West Seattle weekend scene: Second-to-last Dog Day swim
Along with everything on our highlight list, it’s also the second-to-last day for Dog Days swim sessions in Arbor Heights – until 1 pm today, and again 11 am-1 pm Sunday. (Thanks to Cori from Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club for sharing the photo by Brandon of Fetch It Media.) No humans in the pool, just dogs, as a fundraiser for AHSTC swim teams before the pool gets cleaned in the offseason. $10 donation per dog. The pool’s at 11003 31st Ave SW.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Package thief in pickup
The report and videos are from Michael in Arbor Heights:
Caught this guy on our Nest camera stealing a package from our neighbor’s porch (Friday) at 2:15 PM in a fancy newer-style gray Ford truck. I’ve attached two separate videos, one showing the truck drive into frame, one showing the theft take place. Neighbor has or will be reporting to police. This happened on 32nd Ave SW in between 106th and 105th in Arbor Heights.
Hopefully someone will recognize the truck. Perpetrator was a white male, stocky, bald.
MBL also says social-media discussion of his clips yielded an opinion that it could be the same person/truck shown in this video from last month, recorded by a witness as a woman tried to stop a truck after her purse had been stolen from her car outside Admiral Safeway.
Another round of Dog Days ahead at Arbor Heights pool
(2017 photo by Jamie Kinney)
In case the extra-warm weather gets you wondering – yes, Dog Days will be back this year at Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club (11003 31st SW). It’s a fundraising tradition after the last human swimming days of the year, before the pool’s off-season cleaning; the admission fees benefit youth swim teams. This year’s dates will be Monday, September 16 through Sunday, September 22, and the various price options will include one for dog walkers, sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, $50 for up to 8 dogs. Questions? coriroed (at) gmail (dot) com
WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: The ‘Just Do It’ thief
7:24 PM: Just in from an Arbor Heights resident – this clip showing a package thief in a “Just Do It” T-shirt. The victim reports:
We had a few packages stolen from our porch today, and this dude seemed to be making the rounds (I’m assuming because a lot of Prime Day stuff was getting delivered).
If it’s helpful to anyone, here is the video from my doorbell … it seems like others have had the same people steal from them today as well.
The resident also sent this clip from a neighbor’s camera showing a different thief but apparently the same vehicle. We’ll add the police-report number when available. This kind of incident usually can be reported online – police continue to reiterate that it’s really important for everything to be reported.
11:59 PM UPDATE: Police report # is 19-264203.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Arbor Heights search warrant
(WSB photo)
10 AM: That’s one of the police vehicles that drew a lot of attention (thanks for the tips!) in Arbor Heights this morning, near SW 98th and 41st SW. The operation was wrapping up when we got there and so far all we know is that it was Renton Police serving a warrant. We’re pursuing more details and will update if we get any.
10:26 AM: The Renton PD media liaison tells us all he knows so far is that it was a drug-related warrant.
UPDATE: Driver to hospital after Arbor Heights collision that damaged house
11:27 AM: The “rescue extrication” response is headed for 39th SW/SW 106th [map], and the dispatch was for a reported “vehicle into a building.” Updates to come.
11:30 AM: First SFD crew on scene reports crash into tree. SFD says no extrication necessary, occupant got themselves out.
11:38 AM: Just added a photo. Our crew says this pickup is in the yard of a house closer to 37th SW than 39th and that the driver appears to be OK. SFD says there are “reports of a second patient near scene.” We’re checking on that.
11:50 AM: Our crew talked to a witness who also noted that a second vehicle was involved, and our crew has found that one:
The driver of this vehicle is OK but after evaluation, our crew says, it appears the pickup driver will be taken to a hospital. Avoid the area, by the way – police are NOT there yet to direct traffic so SFD is doing what it can.
12:38 PM: Firefighters had to shore up the deck area damaged According to a witness with whom we spoke, the pickup driver hit the other car while trying to get through a narrow section o street, then lost control.
A commenter says the pickup driver went through three yards before ending up on the deck.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: The case of the stinky-shoe thief
The video and report are from Michael in east Arbor Heights:
This cool guy stole my shoes from front porch midnight June 10th. Joke’s on him because they were stinky as heck after golfing in the morning and going in the trash anyway. Just thought it provides a good look for someone who’s obviously casing the neighborhood and stealing things off people’s front porch.
