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West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network gets the 411 on 911
February 23, 2011 12:54 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

A lesson in how to call 911 – what to say, what not to say, when to call, when not to call – comprised the heart of Tuesday night’s West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network meeting at the Southwest Precinct.

Teaching the lesson, Kayreen Lum, a King County 911 program manager. We’ve heard this lesson before, from different presenters, before different groups, but every time there is something new to learn:Read More

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Earthquake wake-up call: Be prepared, and know your nearest Hub
February 22, 2011 10:55 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Preparedness | Safety | West Seattle news


View West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs in a larger map

We had been planning a reminder story about this anyway, given that next Monday is the 10th anniversary of the big Nisqually earthquake, but New Zealand’s deadly quake brings the point home again, and an immediate reminder seems in order: Quakes strike without warning; they strike big cities as well as small villages. Don’t put off preparedness thinking you’ll “get around to it.” Do realize that the official agencies, like police and fire, will be so busy/overwhelmed, it’s not wise to expect they will reach you immediately and/or be able to tell/show you what to do. (This page explains that further.)

In West Seattle, we are lucky to have dedicated volunteers who, as reported here over the past three years, are working to help make sure we’re all able to help each other, and ourselves, in some semblance of an organized manner even in case of mega-catastrophe. A key component of the effort: The West Seattle Neighborhood Emergency Communication Hubs – now nine in number, and located on the Google map above (which is taken from the West Seattle Be Prepared website). If you’ve missed previous coverage – these are nine places (and yes, they’d love to have more, but more volunteer power is needed) around West Seattle where you will be able to go to get and share information in case disaster takes out all the regular channels. Know your nearest hub; make sure your family does, too. And have your disaster kits ready – at home, in your car (note that the New Zealand quake struck in the middle of a busy workday, as did, for that matter, the Nisqually quake). Here are some hints from 3 Days, 3 Ways. You can also go to this WSB archive to browse our coverage (newest-to-oldest) of local preparedness efforts – drills, and the daily tips we ran during Preparedness Month last April (more ahead this year, but don’t wait till April to be ready!).

P.S. Preparedness efforts for yourself and your family are priority 1 – but if you can devote time/effort beyond that, get involved with West Seattle Be Prepared; contact info is here.

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Neighborhood alert: Arrow turns up in Beach Drive-area backyard
February 22, 2011 12:23 am
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

Every so often, we hear a “shots fired” report – sometimes it’s bullets, sometimes fireworks. But we can’t recall hearing about someone discovering an arrow, till now: A Beach Drive-area resident (5400 block of SW Edmunds; map) found a “full-size arrow” in the backyard on Monday morning. “Not sure what the deal is and we’re not concerned that we were targeted but we have two small dogs and that arrow would have definitely injured them as well as one of us had we been out in the backyard at the time it arrived. Don’t know when it was shot but suspecting it was after dark.” Main concern here is that “there are a lot of little kids and animals in our neighborhood,” so of course it’s been reported to police.

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West Seattle safety: Signal ‘warranted’ for Avalon/Yancy/30th
February 21, 2011 10:16 am
|      28 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

The narrow-Y intersection of Avalon, Yancy, and 30th, south of the Luna Park business district (map), has long been a frustration, and danger, to pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, and bus riders. But there’s a glimmer of hope. A resident who’s been talking with the city about getting a signal there, Liz Johnson, sent first word that the city agrees the intersection needs help. Liz shared this from city traffic engineer Valerie Lee:

SDOT recently completed a signal warrant study for the intersection of SW Avalon Way, 30th Avenue SW and SW Yancy Street. The study results showed this intersection met the MUTCD* manual signal warrant 1.

SDOT will put this location on our warranted signals location list. Every year, more signals are warranted than we have funding to build. Towards the end of each year, all warranted locations compete for the following years’ new signal fund.

At the end of 2011, SDOT will consider the traffic volume, pedestrian volume, and collision history as well as the cost of the signal to determine which of the warranted locations will receive a new signal in 2012.

