West Seattle, Washington
09 Tuesday
(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)
6:39 AM: Good morning! No incidents in our area so far, but the rain finally did move in overnight, so roads are wet. Reminders:
BLUE ANGELS I-90 CLOSURES THURSDAY-SUNDAY: Tomorrow through Sunday, the annual Seafair closures on I-90. From WSDOT:
The mainlines of I-90 will be closed between I-5 in Seattle to Island Crest Way on Mercer Island:
Thursday, Aug. 4: 9:45 a.m. – noon; 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (practice)
Friday, Aug. 5: 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (practice)
Saturday, Aug. 6: 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (Seafair Air Show)
Sunday, Aug. 7: 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (Seafair Air Show)
35TH SW MEETING: Tomorrow (Thursday) at 7 pm, as we’ve been reporting for about a month now, SDOT plans an “open house” meeting on the next phase of the 35th Avenue SW Road Safety Corridor Project – north of Morgan. The meeting is at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way).
6:52 AM: Bus cancellation just texted and tweeted by Metro:
Transit Alert – Route 57 due to leave 44th Av SW and SW Alaska St at 7:06 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) August 3, 2016
FIRST REPORT, 8:16 PM: From the Election Night vote count – just the first count, but the only one we’ll get tonight.
Congress District 7 – Pramila Jayapal leads with 38%, and the race to see who also goes into the general is close – Joe McDermott 21.5%, Brady Piñero Walkinshaw 20.9%. (All three are Democrats. See below for our side note on this race.)
Seattle Housing Levy – winning, 68% yes to 32% no.
Seattle Initiative 123 (elevated waterfront park) – 81% no, 19% yes
All the King County results are here.
****
Statewide results are here. Among the key primary races (note that these may change tonight depending on what various counties’ tallying policies are, and we’ll continue to update them):
Governor (updated 11:13 pm) – Democrat incumbent Jay Inslee 48.6%, Republican Bill Bryant 38.1%
Lt. Governor (updated 11:13 pm) – the leaders so far are Republican Marty McClendon at 20.3% and Democrat Cyrus Habib at 19.6%.
ADDED 9:36 PM: Again, the statewide races will change; the ones that are King County-only won’t. The link in each statewide race will take you to the most-recent results; we’ll be checking at least every half-hour until the early morning. Here are a few more, starting with two races without incumbents:
State Superintendent of Public Instruction (updated 11:13 pm) – Erin Jones 22.8%, Chris Reykdal 20.6%
State Commissioner of Public Lands (updated 11:13 pm) – Steve McLaughlin (R) 39.1%, Hilary Franz (D) 20.8%
And this one does have an incumbent:
Secretary of State (updated 11:13 pm) – Kim Wyman* (R) 48.5%, Tina Podlodowski (D) 45.7%
ADDED 11:17 PM: Only one election night party in West Seattle – Joe McDermott, at Alki Huddle. We stopped by after cutting our Night Out coverage a bit short to stop at the event. He was juggling a variety of interview requests, including ours – we talked with him briefly on video outside the bar:
A small section of the 7th District is in Snohomish County. The final results won’t be certified until two weeks from tonight; we’ll watch this race daily until it’s settled.
(First photo in – from Brandon in Arbor Heights; see below)
6 PM: It’s the official start of this year’s Night Out, a night for neighbors to celebrate and collaborate on safety, preparedness, and more. (That means closed streets, so be careful and patient if you’re on the road.) As usual, we’ll be heading out to stop by some parties for photos; we also welcome YOUR photo – editor@westseattleblog.com, texted to 206-293-6302, or tagged on Twitter/Instagram, @westseattleblog. Updates ahead!
6:18 PM: Thanks to Brandon for sending in the first photo, now atop this story, via Twitter. He reports, “Arbor Heights (California & 102nd-104th) National Night Out, just getting going with Groove Kitchen” (the band).
6:34 PM: Here’s the group at our first stop, just south of Gatewood Elementary School:
Party organizer: Donna Sandstrom of The Whale Trail. This group’s party includes stuffed peppers, cookies, and coinciding with our arrival, a visit from Southwest Precinct Community Police Team Officer Jon Flores and members of the precinct’s Summer Youth Employment Program.
