West Seattle, Washington
10 Tuesday
Three Crime Watch reader reports this afternoon – first, maybe you’ve seen Brian‘s stolen car?
My 1995 Subaru Legacy Wagon was stolen across SW Graham Street from “The Bridge.” Happened sometime between 12/4 – 3 PM and 12/5 – 9 AM. The car has a dented front left corner and a black front bumper. Nothing valuable in the car. I had “The Club” on the steering wheel, but I guess that’s not enough these day. I reported this to the police this AM. Incident number 14-403536.
This car (sans Club) was stolen a few years back. I found it four blocks away a couple of days later. Hoping for the same this time.
If you see Brian’s car, please call 911. Ahead, the story of an apparent package theft, thwarted, and mail theft seen (but not stopped):
(WSB photo)
Tomorrow’s the night that the humble official Junction Christmas Tree will start to glow from tip to … sidewalk. (And the weather will be about 30 degrees warmer than last year!) From the West Seattle Junction Association, which presents the all-season-long Hometown Holidays events, here’s the plan for Saturday’s 5 pm tree-lighting ceremony: Josh Sutton of the West Seattle YMCA will emcee; you’ll also hear from Bakery Nouveau co-proprietor Heather Leaman on behalf of WSJA and from Emerald Water Anglers proprietor Dave McCoy on behalf of the merchants’ Holiday Party event, which will start at 4 pm, before the lighting, and continue until 8 pm. (Details here!) You’ll get to carol and to enjoy live performances by the Chief Sealth International High School Marching Band (starting around 4:45 pm), the Endolyne Children’s Choir, by cast members from ArtsWest‘s “Judy’s Scary Little Christmas,” and by Jay Cates. Come on down to Junction Plaza Park at the northwest corner of 42nd/Alaska.
P.S. Tons of Junction fun on Sunday, too, including carriage rides and Santa photos – see the Hometown Holidays section on The Junction’s website and the WSB Holiday Guide for all the who/what/when/where.
P.P.S. Per our customary disclosures – WSB is a Hometown Holidays co-sponsor, and three organizations/businesses mentioned above – West Seattle Y, Emerald Water Anglers, and ArtsWest – are current WSB sponsors.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
Just back from checking out the next big phase of work at the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Project site across from Lowman Beach – the first of three days of pouring concrete for the 17-foot-thick base on which the million-gallon storage tank will sit. King County Wastewater Treatment was not exaggerating when it warned of ~20 trucks an hour – we spent about 15 minutes at the site, and counted seven trucks arriving in the span of five of those minutes as we waited to cross Lincoln Park Way back to our car.
Two big pump trucks are continuously pouring what those trucks are bringing (here’s a bit of video via Instagram) – scheduled to continue until about 6 pm today, and then again on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, 7 am to 6 pm or until done. As mentioned in the alert, there are extra parking restrictions in the area until this is over. The entire facility is on a timeline for completion in mid-2016. The excavation that preceded the foundation pour took two months and removed what the county described as enough dirt to fill nearby Colman Pool twice.
Two notes from Westside School (WSB sponsor):
(Photo courtesy Westside School)
TOY DRIVE THROUGH WEDNESDAY: Added to our West Seattle Holiday Guide, in the section where you’ll find opportunities for giving:
Since 2004 Westside School’s Kindergarten classes have championed a Toys for Tots drive. Over the past ten years they have collected more than 1,800 toys for children in our local community. This year Westside School was named an Official Toys for Tots Drop Site. NEW, unwrapped gifts may be dropped off through Wednesday, December 10th. Westside School is located at 7740 34th Ave SW.
OPEN HOUSE ON SATURDAY: If you’re school-shopping for 2015-2016, Westside would love to see you tomorrow:
Westside School is holding an All School (PreK – 8th grade) *Open House* on Saturday, December 6th from 10 am until noon. This is a great opportunity for prospective families to tour the school and speak with the faculty and staff (no reservation required). The application deadline for the 2015-16 school year is January 14th. Westside School is also offering parent tours during the school day by appointment.
