West Seattle, Washington
27 Saturday
6:50 AM: Highland Park Way between Holden and West Marginal remains closed this morning, two days after a major slide; the city announced late yesterday that they expect to reopen it by today’s PM commute. Metro Route 131 remains rerouted.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
Otherwise, no incidents in/from West Seattle so far this morning.
One note: Seattle Public Schools‘ midwinter break is next week. And Monday is Presidents Day, with holiday-level transit planned, including no Water Taxi service.
7:17 AM: Just tweeted/texted by Metro:
Transit Alert – Metro Route 57 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Alaska Junction at 7:38 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) February 17, 2017
7:55 AM: One SFD unit is responding to a crash reported at 29th and Trenton, a few blocks west of the north side of Westwood Village.
8:34 AM: Via Twitter, Jeremy reports a bus breakdown:
.@westseattleblog @kcmetrobus C line eb broke down on 99 north before dig entrance. 55 picked up ~100 strandees and another bus got the rest
— Jeremy Kahn (@trochee) February 17, 2017
8:53 AM: Watch out for some possible congestion in the 5000 block of Delridge Way SW – several SFD units are en route to check out a possible wall fire at an address on the east/northbound side.
Meantime, we’ll update here, and in a separate story, whenever we get the official word that Highland Park Way hill is open – again, SDOT has said they expect it to be open by late afternoon, before the PM commute.
While the West Seattle High School boys’ second game in eight days against Nathan Hale ended the way the first one did – with a loss – the Wildcats refused to be intimidated by the nation’s #1 team. They were behind by just 3 points at halftime (29-26) and after three quarters (44-41).
The WSHS defense limited Hale’s ability to run and gun. It was another physical game, with fouls and steals, but the Wildcats just couldn’t close the gap in the final moments, and Hale got the win, 62-52. WSHS #1 Nate Pryor led scoring with 31.
The Wildcats should find out sometime Sunday who and when they play next.
Just got word from the King County Wastewater Treatment District that this afternoon’s power outage caused a ~330,000-gallon overflow from the 63rd Avenue Pump Station in South Alki. The pump station usually sends stormwater and wastewater flows to the Alki Combined Sewer Overflow facility at Alki Point. That facility has an emergency generator on site, and the county says crews brought that generator to the pump station, but it wasn’t needed for long, since the outage lasted less than an hour.
… King County has reported the overflow to health and regulatory agencies. King County employees will post signs in the vicinity of the pump station at first light on Friday, Feb. 17, and employees with the County’s Environmental Lab conducted water quality monitoring.
The Alki facility itself had a quarter-million-gallon overflow just four weeks ago.
Next Monday and Tuesday, you have the chance to have your infant/child car seat checked, free, at Swedish Automotive (WSB sponsor). Both days, 10 am-2 pm, certified child-safety passenger technician Victor Gonzales will be checking seats to be sure they’re properly installed. Just stop by Swedish Automotive during those hours, those days (February 20-21), 7901 35th SW (corner of Kenyon). Questions? Call Swedish at 206-539-1984.
Three notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STABBING SUSPECT CHARGED: The woman accused of stabbing a 16-year-old girl in The Junction early Sunday is now charged with second-degree assault. 44-year-old Tillie J. Lee remains in the King County Jail, with bail still set at $220,000. The charging documents tell the same basic story as the probable-cause documents on which we reported – saying the suspect became enraged because the victim hugged Lee’s boyfriend. Lee allegedly stabbed the girl in the shoulder and then took off. Prosecutors say in the charges that Lee has been booked 64 times since 1996 and has had 88 warrants for her arrest. Two of the convictions are felonies, both from the early ’00s, for vehicular assault and second-degree theft.
PACKAGE THEFT IN ARBOR HEIGHTS: From Erik this evening:
My neighbor just had a couple packages taken from their front porch. They were taken from 99th & 35th around 5:15 in Arbor Heights. Police were called.
The vehicle is a mid-2000s red Toyota 4-door truck. No plate on front bumper & damage to front bumper as well. Blue tarp covering items in the bed of truck. Be on the lookout. 2 white males with beards, probably mid to late 30s.
