West Seattle, Washington
19 Tuesday
Another community coalition with a lot going on …
That’s a photo by Alki Community Council president Charlotte Starck from last week’s personal-safety seminar, hosted by the ACC and presented by Seattle Police at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. She reports, “SPD Officer German Barreto presented, with Seattle Police instructor Sarah Lawson, who brought experience as a 911 operator and a victim of crime herself. She shared her own experience getting out of an attempted robbery and stabbing when a knife-wielding attacker came at her and she used her metal water bottle to defend herself and her loud commanding voice.” Speaking of loud voices, Starck recounts a memorable moment from the seminar: “There was one point when the basement meeting room at the library was anything but quiet as attendees found their voice in calling for help from police at the top of their lungs.” She also says participants learned about texting 911 and Smart 911, plus the overall importance of contacting 911 when something’s happening. “The message was clear, call 911. They are the experts in determining a response for emergency or non-emergency. Instructors said don’t ever assume that someone else called in any obvious emergency. It is better to have more calls on emergencies than to have few or even none because people thought someone already called.”
COUNCILMEMBER SAKA AT NEXT ACC MEETING: The ACC’s next meeting is this Thursday (March 21), 7 pm at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds), and City Councilmember Rob Saka is the main guest, as he continues making the rounds of community groups. (Here’s our coverage of his three recent West Seattle appearances: District 1 Community Network, Admiral Neighborhood Association, and a small-business mini-roundtable.) Though ACC meetings are usually hybrid, this one is in-person only.
The Fauntleroy Community Association‘s board meeting this past week wasn’t the organization’s biggest event this month. Tuesday (March 19) is the annual membership meeting known as Food Fest, and next Sunday (March 24) brings the FCA’s spring egg hunt. Those are among the toplines from this past Tuesday’s board meeting:
FOOD FEST: Local eateries and nonprofits will be at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW) for FCA members and other residents who attend this big event, 6-8 pm Tuesday, with a brief business meeting at 7 pm to elect officers for the coming year.
EGG HUNT: The plan for this year’s hunt at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW) is different: Participants will sign in before it starts at 1 pm, and organizers will divide the number of eggs by the number of participants to set a limit for eggs per child. The littlest ones will go first. So don’t be late! Reminder, this is a non-candy egg hunt – we’re told the eggs will contain trinkets, stickers, and tchotchkes. (As noted in our preview, hunt planner Candace Blue could use more volunteers!)
45TH SW CULVERT PROJECT: Following up on last weekend’s informational event, Jonathan Brown from Seattle Public Utilities came to the meeting to answer questions about the Fauntleroy Creek culvert project. Most centered on the timeline length and the traffic issues that will result from having to dig up 45th SW. Brown said it’s too soon for specifics. He also said he doesn’t have info about the second phase of the plan, the culvert work under both private and public property at California SW – the 45th SW segment is the focus first. (Reminder: The project’s online community survey remains open here.)
SPEAKING OF SURVEYS: The board reviewed a draft of results from its latest community survey, to which more than 570 people responded, more than the previous one. The concerns are similar to those from the last survey two years ago – public safety, traffic, the ferry-dock expansion.
AND ABOUT THE DOCK: The FCA board’s point person on Washington State Ferries issues, Frank Immel, reported that he’s working with Vashon Island counterparts to develop a “more unified voice” when dealing with WSF, and to find more common ground. (The Fauntleroy dock project’s Community Advisory Group meets again, online, at 6 pm this Wednesday.)
WHAT’S NEXT: To recap – Food Fest on Tuesday, egg hunt on Sunday, next board meeting April 9.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A wide-ranging Admiral Neighborhood Association agenda drew about 30 people to Admiral Church last night; the meeting was facilitated by ANA president Joanie Jacobs.
Here’s how it unfolded, in the order in which this all happened:
SEATTLE POLICE: The Southwest-area Community Liaison Officer German Barreto spoke first. Trends from the past month in the Admiral area: Burglaries are up, thefts are up “but not that much,” motor-vehicle thefts have gone down. Eight so far this year. The seven other types of thefts included mail and packages. Assaults included “a dispute between coworkers at McDonald’s.” Eight burglaries included businesses and homes. No catalytic-converter thefts lately, he said in response to a question – “those have been going down.” In Q&A, one attendee asked about number of officers on patrol at any given time. Second watch (11 am-9 pm) is the busiest, he said, with 10 to 12 officers, but overall it fluctuates, and they have to “augment” with other officers on OT to at least hit minimums. He said they “go from call to call to call” because of the staffing levels, rather than having time to proactively patrol. Another Q: What’s the current state of traffic enforcement? Barreto notes that since there’s really no Traffic Unit due to staffing levels, that doesn’t happen much. Q: Are any detectives located in West Seattle? Reply: No, they’re centralized on the other side of the bay, as are the remaining specialty units such as Homicide and Robbery. In response to a question from president Jacobs, Officer Barreto reiterated, don’t EVER bother calling the non-emergency line – whenever you have someting to report, just call 911.