(Olympics, Vashon & Blake Islands, Sunday photo by Christopher Frankovich)
This weekend is full of holiday fun, and it starts tonight, as listed in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide (which has events and info stretching all the way to New Year’s) – we’ll go through the holiday events first, followed by the non-holiday highlights:
FESTIVUS PARTY: West Seattle Tool Library and Sustainable West Seattle‘s Festivus-themed holiday party, 5-9 pm at SODO Maker Space – details in our calendar listing. (1914 Occidental Ave. S.)
SEATTLE SAMPLING: 3-day holiday arts/crafts tour with 4 of the 10 studios in West Seattle: Brace Point Pottery, Village Green Nursery, Ceramistas Seattle, Penguina Designs. 4-9 pm tonight; detailed tour information at seattlesampling.com.
CORNER BAR, FEATURING UGLY SWEATER CONTEST: Holiday fun tonight during HPIC’s Corner Bar – ugly-sweater contest with a prize! Live music with Sundae & Mr. Gossel. More details here – bring nonperishable-food donations. 6 pm, Highland Park Improvement Club. P.S. Looking for truly LOCAL gifts? Highland Park hoodies on sale. (12th/Holden)
HUSKY DELI OPEN HOUSE The legendary Husky Deli holiday open house, with samples and smiles, 6-9 pm. (4721 California SW)
DECK THE HALLS: Community celebration and tree blessing at Holy Rosary School, 6-8 pm, including: Hot Cocoa Bar, Christmas Desserts, Festive Christmas Crafts, adult beverages, Dante’s Inferno Gourmet Hot Dogs, and an indoor snowball competition! (Tree blessing set for around 6:40 pm.) Bring nonperishable food to donate. (42nd/Genesee)
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT: New format as Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish & School invites you to “Light Up the Night: An Evening of Caroling and Community,” with lights – not the big tree this year, something new! – singalong, and food drive (fill the sleigh in the parish center just north of the church). 7 pm. (35th/Myrtle)
DANCE! Highland Park Elementary‘s annual winter dance, 7-8:30 pm in the cafeteria. “Music will be provided by DJ Danny F, Yuen Lui will be on hand to take family portraits, and there will be baked goods for sale. Admission is $2 per person, or $5 per family. We would love to see you there!” (10th/Trenton)
‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE’: Join Twelfth Night Productions this holiday season for the radio-play edition of the much-loved holiday tale, 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall. Buy your ticket(s) online at brownpapertickets.com/event/917572 or an hour before showtime at the venue box office. (7904 35th SW)
‘JUDY’S SCARY LITTLE CHRISTMAS’: Holiday production continues tonight at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, 7:30 pm. Buy tickets online here. (4711 California SW)
And from the regular WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WORDS, WRITERS, WEST SEATTLE: The monthly Southwest Seattle Historical Society-presented event is set for 5-7 pm at Westwood Village Barnes & Noble, this time around featuring children’s-books author Karen Robbins and illustrator Sally Marts. They’ll talk about their collaboration – with kids from around the country – on “Shoe Print Art: Step Into Drawing.” More details in our calendar listing. P.S. SWSHS gets a share of B&N purchases made by attendees! (2800 SW Barton)
NIGHTTIME TIDEPOOL WALK: Seattle Parks presents a low-tide beach walk at Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook (across from Me-Kwa-Mooks) tonight, 9 pm-10:30 pm. You have to register in advance – our calendar listing explains how. Low tide is -1.9 just after 10 pm. (4503 Beach Drive SW)
(added) ANOTHER NIGHTTIME TIDEPOOL WALK: The Seattle Aquarium has one tonight too – 9 to 10:30 pm at Constellation Park south of Alki Point, free, hot chocolate too. Details here.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:15 AM: Again this morning, we head into the heart of the commute without anything unusual in or from West Seattle.
VIADUCT CLOSURE SATURDAY NIGHT: WSDOT updated the plan to BOTH directions from 11:59 pm Saturday night until about 5 am Sunday.
