West Seattle, Washington

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year : 2018 3707 results

FILM-CREW ALERT: Here’s what will be happening in the West Seattle Junction on Sunday night
January 17, 2018 2:48 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Added: ‘No parking’ signs in Junction in advance of Sunday night filming)

Today we have a semi-rare case of advance notice that a film/video crew will be in West Seattle for commercial production. This Sunday night (January 21st), between about 5 pm and 10 pm, Seattle-based StraightEIGHT will be working on California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska, location planner Dave Drummond tells WSB. He says he can’t disclose “what product it’s for,” but what they’ll be doing is “filming a car traveling on California between Oregon and Alaska.” (Repeatedly.) Police will be there to help them manage traffic, which will be “held” intermittently, a few minutes at a time. Drummond is doing advance work right now to talk to businesses in the area and work out other details. So in case you see the crew Sunday night – and related equipment/vehicles staging nearby – now you know!

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Dumpster fire in Arroyos ruled ‘accidental’
January 17, 2018 1:54 pm
|    Comments Off on Dumpster fire in Arroyos ruled ‘accidental’
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

Seattle Fire crews were on the scene of a dumpster fire in The Arroyos for several hours this morning – so, given the recent wave of suspicious dumpster fires elsewhere in the city, we asked SFD what they’d found out about this one. Just got the update from SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley that this one was “ruled accidental, caused by improperly discarded oil-staining rags. The material spontaneously combusted.” A neighbor says it was a construction-type dumpster.

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UPDATE: About the police response on Puget Ridge
January 17, 2018 12:54 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Puget Ridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

12:54 PM: Thanks for the tips about a sizable police response on Puget Ridge, along 18th SW near SW Juneau. Police tell us they are dealing with a person believed to be in crisis who is inside a residence. They’re hoping to make contact and get them out safely.

2:54 PM: We’ve confirmed with police what neighbors reported in comments – the person is out of the house and in custody, safely, no one hurt.

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HIGHER FARES? Possible increase for Sound Transit Express buses
January 17, 2018 12:43 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

Fare changes are under consideration for Sound Transit Express buses, including Route 560, which serves West Seattle. One option – a flat fare, whether you are riding the bus through one zone or two – would mean a fare increase for Route 560 and other one-zone riders:

They’re taking comments right now via a survey, via e-mail (fares@soundtransit.org), and by phone (866-940-4387). A public hearing is planned too – noon Thursday, February 1 in the Ruth Fisher Boardroom at Union Station (401 S. Jackson St.).

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West Seattle Wednesday: Delridge RapidRide; Morgan Community Association; WordsWest; Denny PTSA; more!
January 17, 2018 10:49 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Surf scoters in flight, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

Busy night ahead in West Seattle – the highlights:

DISASTER SKILLS WORKSHOP: 5:30-7:30 pm at Southwest Library – details here, including how to preregister. Free! (9010 35th SW)

LEARN ABOUT DELRIDGE WAY CHANGES FOR RAPIDRIDE H LINE: It’s a two-event night at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, focused on the plan to convert Metro Route 120 into the RapidRide H Line. First, 5-6:30 pm, learn from and talk with SDOT and Metro reps about possibilities not only for the bus line itself, but also changes on Delridge – rechannelization and more, as previewed here. This is a drop-in meeting. (4408 Delridge Way SW)

TALK ABOUT DELRIDGE WAY CHANGES FOR RAPIDRIDE H LINE: Second event of the night – join your neighbors and the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council to talk about community needs, concerns, and ideas about the bus route and road changes. Also at Youngstown, starting at 7 pm; all welcome. (4408 Delridge Way SW)

MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm at The Kenney, quarterly meeting for MoCA, with – as previewed here – a big agenda including City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, HALA MHA, and the Lowman Beach Park seawall. See the full agenda here. All welcome. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)

WORDSWEST LITERARY SERIES: Nancy Pearl and Susan Landgraf are tonight’s headliners for the January edition of WordsWest Literary Series at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm, as previewed here. (5612 California SW)

DENNY IMS PTSA: 7 pm PTSA meeting at Denny International Middle School, with the featured topic “Alcohol and Drug Refusal Skills.” (2601 SW Kenyon)

BASKETBALL: Girls-varsity home games tonight, both at 7:30 pm, for West Seattle High School vs. Seattle Prep (3000 California SW) and Chief Sealth International High School vs. Lakeside (2600 SW Thistle).