CITY COUNCILMEMBER ROB SAKA: Two months into his term, District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka is making the rounds of community meetings, and this was his first appearance at ANA.
As announced at last month’s Alki Community Council meeting, the ACC is teaming up with SPD for a free personal-safety training session, this Wednesday (March 13), 3:30 pm at West Seattle Library (2306 42nd SW). ACC president Charlotte Starck tells WSB tonight that they still have room for more people – you can register here right now! The training is summarized as: “Officers will teach you how to be safer in a variety of situations with a specific focus on shopping areas and neighborhoods from Alki to North Admiral and the West Seattle Junction. This is not a self-defense tactical class, but an engaging lecture and run-through of various scenarios, with Q & A following.” It’s for anyone age 14 and up.
(WSB photo from last Tuesday’s City Council Transportation Committee meeting)
The Transportation Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, the Parks and Open Space Plan … the city is in a season of looking to the future. If you have a question about any of those for District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka – or about something happening right now – you’ll want to be at the Admiral Neighborhood Association gathering this Tuesday (March 12) – it’ll be his second West Seattle neighborhood-group appearance in less than a week (after this one). ANA meets at 7 pm, in-person only, at Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill), and other guests will include Southwest Precinct police. All welcome (even if you don’t live or work in Admiral).
By Sean Golonka
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
West Seattle community members questioned District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka over his and the city’s efforts to address public safety and transportation at tonight’s meeting of the District 1 Community Network, an umbrella group of representatives from various local organizations around the area.
The group also discussed the ongoing city effort to finalize the transformation of a portion of road along Alki Point as a “Healthy Street,” one of a network of local roads – closed to through traffic – where residents are encouraged to walk, roll, bike, and play in the roadway with the help of “Street Closed” signs.
Here is a breakdown of the D1CN meeting, with about two dozen people in attendance at High Point Neighborhood House and facilitated by Deb Barker of the Morgan Community Association.
QUESTIONS FOR COUNCILMEMBER SAKA: In an opening speech, District 1’s recently elected councilmember reiterated a common mantra of his to be the “king of potholes,” adding that his number one focus is public safety. His priorities in that area include staffing — he was one of several city council candidates last year who supported Mayor Bruce Harrell’s hopes of hiring 500 new officers over five years.
In response to one attendee who asked about the city’s progress with boosting its police force, Saka noted that the city council’s Public Safety Committee would receive more information about that subject, including the latest data on officer staffing levels, during its next meeting on Tuesday (March 12).
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Public safety was first up at the second meeting of the new-era Alki Community Council this past Thursday.
For starters, ACC leaders are inviting you to a free personal-safety-training event the ACC is organizing with Seattle Police crime-prevention experts, 3:30 pm Wednesday, March 13, at West Seattle Library (2306 42nd SW) – here’s the registration link.
Guests from SPD were up first, including crime-prevention coordinator Mark Solomon, who brought trends and data: “2023 was a bad year”; though many categories of crime decreased slightly, all neighborhoods citywide saw a continued rise in auto theft. Alki had more homicides (two) and robberies (nine). Regarding specific recent crimes, the police delegation briefly addressed the one-night wave of Starbucks burglaries; we covered two, Admiral and Alki, but it turns out there was a third that night, 35th/Avalon. The burglars “knew enough to get in but didn’t know Starbucks doesn’t keep cash in the register,” they observed. Solomon said that while there were four assaults logged in Alki in recent weeks, they all involved people known to each other. And there was one “shot fired” incident (February 3rd).
Looking ahead to summer, there was some discussion of how disorder on the beach will be handled. Solomon said that park rangers will be deployed “in the neighborhoods” such as Alki, not just downtown as in years past. The SPD contingent explained that rangers – who will be uniformed in brown vests and brown pants – have powers of “citation and exclusion” but not arrest, and they’re unarmed. So, “if something bad happens, we will go onto the beach.”
One attendee asked about the carjackings in recent months.
Tomorrow (Thursday, February 15) brings the second Alki Community Council gathering since new leadership took over. The first one was lively and well-attended (here’s our coverage). What will tomorrow night bring? The ACC plans another hybrid meeting – at 7 pm Thursday, be at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds) in person or join online via this link. The full announcement is in our calendar listing (as are the codes you might need for online attendance). Here are agenda highlights:
1. Arrive to see the work of a local artist whose map of West Seattle immediately got crazy popular on (social media). Meet Sonja Rupnick.