*The MUTCD is the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, a federal document that defines the national standard for municipalities to follow when installing any traffic control devices.

We checked with SDOT about the length of the waitlist; Marybeth Turner from the communications team tells WSB, “Our Traffic Management Division reports that we now have 15 traffic signals on the list. We are usually able to install 2 to 4 new signals each year, depending on the funding available.” This is the same intersection that got pedestrian flags almost three years ago. (P.S. For comments, the city has this e-mail address: traffic.signals@seattle.gov)

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Your next chance to learn the do’s and don’ts of calling 911
February 20, 2011 2:02 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

If you see or suspect anything suspicious, call 911. You’ve heard that from local police leaders time and time again. Yet there’s still confusion about when to call, or even concern if it sounds like the 911 dispatcher isn’t taking you seriously. So here’s another chance to hear from the experts – and ask your questions – at Tuesday night’s West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network meeting (note, EVERYONE is welcome):

When should I call 9-1-1? What should I say? Can I text 9-1-1? What do I do if they don’t take me seriously? What happens after I hang up? Should I call even if I think someone else has already called?

The February meeting of the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network will focus on the 9-1-1 system. Our guest speaker will be Kayreen Lum from King County 9-1-1. She will cover 9-1-1 basics, how to use it effectively, explain how the information is processed through the system and discuss future technologies. Our own CPT Officer, Jonathan Kiehn, will also be there to add his perspective and field questions about what the police do with information from a 9-1-1 call.

We invite everyone throughout the SW Precinct (even if you aren’t a Blockwatch Captain) to attend and improve your skills!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 6:30-8 PM
SW Police Precinct, 2300 SW Webster Street (at Delridge, next to Home Depot)

Find out more about WSBWCN at its website and/or on Facebook.

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Admiral sinkhole update: Still growing; crew coming out for a look
February 18, 2011 5:15 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

For the past few days, neighbors/passersby have kept us updated on the sinkhole next to the Fairmount/Forest traffic circle (map). After getting a note late this afternoon saying it’s grown significantly since the original report, we went out for another look and also called SDOT to ask about their plans. Marybeth Turner on the SDOT media team hasn’t able to track someone down for an update on the official plan yet, but did tell us that they’ll send an emergency crew out tonight to re-evaluate it, since it’s growing. (One person we talked with while in the neighborhood told us he had called about it and been told it was Seattle Public Utilities‘ problem.) We’ll keep following up. Good idea to avoid that area if you can, even though it’s cordoned off – that’s right at the south, uphill end of Fairmount, through the ravine. (Added) For perspective looking into it, here’s a photo Craig took this afternoon:

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West Seattle Weather Watch – and safety watch: Continued cold
February 18, 2011 11:22 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weather Watch – and safety watch: Continued cold
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

Sebastian says the Delridge ramp off The Bridge was icy when he drove by this – a car on its side earlier this morning. On the 911 log, the call “closed” fairly quickly, with no medic unit dispatched, so that would tend to mean no serious injuries – no formal info available yet (we’re checking). But it provides an excuse to remind us all that winter’s not over yet. Next week, in fact, it’s supposed to get even colder.

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West Seattle streets: One project next week; two later this spring
February 17, 2011 2:25 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

We had heard that a notable amount of road work was scheduled around West Seattle while (most) schools are out next week, so we checked with SDOT to see what’s on the schedule. Turns out one project is indeed on, while two others in the Morgan Junction/Gatewood area have been pushed back to a bit later this spring. Here’s the update from SDOT’s Marybeth Turner:

Next week we plan to replace two speed cushions at 59th Avenue Southwest near Alki Elementary School.

You may have heard about two upcoming pedestrian safety projects on California Avenue SW. These are now scheduled to be built late in March or early spring, depending on when our crews can fit them into their schedules and also depending on the weather.

One of the projects is at SW Othello Street and California Ave SW. We will build a curb bulb on the east side of California to shorten the crossing distance and improve visibility for pedestrians waiting to cross. A new overhead crosswalk sign with flashing beacons will also be installed.