DEADGRASS: 8-11 pm at Parliament Tavern, featuring the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

THERE’S MORE … on our complete-calendar page.

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FERRY ALERT UPDATE: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth returns to 3 boats
January 17, 2018 10:35 am
|    Comments Off on FERRY ALERT UPDATE: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth returns to 3 boats
 |   Fauntleroy | Transportation | West Seattle news

10:35 AM: Just in from Washington State Ferries – after two days on a 2-boat schedule, the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run will return to 3 boats today, now that M/V Issaquah has been cleared to return to service. WSF says it’s not yet certain exactly when the regular schedule will be restored but promises an update, which we’ll add here when we get it.

1:49 PM UPDATE: WSF says the route returned to the 3-boat schedule as of the 1:25 departure from Fauntleroy.

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UPDATE: Car-on-side crash at Delridge/Trenton
January 17, 2018 9:09 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

em>(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)

9:09 AM: As mentioned a short time ago in our daily morning-traffic coverage, there’s a crash at Delridge and Trenton. Turns out (thanks for the tips!) a car is on its side, so this might not clear quickly, and we’re breaking it out into a separate report. No major injuries reported – the SFD dispatch does not include a medic unit.

(Photo courtesy Melanie)

9:16 AM: Our crew has talked to police at the scene and reports two vehicles are involved; no one is hurt. Delridge is completely blocked at the scene just north of SW Trenton, and tow trucks have been called.

10:21 AM: Just went back to look – scene is now clear, road fully open again.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday watch
January 17, 2018 6:58 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday watch
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

6:58 AM: Good morning. As we begin, a Seattle Fire response is arriving at a collision on the Western Avenue offramp from northbound 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct.

FERRIES: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth continues the two-boat schedule today.

7:07 AM: Via scanner, SFD has just told dispatch that the 99-at-Western incident isn’t a crash, it’s a broken-down school bus, so their units are being dismissed.

7:56 AM: SFD medical response at 26th/Genesee.

8:50 AM: Crash at Delridge and Trenton. Avoid the area. (Note: We’re covering the crash separately, here.)

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WEST SEATTLE SCENE: TLC on MLK Day for Fairmount Playground’s forest
January 17, 2018 1:01 am
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE SCENE: TLC on MLK Day for Fairmount Playground’s forest
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Last week we previewed an MLK Day work party for the forest at Fairmount Playfield … and forest steward Christine Deppe just sent us that photo of everyone who showed up on Monday!

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Phone theft; purse-theft update; another abandoned bicycle
January 16, 2018 8:01 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight:

PHONE THEFT: From Chelsea:

Last night, as I was walking home from LA Fitness, I was standing on the corner of Edmunds and Fauntleroy when 3 males approached me from behind as I was sending a text. They then grabbed my phone out of my hand (they did not assault me or pull any weapons). After they grabbed the phone, they proceeded to run West on Edmunds (away from me), where they split up right around 40th Ave. Two of them booked it into an alley behind the apartment building there while one of them ran toward and then crossed Alaska.

I didn’t end up filing a police report because I didn’t get a good look at them plus I didn’t have a phone to call. They appeared to be younger, based upon their clothing, which was dark hoodies with jeans and at least one of them had a backpack on.

As we told her, it’s vital to file a police report so this is on record at the very least, and it’s not too late to file one. (Wednesday update: She has filed a report – incident #18-019576.)

PURSE-SNATCHING FOLLOWUP: We still haven documents with full details of the Saturday night incident in The Junction, but we’ve got a few more than we did on Sunday. We’ve confirmed that two 19-year-olds booked into jail for theft on Saturday night are the adult suspects in this case (police told us a juvenile also was arrested, but juvenile detention rosters are not available online). Both are still in jail, one with bail set at $20,000, one with bail set at $1,500. Both have been ordered – if they do get out – to have no contact with the Junction Starbucks, which at least one witness told us is where the purse theft happened.