And thanks to Kevin for this photo:
Edmunds Slope/Fairmont Park represent! @westseattleblog pic.twitter.com/rkcvIEpM2g
— Kevin Freitas (@kevinfreitas) August 3, 2016
6:59 PM: Also just in via Twitter:
#NationalNightOut @westseattleblog Cambridge between 24th and 25th! 5 blocks represented. pic.twitter.com/WJ5DtYDEGJ
— Maverick (@smyliegrl) August 3, 2016
7:09 PM: Just stopped by the always-huge Pigeon Point Night Out party. Here too, a Community Police Team officer is visiting – John O’Neil, this time:
We’ve also noticed many places in Pigeon Point with anti-hate signs, in reaction to last week’s racist, threatening note discovery.
7:16 PM: Texted from Fauntlee Hills, this reminder that Seattle Fire is out on Night Out, too:
That’s Engine 37 visiting neighbors. Meantime, Liesbet near Constellation Park texted photos of her neighborhood’s first-ever party, which had a visit from Engine 29:
7:32 PM: Thanks to South Park’ers for texting from their annual Night Out bash South Park Putts Out. We’d heard about the Prince memorial portrait that’s being auctioned:
Jen Nye and Wendy Woldenberg painted the portrait.
Another tweeted photo – from Marcia in Highland Park:
#NationalNightOut #thisblockisthebest @westseattleblog here we are! 9000 block of 13th Ave SW pic.twitter.com/oP5svsUITK
— Marcia Ventura (@marciaventura) August 3, 2016
The kids on the block are making chalk art in the street, too.
8 PM: Two hours down, one to go, though over the years we’ve noted most parties tend to wrap closer to 8 than to 9. We just visited Gatewood, where Dave and Jeanne Edwards are hosting a Night Out party. Dave just turned 100 and is a WSB reader (thank you!) – he’s just left of center in our photo:
Thanks to neighbor Dale for sharing the news about this party (and Dave’s milestone).
Before heading to Gatewood, we stopped in Westwood, where Whitney had let us know that West Seattle’s own Mikey Mike the Rad Scientist was going to perform.
(updated) We missed the show but MM (top right in group photo) gave everybody a star:
And then in Admiral, Angela invited us to the block party where neighbors were making wood-fired pizza:
8:31 PM: Since it’s cloudy, it’s getting dark. More photos! From The Junction:
Loving #neighborhoodnightout w @SeattlePD @SeattleFire and @westseattleblog #40thandedmonds @pikeplacefish pic.twitter.com/n6AixCL5WQ
— Matthew Boehm (@mjboehm267) August 3, 2016
And from North Delridge, where David says the Puget Boulevard neighbors are having their first-ever Night Out party:
Thanks for all the photos – we have more in queue, but have to break away from Night Out for a few minutes since it’s also Election Night …
9:54 PM: Back to the photos! From Jon in the 4800 block of 46th Ave SW:
At 36th and Dawson, the Seattle Police Pipes and Drums visited!
Barry sent the photo from a Gatewood neighborhood we’ve visited in past years – the flags are unforgettable:
From Angela:
She explains, “This was on 18th Ave SW between Myrtle and Webster. We were the only gathering within half a mile or so, so we had some neighbors from the Puget Ridge Cohousing join us!”
Back to Gatewood, where Mark photographed the 39th/Elmgrove block party:
South of Admiral, from Jonathan at 41st/Hinds/Manning:
On Rose St., karaoke and an outdoor movie:
Another SFD visit – Ladder 11 on 39th SW:
More firefighters near Walnut and Hanford:
And another appearance of CPT Officer Flores with neighbors in the 6700 block of 37th SW:
Thanks to Aaron for that photo.
ADDED WEDNESDAY: Another photo – from 36th/Hanford/Stevens:
Hope everyone had a great Night Out!
