West Seattle, Washington
15 Friday
(WSB photos. L-R, Ed and Andrew)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Five months after we first reported that 2 Fingers Social was on its way to South Delridge, the doors open at 4 pm today.
We stopped in last night for an opening-day-eve look at what co-proprietors Andrew Spence and Ed Wheeler describe as their “esoteric” establishment, with numerous “nerdy/geeky” touches.
However you describe it, one look inside shows how they have thoroughly transformed the space at 9211 Delridge Way SW [map] – formerly home to businesses including a payday-loan operation and medical-marijuana dispensary – with countless custom creations, from the lighting fixtures to the barstools. Read More
(Anna’s Hummingbird, photographed in September by Mark Wangerin)
The weekend’s almost in view! Here’s how it starts:
WEST SEATTLE SKI SWAP DROPOFF: Selling at this weekend’s West Seattle Ski Swap? Drop off your items 3-7 pm at American Legion Post 160. (3618 SW Alaska)
(added) 2 FINGERS SOCIAL OPENS: As previewed in this WSB story, the new bar-with-food 2 Fingers Social opens 4 pm in South Delridge. (9211 Delridge Way SW)
FUNDRAISING SPIN-A-THON: The WAVE Foundation, working to end domestic violence, is the beneficiary of tonight’s spin-a-thon at West Seattle Health Club – doors open at 5:30 pm. Full details in our calendar listing. (2629 SW Andover)
FRIDAY NIGHT SKATING: 5:45-7:45 pm at Alki Community Center. (5817 SW Stevens)
AUCTION AND ART PARTY: West Seattle Helpline benefits from tonight’s benefit at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor): “Local artists Jennifer Carrasco, Genna Draper, Engrid Hooper, Heather Brincko and Cameron Moores will exhibit work and offer some paintings for silent auction.” $20 ticket includes one beverage plus appetizers. 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
(added) ART LOUNGE: Bring your art project to Highland Park Improvement Club and get creative! Free; bar available. 21+. (1116 SW Holden)
FOOTBALL: Chief Sealth International High School plays at home (Southwest Athletic Complex; 2801 SW Thistle) at 7 pm vs. Sammamish; West Seattle High School plays on the road at Liberty High School in Renton (16655 SE 136th St.), 7 pm.
FREEBO AND ALICE HOWE: Singer-songwriters in concert at Kenyon Hall, 7:30 pm. Full details including ticket info, in our calendar listing.
LOOK AHEAD TO THE WEEKEND … recycling on Saturday, fall festivals on Sunday, and more … via our complete calendar!
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:08 AM: Good morning. No classes @ Seattle Public Schools today. And so far, no incidents in/from West Seattle.
PAVING THIS WEEKEND: As announced late yesterday by SDOT, 40th/Edmunds will be repaved over the next two weekends, and SW Edmunds will be closed there both weekends, 9 am Saturday to 5 pm Sunday.
9:04 AM: Quiet commute – as always, we appreciate your traffic-related (and other!) tips throughout the day and night, 206-293-6302 (text or voice). One more weekend note: In the stadium zone, Sounders FC hosts Dallas, 4:30 pm Sunday.
From the state Ecology Department:
The Washington Department of Ecology has fined Seattle-based electronics recycler Total Reclaim, Inc. $67,500 for illegally storing hundreds of thousands of pounds of flat screen TVs and monitors. Washington law requires e-waste to be either recycled or disposed of as dangerous waste in a timely manner.
This is the second recent dangerous waste penalty for Total Reclaim. In 2016, Ecology fined the company $444,000 after an independent investigation found the company was shipping e-waste to Hong Kong.
An Ecology inspection in February of this year found that, for more than a year, Total Reclaim stored thousands of flat screen TVs and monitors containing mercury in dozens of semi-trailers parked on Harbor Island.
Washington’s electronics recycling policies and dangerous waste laws prohibit what is known as “speculative accumulation,” because it can lead to waste being abandoned, environmental contamination, or force taxpayers to pay for a cleanup.
“After receiving a very large penalty about a year ago, Total Reclaim knew it needed to fully comply with Washington’s recycling policies and dangerous waste regulations,” said Darin Rice, manager of Ecology’s Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction program. “Electronic waste contains toxic chemicals – it’s not good enough to simply store it for months or years. It needs to be properly and safely recycled in a timely manner.”