CAR PROWL IN ADMIRAL: Rick reports this happened early Wednesday in the 4000 block of California SW:
There are 4 townhomes facing California, 3 facing the alley. In between the 4 in front and the 3 in back is a communal driveway. Our car is parked about 5 feet from our back door. All townhomes can easily see the driveway from their windows; there are bright motion-sensing lights. … I saw my driver-side door was open (I know I locked it night). Inside the car, the glovebox was open and had been rummaged through. Looks like they got away with an old GPS from the glovebox, and a phone charger that was plugged into the cigarette lighter. No damage as far as I can tell. Seemed similar to the North Admiral Car Prowl mentioned here so I thought I’d report it, as it looks like they may be making their way south down California.
REMINDER: The next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting is next Tuesday (February 21st), 7 pm, at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).
(WSB photo of cleanup work this morning, taken via long lens from top of hill)
Just in from SDOT: Highland Park Way is expected to reopen “by late afternoon Friday.”
Full update from Norm Mah of SDOT:
Highland Park Way SW will remain closed today and is expected to reopen by late afternoon Friday for the PM commute.
SDOT crews have removed 90% of the material that came down from the hillside on to the roadway, about 2400 tons.
Crews will remove the remaining material tomorrow and will place approximately 50 concrete Ecology blocks (6’ long x 2’ wide x 2’ high) along the western edge of Highland Park Way SW to buttress the hillside.
SDOT thanks the public for its patience while this work is being completed.
The slide happened just before 5 am on Wednesday; no one was hurt, but it caused a 2,008-customer power outage for a few hours.
Meantime, we have photos with a closeup look at the slide zone from pre-cleanup, courtesy of Joe Finelli, Jr.:
4:21 PM: Thanks for all the texts – the Seattle City Light map confirms a big power outage in West Seattle, more than 4,800 homes/businesses. No word yet on the cause. More to come.
4:30 PM: Via Twitter, SCL says they “have reports of a downed pole,” though we haven’t heard where. Evan, via Twitter, reports having seen transformer trouble and sparks near High Point Pond Park. There was a short-lived SFD call near 29th/Findlay. Meantime, remember that non-working signals are all-way stops.
4:57 PM: New estimated restoration time – 5:50 pm. (Could be sooner, could be later.)
5:12 PM: Thanks for all the updates! Took the City Light map a few minutes to catch up but it confirms, outage is over.
(UPDATED 9:07 PM with details, photos)
FINAL: West Seattle HS girls beat Bellevue, 47-37. (Video: 4th Q basket by Jasmine Gayles) pic.twitter.com/rr9j46bGYf
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) February 17, 2017
(Video: 4th-quarter basket by WSHS’s Jasmine Gayles)
FIRST REPORT, 4:19 PM: “Championship game, here we come!” yelled a West Seattle High School fan, as the Wildcat girls beat defending state 3A champs Bellevue HS 47-37 moments ago at Bellevue College. They play for the district championship at 8:15 pm Saturday, again at Bellevue College, vs. the winner of tonight’s game between Bishop Blanchet and Cleveland at Chief Sealth. Photos and details from today’s game, coming up.
ADDED 9:07 PM: Photos and game summary ahead: Read More
Thanks to Jen Calleja for the tip – multiple White Center businesses are closed today for the Day Without Immigrants protest against the federal crackdown on immigrants. We stopped by some of the businesses she mentioned – above, the sign at Greenbridge Café; below, the signs at Salvadorean Bakery and Best Roasted Corn:
And Jen sent this collage of other businesses she found closed, including Deli Garcia in South Delridge:
We haven’t seen/heard of any other West Seattle closures – if you have, please let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com or 206-293-6302.
Meantime, there’s news about the court fight over the presidential order on immigration – according to a news release from state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, saying a federal appeals court was notified that “the President intends in the near future to rescind the Order and replace it with a new, substantially revised Executive Order” to eliminate constitutional concerns. Ferguson’s reaction: “Let’s be clear: Today’s court filing by the federal government recognizes the obvious — the President’s current Executive Order violates the Constitution.”
You never know what you’re going to find when you dig in!
