West Seattle, Washington
23 Friday
(Added: WSB photo)
10:01 PM: Delridge Way SW is reported to be blocked by a crash (updated) at Hudson [map], and a rescue response is on the way.
10:06 PM: One person is reported to be trapped in one of two vehicles that collided, per SFD.
10:13 PM: SFD says that person’s been extricated; their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
10:23 PM: Added a photo. The person who was extricated, a man in his 40s, was in the utility truck, and is being taken to Harborview. (added) Police were looking for someone else who went running from the truck. Delridge remains closed north of Brandon.
11:07 PM: The photo added above shows where firefighters cut the man out of the truck. The next one shows a parked car that was hit:
We’ll be going back to check on the road’s status.
FRIDAY, 9:25 PM: Friends and neighbors are trying to find out what happened to Kathleen, who they say hasn’t been seen at her Highland Park home for two weeks. Her disappearance is suspicious, explains her neighbor Grace, because Kathleen’s home appeared to have been ransacked and her dog left behind, with obvious signs of neglect. Grace says Kathleen “was considered our neighborhood vigilante,” in terms of watching out for crime and suspicious activity, and that she would never let a neighbor’s disappearance go unremarked on, so they’re trying to find out what happened to her. They say Kathleen worked at Home Depot but hadn’t been there for a few weeks. A police report has been filed, 2018-109928, so if you’ve seen Kathleen or have any information about the circumstances of her disappearance, her friends hope you will call 911 and refer to that incident number. (We are not publishing Kathleen’s full name, as we have not heard from relatives, nor, Grace says, have neighbors.)
ADDED MONDAY MORNING: We just talked with Det. Mark Jamieson at SPD media relations, who talked with the detective assigned to the case after we inquired. He confirms what a family member says in the comment section, that at this point there is no indication of foul play (criminal activity); she was reported missing about two weeks ago and the case remains open.
While homelessness is much-discussed, community discussions tend to happen in relation to something specific – an encampment, a City Council action, etc. If you are interested in a more general discussion of the issue, you might want to RSVP for the forum just announced by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, 1 pm Saturday, April 21st, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). The Chamber announcement says it’s meant to address questions including “How did this happen? What’s being done? What can you do?” Participants will be from the city Human Services Department, SPD’s Southwest Precinct, Plymouth Housing, and the Mockingbird Society, with a Q&A period promised for each speaker. No admission charge, but the Chamber says preregistration is required – you can do that here.
Tomorrow morning at 9 am, West Seattle Thriftway (4201 SW Morgan; WSB sponsor) will be thronged for the annual egg hunt – the store’s busiest morning of the year. And what a year it’s been – as noted here two weeks ago, this is the locally owned, independent store’s 30th anniversary. And to celebrate, over the course of two weeks, the store randomly paid the tabs of 30 customers who had no idea in advance that they would be winning free groceries – they shopped, went to check out, and found out they won.
Owner Paul Kapioski said, “We wanted to say thank you and give back to our customers directly. What better a way than paying their bill? It was a lot of fun giving away groceries and hearing the customers cheer for each other when we did the drawings.”
The top winner Chelle walked away with $230 of free product. The lowest Jerry at only $3.99, told store staff, “I should have bought more.” $1,900 total was given away in two weeks.
5:45 PM: No specifics have been announced for security concerns, but the Saudi Crown Prince is in the area this afternoon and Seattle Police say downtown traffic is about to be affected – temporary shutdowns for a motorcade route. So if you are, or have to go through, downtown, you might want to wait a bit. He arrived in Everett this afternoon after flying from New York.
(WSB photo: Water Taxi on Friday night after service resumed)
6:35 PM: We don’t know if this is related, but we just got an alert that West Seattle Water Taxi runs are canceled between now and 7:30 pm, when service will resume with the run from Pier 52 downtown.
(Google Maps/Street View image of most of the potential project site)
Just one month after we broke the news of the plan for a new Junction mixed-use building at 4747 California SW, we just found another major redevelopment proposal in progress for the heart of “downtown West Seattle” – longtime local entrepreneur/developer Leon Capelouto has an early-stage proposal for a 7-story mixed-use building at 4508 California SW. According to the site-plan document in the city’s online files, that would include what are/were seven business storefronts, as listed here:
The city docket describes the proposal – which again is early-stage, no formal application yet – as ” 7-story multifamily apartment building with street-level commercial space and 1 level underground parking.” This is just southwest of his newly completed AJ Apartments mixed-use building at Oregon/42nd, and northwest of his first development project built about a decade ago, CAPCO Plaza, a mixed-use building including the Altamira Apartments, QFC, Petco, and other businesses at 42nd/Alaska. We contacted Capelouto by phone and he stressed that this is a very early filing, aimed at “seeing what we can do” with the property.