P.S. One more reminder that Arbor Heights (and Westwood/Roxhill-area) residents are invited to a focus group tonight to discuss crime/safety/policing issues – here’s the info.
WORK ALERT: Crews returning to 35th SW in Arbor Heights
(SDOT map of original project zone)
Another alert from SDOT, this time for the half-mile of 35th SW where sidewalks were built last year. The project team says, “We have some final repair work to do on 35th Ave SW – some due to the snow/de-icing damages and … concerns and problems that emerged after project completion. Our crews will be returning to 35th Ave SW this coming Monday, 5/6 for up to two weeks to complete final repair work along the corridor. This work will be fairly low key and will not require complete closures or staging of equipment.” Here’s what they’ll be doing:
Crews will return to 35th Ave SW as early as this coming Monday, May 6 to begin last part of repair work as part of the Arbor Heights Safe Routes to School sidewalk project. This work includes:
ï‚· Rebuilding curb bulbs at the following locations:
o SW corner of 35th Ave SW and SW 100th St
o SW corner of 35th Ave SW and SW 104th St
ï‚· Rebuilding the curb and gutter on the west side of 35th Ave SW between SW 102nd St and SW
106th St
ï‚· Install fog line (line that delineates between vehicular travel lane and parking strip) along the
west side of 35th Ave SW between SW 100th St and SW 106th St
ï‚· Hydroseed planting strip area along east side of 35th Ave SW between SW 102nd St and SW 104th
St
This work will take approximately 2 weeks to complete. During this work, you can expect:
ï‚· Noise and dust from construction
 Work hours from 8 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday
ï‚· Temporary suspension of street parking on the west side of 35 th Ave SW between SW 100 th St
and SW 106 th St
o No-Park signs will be posted 3 days in advance to parking closure
ï‚· Temporary detour and/or lane shift on 35 th Ave SW
ï‚· Possible impacts to pedestrian access
ï‚· King County Metro service will not be impacted by this work
Questions? Please contact Project Outreach Team at 206-615-0786 or by email at
pedestrianimprovements2@seattle.gov.
UPDATE: Driver hits parked car, goes sideways in Arbor Heights
8:15 PM: SFD and SPD are on their way to a reported “rollover collision” involving one person in one vehicle in the 9800 block of 35th SW [map]. Updates to come.
8:27 PM: Added photo – it’s a car that went sideways after its driver hit a parked car, according to what we’ve been told at the scene. The driver will be taken to the hospital by AMR ambulance. 35th is currently blocked both ways.
9:22 PM: Another photo – at left is the car that was hit while parked. We went by the scene again a short time ago; still blocked. We’ll update when there’s word it’s open again.
VIDEO: Stolen car crashes, burns in Arbor Heights, driver flees
(Added: Reader video by Tracy. Alert, ambient sound includes profanity)
9:55 PM: In case you’re hearing the sirens: What we tuned into as King County Sheriff’s Office deputies followed/pursued a car into Arbor Heights has ended in a “car fire” call at California/106th [map]. Before that, a deputy had reported that the car’s driver tried to ram her at some point east of there. The driver has apparently bolted, as a K-9 team is being summoned to help search.
10:12 PM: Added reader video of the burning car. No report yet of an arrest. We aren’t sure yet what started this – except that it started somewhere east (25th/106th was the first location check we heard over the sheriff’s frequency).
10:30 PM: Tracy, who sent the video, says the fire is out but the search continues. Meantime, this photo also has been sent to us:
(Photo courtesy Robin)
10:47 PM: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Ryan Abbott tells WSB the car involved was stolen car and that it indeed “rammed a Deputy,” who is OK. Meantime, a commenter reports seeing how it all started near 16th/107th in White Center. And nearby resident Tracy says SFD has departed – here’s the car, post-fire:
11:33 PM: Haven’t heard any updates for a while.
