West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
Home safety was the spotlight topic at the final West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting of the year, Tuesday night at the Southwest Precinct, so we’re starting with what the ~15 people in attendance heard from Jennifer Danner, the precinct’s crime-prevention coordinator:
She began by going around the room and asking people what they wanted to know about. Most had questions about video and cameras. Danner reminded everyone that she can do home-security assessments. She started with some myth debunking – “when a door is kicked in, it’s not the door that breaks, usually it’s the frame.” Changing the length of the screws with which your door is fastened is an easy, cheap way to help secure it, Danner said. When it comes to locks, exterior doors should have deadbolts – there too, the length is important; an inch-and-a-half throw is even better than the more-standard inch.
Window security – “You always want to add one more thing to your window,” since most windows can be broken into from the outside.
(Michael Mallagh [Co-Director] and David Katt)
This fall sunshine has been a boon for outdoor activities – including a benefit golf tournament organized by members of the local real-estate community to raise money for the West Seattle Food Bank. Don Bereiter from Windermere has sent photos and a wrap-up on the event held at the WS Golf Course last Friday – all totaling a $7,000 donation to the WSFB, from $3,500 in sponsorships and donations matched by PepsiCo. All from a first-ever tournament that was pulled together in just two weeks! Don continues:
Michael Mallagh and Stephanie Quam (Berkshire Hathaway HS Real Estate) are the brains behind it. They wanted to do something for the Food Bank and get others involved in the Real Estate community. Agents, lenders, title companies, etc., all pitched in a very short time period to make this happen. Below are a list of sponsors and volunteers just to show how everyone came together for a good cause. This was the first annual, and with more time for planning for next year, the dollar amount raised will be significantly larger.
The picture below is the winning team (from left to right) Mike and Debbie Kerns, Jill and Jim Campbell, with a score of 10 under par:
Sponsors
Pepsi – Kenny Turner: Matching Donation Sponsor
JetClosing – Nate Eisele: Beverage Ticket Sponsor
Stewart Title – Cathy Steger & Mary Forrey: Check-in Sponsor
The Westy, Connelly Skis, & The Bridge: Prize Supporters
Ballad Pictures / Adam Bale & Kent Colony: Photos
Garrett Wheadon – Sign Pros
Kelli Strand – Chicago Title
Ron Ballman – American Home Shield
Chris Dutton – Guild Mortgage
Holmquist + Gardiner Attorneys at Law
Nick Perovich – HomeStreet Bank
Shari Kruse – Windermere
Napoleon Williams – Cornerstone Home Lending
(Cathy Steger, Mary Forrey, Jennifer Whip, Stephanie Quam (Tournament Co-Director), Jennifer Ruemping, Sally Hardwick, Kathy Sheldon)
Volunteers
Kathy Sheldon – Berkshire Hathaway
Jennifer Ruemping – Berkshire Hathaway
Sally Hardwick (and Emily!) – Windermere
Jennifer Whip – Windermere
Stephanie Quam – Berkshire HathawayThe Winners!
1st Place with a 62 (-10): Jill Campbell / Jim Campbell / Debbie Kerns / Mike Kerns ($300)
1st Place (Mixed Division) with a 69 (-3): Stephanie Quam / Marian Padgett / Tonya Hamilton / Chris Dutton ($200)
2nd Place with a 63 (-9): Napoleon Williams / Tyler Martinez / Matthew Martinez / Carsten Olufsen ($100)
Closest to the Pin (Hole 11): Jeff Dabbs & Nancy Spiro ($50 Gift Card)
Long Drive (Hole 12): Tyler Martinez and TBD for the women (the long drive results went missing, so if you hit the fairway let me know ;) ($50 Gift Card)
Motivated to join them in donating to the WS Food Bank? Here’s how.
The photo and report are from Leanne:
As I now understand, Lincoln Park is unsafe and cars are broke into here daily. A Good Samaritan helped me to clean the mess. It happened around 3:30 this afternoon. They got a leather tote, purse, iPad, etc. … but not my wallet!! Haha!!!
4:53 PM: Thanks for the tips! Those are forged-steel balls and bags full of them fell out of a truck on the SW Genesee hill east of Avalon, which is currently closed westbound as a result from 26th on up. We’d advise avoiding the area both ways for a while.
4:59 PM: Our crew at the scene says that these are heavy items – check the inscription on the bags:
So SDOT is trying to figure out how to clean up the ones that spilled. Some have rolled into vehicles parked in the area.