As reported here back on Tuesday, SDOT says the planned West Seattle Neighborhood Greenway will extend into North Admiral, and invites you to two drop-in discussions about that. But the dates/locations have just been changed – SDOT’s Dawn Schellenberg says that has fixed a conflict with Seattle Public Schools‘ spring-break week (and we also note that one previously announced location that was way too small for a community meeting has been swapped out). The new dates/locations:
Saturday, April 14
10:30 AM-Noon
Uptown Espresso (Junction location, California/Edmunds/Erskine)Thursday April 19
4:15-5:45 PM
West Seattle Library (Admiral District)
This will be West Seattle’s third greenway, after 26th SW in North Delridge and (South) Delridge-Highland Park.
(WSB photo)
HELICOPTER HELP WITH AUTO-THEFT ARREST: Thanks for the tips about Guardian One over Arbor Heights a short time ago. We headed that way to investigate – hadn’t heard anything on the scanner – and subsequently learned that they were helping track down a stolen car. The helicopter crew tweeted that it was found with a suspect “passed out inside.” This happened near 34th and 100th (photo above). ADDED 2:54 PM: Helicopter video, just made public:
ADMIRAL BREAK-IN: From John:
Our garage was broken into (Wednesday) afternoon around 3:20 pm. The padlock was cut off. We were home watching TV when they entered our back yard via the alley. They were preparing items to be picked up later as they stole the garage door opener. Hope they return soon so I don’t get tired of waiting for them. We are located on 41st Ave SW North of Admiral Way. Seattle Police were out and took fingerprints.
That’s not far from where a car was broken into a day later.
BICYCLE FOUND: Abandoned bicycles usually tend to have been stolen and dumped. Here’s one Karen just found on a dead-end West Seattle street:
Yours? Let us know.
(Pine siskin, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
It’s Good Friday and the start of Passover – for seasonal events including tomorrow’s egg hunts and services today through Sunday, see our special guide; below are other highlights, from the year-round WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
MEN’S FELLOWSHIP LUNCHEON: Noon at the Masonic Hall – details in our calendar listing. (4736 40th SW)
TALK WITH YOUR CITY COUNCILMEMBER: Almost every month, District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold has “district office hours” in West Seattle or South Park on a Friday afternoon/evening, and today’s the day. You’ll find her 2-7 pm at Southwest Customer Service/Teen Life Center in Westwood. No appointment necessary. (2801 SW Thistle)
HIGH-SCHOOL SOFTBALL: Crosstown-rivalry game – West Seattle HS visits Chief Sealth IHS, 4 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex. (2801 SW Thistle)
MADISON MIDDLE SCHOOL SWING DANCE FUN(DRAISER): 6:30 pm at Madison MS, dance the night away with student music and the renowned West Seattle Big Band, while bidding in a silent auction for great items. Ticket info is in our calendar listing; food and drink available for separate purchase. (3429 45th SW)
NAKED GIANTS: Free in-store record-release concert at Easy Street Records, 7 pm! All ages. (California/Alaska)
‘A CHORUS LINE’ AT WSHS: Someone called us this morning to say they were there for opening night last night, and the students’ performance was awesome. Go see for yourself, 7:30 pm at the West Seattle High School Theater; ticket info is in our calendar listing. (3000 California SW)
You’ve got answers – they have questions. The Fauntleroy Community Association‘s every-other-year neighborhood survey is closing soon, Shannon Ninburg from the FCA board reminds us:
If you live in the Fauntleroy area, you still have until the middle of next week (April 4th) to participate in the Fauntleroy Community Association’s survey. Every two years the FCA conducts a survey to ask community members about issues important to them. The results help guide the FCA’s focus over the next couple years. Fauntleroy area residents can take the survey via the FCA website. We’d love to hear from you!
The community is also always welcome at FCA’s monthly board meetings – next one 7 pm April 10th at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW)
As mentioned here last weekend, a norovirus outbreak at Providence Mount St. Vincent in West Seattle has led to restrictions on visiting. There’s a new notice today, announcing that this means no Easter Mass in The Mount’s Chapel. As shared with us by the facility, here’s the announcement from Mount administrator Charlene Boyd:
While there are lessening cases of the GI/Norovirus bug in the building, there continue to be some new and active cases daily. Because of this, we have made the difficult decision to keep the building closed through the weekend, including all Easter activities on Sunday.