The photos are from Anne Higuera at Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor), who says, “While finishing up the last piece of our large expansion project at West Seattle Nursery (replacing the sidewalk and removing paving from the planting strip in front of both businesses), one of our employees found (this) in the dirt. … The street there has a brick base, so there are many layers of history in that street. The back, with the trees, says “good for one fare” and the front says “Seattle Transit” and the name of the director — looks like Beckett — along the bottom.” The token is smaller and thinner than a penny, she noted:
(Here’s a look at a cleaned-up version of a similar token.) At first they thought it was a token from the trolley days. Online research revealed that Seattle Transit was what the bus system was once known as. Evro M. Becket – who died in 1960 – was on the Seattle Transportation Commission in the ’40s, so the token likely dates back about 70 years. You can find out more about the Seattle Transit System via its annual reports, some of which are available as PDFs through the Municipal Archives. (1940, for example, is hailed as “a year of almost complete changeover from rail to rubber” – as the streetcar system was dismantled. The report features many photos, of buses, streetcars, and examples of streets where the tracks were paved over. And it includes the dates when streetcar runs changed to buses – you’ll see some West Seattle runs listed on page 13. Relevant to the token discovery, page 21 mentions the average Seattle Transit fare was six cents in 1940. The last page, 34, shows the city’s route map.)
(Sanderlings on Alki, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
What’s ahead for the rest of your West Seattle Thursday:
HIGH-SCHOOL BASKETBALL: District-playoff games at Bellevue College – West Seattle High School girls vs. Bellevue HS at 3 pm, WSHS boys vs. Nathan Hale HS at 8:15 pm. (3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Bellevue)
‘HONORING WEDDING TRADITIONS ALONG THE SILK ROAD’: Planning a wedding? Free event with vendors including food, photography, more – details in our calendar listing. 5:30 pm-8 pm at The Sanctuary at Admiral. (42nd SW & SW Lander)
WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN CELEBRATION: It’s all about the 9th-graders and their families tonight at West Seattle High School, 6:30-8 pm. From the school’s weekly newsletter:
The first year of high school can be challenging. We thought organizing an evening of sharing, caring, and building community around this idea would benefit everyone – students, parents, guardians, teachers, and administrators. Students will speak and share their thoughts about what they find challenging and likewise, rewarding about their first year in high school. The Teen Health Center and other community organizations will be available for families to learn about their community services. Dinner will be served.
(3000 California SW)
MADISON MIDDLE SCHOOL EVENING TOURS: 6:30-8 pm, prospective families are invited to visit Madison Middle School tonight. (45th SW & SW Spokane)
ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: 7 pm meeting at Alki UCC – agenda includes:
1) Update on Seattle Noise Ordinance, Jesse Robbins
2) SDOT Paving Plan (discussion)
3) Discussion of alignment between ACC and Seattle City Council goals
(6115 SW Hinds)
PCC PROJECT @ ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: As previewed here, you’re invited to get a look at the newest version of the mixed-use project at the PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor) site, before it goes back to Design Review in two weeks. Tonight’s special Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting is at 7 pm at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church‘s hall. (3050 California SW)
ROCK FOR STANDING ROCK: 8 pm-11 pm benefit performances at The Skylark, to help the Standing Rock Sioux’s challenge to the route planned for the Dakota Access Pipeline. Details in our calendar listing. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
WEST SEATTLE SONGWRITERS’ SHOWCASE: 8 pm at Parliament Tavern – “a night of Seattle singer-songwriters featuring Candice Rose, Amanda Navares, and David Rodriguez.” (4210 SW Admiral Way)
MORE! on our complete-calendar page.
(Photo from 2016 Black History Month Community Dinner)
Thanks to Chief Sealth International High School Black Student Union senator Khaim Vassar for sharing the photo and invitation:
The Chief Sealth International High School Black Student Union will be hosting our 2nd Annual Black History Month Community Dinner at Southwest Teen Life Center on Saturday, February 18th, 2017 from 5:00 pm-7:00 pm (doors will be opening at 4:45 pm). All are welcome. Free to attend.
We encourage our community to come together and celebrate the accomplishments of Black People locally, nationally, and globally.
“Unity is Strength, Division is weakness” ~ Swahili Proverb
Southwest TLC is in the same building as Southwest Pool – 2801 SW Thistle.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 9:13 AM: At 9:30 this morning, the City Council’s Parks, Seattle Center, Libraries, and Waterfront Committee agenda includes a Parks Department request for approval to seek state grants for three boating-related projects, including one at West Seattle’s Don Armeni Boat Ramp. From the slide deck for the meeting, here are the details:
The grant would cover two-thirds of the $1.5 million cost; the city funding comes from the voter-approved Park District levy. You can watch the discussion live during this morning’s committee meeting via Seattle Channel, online or on cable channel 21, and you can find more details of the meeting via its agenda, here.