The other project consists of building curb ramps that meet current standards at the intersection of SW Frontenac Street and California Ave SW, on the northwest, southwest and southeast corners. Also, the sidewalk will be replaced on the northwest corner.

We also had some information on the 59th SW speed humps courtesy of Councilmember Tom Rasmussen‘s office; the current rubber humps will be removed and replaced with “asphalt (ones) that are similar in profile,” according to a neighborhoodleader. You’ll see some no-parking restrictions in the area during the work.

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Traffic alert: Crews reported at Fairmount ‘sinkhole’; roads blocked
February 16, 2011 10:11 am
|    Comments Off on Traffic alert: Crews reported at Fairmount ‘sinkhole’; roads blocked
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

We checked out reports of a small “sinkhole” by the traffic circle at Fairmount/Forest, south uphill end of Fairmount Ravine area (area map), the other day – it didn’t look major, and had a road sign over it more than covering the area, but this morning, Stefan e-mailed to report:

I thought it might be worth mentioning that the intersection of Fairmount and Forest by Hiawatha Community Ctr is closed due to a developing sinkhole. I noticed the beginning of it on Monday and called SDOT. Looks like they will be working on it shortly since they have cordoned off the whole traffic circle and roads leading to are closed.

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Lincoln Park ‘stalker’ encounter: Reader shares an alert
February 2, 2011 11:02 am
|      98 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

If you saw police in the Lincoln Park area yesterday afternoon – here’s what it was about. Just out of the WSB inbox:

Yesterday about 3:30 PM, I (woman, late fifties, in good shape) was stalked by a white male, early 30’s, 5’11”, about 175, fairly attractive, with broad shoulders and about a 29 pant size – athletic. He had on a black ski hat, and I believe it had an orange stripe around it, a navy jacket with the collar up around his jaw, and light gray sweat pants.

I was walking from the south going north to the bluff trail, and just past the children’s zip-line ride towards the bluff trail. This man just appeared out of nowhere, and was heading for me, having to circle bushes that were too thick to walk through, but short enough to see over. He was looking straight into my eyes. As soon as he got around the bushes, about 8 feet from me, he noticed I had two dogs, so he made a U-turn and started walking next to me heading for the bluff trail. We were secluded and had not come to the trail yet. The park has bunch of little trails right there, and I was on the main trail. I don’t know where he came from.

My intuition, and the events with attackers at the park, put me on high alert, and I knew I didn’t want him behind me, so I stopped and told him to go ahead of me. He did, but as we walked, he kept slowing down, forcing me to slow down or get closer to him than I wanted to get. I knew there are benches along the bluff trail and we would come to one soon, so I waited him out and than stopped at the first view point with a bench. I did some stretching and must have waited about 10 minutes before I started back up the trail, thinking he had time to move along.

After I began walking up the trail, I met a woman with a cute dog and we talked about dogs while our dogs played a bit. Next I came upon an older couple who pointed out an eagle in a tree to me, so I talked to them and watched the eagle for a while. The guy I had let pass me, the creep, had plenty of time to move up the trail.

On the trail is a workout station to do pullups, and at that station, I thought I would go into the woods and “relieve myself”. After all a woman in her late fifties has to pee all the time. Well thank God & Goddess that before I went into the woods, I stopped to check if anybody was around, and there was that guy! He was behind a tree and I could see his arm. As I moved closer to him to make sure what I was seeing, he moved around the tree hiding from me. He almost caught me with my pants down! A lesson for me!

After I finally realized he was hiding from me and I had better get out of there, I went back onto the trail and a young woman with headphones on was jogging down the trail. I stopped her, thinking she wouldn’t hear the guy come out behind her, and she & I walked out of the park together. We decided his behavior was too strange and we called 911.

By the time we got to the north parking lot, at the instruction of the 911 operator, the police were on their way, and took our statement in the parking lot. The police called me last night, telling me a total of four cars searched the park, and they did not find the guy.

