FAUNTLEROY YMCA UPDATE: As noted here recently, the Fauntleroy YMCA branch – once in danger of closing – recently expanded its hours. New administrator Ethan Clark told the FCA board that the number of people using the Y has steadily increased since the start of the year, but there’s still quite some way to go before the location is sustainable. There has been an increase in use over the summer, which he said was encouraging, as usage traditionally falls off inJune, July, and August. Also of note: Some youth sports have been added, including indoor pickleball and basketball.

POLICE UPDATES: Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Nate Shopay said Fauntleroy’s crime stats have stayed steady. Asked if three recent commercial burglaries, including Wildwood Market and The Birdhouse, were believed to be related, he said not so far – there are no “pattern” crimes being investigated in the Fauntleroy area right now.

FALL FESTIVAL: This year’s Fauntleroy Fall Festival, 2-5 pm Sunday, October 20, is taking shape. So far The School Of Rock is one of the musical groups scheduled, plus the bunny petting zoo is returning, and they’ve booked a magician who also does balloon animals. The Fall Festival is entirely powered by donations and volunteers, and got a big boost from a fundraiser at The Birdhouse earlier in the day that raised $900.

THE GREAT PUMPKIN HUNT: FCA is presenting it 1-3 pm on Sunday, October 27, and needs volunteers to help hide pumpkins. If you can help, contact Candace Blue at blueyvette47@gmail.com.

FERRIES: President Mike Dey recapped the most-recent Community Advisory Group meeting for the ferry-dock replacement (WSB coverage here); also note, Washington State Ferries has two systemwide online community meetings next week.

NEXT MEETING: FCA’s board meets second Tuesdays, 6 pm, most months, but rescheduled this one so people could watch the presidential debate. Next month’s meeting will be October 8.

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Lots going on this weekend, so we’re starting the reminders now – first, if you have unwanted items you can’t recycle at curbside, this Saturday (September 21) is the day every fall when you can bring those items to the free Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church. 9 am-3 pm Saturday at 9140 California SW, drive up, ride up, or walk up, and drop off, between 9 am and 3 pm. Here’s the list of what the church’s Recycle Roundup partner 1 Green Planet will – and won’t – take, this time.

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found these items dumped at the salmon lookout above the ferry dock. Mostly junk, but there are some expensive women’s eyewear items in there as well.

If you recognize any of these items, let us know and we’ll connect you.

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Looking for indoor activities for the weekend? Fauntleroy Church is ready for shoppers to show up starting tomorrow morning for its annual fundraising Second-Time Sale – carefully curated, donated items you might not be able to resist. Like this satin and velvet “crazy quilt”:

Or maybe a porcelain figurine:

Or a puzzle to keep busy on another rainy day:

If you need it, they just might have it. Furniture, books, sports equipment, kitchenware, jewelry, the list goes on. The Second-Time Sale is in the Fellowship Hall of the church (9140 California SW), 9 am-4 pm Saturday, 11:30 am-3 pm Sunday.

P.S. To make room for your finds, you can set aside stuff to take to the church NEXT Saturday (September 21) during the fall Recycle Roundup!

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Just two weeks to go until the next Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church – 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday, September 21. Here’s the list of what Recycle Roundup partner 1 Green Planet will and won’t accept this time. If it’s on the list of what they’ll accept, just bring it to the church’s lot (9140 California SW) and drop it off, free. One request from organizers: Don’t procrastinate – the earlier in the six-hour window that you can arrive, the better – they don’t want to see 3 pm approach with a long line waiting.

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The state’s automated tolling system Good To Go! might be a payment option for the future Fauntleroy ferry dock replacement, but it’s not worth relying on entirely, or worth giving a dedicated tollbooth.

That’s a key result from Washington State Ferries‘ long-anticipated study of how Good To Go! and advance ticketing might factor into the dock rebuild. The presentation was made at last week’s online meeting of the Community Advisory Group for the project – here’s the draft report provided to committee members. Below, WSF video of the meeting, followed by our summary:

First, for context, here’s where the project planning stands: WSF is continuing to screen nine alternatives for size/configuration of the new dock, all with footprints bigger than the current dock. WSF is expecting to zero in on a preferred alternative by the end of this year. Construction is currently expected in the 2027-2029 biennium.