Since Ecology’s inspection, Total Reclaim has shipped flat screens stored longer than 180 days to a facility in South Carolina for recycling.
Total Reclaim has 30 days to pay the penalty or file an appeal with the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board.
From last night’s 34th District Democrats meeting, last one for our area’s largest political organization before the November election:
CHAIR ANNOUNCES COMPLAINTS: 34th DDs chair David Ginsberg warned the group that his monthly report would be different this time around. He used it to announce that the group had become the subject of complaints filed by Glen Morgan, who Ginsberg described as a lawyer trying to “bankrupt progressive causes” via legal action.
So far no word if any evidence has been found, but we’ve heard from multiple people (thank you!) about possible gunfire heard in the Delridge area, between the 8000 block and SW Thistle (8400 block). Those who have contacted us say yes, they’ve reported it to 911, and we’ve heard a dispatch for officers to check it out.
Four more West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
PACKAGES TAKEN: The video is from Zuned, who says this happened at 62nd SW/SW Admiral Way at 1:38 pm today, recorded by his security camera:
PACKAGE THIEF STEALS PRESENT: From Rick:
We had a package theft (Wednesday) from the front porch of our apt. building across from Shell/McDonald’s in Gatewood between 9-4. It was a Rock’n Ride Blue Castle Grow with me Pony Ride on Rocker, Bouncer convertible to spring horse. It was for the Grandson’s first birthday. Honest. I have my own.
STOLEN CAR FOUND IN GARAGE: A vacant house near 31st SW/SW Roxbury that was sold less than a week ago had something unexpected in the garage on Wednesday – a stolen car. We obtained the report on this incident after a neighbor’s tip today. Police found the car when another neighbor called them to report seeing an unfamiliar red ’90s Honda Civic in the house’s garage. It turned out to have been stolen from Renton, and for reasons not specified in the report, police here were already on the lookout for it. It was in the process of being taken apart, and it was impounded in multiple pieces.
PROWLER IN ADMIRAL: Ryan reports seeing a prowler targeting cars in the 50th/Prince area and then going into a house or yard at 51st/Grayson around 10 am today: “He was wearing a blue jacket, black pants, appeared to be Asian and about 45-50 years old.” Ryan says he called police three times but did not see officers respond; a report was eventually logged for “suspicious circumstances.” If your car or house was broken into in that area today, be sure to file a police report (and if you have, please let us know too).
(Monday photo by WSB’s Christopher Boffoli)
We have new details of Monday’s Admiral stabbing from the documents that charge 26-year-old Kierra M. Ward with one count of first-degree assault and another of second-degree assault. In addition, her bail has been quadrupled from what was set at her first hearing, to $400,000. The documents say that the victim, who was pushing her infant son in his stroller, was attacked from behind on 41st SW:
Officers obtained a statement from (the victim) at the hospital. (She) stated that she was walking on the sidewalk with her infant son in a stroller when she heard footsteps behind her. She noticed the footsteps increasing in speed so she moved to the side to allow the person to pass her. At that time she was attacked by an unknown woman with a knife. She was stabbed/slashed several times in the face and head. She tried to protect herself by covering her head with her arms and hands.
(The victim) was afraid for her son’s safety so she pushed his stroller away from her and screamed for help. Residents in the neighborhood heard her screaming and came outside. (Her) son was taken inside by the residents of (a nearby house) for protection. Another resident of the neighborhood came out and attempted to keep Ward from further assaulting (the victim), allowing her to get away.
The victim collapsed in the front yard of the house whose residents had taken her son for protection, the documents say, adding that police interviewed the man who stepped between attacker and victim. He told officers Ward had pointed the knife at him and threatened to stab him. She then ran away, he said, as officers arrived. As we reported that day, a relatively short standoff ensued, and Ward was arrested.
The charging papers also say that Ward told police she was homeless (as commenters had said, recognizing her as someone who had long slept outside at Hiawatha Playfield) and that, as we had reported, she has no known criminal history – but, prosecutors wrote in arguing for raising her bail, “her willingness to brutally attack a mother and a neighbor in broad daylight raises severe concerns about the public’s safety if she were to be released into the community.” She is scheduled to be arraigned in two weeks.
