West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! We start with the road-work alerts for today and beyond
ALKI PAVING PROJECT, THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK: Finally got the details from SDOT about the Alki Avenue paving that continues through Friday.
Looking ahead:
*This weekend, Friday night 6/6 until Monday morning 6/9, southbound 99 will be closed between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge to reconfigure lanes, as explained here; see the expected results here (along with the results of a similar northbound closure two weeks later).
*Saturday is the start date for Metro’s next service change, detailed here. The only West Seattle route with changes is the 21, with a route change for several afternoon runs.
If you pass the east side of the Log House Museum on 61st SW at Stevens any time between now and midmorning Friday, that’s what you’ll see – the former Admiral Way totem pole, restored by experts, awaiting its grand unveiling during a big street-closing event Friday morning. Its proud new perch is just yards from where it spent years in repose behind the museum – where we photographed it in December 2011:
Four months later, the pole was trucked off to Artech in April 2012. Tuesday, after an extensive renovation project, they brought it back and installed it outside the museum in an intensive and much-photographed operation:
West Seattle resident Roger Waterhouse and Cody Thomaselli of Artech were the hands-on installers. The Southwest Seattle Historical Society had to get city permits and Landmarks Board approval for what otherwise might have seemed like a simple project – how hard could it be to put up a stand and place the pole on it, right?
Actually, once the pole was hoisted upright, it was somewhat painstaking – move it a bit this way, then a bit that way – until it was just right. We rolled video on the last few minutes:
In the Artech wrapping – later removed once the pole was covered up in the material you see in the top photo – the features were somewhat visible:
If you can, come see the unveiling Friday morning at 10:30, with students from Alki and Schmitz Park Elementaries coming to fill the street (which will close for the occasion) along with West Seattle-rooted dignitaries led by King County Executive Dow Constantine, Mayor Ed Murray (who grew up nearby), and former Mayor Greg Nickels. The pole gets a new interpretive plaque, too, shown off Tuesday morning by SWSHS executive director Clay Eals:
If you just can’t get away at midmorning Friday, make plans for a museum visit sometime soon – a special exhibit will open inside. The museum’s hours are noon-4 pm Thursdays-Sundays.
P.S. With this event and much more in the works this summer, including the West Seattle Bridge 30th anniversary commemorations, volunteer power is more vital than ever to the nonprofit museum’s success – and you can be part of it. This Saturday, the day after the totem-pole celebration, 11 am-1 pm, come to the museum for its next volunteer orientation.
Opera is for kids too! On Tuesday, it was in the spotlight at Lafayette Elementary, reports Luckie (who also shared the photo):
Lafayette’s final PTA arts assembly for this school year was a short opera, Heron and the Salmon Girl, performed by four soloists from Seattle Opera‘s “Opera Goes to School” program. This program offers an opportunity for elementary students to perform alongside the professional singers. For the past three weeks, Opera teaching artist John Coons (who also sang in the opera Tuesday) taught and rehearsed a group of Lafayette 3rd through 5th grade students once a week to sing in the chorus. Through song and movement, the 23 students accompanied the singers with their portrayal of the waters of a river and Puget Sound. Afterward, each student singer was awarded a certificate of achievement from Seattle Opera recognizing their performance in Heron and the Salmon Girl. (Pictured: the Lafayette chorus performing with Thomas Thompson as Turtle and John Coons as Orca.)
“Heron and the Salmon Girl” is the first of the three operas comprising Our Earth, aimed at young operagoers.
Two notes tonight from the West Seattle Soccer Club
FALL REGISTRATION OPEN: Spring season’s not over yet – the final games are next weekend – but it’s already time for WSSC to sign up players for fall. Registration is open until the end of June, but don’t wait too long – last fall, WSSC board member Tim McMonigle tells WSB, the league had almost 2,000 players! Details are on the WSSC website.
WSSC BOARD MEMBERS HONORED: Dennis Lapchis, also from the WSSC board, shares the news:
Two of our West Seattle Soccer Club Board Members have received state honors for their service to the kids of our community. Bill Fry received the Washington Youth Soccer “Administrator of the Year” Award and Clydene Evans-Wenzel received the Washington Youth Soccer “Volunteer of the Year” Award. The Of The Year Awards are Washington Youth Soccer’s annual awards to recognize outstanding members of our soccer community. … We couldn’t be more proud of these two outstanding soccer promoters, who have worked collectively for close to 30 years serving our local community and helping our kids have fun, stay healthy, and participate in one of the greatest sports in the world! Congrats to Bill and Clydene!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The new Arbor Heights Elementary School will be built in two phases, project managers told community members last night, and remains on track for welcoming students on the first day of school in September 2016.