The advisory-group members had long been asking for information on how alternate payment methods, both Good To Go! and advance ticketing, would affect performance of the new dock, and shape its design and operation expectations. GTG is not currently used by WSF; advance ticketing, Wave 2 Go, is, and they estimate 50% to 60% of Triangle Route (Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth) riders use that.

The briefing was led by Matt Ringstad, a consultant whose firm, Jacobs, did the study. They looked at factors including how “dwell time” and “queue time” would be affected, how much implementation would cost, and the “customer experience.”

Most options deploying Good To Go!, the study said, would both raise fares and raise the cost of the project.

So they settled on two recommendations, both tied to dock-size alternatives that are the closest to – but still larger than – the current dock:

The presentation was relatively short, and they moved to Q&A with advisory-group members after a little more than half an hour. Good To Go! was only studied because group members asked for that, pointed out Judy Pickens of Fauntleroy, wondering “would we be in a better place” if it had been considered from the start. WSF’s Hadley Rodero countered that the process is still in an early stage and they couldn’t have considered it any earlier.

Pickens also noted that the Legislature was involved five years ago with a study that had recommendations for improving queueing, but those weren’t brought in; Rodero said Fauntleroy and Vashon advocates have made recommendations outside this study (likely a reference to this open letter from a month ago).

Justin Hirsch of Vashon Island said he felt vindicated by the study’s conclusion that Good To Go! reliance would result in sizable fare increases. He and other frequent users were interested in how Good To Go! could be configured to allow for multi-ride discounts; Ringstad said they’re working on that. What about peak-time pricing? That’s in the study, he said.

Vashon Island’s Gary English wondered how technology advances in the years ahead would, and/or could, factor into the plan. Ringstad said that has to be considered, especially considering the rapid advances in AI; they’re looking, for example, at technology that could count the people in a vehicle “and distinguish between you, the baby, the dog.”

Ringstad was asked what happens “if Good To Go! crashes.” He said the information would be collected in a way that, when everything’s fixed, the system will catch up.

So the two recommendations shown above are now part of what’s being screened as they move toward choosing an alternative.

INTERSECTION UPDATE: The meeting also included a quick update on planning for changes at the Fauntleroy Way intersection through which traffic passes to/from the ferries.

The intersection improvements – previously detailed here – will be built before the dock, starting in about a year, but you’ll see some preliminary work much sooner, including surveying and geotechnical work.

HOUSE ON THE BEACH: Attendees also got an update on WSF’s plan to buy the beach house on the north side of Cove Park, to use as a project office. They met with its current tenants last moth to discuss “relocation options.” They’re also planning on an environmental assessment in advance of the appraisal. What are WSF’s intentions for the house after the new dock is built? asked Pickens. WSF’s Dave Sowers said they saw multiple possibilities such as office space and crew meeting rooms. Or, it could be declared surplus. Pickens said, “Can you assure the Fauntleroy community that it won’t become a parking lot?” Sowers replied, “I can’t guarantee anything” – in the sense that he can’t speak for his successor(s) at WSF decades down the line – “but there’s no intent for a parking lot.”

WHAT’S NEXT: Here’s what the group’s discussed so far and what lies ahead:

Rodero told the CAG that the next meeting likely will be in early October. When it’s set, you’ll find the date, time, and Zoom link here.

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Two culverts carrying salmon-bearing Fauntleroy Creek underground below two streets must be replaced and widened. That’s long been known. But a behind-the-scenes part of the story has just come to light.

One of the replacement plans, for the section beneath 45th SW, has not been particularly controversial – it’s in city right-of-way and the planning is under way after the “restart” about which we reported back in March.

The other is an entirely different story – one that has just closed the book on a difficult chapter.

Fauntleroy Church and the City of Seattle have reached agreement on how to deal with the other section of culvert, which carries the creek under California SW and the church parking lot – a 130-foot city culvert, almost a third of which extends under the church parking lot [vicinity map], where it joins a 230-foot church-installed culvert. At one point in this “long conversation,” as Fauntleroy Church senior pastor Leah Atkinson-Bilinski describes it, there was the possibility that the church would face a giant price tag for the culvert project – potentially $7 million – a sum that would have bankrupted the church.

