West Seattle, Washington
27 Saturday
(WSB photo)
1:41 AM: Seattle Fire is sending a “full response” to a reported house fire in the 8100 block of 30th SW [map]. It is reported to have started as a deck fire, and everyone is reported to have gotten out OK.
1:44 AM: The first units on scene say it’s under control, and they’re downsizing the response.
1:58 AM: The fire is reported to be out. We’ll check on the cause later this morning.
4:50 PM: SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley tells WSB, “The fire was ruled unintentional. A barbecue ignited nearby combustibles.”
Tonight (Wednesday), after the peak of evening commute, you might want to avoid The Viaduct. WSDOT explains why:
Drivers who use State Route 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct to get through downtown Seattle should expect up to thirty-minute delays on Wednesday evening, July 12.
Officers from the Seattle Police Department will perform intermittent rolling slowdowns on both directions of SR 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. The rolling slowdowns will allow crews to safely film a commercial.
Northbound SR 99 traffic will gradually slow to 10 mph starting near South Royal Brougham Way. Southbound SR 99 traffic will slow down near Western Avenue. Pilot cars will lead the slowed traffic across the viaduct until the roadway is clear, then allow traffic to accelerate back to highway speeds.
Most of tonight’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting was focused on the Seattle mayor’s race, with four candidates speaking and taking questions. We recorded them on video, above – first, Gary Brose; second, Casey Carlisle; third, Greg Hamilton; fourth, Larry Oberto. Each was given up to five minutes to make a statement, and then questions continued for close to an hour. (Sorry about the lighting, or lack of it – ANA meets in a low-lit room at The Sanctuary at Admiral – the clip works best if you just listen to it in the background.)
WHAT’S AHEAD: King County Elections mails ballots tomorrow, so primary-election voting is about to start (deadline is August 1st, and that’s when vote-counting will begin). 21 candidates in all are running for mayor; see them all here. You have at least two more chances to see multiple mayoral candidates in West Seattle – 16 of the 21 candidates have RSVP’d for the Sustainable West Seattle-presented forum that we’re moderating at Summer Fest this Saturday, 2 pm, in Junction Plaza Park; six candidates will be at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s transportation/business-issues forum at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center on July 20th (mingling 6:15 pm, forum 6:45 pm).
ORIGINAL 9:03 PM REPORT: Aaron reports his motorcycle was stolen on Beach Drive:
The bike is a black, silver, and white 2007 GSXR 750 sports bike. It has Texas license plates # 3ZL797. Last 8 of Vin: 72101610. The bike was stolen today between 9 am and 5 pm. Please call (911) if found.
9:48 PM: Ben reported in comments that two motorcycles were stolen from him today in West Seattle; he has since e-mailed the photo and info:
“Had two bikes stolen today from my driveway on Admiral Way between 1030 and 1130 AM. 2007 Suzuki gsxr and 2007 Yamaha R6.” Same goes for these – if you see one or both, call 911.
6:41 PM: The photo is from WSB’s Christopher Boffoli, who is at the scene of a sizable Seattle Fire response for a garage fire in the 2600 block of 50th SW [map].
6:48 PM: Update – the fire is tapped, SFD tells Christopher at the scene. No injuries, and no information yet on how it started.
7:05 PM: As for damage, Christopher says there wasn’t a vehicle in the detached garage, but what he described as a charred canoe was visible. The fire did not spread to the house. SFD’s fire marshal is investigating.
9:21 PM: More photos added, including the two below in which, once the fire was out, firefighters explained their gear to a curious young neighborhood resident:
We’ll check tomorrow on the final report about the fire’s cause.
ADDED 9:22 AM WEDNESDAY: According to SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley, “Fire investigators ruled this fire as accidental and determined the cause was from smoking material discarded into a garbage can. Estimated loss is $20,000.”