Just in from SDOT – a particularly bumpy and busy intersection on the east side of The Junction is about to be repaved:
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) advises travelers that crews will be repaving 40th Avenue SW and SW Edmunds street the weekends of Saturday, October 14 to Sunday, October 15 and Saturday, October 21 to Sunday, October 22.
On both weekends, from 9 a.m. Saturday to 5 p.m. Sunday, travelers can expect:
·SW Edmunds Street will be closed to all traffic between 40th Ave SW and Fauntleroy Way SW
o Street will be detoured
o Uniformed Police Officers will direct traffic at the intersection
·No parking on 40th Ave SW and SW Edmunds St in the work zone
o “No Parking” signs will be placed 72 hours prior to start of work
·Driveway access will be limited, with waits up to 15 minutes for equipment to clear
Checking the West Seattle traffic cameras a short time ago, we noticed this:
(SDOT camera framegrab)
That’s the Shell-station sign at Fauntleroy/Alaska. No injuries, apparently, because no Seattle Fire dispatch was logged, and no SDOT traffic alert. Then we received this ground-level photo from Brian Presser of TouchTech Systems:
Brian says a semitruck was involved in the collision too. As of right now, the live webcam shows the car is still there on the corner – so pedestrians beware, and north/east-bound drivers too, as eventually a tow truck will have to come take it away.
(WSB photos added)
FIRST REPORT, 2:28 PM: A “brush fire” call that’s been open since late morning in the Roxhill Park area is actually an underground peat fire, according to Seattle Parks, which says it’s under control but has claimed a few trees. Parks also says part of the park will be closed TFN because of the fire. We’ll be heading over to find out more. The peat bog in the park was restored years ago but has gone dry because of a variety of problems that the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition has long been trying to get the city to address. More to come.
3:04 PM UPDATE: We are at the park now. SFD and Parks are working together to dig into the peat to try to get to a not-burned area so they can cut off the fire. They have had to tear out some trees to get to it.
(And yes, that’s a TV helicopter.) What looks like smoke in our photos, we are told, is ash. Peat fires can burn for days, weeks, even months, so SFD is hoping this hasn’t extended too far. It’s at the southeast corner of the park.
3:56 PM UPDATE: Back at HQ now, and adding more images.
Since the fire isn’t out, SFD can’t say for sure how it started, but Deputy Chief Gene Zimmerman told us firefighters have been out a few times in recent days to extinguish “small warming fires” in that area of the park. We will check back in early evening but right now, this is NOT affecting the play area on the west side of the park, except that an SFD line is running to the fire area from a hydrant on 29th SW on the southwest side of the park. (added) This view of digging to fight the fire …
…is reminiscent of a view from the Seattle Municipal Archives, dated 1961, of peat being dug up in the area during road work (we’ve published this photo before):
FRIDAY NOTE: SFD closed out the call late Thursday night. We haven’t received a response yet to our question for them, whether the fire’s considered extinguished, but we went over at 5:30 pm for a look:
All that remains is a big muddy area, with chain-link fence around it. The paths to the east and to the north (toward the bus stop) are taped off, but nothing else in the park is affected. We’ll be checking with Seattle Parks, and again with SFD, next week.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
At least once a week, somebody asks what’s up with 35th Avenue SW Phase 2 – or whether there will even be a 35th Avenue SW Phase 2, given that it’s been more than a year since SDOT provided the last major community update focused on the project.
We took the question to SDOT’s longtime point person on the project, Jim Curtin.
Yes, he says, Phase 2 is still being worked on. But first, SDOT is “preparing to come out with before-and-after data,” covering the two years since the Phase 1 rechannelization south of Morgan.
In August 2016, you might recall, SDOT unveiled possibilities for Phase 2 at an open house (WSB coverage here), and said whatever was decided would be put in this year.
This year is almost over. Curtin explained that “Councilmember (Lisa) Herbold asked us to let the community help us with the design. We thought it would be a good idea to pause and make sure we were collecting sufficient amounts of data before making decisions.” Now, he says, they believe they have, and they’ll be releasing the “before-and-after study” which “will also have our plans for Phase 2 within it.”