(WSB photo, exploratory drilling in 2020)

That was the state of things in 2019. Then in 2020, the church says, a city contractor doing geotechnical boring “inaccurately locate(d) the culvert and punche(d) two holes in it.” That took the situation to a different level, with the church pursuing city commitments regarding responsibility for the resulting damage, and the need to replace the 70+-year-old culvert. The conversation came to “dead ends, where it felt like we couldn’t move forward,” the pastor said. Eventually, the church felt compelled to file a lawsuit against the city, and did so last year (but did not serve it).

As the result of that, the church and city have struck a deal – recently signed by both parties – under which the church will deed part of its land to the city, enough for construction of the new city/church culvert. How much, nobody knows until the new culvert is designed. The agreement includes stipulations to protect the church’s future, such as protecting the garden outside its basement-level preschool space and a certain number of ADA parking spaces, plus the fire lane. And as part of the deal, the city is relieved of liability for damaging the church’s current culvert. And there is a provision to ensure the city would be compensated for the investment of public funds, should the church site be sold to a for-profit buyer within the next quarter-century.

Many, but not all, details of the culvert replacement itself will be guided by state and federal requirements. Rev. Atkinson-Bilinski says that ideally the deal would have given the church a bit more say in the future plan, but it does guarantee they’ll be consulted as “important partners” and that their ideas “will be considered.” When the time comes, she adds, it will be very important for community voices to weigh in on prospective designs – not just what happens in the culvert itself, but the project features above-ground.

Just getting to this point, though, is a victory, church leaders reiterate. This all dates back to the original construction of the culvert – at a time when nobody considered looking far into the future to imagine a time when restoration of salmon habitat would be important, and possible. The city first looked at culvert replacements in 2001, but shelved the idea, which resurfaced after a partial blockage hit the 45th SW culvert in 2015. (That culvert also had a clog last year.) In 2019, design concepts were presented by the city, and that’s when the church learned it could face a multi-million-dollar expense.

(2021 reader photo, salmon in Fauntleroy Creek)

Judy Pickens, who has been involved for decades with bringing Fauntleroy Creek back to life as a salmon-bearing stream, co-chaired the church’s committee dealing with the culvert issue. She says it’s important to note that reaching the agreement doesn’t just settle the stalemate between the church and city, but also means the church is “walking its talk” regarding respect for tribal fishing rights. In addition to legal requirements, a church background document explains, “as a congregation we have accepted a moral responsibility to steward the land and water that were taken from Coast Salish peoples.”

This section of culvert has been completely underground since the early 1950s. At some point before that, there was a trestle bridge over California, the church says. Mobility was a motivation when the project was planned back in the ’50s; in addition to the ecosystem, safety is a key concern now. Four preschools are in the area, and one side of California holds one of them plus the church and the Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor), while the other side holds historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, home to other schools, multiple small businesses, and a popular event venue, The Hall at Fauntleroy. Once a year, the Fauntleroy Fall Festival spans all of those venues, with a huge all-ages throng visiting for the afternoon.

Will the future expanded culvert bring salmon back to the upper reaches of Fauntleroy Creek, steeper than many such streams? “The potential is there … they’ve surprised us before,” Pickens says, while tempering her optimism.

“If you build it, they will come. Hopefully!” adds pastor Atkinson-Bilinski.

But for now, some relief that they know a multimillion-dollar culvert repair isn’t looming over the church. “We’re just gratified,” says church board chair Greg Dirks, “and looking forward to partnership with the city and community.”

Watch for more on how you can get involved, via the Seattle Public Utilities project page.

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Not only is September 21 – one month from today – the last day of summer, it’s also the date for the next Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church. Mark the change of seasons by clearing out what you no longer need or can use, and bringing it to the church lot at 9140 California SW, 9 am-3 pm that day. It’s free, in partnership with 1 Green Planet. Just be sure that what you’re dropping off is on the official list of what they’re accepting – and we already have that list, so you can check it out here right now.

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We are thrilled to announce that tickets are now available for the highly anticipated Taste of West Seattle, the largest community-based food fair in the area. This beloved event will take place on Thursday, September 19th, 2024, at The Hall at Fauntleroy.

The Taste of West Seattle is a celebration of our vibrant local food scene, featuring an incredible array of food and drinks from dozens of local restaurants, breweries, wineries, coffee shops, bakeries, chocolatiers, specialty food stores, and more. Musical entertainment this year is generously provided by Correo Aereo.

