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Safety 1622 results

TUESDAY: Chief Sealth International High School community-safety forum
April 15, 2024 5:35 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Tomorrow is the night for the long-planned community-safety forum at Chief Sealth International High School, organized by the CSIHS PTSA and newly formed Campus Safety Team after the January shooting death of Chief Sealth student Mobarak Adam at nearby Southwest Pool/Teen Center. The meeting will be held in the school auditorium 6:30-8 pm and will include not only principal Ray Morales and other school administrators, but also officials from the school district and city – Seattle Police, Seattle Parks, Seattle City Council, Seattle Housing Authority, all of which have been asked to provide an update on how their work enhances student safety. Interpretation will be available in Oromo, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. All are welcome.

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BIZNOTE: Need to recycle a no-longer-needed car seat?
April 15, 2024 1:00 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Your neighbor Jon thought other parents of small children should know about this since, he says, “Finding someplace to recycle old child car seats is a struggle!”: Westwood Village Target is participating in the chain’s car-seat trade-in promotion for the next two weeks. You have to be a member of their loyalty program to get the reward, described as “Guests who trade in their old car seats will receive a 20% off bonus toward a new car seat, car seat base, travel system, stroller or select baby home gear.” This is happening through April 27; the dropoff box is near Guest Services in the front of the store.

P.S. If you just want to donate no-longer-needed car seat(s), White Center-based WestSide Baby accepts them – if they meet the parameters listed here.

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UPDATE: City, state crews clear 1st/Cloverdale encampment
March 29, 2024 11:18 am
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

(WSB photos)

11:18 AM: As reported here earlier this week, today is the first day of a clearance operation at the encampment that’s been growing on 1st Avenue South, just north of the Highway 509 Cloverdale overpass [map].

The road is narrow and traffic is backed up on southbound 1st in the area. The site includes both state and city land, so multiple agencies are involved. The first thing they’re doing is removing and towing vehicles.

Agencies on site include SDOT, SPD, SPU, and WSDOT, and they expect to be there “all day.”

Though the city and state say they’ve been planning this for months, clearance plans acquired extra urgency after a man was arrested at the encampment on Tuesday after allegedly shooting at his girlfriend.

4:18 PM: We asked state and city spokespeople for details on today’s operation. “Ten individuals were offered housing from the Cloverdale site, and all 10 accepted,” said WSDOT’s James Poling. He says the vehicles removed were on the city part of the site, so city spokesperson Lori Baxter addressed that: “A total of 13 vehicles were towed today from City property as part of this site resolution, nine of which were abandoned and partially stripped. One box truck, one RV, and one motorcycle were also included in the towed vehicles.” She added, “Outreach coordinators from the Unified Care Team were also onsite to offer same-day shelter referrals for anyone at the site that had not already received an offer of housing. One additional shelter referral was made.”

8:14 PM: We drove through the area late today – above, the view of the cleared site from the road; below, a section of fencing placed along the road just to the south:

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FOLLOWUP: State, city days away from removing 1st/Cloverdale encampment
March 27, 2024 11:03 pm
|      22 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

Thanks to this WSB commenter for mentioning that those “no parking” signs had been placed near the 1st/Cloverdale encampment, one day after a gunfire report led to this arrest and weapon seizure. We’ve reported before on the encampment, which is on both state and city land; representatives of both governments said at last month’s meeting of HPAC, the nearest community coalition, that a resolution was in the works. After hearing about the “no parking” signs today, we checked with WSDOT spokesperson James Poling, who replied, “Our collaborative monthslong work with our partners at this site has led to the final steps of a site resolution taking place at this location, with the city’s no parking signs part of that process.” The signs are marked with the dates March 29 (Friday) through April 2 (Tuesday). HPAC also says they’ve been told the site will be cleared within a week.

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Public Health reports E. coli outbreak likely linked to PCC West Seattle guacamole from one February date
March 21, 2024 6:35 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Health | Safety | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Thanks for the tip. Public Health – Seattle & King County is reporting a recent E. coli outbreak linked to PCC West Seattle (WSB sponsor). Here’s what the notice posted on the PHSKC website says:

Public Health is investigating an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 (also known as STEC). Three of the five people who got sick had testing that matched by genetic fingerprinting. This means they most likely got sick from the same source.

