West Seattle, Washington
28 Sunday
Congratulations to six West Seattle teens who recently competed in the 2015 Water Polo Junior Olympics in Southern California. From Cori Roed:
Conner Roed, Josh Tittel, and Charles Bruchal all played in their first Junior Olympics on the Rain City Water Polo 14U team and learned how tough California Polo can be. They hung tough and didn’t give up and on the final day got a victory that left them anxious for another go next year.
Blake Catlow played in his 4th JO for the Rain City 18U. It was a hard-fought tournament for his team after taking 2nd at John Hale the week before.
Silia Bruchal and Nicole Roed played with Seattle Water Polo, each on their 5th Junior Olympics trip. They had a tough first day but clawed their way back with 7 straight wins, then losing by two points in the final to take 2nd in Gold.
This was Nicole’s last JO. She is off to Cal Lutheran University to play soccer and polo as a CLU Regal. Blake and Silia will have one more trip next year following their senior year.
Have a swimmer who might want to play? Rain City Polo has a youth practice group at Evergreen Community Aquatic Center starting in September. Information’s at raincitypolo.com.
The sun’s out and two vehicle-wash fundraisers happening right now in West Seattle, both by donation:
WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADERS: Until 3 pm, WSHS cheerleaders are washing vehicles at Les Schwab, Fauntleroy/Alaska (map).
TRINITY WEST SEATTLE YOUTH: Also until 3 pm, a fundraising vehicle wash is under way to send Trinity and Skate Church youth to camp. It’s at the church, 7551 35th SW (map).
(Great Blue Heron photographed snacking at Alki – this photo and the 3 below are all by Gary Jones)
Happy Saturday! Your options for today include these highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
GIANT GARAGE SALE: It’s on, 9 am-3 pm, at Highland Park Improvement Club. Always something eclectic. (12th SW & Holden)
RIVERSIDE WALKING TOUR: 10 am-noon, join the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and first-generation Riverside resident Frank Zuvela to explore this historic West Seattle neighborhood. Details here. $5 donation. (West Marginal Way SW & Marginal Place)
GO PLAY! Games, that is. If you’re not already a regular at Meeples Games, a new WSB sponsor, check out the Saturday events on the right side of the Meeples home page – morning, afternoon, evening. (3727 California SW)
ASL-SIGNED STORYTIME: 11 am at Barnes & Noble/Westwood Village, Melissa tells us: “For the first time, we’ll be having an ASL-signed storytime! I’ll be reading ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’ while one of our fabulous booksellers signs along with me! Should be a fun way to spend what will be a cloudy, cool morning! At 11 am in the Kids Department, as always.” (2600 SW Barton)
WATER FESTIVAL: Two-day celebration as part of Duwamish Revealed, on the river in South Park at Duwamish Waterway Park. Today’s events run noon until 8 pm plus, including dragon-boat racing starting at noon, a Cambodian-cooking demonstration at 3 pm, a dance/music showcase starting at 4 pm, and a lantern ceremony at 8 – full schedule and details here. (7900 10th Avenue S.)
ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: Visiting the century-old lighthouse is a summer-only, weekends-only treat – 1 pm to 4 pm (last tour starts at 3:40 pm), with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary as your hosts. (3201 Alki SW)
2 PERFORMANCES OF ‘INTO THE WOODS’: Second-and-third-to-last chancse to catch the Twelfth Night Productions version of the musical, 3 pm and 7:30 pm at the West Seattle High School theater. (3000 California SW)
‘GUARDIANS’ AT WEST SEATTLE OUTDOOR MOVIES: The 2014 megahit “Guardians of the Galaxy” is on the wall by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) for tonight’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies extravaganza. Free; bring your own chair/blanket to sit on, and if you can, bring $ for nonprofit-benefiting concessions and raffle tickets. Gates open at 6:30 pm – get your spot early! – and movie starts at dusk, 8:30-ish. (4410 California SW)
See our calendar for the rest of what’s up today/tonight!
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
The WSBeat features summaries written from recent incident reports filed by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases that (usually) have NOT already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports; some are not crimes, but might at least answer a lingering question such as “what WERE all those police doing on my block?” Or on the bridge, or the beach, or …
*A group of people left a bowling alley on the 9th without paying their tab. An employee ran outside to persuade them to ante up. He reached them just as a driver from a car service pulled alongside. The employee advised the driver not to take the passengers, warning that if he did, his car’s license would be provided to police as “the getaway car.” The driver left; the employee was punched in the face twice and kicked in the head four times by two men in the group. A bystander who tried to help was also kicked in the head. The attackers fled eastbound on SW Oregon. One was described as a white man, about 6’2”, in his forties, with gray hair. He wore a black sweater with white stripes. The other was described as a Hispanic man in his forties, wearing a white button-up shirt and black slacks.