7:11 PM: Cleanup is under way – and both sides are blocked, we’re told – thanks for this texted photo:
Your co-publishers are embedded at community events tonight, so we appreciate an update (in comments preferably) if you notice the road has reopened before we get word of it!
8:50 PM: Just went by. Still closed.
10:06 PM: Scanner traffic indicates getting the truck off the hill will involve some backing up and potentially a temporary Delridge closure, so heads up on that.
11:23 PM: After more than six hours, the truck and balls are gone. We’ll do our best to follow up on whether any citation was issued.
Two updates this afternoon on West Seattle High School golf star Lauryn Nguyen:
First, her WS Golf Course record has been confirmed. It was mentioned in this report on the WSHS girls-golf season that she was believed to have set it during the Metro Championships last week – and today, WSHS says it’s official – at 67, 5 under par, she holds the course’s women’s record.
Second, she is the third local high-school athlete in three weeks to be honored as a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Athlete of the Week! WIAA noted in today’s announcement, “Nguyen was the Metro League Golf Championship Individual Champion with her score of 67, setting a new ladies’ course record by two strokes. She also was named Metro League Player of the Year.”
(WSDOT photo: NB view inside the tunnel, from August)
1:34 PM: The state Transportation Commission has finalized the toll rates for the Highway 99 tunnel – $1 to $2.25, depending on daypart, providing you use Good To Go. From the announcement:
On weekdays, tolls will be $1.50 during the morning peak commute (7 a.m. to 9 a.m.), $2.25 during the evening peak commute (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.), and $1.25 during non-peak hours between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Overnight (11 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and weekend tolls will be $1.00. Toll rates will increase by 3 percent every three years beginning in July 2022, subject to annual review by the Transportation Commission.
The Transportation Commission has previously determined that there will be consistent exemptions on all toll facilities for public transit, emergency responders, highway maintenance vehicles, school buses and qualified private buses, which serve the public or commuters.
State law requires that SR 99 tunnel tolls be used to repay $200 million borrowed to build the tunnel as well as related debt service costs, and ongoing operations, maintenance, and safety costs.
Drivers will not be charged immediately when the tunnel opens in early February. The start date has not been set, but it will apparently be months after the tunnel opens rather than weeks – this WSDOT Blog report about traffic-pattern changes expected when the tunnel opens says tolling is “expected to begin as soon as summer 2019.” In the meantime, until tolling begins, the report says, WSDOT is projecting more drivers will use the tunnel than currently use the Viaduct. … While we’re discussing Highway 99, yet another reminder that it will be closed BOTH WAYS this weekend, starting Friday night (October 19th) for inspection plus some viaduct-to-tunnel-transition work. As always, if the closure ends early, we’ll update you here.
4:21 PM: And we have an update already. The NB part of this weekend’s closure will be shorter. From the WSDOT website: “Northbound SR 99 will close Saturday, Oct. 20 at 6 a.m. and reopen Saturday afternoon by 5 p.m. The southbound closure remains unchanged.”
11:58 AM: Tweeted by Seattle Police: “Officers located an unaccompanied 2-year-old boy near 8th Ave SW and SW Henderson a short time ago and are looking to reunite him with his parents. If you’re missing a child, please contact the SW Precinct at 206-733-9800 or 911.” Working to find out more.
12:47 PM: We went to the precinct to ask at the front desk. The child was spotted around 9:30 am by someone who called 911. Parents/guardians apparently not found yet, as he is now in CPS custody.
2:46 PM: No further info on circumstances but we did just get word there’s been a reunion.
4:10 PM: And a clarification – Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Steve Strand tells us that while the child’s mother was found, the child remains with CPS for now “for safety reasons.”