Based on information collected, we found one common source for all sick people, which was a store-made guacamole purchased at PCC Community Markets – West Seattle Co-op on February 10, 2024. Even though we think this is the most likely source of illness, we do not know for certain. We did not find out how the guacamole might have been contaminated with STEC and did not have any left to test.

This outbreak appears to be over.

The Public Health report says the five people got sick between February 14 and February 28 and all had gastrointestinal symptoms. None were employees. The agency adds these details:

Four people who became sick had testing that was positive for STEC O157:H7. Three people also had further testing showing they matched by whole genome sequencing or WGS (like genetic fingerprinting) at the Washington State Public Health Laboratory. One person who became sick did not have any testing done.

Public Health also subsequently visited the store last Friday (March 15) to review rules and prevention strategies. We contacted PCC and they pointed us to this announcement on their website’s “recalls” page. It reiterates the PHSKC information about the outbreak and adds:

PCC has fully cooperated with Public Health. West Seattle PCC temporarily ceased all production of guacamole, conducted a deep cleaning of food production areas, and reinforced safe food handling procedures with our staff.

We are so sorry to those impacted by this unfortunate incident. At PCC, we believe in providing open information and responding swiftly if a food safety concern arises. We hold ourselves to a higher standard and know we are trusted in our region for our high quality standards.

As a leader in fostering and promoting healthy, resilient and sustainable food systems, the co-op makes these commitments to our staff, members and customers:

Prioritize and educate: Food safety is top of mind for all of us at PCC — from our staff, food handlers and certified food safety managers at each neighborhood PCC store, to the leaders of our supplier approval process, right up to the co-op’s leadership team.

Teamwork:Every role at the co-op is important to strengthening PCC’s food safety culture. We work collaboratively across all departments, so team members understand how they impact food safety and quality, as well as how they can reduce food safety risks.

Excellence: PCC works with local, state and federal health agencies to ensure that we meet and exceed safety compliance standards.

Continuous improvement: We regularly review our food safety program, procedures, processes, tools, and technology to ensure support and resources to effectively and efficiently manage food safety risks.

Listen deeply: Finally, we will continue to listen deeply to our staff, co-op members and customers when a concern about food safety arises.

You may learn more about recall protocols here. All shoppers can sign up to receive recall notifications here.

We asked a PCC spokesperson if they’re certain no one has this still in their fridge: “As indicated by Public Health, the one common source for all sick people was store-made guacamole purchased on February 10. Given the short shelf life, it is unlikely that any shoppers have this guacamole (still).” But if anyone hearing about this thinks they might have gotten sick too, they should contact Public Health.

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FOLLOWUP: Southwest Teen Life Center security cameras now operating, councilmember says; community safety meeting set
March 15, 2024 11:10 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(WSB photo, January 23)

A month and a half after the deadly shooting of a 15-year-old at Southwest Teen Life Center, the Seattle Parks-operated facility has working security cameras again, as announced by District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka today in his weekly newsletter:

I am very happy to report that the security cameras are now installed and working at West Seattle’s Teen Life Center, the location of the tragic shooting of Chief Sealth International High School student Mobarak Adam in January – Seattle’s first homicide of 2024.

I want to thank Mayor Harrell and our Parks Department for their partnership in helping us deliver this new camera system at the center. We continue to monitor progress on the investigation into this tragic event. As more information becomes available from the SPD, we will share out. Mobarak’s family deserves answers. I will continue to partner closely with the Mayor and SPD to ensure that the City provides Mobarak’s family with the clarity about what happened at the facility that they so desperately need.

As for who monitors the cameras and how, that’s a followup question we’ll be asking. Meantime, three weeks after Parks Deputy Superintendent Christopher Williams said his department would be part of a community meeting regarding safety at school and Parks facilities in the area, a date is set: The Chief Sealth IHS PTSA tells WSB that the meeting, with city, district, public safety, and other reps expected to participate, will be at the school at 6 pm April 16th.