Ahead, seven more summaries, including a stopped shoplifter, a rental scam, and warrant arrests:
Maybe it’s just something about north West Seattle and SDOT signage. First came the “HPM” speed-limit-sign saga, and now:
Among a series of new SDOT-placed signs staked beside the bicycle/foot trails along Harbor and Alki Avenues are at least two with that design – silhouettes of two people on a bicycle, without helmets, which are required by law.
After the signs were pointed out by Jackie from Upper Alki, which has a safety controversy of its own going on, we went out to see for ourselves, and then asked SDOT about the signs. Marybeth Turner said they’ll be fixed:
This sign is one of a set of five signs, each with a different image. One of the signs shows a silhouette with a retro image of two people without helmets on a tandem bicycle. My understanding is that sets of five signs were placed at six trails around the city. The signs inform people about the Seattle Trails Upgrade Plan (see SDOT web page about this).
A different bicycle image was originally planned for the set, but was replaced by the image you’ve seen by project staff and did not get our usual thoughtful review for public information materials. Although the image seems to portray bicyclists at a time before helmets were commonly used, we definitely want to promote helmet use, and would not normally approve an image of bicyclists without helmets. We are adding helmet stickers to the signs.
Only one of the sign designs we saw was clearly a promotion for the trail:
The others (including silhouettes of a runner, a dog walker, and someone with a small child on their shoulders) bore only the logos for SDOT and for the city’s Vision Zero safety campaign, including the one with the unhelmeted riders.
Two West Seattle apartment projects are headed back to the Southwest Design Review Board:
6058 35TH SW: Just added to the schedule, a 6:30 pm September 17th hearing for this mixed-use building at High Point’s last prime vacant corner, 35th/Graham. The project’s current official description:
4-story structure containing 89 residential units, 8,500 sq. ft. of office space, and 1,500 sq. ft. of retail space located at ground level. Surface parking for 98 vehicles to be provided.
This is a second round of Early Design Guidance – the first round on June 25th resulted in the board telling the project team to try again. (The official report on that is still not available, though.)
4528 44TH SW: The latest Land Use Information Bulletin includes official notice of the 6:30 pm September 3rd hearing for this microhousing building in The Junction, proposed as “a 6-story apartment building with approximately 60 small efficiency dwelling units and no vehicle parking”, replacing a 63-year-old, 2-story, 8-unit apartment building. Since the project passed Early Design Guidance back in March (WSB coverage here; official city report here), it’s gained citywide attention because of the lawsuit its developers filed against the city, and the existing building’s tenants, to try to avoid paying the tenants relocation compensation. As we reported last month, the city has moved to dismiss the suit, on grounds no attempt has been made to get the property owners to pay that compensation, so, in the city’s view, there’s nothing to sue over. The hearing on that motion is scheduled for September 2nd, one day before the design-review meeting.
It’s been raining for about five hours now, and so talk has turned to wondering how much rain, and how much longer it’ll continue. The National Weather Service says totals vary widely, area to area – almost an inch at Sea-Tac this afternoon – and that showers will linger, but that after tomorrow morning, a “drier and warmer” trend will take over quickly, so weekend events – including West Seattle Outdoor Movies on Saturday night – should be OK. We’ve checked around this afternoon and besides the problems chronicled earlier – crashes and small outages – no major problems in West Seattle; as intense as this rain has been, it still fell into drought-depleted creeks, for example, so we’re not seeing any overflows. One more stat: More than 650 lightning strikes in Western Washington, per the NWS.
2:37 PM: Two power outages are on the map in West Seattle since the lightning, thunder, and pouring rain moved in. Thanks to John for the tip on the bigger one, affecting 12 customers near 21st SW and Croft, north of Sanislo Elementary. The Seattle City Light outage map blames lightning for this outage and says it might take about three hours to fix. That’s also the cause listed for a one-customer outage just south of Solstice Park, estimated for a fix by 4 pm. (Remember the “restoration” times on SCL’s map are always guesstimates.)
3:11 PM: The Solstice Park outage is now up to nine customers (one home or business equals a “customer”).
3:33 PM P.S. Just across the Duwamish River, about 200 customers are affected by outages scattered along East Marginal Way, and traffic signals are out too, so be careful if you have to head that way (or ANY way, really, since the downpour continues).