All & all, it was a pretty scary afternoon and I am sure as I think about how that guy was staring hard into my eyes that he had ill intent for me or some other woman. This is not the first time my dogs have saved me from predator men. I grew up in Lincoln Park and have been going there my whole life, and am always careful to stay on main trails, but nonetheless, this guy found me at the most secluded juncture of my walk.

Please pass this along. I wish to remain anonymous.

There was some scanner traffic regarding this search yesterday – we had checked with police, who had nothing to report at the time, but we are checking again. While at this point there is no indication this had anything to do with the suspect arrested, charged, and released last week, Duane Starkenburg, we should note that part of the conditions of his release on bond was an order to stay out of Lincoln Park.

ADDED 11:25 AM: Responding to our followup e-mail, she says she was shown a photo of Starkenburg and “it was not him.”

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Fauntleroy Expressway: The next notable West Seattle road project
January 30, 2011 12:06 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

The city has just put up its brand-new info-page about a road project that’s been in the works for a while but hasn’t been discussed much lately: Seismic retrofitting for the Fauntleroy Expressway, which is the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge. Some earthquake-safetyproofing work was done in 1994; 17 years later, this is the followup. (This section of the bridge itself was built in 1963.) SDOT says work will start this spring; here’s how it’ll affect traffic:

The project is expected to be advertised for competitive bids in the spring 2011. The seismic work will largely require occasional lane closures to traffic, bicycles, and pedestrians during construction.

During the installation of the new bearing pads, traffic is expected to be impacted on some nights and weekends. Closure of the Expressway will occur intermittently and detour routes around the work will go into effect. For traffic going Fauntleroy Way SW to West Seattle the detour will be to SW Avalon Way either by the Delridge Way SW ramp or Harbor Ave SW/SW Avalon Way ramp. Traffic from SW Admiral Way is expected to be detoured either thru 38th Ave SW or further north.

The project cost is estimated at $2.7 million.

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West Seattle wildlife: Another owl-attack report
January 29, 2011 9:29 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Remember the saga of the attacking owl on Bonair, in upper Alki, last month? Henry e-mailed to say it’s also happened to him:

I’ve been attacked by an owl on Bonair 4 times over the past few weeks. The first time was a flyover; the next time he took my wool hat off my head; the next time I wore a construction hard hat and heard a thunk. The owl was stunned after the collision and flew off. The next day, Friday the 28th, I wore the hard hat and brought a flash light. The owl came from his usual perch and I happened to turn and shine the light on him. He put on the brakes and flew away; it’s a pretty big owl. All the attacks occur at dawn on my way to work out on the Alki stairs. Is this a crazy owl or what! I see I’m not alone. This could get serious so what should be done?

We’ve also heard a couple other scattered reports since the last one published here in December. For information about Seattle’s owl population, check out this Audubon website.

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Late-night crash lands van in West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park
January 28, 2011 12:58 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

(Photo by Katie Meyer for WSB)
There are a number of ways you could look at this crash. It struck us as “close call for the West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole.” Skid marks on SW Alaska across 35th SW (map) just west of the park suggest the van had trouble stopping until the westernmost raised planter in the little park, just past the sidewalk, managed to do the job, with the van ending up straddling the planter. The driver didn’t need medical attention, but could be heard with slurred speech as police questioned him before eventually driving off with him still in the back seat.

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
A driver from ABC Towing spent about 45 minutes engaged in an intricate operation to lift, shift, push, and pull the van this way and that, to get it off the planter without further damage. He explained he lives in West Seattle and “it’s my park too.” It was a little too late at night for too many looky-loos, but one woman came downstairs from a nearby residential meeting, saying she was worried about the totem pole and wanted to make sure it hadn’t been hit. It hadn’t – thanks to that planter.