Not that long ago, principal Christy Collins reminded the ~40 attendees as the meeting began, the new school wasn’t slated to open until 2019. She’s been principal for three years, and that’s how long the discussion about a replacement school has been under way.
Even though marijuana is legal in our state, that doesn’t mean every use is legal, or that every plant is legal. This afternoon, a tip about a police raid in North Delridge led us to this scene near Yancy/28th, where police say they have found an allegedly illegal marijuana-growing operation. It generated so many complaints, they told us at the scene, they obtained a search warrant. Seattle City Light also arrived to cut off power. We’re expecting more details later.
The Port of Seattle‘s westernmost cargo terminal is one step closer to a possible quarter-billion-dollar modernization project. The first step toward upgrading half-century-old Terminal 5 in West Seattle was taken by the Port Commission at its meeting this afternoon – authorizing $4.7 million to be spent on planning, designing, reviewing, and almost everything short of building the project. As laid out in this slide deck prepared for the commission meeting (source of the image above), key elements of the proposal include:
• Crane Rails
• Fender System
• Structural Rehabilitation
• Power Supply
• Berth Deepening
Ships just keep getting bigger, the port points out, and most of its West Coast competitors (not to mention the East Coast) have upgrade projects under way to handle the changes. “If we don’t stay competitive, we go out of business,” observed commissioner John Creighton at today’s meeting. Though construction is not likely to start for two years, Terminal 5 will be closed starting this summer, with its cargo operations (via Eagle) moving east to Terminal 18, as reported by KING 5 last week and explained in a Port announcement. Another major point, included in this memo prepared for today’s meeting: The port has not figured out where the $180 million to $250 million for the full project would come from. But with today’s vote, design and planning begins.
P.S. We’ll be following up on a few side points of this – including what the almost-immediate closure of Terminal 5 means for local truck traffic.
On Sunday, we checked out road-work-warning signs on Alki that used the names of long-ago streets (Jersey and Arkansas) that don’t currently exist. (Thanks again to Peter for the tip and for the photo you see above.) Today, the project is under way, and while SDOT is still checking for us on how those names wound up on the sign, they’ve first issued an official notice – it’s a two-part project lasting the rest of this week (added – photo shared by Suzanne this afternoon):
Paving crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation are paving two blocks of Alki Avenue Southwest this week. They are paving in the 1300 block of Alki Avenue SW (southwest of Duwamish Head) on June 3 and 4, and in the 2200 block (between Bonair Drive SW and 53rd Avenue SW) on June 5 and 6. They will work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. One lane in each direction will remain open, but on-street parking will be restricted.
For information on bus service, look for Rider Alert notices at bus stops, see Metro Online, www.kingcounty.gov/metro, or call (206) 553-3000.
P.S. If you missed the original story, don’t miss the comments – thanks to Greg and Moose2 for the historic-map research!
5:40 PM UPDATE: SDOT’s Marybeth Turner got back to us about the “Jersey to Arkansas” sign-verbiage question:
Here is what happened:
Street Maintenance is indeed doing work in the 1300 block of Alki on 6/3 and 6/4. When we drew up the traffic control plan, we used old channelization maps that still have the old street names on them.
Staff included those old street names on the message board. Once the problem was highlighted, we switched the message board to note that the 1300 block of Alki was being repaved.
Just spotted demolition in progress at the former U-Frame-It/Amante Pizza storefronts (3239 California SW). No, this is NOT related to the mixed-use/apartment buildings planned on both sides of the street a bit to the north. As first reported here in December, live-work units and single-family homes are going in – two of the former, facing California; four of the latter, behind them; six parking spaces on the alley. The developer is Dwell. As also noted previously, the two businesses have moved to other West Seattle locations.
Thornton Creek did it – can Roxhill Bog do it too? That’s one of the neighborhood issues on the agenda for today’s featured calendar highlight, the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meeting. Live/work in any of those neighborhoods? Go check out WWRHAH at 6:15 pm, Southwest Branch Library (35th/Henderson). See the agenda in our calendar listing, and the calendar itself has many more events for today/tonight, including nightlife!