The Taste of West Seattle draws a sell-out crowd of hundreds of people from throughout King County, all coming together to enjoy delicious offerings and support the West Seattle Food Bank. The attendees vote to select winners in categories such as “Best Savory Taste” and “Best Pour” and there are raffles, games and fun!

Event Details:
Date: Thursday, September 19th, 2024
VIP Entrance: 5:30 PM, General Admission: 6:00 PM
Tickets: GA $75, VIP $125 (must be 21+ to attend)
Location: The Hall at Fauntleroy

For a list of participating food and beverage vendors, and to purchase tickets, please visit WestSeattleFoodBank.org. For more information or to become a participating vendor, please contact Robbin Peterson, Development Director at WSFB: 206-686-4521 or robbin@westseattlefoodbank.org

26 food/beverage purveyors are already on the list as of moments ago! The Hall at Fauntleroy is at 9131 California SW.

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1:30 PM: WSF says the Kittitas is back in service.

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3:01 PM: Thanks for the tips. Police are investigating the discovery of a dead person on the beach in Fauntleroy, in a residential area south of the ferry dock. Our photo was taken looking south from the dock; the person’s body was on the beach just to the right of the driftwood at the photo’s right edge. This is the same area where a search was under way early Wednesday morning after a report of someone splashing and calling for help. Despite searches by sea and, later in the day, by air, no one was found at that time. We’re following up with police and will add anything more we find out.

3:49 PM: SPD spokesperson Officer Brian Pritchard says the call originally came in as an unclothed man dead on the beach, and that’s what police confirmed upon arrival. He says there’s no sign of foul play, though it’ll be up to the Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death.

(Photo sent by Leif)

They do believe this is the same person who was the subject of the Wednesday morning search, because of the clothing found on a small swimming dock (as mentioned in our previous story).

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Washington State Ferries ran three boats on the Triangle Route for much of the day, attempting to accommodate Vashon Island’s biggest event of the summer, the Strawberry Festival, but a crew shortage has struck again and the run will be down to one boat – here’s the alert WSF sent:

Due to a shortage of crew, the 3rd vessel on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth has tied up for the evening. The #2 Kitsap will go out of service following the 5:20 p.m. sailing from Fauntleroy to Vashon, which puts the route on one-boat service for the remainder of the day. Customers can expect long waits and delays due to the disruption.

For customers trying to reach Vashon Island, your alternate route is Point Defiance/Tahlequah.

Due to the Vashon Strawberry Festival, we’ll be prioritizing service between Vashon and Fauntleroy. It is highly recommended for Southworth/Fauntleroy customers use Seattle/Bremerton as an alternate route.

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A matter of time and space dominated the latest meeting of the Community Advisory Group that Washington State Ferries convenes when there’s something new to discuss about planning the Fauntleroy dock expansion/replacement.

In this case, the main agenda item for last night’s online meeting was the analysis of how the various alternative dock size/shapes under consideration (see them here) would affect the time needed for loading/unloading and the space taken up by vehicles queueing along Fauntleroy Way.

From the meeting presentation, here’s where the project planning is now:

WSF has not yet chosen a preferred size/shape alternative. That’s likely to happen next year, and detailed studies will ensue. Still lots to discuss before then – the first five in dark green here are what the group has asked to hear about:

The group’s long been asking for study results on potentially focusing the new terminal’s ticketing on Good To Go! passes and advance-purchase ticketing, wondering if that could affect the size/capacity needed for the new dock. WSF terminal-engineering director Dave Sowers explained what they’re studying. They’re hoping to have this information at the next meeting.

Also noted before the meeting got to the main topic, WSF environmental/permitting lead Marsha Tolon recapped toplines of concerns that have been voiced:

Group member Mardi Clements noted that Cove Park to the north of the dock is actually managed by King County because of its adjacent Barton Pump Station, and that the county has needed to use it multiple times in the past. Tolon said construction likely will require some temporary closures of the park.

Later in the meeting, WSF reps were reminded that they had told group members offline a few days earlier that they’re talking with King County about acquiring the beachfront house just north of Cove Park for use during the construction process.

(King County Assessor file photo)

The house is currently being rented and the tenant has been notified that WSF is interested in acquiring it – next step. Sowers said, is to have it appraised. (The house served as a project office during pump-station work in the mid-2010s.)