The Wingstop in Westwood Village will open this week. We’ve just confirmed that it will start by “soft-opening” around noontime this Thursday (August 4th); the official grand opening is set for the weekend of August 27th and 28th. At some point during that weekend, we’re told, the franchise’s owner Richard Sherman will be on hand – yes, THAT Richard Sherman, as in Seahawks star, but the company’s not sure exactly when yet. Official hours will be 11 am-11 pm Sundays through Thursdays, 11 am-midnight on Fridays. Wingstop is in the space west of 24-Hour Fitness that was long home to Eats Market Café; it’s been 13 months since we first reported that Eats was closing and Wingstop was on the way.
The West Seattle Food Bank has a new benefit event coming up next month, and WSB has joined the sponsor team. Now’s the time to get your ticket – and/or donate to the live auction – and/or become a sponsor too! Here’s what it’s all about:
Please save the date for the West Seattle Food Bank’s “A Grand Affair”, a Roaring Twenties-themed cocktail fundraising event on Friday evening, September 16th, beginning at 6:00 pm, at Westland Distillery at 2931 1st Ave. S., in SODO.
Bring your friends to this fun event that will celebrate the Food Bank’s achievements in helping our neighbors who are in need of a little help with food and other services. The evening will be filled with casino-style gaming with a chance to win prizes; hosted wine, beer, & hors d’oeuvres; whiskey tasting, themed cocktails, a photo booth, live auction and Funds for Food. Dress is cocktail attire but era costumes are encouraged. Tickets are $65/guest in advance and $600 for a group of 10 (paid at one time), $75 at the door. Each guest will receive $10,000 of play chips with the purchase of a ticket. For more
information on being a sponsor, donating to the live auction, or purchasing a ticket, please go to westseattlefoodbank.org or contact WSFB Development Director Judi Yazzolino at 206.932.9023 or judi@westseattlefoodbank.org.All proceeds from A Grand Affair will allow us to continue to provide quality, healthy food and the necessities of living to our neighbors in need through our on-going essentials programs:
· The Food Bank, which distributes 1.5 million pounds of food and spends $250,000 on food purchases
· The Baby & Child Corner, which provides $250,000 worth of diapers, baby food, formula, strollers, car seats, toys, furniture and other essential infant and child accessories
· The Backpack Program, which provides 300 schoolchildren at risk of hunger with a “backpack” of nutritious and healthy meals for the weekend
· The Mobile Food Bank, which brings food weekly to the homes of senior and disabled individuals who can’t make it to the food bank
· The Pet Pantry, which distributes over 12,000 pounds of pet food to those that need help caring for their furry friends
· The Bookcase distributes 14,000 donated adult & children’s books yearly to encourage reading
Donations of food, pet food or books are always welcome at 3419 SW Morgan St. at the corner of 35th & Morgan, Monday-Friday 9 am – 3 pm.
[Photo updated 1:19 pm, USS Somerset leading the parade]
FIRST REPORT, 12:47 PM: We’re just west of Duwamish Head, watching the Seafair fleet come into view for today’s Parade of Ships, running a bit later than past years. The ships are listed here; amphibious transport dock USS Somerset (LPD-25) is in the lead, passing Bainbridge, and should be turning eastward toward Elliott Bay shortly. If you’re headed out to watch, consider an umbrella – looks like more storminess is headed this way, according to Sam from Fleurt, whose daughter Keonii took this photo in The Arroyos earlier this hour.
Ship (and weather, if warranted) updates to come!
1:06 PM: The Somerset is now about to pass us (photo added atop story); behind it, the guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101), and USCGC Active (WMEC-618). At least one helicopter is over Alki to photograph the ships.
1:29 PM: The Gridley (above; homeported in Everett as of this summer) is passing our spot now; off to the east, the Seattle Fire Department fireboat Leschi is putting on a spray show just ahead of the Somerset.
1:52 PM: Short Parade of Ships this year – looks like the Canadian Navy ship due to visit isn’t in it; last ship, the Active (homeported in Port Angeles), has just gone by, headed toward Duwamish Head and the downtown waterfront.
Several smaller USCG vessels have sailed past us too, escorting the three bigger ships. Again, free tours will be offered Wednesday through Sunday – see the Seafair website for where/when.
ADDED 3:28 PM: Thanks to everyone who shared photos! From Lance Merkin, a closer look at some of the people – and an aircraft – on the Somerset:
Kyle Asplund caught fireboat Leschi passing Luna/Anchor Park:
And Gary Jones photographed the Somerset, Gridley, and Active from Alki Point:
P.S. The storm never did show up!