2. A familiar face making impact across the city joins Alki Community Council in a Chair role to lead and inspire. He’s done a lot! What can we do together?
3. Seattle Police update on the rash of one-night smash and grab group robberies and advise on other safety issues.
4. Plus, we’ve got it locked in! We’re hosting SPD Crime Prevention and FREE Personal Safety training that could change the way you think as you move through town. Get the scoop on early registration. Customized content to target Junction to Alki.
5. Meet the NEW Seattle Parks Alki Playground Renovation Planner Kevin Bergsrud. (No presentation, but look ahead.) Plus, hear from the head of Recreational Programs, Tianna Scott, on shuffles to hop to and news on the Alki Bathhouse.
6. Alki Beach PRIDE readies to celebrate 10 years! Don’t know Roger or Stacy? They are ready to rock a soulful summer celebration. You can get involved!
7. That last cool person? That’s you! Got a passion for something particular? Love working on a safer neighborhood? Planning fun foodie events? Maybe you’d like to provide a front porch-style welcome to neighbors? We love all that! Join Alki Community Council to whistle while we work to make Alki the best it can be.
First 20 people attending in-person receive a sweeeet chocolate surprise!
The first community-coalition meeting in the week ahead will be the Fauntleroy Community Association on Tuesday (February 13). The meeting is at a new time – 6 pm instead of 7 pm – and will be back at the regular location this month, the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse conference room. You can also attend online – register for that at fauntleroy.net/meetings. Major topics on this month’s agenda are familiar – the Washington State Ferries plan to replace the Fauntleroy dock, the future of the Fauntleroy YMCA, and the Lincoln Park pickleball-court plan. The ferry-dock discussion will be expanded this month, as guests from WSF are expected, including David Sowers, who heads the WSF division overseeing the project. Other topics include an update from police – at least one representative from the Southwest Precinct is usually there, and it’s a chance to ask questions or surface issues. The meeting venue is right inside the historic schoolhouse’s main entrance, at 9131 California SW.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Another in-person meeting last night began the 2024 calendar for HPAC, the community coalition for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge. They’re testing various locations since their longtime meeting quarters at Highland Park Improvement Club remain out of commission, so last night’s meeting was held at Southwest Library, which meant an earlier start and fixed cutoff time, since the branch clears meeting rooms 15 minutes before 8 pm closing time.
Nonetheless, the 1 1/4-hour meeting facilitated by HPAC co-chair Kay Kirkpatrick delivered plenty of information. Here’s how it unfolded:
SEATTLE POLICE: The Southwest Precinct team that’s appeared at multiple recent community meetings, Lt. Josh Ziemer and community liaison Officer German Barreto, were asked about the shooting death at Southwest Pool/Teen Life Center on Tuesday, but said they could not divulge any updates. In crime stats, so far this year, Highland Park had three assaults, 6 motor-vehicle-related thefts (car prowls, etc.), 7 motor-vehicle thefts and attempted thefts, including “one restolen from a tow lot,” 1 aggravated assault, 1 attempted burglary, 1 store robbery, 1 residential burglary. 2 larceny (one attempted mail theft and one mail theft). Year to year, 2023 compared to 2022, homicides, aggravated assaults up, motor vehicle thefts up, burglaries down.
For South Delridge, also in HPAC’s coverage area – so far this year 2 assaults, one motor vehicle theft, one hit-run, one business burglary, one robbery (phone snatch) – robberies are down year to year, thefts down, except for vehicle thefts, which are up.
Asked about the 1st/Cloverdale encampment just off the sharp turn west of Highway 509:
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What you see above – taped onto the door of Alki UCC Thursday night – was one sign (literally) of the Alki Community Council‘s “fresh start.”
Another sign – more than 20 people in the room, and others joining online, a much larger turnout than most recent meetings.
“We’re all here thanks to a very long history of volunteer service,” new ACC president Charlotte Starck observed in her introductory comments. “This group has done a lot for a long time … we’re all here because we love Alki, we love our home, we want to contribute … We’re not just driven by one issue.” Starck explained that the new leaders, elected in. November, see the role of the ACC ss to “facilitate the conversation and help keep the dialogue going,” not necessarily to advocate for any particular position.
New vice president Lindsey Pearsall elaborated that they hope “to bring the community together, to uplift Alki in general.” She said they’re working to streamline communications, including launching a newsletter – “a resource for the community to go to.” They’ll also be updating the website, automating membership technology, and working to circulate a community survey. That’ll be announced in the newsletter. She’s also interested in ideas of how you would like to see information distributed. They’ve also been connecting with other neighborhood groups, with new District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka, and others.