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‘Creating a Safer Seattle’: First in a series of forums with mayor, chiefs Thursday
March 13, 2024 9:03 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

The question is often asked: What are city leaders actually doing to improve public safety? Mayor Bruce Harrell has announced a series of community forums to try to answer that question. The first is tomorrow night (Thursday, March 14), 6-7:30 pm. In-person attendance at the downtown library is already maxed out but it’ll be streamed live via Seattle Channel (with a recording available afterward). The mayor will talk with moderator Enrique Cerna, and a panel discussion featuring other leaders including the city’s three public-safety chiefs – CARE Chief Amy Smith, Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, Police Chief Adrian Diaz – will follow. Next month, forums are promised in all five SPD precinct areas, so that means there’ll be one in West Seattle/South Park, though specific dates and locations haven’t yet been announced. The forums are described as “open discussion(s) about community safety challenges, accomplishments, and opportunities.”

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LAST CALL! Free personal-safety training Wednesday with SPD and Alki Community Council
March 11, 2024 8:03 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

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.

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ROAD-WORK ALERT: East Marginal Way project starting soon
February 28, 2024 12:24 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

The long-awaited East Marginal Way corridor project – including safety improvements for the bicycle riders who use the corridor to get between West Seattle and downtown – is finally about to start, more than two years after the city announced the project was fully funded. The first work will be on the north segment (map above). Here’s the announcement from SDOT:

We are excited to announce that construction on the North Segment of the East Marginal Way Corridor Improvements project will start as early as March 11!

We’re making improvements between S Atlantic St and S Spokane St that will benefit freight operations, reduce conflicts between people biking and trucks accessing the Port of Seattle, and increase safety and efficiency throughout the corridor. For more information about what to expect during construction, please visit the East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project website.

East Marginal Way S Closures and Detours

To complete our work as quickly and safely as possible, we are closing East Marginal Way S to general purpose traffic. Detour is not yet active and we will notify the community prior to the detour taking effect. When the detour is active, we will:

-Convert East Marginal Way S to one-way northbound and access will be limited to freight vehicles and Port of Seattle traffic only. See the above route map for freight and Port-bound traffic.
-Detour all non-Port of Seattle vehicle traffic to nearby streets
-Maintain access for people walking, biking, and rolling along East Marginal Way S using different routes to avoid active construction areas. Detour routes may change to accommodate project work.
-Detour routes for non-Port of Seattle vehicle traffic and for people walking, biking, and rolling may be in place before construction activities start in areas between S Atlantic St and S Spokane St.

You can send questions to EastMarginal@seattle.gov or call 206-257-2263.

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FOLLOWUP: Here’s what’s happening one month after 15-year-old Mobarak Adam was shot to death
February 23, 2024 6:19 pm
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(WSB photos)

The memorial outside Southwest Teen Life Center/Pool lingers, one month after the January 23 shooting death of 15-year-old Mobarak Adam inside the center. Steps away from the memorial, a crew worked on the outside of the building today:

We believe, but have not yet confirmed, they were working on the new camera system promised for the center. Last night, Seattle Parks’ chief deputy superintendent Christopher Williams told the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners that the new cameras would be in place within “a couple of weeks.” City records show an electrical permit was granted this week for installation of what the application described as “a CCTV system with 16 camera locations.” (The city website shows a similar permit was granted to a different contractor last June; we’ll be following up on why the cameras apparently weren’t installed then.)

Meantime, no new information from police; we had filed a public-records request four weeks ago for the initial report on the incident, and received a notice today that the request has been denied, with the explanation that “the records requested are associated with a case that is under active investigation and non-disclosure is essential to effective law enforcement.” (The reply invited us to try again in about six weeks.) But during Williams’ briefing at the Parks Board meeting last night, he said the city and Seattle Public Schools planned to participate in an upcoming meeting organized by the Chief Sealth International High School PTSA focusing on safety at the adjoining Chief Sealth and Denny International Middle School campuses as well as the center, pool, and stadium facilities across the street. He mentioned a tentative date in mid-March; we have checked with the Sealth PTSA and they say a date isn’t finalized yet.

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NEXT WEEK: See ‘Screenagers Under the Influence’ in West Seattle
February 23, 2024 2:26 pm
|    Comments Off on NEXT WEEK: See ‘Screenagers Under the Influence’ in West Seattle
 |   Health | Safety | West Seattle news

“Practical solutions for keeping our teens safe in a changing world” is the focus of the newest film in the “Screenagers” series, and local families are invited to a free screening next Thursday at West Seattle High School (3000 California SW). In case you haven’t already seen it in our Event Calendar, here’s the announcement:

The fentanyl crisis is escalating. Kids are vaping in classrooms and school bathrooms. Dealers direct message teens on social media. And substance use among youth in West Seattle is a big issue. The Healthy Youth Survey in 2021 showed that one quarter of 12th graders at West Seattle High School used cannabis in the previous 30 days–almost 10 percentage points higher than the state average.