(UPDATED 6:16 PM with word of arrest)
11:45 AM: Thanks for the tips about a major police presence in Morgan Junction – we’ve confirmed that the Washington Federal branch at California/Fauntleroy has been robbed. No other details right now – we’re waiting to talk with police to at least get a description. The bank is closed for now as police investigate, with a note on the door attributing the closure to an “emergency.” This is right across the street from West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), which was robbed late last night, but we don’t know yet if there’s any connection. More to come.
12:19 PM: We’ve just talked to a sergeant on scene who told us they don’t know yet how much money the robber got away with, but they do have a description – heavyset black man, 6 feet tall, in his 40s. That is similar to the description of the man who robbed Thriftway last night, but police say it’s too soon to say whether this is the same person or not. No word if a photo will be circulated publicly as it was with last week’s Bank of America holdup.
6:15 PM: We’ve just confirmed with SW Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis that a suspect has been arrested – he says detectives “did a stellar job” in identifying the suspect. Expecting more information soon.
Just in from Seattle Fire via Twitter: Training in the next hour or so at the Joint Training Facility will involve a Washington National Guard Blackhawk helicopter working with SFD. So if you see one in the area – that’s what it’s about. (The JTF is in southeastern West Seattle, 9401 Myers Way S.)
Today’s photo is from Don Brubeck, who observed, “There are worse places to be stuck waiting for traffic to clear – at the Spokane Street Bridge with a bunch of bike riders waiting for a couple of Westrac tugs to bring out the Skagway Provider on the high tide, for their commute to Southeast Alaska.” Here’s where this day/night might take you:
ELECTION DAY: If you don’t get your ballot into the mail by tonight, it’s just wasted paper, so take a few minutes and vote. You can send it by postal mail if you’re sure it’ll have today’s postmark, or you get it to West Seattle’s new dropbox at High Point Library (Raymond east of 35th SW) by 8 pm.
LOW-LOW TIDE: One more day with a -1.9 low-low tide (at 11:08 am), and that brings Seattle Aquarium beach naturalists back to Constellation and Lincoln Parks, 10 am-1 pm.
SEAFAIR PARADE OF SHIPS: Before the Seafair fleet – two U.S. Navy ships, one Canadian Navy ship, and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter – parades past the downtown waterfront at 1 pm, it passes West Seattle, and it’s always a sight. Watch from north-facing shores after noon. Tomorrow through Sunday, the ships are open for tours on the downtown/Magnolia waterfront – details on the Seafair website.
LEARN TO TAKE A COMPUTER APART AND REASSEMBLE IT: 3-5 pm at Delridge Library, free workshop for kids/teens in grades 6-12. Registration required; our calendar listing explains how.
JUSTIN KAUSAL-HAYES: 5-8 pm, live music at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor) – starting with the final hour of Salty’s 3-6 pm happy hour. (1936 Harbor SW)
NIGHT OUT: 6-9 pm, tonight is the annual night for neighbors to get out and get to know each other better, in the interest of everything from crime prevention to preparedness. Many block parties mean non-arterial street closures, so if you’re driving or riding this evening rather than partying with neighbors, please be extra, extra careful. We’ll be covering Night Out “live” as usual – we’ll be stopping at some parties and would also be thrilled to get a photo from yours – e-mail editor@westseattleblog.com, text 206-293-6302, or tag WSB – @westseattleblog – in your photo posted to Twitter or Instagram. Thank you!
‘BEERS FOR BIRDS’ TRIVIA NIGHT: 7-9 pm at Treehouse Lounge, trivia and fundraising for Seattle Audubon! 21+. More info in our calendar listing. (2206 California SW)
JIM PAGE: Singer-songwriter works his magic at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
MORE! on our complete-calendar page.