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Beach Drive slides: Neighbors disappointed, might hire a lawyer
January 27, 2011 3:13 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

Beach Drive resident Mike Winter, who lives across the street from the repeat-slide zone that was discussed by the City Council Transportation Committee on Tuesday, kept his promise to summarize last night’s closed meeting between city officials and neighbors. He just sent the summary – including word that the neighbors, disappointed, are looking into hiring a lawyer. Full report after the jump:Read More

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Followup: Beach Drive slide fight – see the lawsuit
January 26, 2011 2:40 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   Development | Environment | Safety | West Seattle news

(WSB photo of the view yesterday from behind the “ecology blocks” at the bottom of the sliding Beach Drive slope)
A few followup notes since our report yesterday on the City Council Transportation Committee‘s briefing about the repeat slides in the 6000-6200 block of Beach Drive SW: We have obtained from the City Attorney’s Office a copy of the lawsuit that was filed in 2009, after, they allege, the upslope property owner was failing to comply with city code. We couldn’t find it online, but they responded to our request by sending a scanned copy; see it here. Meantime, we have learned that the meeting with neighbors and city officials tonight, mentioned during yesterday’s hearing, is closed to the media, but at least one participant is promising a summary. The other “next step” mentioned at the council committee hearing, a closed “executive session” to discuss where the legal fight stands, is tentatively scheduled for February 22nd.

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Keeping kids out of online trouble: SPD expert @ Denny
January 26, 2011 2:18 am
|    Comments Off on Keeping kids out of online trouble: SPD expert @ Denny
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

In case you missed Tuesday night’s special safety presentation at Denny International Middle School, our video has the main event in its unedited entirety – 35 minutes on cybersafety, presented by a local expert: Stefanie Thomas from the Seattle Police Department, where she is a victim advocate with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Think you know everything about the online do’s, don’ts, and dangers? You might want to watch, just to be sure. (As noted here in our preview, the event was presented by the Denny PTSA.)

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Words of wisdom, for West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network
January 25, 2011 11:42 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

The Southwest Precinct‘s retiring Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow got quite a sendoff from the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network, as about 40 people came to its first meeting in three months to hear his parting words. The group itself was a prescient creation of local volunteers – since now that the city will have fewer crime-prevention coordinators, volunteer efforts matter more than ever.

Deb Greer, one of the group’s trio of leaders (with Karen Berge and Deanie Schwarz), put together a retrospective of Block Watch’s beginnings in Seattle, to tee off Kinlow’s memories, and tributes from a few of the attendees around the table.

But before we get to that – the crime tip of the month from the uniformed SPD rep on hand, Community Police Team Officer Jon Kiehn:Read More

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Beach Drive slides briefing: Muddy mess, legal tangle
January 25, 2011 12:41 pm
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news

(January 2010 WSB reader photo)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

After two slides in less than a year – most recently, last month – with a road surface crumbling, a fire hydrant buried, and nearby residents afraid for their safety, why isn’t the Beach Drive SW (map) slide situation resolved yet?

That’s the question the City Council Transportation Committee put this morning to the directors of the two city agencies that are involved – the Department of Transportation and the Department of Planning and Development. Its chair Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who lives in the Beach Drive/Alki area, expressed frustration, as did a slide-neighboring (across Beach Drive) resident, Mike Winter, speaking in the public-comment time period before the meeting:

He noted that two upslope homes have been recently “yellow-tagged,” which DPD director Diane Sugimura later explained means flagged for safety concerns – in this case, residents were warned not to use their decks, because the footings aren’t stable. Winter also told the committee about the mud-swamped fire hydrant, which SDOT director Peter Hahn said that Seattle Public Utilities is “taking care of.”

Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Car-window ‘target practice’
January 24, 2011 8:12 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

A quick note came in this afternoon from someone sad to see a lot of folks cleaning up broken glass along 32nd SW. A different note a bit earlier, from David, told the tale:

Sometime Saturday night – Sunday morning, someone blew out at least four car windows with a pellet gun on 32nd Ave SW between Thistle and Barton St. [map] Vehicles weren’t rifled through, so it appears to be target practice from some malevolent passerby. I seem to remember a WSB article on similar crime in 2010 and hope spreading the word might heighten westsiders’ awareness of their street scene to ward off similar activity.

Speaking of heightened awareness – West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network meets tomorrow night, 6:30 pm, Southwest Precinct.

