West Seattle, Washington
03 Monday
When the School Board meets next Wednesday, for the last time before its four new members – including West Seattleite Leslie Harris – are sworn in, the agenda includes three topics we’ve been watching. We’re previewing it tonight because if you want to speak during the public-comment period, you have to sign up by phone or e-mail first thing tomorrow morning, and spaces often go fast.
SCHEDULE CHANGES: Earlier this month, the board delayed action on changing “bell times” (start/end schedules) until the November 18th meeting. Here’s the final proposal. The 9:35 am start times for Lafayette Elementary and Louisa Boren K-5 STEM, as part of “Tier 3,” are still in the plan, despite some opposition.
$475 MILLION BTA IV LEVY FOR FEBRUARY: On February 9th, the district will have two levies on the ballot (here’s our coverage of the September public meeting about both). The first one, the Operations Levy, which provides a fourth of the district’s budget, has already received board approval. On Wednesday, the final draft of the Buildings, Technology, Academics/Athletics Levy, aka BTA IV, will go to the board – $475 million, up from $270 million for the last version of the same levy. Here are the West Seattle specifics:
*$6.7 million for EC Hughes upgrades to enable it to reopen as a 550-student elementary school (to which, the district has said, it will move the Roxhill Elementary program)
*5.4 million for Gatewood Elementary, most of that for HVAC, also some $ for cladding work
*1.8 million for athletic-field lights at Southwest Athletic Complex (ID’d in the documents as Chief Sealth IHS, which is across the street)
*$1.5 million for the roof at West Seattle HS
*94,000 for doors at Sanislo Elementary
ASSIGNMENT PLAN: The changes made at the last minute before what was to be a vote earlier this month – including the abolition of the summer/fall waitlist and the “distance” tiebreaker – will be brought back for a vote.
IF YOU WANT TO GET ON THE PUBLIC-COMMENT LIST for Wednesday’s meeting, here are the rules. In short, starting at 8 am tomorrow, here’s what to do:
To sign up for public testimony, members of the public should e-mail boardagenda@seattleschools.org or call 206-252-0040 and give their legal name, telephone number, e-mail address, and the topic they would like to address.
You might have seen and/or heard those two military helicopters headed eastbound over south West Seattle – and then over east West Seattle – late this afternoon. While a flyby wasn’t listed as part of it, this is Military Appreciation/“Salute to Service” night at the Seahawks vs. Cardinals game. Meantime, it’s also an opportunity to remind you one more time about the helicopter exercises scheduled at Terminal 5 at midday tomorrow.
(Added: Golden Sunday afternoon – photo by Lynn Hall)
Definitely the calm between the storms right now – and this might be your best chance to go do some cleaning and inspecting before the next round, because the National Weather Service has announced a High Wind Watch for Tuesday – read the whole thing here. While there’s always a chance it won’t happen, if it DOES, it could be serious, warns the NWS: “Possible south winds 35 to 45 mph with gusts 65 to 75 mph Tuesday, shifting to the west late Tuesday afternoon.” Trees are more at risk of toppling than in previous storms because four inches of rain in the past three days has softened the ground. Updates to come!
Looking for something to do before The Game? Head over to the second annual “Sip & Shop” holiday bazaar at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Admiral. It’s on until 5 pm. In the photo are Brooke Vaughey and Emily Paulson, who shared the photo shortly after Sip (wine!) & Shop got under way. All ages welcome; no admission charge; 3050 California SW. (This was featured in our newly launched West Seattle Holiday Guide – send us your event ASAP – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!)
