West Seattle, Washington
08 Monday
(December 2013 WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
After James St. Clair was hit and killed walking across 35th at Graham in the High Point area last December, longstanding concerns about 35th were aired again – and in February, the city announced a road-safety project. Today, SDOT sends word of a change ahead even before the safety project officially begins this fall:
SDOT is moving forward with operational changes at the intersection of 35th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Graham Street [map] this month. Residents living nearby will receive the attached postcard later this week in regard to this work.
SDOT will be installing “right turn only” signs on Graham Street at the junction with 35th. This operational change will improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. Once the signs are installed, drivers going from Graham to 35th will be limited to right turns only.
The signs will be installed before the end of June and additional changes to this
intersection will be considered through the 35th Avenue Southwest Road Safety Project which will kick off in October.
35th/Graham also was the site of the collision that killed Susanne Scaringi in fall 2006.
We took that photo this morning after WSB’er Kevin McClintic pointed out new “photo-enforced” signage on Roxbury, though SDOT had been saying the new school-zone speed cams by Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School were not going in until fall. Turns out, they’re going in now – but won’t be activated until September, with warnings being issued for a month before ticketing begins in October. Here’s the announcement just in from SDOT:
To improve pedestrian safety, contractors working for the City of Seattle will be installing photo enforcement cameras at five locations during May and June. They will be located near the following schools: Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School in West Seattle, Dearborn Park Elementary in Southeast Seattle, Bailey Gatzert Elementary in Central Seattle, and Eckstein Middle School in Northeast Seattle.
The cameras will issue citations to drivers that exceed the school zone speed limit of 20 mph. The school zone speed limit is in effect for typically one hour in the morning as students arrive at school, and one hour in the afternoon when the school day ends. Flashing beacons have been installed to emphasize the times when the school zone speed limit is in effect. The cameras will issue warnings for 30 days beginning September 2 and will start issuing citations in early October.
According to SDOT’s construction flyer (see it here), work on the Roxhill and Holy Family cameras starts tomorrow. Revenue from the cameras goes to safety improvements in school areas, by city law.
P.S. The city first announced almost a year ago that these two cameras were on the way. The Gatewood Elementary zone on Fauntleroy Way already has speed enforcement, in place for a year and a half.
Two Level 3 sex offenders have moved to West Seattle, and Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Mark Solomon has sent an advisory to let you know about them:
In an effort to keep you informed, and in our constant attempts to reduce future victimization, we want to let you know about level 3 sex offenders that have moved into Southwest Precinct neighborhoods in recent weeks.
· Micheal Barron, a 25-year-old white male, is a level 3 sex offender who has recently moved to the 5600 Block of 21st Avenue SW. Mr. Barron is currently under Department of Corrections supervision. [Editor’s note: You can see his photo & other info here]
· Nikolai Greff, a 52-year-old white male, is a level 3 sex offender who has recently moved to the 2600 Block of 49th Avenue SW. Mr. Greff is no longer under Department of Corrections supervision. [Editor’s note: See his photo & other info here]
Detective Fields from the Seattle Police Department’s Sex Offender Detail is assigned to check on these offenders and verify their information. To learn more about these offenders, please visit the King County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender website and search by their names. You will also find personal safety tips and resources on this site.
If you have further questions about these offenders, contact Michelle McRae of the Seattle Police Sex Offender Detail at 206-684-5581 or e-mail at michelle.mcrae@seattle.gov.
To register to receive an email alert whenever a published offender registers within one mile of your desired addresses, go to (this) link.
Click ahead to read general safety information that Solomon has shared with similar advisories in the past:
Tuesday night at Southwest Branch Library, a handful of community members met with SDOT reps and consultants to brainstorm the city’s in-the-works School Road Safety Plan for next year and beyond. Whatever emerges in the future plan will get funding from the city’s increasing arsenal of school-zone speed cameras, noted SDOT’s Jim Curtin, who recapped the pre-existing plan to add two more in West Seattle this fall, both on Roxbury, near Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School. The plan remains to have them in place by September, with a monthlong grace period and ticketing starting in October. Those are two of five to be added at schools around the city this year, joining 4 in place, 1 of those in West Seattle, on Fauntleroy by Gatewood Elementary (existing cameras are in black on the SDOT map below, with the next round of additions in blue):
More than a dozen additional ones are expected around the city next year, Curtin said, with 60 schools being studied right now. The camera revenue has to go to school-safety improvements by order of the City Council.