10:56 AM: The council-committee meeting is over. Parks got approval to pursue the grants. The briefing included an explanation that of the three projects for which those grants are being sought, Don Armeni – the only one in West Seattle – is the highest priority, because waves have caused so much damage to the old floating docks. So even if the grants aren’t received, the committee was told, the Don Armeni project will happen anyway.
A celebration of the life of Elizabeth LaVerne Thorneycroft is planned on March 4th. Here’s the remembrance her family is sharing with the community:
Elizabeth LaVerne Thorneycroft, 94, entered Heaven’s gates on Thursday, February 2, 2017 in West Seattle. Born January 2, 1923, in Ketchikan, Alaska, she was the daughter of the late Alden and Betty Harvie. LaVerne married the love of her life, Norman Henry Thorneycroft, in February 1941. They resided in West Seattle where she and Norman welcomed their daughter Marilyn Anne.
LaVerne’s life can be summarized in four words: Faith, Family, Friendship, and Philanthropy. LaVerne had a kind spirit and sharp wit. She was a faithful servant who shared her love for Christ through her actions. As a longtime member of Fairmount Church and Admiral Congregational Church in West Seattle, she delighted in women’s fellowship, made friends everywhere she went and had a huge heart for those less fortunate. Knitting hats for the homeless was part of her 30-year stewardship with the Seattle Milk Fund, all while making sure every member of her family had a warm hat of their own. When she wasn’t knitting, setting up church luncheons or playing pinochle, she enjoyed traveling the globe and spent some of her most memorable years at Hood Canal with her family.
As a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, LaVerne was the matriarch of her family. Whether it was dinner shared around her kitchen table, or baking her classic banana cream pie and cookies, she loved cooking for her family. Fittingly so, as the rock of her family, LaVerne will lay to rest next to her husband at the Rock of Ages area at Washington Memorial Cemetery.
LaVerne is survived by her daughter Marilyn Anne Shoemaker, grandson Christopher Norman Shoemaker, granddaughter Keri Anne Patashnick (Lyle), and great-grandchildren, Seth Henry Patashnick and Emery Anne Patashnick. We will remember her smile, her warmth, her tenacity, her love of the Lord, family and friends. She made a difference in the lives of many.
A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2017, 11:30 am, at Admiral Congregational United Church in West Seattle. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Seattle Milk Fund at seattlemilkfund.org and the Senior Center of West Seattle at 206-932-4044 or online sc-ws.org.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(UPDATED 11:20 AM with latest from Highland Park Way – scroll down)
5:04 AM: We’re starting traffic/transit coverage early because of the continuing Highland Park Way closure between West Marginal Way SW and SW Holden, now in its second day after a slide around this time yesterday. SDOT‘s most-recent update said the closure is expected to continue “through (today).” The closure also affects Metro Route 131; here’s the most-recent information on its reroute.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
If anything changes with Highland Park Way this morning, we’ll update here, along with any other traffic notes as the morning continues.
6:32 AM: Still no other incidents reported. We’re not the only area affected by a slide; there are slides elsewhere in the region including one closing westbound I-90 in Issaquah and another forcing cancellation of Sounder train service.
6:39 AM: And now we have an incident – eastbound West Seattle Bridge. Conflicting reports between a texter and scanner dispatch; the former says it’s after the Fauntleroy ramp, the latter said it’s “midspan.”
6:48 AM: We have another verification that this is on the eastbound bridge from Fauntleroy, parallel with Nucor. (Backup on Fauntleroy ramp just past 35th is also visible on the travelers’ map video feed.) So if you’re bridge-bound shortly, getting on someplace further east is likely a better choice.
7:04 AM: The feed shows traffic on the Fauntleroy approach is flowing again, so though we haven’t had an official update, it appears the reported crash/stall has cleared. One of SDOT’s bridge cams, the one that can see the west end, is down right now, so that’s complicating things.
7:11 AM: New problem – WSDOT reports a stalled vehicle partly blocking the ramp to I-5 northbound from the eastbound West Seattle Bridge.
8:05 AM: Multiple reports that Delridge is backed up again today, apparently a domino effect from the Highland Park Way closure (we’ll be going over for a look a bit later).