CITYWIDE WEEKEND ALERTS: Here’s the SDOT roundup of what’s happening tonight through Sunday.
WEST SEATTLE HOLIDAY EVENTS: Check out the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide for the many, many big events this weekend, including the Junction Tree Lighting (5 pm Saturday, Junction Plaza Park at 42nd/Alaska).
7:29 AM UPDATE – BRIDGE CRASH: Thanks to the commenter on board a C Line bus for the firsthand report on why there’s an SFD response to a crash on the eastbound bridge “just before the Delridge merge.” As our commenter notes, the bus was not involved, but some on board might have seen the crash.
7:38 AM UPDATE: Commenters say another bus has stopped to help (possibly to take on some passengers) so right now TWO buses are stopped on the ramp. If you have to get on the bridge, Fauntleroy or Delridge would be better, or wait a while.
7:51 AM UPDATE: Commenter CKelly says four people on the bus have minor injuries from the sudden stop to avoid hitting the cars involved in the collision ahead. From the scanner, police called for more help to get witness statements since “about 70 people” are on the bus.
8:10 AM: Most recent tweet from SDOT:
The collision on the W Sea Br EB from SW Admiral Way is backing up SW Admiral Way-W Sea Br is minimally impacted pic.twitter.com/q5pKZtFkoa
— seattledot (@seattledot) December 5, 2014
8:21 AM: And now SDOT says, all clear:
The Collision on W Seattle Bridge EB at the SW Admiral Way on ramp has cleared – all lanes are open
— seattledot (@seattledot) December 5, 2014
8:37 AM: On-peninsula traffic note – City Light is continuing its pole-replacement work and will be in the California/Holden, California/Ida area of Gatewood between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm (some residents have been warned of outages) today.
9:07 AM: Also on-peninsula – scheduled start today of concrete pour with up to 20 trucks an hour at the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project by Lowman Beach. We’ll be checking on its status shortly.
(Possibly the last photo of J32 – at right – by Melisa Pinnow, provided by Orca Network)
11:45 PM: Another death reported tonight among the endangered orcas whose home is Puget Sound and adjacent waters. The orca found dead in British Columbia is identified as a member of J Pod, J32, known as “Rhapsody,” an 18-year-old female. According to reports including this one published by the Vancouver Sun, she might have been pregnant – a necropsy will reveal whether that’s true. J32’s death comes less than two months after the death of baby L120 was reported. The Southern Resident Killer Whales’ total number is now down to 77, much lower than the triple-digit population the official “recovery plan” had envisioned by now, as discussed at this recent talk presented by The Whale Trail.
11:53 PM: We have the full Orca Network news release about J32’s death – click ahead:
(The project team’s “preferred” configuration, which didn’t meet the board’s favor)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The first half of tonight’s two-project Southwest Design Review Board meeting ended with board members telling the proposed memory-care facility at 4515 41st SW in The Junction to come back for a second Early Design Guidance review.
It’s on a site surrounded by ongoing redevelopment of other one-time single-family sites, such as the new Oregon 42 mixed-use building to the west, and among other criticisms, the early proposal was deemed too “suburban” to fit into the shape other projects are taking.
Here’s the design packet as published to the city website.
PROJECT TEAM’S PRESENTATION: Denis Bryant, president of Living Care Lifestyles, spoke first, saying they own 8 properties in 5 states, and are building a 9th one; Lynnwood is their only property in Washington so far. “We call this a residence, it’s not a facility; it’s meant to be residential in fit and finish,” Bryant began, “… to remove the guilt that families often feel” about placing loved ones in this kind of center. He said it would be “low impact .. our residents don’t drive; our staff will be provided ORCA cards and other mass-transit opportunities.” The building will have three 22-bed floors.
9:16 PM: Another crash to report – this time at 4th and Roxbury (Olson vicinity), and our first tipster tells us roads are blocked. It’s a “heavy rescue” call, which means a major SFD response too. More to come.
9:20 PM: The location’s been updated on the 911 log to Olson/Myers.