ABANDONED BICYCLE: Latest sighting is reported by Becky:

She spotted it at the corner of 47th SW and SW Edmunds.

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SEEN OFF WEST SEATTLE: USS John C. Stennis, headed out for training
January 16, 2018 7:00 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

Thanks to Gary Jones for the photo from Alki Point as the Bremerton-based aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) headed out, northbound in Puget Sound, late today. According to this post on the Stennis’s website, the vessel and its sailors are headed out for “routine training … scheduled to conduct flight operations, damage control and firefighting training, seamanship training, medical training, and exercises designed to maintain technical and tactical proficiency in a variety of warfare areas.”

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FLU: Providence Mount St. Vincent bars visitors, to be ‘vigilant’
January 16, 2018 5:01 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Health | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

In the past few days, several readers with family members at Providence Mount St. Vincent have e-mailed to let us know the center is currently barring visitors because of the flu. One wondered how this was affecting its renowned intergenerational preschool. We checked today with The Mount spokesperson Susan Clark to find out more. Her response:

Like the entire country, Providence Mount St. Vincent is experiencing flu among our residents in both our assisted living apartments and our skilled nursing neighborhoods. There have been no cases of the flu among the children from our Intergenerational Learning Center.

Because the average age of our residents is 94 years, we have a vigilant approach when it comes to protecting this vulnerable population. At this time, we are not allowing visitors, including our volunteers, unless it is an emergency. We are taking additional infection control measures to prevent the spread of flu at The Mount, such as canceling social activities including visits with the children.

Here’s general state Department of Health info about flu.

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FOLLOWUP: What SDOT says about the recurring Admiral/California signal trouble
January 16, 2018 3:33 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

After the Admiral/California stoplight went into flashing-red mode again over the 3-day weekend – far from the first time – we promised to follow up today to see what SDOT is going to do about it. Here’s what SDOT spokesperson Karen Westing found out from the department’s Transportation Operations staff:

This signal you’re referring to is one of our older ones (circa 1980s), which explains why it’s been acting up recently. Our Transportation Operations team has been troubleshooting the problem and did a fix this weekend that they think will solve the issue. If it doesn’t hold, then we’ll replace the signal in the next few months.

If you do see a problem at this or any other signal, please report it as soon as you can. During regular business hours, SDOT has a hotline at 206-684-ROAD; the rest of the time, the 24-hour dispatch number for urgent problems is 206-386-1218.

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WEST SEATTLE SUMMER FEST 2018! Here’s how to be part of it
January 16, 2018 2:40 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

(July 2017 Summer Fest early-evening photo by Paul Weatherman)

One month into winter … we have another look ahead to summer! The West Seattle Junction Association is planning the peninsula’s biggest party of the year, Summer Fest 2018 – now less than six months away – and wants to let everyone in the community know that applications are open for:

*Vending – apply here
*Food – apply here
*Performing – apply here
*Sponsorships – apply here
*GreenLife sustainability expo – apply here
*Pet Junction – apply here
*Free community-partnership booth – apply here

(Each of those links also includes qualifications/description info.) The dates for this year’s West Seattle Summer Fest are July 13, 14, and 15, in the street, in The Junction, as always!

P.S. In other big-Junction-event news, the date for the second Wine Walk will be May 18th, and we’re told tickets will be on sale soon.

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THURSDAY AT DESIGN REVIEW: See the packet for Junction Landing, 4417 42nd SW
January 16, 2018 1:33 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

Next up at the Southwest Design Review Board: Thursday at 6:30 pm, board members will take their next look at the Junction Landing apartment project, 4417 42nd SW [map], a short distance north of the same West Seattle developers’ Junction Flats. The packet for Thursday’s review, from architects Nicholson Kovalchick, is now available – see it (PDF) on the city website, or embedded below:

Junction Landing proposes 58 apartments, 4 live-work units, with 29 underground parking spaces (accessed from the alley), in a four-story building, replacing three houses built in the 1930s. This is its second and potentially final Design Review; the project received Early Design Guidance approval at its first review last May. There will be a public-comment period during Thursday’s meeting, which is upstairs at the Senior Center/Sisson Building (4217 SW Oregon)