That’s West Seattle’s legendary, short-lived and long-gone Luna Park, circa 1910, from the Seattle Municipal Archives. If you have any Luna Park memorabilia/photos, Michael Falcone is hoping you’ll help:
I’m working on a documentary on Luna Park (amusement park 1907-1913) and would like to put out a call for any photographs/materials relating to the park and/or early West Seattle. I will be at the High Point Library Sunday, July 16th from 1-3 pm in the High Point Meeting Room for people to come by with any materials they would like to see included in the documentary.
I will have a laptop, scanner and camera present in case people allow me to copy images at that time. I am working with SW Historical Society in part on this project and seeking a Seattle CityArtists grant with the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.
If you have questions, you can reach Falcone through his website.
3:39 PM: Thanks to Peter for the photo and tip: Demolition of the three 1940s-built duplexes on the northeast corner of 61st/Admiral is under way. We first reported last October on the plan to replace them with 12 three-story rowhouse units, eight facing 61st and the other four facing Admiral. The Alki Parking Overlay requires one and a half offstreet-parking spaces per unit, so there will be 18 spaces, accessible from the alley to the east.
4:48 PM: Just went by. Two duplexes down, one remaining, and the crews appeared to be done for the day.
If you can donate blood, especially if you’re Type O, your help is urgently needed. Here’s the announcement we received:
Bloodworks Northwest issued an urgent appeal for donors after the community supply for Type O blood — the most common blood type among people in the Northwest — plunged by 37% since the beginning of July, and now stands at 1,000 units below normal operating levels.
“Sadly, more people needed lifesaving trauma care recently, reminding us that the need for blood doesn’t take summer vacation,” said James P. AuBuchon, MD, president and CEO of Bloodworks, “In the past 10 days we’ve had high patient needs, but 550 fewer donors than during the same period a year ago. Inventories of the most-needed blood types and platelets are between critical and emergency levels – only a one or two day supply.”
The need for blood is continuous for patients having surgeries, trauma care, organ transplants and cancer treatment. About 45% of people in the Northwest have Type O blood.
Bloodworks welcomes donors at 12 centers and conducts up to 100 mobile drives per week across the Northwest. It takes about 800 donors a day to maintain a sufficient supply for more than 90 hospitals served in Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
Noting that “good things come in pints,” Snoqualmie Ice Cream has teamed up with Bloodworks
to offer 5,000 pints of ice cream to donors to help address the summer shortage. People who
register at any Bloodworks donor center to give July 10-16 will receive a free voucher for a pint
of ice cream. To learn more and register visit: https://www.bloodworksnw.org/icecreamDonors can schedule an appointment at any donor center by going online at schedule.bloodworksnw.org or by calling 800-398-7888. People can also can check online at bloodworksnw.org to find dates and times of mobile drives close to where they live or work.
We often list local drives in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, which shows two next Monday (July 17th) – one at Alki Masonic Lodge in The Junction, the other at Our Lady of Guadalupe.
(SDOT camera at California/Alaska, a section of street that’ll be festival-filled Thursday night-Sunday)
Three days to West Seattle Summer Fest 2017, coming up in The Junction this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! We’ve talked a lot about Summer Fest Eve/WS Art Walk on Thursday night – including updates in last night’s preview – so in this update, we’re pointing you to more information about who and what you’ll find during the festival.
SHOPPING & MORE: You need all three days of the festival to see/shop/meet everyone you’ll find there – both the vendors and organizations with booths, and the year-round merchants, many of whom are offering sidewalk sales (after all, that’s what the festival used to be – the summertime sidewalk sale!). Some people like to show up at the festival and discover who’s there, but if you would rather plan ahead, or at least get some hints, the list is now online, including links you can use to find out more about who they are and what they do. Find it here.
FESTIVAL FOOD: Also online, the food list – not just which festival-only vendors will be there, but also the year-round restaurants, including those that’ll be serving up specialties on the sidewalk. See them here.
RETURN OF THE ART DIVE: It’s back this year! Find the artists at California/Oregon.
GREENLIFE SCHEDULE: We’ve talked about the mayoral-candidates debate (13 confirmed candidates now!) on Saturday, but that’s just part of what Sustainable West Seattle’s offering at the GreenLife expo, in Junction Plaza Park (42nd/Alaska). Here’s the schedule.