The consultants at the meeting were from Toole Design Group, which is working with SDOT on the plan. They explained that this is in the opinion-gathering stage, and collected reaction to some possible plan components including traffic calming and different types of crosswalk signals. They promised more meetings in West Seattle; tonight’s attendees suggested one of those meetings be held on a weekend so that people with school-age children might be more likely to attend.
What’s in the works to improve safety along the roads and sidewalks leading to local schools – and what isn’t, but should be? Join a discussion this Tuesday night (May 20th) in West Seattle to help design the city’s School Road Safety Plan. Thanks to Cathy Tuttle from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways for sharing news of the meeting, which she calls “simply the most important road-safety meeting you can attend this year.” It’s one of three meetings around the city, and it’s set for 6-7:30 pm Tuesday at Southwest Branch Library (35th/Henderson); more details in this Facebook event invite.
The p-word – preparedness – is big around here. We know it’s tough to take time to plan or learn something you hope to never have to use – but this Sunday, if you can spare *half an hour*, it’ll be well worth it. A free city-presented mini-workshop at Southwest Branch Library will teach you what you need to know about handling household utilities in case of disaster, 1:40-2 pm:
In just 30 minutes, find out how to safely power down your household electric panel and how and when to turn off your natural gas at the meter. Join us for hands-on practice using real equipment and pick up other tips on how to secure your household water supply. Class is free, no RSVP. Come one and all.
The SW Library is at 35th/Henderson.
P.S. Also in the preparedness vein – remember that local volunteers are having a drill at Ercolini Park tomorrow morning (9-noon), so don’t be startled if you happen onto it!
Looks like nobody was hurt, and the wrecked car is about to be towed away, but we’re making note of another crash we just passed at what statistics show as the intersection with the most crashes in West Seattle – Roxbury/Olson, at the east end of Roxbury, a car went off the road, into/by the rail. Police have the northbound/eastbound turn lane blocked on Olson, but probably not for much longer. SDOT’s Roxbury safety project remains a work in progress, with improvements promised by summer’s end – and in fact, though we don’t know if traction had anything to do with this, this is the area where pavement work to improve it is scheduled for this weekend.
A bit of a parade this morning to Roxhill Elementary School, with the Denny International Middle School Marching Band and director Marcus Pimpleton leading the way, and local elected officials walking alongside:
(That’s State Rep. Eileen Cody, right, and Seattle School Board director Marty McLaren, both West Seattleites, with Roxhill principal Sahnica Washington at left.) The occasion? As noted here earlier in the week, Feet First organized the walk-to-school event as a celebration of Safe Routes to School improvements near Roxhill, funded by a state grant. They even brought along their safety mascot, the chicken:
Safe Routes for School improvements are in the works for other West Seattle schools, as SDOT‘s Brian Dougherty told the Southwest District Council earlier this month – our report on that meeting, including his briefing and the list of projects, is here.
On the heels – and toes! – of last week’s Walk-To-School Day events at two West Seattle schools, there’s another celebration coming up this week. Feet First shares news of an all-school Walk To School Day for Roxhill Elementary this Friday. The 9 am festivities will include Walking School Buses, a special dropoff on the northwest side of Roxhill Park so kids who usually take the bus can join in the last few blocks, local leaders including 34th District State Rep. Eileen Cody and School Board Director Marty McLaren, and even the marching band from nearby Denny International Middle School. Routes to Roxhill have seen recent safety improvements (such as these) as the result of a Safe Routes to School grant, and that’s part of the reason for the celebration.