From there, it was on to the night’s featured guests and topics:
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The Morgan Community Association‘s first meeting of 2024 was the first one in-person since pre-pandemic, facilitated by president Deb Barker. It was MoCA’s first in hybrid style – about a dozen attendees in person at Westside Unitarian Universalist, roughly an equal number via videoconferencing. As usual, it was a meaty meeting, with lots of news:
MORGAN JUNCTION PARK’S NEW PLAN: In advance of this afternoon’s 1 pm Seattle Design Commission review of the expanding park’s updated plan, with an “all-wheels” area, Susan Melrose of Seattle Parks joined remotely and Matt Johnston and Josh Radick were there in person. Their topic: What’s now known as the Morgan Junction All-Wheels Association. On behalf of the city, Melrose is supporting MJAWA in their part of the project, which has its roots in last year’s community activation of the empty park site as a makeshift skatepark. “The positive thing that came out of that was overwhelming community support for that kind of use of the space … an overwhelming message from the community that we wanted some kind of activation,” Johnston said. So they’re pursuing a 1,500 square foot “all wheels area” in the park for “anybody who wants to roll around” – bikes, scooters, wheelchair athletes, roller skaters, not just skateboard riders. “It’s not going to be an advanced skateboarding area or anything like that.” They’ve received a $44,000 neighborhood Matching Fund grant to bring this part of the design up with the rest of the park expansion. “We just want to get our part caught up with the rest of the park project.” They have a plan for public engagement and public meetings – the Parks team needs to be able to incorporate and use what this team creates. He added that the team is “very multidisciplinary and diverse” – “kids, moms, skateborders, bikers”- and they’re looking for more participation – Radick said they’re also looking to do some site cleanups in the next month or so “so it’s at least respectable to look at.” Johnston said the cleanup parties will start in February and supplies will be provided, all you’ll hace to do is show up.
Back in November, many of the Alki Community Council‘s long-serving leaders stepped down – as they long had planned to – and new leaders stepped up (WSB coverage here). Tomorrow night (Thursday, January 18) is the first meeting under the new leaders; president Charlotte Starck says, “Our focus is to harness the love of Alki and Hit Refresh with ACC, which has been a historic part of Alki since at least the mid-1980s. We didn’t want to see this organization that has done so much, fade away. And we’re excited at the new interest we are already getting in redefining what an Alki neighborhood group could look like.” To be part of that – even if only a spectator cheering them on – join in tomorrow night’s 7 pm meeting. It’s in person at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds) or online – the agenda (see it here) includes the link for attending online if that’s what works best for you.
Some community groups haven’t been able to return to in-person meetings since going online because of the pandemic – finding (free or low-fee) places to host an evening meeting with room for at least a few dozen people is more difficult than you’d think. The Morgan Community Association, which meets quarterly, is finally going in-person this Wednesday, and president Deb Barker sent this announcement:
First, there’s all this equipment you need to find – a functioning laptop, a projector, remote speaker, microphone, an auxiliary camera, and heavy duty extension cords. Then you need a public place to set it up. Then you send out invitations. Check, check, and check. What is going on??
It’s the first time in four years that the Morgan Community Association will meet in person. And not just in person, but with a HYBRID meeting.
We are grateful to the Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation for letting us use their Social Hall for our meeting on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 from 7 to 9pm. The address is 7141 California Ave SW, and the zoom link is us02web.zoom.us/j/89608491338. Be sure to enter the Social Hall off the small parking lot on California Ave SW. Please do not park in the lot before 6:40 pm.
The meeting features Seattle City Light’s update on the Morgan Junction EV charging station, Seattle Parks’ introduction of Morgan Junction All Wheels Association and their ideas for Morgan Junction Park, welcoming the owner of Alki Arts Gallery and Event Space (newly located in Morgan Junction), and picking the date of the Morgan Junction Community Festival.
Here’s the full meeting agenda.
Everyone is welcome at the Morgan Community Association Meeting on January 17, 2024.
For a snapshot of history, here’s our report on that last in-person meeting, in January 2020. (And here’s our coverage of MoCA’s most-recent meeting, last October.)
(California/Admiral intersection – Google Maps Street View image)
Stu Hennessey has a dream – a walkable Admiral District.
It’s where he does business as the proprietor of Alki Bike and Board (WSB sponsor), and it’s home to an increasingly busy collection of homes and businesses, including newer apartment buildings such as Luna, Admiral Station, and Element 42, plus Lafayette Elementary, West Seattle High School, and a senior-living complex.
While The (Alaska) Junction has a “walkability score” of 98, the Admiral Junction area scores only 70, says Hennessey, who presented his ideas for fixing that to Tuesday night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association gathering.
