day : 28/06/2016 12 results

West Seattle Crime Watch: 4 reports plus ‘focus groups’ on neighborhood crime/safety

Four reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight, plus upcoming neighborhood discussions about crime and safety:

RACIST GRAFFITI VANDALISM: Florentino reported calling Port of Seattle Police to report “disturbing racist graffiti” vandalism in one of the restrooms by the sandy area at Jack Block Park. Photos accompanying his e-mail showed messages in black marker including “white power” and a swastika. Florentino waited until Port police arrived to investigate; we followed up with the Port to ask if the graffiti had been painted over or cleaned off, and we’re told it has been.

SCHOOL BREAK-IN: Seattle Police confirmed to WSB this pm that they investigated a reported break-in at now-closed Schmitz Park Elementary early this am. According to Det. Mark Jamieson, they got a call from Seattle Public Schools security around 1:13 am saying they were “viewing” five suspects in the school’s main hallway – described only as “two white males, late teens, thin build; two black males, late teens and wearing backpacks; one white female, late teens, thin.” No one was inside the building when police arrived; nothing appeared “disturbed”; no sign of forced entry but they found an “unsecured door on the north side of the school.”

STOLEN CAR IN ADMIRAL: Tracey‘s car was stolen from SW Walker Street. Black Saab 93x. The message to us didn’t include plate info but we’re guessing it’s this one on @getyourcarback. See it? Call 911.

LIGHTING THEFT: Darren e-mailed with word of a theft outside his Alki home: “I’m writing to notify the blog that over the weekend, someone came through our private gate and stole our exterior ambient lighting (strings of bulb lighting over hanging our porch). We left for camping Friday afternoon and noticed them missing upon our return Sunday am. We live on 60th Avenue between Admiral & Stevens. I’ve notified the police, but since there was no witnesses and the value is less than $500, there isn’t anything they can do. Neighbors didn’t hear or see anything.”

CRIME/SAFETY FOCUS GROUPS: Once again this summer, researcher Jennifer Burbridge, who works out of the Southwest Precinct, is leading focus groups in the local “micro-communities” that have policing plans. She wants to talk with you about “knowledge of the micro-community policing plan project, interactions with the Seattle Police Department, crime and safety concerns, and suggested improvements for each of your unique neighborhoods!” Use this map to check if you’re part of one of these “micro-communities” (except for South Delridge/Delridge Triangle, which Burbridge says is not yet updated on the map).

Here are the focus groups scheduled so far, with links to their micro-community-policing plans – first one is tomorrow night:

-Wednesday, June 29th, 6-7 pm, Alaska Junction (at the SW Precinct community meeting room, 2300 SW Webster)

-Thursday, June 30th, 7-8 pm, Fauntleroy (at the SW Precinct community meeting room- 2300 SW Webster)

-Monday, July 11th, 7-8 pm, Pigeon Point (at the SW Precinct community meeting room, 2300 SW Webster)

-Wednesday, July 13th, 6-7 pm, High Point (at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center, 6400 Sylvan Way SW)

-Monday, July 18th, 7-8 pm, North Admiral (at the SW Precinct community meeting room, 2300 SW Webster St)

-Wednesday, July 20th, 7-9 pm, Morgan Junction (second half of the Morgan Community Association meeting at The Kenney, 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)

-Monday, July 25th, 7-8 pm, South Park (at the SW Precinct community meeting room, 2300 SW Webster)

-Wednesday, July 27th, 7-8:30 pm, Highland Park (at the Highland Park Action Committee meeting at Highland Park Improvement Club, 12th Ave SW and SW Holden St)

-Monday, August 1st, 6:15-7:45 pm, Westwood/Roxhill/Arbor Heights (at the Westwood/Roxhill/Arbor Heights Community Council meeting at the SW Branch of the Seattle Public Library in the meeting room, 9010 35th Ave SW)

-Monday, August 8th, 6-7 pm, South Delridge/Delridge Triangle (at the SW Precinct community meeting room, 2300 SW Webster)

-Wednesday, August 10th, 6-7 pm, Alki (at the SW Precinct community meeting room, 2300 SW Webster)

UPDATE: Crash on westbound bridge now cleared

(Screengrab from SDOT video feed)

9:03 PM: If you’re heading westbound, beware – not only is the west end of the West Seattle Bridge closing for the nightly Fauntleroy Expressway work, but the right lane before the Delridge exit is also blocked because of a crash. Thanks to the tipster who alerted us. If you are heading westbound any time soon – you might consider waiting a while.

9:23 PM: The scene has cleared, per the live-video feed on the SDOT travelers’ map.