With the new school year still more than a month away, so are the school-provided meals that some kids and teens rely on. But anybody under 18 can still get free meals through summer programs that continue into late August. Here’s the reminder we were asked to share:
This summer, hundreds of sites across Washington State are providing free meals for kids and teens! Places like local high schools, elementary schools, community centers, parks and apartment complexes will serve breakfast, lunch and snacks for kids under the age of 18. It is open to everyone! There is no enrollment or registration is necessary. Meal times and days of the week will vary among sites, along with the actual meals served. To find a Summer Meals site near you: Call 888-4FOOD-WA, visit parenthelp123.org or Text MEALS to 96859.
Summer Meals sites in West Seattle include these three, all continuing through August 26th, Mondays-Fridays:
High Point Community Center (6920 34th SW)
Breakfast: 9:30 – 10:00AM
Lunch: 12:30 – 1:15PMHighland Park Playground (1100 SW Cloverdale)
Lunch: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Snack: 3:00 PM – 3:30 PME.C. Hughes Playground (2805 SW Holden)
Lunch: 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Snack: 3:00 – 3:30 PM
(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)
6:59 AM: Good morning! We start with reminders:
BLOCK PARTIES TONIGHT: Many non-arterial streets in West Seattle will be blocked off ~6-9 pm tonight for the annual Night Out block parties, with neighbors building community and talking about crime, safety, and preparedness.
BLUE ANGELS I-90 CLOSURES THURSDAY-SUNDAY: The annual Seafair reminder from WSDOT:
The mainlines of I-90 will be closed between I-5 in Seattle to Island Crest Way on Mercer Island:
Thursday, Aug. 4: 9:45 a.m. – noon; 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (practice)
Friday, Aug. 5: 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (practice)
Saturday, Aug. 6: 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (Seafair Air Show)
Sunday, Aug. 7: 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (Seafair Air Show)
8:34 AM: Traffic alert on westbound side of the east end of Roxbury corridor – curb lane on Olson is blocked off for charter buses waiting to enter a neighborhood. All we have found out so far is that it’s an event expected to continue until about noon, with more buses coming and going. (The gathering appears to be related to a religious facility on 3rd SW.)
10:59 PM: Police are searching in Morgan Junction for someone reported to have just robbed, or tried to rob, West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan; WSB sponsor). Early information from scanner has this description: Man in his 40s, dark skin, bald, 6′, heavyset, wearing a blue sleeveless sweater or vest and blue basketball shorts, last seen headed away from the store, northbound on California SW. He is reported to have demanded money from a cashier, though no weapon is reported to have been seen. Call 911 with any information.
11:45 PM: A K-9 team joined the search for a while, but no arrest reported so far.
Family and friends are remembering Elmer E. “Buzz” Watson, who died last weekend. This remembrance is shared by his daughter, who says they wrote it together:
Elmer Earl ‘Buzz’ Watson, 95, died July 30th, 2016. following a long life well lived.
He is survived by his son, Gary Watson (Deborah) and granddaughter Kristina Watson (Brock Towler) and great grandson, Miles Towler, grandson Michael Watson (Gillian), and daughter Rebecca Watson (Darwin Nordin). He is also survived by his sister, Dorothy Roeder (her children, Catherine, Cristine, Eric, Aaron) of Bellingham.
Buzz, son of Rachel and Elmer Watson, and great-great nephew of Ernest Watson of Whidbey Island fame (1886 historical house still stands as a B&B in Coupeville), grew up on a 120-acre dairy farm in Sumas, Washington, during the Depression, where he learned how to milk, and avoid being kicked by, a cow.
When not doing farm chores, or riling his sister Dorothy, he spent a lot of time hunting & fishing in the nearby woods & streams. Once or twice a year, his family ventured to the big city – Bellingham – to see the sights. When he was 17, the family sold the farm and moved to Bellingham, where he attended Western Washington College of Education (now WWU) for two years before moving to Seattle to work for the Western Electric (Ballard) phone company for a brief time. In 1941, he joined the Marine Corps, completing his flight training in Eastern Washington and Corpus Christi, Texas, where he graduated as Second Lieutenant. After meeting at a friend’s wedding in 1943, he wooed and married Jacque Lee Crawford in just one week. They honeymooned on the train, en route to North Carolina, and on the night they arrived, not able to find a room in a hotel, asked a police officer if they could spend the night in jail. After finding a home in Morehead City, NC, he received advanced flight training in preparation for active duty in WWII. He served 4 1/2 years as Captain at Midway Island, where he flew a B-25 Mitchell.