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WEDNESDAY: Nancy Pearl, Susan Landgraf at WordsWest Literary Series
January 16, 2018 11:43 am
|    Comments Off on WEDNESDAY: Nancy Pearl, Susan Landgraf at WordsWest Literary Series
 |   West Seattle books | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

She just might be the most famous librarian ever – she even inspired an action figure. Tomorrow night, Nancy Pearl (above right) will be in West Seattle, appearing in the next edition of WordsWest Literary Series, 7 pm (Wednesday, January 17th) at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor). Pearl and poet Susan Landgraf are this month’s headliners. The theme, as described in WordsWest’s announcement, is “‘Broken Promises — Resolutions, Riots, and Repair,’ an unearthing of the stories that lie under promises made to loved ones and to the land, promises abandoned, and the incremental mending.” Pearl has recently added “novelist” to her resumé, with the publication of “George and Lizzie.” Landgraf’s most-recent poetry collection is “What We Bury Changes the Ground.” You can read the full announcement in our calendar listing. Susan Rich, one of WordsWest’s curators, says they’ll also be collecting donations at the event (for which admission is always free) for C & P’s down-payment crowdfund.

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West Seattle Tuesday: WS Crime Prevention Council; dancing; reading; music; more…
January 16, 2018 9:04 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Tuesday: WS Crime Prevention Council; dancing; reading; music; more…
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Chris Frankovich)

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, for the rest of your mid-January Tuesday:

BABY STORY TIME: Bring little ones up to 12 months old to Southwest Library, 10:30-11 am. Free and fun. (9010 35th SW)

JUSTIN KAUSAL-HAYES: Live music with a view! Acoustic hits of the last four decades at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), 5-8 pm. (1936 Harbor SW)

EVENING BOOK GROUP: 6:30 pm at High Point Library. This month’s title is “The History of Love” by Nicole Krauss. All welcome! (3411 SW Raymond)

WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct (meeting room’s next to the parking lot). Bring neighborhoods crime/safety concerns; hear trends and updates from local police. This month’s special guest will discuss drug trends. (2300 SW Webster)

DANCE CLASSES: New series launching at Senior Center of West Seattle – intermediate swing at 7 pm, foxtrot at 8:15 pm. More info in our calendar listing. (4217 SW Oregon)

BASKETBALL: 7:30 pm, home games for the boys-varsity teams at Chief Sealth International High School (vs. Lakeside, 2600 SW Thistle) and West Seattle High School (vs. Seattle Prep, 3000 California SW).

UNPLUGGED, A MUSICAL GATHERING: Acoustic musicians are invited to this session at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)

SOUTH SOUND TUG AND BARGE: 8-11 pm at Parliament Tavern, West Seattle group with “… the best in power trio busking Americana folk power love blues with a bunch of punk rock aesthetic.” No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Post-holiday Tuesday updates
January 16, 2018 6:53 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

6:53 AM: Good morning. If you’re headed toward northbound I-5, there might be a bit of a backup, after an SFD medical response just north of the West Seattle Bridge exit – but the call just closed a moment ago. That’s the only in-or-outbound-from-West Seattle incident so far.

Other notes:

-The Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth Washington State Ferries run remains on a two-boat schedule.

-Utility work on 45th SW in front of Madison Middle School will close the street to all but school buses for a few days, starting as soon as today.

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SITE NOTES: Maintenance downtime; commenting glitch fixed
January 15, 2018 10:47 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle online

Two site notes:

MAINTENANCE DOWNTIME: Our server-management company tells us we’ll be down for a while at some point at/after 11 pm tonight, while they do some semi-urgent maintenance for multiple customers including us. Could be anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. If there’s breaking news and we’re down, we’ll report it in the WSB social media channels.

COMMENTING GLITCH FIXED: Some who use one of our mobile modes have had trouble commenting – it even happened to us: If you tapped the comment window, the keyboard wouldn’t come up unless you hit a formatting key first (bold, yellow highlight, italic, etc.). This has now been fixed. Thanks again to the people who reported this – glitches don’t always affect everyone, because of the differences between the way browsers, operating systems, devices interact, so we don’t always know about problems until they’re reported (editor@westseattleblog.com).

