West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
(WSB photo, 2017)
As first reported here last week, dozens of canoe families participating in this year’s Tribal Canoe Journey – the Power Paddle to Puyallup – are expected to land on Alki Beach tomorrow afternoon (Thursday, July 26th). Their hosts the Muckleshoot Tribe plan to be ready to welcome arrivals as early as noon. The Puyallup-bound canoe families are on the west side of Puget Sound at Suquamish tonight; the schedule for their stop there says they’ll be leaving as early as 8 am. More canoes are visiting Alki this year than last because rather than this being a stop on the way north, this year it’s a southbound stop close to the end of the journey (see the map here). After arriving on Alki, canoe families and their support crews will travel to the Muckleshoot Powwow Grounds in Auburn for the night. During our coverage tomorrow, we’ll report on plans for the Friday departure, which also usually draws spectators
Tomorrow night’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting includes a briefing by Sound Transit on where the light-rail-planning process stands. All are welcome at the Thursday meeting, 6:30 pm at the Senior Center/Sisson Building (4217 SW Oregon). Looking ahead to that, we have other updates:
MORE PIGEON POINT SOIL SAMPLING: As announced by ST, the soil-sampling drill crew on Pigeon Point moved to another spot for today and tomorrow, this one on the ridge’s north side, near 20th/Charlestown. In the early going of Tuesday’s station-design charrette (followup to the Junction walking tour we covered), ST reps were asked if the test results could significantly change the project plan. Too soon to tell, was the response.
SPEAKING OF THE CHARRETTE: We sat in on the presentation that preceded participants moving to small-group tables for the rest of the day.
They gathered in the Commons at Madison Middle School. When they went around the room for introductions, ST staffers and consultants and reps from other transportation-related agencies (including SDOT and Metro) outnumbered the community participants almost 4 to 1 (23 to 6).
ST again recapped the five West Seattle alternatives that are under consideration in the second of third levels of review that are designed to result in a “preferred alternative” – for route and station locations – being identified by next spring, to send into environmental studies. But ST planner Sloan Dawson also stressed that there remains the option to “mix and match” different possibilities – it’s not necessarily moving toward all-or-nothing for one of the five alternatives.
The community participants indicated – as have members of the Stakeholder Advisory Group (one of whom, Deb Barker, was also a community participant in this charrette) – eagerness for cost information, important particularly because three of the five alternatives that are currently under review would include tunneling.
ST’s Stephen Mak said ST is “developing comparative cost estimates” that will be shared with the SAG – which has been promised evaluation information for its September 5th meeting – and the next “neighborhood forum” on September 8th.
If the West Seattle segment would cost more than envisioned, how would that affect the rest of the route, since this round of planning is also tackling the Ballard extension? Too soon to say.
Background information that followed included some high-level looks at West Seattle such as: The heart of the planning area has added 400 new residential units on average each year for the past 5 years. Its median (half above, half below) household income is higher than the citywide median – $79,000 compared to $74,000. Rents average $50 above the city as a whole.
And the previous day’s walking tour was recapped, including notes of interest from the segment we didn’t follow along for, to the Avalon station zone: They noted “single-family homes we would need to acquire for the guideway” if the line came up the alley between Avalon and Genesee. They also noted that the Golden Tee apartments, currently proposed for replacement with a much-larger apartment building, are just above a potential tunnel portal.
During the recap of the Junction tour, background on the West Seattle Junction Association‘s “free parking” lots was requested by one community participant, so another, WSJA executive director Lora Swift, gave their history. “Our community members have woven these lots into the history of The Junction,” she observed.
Another community participant, Rich Koehler from JuNO, wondered how light rail would change the dynamic of people coming to The Junction from other West Seattle neighborhoods.
ST held a Delridge charrette the preceding Friday, third of six in potential station neighborhoods, with two planned next week (Chinatown/ID and Denny/South Lake Union). The results are to be part of what’s presented to the neighborhood forums, ST tells us, and neighborhood-forum input in turn will go to the Stakeholder Advisory Group as it decides in late September what to recommend for the third and final level of review.
If you haven’t seen the coverage we published this morning on partner site White Center Now: The White Center Chamber of Commerce hosted the last major pre-primary forum in the 34th District State Senate race. Six of the 11 candidates participated in last night’s forum in a forum presented by the White Center Chamber of Commerce, held outdoors at TommySound studios in South Delridge.
Aaron Garcia moderated; our video above includes the forum in its entirety. Participating, left to right, were:
Sofia Aragon
Shannon Braddock
Joe Nguyen
Lois Schipper
Lem Charleston
Hillary Shaw
Schipper lives in White Center; Aragon lives in Burien; the other four live in West Seattle. All are on your ballot as Democrats except for Shaw, who filed with “no preference” regarding party. They are running to succeed Sen. Sharon Nelson, the Maury Island-residing Democrat who decided not to seek re-election. If you don’t have time to watch the video, see our full report on WCN for toplines of their replies to the questions. And be sure to get your ballot into a mailbox (postage is now prepaid!) or dropbox by the evening of Tuesday, August 7th.