No hint on how soon this will go public, but he promises it’s “going to be incredibly comprehensive and illustrative of how the corridor functions in the Phase 1 area and will also have information about what’s in the future for 35th north of Morgan.”
In connection with a connecting project – the West Seattle Greenway – crossing improvements already have been announced for 35th/Graham (that announcement in June suggested that the next 35th SW update would be in July).
Curtin says those are still planned, along with other “long-requested new crossings.” And while, again, other details – such as whether part of the stretch will be rechannelized as was a long stretch south of Morgan – aren’t available yet, Curtin told us, “There will also be attempts to reduce the speeds on the north end, where we still have some significant speeding issues.”
He acknowledged again that the next phase has “been a long time coming.” The design process is under way, and there’s no new funding request – Curtin says it’s coming “mainly through the Levy to Move Seattle.” As for how the next phase will be unveiled, if you haven’t already guessed this from other city events in the past year, they are not likely going to have a city-official-with-slide-deck-style presentation, he said. The city’s contention is that some community members “aren’t comfortable in those situations, so we miss potentially powerful input.” So look for potential “drop-in sessions,” probably another walking tour, and information online … sometime soon.
(WSB photo)
West Seattle High School‘s new principal Brian Vance was already scheduled to talk with the WSHS PTSA at its meeting last night, long before the situation last Thursday involving a “threatening statement” made by a student (WSB coverage here), but that became Topic A. Read More
Every quarter, the West Seattle Art Walk adds new venues – so take a good look at the new map for tonight and the next two months, to see who’s just joined!
(Click to see larger image)
While The Junction remains the heart of the Art Walk, new venues are in other neighborhoods too, including south Admiral and Sunrise Heights. Starred venues are hosting artists/art, while those without stars (as well as some with them) are offering food/drink specials to make your night of art exploration even more special.
Here are the highlights for tonight, including:
North of Morgan Junction, Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) invites you to be part of the art tonight, with an interactive experience – join featured artist Pamela Resnick:
If you have ever wanted to try painting with oil paints, now is your chance. You will have the opportunity to paint on a 6” x 6” piece of canvas with help and direction.
The subject matter is anything related to wine. There will be some images available to choose from, bring your own or just come paint the colors in abstract form or design. The goal is to get enough 6”x6” “wine” paintings so we can combine them all together into a large mosaic piece of artwork to commemorate the evening.
Art Walk starts at 5 pm and continues “until late,” depending on the venue – go explore, find out about West Seattle businesses you might not have visited before, and have fun!
Also happening today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and inbox:
MILITARY JETS: Just a reminder that three EA-G6B Growlers from Whidbey Island are scheduled to arrive at the nearby Museum of Flight at 11 am and leave at 2 pm – as previewed here yesterday.
ALAIR NIGHT OUT: 4-8 pm, gift shop Alair is hosting its next Girls’ Night Out, with a variety of visiting vendors, services, treats – full details in our calendar listing. (3280 California SW)
SECOND THURSDAY OUT! LGBTQ community members and friends are welcome to meet up at the Senior Center/Sisson Building at 6 pm for an evening including dining at Lee’s Asian Restaurant. (4217 SW Oregon)
(added) WOLF ALICE @ EASY STREET: 6 pm free in-store concert at Easy Street Records with “London indie-rock darlings” Wolf Alice – the only Washington stop on their tour! (California/Alaska)
HIGH-SCHOOL ECOTRAVEL OPPORTUNITY: Parent/guardian of a West Seattle High School student? 6:30 pm tonight at WSHS:
There is an unique opportunity for your student to earn high school and college credit while gaining lifetime experiences on an educational trip this summer to Belize. Mr. Rose and Mr. Marzofka will be leading an exclusive group of students on a trip that focuses on eco-travel through the diverse ecosystems of Belize. If you are interested, reserve your spot now at a last-chance informational meeting on October 12th at 6:30 pm in room 234 at West Seattle High School. There are only a couple spots still available and it will be first come first serve to fill the last spots. For more information or to RSVP to the informational meeting, email Mr. Rose (narose@seattleschools.org) or Mr. Marzofka (jdmarzofka@seattleschools.org).