Across the street and up the embankment from the Fauntleroy ferry dock is a semi-hidden gem – the Fauntleroy Creek fish-ladder viewpoint. It’s been there since the restoration project 15+ years ago, and right now it’s getting a little bit of TLC – Judy Pickens shares the photo and the following description of what’s happening in it:
Al Zurowski prepares the promontory at the viewpoint above Fauntleroy Creek for new decking. He and fellow carpenter Bill Miller with Seattle Public Utilities are replacing deteriorating decking installed when the viewpoint and fish ladder below it opened in 1998. The viewpoint will be busy starting Thursday as 600+ students come to the creek during May to release coho fry.
Judy is a watershed steward and devoted volunteer who will be busy during salmon-release season too, and she says the viewpoint work – expected to last all week – should “give everyone a much-safer platform for viewing the fish ladder.”
12:41 PM: Seattle Police have just reopened Walnut Avenue between Stevens and Forest after debris and wreckage was cleaned up from that crash on the east side of West Seattle High School/Hiawatha park. The driver hit a tree, according to Antonio, who sent the photo. We are checking with Seattle Fire, which had a two-unit medic response, regarding the age/condition of the driver; we don’t believe this involved major injuries, since the unit that investigates that type of crash was not called out. We’ll update with whatever we find out from SFD.
2:56 PM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore tells us that the person driving the car was a man in his 60s “who suffered a head injury after his SUV hit a tree. The air bags did not deploy.” He was taken to Harborview Medical Center.
Also coming up tomorrow: The free “Warrior Woman Self-Defense Seminar” at Straight Blast Gym of Seattle (5050 Delridge Way SW; WSB sponsor). Gym proprietor Sonia Sillan explains, “Life is unpredictable, and you never know what’s going to happen. This is why we’ve been planning this event – we believe that every woman should have access to proper life-saving awareness and self-defense strategies to protect themselves, and their families. As women, we have to learn that we are worth fighting for. We are worth every bit of effort that we can put into being strong, smart, and skilled in self-defense.” The seminar will run noon-3 pm, and you’re asked to e-mail to register – welcome@sbgseattle.com. Sonia says more than 40 women are already signed up, but there’s room for more. And they’ll be collecting donations for New Beginnings, a Seattle-based organization serving those whose lives have been affected by domestic violence.
Two months after our first report on Steps at Stevens, a community-proposed plan including a safer walking route into West Seattle High School from California/Stevens, it’s design time, and one of the project organizers, Janet Jones, shares the invitation for you to join in:
Steps at Stevens: A neighborhood connectivity project located at SW Stevens and California Ave SW.
You’re invited to join us for the planning and design of the Admiral District’s Steps at Stevens Project at West Seattle High School.
Help us create a …
*Safe and useful pedestrian route
*Public place of interest and comfortHelp us to …
*Incorporate art and historic architecture
*Reflect the character of the neighborhoodMark your calendar!
Community Design Workshop #1
Tues April 29th 2014 7-9 pm
West Seattle HS Commons
Participate in the Design Game!Community Design Workshop #2
Wed May 21st 2014 5-7 pm
West Seattle HS Commons
Review and Critique 3 conceptual designs!Community Design Workshop #3
Mon June 9th 2014 7-9 pm
West Seattle HS Commons
Review and Critique Final Preferred Design!
A grant is funding the design process; fundraising is planned to get it built.
Refreshments will be provided.
(SPD Mounted Patrol officers photographed by Faith on Barton by Westwood/Roxhill last week)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Roxhill Park/Westwood Village, a more-troubled area than ever lately, is getting beefed-up SPD attention, Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske told the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network last night.
In his briefing at the start of their monthly meeting, he addressed both current problems and concerns about the approaching summer.
Regarding the latter, the area is one of three at the heart of the summertime emphasis plan he has drafted, along with Alki (for the usual reasons) and Lincoln Park (primarily for its car-prowling problems). “Exactly how much (of the requested resources) I’m going to get in terms of what I’m asking for, because it’s fairly significant, I haven’t heard that yet,” he said. He’s said before that he is hoping for Mounted Patrol resources and added on Tuesday night that he hopes some officers will be able to patrol the area on bicycles.
