West Seattle, Washington
15 Thursday
West Seattle’s only city-run year-round pool has an almost-three-week maintenance closure coming up. Seattle Parks says Southwest Pool (2801 SW Thistle) will close starting next Monday (February 26th) through Friday, March 16th. During the closure, Parks says, “Crews will install an energy efficient circulation pump in addition to normal upkeep. The Teen Life Center gym and multi-purpose room floors will also be refinished.”
(Seattle Channel image from mayor’s State of the City today)
The idea of having Mayor Jenny Durkan come to West Seattle for a “town hall” has been mentioned frequently at community meetings since she took office. Now, there’s a date, just confirmed by the mayor’s office: Next Saturday, February 24th, Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), 1 pm. (We’re following up to find out more about the format.) That’ll be four days after her first State of the City address (WSB coverage here).
It’s Westside Awards nomination time! Just announced:
Each year the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce requests the West Seattle community to nominate outstanding businesses and persons for the Westside Awards.
Business of the Year
Emerging Business of the Year
Not-for-Profit of the Year
Westsider of the YearWhat makes this award special is the nominations come from the West Seattle community and the nominees are judged based on specific criteria. Criteria for the awards include:
-Nominees will have made a major or visible contribution in the past year that reflects commercial growth and achievement, innovation, creativity or community involvement.
-Contributes and promotes the economic growth, stability and improvement of West Seattle.
-Gives generously of themselves and/or staff in time and resources to community activities.
-Consistently excels in customer service and business conduct.
Please note that a nominee does not have to be a member of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
Here’s the nomination form. You have until March 9th to get your nomination(s) in. Past winners are listed here; this year’s winners will be honored at the annual Westside Awards breakfast on May 1st.
Four reports/updates in West Seattle Crime Watch:
POLICE AT WESTWOOD VILLAGE: A few people asked us about a big response on the east side of the center earlier this afternoon. Police responded after a man called 911 to report that someone he didn’t know showed a gun and threatened him, in or near the WWV QFC. They eventually took a suspect into custody but were continuing to search for the gun. No injuries, no shots fired.
Hours earlier, not far away …
CONFIRMED GUNFIRE: If you thought you heard gunshots in the Westwood area late last night – you did.
We went to the area after hearing a snippet of scanner traffic mentioning “shell casings found at 26th/Trenton”; when we took the quick camera photo you see above, police were apparently finishing their search, because by the time we circled around to go into the lot and park, they had left. Today, we confirmed with SPD media relations that it originated as a report of gunfire heard; no injuries, no damage, shell casings found in the street and collected as evidence.
FOLLOWUP – BURGLARY SUSPECT CHARGED: Last week, police reported arresting a 36-year-old man found inside a vacant West Seattle house “staged for sale” at 36th SW/SW Morgan. They also reported finding a variety of car-prowl loot. We followed up on the person who was arrested and discovered that he had been arrested three other times since the start of the year but had not been charged in any of those cases. In this one, however, the suspect, 36-year-old Nicholas D. Watson, is now charged with one count of residential burglary and one count of second-degree vehicle prowling. Court documents confirm the house he was found in is the former longtime problem house that was sold last year and renovated, and say that the car-prowling incident happened February 11th in the 7000 block of 30th Place SW. They allege that Watson was found in the 36th SW house with a backpack full of items including some belonging to that car-prowl victim. He is reported to have told officers he tried to use 10 stolen cards to buy things but was unsuccessful. The police narrative in the court documents also says:
There were various other pieces of ID and credit cards belonging to people other than Watson that he admitted he took from various other car prowls in West Seattle. He could not remember specific car prowls and the names on the cards did not return to any Seattle Police reports. He stated he did not know them and knew he did not have permission to possess them.
The King County Jail Register shows Watson is still in custody.
Not far from where that burglary happened …
CAR PROWLERS: From Lindsey:
This was in the east alley at 37th Ave between Graham & Morgan. This happened in the early hours of this morning, 2/20, between 12:00 AM and 1:30 AM.
These two individuals walked up to my truck parked next to my detached garage, tried to open it, looked around, and left. They returned about an hour and a half later, forcefully broke into the truck camper, and stole a valuable Festool sander I use in my business as well as some miscellaneous small tools.
The victim says she already has received tips about the possible identity of one prowler from a neighborhood list. He has not been arrested or charged so far as we know, but if you have information, the police incident # is 18-063199.
REMINDER – CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL TONIGHT: One more reminder that the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, which regularly includes Q-and-A time with local police as well as updates on local trends and incidents, is at 7 pm tonight at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).