(3000 California SW)
ACOUSTIC OPEN MICROPHONE: Singers and other musicians are welcome at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
LIVE MUSIC AT HAWKS NEST WEST: At the new venue on Alki, 8:30-11 pm, live music after Thursday Night Football, featuring Zechariah Valette. (2806 Alki SW)
SEE MORE … on our full calendar!
No Seahawks this Sunday since it’s a bye week, but you have two fall festivals to visit in West Seattle!
We’ve already previewed the longrunning Fauntleroy Fall Festival (2-5 pm), and this year you can start your afternoon at Forest Lawn (WSB sponsor), which invites you to its Fall Festival from noon-3 pm.
This festival promises “hay ride, face painting, balloon artist, pumpkin decorating, photo booth, caramel apples & popcorn, giant games for kids.” Most of the activities will be in the parking lot outside Forest Lawn’s main building at 6701 30th SW [map] across from the cemetery; the hay rides will go around the cemetery.
All free!
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:39 AM: Good morning! We start again today with no incidents in/from West Seattle.
REMINDER FOR TOMORROW: No classes Friday for Seattle Public Schools – it’s an in-service day for teachers.
P.S. Thanks as always for letting us know if you see a traffic/transit problem we haven’t reported on yet – text/voice 206-293-6302 (provided you can use your phone legally & safely).
(Parent-and-child volunteer team, October 2017 Duwamish Alive! – photographed by Leda Costa for WSB)
Just received tonight from the Duwamish Alive! Coalition – official word of the fall event on Saturday, October 21st, with opportunities for volunteers at multiple spots along the Duwamish River and in its watershed:
The salmon are running and leaves are brilliant with fall colors – it’s time for our annual Duwamish Alive! fall event throughout West Seattle. Join us in improving the health of our green spaces, creeks and especially our Duwamish River as we celebrate these special community places! Volunteers are needed at many local sites which provide critical habitat for our community and our river.
Duwamish Alive! celebrates the connection of our urban parks and open spaces to our river, wildlife and community. Starting at 10:00 am, volunteers of all ages – at multiple Duwamish sites throughout the watershed from river to forest – will participate in a day of major cleanup and habitat restoration in the ongoing effort to keep our river alive and healthy for our communities, salmon, and Puget Sound.
A special opening ceremony will be held at T-107 Park, across from the Duwamish Longhouse, at 10:00 with special guest Seattle Councilmember Lisa Herbold opening the day along with Duwamish Tribe members and the Port of Seattle. Included is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Washington Environmental Council’s work in restoring and protecting both our Duwamish watershed and Puget Sound. . The community is welcome and encouraged to attend.
Duwamish Alive! is a collaborative stewardship effort of conservation groups, businesses, and government entities, recognizing that our collective efforts are needed to make lasting, positive improvements in the health and vitality of the Green-Duwamish Watershed. Twice a year, these events organize hundreds of volunteers to work at 14 sites in the river’s watershed, connecting the efforts of Seattle and Tukwila communities.
To volunteer, visit DuwamishAlive.org to see the different volunteer opportunities and to the contact for the site of your choice, or email info@duwamishalive.org – this is a family-friendly event for all ages — tools, instruction and snacks are provided.
Direct link to see the list of where you can volunteer, and to sign up, is here.
From last night’s hourlong Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting:
SURVEY BRIEFING POSTPONED: The meeting was shorter than usual because a staffer from City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s office wasn’t able to attend to talk about the Alki Public Health and Safety Survey; its results are in the councilmember’s most recent weekly update.
UPCOMING EVENTS: ANA president Larry Wymer, who’s also on the board of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition, mentioned the mayor/City Council candidates’ forum that WSTC will be co-sponsoring with the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce on October 19th (6:30 pm at American Legion Post 160, 3618 SW Alaska)… He also mentioned that ANA will be helping with the Admiral District Trick or Treat event on Halloween (3-6 pm), and that Hiawatha has a fall carnival coming up too (October 27th, 6-8 pm) … On October 22nd, Admiral Congregational Church will host an “Ask a Muslim” event, 1-3 pm, its pastor Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom announced.
DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS: Community-engagement coordinator Laura Jenkins introduced herself to ANA and explained the department’s mission, which is focusing more and more on community engagement. Those in her role are “here to help you connect with the city and tell you more about … resources,” she explained. “We can help you find the right person to go to … even for us, it’s hard to figure out who that is” sometimes. She said she’s not assigned to a specific area – she “fills in where needed”; of the other three community-engagement coordinators, Yun Pitre is usually focused on the south end, including West Seattle.