ADDED 12:10 PM MONDAY: Followed up today with Sgt. Abbott of KCSO. He confirms that the suspect has NOT been found. We also asked about the circumstances of the original car theft. He says it was taken in White Center – 1200 block of SW 107th – two weeks ago: “The victim had started his car to warm it up in the morning of 03/11 and when he returned to it, the car was gone.” It’s a 2007 Chrysler 300.
GRATITUDE: Scouting for Food success!
As mentioned in our daily highlights, this was Scouting for Food pickup day for some local troops and packs. The photos and report are from Pack 799 parent Jason T:
Scouts from Pack 799 were out on foot this morning, with wagons and vehicles following, ‘scouting for food’ donations and collecting for the West Seattle Food Bank. They amassed 1,175 pounds of food and toiletry items from our Arbor and Arroyo Heights neighbors (pickup area). Enough to fill the floor of one parent’s Dodge Sprinter van.
Many residents greeted our Scouts, shared their own stories of past food drives or scouting adventures, and gave their support and encouragement. Weather turned wonderful. In summation, performing a valuable service in our community was fun and pleasantly, a success!
Checking in with Westside School’s first-year leader Steve de Beer
The Grammy-winning Okee Dokee Brothers played at Westside School (WSB sponsor) this weekend, part of the independent school’s ongoing partnership with Town Hall Seattle. 
Opening its doors ever-wider as a community hub is one of the school’s goals under its first-year head of school Steve de Beer. We sat down to chat with him this week. While it’s his first year at Westside, the school is already in its fourth year on its Arbor Heights campus, remodeled from its previous incarnation as a church. Moving here last summer after seven years at Friends School in Boulder, Colorado, de Beer is leading Westside through continued growth. He notes that Westside has doubled the size of its middle-school math faculty, with math contests and robotics enhancing the curriculum, part of “being an excellent independent school” in his view. The school also has added its first full-time counselor. Students have a new turf field – added last year – to play on. And Westside is looking at the possibility of more space for preschool: The neighboring New Apostolic Church recently moved its congregation to a new “Puget Sound Metro” site in Federal Way, and approached Westside to see if they might be interested in renting the space. The discussion is in a very early stage, de Beer stressed, with exploratory filings on record with the city. Earlier this decade, Westside expanded to add middle school. Meantime, the next step in the school’s community-hub plans is on March 28th, when Westside will host the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly After Hours gathering. “Lots of good energy” at the school, de Beer summarizes.
From public spaces to police @ Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition
(Southwestern side of Roxhill Bog, 2014 WSB photo)
From Roxhill Park to the Delridge Triangle, public spaces are part of our toplines from last night’s Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition meeting:
BOG PROGRESS: WWRHAH and other community advocates have worked for many years to get action for Roxhill Bog in Roxhill Park, which is compromised by hydrology problems (as outlined in a report we published in 2014). Now there’s word of progress toward getting a study funded, with the first step being outlining the scope of work.
ARTS IN THE PARKS: WWRHAH’s Kim Barnes said a grant from this program will help make the recently announced World Music Day happen this summer. She’s hoping it will be a multicultural celebration as well as a music festival.
DELRIDGE TRIANGLE: The next step in improving this public space is a community workshop on March 23rd, as announced last month. Details of the Saturday morning event at Highland Park Improvement Club are expected before week’s end; other events will follow this spring as community participants plan the space’s future.
POLICE UPDATE: Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand says crime in the area is down so far this year; police are continuing their emphasis patrols at Westwood Village. Strong-arm robbery is the current focus, because – as precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis mentioned at the recent West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting – teens are getting targeted for their phones. The suspects also are juveniles, he said, adding that some arrests have been made.
OTHER RECENT MEETINGS: Recapped were the Southwest Design Review Board meeting for the 9201 Delridge Way SW self-storage project (WSB coverage here), attended by Barnes, and the February D-1 Community Network meeting (WSB coverage here), attended by WWRHAH’s Eric Iwamoto.
The Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition meets first Tuesdays most months, 6:15 pm at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW).
West Seattle Crime Watch: ‘Hateful graffiti’; car/carport prowl
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
‘HATEFUL GRAFFITI’: That’s how Lindsay described what she found by Seola Pond over the weekend:
We cropped the photo; the post/box is defaced with a swastika and a word/name that contains “white.” That area is on the city/county line so Lindsay was looking into reporting it to both jurisdictions: “Very disturbing in our family-friendly little neighborhood.”