On to the traffic analysis (read the full report here):

Project consultant Mark Bandy presented these results. The study was meant to evaluate how the alternatives would affect load/unload time and the “extent of queueing.” That, Bandy said, provides a foundation for how Good To Go! and advance ticketing could play out in operation of the new dock. He also recapped WSF’s criteria for “on-time” (trips departing within 10 minutes) and systemwide “on-time” (95 percent of all trips meeting that; this route was just below that in the pre-pandemic years). Here’s the study context:

For further context, here are the sizes of the potential new-dock alternatives that remain under study, ranging from 30 percent more “overwater coverage” to 119 percent more:

The B and C alternatives had the fastest load/unload times:

Regarding queueing effects, alternatives B-1, B-2, and C showed little to no queueing in 2040 projections, for both weekdays and weekends:

In Q&A, questions included whether WSF took the work-at-home surge into account. “That’s one of the things we’re definitely seeing in our travel patterns,” said Bandy, and in some cases that makes midday the busiest time – bottom line, they’re not sure how this will play out. One group member asked for elaboration on how certain alternatives will save time – he says that even today, there are still cars left on the dock “when the arm goes down” before a ferry leaves (sometimes because it’s full, sometimes because it’s time to leave, it was clarified later). He disagrees that making room for more cars on the dock is going to speed up loading. He lives near the dock and “sees this every single day.” He challenged Bandy to come see it firsthand; Bandy said he has.

Fletcher Sandbeck described the idling that queueing leads to; Clements noted that idling happens on the dock too if extreme weather means cars have to run their A/C or heater. She also noted that WSF is using numbers for ticketed/nonticketed cars/riders that don’t have much separation, but “it’s stunningly different from what we were told before, and it’s a win for everybody if it’s true” – if there’s really only a 12-second discrepancy between processing times for ticketed and nonticketed riders. WSF executive Hadley Rodero explained that the numbers given to the previous Triangle Route advisory group years ago were “draft” numbers and “estimates” – “these numbers now are more refined.” Bandy reiterated that the Triangle Route is ‘already heavily pre-ticketed’ – 60 percent, in general.

Group member Gary English noted that overhead passenger loading might save significant time. He voiced the concern that he’s not “hearing the emphasis on dwell time that I hoped to hear” in these study results. Sowers agreed that overhead loading works well – safer, too – at some terminals, and “we’ve done some estimating here” on how it might save load/unload time for the Fauntleroy dock.

Group member Victoria Nelson noted that pedestrian/bicycle load times are “nearly identical” for all alternatives and that overhead loading would save less than two minutes. Bandy said that number was based on a study of how long it takes now (handling those ferry riders before and after vehicles).

Group member Frank Immel said he’d recently been on the ferry from Southworth and noted that the Kitsap Transit foot ferry seemed busy; the staff there told him 400 use it daily to get to and from downtown Seattle.

Group member Scott Harvey suggested that boats aren’t able to load at full capacity because of dock constraints, given how the dual-destination lineups have to be arranged, and he suggested that a dock with more capacity will assist with that.

Group member Justin Hirsch said that “if WSF is going to rely on” some cars continuing to queue on Fauntleroy Way, then in his view, WSF has to “actively manage” that traffic somehow. Sowers noted that “we have this issue at most of our ferry terminals” and since it’s a city street, the city is accountable for managing it.

Clements observed that it appears some street queueing will be unavoidable no matter what.

English asked if the research only considered a three-boat schedule, and the project team said yes, since they’re hopeful that by the time this is built and new boats are coming online, two-boat (or worse, one-boat) days will be far fewer.

Immel wondered if WSF could also do this analysis for other sailings, since it just addressed two sailings – what happens to the remaining queue after those two sailings? “It’s queued all day long” currently, he pointed out.

English wondered if there’s ever a chance there will be larger boats on the Triangle Route. Short answer, WSF says, no, they expect that even in 2040, they’ll run three 124-vehicle ferries (as is the plan now when the fleetwide boat shortage is alleviated).

WHAT’S NEXT: The project team says the meeting with Good To Go!/advance-ticketing info will likely be in late August/early September. … A video recording of this meeting will eventually be added to this page; that’s also where you can register to observe the online meeting tomorrow (1 pm Thursday, July 18) of the Technical Advisory Group for the project.

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