WESTSIDE NEIGHBORS’ NETWORK: Judie Messier continues making the rounds of neighborhood meetings to promote the new organization that is now officially seeking members to support each other as they “age in place.” So many people who are getting older “are living alone … and worried about the possibility of losing (their) home,” Messier said, and WNN is meant to provide life-enhancing support. North East Seattle Together (NEST) and others in Greenwood and Capitol Hill are the three other “virtual villages” in the city so far, among more than 200 nationwide, in addition to WNN, which now has 13 founding members, and is offering two types of memberships. “Full” membership offers the option of creating an “intentional household” for mutual support. Messier fielded a variety of questions, explaining that for example, you don’t have to provide support to receive support. Someone expressed concern about the price of dues; Messier explained it’s far lower than other similar organizations. When another attendee brought up the Senior Center and its role in offering/coordinating resources, Messier noted that WNN sees itself as part of a “tapestry” of services and resources. She offered to answer any and all questions anyone has, no obligation – contact WNN through its website.
SAFETY CONCERNS: An attendee raised questions about traffic safety and other transportation concerns that could arise when Aegis Living opens its new senior-living facility at 47th/Admiral next year, five years after Life Care Center closed at the same site. There were suggestions that these be brought up with SDOT.
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: ANA’s rep is SWDC co-chair David Whiting, who presented a recap. (We covered last Wednesday’s meeting here.)
The Admiral Neighborhood Association meets second Tuesdays most months, 7 pm at The Sanctuary at Admiral (42nd/Lander).
(WSB photo from last Friday)(WSB photo from July)
Ridership last month on both King County Water Taxi routes set September records, the county DOT says. The new numbers were published today, including:
The West Seattle route (had) 42,444 riders in September, up from 41,057 during the same month last year, representing a 3.4-percent increase.
Total year-to-date ridership is slightly down from last year’s record pace, the report adds, while noting various potential factors likely playing into that, including the five-day service interruption in August when the downtown dock was moved to its temporary location while its new permanent terminal is built. You can see a full month-by-month breakdown via the Data tab on this page of the Water Taxi website. October 29th, by the way, is the last day of this year’s seven-day-a-week schedule; you can preview the weekday-only winter schedule here.
(WSB photo)
If you drove/rode/walked along the north stretch of Delridge Way SW earlier this evening, you might have seen Hate-Free Delridge‘s demonstration on the pedestrian overpass. They were there to express support for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), the program that has postponed deportation for undocumented immigrants who were brought into the U.S. as children. As this federal webpage notes, the program is ending, though members of Congress are working on alternative plans.
(WSB photo from Monday morning)
4:37 PM: We reported Tuesday on Alki Elementary parents’ concerns about safety at the 59th SW/SW Admiral Way intersection since its conversion to an all-way stop. SDOT had told the parents, who formed a Traffic Safety Task Force for the school, that they would evaluate the intersection over a six-month period before deciding whether to make more changes or revert to the way it used to work, including a pedestrian-activated stoplight. The task-force parents met with SDOT reps at the intersection yesterday, including Safe Routes to School point person Brian Dougherty, and now SDOT has just sent this update from spokesperson Dawn Schellenberg:
I wrote to [the list who received this update] a couple of weeks ago sharing what we’d been hearing and were observing with the new all-way stop in at 59th Ave SW & SW Admiral Way. Since that time, the most common concern we’ve received is that people driving begin to roll through this large intersection before people walking start, or complete their crossing. We share your concerns and are dedicated to improving the intersection for pedestrians.
Since the all-way stop was installed in late August, we started collecting data. Our evaluation of the all-way stop will ultimately include an assessment of stop compliance, speeds, turning movement, and pedestrian counts. So far, we have collected speed data, turning movement counts, and pedestrian counts. Based on this data, we have seen pedestrian volumes comparable to pre-installation with a preference for crossing Admiral on the east leg, where the crosswalk is marked. We’ve also seen a decrease in speeds along SW Admiral Way since the street was restriped in late 2016. That being said, we’ve made the decision to accelerate some of the other proposed improvements, including:
• Relocating the stop sign on the west leg closer to the intersection for improved visibility
• Marking the crosswalks across 59th Ave SW to further alert people driving that pedestrians may be crossing
• Adding painted curb extensions (see design selected by the community below) on the northeast corner, southwest corner, and median island on 59th Ave SW to help reduce the size of the intersection
We expect these changes to be made by the end of the year. We’ll continue to evaluate operations at the intersection over a six-month period.