Barry sent this report for West Seattle Crime Watch:
While at work at an outdoor camp for kids, my son’s bike – which he built himself – was stolen. The lock, which was around a telephone pole right on Beach Drive across from the park, was cut in broad daylight around lunchtime today.
Again, this is a bike he that built, with love, himself. It is absolutely heartbreaking to him that he’s lost it to a criminal.
Neighbors, please keep your eyes out for his beloved stolen bike, and don’t trust your bikes to be safe locked up ANYwhere.
We asked which park, and Barry replied, “Me Kwa Mooks Park. The City runs outdoor education called Nature Quest, which is there this week. It was probably stolen between 8:45 and 10 am. They left the cut lock and a (I’m assuming previously stolen) hastily repainted beater bike behind.”
Thanks to Carolyn for the heads-up on those “no parking” signs placed today alongside Harbor Avenue SW by Don Armeni Boat Ramp and stretching toward Duwamish Head, as well as several in the Don Armeni lot (southeast side) itself. It’s for “filming activity that will be happening at Luna Park (Duwamish Head) and the Don Armeni Boat Launch this upcoming Friday, 7/27,” according to the location manager, who adds that “A film crew will be over in the area filming a variety of scenes in the afternoon and evening. One of the scenes involves a jogger running along the path, which will involve intermittently holding both vehicle and bicycle/pedestrian traffic when filming is underway.” So if you’re planning to be in that area Friday pm, now you know. We’re hoping to find out a little more and will update with any additional information we get.
2:13 PM: After 22 years, it’s time for a refresh for the “Welcome to West Seattle” sign along the west end of the West Seattle Bridge. Philanthropist Adah Cruzen is donating money for a new one – and to help maintain the area around it – and the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce has just announced it has two options for you to vote on. They were just unveiled at a media briefing at Chamber headquarters; we’ll add video when back at HQ (3:47 pm – here it is):
Here’s the news release:
For more than two decades, the “Welcome to West Seattle” sign along the Fauntleroy Expressway has served as a beacon for newcomers and long-timers alike. Today, the sign continues to greet thousands of motorists and transit riders every day, but its original wooden structure is threatened, and the surrounding hillside provides a continual landscaping challenge.
The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce is deeply grateful to longtime Alki resident Adah Rhodes Cruzen for a gift of $100,000 designated for the installation of a new “Welcome to West Seattle” sign and a sustainable maintenance plan. Adah made the donation on behalf of the estate of her late husband, Earl Cruzen, who died Jan. 23, 2017, at the age of 96.
(Earl Cruzen, 2009 WSB photo)
Earl is recognized for bringing three groups together, the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the Junction Merchants Association and the West Seattle Trusteed Properties, as the Junction Development Committee. The “Welcome to West Seattle” sign, installed in September 1996, is one of the many legacy projects Earl and this group completed.
The first step for the new project was to create the Welcome to West Seattle Sign Committee (WWS Sign Committee). It is composed of these chamber members:
Tim Andes of Waypoint Sign Company
Paul Prentice, of Prentice Designs Inc.
Hamilton Gardiner of Holmquist and Gardiner PLLC
Gary Potter of Potter Construction
Pete Spalding of Verity Credit Union
Shannon Felix of Avalon Glassworks
Lynn Dennis, CEO of the West Seattle Chamber of CommerceThe Board of Directors of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce feels strongly that the committee should gather input from the West Seattle community on the design selection.
The WWS Sign Committee has identified two options, and the chamber is reaching out to the community for its feedback. On the chamber website and via other promotion, the chamber will gather votes in this fashion:
After a 10-day period for gathering community input that ends on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, the WWS Sign Committee will make the final selection and a Request for Proposals for fabrication and installation will go out to the business community.
If you are interested in applying to fabricate and install the sign, please contact Lynn Dennis, lynn@wschamber.com, (206) 932-5685.
Dennis says, “After you take a moment to read the obituary and eulogy for Earl Cruzen on the website of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, I know you will agree that the new “Welcome to West Seattle” is another sign that Earl is still here. Be sure to tip your hat to Earl as you drive by.”
Voting is already open on the Chamber website.
3:48 PM: A few more notes from the brief Chamber announcement, which you can watch above in its entirety: Adah Cruzen added that she wants everyone to know the new sign will be made from steel, so the water in the slope along the road doesn’t rot it like the current one. The Chamber says the new sign should be in place by year’s end. The firms involved with the committee in designing the two options are Prentice Design and Waypoint Sign Company, both with A, the latter with B.