9:37 PM: The SFD response has closed out, but we don’t have an update yet on the detour situation.
8:13 PM: Avoid 35th SW in the Alaska/Edmunds vicinity – a car took out a pole and hit at least one other car, and traffic is being rerouted. No major injuries reported so far. More to come.
8:28 PM UPDATE: WSB’s Katie Meyer reports that if you’re headed eastbound on Alaska, you’ll be detoured onto 36th. If you’re headed southbound on 35th, you’ll have to turn westbound onto Alaska. This reportedly is a hit-and-run that damaged at least one other vehicle, which Katie says has just been towed.
8:35 PM UPDATE: Katie reports the roads have reopened.
9 PM UPDATE: Metro has confirmed via text alert that buses are back on their regular routes.
11:05 PM UPDATE: Tipsters on Twitter reported seeing someone in handcuffs near the scene, and we’ve confirmed with police that the suspected drunk driver, a man in his 20s, was indeed arrested, and had minor injuries. Some passengers in the vehicle were reported to have fled on foot. And police confirm that after the pole was sheared off, another vehicle was hit but its occupants weren’t hurt (see this comment).
Meet David Whiting and Eric Iwamoto, new co-chairs of the Southwest District Council:
Passing the torch was part of the short official agenda for last night’s monthly meeting of the SWDC, which includes reps from community councils and other key organizations around western West Seattle. Whiting is president of the Admiral Neighborhood Association and Iwamoto co-chairs the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council.
This past year’s co-chairs got a fond farewell – Sharonn Meeks of the Fairmount Community Association and Vlad Oustimovitch from the Fauntleroy Community Association.
The major item on the short agenda was a followup on proposed Neighborhood Matching Fund grant changes, which have drawn concerns from district councils around the city, especially because those groups would be removed from their role vetting applications for grants before they move to citywide review. (We covered last month’s discussion at the SWDC and, before that, to the Delridge District Council, as well as the letter written and sent by the latter.)
So far, no changes have been implemented, reported Neighborhood District Coordinator Yun Pitre, city liaison to the SWDC.
Update on the five-hour closure planned for the Alaskan Way Viaduct this weekend – WSDOT says it will close in both directions, not just southbound as originally announced. The time frame is the same, 11:59 pm Saturday night until about 5 am Sunday morning, closed between the West Seattle Bridge and the Battery Street Tunnel. WSDOT says the closure “will allow crews to move heavy equipment across the roadway and conduct survey work.”
Just in time for your local holiday shopping, we’re welcoming Alki Surf Shop to the WSB sponsor team. Here’s what they’d like you to know:
Ever since Alki Surf Shop opened, people have been asking, “What’s a surf shop doing at Alki Beach?” The standard answer is, “No waves, no worries.”* But there’s more to the story than that.
The owners, Kahuna Dave and Terri Nakamura, are both from Seattle. Terri grew up on Beacon Hill and Dave claims to hail from “the ancient Hawaiian kingdom of Burien.” Longtime veterans of the Seattle graphic design and advertising industry, they wanted to use their skills to launch a local business of their own – something fun. And what could be more fun than a surf shop, right in the heart of Seattle’s favorite beach?
“Alki Surf Shop is a dream come true for us,” Terri says. “We’ve been able to create a unique, inviting experience to add to the Alki Beach neighborhood in West Seattle. People come in and say, ‘Wow, what a cute shop. How long have you been open?’”
The shop features their exclusive Genuine Alki brand tops, designed and produced in Seattle. A great selection of Alki gifts, including mugs, shot glasses, totes, cards, and wall art. Beach essentials, such as sunglasses, volleyballs and kites. Plus jewelry and cool new gifts for the holidays.
Kahuna Dave also wrote “The Alki Beach Song” and produced a short music video to go with it, which can be seen on YouTube:
It’s all part of the fun at one of West Seattle’s newest businesses, located at 2622 Alki Avenue SW (between Homefront Smoothies and Alki Beach Miniatures.) If you hear the sound of someone blowing a conch shell, you know you’re getting close. At the Alki Surf Shop, that’s how they say mahalo!