While chainsaws are certainly busy around the city during this break between tree-toppling storms, some tree-cutting in West Seattle this morning had nothing to do with the weather. We learned about it via this video tweet:
@westseattleblog trees falling next to QFC on 42 SW pic.twitter.com/0PVet06CeW
— NLB (@g7on) November 15, 2015
Twitter user @n7gon noticed the tree-cutting on the site of the proposed mixed-use project at 4532 42nd SW and asked us about it. You might recall our report about the latest Southwest Design Review Board meeting related to that site – at which board members told the development team to design the project around one particular tree, though the owner-developers had received an opinion that the tree fell short of being what the city considered “exceptional.” They said keeping the tree would present challenges including fewer units and fewer offstreet-parking spaces. They also said that the tree would likely die when the site north of theirs is redeveloped, a site under different ownership, currently holding a single-family house but zoned, as is most of that area, for something much bigger.
Now the tree’s gone (along with others on the site). Nothing in the project’s online files indicated tree-cutting was imminent, so after hearing about it, we went over to see if anyone was still there.
We didn’t find anyone on site, so we e-mailed the property’s owner/developer, West Seattleite Mark Braseth, to ask for comment. He replied with this:
To whom it may concern,
The City of Seattle only regulates exceptional trees on private property over 30 inches in diameter, and limits tree removal on commercially-zoned, privately-owned sites to no more than three trees larger than six inches in diameter within a single year. The City determined that all trees on site were non-exceptional (under 30 inches in diameter), and therefore the three trees taken were allowed to be removed without a permit. The City requires that any new development replace the previously-existing tree canopy with the same or equal amount of tree canopy cover, upon the new trees’ maturity.
As a family development company with long-term roots in the West Seattle community, we are excited to develop this property into something that we can own and be proud of for a long time. We understand that trees are important to the community, and they are important to our project design. We are working with our architects and landscape architect to design a building that includes mature landscaping and large trees that the public can enjoy for the long term future.
Sincerely,
Mark Braseth
The city’s tree policy is here.
Back in 2009, under different ownership, the site was approved for a different development that stalled. Braseth bought it earlier this year and brought forth a different proposal which as of last week’s meeting was penciled in as 6-stories, ~75 apartments, 3,813 sq.ft. of commercial space, and offstreet parking for ~63 vehicles (though the site is in a “frequent transit” zone with no requirement for any offstreet parking). One structure on the site was demolished in 2008; the one that remains will be torn down for this project.
8:03 AM: Multiple texters report road flooding has closed Orchard at Delridge. We’ll be checking on it shortly.
10:06 AM: We’ve since learned from Seattle Public Utilities spokesperson Ingrid Goodwin that this is a sewage overflow:
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has responded this morning to a sewage overflow in West Seattle at Delridge Way SW and SW Orchard Street. The sewage is discharging north on Delridge to SW Myrtle Street and eventually overflowing into Longfellow Creek. SPU crews have posted signs alerting residents to stay out of the water, which may be contaminated. Orchard Street near Delridge Way is closed while spill response and drainage and wastewater crews contain the overflow and begin the clean-up. The volume of the spill is unknown at this time.
This is primarily happening on the east and north sides of the Delridge/Orchard intersection. You might recall that SPU worked in recent months on what was supposed to be a combined-sewer-overflow-control project, so we’ll be following up to see what went wrong.
9:36 PM: While Orchard east of Delridge was still closed in late afternoon, it’s now open, but narrowed – one lane each way, with an area blocked off at curbside on the westbound side for a short distance. No crews on scene now so we’d have to guess this will continue into the morning commute; we’ll check back by 7 am or so.
