattle rescue boat crew aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium responded to the incident and transferred both mariners to local Emergency Medical Service personnel.
Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound watchstanders received initial notification from King County Dispatch at 2:53 a.m., reporting two individuals aboard a paddleboat potentially beset by weather. Sector personnel established communication with the mariners via cell phone and reported hearing a loud scream before losing connection.
Once on scene, the Coast Guard aircrew discovered the capsized vessel near Seahurst Park.
At 4:51 a.m., the aircrew located an unresponsive female in the water and vectored in the boat crew to rescue her. The crew transported her to the Fauntleroy Ferry dock where a local EMS crew was waiting.
At 5:02 a.m., a male was recovered by the helicopter crew and transported to Boeing airfield where he was pronounced dead by a local EMS crew at 5:38 a.m.
The female is reportedly in critical condition and is being treated at Harborview Medical Center hospital.
KCSO is investigating. Sgt. Cindi West says the man who died was from Burien, the woman from Vashon Island.
(Downy woodpecker, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Good morning! Here’s what’s happening on your midwinter Sunday:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Fresh food sold by those who grew/made it, 10 am-2 pm, in the street in the heart of The Junction. (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
JOB FAIR: 10 am-4 pm, as noted here earlier this month, the future MOD Pizza at The Whittaker (WSB sponsor) is inviting prospective employees to a job fair. (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW)
‘MEET A MUSLIM’: Moina Shaiq will speak during the 10:30 am service at Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and then stay for a noon-1 pm community Q&A session/conversation. You’re invited to either or both. Details in our calendar listing. (7141 California SW)
STORY TIME AND BOOKFAIR WITH KERRI KOKIAS: Local author reads her new children’s book “Snow Sisters” at 11 am as part of a Bookfair for Arbor Heights Cooperative Preschool at Westwood Village Barnes & Noble – details in our calendar listing. (2600 SW Barton)
WOMXN’S ACT DAY: Around the city, it’s a day of action following the second annual Women’s March. In West Seattle, as previewed here, you’re invited to two events at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center with the Delridge Grocery Co-op and The Little Red Hen Project, 11 am-2 pm. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
JAMTIME: Bluegrass and old-time music at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 1-4 pm. (5612 California SW)
‘PEERLESS’ MATINEE: 3 pm at ArtsWest, you can catch the first matinee of the new play, “Peerless.” Tickets available here. (4711 California SW)
JUNCTION FILMING: As previewed here last week, a local film crew will be working on a commercial production on California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska tonight between about 5 pm and 10 pm, and traffic will be held intermittently.
AT KENYON HALL: 7:30 pm, Dennis James at the Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ with a silent movie. Details in our calendar listing. (7904 35th SW)
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE – our full calendar covers days, weeks, months ahead, and we’re adding new listings frequently (editor@westseattleblog.com)!
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