Police arrested two teenage girls after a Westwood resident reported chasing burglars out of his home early this morning. According to the report we just obtained from police – thanks to the neighbors who told us about the early-morning search – the resident had arrived home at 3:50 am, walked in through his carport, but didn’t lock the door behind him. After about 15 minutes, he went downstairs and found two intruders in a “study area” off the carport. He yelled; they “giggled and ran out the door” – with four laptops, a wallet containing cash and cards, and an iPod. A K-9 team joining the search found the suspects – girls, 15 and 16 years old – “hiding under a porch a couple blocks away” near SW Elmgrove and 30th SW (map), with “an empty wallet … at their feet” – identified by the victim as his. Police then found the stolen laptops and cards in a backpack “hidden in a container (with) some rocks piled on top of it” in a nearby yard. The backpack also contained a purple iPod that didn’t belong to the burglary victim, whose gray iPod remained missing. After the suspects were taken to the precinct, the report says, they were searched; one had $87 in cash in her sock. One suspect also was found to have a “no bail” warrant out for her arrest in a theft case; both were booked into the Youth Services Center for investigation of burglary.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:44 AM: Heading into the heart of the commute so far, two notes: There’s a crash response at 16th/Dawson. Also, if you are headed this way from points north, WSDOT reports: “There’s a disabled vehicle blocking the right lane of the ramp from SB I-5 to the West Seattle Bridge.”
8:12 AM: The 16th/Dawson crash involved a car hitting a parked car that then flipped onto its side.
Nobody hurt, but traffic through that area is slowed; a tow truck is on the scene. There was an initial “heavy rescue” response – if you live in the area, you might have seen/heard it – but that was canceled once those first on the scene found no one was hurt/trapped.
(UPDATED early Tuesday afternoon with totem pole’s arrival)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 2:01 AM: Later today, the former Admiral Way totem pole will arrive at its new home outside the Log House Museum, where we photographed site preparations on Monday. It will arrive under cover and will stay that way, so you won’t see it until Friday, when the renovated pole will be unveiled in a celebration with so many guests, the street will be closed to make room for them! The dignitaries’ list alone is long enough for a street closure; see it on the Log House Museum’s website. One of them is Diane Morgan, whose husband Michael Morgan was one of the pole’s carvers almost half a century ago. Looking ahead to the event, she shared some memories:
Now, after renovation work at Artech – which also restored the Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole four years ago – the pole is ready for its new home. You’re invited to be part of the event launching the pole into its future, including a group photo, at 10:30 am Friday (June 6th), 61st and Stevens.
12:35 PM TUESDAY: The totem pole has arrived and has been installed – still covered up! – on its base on the east side of the Log House Museum’s lot. Here’s a quick video clip as the painstaking job of raising it concluded (go here if you don’t see it below):
Shortly, it’ll get a different, temporary cover so the protective blankets from the move can be removed. After that, we’ll have a full update on the installation and more on the plans for Friday. (Trivia point: The pole was carved from a tree that grew in nearby Schmitz Park.)
We’ve received several questions about a large medical callout in Lincoln Park tonight. It closed before we got there – and unfortunately, we’ve learned, that’s because, as confirmed by a Seattle Police tweet, the person was dead, and there was nothing that medics could do. We followed up with SPD spokesperson Officer Drew Fowler tonight and he says they investigated and determined it was a case of suicide.
Every time we report suicide, we include this reminder: For anyone with thoughts of suicide, help is available through the Crisis Clinic, 24 hours a day – the hotline is 206-461-3222.
ADDED TUESDAY: As noted in the comment discussion, and confirmed by a school memo forwarded to us by multiple readers, the victim was discovered by students from Holy Rosary School who were at an event in the park, and that it, as you would expect, was a traumatic experience. In the memo, principal George Hofbauer wrote, “When something like this happens, the Catholic Schools band together. The High Schools, along with some grade schools, are sending their counselors to Holy Rosary today. The counselors will meet with each class. They will then be available for one on one meetings with children and staff who feel they need to talk privately.”