(Slate-colored Junco, photographed by Mark Ahlness, shared via the WSB Flickr group)
Happy Sunday! First spotlight event for today is from the newly launched WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide:
HOLIDAY SIP ‘N’ SHOP: Second annual event to jump-start your holiday shopping, with local vendors (see the list here), 2-5 pm at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church. Snacks and beverages; no admission charge; children welcome. (3050 California SW)
And from our regular year-round West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, go see what’s fresh! (California SW between Oregon and Alaska)
JAMTIME: Live music at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 1-4 pm. (5612 California SW)
‘4 COMEDIES’: 2:30 pm, Seattle Lutheran High School student production of four short comedies including “10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse.” Details in our calendar listing. (4100 SW Genesee)
MUSIC NORTHWEST PRESENTS ‘BRAHMS THE HEDGEHOG’: 3 pm concert at Olympic Hall on the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus – info in our listing. (6000 16th SW)
IMMIGRATION REFORM/LIVING WAGE PANEL DISCUSSION: 4:30 pm at ArtsWest Playhouse, right after the 3 pm matinee of “My Mañana Comes.” No admission charge for the discussion, but you’re encouraged to RSVP by going here. (4711 California SW)
FYI – SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: 5:30 pm at CenturyLink Field, the Seahawks host Arizona. No Water Taxi service – the foot ferry is three weeks into its winter schedule, which is Mondays-Fridays only, no special-event service.
2:23 AM: Some West Seattleites saw one or more flashes and heard booms about the time more than 4,300 homes and businesses lost power south of here – parts of White Center, Shorewood, Boulevard Park, also a pocket of the southeastern edge of WS at Olson/Myers. We’re covering it on partner site White Center Now but thought we’d mention it here too, because of the sights and sounds. No official word on the cause yet but Seattle City Light says crews are headed toward its Duwamish Substation.
3:39 PM: Most have been back on for some time but City Light spokesperson Scott Thomsen says about 10 percent of those originally affected remain out – he also updated us on the cause: “A tree fell into wires, which caused a fault current that was big enough that it damaged some of the wire. So crews have been working to replace the damaged wire. There are about 450 customers still out. We estimate having them back in service around 4:15 pm.”
9:36 PM: Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight, starting with what RD lost to car prowler(s) last night – maybe you’ve seen some of it?
My car was broken into last night in Morgan Junction near Gatewood School. In addition to CDs and gloves, they took a cloth bag (blue Room and Board) filled with interior finishes, (paint chips, wood samples, etc.) and a 12” x 12” square old cardboard box with fabric samples, glass and stone samples and wood samples. They left the GPS and a pocket knife, which was interesting. I really need the samples, in case anyone happens to see them dumped once the thief’s realize it is worthless items in the bag and box. They are for my business and a presentation on Monday. …my own fault for leaving things that I thought appeared worthless to me but not to the thief’s. This occurred between 12:30 am and 4:00 am today.
Police stress that nothing should be left in vehicles – nothing at all. Thieves won’t necessarily assess anything as worthless on sight – we’ve published reports of thieves breaking into vehicles even to go through crumpled grocery bags, as well as reports of stolen items all the way down to bags of sweaty gym clothes. Recently, a string of posts and comments over several days here on WSB reunited a teacher with items stolen from his car including teaching materials that you certainly wouldn’t consider loot.
Meantime, we have this report via Twitter of an item found, possibly stolen, near Sonya‘s home in Highland Park:
@westseattleblog Found backpack on my garbage can. Can you help me find owner or does it matter since it's empty? pic.twitter.com/HDH8GZhWWD
— Sonya (@Sonya) November 14, 2015
P.S. The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets Tuesday night (November 17th), 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct, with the chief of Metro Transit Police as the special guest. If you have questions about bus/bus-stop safety, bring ’em, as well as any neighborhood concerns you want to call to SW Precinct police’s attention.
ADDED 9:51 PM: Shortly after publishing this, a reader report came in about a car prowl tonight, on the alley in the 6000 block of 42nd SW. The reader heard a door shut, and turned around to see the lights inside the vehicle on. Nothing taken but the glove box and center console were gone through, and the car “reeks of alcohol,” they report. Police have been called.
Could a bear somehow have made its way into a West Seattle greenbelt? Nancy says she and her friend are sure that’s what they saw today:
My friend and I went for a walk behind the houses on Snoqualmie and Beach Drive [map] today around 1 PM. At the crest of the walk, in the clearing, we both very clearly spotted a brown bear. It looked rather rangy. When it saw us, it headed our way and we ran down the path to a home near the greenbelt. We called police.