Alki Surf Shop can be found at alkisurfshop.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/alkisurfshop. Or join them for a holiday Tweetup by following them at twitter.com/alkisurfshop.
We thank Alki Surf Shop for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
*No waves, except…
As the list of what’s in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide gets longer, that includes the section with local opportunities for holiday giving. Including:
COLLECTING WARM CLOTHES: That’s State Farm agent Dave Newman (longtime WSB sponsor) standing next to two bins that he and his staff hope you will fill with warm clothes for West Seattle Helpline. Their collection drive is now officially under way, continuing until the last day of the year. You can drop off donations at their office, 3435 California SW (map), 9 am-5 pm Mondays-Fridays (9 am-noon on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve)
COLLECTING COATS: In The Triangle, Mountain to Sound Outfitters is collecting coats for a donation drive culminating in a visit by Santa on December 14th – but you can drop one (or more!) off any time before then, too, at 3602 SW Alaska (map).
Two updates from the Seattle Fire Department:
MAN COLLAPSES AT WESTWOOD VILLAGE: Teresa e-mailed about frantic efforts to assist a man who had collapsed at Westwood Village early this morning, near the Starbucks store. We asked SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore, who says the 55-year-old man collapsed in the parking lot while either headed to or from the nearby 24-Hour Fitness gym: “A citizen witnessed the collapse and immediately started CPR. Firefighters arrived and continued CPR for an hour. Also, they used the AED multiple times to get a heart rhythm. Medics transported the patient to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.”
FOLLOWUP ON SATURDAY’S APARTMENT FIRE: When we checked with SFD on Monday, they still didn’t know what had caused the Saturday fire that gutted a waterfront apartment in the 3800 block of Beach Drive; we published this followup, including a request from one resident to help her daughter find a new place to live. Today we’ve learned from spokesperson Moore that SFD has ruled the fire accidental, “caused by combustibles placed too close to an electrical baseboard heater.” We also have learned that two firefighters from Engine 29 were injured – previously, one injury was mentioned; their injuries are described as “minor burns.” As reported Monday, damage totaled $180,000. With the update, Moore also offered a link about fire safety for apartments – see it here.
In the spotlight topping today’s list of calendar highlights, a Southwest Design Review Board doubleheader looking at two Junction projects:
DESIGN REVIEW X 2: First up, 6:30 pm in the big upstairs room at Senior Center of West Seattle, it’s the first meeting for 4515 41st SW, a proposed 48-unit memory-care facility (here’s our June report). Here’s the “packet” with project details and renderings:
At 8 pm, the board is scheduled to move on to the third review for 4505 42nd SW, now proposed for 50 apartments, 9 units of “lodging,” and 3,600 sf commercial space. Here’s its info/images “packet”:
Here’s our report on the previous review for that project. Both meetings will have time for public comment. (Oregon/California)
Now, here’s what else is on our calendar and/or in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide:
INTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY POTLUCK AND SWIM … at Southwest Pool, noon-1:30 pm swim, 1:30 pm potluck, details in our calendar listing. (2801 SW Thistle)
HOMETOWN HOLIDAYS’ SHOP LATE THURSDAY! First of three December Thursdays during which you’ll find many Junction shops open late, until 9 pm, so you can enjoy more local holiday shopping. (Full HH schedule here)
BEER TASTING: “Winter Is Coming Fest“ from 11 am opening time on, “five tastes of winter favorites” at Elliott Bay Brewing Co. in The Junction. (4720 California SW)
COOKBOOK LAUNCH: During Shop Late Thursday, Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) is hosting a launch party for Michelle Babb‘s new anti-inflammatory cookbook – details in our calendar listing. 6-9 pm. (4540 Californai SW)
HELPING JASMIN: 6:30 tonight at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), it’s the start of a fun night, silent auction included, to help Jasmin Egan, a West Seattle native and mom of 3 who is battling leukemia. Music and more – see our preview here, including dream auction items for that golfer in your life – or you! (6451 California SW)