Parents and caregivers are looking for ways to protect their kids from substance use. But they’re up against some powerful industries that have literally copied the playbook of tobacco companies from decades ago and supercharged that strategy for our digital age. With the constant, 24-hour deluge of content pushing the normalcy of drugs, alcohol, and vaping on social media, TV, movies, ads, influencers, etc., the substance use culture has never been more appealing and accessible to teens than it is today.

Youth substance use prevention groups in West Seattle and White Center welcome parents, caregivers, and youth to watch the new documentary Screenagers Under The Influence: Vaping, Drugs, and Alcohol in the Digital Age. The screening is free and will take place at the West Seattle High School auditorium on February 29, 6:30 – 8:00 PM. Register at tinyurl.com/ScreenagersWSHS.

Screenagers Under The Influence is the third feature documentary in the Screenagers trilogy from award-winning Seattle-based filmmaker Delaney Ruston, MD. Trained at Stanford Medical School, Delaney has split her time over the past two decades creating documentaries and providing primary care. She has spent the past 11 years intensely researching the impact of screen time on youth and solutions for screen time balance.

She grounds her latest film in teens’ current reality of being flooded by images on social media, movies, and TV shows about vaping, drugs, and alcohol. Like the first two Screenagers films, Screenagers Under The Influence interweaves cutting-edge science with personal stories to create an informative and entertaining film experience for young people and adults alike. The documentary focuses on practical solutions for keeping our teens safe in a changing world.

The February 29 screening at West Seattle High School is hosted by:

–Westside HEY Coalition, a community group focused on youth substance use prevention in the Madison Middle School and West Seattle High School attendance zone;

–SW Seattle Youth Alliance, which is working to prevent youth substance use in the Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School attendance zone;

–Coalition for Drug-Free Youth, which works to keep youth off of substances in the White Center and North Highline areas;

–West Seattle High School PTSA

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FOLLOWUP: Southwest Teen Life Center camera-replacement timeline
February 9, 2024 5:31 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, January 27)

After the January 23 shooting death of 15-year-old Mobarak Adam at Southwest Teen Life Center/Pool, it came to light that the security-camera system at the center had long been inoperable. Seattle Parks told us on January 29 – six days after the shooting – that the camera would be replaced. No timeline, though. Today in his latest weekly newsletter, District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka says Parks Superintendent AP Diaz has told him the replacement will be up no later than mid-March. Meantime, no update from SPD on the investigation. Also – today was also the day that Mobarak’s sister Leyla Adam had said another protest would be held, this time, at City Hall, but we got no word of a final plan and didn’t receive a reply to our inquiries. She did speak emotionally to the Seattle Public Schools Board this past Wednesday (this link should take you to that part of the meeting video, 51 minutes in), asking for specific school-security improvements.

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Visiting, and looking into the future of, Seattle’s newest public-safety department, CARE – 911 and more
February 6, 2024 11:52 am
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

(WSB photos unless otherwise credited)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Last time we visited the 911 Center downtown, it was 2010, and media was there because SPD was launching a long-since-discontinued service, tweeting about stolen cars.

We visited again last Thursday. The 911 Center is still co-housed with SPD’s West Precinct. But it’s no longer part of SPD – it’s part of the third public-safety department the city now calls CARE (Community Assisted Response and Engagement).

Our visit was intended to be educational, an introduction to what CARE does and where it’s headed. The department also includes the CARE Team, the “crisis responders” introduced last October; they are currently based on the other side of downtown, in a small space on the ground floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower, which houses hundreds of other city workers.