5:40 PM: Thanks to the tipster who reported tree branches taking out wires along SW Orchard in the Home Depot vicinity. Another texter says the road is closed in that area, so we’re off to check the extent.
Orchard blocked north of Dumar/east of Delridge, branch took out wires pic.twitter.com/v6fLZpizTX
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) August 15, 2015
6:18 PM: Above is what we found – it’s actually east of the Home Depot intersection.
(ADDED: Four more crashes since the downpour began – scroll down)
FIRST REPORT, 5TH/ROXBURY CRASH, 1 PM: Big Seattle Fire and Police response is on the way to 5th and Roxbury, for what’s reported as a rollover crash. Passersby are reported to have gotten everyone out of the vehicle. More to come.
1:17 PM: As shown in our photo above, this is on the north side of Roxbury just east of 5th. No serious injuries. Too soon to say what caused it, but a thunderstorm was moving through the area when it happened – and it’s still raining heavily. (2:27 pm – The vehicle has been towed.)
1:48 PM, BRIDGE CRASH: The downpour continues, as do the thunder and lightning. Now there’s a spinout crash on the eastbound bridge, near the Delridge onramp. One lane is reported to be blocked. No one hurt. (2:09 pm – police are blocking the Delridge onramp while working to clear this. 2:26 pm – The ramp has reopened.)
1:54 PM, OLSON/CAMBRIDGE CRASH: Now, police that were at the 5th and Roxbury crash are reporting a multiple-vehicle crash to the east, in the Olson & Cambridge vicinity. At least one person is reported to be hurt. (2:09 pm – three vehicles involved here; they’re calling for tows; 2:26 pm – they’re asking for an SDOT crew to inspect the roadway to see if it’s safe for travel.)
3:02 PM, EASTBOUND BRIDGE AGAIN: Now a two-vehicle collision involving a Metro bus is reported on the eastbound bridge near the Delridge onramp. (3:25 pm – this is “taking up 2 1/2 lanes,” per police radio transmissions, and there’s possible jersey-barrier damage that will need repairs.)
3:52 PM, SOUTHBOUND 99: Trouble on SB 99, per SDOT:
A collision is blocking the right lane of the SB SR 99 Viaduct after S Atlantic St. Use caution and expect delays. pic.twitter.com/CxRSaOW7Gb
— seattledot (@seattledot) August 14, 2015
Three updates from the world of West Seattle food and drink:
JUNCTION STARBUCKS OPENS: For the first time since 2008, a standalone Starbucks store is open in The Junction. We first told you six months ago that Starbucks was on the way to the prime California/Alaska corner spot at the two-building Junction 47 project. One distinctive feature, this mural by Portland artist Ryan Bubnis, commissioned especially for this store:
The store’s liquor-license application – mentioned here in June – is still pending; we’re told the company hasn’t decided yet whether it will deploy the “Evenings” concept at this location, which (added) will be open 5 am-10 pm Monday through Friday and 5:30 am-10 pm Saturday and Sunday.
Its first West Seattle store was the one at Admiral & 41st, which opened 25 years ago. The company has 22,000+ stores worldwide.
P.S. If you’ve missed our previous reports, two restaurants are also confirmed for Junction 47 – Kukai Ramen (as reported here Wednesday) and The Lodge Sports Grille (as we reported in June).
Also today, two restaurant-remodeling notes:
CHOPSTIX: The banner outside Chopstix at 5905 California says it will reopen as “Chopstix BBQ” after two weeks of remodeling; its website and phone recording both say tomorrow (August 15th) is reopening day.
HARRY’S CHICKEN JOINT: Instead of reopening today after two weeks of remodeling, Harry’s Chicken Joint at 6032 California SW says it’s now planning to reopen next Tuesday.
Thanks to Amy for forwarding the announcement: With more rain on the way, Providence Mount St. Vincent has canceled tonight’s outdoor concert with the Overton Berry Jazz Duo. The WSB West Seattle Event Calendar *does* include some indoor activities, so if you’re mapping out the rest of your Friday, check it out!
Actually, it’s one month minus one day until the 2015 West Seattle Car Show, and if you’re thinking of showing off your vehicle, now’s the time to register. If you’re just catching up: As announced here in June, the show will be at a new location this year, the expansive north parking lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor), on Sunday, September 13th, 10 am-3 pm. Swedish Automotive and West Seattle Autoworks (also both WSB sponsors) are presenting the West Seattle Car Show again this year. You can register a car, truck, or motorcycle (or more than one, for that matter!) – find the registration form here. Proceeds will benefit SSC’s Automotive Technology program, which will be featured during the show along with some of SSC’s other specialties, including its award-winning Northwest Wine Academy. The plan for September 13th also includes food trucks and even the Seahawks‘ road game (at St. Louis) on a big-screen TV. More details as it gets closer, but for starters, sign up to show off! And there’s still time to become a sponsor – e-mail wscarshow@gmail.com to find out how.