Anyone else?
Bears were part of the West Seattle ecosystem a century or so ago, stories show. But no bear sightings have emerged in West Seattle in the eight years we’ve been doing news here – though, just before that, there was the 2007 saga of a bear swimming from Vashon to Des Moines.
P.S. If it really was a bear, it would almost certainly be a black bear – here’s the state Fish and Wildlife infosheet about that species.
P.P.S. Larry reminds us in comments that a bear turned up in Ballard in 2009.
(WSB photo from 2014: Hi-Yu made history twice last year – 80th anniversary, first male royalty)
Whether you’ve been a West Seattleite for 90 years or 90 minutes, West Seattle Hi-Yu is asking you to answer a few questions:
The West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer Festival is hosting an online survey to hear from the West Seattle community. Feedback from the community is essential to ensure that the festival is relevant and reflects the interests and demographics of the community. With the amount of new residents and change happening in West Seattle, it’s more important than ever for the Hi-Yu Festival to identify with the community and maintain its 80 year heritage.
We checked it out and it really is quick. The survey starts here.
Thanks to the texter who sent that photo from Delridge/18th. We subsequently headed over to check out the scene and found the northbound lane is blocked. One person was being put into Medic 32, and police told us he’s being taken to Harborview.
(Added: Photo e-mailed by Amelia)
Avoid the area for a while.
(File photo of the Christmas Ship, whose 2015 West Seattle stops are part of what you’ll find in the guide)
Just published – the first version of this year’s WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide. Thanks to the many people who answered our call to send holiday info as early as possible, it already has dozens of listings for the season, pre-Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. We’ll be updating it frequently as usual, removing what’s already happened, adding new events and updates that come in. So browse the guide when you get a chance! (Many of the standalone events also appear in our regular year-round calendar, if you prefer that, and we also continue with daily highlight roundups here in the news section, so you’ll see reminders, but if you find it helpful to make note of dates early in the season, here you go.)
Back in April, West Seattleite Wayne Kinslow celebrated his 1,000th consecutive day of salt-water swimming, all but three off Alki. After 200 more days, he’s taking a break, starting today:
Thanks to Southwest Seattle Historical Society executive director Clay Eals for sharing his video from Wayne’s final day of the streak on Friday – he’s documented Wayne’s achievements on the SWSHS website (after all, it’s now part of West Seattle history!).
(Pigeon Guillemot, photographed by Mark Wangerin. P.S. Got your West Seattle Wildlife Calendar yet?)
The weather has calmed a bit – here’s some of what you can get out to check out, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
EXPLORER WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 10 am-11:30 am, go visit Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor), which “redefines the middle school experience by offering rigorous academics and a diverse range of enrichment programs in a small, vibrant learning environment.” More info here! (10015 28th SW)
DONATE TURKEYS: 10 am-noon, drop off donated turkeys at the White Center Food Bank between 2-4 pm. (10829 8th Ave SW)
‘SHOP SUPER LOCAL’ AT HPIC BAZAAR: Highland Park Improvement Club Holiday Bazaar, 10 am-3 pm, “shop super local”! (12th SW & SW Holden)
SHOREWOOD BAZAAR: 10 am-4 pm, Shorewood Elementary PTA‘s Holiday Bazaar, more than 65 artist vendors, book sale, bake sale, food trucks, more. (2725 SW 116th)
WSN OPEN HOUSE: 11 am-2 pm, West Seattle Nursery Holiday Open House, with the famous free espresso cart, classes, and more. Bring non-perishable food for the West Seattle Food Bank donation barrel. (California/Brandon)
LIBRARY BAZAAR: 11 am-3 pm, second and final day for White Center Library Guild‘s annual holiday bazaar and book sale. Details in our listing. (11220 16th SW)
METROPOLITAN MARKET THANKSGIVING TASTE: Noon to 3 pm at Metropolitan Market-Admiral (WSB sponsor), taste turkey and sides from the fully cooked holiday dinner that’s offered through the market’s deli. (42nd/Admiral)
HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S ANNUAL MEETING: 1:30-3 pm today is the annual meeting of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, all welcome, at the High Point Library (35th SW & SW Raymond). Guest speaker is County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who, as a former Underground Tour guide, is a lively storyteller. More info here. Because of the meeting, the Log House Museum is NOT open today. (35th SW & SW Raymond)
ROLE-PLAYING GAME DEMO: As always, lots on the calendar today for Meeples Games (WSB sponsor), including a 5 pm demo and game for the new RPG “The Strange.” (3737 California SW)
ART EXTRAVAGANZA: The Building‘s third annual Art Extravaganza, 5:30-10 pm. More than two dozen artists; more info here. (4316 SW Othello)
WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY ORCHESTRAS’ GALA: Fundraising dinner and auction at Alki Masonic Center, 6 pm, featuring swing dancing with the West Seattle Big Band. Details including ticket info here. (40th/Edmunds)
BENEFIT DINNER: Fundraising Italian dinner at Our Lady of Guadalupe for CYO Athletics participation. Doors open at 6, dinner at 6:30, details in our calendar listing. (35th/Myrtle)
‘THE DEAD GUY’: 7:30 pm, third performance of West Seattle High School Drama Club‘s student production, in the WSHS Theater. (3000 California SW)
MORE ON THE CALENDAR! One click away.
7:18 AM: Thanks to the person who just texted to share two alerts – first, the Delridge onramp to the eastbound bridge is flooded, they report, so if you’re headed that way, go slowly. Second, they saw city crews out working on the bridge – as SDOT first warned on Thursday, they’re out today replacing the cameras, and that’s expected to cause “rolling lane closures” until mid-afternoon.
7:37 AM: Now there’s word of a tree that’s fallen onto wires, blocking a road east of Lincoln Park, on Hemlock west of 45th:
A crew’s already on scene, according to the person who sent word with that photo. And that’s a reminder – if you encounter an emergency, road-blocking situation like this (tree, wires, debris), SDOT wants you to call its 24-hour hotline at 206-386-1218.
10:52 PM FRIDAY: Police are in the 8100 block of 16th SW right now investigating a stabbing. The victim is a man believed to be 35-40 years old, stabbed once in a back, being rushed to Harborview Medical Center right now. Not much other information available so far but the incident also might be linked to a report of a woman one block away, in the 8100 block of 15th SW, saying she was “maced.”
SATURDAY NIGHT NOTE: The incident is classified on the police-report map as an armed robbery at a residence. No narrative details are available, and at this point won’t be before Monday.
MONDAY AFTERNOON: Here’s our followup.
(Photo courtesy Jeanne Flohr)
9:40 PM: Just in from southwestern Washington, thanks to Mike Jensen – Seattle Lutheran High School has won its first game in the state 1B football tournament, beating Naselle 44-22. Though the official bracket‘s not filled in yet, the Saints’ opponent next week – location TBA – will be Neah Bay, which beat Clallam Bay tonight, 68-0.
ADDED SATURDAY MORNING: Kristen Okabayashi (SLHS mom and Hope Lutheran principal) reports, “JJ Young scored 4 touchdowns and passed to Isaiah Dowding-Albrecht for another, Brandon Lulow scored one more.”
Going back to September, we’ve been reporting on sporadic problems with discolored water around West Seattle. Usually, such problems are localized to a specific neighborhood that can trace them to a specific incident – water-line break, fire-hydrant use, etc. But in this case, the problems have been geographically scattered, and in most cases, Seattle Public Utilities says, related to two things: Routing changes in the water system while the Myrtle Reservoir was out of service for earthquake-resistance work, and activation of a wellfield to supplement supply during the recent dry months. Tonight, two weeks after the most-recent update, Ingrid Goodwin at SPU tells us neither of those situations is a factor any more:
Seattle’s water supply conditions have improved, which enabled SPU to completely turn off the wells on November 10. The wells may have been a secondary cause of the discoloration problems that residents were experiencing. Customers should expect that it will take a few weeks for the well water to circulate out of the system.
