West Seattle, Washington
13 Saturday
9:49 PM: King County has just sent this alert to media around the county:
King County asks that you let your readers, viewers, and listeners know that the 9-1-1 system in Washington State is down at this time. No calls are getting through to the 9-1-1 centers, either on landlines or cell phones.
People who are having an emergency in King County can call the ten-digit emergency number for the police or fire agency in their area on a landline or cell phone, or they can use Text-to-911 on their cell phone.
There is no estimate for restoration of 9-1-1 service. No additional details are available at this time.
Though the alert doesn’t mention it, there’s been a major CenturyLink outage that some agencies cited for 911 troubles earlier. CenturyLink says it hopes to have that fixed by early morning.
Meantime, you can reach emergency services at 206-583-2111 if you need to, per SPD.
12:16 AM: Update from the county:
The widespread 9-1-1 outage caused by a malfunction at CenturyLink continues to affect King County. 9-1-1 call centers are having difficulty receiving phone calls, both from landlines and cell phones. At this time, there is no estimate on when full 9-1-1 service will be restored in our region.
2:30 AM: No 911-specific updates since then but for its part, CenturyLink tweeted a little over an hour ago that it’s “seeing positive progress with our service restoration efforts.”
4:50 AM: Another CenturyLink update: “We discovered some additional technical problems as our service restoration efforts were underway. We continue to make good progress …”
9:31 AM: Not fixed yet, says King County and CenturyLink, which reports only “good progress.”
10:53 AM: From King County: “Progress is being made to restore 9-1-1 service in King County. The CenturyLink network outage that affected emergency calls nationwide is being addressed, and 9-1-1 calls are again getting through. However, residents are urged not to “test” the system. There may still be intermittent issues …”
4:18 PM: CenturyLink also has since said 911 is working. But keep that 206-583-2111 number handy.
(King County Assessor photo of 4411 42nd SW)
Shortly after work started on the 42nd SW site of the future Junction Landing apartment building, a new project plan has turned up next door. The 81-year-old house at 4411 42nd SW is proposed for demolition, with 4 townhouses and 4 live-work units to replace it. The city docket for the project describes it as “with parking” but doesn’t specify how much.
4:51 PM: Washington State Ferries says it’s finished fixing the damage that had Vashon Island down to one slip for 2+ days, so it’s in the process of transitioning back to three-boat service on the “Triangle route.” It’s hoping to have full service restored by about 6:30 pm.
11:15 PM: Update from WSF – “Due to earlier two-boat schedule delays and heavy vehicle traffic, the M/V Cathlamet continues sailing off-schedule. The route will finish the service day on the weekday two-boat schedule, and resumes the regular three-boat schedule on Friday, Dec. 28.”
They’re cabins in the woods … in the city. 2019 reservations for cabins at Camp Long (5200 35th SW) start next week – here’s the Seattle Parks announcement:
For a taste of the great outdoors without having to stay in a tent, the cabins at Camp Long are a great solution. These 10 privately-situated, rustic huts are each equipped with three double bunk beds, a sink and faucet, overhead lights, windows, 2 doors, a BBQ, and picnic tables. Showers and restrooms are nearby. Tell stories around the fire ring, explore 68 acres of trails or climb rocks during the day, and reconnect with the natural world – without the trip out of town.
Camp Long will begin taking 2019 reservations on January 2; cabins open March 1. The cost is $50 per night. (Plus a $50 damage/clean-up deposit of $50 per cabin.) For more information and to reserve, please call Camp Long at (206) 684-7434.
You might have seen a car or two like that in West Seattle recently. Don Brubeck sent the top photo from Alki Point today. Brian Presser of TouchTech Systems noticed this one near his business in The Junction last week:
Just in time for the Seattle Squeeze, Period of Maximum Constraint, Viadoom 2, whatever you want to call the upcoming tunnel transition and the transportation turmoil that is feared to follow, the LimePod is a new carshare option, from Lime, the same company that started with those ubiquitous green bikes. So what’s the difference between LimePod and the carshare companies already operating in Seattle, car2go and ReachNow? We contacted Lime to find out. and they connected us with Gabriel Scheer, Lime’s director of strategic development, who happens to live in West Seattle. (In fact, he laughed during our recent phone conversation, the LimePod parked in The Junction recently may have been there because he drove it home.)
LimePod is starting small in Seattle but will add more of its little Fiats in early January. One big difference from the other carshare offerings: If you are a Lime user already – the ubiquitous green bicycles and electric bikes – same app. “It’s a multimodal fleet,” as Scheer put it.
In some other cities, you can also use Lime scooters. Lime would like to add scooters in Seattle but hasn’t gotten city approval … yet. (They even offered to do a pilot just serving the Water Taxi, but that was a no-go, Scheer said.)
Another point of differentiation Scheer mentioned – LimeAccess, with discounts – and potential smartphoneless use – for those who qualify. “We want to serve everyone.”
Scheer says Lime believes that by being multimodal, it can be a major asset during the upcoming transport-pocalypse (etc.). For now, the four-seater LimePods are gas-burning, but next year, Scheer says, Lime is moving toward electric cars.
P.S. The LimePods are so new, they don’t even have their own section on the main Lime website. If you’re yearning for more specifics, this GeekWire story has them.
Just in from Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner, the reminder that King County has been circulating the news that it finally has the long-awaited capability of receiving 911 via text:
Text-to-911 service is now available in King County. But remember- call if you can, text if you can’t!
Residents and visitors in Seattle and King County who are speech impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or are unable to speak due to a domestic-violence or other incident can now send a text message to 9-1-1 in an emergency situation. Learn more about how it works and what to do by visiting www.kingcounty.gov/911
The service has its limits, as noted in the official announcement, and that’s why they’re stressing, for now, please only text 911 if and when you can’t make a voice call.
(Black-Capped Chickadee, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
From the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide and year-round Event Calendar:
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Noon-4 pm, visit the home of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. (61st/Stevens)
GAME ON! Open game-playing – electronic and board! – 2-4:30 pm at High Point Library. (3411 SW Raymond)
ALKI LIGHT SHOW: Last scheduled presentation of the Uehara-Bingen Xmas Lights Show on Alki! Be there at 6:15 pm for the 30-minute show that starts at 6:30 pm. More info in our Holiday Guide. (1736 Alki SW)
TRIVIA TIMES TWO: 2 sessions of free trivia at Great American Diner and Bar in The Junction, 7 and 8 pm. (4752 California SW)
LIVE MUSIC: FASIV at The Skylark, 7 pm, $8 cover, 21+. More about the music here. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:56 AM: Good morning! We’ve checked around – no incidents reported in our area, so far. Transit notes:
METRO: Running again today on “reduced weekday” service.
FERRY: Also again today, Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth is on a two-boat schedule, with repairs set to start on the damaged slip at Vashon.
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