8:15 AM: Bus trouble in Admiral. Metro just sent a 40-minute-late alert saying that the 7:38 am Route 57 “did not operate.” We got a concurrent text from someone saying: “There’s no 7:50 57 or 8 am 56 yet at 47th and Admiral … 25ish people waiting here for a bus, any bus, to downtown.”
11:20 AM: Our photo above is from the Highland Park Way slide scene, earlier this morning. We just checked in with SDOT; no new info on how soon it might reopen, and they’re still expecting that it’ll likely be closed for the rest of today, so for now, plan on an alternate PM route. We’ll publish a separate update before the PM commute.
You’re invited to nominate somebody – and/or someplace – for this year’s Westside Awards, to be presented by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce on May 4th.
The categories again this year are:
Westside Business of the Year
Westside Emerging Business of the Year
Westside Not-for-Profit of the Year
Westsider of the Year
The nomination form is online, here. It includes more information on the criteria for each category. Nominees do NOT have to be WS Chamber members, nor do those sending in nomination(s). You can see who’s won in recent years by going here. Nominate someone/someplace (yes, you can send in multiple nominations) by March 6th!
Topline from tonight’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, which just wrapped up at Highland Park Improvement Club:
HOW CAN COMMUNITY GROUPS & NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS HELP LOCAL SCHOOLS? That question led to the guest appearance of James Bush from Seattle Public Schools. Chair Mat McBride, for example, said that while he tends to compartmentalize “community stuff” and “school stuff” in his mind – he’s an SPS parent – “they’re the same stuff.” Read More
(As of 8:22 am Thursday, story now contains full details from both hearings)
(WSB photo: Hamm Building, March 2016)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The Hamm Building – built in 1926, currently anchored by Easy Street Records – was designated a city landmark by a unanimous vote of the Landmarks Preservation Board tonight at City Hall.
(WSB photo: Campbell Building, March 2016)
And its across-California neighbor, the Campbell Building – built in two phases a century ago and currently anchored by Cupcake Royale – is halfway on the road there, with the board voting unanimously tonight to approve its landmark nomination. Next step: An April 5th hearing on finalizing landmark status
We were at City Hall for both votes, five months after the Southwest Seattle Historical Society formally proposed landmark status for the buildings; details to be added to this report later tonight.
ADDED 11:11 PM AND 8:22 AM: Details, as promised, starting with the Hamm Building hearing (then Campbell): Read More
(TOPLINE: Highland Park Way hill will be closed “through Thursday” per SDOT)
(WSB photos: First two taken ~12:30 pm)
1:14 PM: SDOT now says the Highland Park Way hill is likely to remain closed at least “into tomorrow.” That’s the newest development in connection with the early-morning slide that shut down the busy road between West Marginal Way SW and SW Holden.
Here’s our morning report (thanks again to everyone who texted us when it all began around 5 am); we just went back to the top of the hill for another look, and as you can see in our photo above, there’s lots of activity. Here’s the newest information from SDOT spokesperson Sue Romero:
SDOT continues to work with Seattle City Light at the site of the slide that occurred on Highland Park Way SW. A slide came down this morning above Highland Park Way SW, then a second slide came down, pushing material about 500 feet further, over Highland Park Way SW.
SDOT has cleared some of the material from the lower slide so SCL trucks can gain access. SCL is working to clear some trees that are pushing on some power poles. Geotech engineers are assessing the situation.
We expect Highland Park Way to remain closed through today and into tomorrow as more rain is expected to fall tonight into tomorrow.
Meantime, the power outage caused by the slides, which peaked at more than 2,000 homes/businesses, is over for all but two customers, according to City Light’s outage map, which also has been fixed.
We’ll be updating this story throughout the afternoon, including any related traffic advisories for the pm commute – again, expect Highland Park Way to remain closed TFN, and plan your alternate route and travel time accordingly.
3:13 PM: Bus reminder: “Metro Route 131 continues to be rerouted off of a portion of Highland Park Way SW between SW Holden St and West Marginal Way SW, until further notice.Use the stops on Highland Park Way SW south of SW Holden St or east of West Marginal Way SW.”
Whichever route you plan to use to get home, be aware that the heavy rain has continued this afternoon, lots of water on the roads, so be patient. The WSB Traffic page has cameras for various routes, and you also can check the video feeds accessible from the lower right of the city Travelers’ Information map – browse the feeds on the West Seattle and Greater Duwamish pulldown options.