CAR/CARPORT PROWLS: Also in Arbor Heights, as reported by James:
We had thefts from our cars and our carports, as did our neighbors who live right behind us. Our cars are parked off the street but were not locked (I know, we learned our lesson).
The contents taken: several jackets (north face, etc), boots, a bike from our neighbors, a few other items (and we’re still trying to figure out if there’s more). Just a good reminder for people in our area. … It could have been worse – they were nice thieves – they left all of the jackets/gloves of our 2-year-old son. So there’s that positive to take from this.
Something to share via West Seattle Crime Watch? Once it’s reported to police, email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
UTILITIES: Water-main break in Arbor Heights
Thanks to the neighbors who’ve sent word about this: Some Arbor Heights residents have no water, and others have brown water, because of a break on SW 100th, which is closed between 35th and 37th as a result. If you experience brown water at any time, by the way, remember to report it to the city even if you think they’re on it – 206-386-1800.
UPDATE: Teen hurt while sledding, taken to hospital; driver arrested
(Added: Scene photo shared by Ray in comments)
1:28 PM: Thanks for the tips about an emergency response in Arbor Heights. According to SFD radio communication, a 14-year-old boy was hurt in a collision with a car while sledding at/near 35th SW and SW 110th. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening and he was described as “awake and alert,” but he is being taken to Harborview Medical Center. Streets are blocked near the intersection while police investigate.
ADDED TUESDAY MORNING, 8:04 AM: The driver is under investigation for possible DUI.
10:48 AM: SPD has posted the case on its blog-format “blotter”:
A 14-year-old boy sustained a head injury after he collided with a car while he was riding a sled down a hill in West Seattle yesterday. The 20-year-old driver of the car was later arrested and booked into jail for DUI.
On Monday, at approximately 1:00 pm, a Ford Focus was traveling southbound on 35th Avenue SW approaching SW 110th Street when the 14-year-old on the sled entered the intersection. The 20-year-old male driver of the Focus attempted to brake, but the vehicle continued to slide on the icy road and the Focus and sled collided, causing the injury.
The driver called 911 reporting the collision. Officers arrived, along with the Fire Department. The driver was evaluated at the scene and was later arrested for suspicious of DUI (marijuana). The 14-year-old was transported to HMC where he is recovering.
The driver of the vehicle was later booked into the King County Jail. This remains an active and on-going investigation.
UPDATE: West Seattle early-morning power outage cuts electricity to 4,700+ customers for hour-plus
1:01 AM: Getting reports of a power outage – so far hearing from Gatewood, Arbor Heights, The Arroyos. Anyone else?
1:07 AM: Big outage – just showed on the map (always a lag). 4,700+ homes/businesses.
1:10 AM: No official word of the cause yet but we have at least two reports from Gatewood of a “zap” heard and flashes seen. (Added atop this story: Screengrab of City Light map, for the record.)
1:21 AM: As noted in comment discussion, SCL has assigned an estimated restoration time of 7 am, but those are always just guesstimates – could be much sooner … or later.
2:01 AM: Second hour of the outage. SCL says its crews are still investigating.
2:32 AM: After an hour and a half, we’re getting reports that at least some have their power back.
2:37 AM: The SCL map is now updated. 3,000+ customers still out.
2:51 AM: And now everybody else (except for 1 customer) is back on, the map shows. (Added) SCL says via Twitter that while the cause is still under investigation, crews “rerouted power to restore the affected area.”
ADDED TUESDAY: SCL says an underground cable failure caused the outage.
UPDATE: Police search ends quickly in Arbor Heights, after unfounded report
1:16 PM: Police are arriving in Arbor Heights for a search centered at 39th SW and SW 105th. Details to come.
1:19 PM: This was an apparently unfounded report of burglars. A neighbor tells police that the people reported as potential burglars were house cleaners who had a key to enter the house. They’ve just confirmed with the homeowner by phone – per the scanner – that she was expecting new house cleaners today. They’re now making contact with the people in the house.
1:25 PM: Per scanner, confirmed, they’re cleaners. Equipment and all.
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