Personal highlights included shooting skeet with actor Robert Stack in Hawaii, and fishing off the islands for tuna. Following the war, he served 14 years in the Marine Corps Reserves, and was honorably discharged as Lieutenant Colonel in 1960. His military service was followed by several post-war jobs, gas station attendant, bread truck driver, bank teller at Bellingham National Bank – anything to make ends meet. He then worked for 35 years as a public servant – Deputy Collector for the Internal Revenue Service – and later was promoted to Supervisor of the Bellingham IRS office. He was feared but fair, finding creative ways for people owing tax to pay what was owed to the government (or as he liked to say owed to their neighbors).
Following his retirement from the IRS, he worked part-time as a real estate agent and enjoyed driving clients around and sharing stories about Whatcom County. Following his divorce from Jacque in 1972, he was awarded custody of his daughter Rebecca (unusual for that time) and was a single father for 4 years before marrying Josephine Durnan in 1976 (they divorced in the late ’80s).
He lived in Bellingham (rented an apartment from beloved friend Cheryl) until suffering a stroke in 2012, which brought him to West Seattle, where he lived at Daystar Retirement Village, to be closer to his daughter who cared for him until his passing.
According to him, he was the best fisherman in Bellingham, and enjoyed many fishing trips with friends near Point Roberts, Stuart Island, and off Vancouver Island. He especially enjoyed the fishing trips to Alaska with son Gary, and to HiHume Lake in Canada with daughter Rebecca and son-in-law Darwin. He enjoyed golfing (was a huge Fred Couples fan) and watching the Mariners (when they were winning). A personal friend of Senator Scoop Jackson, he was (and undoubtedly still is) a yellow dog Democrat, and enjoyed seeing Barack Obama elected twice. He was also happy to see Hillary Clinton be nominated as the democratic candidate for President this year. He loved to cook (a foodie before it became trendy), made a mean apple pie and was always asked to barbecue the salmon for friend/family gatherings. Later in life, one Thanksgiving weekend, after a brief introduction by Darwin and Rebecca, he took up painting and produced many beautiful landscapes. He loved his family very much, and was very grateful for all their love, and proud of all their many accomplishments.
His family is saddened by his passing but is grateful that he had the courage to find his own path to a dignified end, and is finally at peace. The family thanks Daystar Retirement Village, Synergy HomeCare, & Kline Galland hospice for their support. At his request, there will be no memorial service. In his honor, please consider a donation to your favorite environmental organization, preferably dedicated to river or ocean conservation efforts – oceanfdn.org, wecprotects.org, marine-conservation.org, tpl.org. Also, don’t forget to vote!
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
From today’s city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin:
3601 FAUNTLEROY APPEAL SETTLEMENT: Neighbors have withdrawn their appeal of key approvals for the 14-house development planned on this east Admiral site [map] as part of a settlement with the owners/builders. While the notice in today’s bulletin doesn’t carry details, the document is in the Hearing Examiner‘s case files. It involves six points of agreement, including the builders’ promise to install speed bumps, monitor traffic and parking during construction, and monitor drainage after construction to ensure the road doesn’t flood. This cancels the appeal hearing that had been scheduled for later this month, as reported here in June.
4532 42ND SW COMMENT TIME: The developers of 4532 42nd SW [map] in The Junction – 6 stories, 74 apartments, 71 offstreet parking spaces, and ground-level office/retail space – have officially applied for a land-use permit, and that opens a new comment period. This is the project that had to go through an extra Early Design Guidance meeting because a large tree had been cut instead of being included in proposed design; that third EDG meeting was held in April (WSB coverage here), and ended with approval to advance to the next phase of Design Review. No date yet for that next meeting, but comments on the land-use application will be accepted through August 14th. The notice has a link you can follow if you’re interested in commenting.
We’ve had multiple reports of a tire-slashing rampage on at least two streets southwest of Admiral overnight:
Karen on 48th SW sent the photo and reports, “We woke to find several cars with punctured tires today on our street. Three in our section of the block and at least three to the north. Our neighbors and I are reporting to the police via online reporting. Some of us were lucky and only had one puncture others had two. AAA said there is a slash in the tire. Looks like they hit cars from Stevens to Hinds so far.” [map]
Then Emily reported: “The tires on my car and a few of my neighbors’ on my block were slashed last night. 47th Ave between Hinds and Spokane. Jerks.”