Myrtle Reservoir has been back in service since October 30 and water configuration operations have returned to normal.
SPU will continue to monitor the system and modify operations as needed to minimize stirring up sediment that can lead to temporary discoloration.
From November 3 through November 13, SPU received 39 customer calls indicating yellow, brown, or rust colored water in the general West Seattle and Georgetown/SODO area. We expect the number of customer calls to go down now that operations are returning to normal.
If you do see this problem at your residence, here’s the number SPU’s been asking customers to call: 206-386-1800.
(WSB photo from Election Night, Lisa Herbold & supporters viewing results. Little did they know they’d still be doing it 10 days later.)
Just in, this week’s last set of election results – and for the first time in the not-yet-settled City Council District 1 race (West Seattle/South Park), Lisa Herbold has taken the lead over Shannon Braddock, by 27 votes.
Lisa Herbold – 12,371 – 49.73%
Shannon Braddock – 12,344 – 49.62%
That’s a turnabout from the 18-vote lead Braddock held after the Thursday count. Today’s full results list shows 27,567 votes have been counted – that’s almost the entire number of “ready to count” votes listed by the county as of last night. At this point, a manual recount seems likely – here are the county’s rules and policies regarding recounts.
(WSB photo from last weekend, as wildlife rescuers capture an oiled Canada goose)
One week after a neighbor noticed oil contaminating a stormwater-retention pond in White Center, the state Ecology Department announced that a food company has taken responsibility. La Mexicana says it was transporting oil that accidentally spilled and will pay the costs of cleanup and wildlife rehabilitation; 51 birds have been captured for cleaning and treatment, says the state, and one had to be euthanized. Full details of the state’s announcement are on our partner site White Center Now.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 2:27 PM: After a lengthy downpour, reports of storm-related trouble are coming in. First one: The reader photo above shows 35th SW south of Barton, looking north at water over the road. It’s been raining so hard, some drains are bound to have become overwhelmed, especially with leaves still left to come off the trees – if you’re able, go check your nearest drains and make sure they’re clear.
2:37 PM: Per scanner, police are looking to block off traffic in the area as the water is at an unsafe level. We’re heading over to check. We’ve also received a report of a mudslide near Delridge and Orchard but we haven’t verified yet exactly where and how/whether it’s affecting traffic.
2:53 PM: Confirmed – police are blocking 35th SW both ways on the south side of the Barton intersection – only buses are being allowed through. The water’s so deep, it’s up over the sidewalk on the west side of 35th SW.
3:39 PM: We checked all sides of Delridge/Orchard, for a few blocks each way, and there’s no mudslide (or deep water) affecting traffic.
3:55 PM: Just checked back at 35th/Barton – open now.
Two West Seattle history notes:
DENNY PARTY LANDING ANNIVERSARY TODAY: On November 13th, 1851, as the marker at 63rd SW and Alki Ave SW (top photo) points out, the Denny Party landed here, the end of a journey that had started in Illinois. HistoryLink has the thumbnail version of the story. On the 150th anniversary of the arrival, The Seattle Times checked in with some of their descendants.
HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S ANNUAL MEETING TOMORROW: This gives us a reason to remind you that the annual meeting of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society is tomorrow (Saturday), six days after the organization’s record-setting gala (WSB coverage here). All are welcome at tomorrow’s meeting, 1:30 pm-3 pm at the High Point Library (35th SW & SW Raymond), which will feature County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who, as a former Underground Tour guide, is a lively storyteller. More info here.
P.S. Because of the meeting, the Log House Museum will NOT be open tomorrow. Otherwise, you can visit noon-4 pm Sunday (and subsequent weeks, the usual Thursdays-Sundays).
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