1:12 PM: Thanks to Kersti Muul and Alisa Lemire Brooks for updates on two groups of orcas that have been in the Central Sound so far today (including one group that veered westward into Kitsap County waters). Kersti just texted to say that she “has eyes on” one group right now, northbound between Blake Island and Bainbridge Island, visible from Alki Point and vicinity, but on the west side of the Sound, so you’ll need good binoculars. She says a “large male” is in the lead.
3:03 PM: Kersti says the whales “have disappeared” from view.
For the past two-plus hours, light snow has been falling off and on, and the National Weather Service has finally just issued an alert about it – a “short-term forecast” alert:
… A very light dusting of snow on grassy or cold surfaces may occur, especially along the west side of Puget Sound from Bremerton to Hood Canal, south of Tacoma in Pierce county, and hilltops around the Seattle metro area. Most spots will just have passing flurries with no accumulation.
The longer-term forecast suggests more chances of snow as the week goes on.
As noted this morning in our traffic/transit coverage, the smaller Spirit of Kingston is on the West Seattle Water Taxi run because the regular WS vessel Doc Maynard is filling in for Sally Fox on the Vashon run. We’ve confirmed with the King County Department of Transportation that Sally Fox is out TFN for repairs. From Marine Division director Paul Brodeur:
The AM maintenance crew reporting to work yesterday morning discovered a line had parted overnight on the Sally Fox. This caused the Sally Fox to slip back against a hard edge of the moorage and maintenance barge. As a result of this, the rub rail and deck edge near the passenger loading station was damaged. The vessel has been moved to a local shipyard for repairs. There is no estimate at this time as to how long repairs will take.
This follows Sunday’s windstorm; we have a followup question out about whether that’s what KCDOT thinks is to blame. Both Water Taxi runs are on five-day-a-week operation right now; the West Seattle run moves to its 7-day-a-week schedule on March 29th.
EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING: Seattle Police say Karen has been found.
Earlier:
(Substituted 5:40 pm: Seattle Channel video of the State of the City speech and introductions)
11:08 AM: Click the “play” button and you’ll open the live Seattle Channel stream of Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s first “State of the City” address, which she is presenting at Rainier Beach High School. We’re watching too, and adding notes of interest below.
First, she’s being introduced by City Council President Bruce Harrell and RBHS student-body president Nyshae Petty. Harrell mentioned others in attendance including West Seattle/South Park’s City Councilmember Lisa Herbold and School Board rep (and board president) Leslie Harris.
11:16 AM: Durkan is now speaking, after Diana Bautista talked about her studies at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) in the 13th Year Promise scholarship, which Durkan plans to expand into a two-year program at more colleges, serving more high-school graduates.
She says this is an “unprecedented and for many painful period of growth,” but that Seattle is “the best damn city anywhere.” She says her nickname at City Hall is “the impatient mayor,” and says the crisis of affordability and homelessness threatens “the soul of our city” and is “the central challenge we face … the moral issue of our times.” She also promises that the city will “stand up” for its values in the face of “attacks from the other Washington,” before getting back to the homelessness/affordability crisis: “People experiencing homelessness are us – moms and dads, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters.” She says the crisis has been “years in the making and will not be fixed overnight.”
Adding affordable housing requires “speeding up permitting” and increasing density, Durkan says, and more units such as backyard cottages. And she reiterates that it’s a regional crisis, not just a city issue, which is why she’s working with King County Executive Dow Constantine (another West Seattle-residing elected official mentioned as being in the audience). It’s also not just a government issue – “it’s going to take businesses, philanthropists, neighborhoods, people of faith, community organizations … every one of us.” It’s not just about creating housing but about creating “true .. equitable economic opportunity.”
11:33 AM: She’s now talking about a new plan – free year-round ORCA transit passes for all Seattle Public Schools high-school students “by this fall,” and for Seattle Promise college attendees too. She will work with the City Council to do this. And then she is back to the Seattle Promise plan (announced at SCC on her second day in office) for “two free years of college education and support” so that more young adults get the educational background that’s required for so many of the jobs that would otherwise be unattainable.
11:43 AM: She has moved on to talking about the other city-funded educational efforts – the Families and Education Levy and the levy-funded Seattle Preschool Program, which are to be combined when they next go to voters, saying college readiness goes back to the early years. And she calls for new protections for domestic workers.
She then touches on other city services – power, trash, utilities, “the fire and police services that keep everyone safe,” street services (telling the story of one of ~50 SDOT workers who worked on Christmas Eve “to make the streets safe and passable). She lauds city workers, but also warns that a budget deficit “is on the horizon.”