In a written version of his presentation, he asks, “Is it our fate to have so much less walkability than the Alaska Junction? Both intersections have about the same amount of daily traffic volume. Both intersections should have the same regard for pedestrian safety. There have been plenty of pedestrian or bicycle accidents along California Ave. SW from SW Stevens to SW College St. Considering the schools, assisted-living facilities, and business storefronts, this neighborhood requires the same amount or more safety improvements to raise our walkability score to the level of the Alaska Junction. The call for better walkability is a call for economic development that will serve businesses and neighbors alike.”
(California between Admiral and Lander – Google Maps Street View image)
Here are Hennessey’s three proposals – two of which would mirror what’s in place at Alaska Junctiion:
—Walk-All-Ways intersection at California/Admiral. He says, “The biggest safety concern for pedestrians crossing the streets is the right turn on red. The all-walk design would eliminate the right turn on red. Traffic-light synchronization would both keep the traffic flow from backing up and increase the mobility and safety for pedestrians with a 40-second all-walk crossing.”
—Mid-block raised crossings on California between Lander and Admiral and College and Admiral. These would serve people going to and from the Admiral Theater and Admiral Safeway.
—Permanently close SW Lander between California and 44th. Hennessey elaborates, “This is an often-ignored one-way and daytime-temporarily-closed street that could be used as an emergency gathering point for Lafayette School, auto-free pickup of students, and a potential event space such as a farmers’ market.”
So what would it take to make any or all of that happen? He hopes to engage everyone with a stake in the area – residents, businesses, schools, even law enforcement – to petition SDOT. Support could be voiced through a variety of feedback channels, he suggests, and shown via yard signs with a QR code as well as flyers in shop windows, all pointing to the petition.
How to pay for it? Hennessey has thought about that too: “Beyond the next transportation-plan levy, there is available federal funding, and matching grants.” Last year, he said, the feds made $5 billion “available for community-safety improvements. To date, $813 million has been granted to 385 community groups like ours.”
Hennessey is no stranger to community advocacy; he is a co-founder of Sustainable West Seattle and led the campaign to create Puget Ridge Edible Park. His next step toward a more-walkable Admiral District is to build a stakeholders group, and he suggested the ANA should be involved. President Joanie Jacobs said their board will discuss it, but first reaction was positive. Hennessey emphasized that the funding is out there – what will be needed to make any of this happen is widespread organized community effort. He expects to return to the ANA at its next general gathering in March with updates.
Southwest Precinct police representatives were guests at two community meetings we covered last night, with different topics:
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Mark Solomon, Crime Prevention Coordinator from the South Precinct who’s also currently handling Southwest, was the guest. The ANA conversation with him touched on two major topics: One, the two teenagers who have been reported as involved in multiple incidents in local businesses. Attendees included at least one affected business owner. The two boys were described as well-known to business owners, as they have gone in to various shops and restaurants, harassing employees. Solomon said he would check on the situation. (Side note, two teens were taken into custody in the Admiral District late today after incidents in at least three businesses; we’ll be following up with SPD tomorrow.)
He also mentioned that Admiral has not been immune to the business burglaries that have happened around the peninsula; he said Wiseman’s Appliance was broken into last month.
Solomon also got an earful about traffic violations in the Admiral area – people speeding, running red lights, and ignoring pedestrians. One person asked if there were stats on running red lights; Solomon said he only gets collision stats. There was also a request for motorcycle officers to give speeding tickets, but Solomon said the motorcycle patrol’s role these days is primarily to aid traffic these days and not so much hand out tickets.
(Separate from the discussion with SPD’s Solomon, the ANA also heard about a new community proposal to make Admiral more pedestrian-friendly; look for that story tomorrow. And one more note – Solomon, who ran for City Council last year, confirmed to us that he’s applied for the current council vacancy.)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Traffic was also a topic as second-watch Lt. Joshua Ziemer and community-liaison Officer German Barreto visited the FCA meeting. President Mike Dey brought up the recent collision that killed Steven Hulsman as he rode his bicycle on Marine View Drive, and wondered about speed bumps. How did Alki get so much traffic calming? was the question. FCA might consider asking Alki community advocates how they had so much success with SDOT, it was suggested.
Meantime, the SPD delegation brought crime-trend information that Lt. Ziemer said was for West Seattle in general. Homicides in the Southwest Precinct (which includes South Park) more than doubled, 3 in 2022, 7 in 2023 (the SPD crime dashboard says 8). The newest trend: Burglaries are on the rise. A not-so-new trend: Auto thefts are way up, 2023 was up 39 percent over 2022, and he said that mirrors a nationwide trend, fueled by the Kia and Hyundai thefts. They’re hopeful that a recent arrest (no name but likely this one) will make a dent. Robberies are also up (and in response to a question, he said that most carjackings fall into that category) – they believe the auto theft and robbery rises are related, because many vehicles are taken to be used in a crime.