Mass on Sunday will be televised in house on channel 6 at 9:30 am for the residents. But no one will be allowed in the Chapel and we ask that you refrain from visiting your loved one. If you do feel your visit is essential, please contact your Neighborhood Coordinator or Social Worker.
We realize not only the inconvenience this causes, but the impact on quality of life for our Residents and you, particularly with Easter. We are committed to keeping you informed and updating you as soon as restrictions can be reduced or completely removed.
Thank you for your continued understanding and patience as we work together to restore wellness for all. To check on daily visiting status, you can call the front desk at 206-937-3700.
We asked earlier this week about the number of cases; it’s averaged in the “single digits,” according to Mount spokesperson Colleen Farrell.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:03 AM: Good morning! No incidents or transit alerts in our area so far this morning.
8:45 AM: From SDOT: “Please use caution around the roadwork on the West Seattle Bridge taking the westbound right lane near Fauntleroy Way SW. Expect to see crews until 1 PM today.”
9:30 AM: And from WSDOT, for tomorrow:
South King county travelers ➡️ If you're headed to downtown Seattle on Saturday morning, a reminder that the two right lanes on the NB SR 99 1st Avenue South Bridge will be closed from 6-10:30 a.m. for maintenance work. #PlanAhead pic.twitter.com/1wK2YyUD1Y
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) March 30, 2018
(Last year’s cleanup haul in Fairmount Ravine)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What’s often the biggest neighborhood cleanup of the year is happening Saturday morning.
Biggest in volume, if not always in turnout. Last year, the neighbors of Fairmount Ravine piled up two tons of trash and debris before they were done.
This year, while they are again hoping for your help (here’s the official announcement/invitation), they are also expecting the final tally to be considerably less.
One uphill neighbor got an early start and has already pulled out prodigious piles of refuse, according to John Lang, longtime cleanup cooordinator, and Matt Algieri, who succeeded John in that role starting with the 25th annual cleanup last year.
In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight – Southwest Precinct police are hoping you can help identify the person in the photos. They sent the photos and this explanation:
This suspect stole several valuable items from a locker at the LA Fitness at 3900 SW Alaska St on 3/15/2018 between the approximate times of noon to 1:30 pm. He subsequently went to Menashe and Sons Jewelers and used the victim’s credit card to purchase a $6,000 Rolex watch, followed by several other unauthorized transactions in the Tukwila/Southcenter area.
Any information on his identity can be directed to the SW Precinct Detective Unit at 206-233-2623.
The case numbers are #18-93279 and #18-94804. You can see two more photos here and here.
The Fauntleroy ferry dock is about to get repaved, and Washington State Ferries says it’s years overdue. We got a project update at tonight’s meeting of the Triangle Route Task Force (we’ll cover the rest of the meeting in a separate report). At one point, WSF thought the work was going to start next week, but now it looks like it’ll get going around April 9th. The asphalt helps preserve the timber decking at the dock, which has a full replacement planned in about seven years – which is how long this round of repaving should last. The work is going to be done four nights a week, 7 pm-4 am, Monday through Thursday nights, for about six weeks. And WSF says it’s going to be noisy, especially as they demolish the old asphalt. The work also will involve the walkway on the south side of the dock, replacing the railroad-tie barrier that’s the only thing between the path and the lane used as vehicles come off the boats. On work nights, some lanes will be closed, and that will mean “changes to loading and offloading procedures,” WSF says. An extra traffic attendant will be there to help direct drivers. They expect to be out in the nearby neighborhoods with flyers next week, and that information will include a 24-hour hotline for construction questions/complaints.
Starting next week, Seattle Public Utilities will be replacing a water main on Hobart Ave. SW [map] in Upper Alki. It’s “part of a citywide water main restoration effort,” SPU says. They expect to start work next week, with the project lasting about six weeks, mostly Mondays-Fridays 7 am-5 pm. SPU says they hope to reopen the street during non-work hours. The project is also expected to include “two short (about 1 hour) and two long (about 8 hours)” water shutdowns, with advance notice for residents who will be affected. Questions? Brian Eng is project manager – brian.eng@seattle.gov or (206) 386-9744.
(Air Force file photo of C-17)
Late addition to the Mariners‘ pregame plans for Opening Night tonight at Safeco Field – team spokesperson Rebecca Hale tells WSB that they’ve added a military flyover. If all goes as planned, around 6:52 pm, a U.S. Air Force C-17 from the 4th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord will fly over the stadium, from the northwest to the southeast. She also mentions there will be some “small pyrotechnics” during the pregame ceremony. So if you’re not going to the game but happen to see and/or hear any of the above, now you know!