How about a little neighborhood pride, set to music?
Click the “play” button to hear the Soundcloud audio for “West Seattle Girls,” by four girls who are all going into the third grade at Lafayette Elementary. The recording was shared with us by Brad Shepard, who explains that the girls were signed up for a weeklong music camp that got canceled – so their parents came up with a backup plan, each family spending one day with all four, and on Brad’s day: “We decided to take a few hours to write/record a pop song so that they could get the music experience.” (He’s a musician himself, by the way.) The performers are Adi, Ruby, Olivia, and Grace; thanks to the parents who suggested sharing the song with the community via WSB!
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
As Friday gets under way, we start by looking ahead:
SEAHAWKS HOST BRONCOS TONIGHT: If you have to go through the stadium zone, do it early, because the Seahawks start their preseason tonight, with Denver visiting CenturyLink Field for a 7 pm game.
OTHER WEEKEND ALERTS: On the northern downtown waterfront, it’s Hempfest today through Sunday – that’s also part of SDOT‘s weekend citywide roundup. … The 520 Bridge across Lake Washington is closing for inspections tonight through noon Sunday.
No road-closing West Seattle events this weekend, but remember that the Alki Beach 5K will close the beachfront route one week from Sunday – it’s happening the morning of August 23rd.
3:02 AM: Yes, that was thunder you just heard (maybe it woke you up). We noticed lightning to the southwest a little while ago, and now the thunderstorm is getting closer. This short-term weather alert from the National Weather Service says the activity is likely to continue until 5 am or so; showers are expected throughout the day, with up to a quarter-inch of rain, per the newest forecast.
5:07 AM: Another thunderstorm is moving through right now.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 8:40 PM: Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports tonight:
STOLEN PICKUP TRUCK AND TRAILER: Stolen from 17th SW & SW Trenton in the past 24 hours, Jim reports: A 1-ton Dodge Ram Extended Van, white over gray, towing a square red trailer, “with a point in front and diamond plate and a drop door in the rear.” Call 911 if you see or have seen it.
(Friday morning update: Jim says the van and trailer have been found, not far from where they were stolen, with two appliances missing from the trailer. He also says thanks to everyone who helped look!)
CAR PROWLED, AGAIN: For the second time this week, Kerry‘s vehicle has been broken into, near 40th and Oregon, and at least one neighbor, too:
My Explorer was prowled again last night. Lost my work clogs, pants, emergency air pump, first aid kit and emergency food and water. (I know it seems silly to have all of these things in my vehicle but I’m on the road a lot for work.) It looks like they went in through the driver’s door. My neighbor also had his car prowled and we have both filed police reports. He heard the prowler at 2 am and chased him. He was able to give a good description and recover some of the items stolen from his vehicle.
ADDED 9:38 PM: Since we published this an hour ago, we’ve heard from Ray, who also is a victim of auto theft:
My white 1996 Plymouth Voyager was stolen from its off-street parking spot in Morgan Junction last night. Lic WA AON8275
Again, call 911 if you spot a stolen car – don’t get close to it, police advise, since there’s no way to know the thief/thieves’ whereabouts.
On our way to the Hiawatha concert, we had time for just one stop on the West Seattle Art Walk – so we visited WSB flagship sponsor Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW in The Junction), which is showing the work of Jessie Summa Russo this month. The work she’s showing fuses her interests and backgrounds in both music and graphic design (note the decorated vinyl toward the right of our photo). You still have half an hour to get out to Art Walk venues of your choice (the map/list is in our West Seattle Thursday preview); you can also enjoy most artists’ work at participating venues all month long, while you’re out shopping/sipping/dining.
The Modern Relics are onstage in front of another hundreds-strong crowd on the east lawn of Hiawatha Community Center right now, and you still have another hour or so to stop by and catch the bright style the band describes as “country soul.”
Maybe even get up and dance with the dozen or so little ones who are bouncing in front of the stage as they always do.
It’s free to enjoy Summer Concerts at Hiawatha, courtesy of the Admiral Neighborhood Association – just bring a chair/blanket. If you miss tonight’s show, two more to go – Ayron Jones and The Way at 6:30 pm next Thursday (August 20th) and the grand finale with Caspar Babypants, on August 27th.
ADDED: Photos and video inline, above, from the Modern Relics’ show.