As for the current situation at Westwood Village, where incidents have ranged from recurring shoplifting to an assault on an officer, Capt. Wilske says officers are assigned to be in the area more regularly so that if a call comes in, they can get to it quicker than ever. Community Police Team Officer Jonathan Kiehn added that right now there’s a strategy of working on a big-picture fix for a “lot of little things” that require increased communications, security, and procedures on businesses’ part at Westwood, as well as help from police.
ALSO COMING UP THIS SUMMER: “We’re going to be doing traffic emphasis along 35th SW for the summer,” looking for “speed and distracted driving,” said Capt. Wilske. “If you are driving on 35th SW you probably want to be driving the speed limit and you want to be using your hands-free devices.”
Ahead (if you’re reading this from the home page), updates on notable incidents, plus the night’s featured guest:
If you have medicine around the house that’s expired or no longer needed, this Saturday (April 26) is the next Drug Take-Back Day, and you’ll be able to drop it off, anonymously, at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), 10 am-2 pm. That’s the only dropoff spot listed in West Seattle; here’s a regional list.
Lots of work in recent years on making the streets and sidewalks safer around West Seattle schools. Maybe you’d like to formalize that by being part of the Seattle School Traffic Safety Committee? The search is on for new members – read on for the announcement:
10:15 AM: We’ve just received two reports of a hazard on the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct – near the I-5 ramps on the east end of the West Seattle Bridge: It’s described as a protruding “metal plate,” in the left lane between the 1st and 4th Avenue exits, and one texter reports seeing people pulled over with flat tires. We’ve advised people to call 911 to report it since it sounds like it needs urgent repair work; on weekdays, the SDOT hotline 206-684-ROAD would be the place to call.
10:22 AM: The texting tipster says 911 promised to get someone out to fix it.
(School-zone beacon near Boren, now fully operational; photo courtesy Robin Graham)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Next school year, the former Louisa May Boren Junior High School on Delridge will be home to two schools – ongoing permanent home to K-5 (future K-8) STEM, and starting its two-year status as temporary home to Arbor Heights Elementary while AH is rebuilt.
That’s 800 or so students filling the campus, plus their teachers and other staffers.
Space in the building is not much at issue. Safety is – specifically, safely getting all those students to and from school, which fronts one of West Seattle’s main arterials, Delridge Way, a much-used route to and from the two bridges across the Duwamish River connecting the peninsula with downtown.
Though this is the second year K-5 STEM has occupied the building, it is only now getting something as simple as flashing beacons to catch drivers’ attention in the 20-mph zone. The beacons just began operation, and SDOT’s Brian Dougherty says that when Arbor Heights moves in this fall, the lights will be programmed to reflect the staggered times both schools will be in session on the campus.
The lights are welcome, but nowhere near a full solution.
It was canceled fairly quickly, but it was so big that it caught a lot of attention, so here’s what emergency-radio traffic said about that big callout at Avalon/Bradford this past hour, in the Luna Park business district near the West Seattle Bridge: Someone reported that people were coughing inside a Metro bus because of some substance someone released – possibly mace or something like it. A “hazmat multiple casualty incident” response, with many units, ensued, but didn’t last long. Apparently the person who did it got off the bus, and the substance dissipated, and the bus continued on to 35th SW; no contamination was found. Seattle Police were reported to be looking for the person responsible.
Chris McCall is rounding up some help for a neighborhood problem – and that broken glass is one of the symptoms:
We are starting a block watch because of vandalism and theft that has resulted from teens hanging out on the Hanford St. Stairs one block north of Madison Middle School.
Teens meet there to buy or sell pot, smoke pot, and drink liquor (that is probably stolen from parents, such as the smashed bottle of dragon fruit-infused SKY vodka currently there).
Some neighbors are scared to use the stairs at any time, and little children have to be careful of broken glass.
If you would like to help make these stairs safer and cleaner, please join us for a block watch meeting.