SCHOOL BOARD REP @ LAFAYETTE: As previewed here on Wednesday, the Lafayette Elementary PTA invites you to its first community forum with local representatives. **6:30 pm** tonight in the school cafeteria, West Seattle’s school-board rep Marty McLaren is the first guest. (California/Lander)
MEET & GREET & TALK FISHING: 7-9 pm tonight, also during Shop Late Thursday, it’s a “women’s meet-and-greet” at Emerald Water Anglers (WSB sponsor) with wine, cheese, and info about local fisheries – details in our calendar listing. (42nd/Oregon)
JUDY’S SCARY LITTLE CHRISTMAS: The holiday production at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) opens tonight, 7:30 pm – get tickets here. (4711 California SW)
From Texas to West Seattle over the span of 95 years, Mary Annie Belle Taylor lived a good life, as shared by her family in this remembrance:
Mary Annie Belle Taylor
May 17, 1919 – December 3, 2014
Mary Annie Belle Taylor was born on her family’s ranch in Brookshire, TX on May 17, 1919. The youngest of six siblings, she loved ranch life, especially riding horses. She began documenting her family in photographs with a Brownie camera she received for her fourth birthday. Her collection of photographs documenting three generations of the Hughes family is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s collection of Americana.
Ms. Taylor moved to Los Angeles, CA in the 1950s and married the love of her life, Morris Taylor. She was among the first African Americans to attend culinary school, and became a chef and nutritionist in the 1960s. She managed a hospital kitchen until she retired in the late 1970s. Though childless herself, she served as favorite aunt to many nieces and nephews as well as neighborhood children, many of whom learned to cook in her kitchen.
Post-retirement, she moved to Silver Spring, MD, to be closer to family. A believer in action over words, Ms. Taylor worked with her local church to start a food program for elderly people living in her senior retirement community. Well into her late 80s, she used her beautiful tenor voice to telephone her “old folks,” read to them from the Bible, and sing to them.
In 2005 Ms. Taylor moved to West Seattle. Though health kept her from being an active member, she joined First AME Church in Seattle. In her final years, she was cared for by the wonderful staff at Providence ElderPlace to whom the family extends deep gratitude for their kindness, gentleness, and respect.
Ms. Taylor died peacefully the morning of Wednesday, December 3, 2014 after a long illness. Predeceased by her husband and all of her siblings, she is survived by loving nieces, nephews, and extended family throughout the country.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Heading into the heart of the commute, no problems reported in or from West Seattle, so far.
TRANSPORTATION NEWS: In case you missed them, stories here from the past 24 hours: 20-trucks-an-hour concrete pour set to start tomorrow … When will Highway 99 tunneling resume? What the ‘stakeholders’ group’ was told …
8:44 AM: First problem of the morning. SDOT reports a crash on the eastbound bridge:
Collision on the W Sea Br EB after Delridge in in right lane. Expect delays and use alternate routes pic.twitter.com/OZgw0Bxoiz
— seattledot (@seattledot) December 4, 2014
So far, no medical response dispatched for this, so it’s not on the 911 log.
8:53 AM: Update from SDOT – that was cleared quickly; all lanes open.
9:56 AM: Firsthand explanation from the driver whose car was rear-ended – in this comment.
3:22 PM: Last weekend, we mentioned the plan for a partial closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct this Saturday night. Now, WSDOT says it will close both ways: “The closure – which will last from Saturday, Dec. 6 at 11:59 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 7 – will allow crews to move heavy equipment across the roadway and conduct survey work on SR 99.”
Seahawks fans – in case it’s not already on your calendar: Just six days until Malcolm Smith, MVP in the team’s Super Bowl win last February, will be at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor). His visit is set for next Tuesday, December 9th, 6-8 pm. Thriftway tells us he’ll have a supply of posters to autograph. The store’s at California/Fauntleroy/42nd.