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West Seattleite Claudia Castro Luna, city’s first Civic Poet, prepares to become state’s next Poet Laureate
January 15, 2018 8:10 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people | WS culture/arts

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

West Seattle poet Claudia Castro Luna has just concluded a huge week, and her two-year term as Washington State Poet Laureate hasn’t even officially begun yet.

Consider last Monday: She read two poems at the inauguration ceremony for four citywide elected officials, including West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Lorena González (click the image to see and hear via YouTube):


That same day, she started her fourth year working at Denny International Middle School, teaching poetry to Spanish-immersion students, a four-week series in conjunction with the Jack Straw Cultural Center, where the students will record their poems at the end of the series. Some will be set to music this year, with the help of a guitarist.

The next day – this past Tuesday – she was at Seattle University, teaching a composition class.

Next Wednesday (January 20th), she’ll be at Elliott Bay Book Company, for a reading from her new book “Killing Marias: A Poem for Multiple Voices,” with a classical guitarist who has set eight of her poems to music: “I was floored by what she did – it’s incredible.”

But of all the events on her busy schedule, the biggest will be at 7 pm January 31st, when she officially becomes our state’s new Poet Laureate, succeeding Tod Marshall (who himself followed West Seattleite Elizabeth Austen), in a “passing of the laurels” ceremony during a reading event at the Central Library downtown.

This comes close behind the conclusion of her term as Seattle’s first Civic Poet.

Read More

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UTILITY-WORK ALERT: 45th SW closure by Madison Middle School
January 15, 2018 6:37 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

For much of the rest of the week, 45th Avenue SW by Madison Middle School – between SW Hinds and SW Spokane – will be closed to all vehicle traffic but school buses. Seattle Public Utilities says it’s a sewer-repair project, and should be complete by the end of the week. They’ve distributed flyers along the street and talked with the school, but just in case you’re a 45th user who is outside that notification scope, this is an FYI. (Thanks to the person who tipped us to this!)

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UPDATE: SFD response at Westwood Village, electrical problem cited
January 15, 2018 4:57 pm
|    Comments Off on UPDATE: SFD response at Westwood Village, electrical problem cited
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news | Westwood

4:57 PM: A texter told us about a “smell of smoke” at Westwood Village Barnes and Noble just as SFD was dispatching four units that way. They’ve arrived and so far have NOT found a fire but are checking it out as an electrical problem, so they’re calling for City Light (whose map shows some power trouble in the area).

5:16 PM: SFD cited a “widespread” electrical problem, which we’re also hearing about from some in the area, so we’re headed to WWV shortly to check.

5:43 PM: Just spun around WWV. B&N was the only store clearly dark & closed.

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FOLLOWUP: See how Delridge Way SW would be changed by new RapidRide H Line ‘Option 3’
January 15, 2018 2:54 pm
|      37 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Transportation | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

After the first two RapidRide H Line options for Delridge Way SW failed to generate “a lot of enthusiasm,” as SDOT spokesperson Dawn Schellenberg puts it, there’s now a third one on the table. And even if you don’t ride the bus, it will change the road – so you’ll want to take a close look.

“Option 3” (embedded above, and in PDF here) will be in the spotlight at the next RapidRide H Line drop-in info/input event – 5-6:30 pm this Wednesday at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, to be followed by a 7 pm Delridge Neighborhoods District Council discussion of the H Line. You might even have previewed it at one of the H Line open houses in Burien and White Center last week.

We obtained more information via a briefing with SDOT and Metro reps downtown. SDOT is much more closely involved in planning the RapidRide conversion of Route 120 than it was in planning the 2012 conversion of Routes 54/55 into the C Line, for reasons including the money that city taxpayers now pay for more bus service.

Along with Schellenberg, the meeting included SDOT project manager Thérèse Casper, Metro outreach specialist Jenna Franklin, and SDOT communicator Karen Westing.

Before we go through the details, note that this is not necessarily anything resembling a final design. So they want to know what you think. But it is about more than where the bus will stop – it’s about “redesigning” much of Delridge, and it incorporates some other projects that have been discussed in past years. Even before the H Line was announced and named, in fact, some changes were discussed a few years ago under the Delridge Multi-Modal Corridor project umbrella.

“It’s an opportunity to put those pieces together,” Schellenberg said.

The “pieces” potentially include:

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