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Family safety: Denny PTSA invites all to come get advice, tomorrow
January 24, 2011 3:33 pm
|    Comments Off on Family safety: Denny PTSA invites all to come get advice, tomorrow
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

“It’s time to get serious about your family’s personal safety.” So begins the Denny International Middle School PTSA‘s open invitation to a special event tomorrow (Tuesday) night, 6-7:30 pm at Denny, and they tell us that students are welcome as well as parents, from anywhere in our area, not just Denny families. The event promises “important safety tips to help keep you and your child safe both in the real world and the cyber-world,” with guests including the school-safety officer assigned to Denny. There’ll also be Giannoni’s Pizza on sale for $1/slice. Denny is at 8402 30th SW (map).

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Beach Drive slides: City Council committee to be briefed
January 22, 2011 2:28 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from 12/12/2010)
With two major slides in the past year (January 2010 and December 2010) and a constantly wet, rutted road – with side effects like this recent ice sheet – the 6000-6200 block of Beach Drive has yet to find a permanent solution to the slope-vs.-street problem. Two city departments are involved, along with homeowners, and we’ll get the city’s latest take on it Tuesday – SDOT director Peter Hahn and DPD director Diane Sugimura are scheduled to brief the City Council’s Transportation Committee (chaired by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen) on the Beach Drive slide situation. The meeting is set for 9:30 am Tuesday at City Hall; if you can’t be there, you can watch live online at seattlechannel.org, or on cable channel 21.

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West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: Surprise!
January 19, 2011 1:20 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: Surprise!
 |   Crime | Safety | Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council | West Seattle news

“Welcome to 2011!” With that, West Seattle Crime Prevention Council president Dot Beard opened last night’s meeting at the Southwest Precinct, the first WSCPC meeting in two months – and her last one as president. As the meeting began, more than 15 people were on hand, not counting three uniformed SPD reps – Lt. Pierre Davis and Community Police Team Officers Jonathan Kiehn and Ken Mazzuca – plus soon-to-retire Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow. Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen joined in time to deliver his assessment of the latest West Seattle crime trends – which included at least one surprise. That and other meeting toplines, after the jump:Read More

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Longtime Block Watch leader in West Seattle? This one’s for you
January 13, 2011 9:59 pm
|    Comments Off on Longtime Block Watch leader in West Seattle? This one’s for you
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

If you’ve long been involved with the Block Watch program in West Seattle – or know someone who has – there’s a special call out for you tonight, from the WS Blockwatch Captains’ Network, looking ahead to its next meeting – which also extends a special invitation to those wanting to say farewell to retiring Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow (here’s our Tuesday report on his impending retirement):

What’s the History of Blockwatch in West Seattle? Are you part of the history? Do you know part of the history?

When: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 6:30-8
Where: SW Precinct 2300 S.W. Webster (Delridge & Webster)
Agenda: 6:00-6:30 Socializing and networking during setup
6:30-7:00 WSBWCN news and updates, crime prevention tip of the month
7:00-8:00 History of Blockwatch in West Seattle with Benjamin Kinlow
Open forum for sharing historical information, blockwatch stories and thanking Benjamin.
8:00-8:30 Socializing & networking during teardown.

Featured speaker: Retiring Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow

The topic of our January meeting is focused on the history of block watch in West Seattle. Benjamin Kinlow who has many years of experience in blockwatch will regale us with his stories of how things used to be, how they have evolved and talk about some highlights of his career. We invite everyone in West Seattle who has participated in blockwatchs over the years to come say goodbye to Benjamin, hear about the history of blockwatch and bring their blockwatch stories to share. Especially if you have stories relating to working with Benjamin and how he has helped you with your blockwatch it would be great to send him off to retirement with a few stories he might have forgotten!

We are trying to round up historical memorabilia and/or photos of blockwatch history in West Seattle that we could scan and put in a slide show so if you have something please get in touch. E-mail: wsblockwatchnet@gmail.com or call 206-424-0040 and leave a message.

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