3:47 PM: We asked City Light’s Scott Thomsen for the assessment of how the slide had affected their installations along HP Way: “The slide toppled some trees. At least one went into the lines, causing the outage. We didn’t lose any poles, but some are leaning over. We plan to monitor the hillside to make sure it has stabilized before we reset the poles. We might have to install some small retaining walls to protect the poles.”
7:04 PM: SDOT just tweeted that Highland Park Way is expected to remain “closed through Thursday.” So DEFINITELY plan morning options, and we’ll track the status during the day.
Highland Park Way SW will remain closed through Thursday btw SW Holden St & W Marginal Way SW due to a landslide. Plz use alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/fhZp2ZWC6u
— seattledot (@seattledot) February 16, 2017
And the National Weather Service says this is the seventh-wettest February on record.
9:40 PM: Still closed. We checked the top of the hill again after leaving a nearby meeting about half an hour ago; no lights visible down the hill, so crews apparently had quit work for the night. We will start morning traffic coverage extra early tomorrow (5 am Thursday) because the road will still be closed.
THURSDAY MORNING: Our AM updates are here through at least 9 am.
This morning, internment-camp survivor and military veteran Atsushi Kiuchi spoke at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), as part of the school’s annual Day of Remembrance event. Next Sunday, February 19th, marks 75 years since President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which sent 120,000 people to internment camps. Kiuchi is 87 years old and was in a camp from age 12 through 15. But he had many other memories to share today:
You can also reflect on this chapter of U.S. history through an exhibit in the campus library, “Fred T. Korematsu and the Pursuit of Justice.” Photos, documents, and quotes comprise the exhibit, telling the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient’s “story of challenging the WWII exclusion and confinement order,” as described in the SSC announcement. It will be on display through March 3rd. The exhibit was created by Seattle University for the launch of its Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, which filed an amicus brief in our state’s challenge to the Trump Administration’s immigration ban.
P.S. The next Words, Writers, West Seattle presentation by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and Barnes & Noble/Westwood will also spotlight Mr. Korematsu, as Lorraine Bannai speaks at B&N 5-7 pm March 3rd about her book “Enduring Conviction: Fred Korematsu and His Quest for Justice.”
Thanks to Maggie for the tip: The long-laid-up cargo ship that was the latest Matson vessel to carry the name Lurline is off on its final voyage. From downtown, overlooking foggy Elliott Bay (photo at right), she spotted it being towed this morning from West Seattle’s Terminal 5, where it had arrived six weeks ago, as reported here, and we subsequently confirmed with the Port of Seattle that it had departed. It’s off to be scrapped. This report from last year says Matson has new vessels on order, including one that will be the sixth to carry the name Lurline.
We’re continuing to cover the Highland Park Way slide. But we’re also moving on to other news and info too – including what’s big for today/tonight:
DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AT SSC: Speakers from 10 am-noon at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) to commemorate the 75th anniversary of President Roosevelt signing of Executive Order 9066, which sent 120,000 Japanese and Japanese-American people to West Coast internment camps. An ongoing exhibit continues until March 3rd. Details are in our calendar listing. (6000 16th SW)
LANDMARKS BOARD DOUBLEHEADER FOR JUNCTION BUILDINGS: 3:30 pm at City Hall, the Landmarks Preservation Board meets, with an agenda including a final decision on possible landmark status for the Hamm Building in The Junction and whether to formally nominate the Campbell Building for landmark status. The timing of the items on the agenda is in this recent update. Public comment will be taken and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society is hoping for a show of public support. If you’re interested in going downtown for the hearing, Crystal Dean from the SWSHS “We Love The Junction” task force (SWSHS photo at right) will be at the RapidRide stop at California/Alaska at 3 pm to lead interested West Seattleites to the hearing. (400 Fifth Ave.)
TAP TAKEOVER AT THE WESTY: The monthly Tap Takeovers at The Westy Sports & Spirits (WSB sponsor) return starting tonight: “Join us from 6 pm – 9 pm for a Georgetown Brewing Barrel-Aged Tap takeover. We will be tapping 4 small batch & limited barrel-aged beers, plus an additional Triple IPA.” (7908 35th SW)
DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club, this month’s meeting will spotlight how the community can help its schools, with this featured guest:
James Bush, Director of School and Community Partnerships (Seattle Public Schools). The 7th Strategic Goal of the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council is “Strengthen our Schools”. Recognizing that some members of our community will spend 12 (or more) scholastic years within the borders of our District, it is our desire to build those schools up. Because they’re shaping our future. We are excited to host James for a collaborative conversation about how we can best do that.