Just announced – the winners of this year’s Westside Awards, presented by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce:
Business of the Year: Husky Deli
Emerging Business of the Year: Alair
Not-for-Profit of the Year: Senior Center of West Seattle
Westsider of the Year: Lora Swift
(Lora leading the mayor on a Junction tour last month)
Also from the Chamber’s announcement this afternoon, the explanation:
Each year the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce reaches out to the West Seattle community for nominations of three local businesses and one individual who demonstrate results-oriented leadership, a cornerstone of a thriving economic region. Criteria for the awards include:
* 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
You’re invited to the awards breakfast where Husky Deli, Alair, the Senior Center, and Lora Swift will be honored – it’s at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), 7:30 am May 1st, presented by Quail Park Memory Care Residences of West Seattle (WSB sponsor; opening later this spring). For ticket info and reservations, go here!
We sat in last night on the School Board‘s three-hour-plus work session looking ahead to next year’s BEX V levy, to listen for more hints on which West Seattle schools might make the list for rebuilds, expansions, and/or renovations. Decisions are still months away, but with a community meeting coming up next week, here are the toplines of what we heard:
SPECIFIC SCHOOLS: No additions/deletions from West Seattle since our preview the other day. Schools under consideration for major projects remain broken out into two lists – capacity (more space needed) and condition (how dilapidated are they?). Alki, Lafayette, and Roxhill are on both lists. The capacity list also includes Madison Middle School, where portables are planned, and the condition list also includes Boren STEM K-8 and Schmitz Park.
The condition list got very little discussion because the information has been the same since a districtwide report in 2014. As for the capacity list – first, district official Ashley Davies went over the enrollment-projection numbers.
Today’s city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin includes the notice for a hearing appealing the approval of plans to build a 66-unit, no-offstreet-parking apartment complex at 2222 SW Barton, just uphill from the southeast edge of Westwood Village.
(Image from Design Review packet by Cleave Architecture)
According to documents in the online files, the appeal was filed by residents who live a block away from the site, saying they don’t believe the city adequately addressed concerns including crime, traffic, and parking, and alleging that the site is incorrectly characterized as being in an “urban village.” Lawyers for the developers have filed a request to have the appeal dismissed, showing that the site is indeed in the middle of the Westwood-Highland Park Urban Village as well as calling other concerns “without merit on their face.” Regarding the parking concerns in particular, they note that the city has no authority to require it because the project is close to “frequent transit.” They cite a traffic study as showing that the project could result in a “peak demand” for 66 parking spaces on the street, but that, they say, would still not come close to maxing out what’s available now. Unless the motion to dismiss is granted, the hearing is set for the city Hearing Examiner‘s chambers on the 40th floor of the Municipal Tower downtown at 9 am May 3rd.
(Photo courtesy West Seattle Drama Club – see “A Chorus Line” info below)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
TRIANGLE ROUTE TASK FORCE: 4:30-7 pm at Fauntleroy Church Fellowship Hall, it’s the next meeting of the task force that’s continuing to work on Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route issues with Washington State Ferries. We’ll add the agenda when we get it. (update – see it here) Public welcome. (9140 California SW)
FREE TAX HELP: 5-9 pm at West Seattle Food Bank, no appointment necessary, but read the info here to be sure you bring what’s needed. (35th SW/SW Morgan)
HIGH SCHOOL INFO NIGHT: At Madison Middle School, 8th graders and their families are invited to come have dinner and look ahead to their first year at West Seattle High School, 6:30 pm. (3429 45th SW)
‘A CHORUS LINE’ OPENING NIGHT: 7:30 pm at the West Seattle High School Theater, you can be among the first to see the new WSHS production of the long-running Broadway classic! Ticket info is in our calendar listing.
HOLY WEEK SERVICES: See the updated list on our Easter Etc. page – we now have schedules for 15 churches (editor@westseattleblog.com for late additions) as well as other seasonal events.
Which type of play equipment would you like to see at Puget Ridge Playground (6029 21st SW) when it’s renovated? The images above are from the a Seattle Parks survey that just opened – and you’ll also be able to talk about it at the newly announced community meeting, 5-6:30 pm Monday, April 16th. This is one of three local park playgrounds that’ll be overhauled in the months ahead.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:02 AM: Good morning. No incidents in/from West Seattle so far, and no transit alerts.
WATER TAXI SCHEDULE CHANGE: Today is the first day of the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s spring/summer schedule, which adds weekends as well as runs between the am and pm commutes (through October 28th). And extended schedules on game nights – such as tonight, first game of the season for the Mariners (7:10 pm vs. Cleveland).
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