‘The intersection needs to be fixed’: Highland Park Action Committee, report #2

After last week’s June meeting of the Highland Park Action Committee, we published our first report, on the vote to send the city a letter about the proposed sale of what’s known as the Myers Way Parcels. Next step toward a decision on their future is the community meeting about the site this Thursday, 6:30 pm, at the Joint Training Facility (9401 Myers Way S.).

But the Myers matter was far from the only topic HPAC tackled at this month’s meeting. Here are the rest of our toplines:

TRAFFIC TROUBLE SPOTS AND SDOT: Will the worst intersections in HP ever get fixed?

Read More

Murray CSO Control Project: Noisier, round-the-clock, through Friday

The combined-sewer-overflow project across from Lowman Beach is about to generate extra noise for up to three days. Even if you’re not right next to the project, sound carries, so take note of this announcement from the King County Wastewater Treatment District:

Starting Wednesday, June 29, King County’s contractor for the Murray CSO Control Project will begin connecting the Murray Pump Station to the same electrical power system as the underground storage tank.

The connection is needed to ensure a more reliable power source for the pump station when the facility becomes operational this fall. Crews will use a temporary generator to the site to maintain power to the pump station while new electrical connections are put in place. The temporary generator will be placed next to the Murray Pump Station in the southeast corner of Lowman Beach Park.

This work is expected to take 48 hours to complete and will require the temporary generator to run continuously overnight through Friday, July 1. Increased noise levels from the generator are expected. Noise from the generator may be more noticeable at night when ambient noise levels are lower. The contractor will take measures to mitigate the noise emitted by the generator to the extent possible and will monitor noise periodically during the operation. The generator will be placed as far away from the nearest residences as possible.

A small crew will work inside the facility building at night to complete the power upgrade using handheld equipment. Indoor work will be limited to quiet, low-impact activities. You may notice lights on inside the building and crews going to or coming from the facility building.

Questions or concerns? Project hotline: 206-205-9186, around the clock.

West Seattle real estate: Prices slashed for ex-substation sites in Highland Park, Pigeon Point

Hot real-estate market? Bidding wars? Not necessarily, if the property in question is a former Seattle City Light substation.

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(WSB photos, March 2016)

MAJOR PRICE REDUCTION is splashed across the cover of the just-revised brochure for the city-owned former substation that’s up for sale on Pigeon Point (2100 SW Andover). We found the flyer after spotting the price cut in a routine check of local commercial-real-estate listings. The 8,000-square-foot site was originally put up for sale almost four months ago for a “minimum bid of $400,000.” It’s zoned for lowrise housing.

And while we were checking on that one, we scrolled further down the latest West Seattle commercial-real-estate listings and found the same thing has happened to the ex-substation that’s for sale in south Highland Park (8820 9th SW) – revised flyer dated yesterday, also with the big red banner MAJOR PRICE REDUCTION.

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This one also has been cut to $200,000 asking price – a more-drastic slash, since its asking price in March was $500,000 – and it’s even bigger: 13,000+ square feet, zoned for lowrise housing.

This is of extra interest as the city looks at selling other “surplus” real estate such as the Myers Way Parcels (reminder: community meeting this Thursday) and also because at the time the City Council approved the sale of these two ex-substations, they also outlined conditions for community groups’ prospective purchases of others. Would those potential sales be held to the “fair market” value – aka appraised value, which in the case of these two substations is well above what they’re now being offered for? We’ll be following up with the city Finance and Administrative Services Department, which is in charge of real estate.

FRESH-GROWN FOOD! High Point Market Garden Farm Stand season starts Wednesday

June 28, 2016 1:00 pm
|    Comments Off on FRESH-GROWN FOOD! High Point Market Garden Farm Stand season starts Wednesday
 |   High Point | West Seattle news

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(WSB photo)

That’s the lush (and nutrient-packed!) greenery, photographed this morning, of the High Point Market Garden, where this year’s weekly Farm Stand opens for the season tomorrow at 32nd SW/SW Juneau. 4-7 pm on Wednesdays through September 28th, you’ll be able to buy fresh-picked produce grown by High Point residents. EBT cards are accepted and the The Farm Stand also will offer additional Puget Sound-grown produce from ROAR, “the mobile farm stand that sells produce to neighborhoods with limited access to healthy food.”