And Jennie reported seeing “numerous cars with flat tires as I was riding my bike on my way to work this morning. Along 48th Ave SW, they were all between Stevens and Hanford. Then on 47th between Hanford and Spokane. I’d say I saw at least a dozen flat/deflated tires and some cars even had two.”
If it happened to you too, be sure to file a police report. You can do it online by going here. And if you witnessed anything potentially related to this – call it in.
Thanks to Ken Gollersrud at the High Point Library for the photo reminding us all that West Seattle’s new permanent King County Elections dropbox awaits your ballot – cutoff time for your primary vote is tomorrow (Tuesday, August 2nd) at 8 pm. You can mail it, too, but that’ll cost you a stamp; using the dropbox is free.
The decisions you’ll be making in this election include two ballot measures for voters in Seattle only – the 7-year Housing Levy and the “elevated downtown park” proposal, Initiative 123.
You also will narrow the fields for the 7th Congressional District seat, as well as U.S. Senate, Governor, Lt. Governor, and other statewide offices, plus races for State Supreme Court and King County Superior Court, and one 34th District State House seat.
The dropbox is just north of the library, along SW Raymond east of 35th SW [map].
Seafair‘s biggest week is here and some of its biggest sights are close to West Seattle, so we’re continuing to track the Blue Angels and the Seafair fleet.
Blue Angels landing now! pic.twitter.com/UIX5jQZbS6
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) August 1, 2016
BLUE ANGELS TODAY: As first reported here last week, Seafair was expecting the Navy’s famous flight-demo team between noon and 2 pm today. It’s 1:30 pm as we publish this from runwayside at Boeing Field, and they’re due soon. One bit of news earlier – Seafair says its fan-fave support plane “Fat Albert” has a “mechanical issue” that will keep it from flying during the local shows. Meantime, we’ll update once the Angels have arrived.
1:59 PM: Just added video (atop this story) of the Boeing Field flyby during their arrival a few minutes ago.
3:33 PM: Thanks to Monica Zaborac for the photo above, taken as they flew past Jack Block Park. Also remember, Thursday-Sunday, I-90 bridge closures will accompany their practices and shows – details here.
(back to original report) PARADE OF SHIPS TOMORROW: We published info two weeks ago for the Navy ships due for tomorrow afternoon’s parade past West Seattle and downtown shores, and set for Wednesday-Sunday tours. Today, Seafair’s website has the full lineup, including the U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Navy participants, and who you can tour where – see it here. The official time for the “parade” is 1 pm Tuesday but start watching from West Seattle around noon.
12:01 PM: Thanks to everybody who tipped us on this (and thanks to Lorraine for the photo)! Fencing is up around Lincoln Park’s north play area by the wading pool so that construction can begin on the renovation project. We reported last fall/winter on community discussions during planning for the work; after we contacted Seattle Parks to ask about it today, project manager Katie Bang told WSB that signage is going up this week, adding: “The project was awarded to LW Sundstrum Inc, who has worked on many Seattle Parks and Recreation play areas as well as other play areas around the area. The contractor will begin work at the cable ride. This was an additive alternate that was discussed in the public meetings that we were hoping to fund and were able to do so! He also will be removing and recycling the old play equipment materials. The work is scheduled to be complete by the end of October. The wading pool and shelter 5 will remain open during construction.” You can see images of the new equipment on the project website, which notes that the $600,000 cost is from the Seattle Park District levy.
1:35 PM: You might recall that during the planning period, we reported on a group of Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) students sharing ideas they had been promoting for “accessible” play areas. We asked Bang if any of those ideas made it into the final project:
We have integrated some of the ideas from the 8 students from Explorer West into the design of the renovated play area at Lincoln Park along with all of the other public input.
In our conversations with the middle school students and other community members, we emphasized that the Lincoln Park North play area was probably not the location for a “state of the art” play area for children in the autism spectrum for the following reasons: lack of ADA compliant restroom, lack of ADA compliant parking and compliant pathways in Lincoln Park, the size of the play area, and overall budget.