Now, traffic, which she says “is going to get worse before it gets better.” But she says it’s good news that “more people are using transit and fewer people are driving alone in their cars, and we need to keep that trend going.”
And then crime – “we have to acknowledge that parts of our city do not feel safe,” declaring that people must be safe in their homes and on the streets and in schools. “Schools are meant for joy and learning … not for lockdowns and mass shootings.” She promises to fight for “common-sense gun-safety laws” (without specifying what those might be). And she says that she wants citizens’ help in choosing the next police chief, starting with a survey you can take online [added – here it is].
11:58 AM: About the environment, she takes another dig at the White House by saying that “we believe in science” here, and then she says environmental justice is vital, and that the burdens of environmental problems so often fall on underserved communities: “South Park, Georgetown, South Seattle – I have heard you!” she declares.
And she goes on to speak of a rosy future, saying that Seattle is where the future has been invented – aviation, tech, medicine, and more.
Looking to the near future: “And next year, in 2019, the Alaskan Way Viaduct will finally come down, and it will be amazing … it will open the door for a waterfront for all … 20 acres of new parks and public spaces … it will reconnect Elliott Bay and its maritime heritage” to the rest of the city.
In closing: “I love Seattle to my bones … and I know we will do the right thing and build a more affordable, inclusive future … Will it be easy? No. It will take grit … Let’s resolve together that next year we can look each other in the eye and say the state of our city is more just … even stronger … that life for all who call Seattle home is better, because of our resolve, our actions, and our love.”
12:05 PM: The speech is over. We’ll substitute archived video for the live window atop this story as soon as we can, and will attach a link to the full text when it’s available.
2:29 PM: The mayor’s office just sent what it says is a transcription. Not on the city website yet so we have cut and pasted it after the jump (the spacing is as sent):
(Townsend’s Warbler, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Highlights of what’s ahead for the rest of your Tuesday:
BABY STORY TIME: Two this morning, both at 10:30, one at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW), one at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW).
LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION: 1:30-3 pm at Jerry Brockey Center on the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) college campus, all welcome:
South Seattle College invites you to the 2018 Lunar New Year Celebration, hosted by the Southeast Asian Association, AANAPISI, The Center for International Education and the United Student Association. Traditionally a cultural experience celebrated in China, Mongolia, Vietnam and Korea, South’s annual event will feature cultural games, learning activates, presentations and FREE snacks and light refreshments. Performances will include a Lion Dance, Chinese and Vietnamese traditional dances, K-pop and martial arts routines. All students, faculty, staff and community members welcome!
(6000 16th SW)
ONE MORE LIGHT-RAIL OPEN HOUSE: The third of three Sound Transit open houses to answer questions and take feedback on the West Seattle (and Ballard) light-rail projects is tonight, and it’s not far – Union Station on the south side of downtown, 5:30-7:30 pm. And remember the “online open house” continues through March 5 – go here. (401 S. Jackson)
TALK WITH YOUR LEGISLATORS: 6-7 pm, Reps. Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon, who represent this area in the State House, are having a “telephone town hall.” You might get a call – and you can call in, or check out a live stream, if you don’t. Our preview explains how.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: This is your chance to bring questions and concerns to Southwest Precinct police leadership, as well as hearing their updates on local crime trends firsthand. Also, a special guest: SPD’s Bias Crimes Unit Det. Elizabeth Wareing. 7 pm in the precinct meeting room, right by the front door, off the parking lot. (2300 SW Webster)
TIE ONE ON TUESDAY: Fly-tying and beer at Emerald Water Anglers (WSB sponsor), 7 pm, please RSVP – our calendar listing explains how, and has full details. (4502 42nd SW)
UNPLUGGED, A MUSICAL GATHERING: 7 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), acoustic musicians and singers of all genres welcome! (5612 California SW)
THERE’S MORE … on our complete calendar.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:55 AM: Good morning. One incident so far this morning – a stalled vehicle is partly blocking the HOV lane on the NB 1st Avenue South Bridge.
WATER TAXI: Back in service but with a vessel change – Spirit of Kingston on the West Seattle run, Doc Maynard on the Vashon Island run.
WEATHER: Below freezing this morning – so watch out for icy spots – and a chance of a little snow.
SCHOOL’S OUT: Mid-winter break week continues for Seattle Public Schools.
LIGHT-RAIL OPEN HOUSE: Missed last Tuesday’s Sound Transit open house in West Seattle? Or, have something more to say? Tonight is the third and final event in this early round – 5:30-7:30 pm at Union Station downtown (401 S. Jackson).
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