KIDS’ ZONE SCHEDULE: Kid stuff at Summer Fest is more than just the rides – lots of fun activities. See the list and schedule here.
And that’s STILL not all … watch for more previews coming up! Festival hours, by the way, are 10 am-6 pm Friday and Saturday, 11 am-5 pm Sunday, with the beer garden and mainstage music (both on California between Genesee and Oregon – here’s the festival map) running until late Friday and Saturday nights.
(WSB photo: Playground at EC Hughes, mid-June)
While EC Hughes Elementary in Sunrise Heights is getting some renovation work before Roxhill Elementary is moved there in fall of 2018, the project doesn’t include the playground … so, as we reported a month ago, the new support group Friends of Roxhill Elementary is launching a community campaign. Today, from Jenny Rose Ryan, an announcement of the next phase, focusing on ways you can help – with money, materials, and/or volunteer time:
You can also find out more at the upcoming Friends of Roxhill Elementary meeting – 6 pm Thursday, July 20th, at White Center Library (1409 SW 107th) – everyone’s welcome.
(Cedar waxwings, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
What’s up for the rest of today/tonight:
NEW CRAFTING GATHERING: Drop by Highland Park Improvement Club 11 am-1 pm for a new crafting group – described in our calendar listing. Free, open to all, children welcome. (1116 SW Holden)
WADING POOLS AND SPRAYPARK OPEN TODAY: Lincoln Park wading pool and Highland Park spraypark are both open 11 am-8 pm; Delridge wading pool is open noon-6:30 pm. (Find addresses here)
JUSTIN KAUSAL-HAYES: Live music at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), 5-8 pm. (1936 Harbor SW)
CONVERSATION & FILM ABOUT GENDER DISCRIMINATION: 6 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, presented by Southwest Youth and Family Services. Watch and talk about the film “Anita” – more info in our calendar listing. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
JUNCTION LAND USE COMMITTEE ON HALA REZONING: 6:30 pm at the Senior Center/Sisson Building, the Junction Land Use Committee presents a workshop with information on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda‘s proposed Mandatory Housing Affordability rezoning, as previewed here, as the DEIS comment period continues, extended by the city until August 7th. (4217 SW Oregon)
WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: This month’s meeting moved to the second Tuesday because of last week’s holiday. 6:30 pm at HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor), with agenda items including the Roxbury and Avalon paving/rechannelization projects and next Sunday’s Mini-STP ride. (41st/Alaska)
FAMILY STORY TIME: 7 pm at Delridge Library, bring the kids for stories, songs, and rhymes. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
MAYORAL CANDIDATES @ ADMIRAL NA: As previewed on Monday, three FIVE mayoral candidates will talk to the Admiral Neighborhood Association at 7 pm, The Sanctuary at Admiral. The group is also looking ahead to the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series that it’s presenting starting next week. (42nd SW/SW Lander)
MORE … on our complete-calendar page!
Just wanted to get this on your post-Summer Fest calendar, if it’s not there already: One week from tonight, you’re invited to the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center for the West Seattle Big Band‘s 22nd annual Concert in the Park, free and fun. Bring a chair/blanket/picnic dinner, bring the family/friends/neighbors; the band, directed by Jim Edwards, starts playing at 7 pm Tuesday, July 18th. WSB is proud to be a co-sponsor this year. If you haven’t been before, while Hiawatha’s official address is 2700 California SW, the concert is on the Walnut side. See you there!
(HERE’S THE SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:06 AM: Good morning! The high-bridge cameras are still down. No incidents reported in/from West Seattle. One road-work alert continues:
ROXBURY SIDEWALK WORK: We checked on Monday and as announced, the project to build sidewalks and replace road panels along the south (eastbound) side of SW Roxbury between 28th and 30th has indeed begun.