Schellenberg’s e-mail included this image to show the “design selected by the community”:
…but, checking WSB archives, we note that it’s not the one announced in August, nor was it among the three offered for a vote in June. We’ve asked a followup question for clarification. We’re also contacting the task-force parents to get their reaction to today’s announcement.
ADDED 6:39 PM: Regarding the design, SDOT’s Schellenberg replied, “Based on the design selected, we worked with the material fabricator and our Arts person to create a design as close as possible.”
ADDED 11:25 PM: Here’s the response from the Traffic Safety Task Force, via Merkys Gomez, who we contacted for comment:
We had sent an email to Dawn Schellenberg on 10.07.2017, and her email today was unresponsive to our questions, misses critical concerns raised by members of the Traffic Safety Task Force at Alki Elementary, and continues to push through an agenda to continue with an all-way stop, to which we, and area residents, are opposed.
We met with Brian Dougherty of SDOT on 10.10.2017, and he was able to witness first hand the issues that we are experiencing on a daily basis with the intersection, including the near-misses which are not being captured by SDOT’s data. We agreed to
* adequately marking the school zone (per SDOT’s school signage),
* reactivating the light on Admiral, and
* painting and later raising with concrete the median on 59th that separates the north and south lanes on the south side.Those changes are necessary for the immediate safety of this intersection while we work toward an ultimate goal to install an all-way traffic signal that is pedestrian and vehicle activated, with no turn on red arrows, and red light and speeding cameras to ticket violations, especially during the school commute. Given the nontypical nature of that intersection, this is the best solution to improve pedestrian to driver and driver to driver communication and safety. Dawn’s email today makes no mention of our agreement with Brian. We’re talking about an intersection where the primary users are children getting to and from school. Their safety is more important than meeting an exact numerical quota. One child lost is one death too many.
(U.S. Navy photo: EA-18G Growler landing on a carrier in 2014)
We don’t always get advance alerts about military aircraft in the area, but we just got one for tomorrow so we’re sharing it. This is in a media advisory from the Museum of Flight, which as you probably know is not far east of West Seattle [map]:
Three frontline Navy EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets will fly to the Museum on Oct. 12 to preside over the donation of a 10-foot aircraft carrier model to the Museum. The model will be presented by the officers of VAQ-130 Naval Air Station Whidbey Island to the Museum’s Education Office. The aircraft will arrive at 11 a.m. and depart at 2 p.m. One of the Growlers will be stationed in the Museum parking lot with crew members standing by to meet the public. The other two planes will be parked next to the Museum’s airport fence. The event is free.
The advisory included this background, if you’re interested:
The aircraft carrier model is of the crew’s ship, the USS Eisenhower (CVN-69). It was built by the officers from VAQ-130 for a booth at the annual NAS Whidbey Island Airborne Electronic Attack Ball, where each Growler squadron contributes a booth that includes interactive games or displays of squadron pride. This year, VAQ-130 squadron built the carrier, jokingly referred to as “Low Cost Trainer” for the pilots because it includes a zip line that allows a model plane to be landed on the deck. Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Jones, VAQ-130, said of its donation to the Museum, “We think it will be a great addition to the education department at the museum, and hopefully inspire some young future naval aviators!”
Your chance to buy/sell skis, snowboards, boots, clothing, and other winter accessories is just days away at the 2017 West Seattle Ski Swap, presented by Mountain to Sound Outfitters. It’s happening next door to M2SO at American Legion Post 160 (3618 SW Alaska). Here’s the schedule:
Sellers drop off items for sale:
Friday (October 13th) 3 pm-7 pm
Sale, day 1:
Saturday, 10 am-5 pm
Sale, day 2:
Sunday, 10 am-4 pm
Sellers pick up unsold items:
Sunday, 4:30-6 pm
If you’re interested in selling, register here.
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