We’ve received a few questions about these SWAT officers and vehicles along 41st near Oregon in The Junction. WSB’s Christopher Boffoli has confirmed it’s another training exercise, same house where he photographed officers training one month ago, at the future site of a residential center for people in need of memory care. This time, they tell Christopher, the training focus is on hostage-situation negotiations.
(June 2015 WSB photo of future charter-school site at 35th & Roxbury)
Summit Public Schools has just cleared a major hurdle in its plan to open West Seattle’s first charter school at the site of what’s currently the Freedom Church/Jesus Center at 35th and Roxbury – the state Charter School Commission, chaired by West Seattle resident Steve Sundquist, approved the plan today at a meeting in Georgetown.
Summit, a California-based organization, is opening its first two Washington schools this fall, in the International District and in Tacoma, and plans to open this one in fall of next year, phasing in middle- and high-school grades over four years, starting with 6th and 9th grades in year 1. As we’ve reported during coverage going back to January, Washington Charter School Development already has purchased the site for $4.75 million and plans first to remodel its supermarket-turned-church building, later adding onto it.
We’re seeking comment from Summit managers, who told us last month that as soon as this approval came through, they would proceed full speed ahead with setting up the school and recruiting students. By authorization of state voters, charter schools get public funding, and are open to all; Summit told us last month that if more students apply than they have room for, they’ll use a lottery to assign the spots.
That slide deck shown to the City Council’s Transportation Committee today shows the progress SDOT says it’s making after the critique that basically said the city had no coherent plan for Traffic Incident Management (TIM) – the overall science of having policies in place so crashes, stalls, and other backup-inducing problems can be cleared as quickly as possible.
The critique by a consulting firm was presented to the media two weeks ago – we went to the briefing downtown; our subsequent story includes video as well as the consultants’ full report. SDOT director Scott Kubly told councilmembers today that nine of the nearly 70 recommendations have already been implemented. A few that stood out have to do with management accountability – for one, he spoke of having a “duty officer” assigned at all times, someone from SDOT management who is on call to be point person in case of a serious traffic incident, no matter when it happens. This job is rotating between SDOT managers, one week at a time. He also said SDOT is hiring an urban-traffic-corridors expert from WSDOT, Mark Bandy, to lead the department’s newly stepped-up “day-to-day transportation focus.”
In the big picture, the long list of recommendations is being worked on with the goal of a January update on what more will be done and when. But in the short term, the city says, it’s already proceeding with the new priority of getting traffic moving again in case of an incident instead of focusing on preserving property.
(Side note: Anecdotally, we’ve noticed this in a variety of ways in the West Seattle traffic incidents we’ve monitored/covered in recent weeks – including more-urgent radio discussion of what needs to be done to clear the road and how soon it’ll happen, and SPD’s automated tweetstream now including far more traffic-collision information than before.)
Thanks to Flint Hayes for sharing time-lapse video recorded during yesterday’s off-on storms – no lightning, but notice how suddenly the first showers seem to just drop from the clouds! The vantage point is from Flint’s home near 35th SW and Avalon, north of West Seattle Stadium. More rain expected tomorrow, by the way!
Kicking off our Thursday calendar highlights – take some time tonight to check out the August West Seattle Art Walk! Here’s the venue list/map (which changes quarterly – this is the second Art Walk of summer quarter):
(Click image to see the full-size view)
Before deciding where to go while you’re out, check out the previews on the official Art Walk website. From the WSB sponsor team, Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW) is featuring Jessie Summa Russo; also in The Junction, Click! Design That Fits (4540 California SW) is featuring Hannah Viano and Wallflower Custom Framing (4735 42nd SW) has Lorraine Fryett and her work. Official Art Walk hours are 6-9 pm, second Thursdays, year-round.
Also tonight:
MODERN RELICS AT HIAWATHA: 6:30 pm on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center, catch the “original country soul” music of Modern Relics. It’s the fourth of six Summer Concerts at Hiawatha presented this year by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, with sponsors including WSB. Free – bring your own blanket/chair to sit on, bring family/friends/co-workers/neighbors/picnic dinner, and have a great time – the shows usually run about an hour and a half. (Walnut & Lander)
And BEFORE we get to evening:
DELRIDGE GROCERY FARM STAND: 4-7 pm, the summertime pop-up fresh-produce stand presented by the Delridge Grocery Cooperative (WSB sponsor) will be open – stop by to find what’s fresh and, if you’re not a member yet, to find out how to join as they get closer to opening a permanent store. (5355 Delridge Way SW)
As always, this is just a sampling of what you’ll find on our complete calendar for today, tonight, and far beyond.
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