When: Tuesday, March 11th at 7 pm
Where: At the top of the stairs – 4516 SW Hanford St. (map)
Who: Mark Solomon from the Seattle Police Department will meet with us to discuss issues and how to solve them.
After Chris sent the announcement, we asked about a photo – and received the top photo showing broken glass, with the explanation, “Over the weekend, a mother and her young kids cleaned much of the litter as an act of kindness. I also put a broom on the stairs for people to use to clear broken glass.”
Later this afternoon – before we published this – Chris had a new photo to share, and an epilogue:
Walking home from school just now, I see that somebody broke the broom that I put out.
If you didn’t make it to the second meeting tonight about the project to make SW Roxbury safer between 35th SW and its east end at 4th/Olson, you’re not out of chances yet, but time is finite.
As with the first meeting earlier this month in White Center, this meeting was led by SDOT’s Jim Curtin and Brian Dougherty, though it was an interactive discussion much more than a “sit down and listen” meeting. Curtin did have a new, brief slide deck – that’s him at left, below, on the Roxhill Elementary stage with Chris Stripinis from the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Neighborhood Council, who had explained backstory about WWRHAH and other groups asking the city to “do something about Roxbury Street.”
Thanks to Joe Szilagyi from WWRHAH, among tonight’s attendees, for that photo. Meantime, here’s the SDOT slide deck, shared by Curtin:
If you can’t see the Scribd document above, click here for the PDF version. After the presentation, with key points including the fact that Roxbury – classified as “a principal arterial” – has “a very high rate” of collisions, 223 in the last three years, including 11 pedestrians and two bicyclists being hit. Traffic volumes rise from 13,000 vehicles daily on the west end to 25,000 daily on the east end, “a pretty busy road.” The collision hot spots are all along the stretch.
The most collision-plagued intersection is at that busy east end, Olson/4th/Roxbury, and one suggestion was for a roundabout there – that would take money and time, Curtin said, not ruling it out, but for starters they’re considering reducing the spinout factor there by roughing up the pavement.
Other suggestions written on sticky notes and left along the multi-table rendering of Roxbury included working on the turn lanes at the intersection by Safeway, so people are clearer on which way vehicles are turning. All the suggestions are being collected, along with those to come at upcoming events such as these (from the slide deck):
WHAT’S NEXT: Early projects will include pavement repair near Roxbury Safeway – that will be fixed “very soon,” Curtin promised. Photo-enforcement cameras, as already announced, will be installed in Roxhill and Holy Family school zones. This entire project is being made possible by photo-enforcement revenue, he added. Longer-term – recommendations for the corridor are expected to be out in July.
This morning, an invitation-only design charrette downtown is devoted to taking a fresh look (as explained here) at one of West Seattle’s more-problematic intersections, and it was preceded by a walking tour on Tuesday afternoon. The intersection is the five-way meeting of Chelan, Spokane, Delridge, and West Marginal Way SW, just west of the “low bridge.” West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen was among those on hand for a firsthand look and discussion of its challenges and its potential.
Among the stops – a bus lane that wasn’t serving its originally intended purpose, because of route changes.
The bicycling/walking/running trail was scrutinized too; there’s already a project in the works just to the south at 23rd/Delridge to improve connectivity (as mentioned in our coverage of the most recent West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting).
This morning’s design event was billed as for “stakeholders”; we’ll be checking back to find out what’s next.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 8:57 PM TUESDAY: That photo is from Christopher Boffoli, who is just back from 45th and Glenn (map) on the west side of The Junction, where there was a sizable Seattle Fire medical callout after a pedestrian was hit by a driver. Christopher says the driver’s Prius was apparently headed north onto 45th from Glenn. The pedestrian’s injuries turned out not to be life-threatening, so SFD called for a private ambulance to take him to the hospital.
ADDED 1:39 PM WEDNESDAY: We have also confirmed that an incident near Westwood last night was also a case of a driver hitting a pedestrian. SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore says the victim was a 17-year-old girl, who did not suffer life-threatening injuries. Medics transported her to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition. Moore also says the victim in the Junction crash was a 45-year-old man who was in serious condition when transported.
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