WEST SEATTLE SUMMER FEST: We’ll be reminding you all week – Junction road closures and bus reroutes for West Seattle Summer Fest start at 6 pm Thursday and continue through late Sunday night, California between Edmunds and Genesee (with Oregon remaining open to east-west traffic) and Alaska between 42nd and 44th. The reroute alerts are now online here.
Karen and Jennifer wanted you to know about a scare they had today with their dog Grover:
We just had quite an experience I want to share so others are aware of this potential issue. I was walking our dog Grover this morning and he found something small and ate it. Pretty common for dogs to find random things on a walk. Grover has found cheese, hamburger, etc. This time, it looked like a small piece of paper and I could not get him to spit it out. We continued our walk.
We got home and he seemed fine. After about 30-45 mins, I ran an errand to pick up groceries at Amazon Fresh. When I returned home, there was vomit on the ground and Grover was very unresponsive. His pupils were dilated, he could hardly sit up and was scared of any movement near his face or head. We had just been to the vet last week and knew that all was ok with him. After a few minutes of this behavior and him actually falling over on the couch, I called Lien Animal Clinic and they took him immediately.
Apparently, he ingested cannabis. They stated there has been an increase in this happening. We now assume what he ate was the end of a joint. He has been admitted for the day and is getting fluids to make sure he does not dehydrate and to work the cannabis through him. It was terrifying to see this happen. Please be aware that legal weed leads to more chances of critters finding it. The act of tossing a spent joint on the ground can have impact. Just wanted to share this so others know this can happen.
Big thanks to Dr. Jody Zawacki and the team at Lien for being the best!
Looking around before publishing this, we saw many references suggesting cannabis is not automatically toxic to dogs; much has been written about therapeutic use, which would involve controlled circumstances and doses. So the main point of this is, think of Grover and other pets before you toss anything unconsumed – which of course goes for other intoxicants and medicines too.
The city is about to start restoration work on the East Admiral sites where trees were illegally cut, three months after announcing a settlement in part of the case. Today’s announcement also includes word of two open houses next week, both early in the morning:
In 2016 more than 150 trees were cut from the Duwamish Head Greenbelt, which is owned by Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and Seattle Department of Transportation. The City of Seattle filed two lawsuits regarding the cutting. In April 2017, the City settled one of the two lawsuits. The funds from this settlement enable Seattle Parks and Recreation to begin removing and replacing damaged and destroyed trees. The settlement funds will also enable Seattle Parks and Recreation to carry out standard urban forest restoration work to protect hillsides and wetlands. SPR will remove nonnative invasives, implement erosion control measures, plant native vegetation, and monitor the site to ensure that new plantings become successfully established.
Large equipment will be moved into the north Duwamish Head Greenbelt and truck traffic will increase. SPR and the contractor will make every effort to minimize impact to the community. The project remediation and erosion control work will occur from July to December 2017 with planting occurring from November 2017 to March 2018. Additional restoration work and monitoring will last through 2022.
SPR is hosting two Informational Open Houses from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 18 and Wednesday, July 19, 2017. Please join us at 3201 35th Ave. SW at the dead end of 35th Ave. SW north of SW Hinds St.
All vehicles, or any other personal property items parked or stored on the public property in the north portion of the Duwamish Head Greenbelt must be removed by Sunday, July 16, 2017. The City may impound any vehicle or remove personal property remaining on the property after July 16, 2017. If you have questions please contact Michael Foster, Senior Real Property Agent, Seattle Parks and Recreation at michael.foster@seattle.gov or 206-684-0767.
For more information about the mitigation and restoration work please visit www.greenseattle.org or contact Jon Jainga, Interim Natural Resource Manager at jon.joinga@seattle.gov or 206-684-4113.
King County Superior Court online files show the case that was not settled is still proceeding through the system, with a trial date recently pushed back to May 2018.
We’re continuing the countdown to West Seattle Summer Fest 2017 with some updates:
FIRST, THE BASICS – WHEN & WHERE: In The Junction, on California between Genesee and Edmunds, and Alaska between 42nd and 44th. Also, Kid Zone along 44th north of Alaska.