(City of Seattle photo)

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EARTHQUAKE SAFETY: Next step in city’s move toward requiring retrofits
February 1, 2024 12:43 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo of one of the smaller West Seattle buildings on the list, at Highland Park Playground)

One year ago, the city went public with a list of more than a thousand buildings targeted in a plan to require “unreinforced masonry” buildings to be retrofitted to meet earthquake-safety standards. The list included more than 40 buildings in West Seattle (including the small one shown above at Highland Park Playground.) Our February 2023 report also included information on how the city planned to move toward those requirements – something that’s been under discussion for more than a decade. The process continues, and today the city has announced one of the next steps – a “listening session.” Here’s the announcement:

The City of Seattle is holding a listening session for developers and owners of older brick buildings for a proposed new Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program to support funding of seismic retrofits.

The 23rd anniversary of the Nisqually earthquake is February 28. The Nisqually earthquake shook Puget Sound, injured 400 people, and did $2 billion in property damage. Amidst the recent news of natural disasters such as record-breaking freezing temperatures and flooding, we must not forget the pending disaster underfoot. Over the next 50 years there’s an 86% chance that we will experience another earthquake of similar magnitude to the Nisqually earthquake. The type of building most heavily damaged during the Nisqually earthquake, and in other earthquakes globally, are old brick buildings, often referred to as “unreinforced masonry buildings” or URMs. These buildings are prone to collapse due to their lack of structural reinforcements; they stand upright thanks to brick and mortar but have no support system for the horizontal motion of earthquakes. Seattle has 1,100 URM buildings and wants to require structural retrofits to prevent their collapse in the next earthquake that could happen any day. The City plans to adopt a voluntary retrofit ordinance by the end of 2024 and expects to follow-up with a mandatory retrofit ordinance in the near future.

The City hasn’t previously mandated seismic retrofits of URM buildings due to the associated expense. A 2019 study estimated a retrofit would cost nearly $650,000 for the average three-story URM building. Inflation, worker shortages, and other factors have surely increased cost projections. Since City Council passed joint resolutions 32033 and 32111 in support of creating a URM program, the City is making progress in establishing retrofit standards and identifying funding resources for building owners.

The City of Seattle is holding a listening session for developers and owners of URM buildings for a proposed new Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program to support seismic retrofits of URM buildings. The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) and Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) are hosting this meeting on Tuesday, February 27 from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. in the Bertha Knight Landes Room in Seattle City Hall. You can register and view the meeting agenda for this in-person event on the Unreinforced Masonry Buildings website.

The proposal for this potential new TDR program was developed by the Alliance for Safety, Affordability, and Preservation! (ASAP!) and would allow URM building owners to voluntarily sell unused development rights to fund seismic retrofits. The City wants to hear from URM building owners and developers regarding the merits of this proposal.

The listening session will include a:

Presentation on the City’s current and planned progress with URM retrofit requirements and legislation
Conceptual overview of transfer of development rights
Facilitated session to consider various scenarios and perspectives of the proposed program

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ROAD-WORK ALERT: SDOT says Roxbury/Olson project restarting
January 18, 2024 9:31 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

Announced tonight by SDOT, the Roxbury/Olson crossing-improvement project is restarting and will continue into spring – here’s what they want you to know:

Construction of safety improvements for people walking or rolling at the SW Roxbury St and Olson Pl SW intersection began in May of 2023 and we are set to begin the second and final phase of construction.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE COMING MONTHS

Construction work will resume as early as this week
-Work hours are 7 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Friday
-East leg of SW Roxbury St will remain closed for equipment staging and safety area and is local access only
-Work includes installation of new traffic signal poles and wiring, pedestrian signals, and work on sidewalk and road panels
-Painting permanent street markings
-New security guardrail on the northeast corner of the intersection
-Expect noise from equipment backup beeping and engine sounds

This project is expected to be finalized as early as May 2024. The work during this first phase included:

-Shifting the crosswalks across SW Roxbury St so they’re better aligned
-New curb bulbs that extend the sidewalk corners for people walking on the south side of the intersection
-Construction of curb ramps for improved ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessibility
-Temporary crosswalks and stop bars
-Temporary barrier at the northeast corner until a permanent guardrail is installed
-Temporary push button pedestrian crossing at the east leg of SW Roxbury St

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Potentially life-saving Parent Education Night on Thursday
January 17, 2024 10:06 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Drugs are taking too many lives, from kids to seniors. What do parents and guardians need to know to save lives? That’s one major topic of this parent-education event tomorrow night (Thursday, January 18) at Madison Middle School:

All are welcome, not just families with connections to Madison. The school is at 45th/Spokane.