(Photo by Don Brubeck, looking toward Magnolia from Upper Alki this morning)
Just a sampling of what’s happening:
WEDNESDAY AT THE MOVIES: 1 pm screening at the Senior Center of West Seattle. This afternoon’s movie: “Richard III” from 1995. $1 members/$2 nonmembers. (4217 SW Oregon)
LEARN ABOUT CREATING ‘INTENTIONAL HOUSEHOLDS’: Westside Neighbors Network is at HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) for a free presentation explained here. Wine and hors d’oeuvres too, 6-7 pm. (4022 SW Alaska)
THE CANDIDATES! As ballots are mailed today, it’s almost time to vote. Tonight, the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council offers you another chance to see Joe Nguyen and Shannon Braddock, 34th District State Senate candidates, side by side, 7 pm in Olympic Hall at the south end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus. P.S. Free parking. (6000 16th SW)
MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Busy night for MoCA‘s quarterly meeting, 7 pm at The Kenney. See the agenda here. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
WORDSWEST LITERARY SERIES: West Seattle is a place to celebrate writing, and the monthly WordsWest events offer you an opportunity to see and hear topnotch writers. 7 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), “an evening with writers Stacey Levine and Anca Szilágyi, whose female characters inhabit and explore worlds that stretch far beyond their given roles.” (5612 California SW)
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS NIGHT: The West Seattle High School volleyball team is accepting donations for the fight against breast cancer during tonight’s home game against Cleveland. 7 pm. (3000 California SW)
MADISON PTSA: First general meeting of the 2018-2019 school year! 7 pm – agenda details here. In the school library. (3429 45th SW)
AND MORE! Check our complete calendar page to see what else is happening in the days and weeks ahead.
SFD is just clearing 41st/Morgan, which has reopened after a crash that sent a motorcycle rider to the hospital. Police told us that the rider was headed uphill and a driver was headed downhill when they collided.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:33 AM: Good morning! No transit alerts or outbound incidents from West Seattle so far.
WEEKEND VIADUCT CLOSURE: A reminder again, Highway 99 is scheduled to close in both directions this coming weekend (late Friday, October 19th, through early Monday, October 22nd) for the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s final planned inspection, plus some tunnel-transition-related work.
7:51 AM: Problem in the right eastbound lane on the bridge high-rise.
8:22 AM: SDOT says that scene is clear.
9:04 AM: Medic response at 41st/Morgan and texter tells us a motorcycle is involved. On our way to check.
(CONTINUING TO ADD UPDATES as the day goes on)
(SFD photo)
1:25 AM: Seattle Fire has a “full response” arriving in the 2600 block of SW Andover. Updates to come.
1:32 AM: The address logged for the response is the West Seattle Health Club. “Light smoke” reported by fire crews searching inside. A gas meter is involved and an “ongoing gas leak” is reported.
1:37 AM: SFD says via Twitter that this started as an RV fire.
1:43 AM: Though RVs park nearby, generally west and north of the health club, this one hit the SW corner of the building, according to our crew who’s just arrived on scene.
(WSB photos from this point on)
1:57 AM: Photo added of the burned vehicle. No word yet on injuries but SFD’s public-information officer has just arrived on scene.
2:05 AM: You might recall that we covered an RV crash on the east side of the health club’s parking lot back in July; the building and its operations were not involved. Meantime, the gas leak remains the big lingering concern at the site right now.
All but four SFD units from the initial response are being dismissed.
2:21 AM: We’ve talked to SFD’s Kristin Tinsley. The gas is off now. She says (update) no one was treated for injuries. (Video added)
We don’t know yet how, or if, this will affect WSHC operations and will have to check back a little later in the morning. (If you get an update before we do, text/call our hotline – 206-293-6302.)
6:17 AM: Per texter the club is open but the pool is closed.
8:01 AM: As one commenter notes, the vehicle looks like a bus. However, RV is how SFD describes it, apparently more as a catch-all term for a rolling-residence type of vehicle. Meantime, the club posted this morning:
Well folks, another RV plows into the clubs property. This time it started a fire in the pool area and caused significant damage to the structure. We’ve been trying for months to have the RV encampment removed from Andover st. Please call the mayor’s office at 206 684 2489 and complain. We have to stop the unsafe conditions they bring to our club. Constant drug use, illegal dumping of garbage, and theft.
Unfortunately the pool will be closed until we can repair the damage. We will try to keep you posted on the reopening once we learn the extent of the damage.
We are also following up with SPD to see if they had contact with the driver, as SFD confirmed they did not.
8:42 AM: West Seattle Health Club has given us permission to publish its photos from the crash/fire aftermath:
“Enough is enough!” club management said in our exchange, vowing not to stop until they “get this resolved.”
12:20 PM: We are still waiting for responses to our followup questions for SPD. Meantime, Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s office shares this report they just received from SFD:
The accidental fire occurred when the suspect of a shoplifting incident fled the scene in an approximately 15-passenger shuttle van and crashed the vehicle into the west exterior wall of the West Seattle Health Club’s pool building. The van collision damaged the exterior above-ground natural gas line. Fire from the van extended primarily to the exterior wall of the pool building. No injuries were reported. Damage is estimated at approximately $300,000.
Here’s an exterior view, as seen when we went back around 9:30 am:
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