Summer Fest Eve/West Seattle Art Walk: 6 pm (also when the streets close) to ? on Thursday night.
Summer Fest Day 1, Friday: 10 am-6 pm; music/beer garden until late
Summer Fest Day 2, Saturday: 10 am-6 pm; music/beer garden until late
Summer Fest Day 3, Sunday: 11 am-5 pm everything
Farmers’ Market: Festival weekend only, it’s in the parking lot behind KeyBank, 10 am-2 pm
SUMMER FEST EVE ENTERTAINMENT/ART UPDATES: Bubbleman‘s location is set, 7-8 pm Thursday at Walk All Ways (California/Alaska) … West 5 will host Big Band Blue outdoors, 7-9 pm (see our calendar listing) … Easy Street presents Shabazz Palaces, in-store at 7 pm …
YOU OF COURSE HAVE SEEN THIS … the lineup for the festival itself, Friday-Sunday.
AND BY THE STAGE … new this year, a band-merch tent.
AT THE BEER GARDEN BY THE STAGE … larger this year, thanks to the West Seattle Eagles; you can play giant Jenga and Cornhole, also new.
GO BEHIND THE SCENES – VOLUNTEER AT SUMMER FEST: Not too late to sign up to give some time and get a unique view of the festival – go here.
MORE PREVIEWS … tomorrow!
By week’s end, your primary-election ballot should arrive – King County Elections plans to mail ballots on Wednesday. Three election-related events are coming up this week in West Seattle:
MAYORAL CANDIDATES AT ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Tuesday night at 7 pm, ANA’s meeting will include three of the 21 mayoral hopefuls, as just announced by president Larry Wymer:
Gary Brose
Casey Carlisle
Harley Lever
All are welcome at the meeting, at The Sanctuary at Admiral (42nd SW/SW Lander).
TUESDAY UPDATE: Greg Hamilton and Larry Oberto also have RSVP’d, so now that’s five.
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS’ MAYORAL ENDORSEMENT: Last month, our area’s biggest political organization had a mayoral forum with nine candidates (here’s our coverage, with video). But the 34th Dems did not take an official endorsement vote. We’re told they’re planning on one at this month’s meeting, 7 pm Wednesday at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW).
MAYORAL FORUM AT SUMMER FEST GREENLIFE: And another reminder, Sustainable West Seattle is hosting a forum with mayoral candidates (we don’t have the final list yet) at 2 pm Saturday, during the SWS-presented GreenLife section of West Seattle Summer Fest. Got a question you’d like to see us (we’re moderating) ask? Post it here. All welcome at Junction Plaza Park (42nd/Alaska).
If you’ll be out late Friday night/early Saturday morning, and possibly Saturday into Sunday, you’ll want to avoid the east half of the West Seattle Bridge (aka the Spokane Street Viaduct). Here’s the alert:
Seattle City Light crews plan to improve electrical system reliability by pulling new wire over the top of the Spokane Street Viaduct near 2nd Avenue South.
To work safely, traffic will be reduced to one lane and the speed limit dropped to 25 mph in both the east and west bound directions of the Spokane Street Viaduct between 1st Avenue South and 6th Avenue South. See the work zone map below. Work will occur on Friday, July 14, and, if necessary, Saturday, July 15.
Drivers should expect slowdowns during this time.
Lane reduction details:
The nights of Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15 (if needed)
· Traffic will be reduced to one lane and speed limits dropped to 25 mph in both directions from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
· Washington State Patrol and extra City Light equipment will be positioned in the work zone to promote safety.
· Access to 1st Avenue South and 4th Avenue South ramps will be maintained.
Once energized, the newly installed electrical wire will improve system reliability and add capacity to the South of Downtown (SODO) area.
More than a year after we first reported via partner site White Center Now that Popeyes and Starbucks were taking over the old WC Chevron site, the first of the two is opening – Wednesday, says Popeyes. More on WCN.
(Reader photo, early Saturday afternoon – cropped just above where suspect was lying on ground, in custody)
As promised, we followed up today on Saturday’s bizarre and frightening Avalon Way incident involving a naked man running in the roadway, bolting into a business, and smashing windows on an occupied Metro bus before police got him under control.