The minimum wage is just one of the hot topics the City Council‘s dealt with lately. Land use and zoning – as in, the rules regarding development – remain on the front burner. Tomorrow, the Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability Committee has another conversation about the proposed microhousing rules/definitions. And then on Wednesday, the councilmember who chairs that committee, Mike O’Brien, comes to West Seattle for a conversation about the broader issues of development, land use, and zoning here. Here’s our most recent preview; it’s at 6:30 pm Wednesday, June 4th, at American Legion Post 160/Pershing Hall, 3618 SW Alaska.
(Video of Monday afternoon’s council meeting, including minimum-wage vote and speeches)
3:42 PM: At a raucous City Council meeting – cheers, jeers, chanting – that is temporarily in recess before councilmembers move on to other business, the minimum-wage-increase bill has just received unanimous approval. It raises the minimum wage in steps – with large businesses at $15 in three years, smaller businesses in seven years.
4:41 PM: Lots of reaction to share, ahead:
(UPDATED MONDAY NIGHT with fire cause)
(Photo courtesy Jonathan French)
2:02 PM: Firefighters are on the scene of a house-fire call in the 9200 block of Delridge Way SW (map). More to come.
2:07 PM: SFD has reported that heavy smoke is coming out of the house, and also that everyone has gotten out OK. Our crew will be there shortly.
(This photo & those below are by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
2:12 PM: SFD says the fire is “knocked down”; we’ve just arrived in the area and can still see smoke. Avoid Delridge in this area – police have the street blocked at Barton.
2:25 PM: Photos added.
Yes, this is why there’s a TV helicopter over South Delridge/Westwood (directly over us at the moment). A dog was rescued and we’re told it will be OK.
2:39 PM: There are now conflicting reports about whether everyone did indeed get out OK. SFD’s public-information officer is en route and we expect an update shortly.
Police also have arrived to investigate – not just to direct traffic.
2:55 PM: It’s just been confirmed that one of the residents of the home, so far described only as male, has been found dead inside the back bedroom. Authorities had originally reported everyone was out safely but that obviously turned out to be wrong. And while they rescued two dogs and a puppy, four other puppies did not survive.
3:54 PM: Added the briefing video, above – that’s SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore, explaining that police involvement at this point is routine for any fire involving a death. No information yet on the person’s identity or cause of death, nor the fire’s cause – we will add new information here whenever it becomes available.
4:49 PM: SFD has tweeted photos of the rescued dogs/puppy:
Picture of puppy firefighters rescued and revived at fatal house fire on Delridge AV SW pic.twitter.com/zl5CyOFDcM
— Seattle Fire Dept (@SeattleFire) June 2, 2014
Picture of two dogs firefighters rescued and resuscitated at fatal Delridge house fire pic.twitter.com/x9ePLo25TR
— Seattle Fire Dept (@SeattleFire) June 2, 2014
9:42 PM: Seattle Fire investigators say it started with a cooking fire:
Cause of Delridge fatal house fire is unattended food on stove. Damage estimate $120k. 3 people displaced pic.twitter.com/0uPbb8n4uA
— Seattle Fire Dept (@SeattleFire) June 3, 2014
11:20 PM: No word yet on the victim’s identity – that will come from the Medical Examiner’s Office, no sooner than tomorrow afternoon. But SFD has one more tweet about the rescued dogs:
Here is picture of firefighter using pet oxygen mask to revive puppy who suffered smoke inhalation in Delridge fire pic.twitter.com/YVtHLZkzOS
— Seattle Fire Dept (@SeattleFire) June 3, 2014
At Glenn/Oregon on the west side of The Junction, a taxicab crashed into the corner of a building, in a collision that also involved a truck that wasn’t seriously damaged and has already left the scene (after talking with police), according to WSB’s Katie Meyer. Traffic is still getting by both ways. No injuries reported.
(Click image for full-size flyer also showing the South Park area and the explanatory legend)
With two major combined-sewer-overflow (CSO) reduction projects under way in West Seattle, the King County Wastewater Treatment District is looking ahead to its next one, in Highland Park and South Park. The most-recent HP Action Committee meeting got an update from KCWTD’s Kristine Cramer and John Phillips.
In addition to possible “roadside raingardens” along some streets in the area (highlighted above in yellow) – like the ones going into more than a dozen blocks of Sunrise Heights and Westwood – they also are looking at permeable (porous) pavement in some parts of the area, and possibly a runoff-control project using part of one of the Seattle City Light “surplus” ex-substation sites.