West Seattle car-sharing: ReachNow adds part of the peninsula

Another car-sharing service just added part of West Seattle to its territory. Three years after Car2Go expanded into this area, BMW-owned ReachNow has added north West Seattle. Here’s the map of what’s now part of the service’s “home area”:

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(See the full Seattle-wide map here, as a PDF.) The company says it’s added 150 four-door MINI Clubman cars to its Seattle fleet, which now numbers 520, also including “the all-wheel-drive BMW 3 Series, the electric BMW i3, and the MINI Hardtop two- and four-door.” Along with ReachNow and Car2Go – which has 750 Smarts in the city – West Seattle also is served by Zipcar, which recently added one-way trips to its offerings.

What’s up for your West Seattle Tuesday

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(Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole, photographed Monday by Christopher Boffoli)

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, where you’ll find even more listings for today/tonight/beyond:

RAINBOW STORY TIME: This morning brings the first of three Pride Month Rainbow Story Times at Southwest Library – 10:30-11 today, Wednesday, Thursday. (35th SW/SW Henderson)

FREE LEGAL CONSULTATIONS FOR SENIORS: 2-4 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle, but you have to call for an appointment – here’s how. (California SW/SW Oregon)

YOUNG LIFE BENEFIT CONCERT: The band Sawyer (from Nashville) performs at 7 pm at Dakota Place Park, raising money to help pay for Young Life camp for community youth. $7/person – available online here or at the concert. (California SW/SW Dakota)

FAMILY STORY TIME: 7-7:30 pm at Delridge Library, geared to ages 1-5. (5423 Delridge Way SW)

JOE ROSS AND THE BIRD WATCHERS: 8-11 pm at Parliament Tavern, no cover. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

ADMIRAL BIZNOTES: Atomic Boys, Pizzeria 22

Two biznotes this morning, both from The Admiral District:

ATOMIC BOYS’ VACATION: Kent and Parris Sadow from toy-and-candy palace Atomic Boys (4311 SW Admiral Way) send word that the shop is closed today through July 6th: “For the first time in several years, we will be closing Atomic Boys to take some vacation time .. Back before you know it!”

PIZZERIA 22’S ANNIVERSARY: Proprietor Cary Kemp says Thursday (June 30th) is the 5th anniversary of Pizzeria 22 (4213 SW College): “To thank the great community of North Admiral and West Seattle, we will be offering $5 Margherita pizzas and glasses of wine from 4 pm-10 pm.”

West Seattle whales: Orca sightings

Orcas  2016 (3 of 5)
(Photos by Dan Ciske, added 10:30 am)

7:12 AM: Thanks to Laurie for e-mailing to report a sighting of two orcas, southbound off Emma Schmitz Overlook around 6:47 am. This would be the second day of sightings in central Puget Sound – Trileigh tipped us to this Orca Network discussion Monday, but to our knowledge they didn’t turn up right off West Seattle.

Orcas  2016 (5 of 5)

10:30 AM: Thanks to Dan Ciske for sending photos taken about an hour ago from the Seattle-Bainbridge ferry!

12:46 PM: Two recent comments (thank you!) indicate orcas are heading northbound past West Seattle shores.

1:29 PM: Still out there! Just in from Norman Sigler via Twitter:

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday updates; bridge closures continue

June 28, 2016 6:50 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday updates; bridge closures continue
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:50 AM: We start with a transit alert, just texted and tweeted by Metro, no advance warning for those affected:

Otherwise, no incidents reported in/from West Seattle.

ANOTHER BRIDGE CLOSURE TONIGHT: Fauntleroy Expressway bridge closures continue tonight, 9 pm-5 am; also note SDOT‘s announcement that Thursday night’s closure will be preceded by a “brief” (possibly up to two hours) closure of the Spokane onramp to the eastbound West Seattle Bridge. SDOT says the bridge closures will end soon, though no date yet – if you drive through the work zone under the bridge, you’ll note they’re now working almost at the west end of the elevated section, northwest of the Luna Park business district.

PAVING IN ARBOR HEIGHTS: Today is the first of two days SDOT says it will be repaving SW 106th between 35th and 39th.

UPDATE: Car fire in Morgan Junction ruled ‘accidental’

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6:47 AM: Thanks to the texter who sent the photos from the aftermath of a car fire just before 5 am in the 6500 block of 42nd SW [map] in Morgan Junction. The car caught fire in a carport, they report, adding, “We all got evacuated; no one was hurt.”

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SFD has already left the scene and closed the call; we will update when we find out more later this morning.

12:53 PM NOTE: We are now expecting to get that information closer to mid-or-late afternoon, and will update as soon as we do.

2:18 PM: Just talked with SFD Lt. Sue Stangl. She says the fire was ruled “accidental,” with $25,000 damage done to the carport structure, $12,000 to the vehicle, and $500 to its contents.