How’s SPD recruitment going? they were asked. Departmentwide, they’ve still had more departures than new hires. Lt. Ziemer noted that it’s a nationwide problem, not just a Seattle problem. He said a contract agreement with the officers’ union would be an important step to assist in recruitment. But Lt. Ziemer stressed that they’re not just looking for “numbers” in hiring, they want “quality people” who want to come to SPD and will stay a while. The Southwest Precinct remains a popular place to work, he added.
(We’ve published two other reports from the FCA meeting – the latest on Seattle Parks‘ pickleball-court planning, and an update on West Seattle dog-park siting.)
Here’s what happened when the District 1 Community Network – representatives of various groups and organizations around the area – met this week for the first time this year, with Deb Barker of the Morgan Community Association facilitating.
WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: D1CN’s first guests were from Sound Transit, recapping the newest information presented regarding the West Seattle light-rail extension – early station designs. ST is still on track to publish the West Seattle project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement “the middle of this year,” Leda Chahim said – the board (which is getting some new members) will vote after that on final routing and station locations. The presentation went through the station-planning info shown at recent meetings including the West Seattle Transportation Coalition in November (WSB coverage here) and October’s “open house” in The Junction (WSB coverage here). ST’s station-planning lead Sloan Dawson headed up the recap, showing what were largely the same station design outlines presented at WSTC (with a few extra notations about bus access), starting with the Delridge station, northwest of the Delridge/Andover intersection.
Questions included how many buses the stop zone at the station would hold simultaneously – answer, three. Also: How is Metro involved in planning? Dawson said they’re “closely coordinating.”
The Avalon station is where the line starts going underground, with a “retained cut” station and then the tunnel leading into The Junction.
This station “straddles” 35th SW, with an entrance on each side of that street. Barker noted that Metro will be visiting the WSTC this year, so watch for that if you have questions about how bus service will interface with light rail. Dawson said that among other things, they’re working on street cross-sections to show more clearly how the station areas are supposed to work..
The Junction station will be “cut and cover,” spanning 41st SW.
Buses from California, Alaska, and Fauntleroy would converge on the station. There would be a new signalized intersection at 41st/Alaska. Jefferson Square would be “acquired and demolished.” That led to one commenter voicing concerns about how business tenants would be compensated compared to property owners; Chahim said it’s a complex conversation and that they haven’t discussed specific dollar amounts with specific businesses yet.
Time ran too short for detailed discussion but ST reps also noted “concepts” for projects to enhance walking and biking access to the stations. Next up in the process – they’re analyzing more than 2,000 responses to the station-planning survey that closed just before Christmas. They also promised another “engagement” event in West Seattle in the months ahead.
‘NO-BUILD ALTERNATIVE’: Another light-rail-related agenda item later in the meeting – Marty Westerman spoke on behalf of the Rethink The Link group advocating for this alternative to Sound Transit light rail. They contend that the light-rail extension “will make West Seattle to downtown rider experience worse” and that the massive expense and construction-related pollution, among other aspects, are not worth it. They say ST only projects 400 fewer car trips as a result and contend that beefing up bus service would “make more sense.” One attendee asked how the ST3 vote could be “undone” to allow this. Westerman said that’s not necessary, as the ST Board has the power to “ignore the voters” and do whatever they think is right, for example.
TRIBAL ART UNDER THE BRIDGE: Here’s our previous coverage about this. Facilitator Barker recapped how she found out about this by reading a City Council agenda back in November. The new City Council will have to make a final decision on the matter, which involves $133,000 for the Muckleshoot and Suquamish tribes to create art on columns under the west end of the West Seattle Bridge. The Duwamish Tribe – whose longhouse is barely a mile away from the site – was not consulted, though the city said a different art project would involve the Duwamish. Barker invited Ken Workman of the Duwamish Tribe to the meeting. He said that “to our shock, this proposal was going through” on the “last Duwamish Village site in Seattle.” He said the two tribes involved “are good people” and do have some Duwamish ancestry, adding that his tribe supports native art, but “this place is home for us and for somebody else to come in and say they’re going to establish their territory (here) … doesn’t sit well with us.” He said they were grateful to Barker for bringing it to their attention. He was asked how the fight for federal recognition is going; “we continue this fight … our attorneys are pushing forward for an acknowledgment, a summary judgment that (the Duwamish) would be recognized … My fear is that if we as a Duwamish people fail to get our names on the registry of recognized tribes, we will go the way of the Aztec and Inca and people will say they have ‘ancestry’ but there won’t be an actual Duwamish people any more.” Back to the art matter, city reps said at the time of the bridge proposal that they would work with the Duwamish on a separate public-art project; Workman said that will involve sidewalk art. No date set yet for the council’s next consideration of the project with the Suquamish and Muckleshoot, Council Bill 120726; the Transportation Committee shelved it on December 5th and will have to vote before it could go to the full council.