However, as part of this current project, we are making the play equipment and the immediate area of the play area ADA compliant and we have incorporated some nice features that will appeal to children on the autism spectrum as well as all users. A few of these features include the tactile sand play area which features an accessible play table, tactile rocks, many ground element features of the play equipment are accessible, an accessible group swing, and an accessible cable ride.
(Photo by Tony Welch: SUP’ing off Alki)
Welcome to a new week and a new month. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and beyond:
LOW-LOW TIDE WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: Until 12:30 pm, find volunteer Seattle Aquarium beach naturalists on the shore at Constellation or Lincoln Park. Today’s low tide: -1.9 feet at 10:24 am. (Find a daily tide chart any time on the WSB West Seattle Weather page.)
BLUE ANGELS ARRIVAL: Last we’ve heard, the Blue Angels are due to arrive at Boeing Field (just east of West Seattle, so it’s practically local) early this afternoon, coming here for Seafair after a weekend airshow in Alaska. Noon-2 pm was the word from Seafair, with whom we’ll be checking again later this morning if no advisory arrives earlier.
WESTWOOD-ROXHILL-ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY COUNCIL: 6:15 pm at Southwest Library, with two big topics as previewed here on Sunday – a followup on last week’s Find It, Fix It Walk and a focus group on crime/safety/policing issues. (35th/Henderson)
SHAPE WEST SEATTLE HI-YU’S FUTURE: 7 pm at Admiral Congregational Church, a big meeting for West Seattle Hi-Yu, as the peak of parade season has passed and the organization starts to assess its future. Your help is needed, as mentioned here. (California/Hill)
ARTSWEST CABARET: 7:30 pm, you’re invited to “join ArtsWest as your favorite Seattle performers sing the songbooks of the artists who inspired them, from Carole King and Alanis Morrissette to Freddie Mercury and Stevie Wonder.” More info in our calendar listing. (4711 California SW)
JERRY GARCIA BIRTHDAY BASH: 8-11 pm, tribute to the Grateful Dead-leading legend, at Parliament Tavern. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
MORE ON OUR CALENDAR! For today, tonight, tomorrow, and beyond – just go here.
(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)
7:14 AM: One major traffic advisory this morning – “emergency City Light repair” has Admiral Way blocked between 57th and Stevens. We are headed over to find out more.
7:37 AM: In comments, Emily says an early-morning crash damaged a pole (apparently no injuries, as the 911 log doesn’t show an SFD dispatch). And as we write this, our crew arrived and sent this photo:
Meantime, Metro says this is “delaying” Routes 50, 56, and 775. No specific reroutes in the alert. Our crew is waiting to talk with an SCL supervisor on scene for a time estimate on the closure.
8:02 AM: No time estimate but it’s not going to be any time soon. For one, the crew hasn’t arrived yet; when they do, the supervisor tells us, they will have to evaluate factors including what kind of a replacement pole is needed and how to deal with wires that are in a precarious balance now with the top of the damaged pole.
8:24 AM: Buses aren’t just delayed, they’re no-shows, per comment, and as we were following up with Metro, they texted/tweeted this:
Transit Alert – Metro routes 50, 56 & DART route 775 are rerouted off of SW Admiral Wy between 49 Av SW & 59 Av SW.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) August 1, 2016
8:37 AM: The only addition to this so far is “Use stops east of 49th Av SW or west of 59th Av SW.” One comment says the 37 is running late too. We’ll be checking on this closure for as long as the situation lasts and updating this story, which we’re also linking from the first of our “spotlight” boxes atop the home page.
9:57 AM: Metro has texted/tweeted that the reroutes continue. We’ll be checking firsthand at the scene shortly.
10:45 AM: Repair crews were on scene when we went by a short time ago.
We’ll be checking again around 11:30.
11:43 AM: Open again, per this Metro alert just tweeted and texted:
Transit Alert Update – Routes 50 & 56 & DART route 775 have returned to normal operation on SW Admiral Wy between 49 Av SW & 59 Av SW.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) August 1, 2016
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