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Entrepreneur proposes three ways to make Admiral District more walkable. Next step, community support
January 11, 2024 9:32 pm
|      104 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

(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.

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BIZNOTE: West Seattle-area Safeway stores to close earlier because of safety concerns
January 5, 2024 9:25 pm
|      112 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Thanks to the reader who texted that photo of a note posted on the door at Admiral Safeway, announcing that as of next Wednesday, the store will be closing at midnight instead of 1 am. The other two West Seattle-area Safeways (Jefferson Square and Roxbury) will also start closing at midnight, regional spokesperson Sara Osborne tells WSB. She explains, “Almost all our stores in City of Seattle close at midnight or 11 pm once those three are included. The decision was made out of concern for the safety of our associates and customers because we are experiencing a significant increase of violent incidents and major theft, especially at late hours.”

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Bicycle rider injured in hit-run crash on West Marginal Way
January 5, 2024 7:21 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

Thanks for the tips. A reader texted that photo after happening onto the scene of a collision that happened on West Marginal Way around quarter past 5 tonight. According to archived dispatch audio, this was a hit-and-run – a bicycle rider hit by a driver, whose vehicle was described only as a “red truck.” Early assessment of the rider was “up and talking, with a possible broken leg”; we just heard back from SFD, which says he is a man in his mid-50s, in serious condition when transported to the hospital. We don’t have any information on where the rider was when hit – as the photo shows, emergency responders were at/near the signalized Duwamish Trail crossing.

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PEDESTRIAN ALERT: Signal pole down at 35th/Avalon
December 24, 2023 2:19 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

Thanks to Ian for the photo. The downed crosswalk-signal pole on the northeast corner of 35th/Avalon is apparently still down, according to a text. Reader Ab told us it happened on Friday – a semi-truck “cut the turn too much and knocked down” the pole. We’re hopeful it’s been reported to SDOT by now but don’t know the repair timeline; 206-386-1218 is their after-hours number for problems on streets, sidewalks, etc.

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READER REPORTS: Downed light poles along stairway; trailer blocking path
December 16, 2023 12:58 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

Two reader reports that are FYIs if you’re out on foot:

DOWNED LIGHT POLES: The photo shows one of three that John noticed:

3 of the new light poles have been knocked down/damaged on the steps between Delridge and 20th on Holden.

John believes it happened during the past 48 hours.

TRAILER BLOCKING PATH: Ryan wonders if this trailer blocking a path at 47th/Stevens is abandoned/stolen:

In addition to reporting issues like these via Find It Fix It, you can also contact SDOT’s after-hours regarding right-of-way issues (stairways and paths as well as streets) at 206-386-1218.

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READER REPORT: Corner hole hazard at 48th/Hinds
December 15, 2023 6:34 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

Thanks to Ryan for the report and photos of a safety hazard at 48th/Hinds [map]:

Avoid NE corner of 48th and Hinds!!! 10-15 foot hole underneath a piece of thin form!!

I put cones on it but it will be a tragic accident.

I called 911 as well.

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STAY SAFE! Free avalanche-awareness education Wednesday at Mountain to Sound Outfitters in West Seattle
December 12, 2023 12:28 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

It’s snow-sports season in the mountains – which can bring a lot of fun, but also danger in some circumstances. Mountain to Sound Outfitters (WSB sponsor) is offering a free, potentially life-saving event tomorrow night – here’s the announcement:

We’re co-hosting a free 90-minute Avalanche Awareness Course on December 13th at 6 pm with NWAC!

The NWAC (Northwest Avalanche Center) – AIARE Avalanche Awareness Course utilizes interactive presentation materials and local case histories and encourages questions from the audience.

The course is expected to:
-Introduce and explain to students where and why avalanches occur.
-Describe who gets caught and why.
-Provide a basic approach to staying safe in the backcountry.

This course targets the young and unaware backcountry traveler, and introduces the recognition of avalanche danger and how to reduce the risk.

Student Learning Outcomes
-Learn to access local avalanche bulletins and weather reports.
-Recognize basic signs of avalanche danger.
-Learn to avoid avalanche danger.
-Understand the need for companion rescue techniques and equipment.

This event is free but registration is required. Please use the tickets link to register.

Mountain to Sound Outfitters is in The Triangle, at 3602 SW Alaska.

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