(12th SW/SW Holden)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: FCA’s monthly board meeting was rescheduled to tonight, 7 pm, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. (9131 California SW)
WORDSWEST LITERARY SERIES: The monthly writers’ showcase at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm, features Sierra Nelson and Ann Teplick
(TOPLINE: Highland Park Way hill between SW Holden and West Marginal Way SW is closed because of a slide that happened around 5 am)
5:35 AM: A big Seattle Fire response is checking out a slide reported on the Highland Park Way hill near Holden. So far, they’re reporting no vehicles or structures involved, but some of the slide material is actually on the road. One texter reported a power outage; none has shown up on the Seattle City Light map yet. More to come.
5:42 AM: We have a crew headed that way. Meantime, more outage reports, mostly from Puget Ridge. And traffic is being kept off the hill. SFD crews are assessing the slide and whether it’s moving.
5:51 AM: Our crew has arrived and confirmed the road closure. Via scanner, we’ve heard that multiple power poles are “leaning” but intact. The slide is across most of HP Way at at least one point and though most of the SFD units are being dismissed because no rescuing is needed, the closure continues.
6 AM: City Light info for residents says 2,000 customers (homes and businesses) are out.
6:20 AM: SCL and SDOT are at the slide. If you are using Roxbury as an alternative, be aware that the 8th/Roxbury signal is reported to be out – and remember that intersections with nonfunctioning signals become all-way stops. Metro Route 131 is rerouted since it otherwise would use the HP Way hill. Some have reported their power’s back.
6:43 AM: Our crew at the scene has been told the closure will likely last at least through the entire morning commute – City Light is still working to locate the downed live wires, and until that’s done, engineers can’t assess the slide, which will have to be done before cleanup.
7:32 AM: City Light says via Twitter that the peak of the outage was 2,008 customers (homes/businesses) and that service has been restored to all but 380 customers. The hill remains closed.
7:49 AM: For those who asked about Sanislo Elementary on Puget Ridge, our crew went over to check. It does NOT have power but it IS open – the principal tells us that word of the outage didn’t get around in time for any other decisions to be made, and students started arriving. They’re hoping it won’t be too much longer. Now we’re headed back to HP Way hill to see if there’s an update on operations there.
8:26 AM: We’ll have some daylight photos shortly – the slide is out of cameraphone range but co-publisher Patrick Sand is headed back with images taken via long lens. He reports that it looks like a “tangled mess,” mostly across the uphill lanes, though somewhat obscured by fog. No update yet on how long it will take to clear – they’re still in assessing mode. Meantime, remember that having Highland Park Way hill unavailable is continuing to back up other outbound routes.
9 AM: Photos added – here’s how it looks from the top of the hill, with a long lens. (Note the streetlights at top left.)
We’ll continue to update here for now – if it looks like this is going to last for hours longer, we’ll switch to a midday update at some point.
10:03 AM: The power outage is finally on the SCL map. (Screengrab above)
10:23 AM: Thanks to commenters for reporting that most of the rest of the outage has ended – the SCL map confirms that. What we’re awaiting now is an update on how long the Highland Park Way hill is likely to remain closed.
11:59 AM: Still no new info from SDOT, only a reminder of the closure. We are headed back to the top of the hill to see what is (or isn’t) happening.
12:19 PM: Update from SDOT, which we’ll move to a new update soon as we get a new look at the slide zone:
SDOT continues to work with Seattle City Light at the site of the slide that occurred on Highland Park Way SW. A slide came down this morning above Highland Park Way SW, then a second slide came down, pushing material about 500 feet further, over Highland Park Way SW.
SDOT has cleared some of the material from the lower slide so SCL trucks can gain access. SCL is working to clear some trees that are pushing on some power poles. Geotech engineers are assessing the situation.
We expect Highland Park Way to remain closed through today and into tomorrow as more rain is expected to fall tonight into tomorrow.
1:15 PM: We’ve now launched a pm report and that’s where we’ll be updating this afternoon and into the pm commute.
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