(Black-headed grosbeak, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
A few highlights for the hours ahead, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: One more reminder, since we were asked about this over the weekend, with the sunny, warm weather continuing – yes, Highland Park Spraypark, the only spraypark in West Seattle, is open for the season, 11 am-8 pm daily, though the wading pools don’t open for a few more weeks. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
UKULELE CONCERT: 2:30 pm in Hatten Hall at the Senior Center of West Seattle, renowned ukulele player Clarence Kiyoshi Hirakawa performs, $5 suggested donation. (California/Oregon)
HOMEWORK HELP: Last full week of school for most local students – need last-minute homework help? It starts at 3 pm at the High Point Branch Library, 4 pm at Delridge Branch Library. Full details and links on the Seattle Public Library Calendar of Events.
GET THE LATEST ON THE NEW ARBOR HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY: As previewed here, tonight’s the night for a community-info meeting with the latest on the project, as construction gets closer – the design, the timetable, more. Q/A, too. 6:30 pm at AHES. (3701 SW 104th)
MONDAY NIGHT KARAOKE … at the Benbow Room in The Admiral District, 8 pm. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
MORE … on our calendar, for today/tonight and weeks into the future!
9:09 AM: The sun’s out and they’re off – Pathfinder K-8 PE teacher Lou Cutler and hundreds of students, as Lou’s annual Make-A-Wish birthday run began minutes ago on Pigeon Point. He runs a lap for every year of his life – and he’s about to celebrate his 63rd birthday, so it’ll be 63 laps this year.
Students from the school join him throughout the morning, and were the first ones out of the gate (short video clip here, if you can’t see it below):
They started the run before 9 am to inspirational songs including Macklemore‘s “Can’t Hold Us” and “Gonna Fly Now” (the “Rocky” theme).
Even if you can’t go cheer on Lou and friends in person (every lap, he stops at an easel on the sidelines to mark it off, as shown in the photo above), you can donate online. We’ll be checking back!
12:26 PM: He’s still going – about a mile’s worth of laps to go. (The entire 63-lap distance this year comprises more than 10 miles, Lou said toward the start.)
1 PM: He did it!
ADDED: The group photo is a post-run tradition:
Lou’s way in the back. The blue slips show how many laps were run by each participant – up to 63.
ADDED: Pathfinder parent and photographer Holli Margell shares two photos – first, one that shows how much the kids stake in their support of Lou – her son Cooper, exuberant over 27 laps:
And Lou with Teacher Andy, not only a one-man cheer squad but also emcee of the event, with his bullhorn:
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:12 AM: Good morning! Looking ahead as we start the week:
*Road work on Alki Avenue in the Duwamish Head vicinity the next two days; we’ll be asking SDOT for details this morning.
*Next weekend, Friday night 6/6 until Monday morning 6/9, southbound 99 will be closed between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge, as explained here; the lane-reconfiguration project’s results are shown here (along with the results of a similar northbound closure two weeks later).
*Next Saturday is the start date for Metro’s next service change, detailed here. The only West Seattle route with changes is the 21, with a route change for several afternoon runs.
DOWNTOWN ALERT FOR TODAY & BEYOND: Could be some traffic trouble on the north side of downtown (and in the Uptown/lower Queen Anne area) as people get used to major changes that took effect as of last night – two-way Mercer, two-way Roy, closed section of Broad; SDOT explains here; here’s what WSDOT has to say.
6:48 AM: Reader report: Crash at Holden/Delridge. Not on the 911 log so likely not major.
Beautiful weekend for baseball – including the game that crowd came to watch at Walt Hundley Playfield in High Point on Saturday afternoon. Not your standard baseball game, though:
The reason for the sign? The game was “beep baseball” – designed so sight-impaired players can hear the ball:
That’s the ball, which really does beep, and is 16 inches around. Listen to hear it in this short clip from one at-bat:
The team: The Seattle-South King Sluggers (see the roster here), for whom Walt Hundley serves as home field:
As previewed here a few weeks ago, they extended a special community invitation to their “awareness event,” playing a team from the Seattle Police Department – in black, with special specs that are worn by all players:
This is the second season for the Sluggers, coached by Kevin Daniel
Want to see – and hear – the Sluggers in action? Here’s their schedule.
P.S. According to an update on the Sluggers’ Facebook page, they won 7-0.
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