West Seattle traffic alert: Lafayette portable delivery

ORIGINAL REPORT, 10:58 PM: California SW is closed right now between Lander and Admiral as half of the doublewide portable being installed at Lafayette Elementary is currently spanning the full width of the road by the Admiral Safeway entrance.

11:29 PM UPDATE: Added photos during a quick stop at HQ, and going back to check on it. Maneuvering the first of the portable’s two sections (top photo and below) into the parking-lot entry on the north side of Lafayette appeared to be posing quite a challenge, though crew members on scene would not comment on whether it was going according to plan or not. One end of the portable was hanging over the sidewalk right in front of Umpqua Bank on the east side of the street, with little room to maneuver.

We’re heading back to check on how it’s going. Last time we covered a Lafayette portable delivery, it was in daylight – but that was long before the Admiral Safeway redevelopment reconfigured the streetscape, and we’re guessing (pending confirmation tomorrow) that this was scheduled to minimize business impact.

1:26 AM UPDATE: As Gina notes in comments, by 1 am – which is when we went back to check – the first half was out of that precarious street-straddling position and had arrived in place on school grounds, with the second half subsequently being maneuvered into the entrance. So this should all be wrapped up, and the street reopened, long before dawn.

(updated) SIDE NOTE – OTHER SCHOOLS THAT ARE OR WERE SLATED FOR PORTABLES: According to city DPD files, current plans sites for which portable permits were sought this year include 2 single-classroom portables for Schmitz Park Elementary, a double portable for Gatewood Elementary, one single-classroom portable and one double for West Seattle Elementary, a portable (the permit doesn’t specify single or double) for Pathfinder K-8, and two double portables for Chief Sealth International High School. (Monday morning note: We’re crosschecking with the district.)

18 Replies to "West Seattle traffic alert: Lafayette portable delivery"

  • Jim June 24, 2012 (11:13 pm)

    One has to wonder why they didn’t take it up the alley from Admiral Way instead of trying to make a right angle turn between the buildings off California Ave…

  • SSF June 24, 2012 (11:44 pm)

    Ooops someone didn’t measure quite right.

  • gina June 25, 2012 (12:20 am)

    Thanks. Was wondering what all the racket was.

  • gina June 25, 2012 (12:36 am)

    In the past portables were brought in and out on Lander the mesh on the fence would be removed and the portable leveraged up or down. The nice trees and playground improvements block access now.

  • gina June 25, 2012 (1:05 am)

    The second half is now moving into position. First half is settled.

  • Rumbles June 25, 2012 (5:17 am)

    Really sad to see more portables.

  • Tony June 25, 2012 (7:27 am)

    Portables for Gatewood have been cancelled, same for Pathfinder Cooper.

    • WSB June 25, 2012 (7:34 am)

      Interesting. I’ll change the language in the short run to “permit applications were filed for” pending an overview from district HQ… TR

  • Sue June 25, 2012 (8:53 am)

    I was wondering what that was – when we were coming back from PCC a little after p.m. (going south on California), the wideload trucks were going north past us.

  • Dale June 25, 2012 (8:53 am)

    A friend told me they have a dozen portables now at Schmitz. Some local schools like Lafeyette and Genesee were closed. I wonder if these closings and purchasing & maintaning portables really do any good financially.

  • Velo_nut June 25, 2012 (10:49 am)

    Portables are cheap. Brick and mortar expensive.
    .
    It’s not the building that teaches the child anyway.

  • Sue June 25, 2012 (1:00 pm)

    In an overcrowded NYC school, I had a class that was held at the end of a hallway, using the pulled down window shade as a blackboard (with paper taped to it to write on). Other classes were held in the lunch room, divided only by shower curtains from another class only feet away. I grew up to be an educated, productive member of society. Like Velo_nut said, it’s not the building that teaches the child.

  • West Side45 June 25, 2012 (3:35 pm)

    Jim,

    Non-negotiable angle at end of alley behind Wiseman’s Appliance. Large trucks cannot turn into Lafayette’s parking area going south in that alley.

  • brizone June 25, 2012 (4:33 pm)

    Wish I’d seen this sooner. One was parked (the rig driver and the pilot vehicle driver seemed to be conferring about something) NB on 35th & Willow about 4 hours ago. Was wondering what the heck that was about. It was very large…

    • WSB June 25, 2012 (4:57 pm)

      I’ve got a separate story almost done, interrupted when we ran out to check on the situation on 18th … West Seattle Elementary’s portable was delivered today (two halves). Schmitz Park is scheduled for Thursday – Sealth, not scheduled yet.

  • Dale June 25, 2012 (5:36 pm)

    Looks like the School District is leasing these units. Approx 170k a year per this article I found. Again, I wonder how that would pencil out to just reopen a couple of schools which have been paid for. Here is the link:

    http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-seattle-school-district-plans-to-lease-35-portable-classrooms-to-ease-overcrowding-20120104,0,5415653.story

  • wondering June 25, 2012 (10:50 pm)

    Dale, just reopening schools costs million$$ if mothballed for more than two year. Then the structure is no longer grandfathered to codes effective at the time they were built/remodeled, but now must be upgraded to significantly higher standards. Maria Goodloe-Johnson had no frickin’ clue about this or just didn’t give a dam.

  • Dale June 26, 2012 (8:24 am)

    Thanks Wondering. I never even considered that as a sunken cost. Need to make the best of these decisions but seems that if we can spend big bucks redoing all of our High Schools in the City (Which was needed but at what cost?) we could allocate funds so no group of students should have be placed in temporaries.

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