CITY COUNCIL VACANCY: This is now open to applicants as noted in our coverage Tuesday of the council’s first meeting – but you have to apply by end-of-day Tuesday (January 9). Barker noted that a public forum will be held as part of the process and wondered if D1CN participants might be interested in sending in questions. When a similar forum was held in 2019, it was noted, 18 groups asked questions.
COMMUNITY NOTES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: Kay Kirkpatrick from HPAC said they’re excited about the construction of the permanent signal at Highland Park Way and Holden … Facilitator Barker said her organization, Morgan Community Association, will have a hybrid meeting at 7 pm January 17th, at Westside Unitarian Universalist (7141 California SW) … The Fauntleroy Community Association expects a guest from Parks at its 7 pm meeting Tuesday (January 9) to talk about the Lincoln Park pickleball-court plan. That’ll be at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW).
D1CN’S NEXT MEETING: 7 pm Wednesday, March 6, in-person, location TBA.
Also ahead this week: The next general gathering of the Admiral Neighborhood Association, in person on Tuesday (January 9th). Among other agenda items, ANA says it’s a chance to talk with police about community-safety concerns. Here’s the preview sent by ANA:
Join us Tuesday as we begin 2024 with updates from the Southwest Precinct, a conversation highlighting a campaign to create a more safe and livable, people-oriented district. We will also be giving previews and dates for 2024 events as well as presenting volunteer opportunities to get involved with us. The gathering will be held at Admiral Church, 4320 SW Hill St., at 7 pm.
Here’s our report on what happened at the ANA’s last general gathering, in November.
This year’s Seattle Public Safety Survey is open for just a few more days. Researchers from Seattle University hope to find out your primary safety concerns and convey them to SPD.
Here’s the direct link to the survey, with a-dropdown on that page offering a choice of 11 languages. The survey is open through Thursday, last day of the month.
P.S. Here are the results of last year’s citywide survey.
It was a night for farewells when the Alki Community Council met this past Thursday night.
Three longtime officers said goodbye. So did our area’s city councilmember.
But with endings came beginnings – a new president and vice president. We’ll start there.
OFFICER TRANSITION: Months ago, longtime ACC leaders announced their intention to step down before this year was out, and the resulting need for new leadership – or else, they warned, like so many other West Seattle neighborhood groups in recent years, this one too would go dormant.
Departing:
President Tony Fragada
Vice President Randie Stone
Secretary/Treasurer Kathy Olson
Succeeding them:
President Charlotte Starck
Vice President Lindsey Pearsall
Secretary – vacant
Treasurer – vacant
Staying on are trustees Greg Showalter, Peter Stekel, and Will Winter; now-past president Fragada – who’s been involved with the group since the ’90s – becomes a trustee too. If you are interested in either of the vacant positions, contact info is at alkicommunitycouncil.org. Starck said she’s “excited” about the ACC’s potential and hopes to launch a membership drive. Pearsall added that she’s “super-passionate about building community.”
COUNCILMEMBER LISA HERBOLD: Our area’s city councilmember, about to leave office after eight years, made a brief visit in the meeting’s early going. She promised to help, in her waning weeks, with the issue Starck nand neighbors brought to the ACC last month – the need for traffic calming on 56th Avenue SW, a gateway from Admiral Way down to the beach. Herbold also suggested that the neighbors get it on her successor’s radar; she and Councilmember-elect Rob Saka were scheduled to meet the next day, and Herbold said she’d bring it up. Meantime, the neighbors are continuing to circulate an online petition, which asks for speed bumps, for starters. The group recalled a walking tour with SDOT director Greg Spotts suggesting there’d be a wider planning effort for the Alki area, but nothing had happened yet. Meantime, the ACC thanked Herbold for her assistance with various issues over the years and wished her well.
POLICE: Community-emphasis Officer German Bareto participated in the meeting online (this was a hybrid meeting, both online and at Alki UCC). He gave a quick update on crime trends – mentioning that aggravated assaults and robberies are up. The talk turned to the pervasive problem of dogs on the beach; he was asked how to reach Animal Control officers, and suggested surfacing the issue to Parks employees if they’re on hand.
FOLLOWUP ON DEFACED ART: Stekel reported that since his push to get utilities to clean up the paint markings with which they defaced the Constellation Park artwork – including artist Lezlie Jane‘s sidewalk octopus – they’ve done just that.