(WSB photo: C Line bus along westbound SW Spokane this morning)
“Amazon will fund 12,000 hours of increased bus service over two years on six of King County’s most traveled routes to downtown and South Lake Union,” according to a county announcement today that says the C Line is one of those routes:
… Amazon’s investment will provide 22 additional weekday trips for two years across some of Metro’s busiest routes serving West Seattle, Shoreline, Ballard, and Capitol Hill. The additional service provides room for roughly 1,700 weekday boardings, and includes the RapidRide E Line and C Line, and Routes 8, 40, 62, and 63. …
Amazon is paying Metro $1.5 million for those extra trips, which will start with the September Metro “service change” (on September 22nd), according to the announcement, which also says:
This September, the Seattle Transportation Benefit District will pay for about 20,000 hours of increased Metro service on 12 routes. This includes improving the Routes 41 and 70 to 10-minute service, adding peak period capacity on Routes 8, 17, 18, 40, 56, and RapidRide C, D, and E Lines, and adding late evening trips on Routes 7 and 106. In total, this will add more than 50 weekday trips to some of the busiest routes in Metro’s system, providing capacity for more than 4,000 additional weekday boardings.
The added service on Route 56 was announced by City Councilmember Lisa Herbold two months ago. Meantime, you can see Metro’s full announcement about these (and non-West Seattle) additions by going here.
The crew from Seattle Fire Engine 36, based at North Delridge’s Station 36 by the bridge, had an education call this morning – Firefighter Story Time at the Delridge Library.
They of course read the classic “No Dragons for Tea” (written by Jean E. Pendziwol and illustrated by Martine Gourbalt), which teaches kids about fire safety. They also brought along gear so that if kids ever find themselves face to face with suited-up firefighters in an emergency, they will remember not to be scared.
SFD sends crews around the city to visit libraries periodically for Firefighter Story Times. This was the only West Seattle stop in the current round, but one month from today, you have another chance to bring the family to meet firefighters and learn about fire safety – “Fired Up Family Day” at the Homestead parking lot on Alki (2717 61st SW), 11 am-1 pm August 25th – explained in our calendar listing.
Multiple opportunities ahead to enjoy outdoor music in West Seattle!
THURSDAY NIGHT: Good Quiver – listen to their debut EP via the embedded YouTube clip above – performs tomorrow night in the second show of the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association (with co-sponsors including WSB). It’s free, on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center (along Walnut south of Lander), starting at 6:30 pm. Bring your own chair/blanket!
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY: Music is a mainstay of the annual Alki Art Fair, happening on the promenade/boardwalk at the beach all weekend.
(Alki Art Fair 2017 aerial by Long Bach Nguyen)
Today, we have the music schedule – see it here (PDF). Main stage music east of the Alki Bathhouse is scheduled 10 am-9 pm Saturday and 10 am-5 pm Sunday; there’s a “busker stage” 10-5 both days further west, too. The fair is offering a free shuttle bus again this year, with pickup both at the park-and-ride under the bridge and at the Admiral Junction – details are on the festival website.
(Great Blue Heron, photographed by Jim Borrow)
Here’s what’s teed up for your West Seattle Wednesday:
WADING POOLS OPEN – The wading pools scheduled to be open today are Lincoln Park until 8 pm (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), Hiawatha 12 pm-6:30 pm (Walnut/Lander), EC Hughes 12 pm-7 pm (2805 SW Holden).
FIREFIGHTER STORY TIME: 11:15 am at Delridge Library, bring the kids so they can meet firefighters and learn about fire safety! (5423 Delridge Way SW)
WILDERNESS SLEUTHS: 11:30 am at High Point Library, meet the special mystery guests from Woodland Park Zoo. (3411 SW Raymond)
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AT THE MOVIES: It’s been pointed out that the Senior Center of West Seattle is an air-conditioned place you can stay cool. 1 pm today, you can do that with a movie, “The Great Dan Patch” (1949), $1 members/$2 nonmembers. (4217 SW Oregon)
HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARMSTAND: Third weekly farmstand this summer for produce grown where it’s sold, 4 pm-7 pm. (32nd SW & SW Juneau)
FAUNTLEROY BOULEVARD ROUNDTABLE: The project’s on hold. But SDOT says smaller-scale safety improvements ca be made. That’ll be the topic of a by-invitation community roundtable at 5:30 pm at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor). While there won’t be public comment, we’re told observers are welcome. (3622 SW Snoqualmie)
OPEN HOUSE: The South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology program invites prospective students to a 6-7 pm open house. (6000 16th SW)
‘GET FIT, WEST SEATTLE’ INFO NIGHT: 7 pm, be at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) to find out about the next “Get Fit, West Seattle,” which will get you up and running, working toward a half-marathon this fall. Free! (2743 California SW)
TRIANGULAR JAZZTET: Jazz at Whisky West (WSB sponsor), starting at 7 pm. No cover. 21+. Details here! (6451 California SW)
SEE WHAT ELSE IS UP … via our complete calendar!
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:03 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far.
WATER TAXI REMINDER: Last scheduled day for the smaller Spirit of Kingston to fill in for the Doc Maynard, which is undergoing maintenance.
STADIUM ZONE: Day game for the Mariners, vs. the Giants, 1:10 pm.
7:50 AM: The Sound Transit Express 560 is experiencing delays, according to a text alert, “due to traffic.”
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