(Photo from KD – bus windows smashed during rampage)
We had few details that day – most of the story was told by commenters – but we obtained the police report narrative today and have transcribed much of it. It begins:
At 11:52 (am) … numerous callers reported a naked male in the vicinity of SW Avalon Way/SW Andover Street acting erratically and armed with a hammer. Dispatch advised the following: “On Avalon, just north of intersection, naked male hitting vehicles and lying in the middle of the road. The subject was described as a white male, late twenties to forties, 5’8” to 6’, thin, bald, facial hair, and completely naked.
Three officers were sent, two who are described as having had Crisis Intervention Training, one described as from the SW Precinct Bicycle Squad. They were in the small bus that transports the bicycle squad, “which lacks emergency equipment or in-car video,” the report notes, continuing:
Prior to officers arriving, dispatch updated that the subject was unintelligibly yelling, striking vehicles with a hammer, appeared high, jumped onto a pickup truck, stopping traffic, lying in the street, dancing, broke a bus window, went into a pet-care business, and covered in blood, chasing people with a hammer.
(WSB photo: SPD car that was blocking 34th at Thistle)
Several people have asked about the police response near 34th SW and SW Elmgrove. Officers have safely resolved a situation involving a possibly armed person who was reported to be threatening self-harm. The person will be evaluated by medics, and the streets will be reopening, according to radio exchanges; we have just confirmed with SPD that no one was injured.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch so far today:
STOLEN LAPTOP: Lisa reports a car break-in, sometime between Saturday night and this morning on Delridge near Home Depot; a black bag containing her boyfriend’s work laptop was taken. Useless to the thief or thieves, she says: “You aren’t able to do much because it is secured and needs a government ID to turn on.” It’s a black Dell laptop, Latitude e7450, serial starts with G7S, also “identifying number (ending with 3837) barcode on bottom.” If you have any info, the police incident # is 2017-250195.
THREATENING GRAFFITI VANDALISM: A reader reports spotting “DIE” in orange spray paint on the side of a house near Fairmount Park. He spoke to a neighbor who planned to notify the residents; the police Twitter log indicates a report has been filed.
Family and friends will gather August 19th to remember Derek Grasso. Here’s the remembrance his wife Michele is sharing with the community:
Derek Grasso was a blinding light filled with unconditional compassion and knowledge. He touched many throughout Seattle and beyond in his time on this earth. He never judged, he lived without guilt, and accepted anyone in their truth. He helped many strangers with advice and acceptance. He was the person that counseled the homeless instead of turning his head. He was the stranger you met on the bus that very well may have changed your life.
Derek passed away suddenly this February from a major heart attack; he was surrounded by love while the medics tried to save him, but tragically he passed away en route to Harborview Medical Center.
Derek moved from Boston to Seattle in 1997 with his best friend Jenna. Derek and Jenna came to a new state and new beginning together like explorers. His wild and adventurous spirit was always something that could leave you in the wind if you weren’t brave enough to face the unknown. He often rode the city’s transit system, wandered and explored the city; he made many friends and acquaintances helping all of them along the way.
Derek met his wife, Michele Grasso, at West Seattle Thriftway shortly after he moved to Seattle. Though his past was much like an unbelievable story, the meeting of his future wife was much like a fairy tale filled with romance and uncertainty, eventually leading to a union of hearts and souls the world could envy.
Derek is survived by his most beloved, an elusive ghost of a lover and eventually, the greatest love of all, Michele Grasso. His most important compatriot of experience and friendship, Jenna Oliver. A wild and knowing spirit that always challenged, Louise Rutherford, a sweet little cat named Kali who was his everyday buddy, and the hundreds of souls encountered that were changed for the better simply because they met him and were able to hear his words.
A memorial gathering is scheduled for August 19th at Lincoln Park in West Seattle. Please contact Michele Grasso (kitapunk [at] hotmail.com) for additional information, including exact location and time.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
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