DONATIONS: The ACC will be sending $200 each to the West Seattle and White Center food banks.
NEXT MEETING: The ACC meets third Thursdays most months, in person at Alki UCC and online – watch alkicommunitycouncil.org for updates.
By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
It was a celebration of volunteer service and preview of a busy slate of holiday events at the monthly meeting of the Admiral Neighborhood Association on Tuesday night.
The meeting was held at Admiral Church and was facilitated by ANA president Joanie Jacobs and the rest of the ANA executive board.
One of the primary items of business for the evening was the annual election of ANA officers, as well as honoring officers who are stepping down. There were flowers, cake, and treats on hand in celebration of many years of service for outgoing officers Stephanie Jordan (Vice President and Hiawatha Concerts coordinator) and Carrie McCann (Secretary):
After taking nominations from the floor for the new slate of 2023-2024 executive officers, the following individuals were unanimously elected: new Secretary Meagan Loftin (who has also served as Admiral Art Walk coordinator), returning President Joanie Jacobs, returning Treasurer Bridgett Markillie, and new Vice President Cheryl Lea (owner of Seattle Yarn):
Other continuing/returning ANA leaders are: Read More
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Two weeks after Seattle Parks announced a two-week “pause” in the Lincoln Park pickleball-court project, opponents took their case to the Fauntleroy Community Association board.
That was one of the topics at the board’s monthly meeting last night. President Mike Dey facilitated the meeting in the conference room at historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, and it also was streamed. First, other, somewhat briefer topics:
SEATTLE POLICE: The Southwest Precinct sergeant who attended mentioned the recent crime trends on which we’ve reported here, such as armed robberies committed using stolen cars: “We’ve been getting hit pretty hard. … They wear masks, they have firearms, late teens-early 20s, normally hitting between 3 and 4 in the morning” – possibly the same robbers but they’re using different vehicles. He also noted the crash-and-grab burglary trend, including the multiple hits at Global Smoke and Vape (35th/Roxbury). One attendee says stolen cars are being dumped at Barton P-Patch and urges people to report cars that look like they’ve been broken into. Asked if Kias and Hyundais were still the predominant makes of cars being stolen, he said yes, but “we’re seeing others now.” Another trend he mentioned, many reports of suspected gunfire, but many not verified as it’s “really hard to pinpoint.” Did he think it’s a good idea for the city to buy the ShotSpotter gunfire-detection system that’s under consideration? He said yes.
Got something to say to the city about the streets and sidewalks of Highland Park, Riverview, and/or South Delridge? Don’t miss the chance to get your feedback in for the Seattle Transportation Plan – comments on the draft version are due Tuesday. That’s one of the community reminders that emerged this past Wednesday night when HPAC, the area’s community coalition, met in person.
The meeting, facilitated by (corrected) HPAC co-chairs Craig Rankin – who is leaving that position, with Barb Biondo succeeding him – and Kay Kirkpatrick was held in person, at the Southwest Precinct community room. City Attorney Ann Davison was a spotlight guest (as she had been at another West Seattle community-council meeting last month, the Admiral Neighborhood Association).
Davison gave a general outline of how her office works. She talked about her initial work of getting backlogged cases handled and her lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai regarding the flaw that allows so many to be so easily stolen. That led to a discussion among the group about the number of dumped Kias/Hyundais in Highlad Park. One question came up – whether stolen and recovered cars are tracked. SPD Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon said his department has data tools and does map where cars and taken and where the cars wind up.
Davison used that example and a question over the city’s new drug law to remind people to report the things they see. Rather than get bogged down in “the police won’t come” preemptive pessimism, she said, call and report, and let the next step happen. That way there’s at least data on where and when crimes might be occurring.
Regarding the city’s new drug policy – she presented some background on that, and said she’s in favor of getting people into treatment, so she’s working with her staff to ensure that’s a priority for people whose cases are referred to the City Attorney’s Office under the new law.
HPAC attendees also heard an update on the progress toward building a new Highland Park Improvement Club building. HPIC’s Rhonda Smith said the latest period for project comments to the city is over. But the permit process still has a ways to go, and that’s why the fire-damaged building hasn’t undergone any demolition work yet. HPIC still has fundraising to do to ensure they can cover the cost of the new building, and they’re working with professional fundraisers to advance that effort. (Here’s how to donate.)
Speaking of money, HPAC co-chair Rankin, who’s active with the West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails group, said grant money is available for forest-restoration and trail improvements. (You can find out more about the WDGT group here.)
NEXT MEETING: HPAC meets fourth Wednesdays most months – watch for updates here.
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