That 96-year-old beach house at 1766 Alki SW (map) was demolished today. It was a home with history, according to beach resident Roger Hayes (who shared the photos as well as the info):
The backstory of this house is, it belonged to Mary Starks, who was a longtime fixture in this little stretch of Alki Beach. She and her husband William “Bill” Starks, who passed away in the mid-’70s, originally bought this house in the mid-’50s. Mary was the neighborhood watch guard, avid gardener, raccoon caretaker, and beloved “grandmother” figure of our little Alki beach house community. She lived in the house up until early 2013 when her health was such that she could no longer live there alone, and was relocated to live with or near a niece in the Salt Lake City Utah area.
Sad to see the disappearance of another beach house that gave Alki Beach its original charm. However, totally understand the area and land is too valuable to not make way for progress of the modern day McMansions and multi-unit palaces that are becoming commonplace to the Alki Beach area.
Permits for this to be replaced by a larger single-family home were granted last summer. The site is zoned Lowrise-2, which would have allowed multi-family construction.
Since the big 3-day concrete pour at the excavation for the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project didn’t happen before the Thanksgiving holiday after all, we checked with the county today to ask about an official start date. It was just set today, according to Doug Marsano:
The first concrete pour is scheduled for this Friday, December 5. The last 2 pours are scheduled to occur next week on Tuesday, December 9 and Wednesday, December 10.
Work will occur from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. on each day. The entire area will be extremely busy on those three days, and additional flaggers will be on site to ease congestion around the site. Local and emergency access on Beach Drive S.W. will be maintained throughout.
Starting tomorrow, Thursday December 4, no parking will be available on weekdays along Lincoln Park Way SW between Murray Avenue SW and Beach Drive SW, or on Beach Drive SW between the work site and Lowman Beach Park until the pour is complete.
As reported here two weeks ago, that pour will involve 20 trucks an hour.
At a City Council committee briefing that wrapped up minutes ago, Seattle Police explained new plans for responding to property-crime calls … the most common types of crime that neighborhoods deal with day in, day out. Here’s the slide deck with toplines:
… and here’s what was announced via SPD Blotter:
The Seattle Police Department is taking new steps to address property crime and street disorder, including additional training for officers and potentially changing how 911 calls are handled.
The department, for example, is considering increasing the priority of calls that come in regarding property crime, and dedicating staff to handle non-emergency calls, to reduce wait times.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
This edition of our periodic feature The WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block?” Or on the bridge, or the beach, or …
*”Hey…..Hey!” was how one officer got the attention of a man he spotted relieving himself on the door of an Alaska Junction business. As the officer was writing a ticket, the owner of a nearby bar approached and complained that the suspect had a habit of leaving his liquid calling card at her business too, not to mention around the vehicles in the alley and parking lot. The officer said she could ban him from the bar property but had to tell him herself. When she did so, the man swore, called her a name, and offered up assorted other intimidating profanities. He ended up with the ticket in addition to the trespass notice.
*A man with a history of shoplifting at a Westwood Village store was asked to leave the premises around 7:30 a.m. on the 24th. In response, he aggressively threatened to physically assault one employee and then spat at her before leaving. Officers found him on a bus at Delridge and 21st. where he admitted his guilt. He was arrested for investigation of assault and harassment and booked into King County Jail.
*A man acting suspiciously around some cars near 37th and Kenyon admitted to officers that he didn’t live in the area, but that he was just walking home to Burien. It being 2 a.m., they recommended that he “stick to the main roads that are well lit…and stay out of the street.” On a hunch, the patrolling pair decided to circle the block before driving away. On this go-round, on the ground near where they had originally spotted the man, they found a pair of large bolt cutters, vise grips, lineman pliers, and a flathead screwdriver … all commonly used in break-ins. Officers put the tools in the cruiser’s trunk. Just then, they saw the suspect returning to the area–that is, until he spotted the officers, whereupon he ran down a driveway and dove under some bushes. He admitted that he was under Department of Corrections supervision but denied owning the tools. A records check showed that he currently had charges “suspended in the third degree,” so officers took the 42-year-old to a bus stop to catch a ride.
11 more summaries ahead:Read More
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