West Seattle, Washington
13 Saturday
A magical midwinter sunset tonight – thank you all for sending photos! Above, from Bruce Easter; below, from Jim Spraker:
Next, from David Hutchinson, at Constellation Park:
He also captured Mount Rainier:
James Bratsanos caught the Olympics before they were gone for the night:
And one more view of the color at its peak, from Marc Fendel:
Thanks to everyone who sent photos; we were in a shades-drawn meeting room (covering the latest on light rail – full report tomorrow) and missed seeing it firsthand.
Last week, we reported on Alair proprietor Shandon Graybeal‘s announcement that she’s moving the shop to a larger new location just a few doors away. Now she’s set the timeline. This week she’s having a moving sale – open until 7 tonight, again noon-7 tomorrow (Thursday), then closing the old location and taking about a week to move. “Everything in the store is 50% off. There is a bunch of furniture for sale as well – tables and bookshelves mostly,” she says. She’s hoping to open the new location at 3270 California SW in time for the February 9-10 weekend and pre-Valentine’s Day shopping.
(Added: 5:47 pm framegrab from SDOT low-bridge cam)
5:42 PM: Thanks for all the tips. The low bridge is reported to be stuck in open mode. Avoid it TFN. Buses are “backing up,” as one reader puts it; Metro says “Your operator will work with the operations center on the best way to get you and fellow riders moving again safely.”
5:52 PM: The photo is from David Christensen, who says pedestrians are crossing, but not vehicles. He says an electrician is reported to be on the way.
6:08 PM: SDOT’s live camera now shows police blocking the entrance to the low bridge.
6:12 PM: SDOT describes the problem as “a technical issue with the bridge’s arms” and says that, “By 7 pm, we’ll have a better idea of when the bridge is expecting to re-open.”
6:19 PM: SDOT reports the gates are up and the low bridge has reopened.
FYI for West Seattle Water Taxi riders, from King County’s Jeff Switzer: “The Spirit of Kingston will be in service Thursday morning, Jan. 31, in place of the Doc Maynard, to allow for a quick engine part swap on the Doc. It is scheduled to be back in service for the 1:15pm departure from Pier 52.”
SDOT says the SW Avalon Way/35th/Alaska repaving and rechannelization project will begin as soon as April, now that it’s reached final design. They’ve added some major new elements to the plan. They’re part of the toplines from SDOT’s Dan Anderson:
The latest design changes based on community feedback and city policy include:
*Closing 30th Ave SW at SW Avalon Way to reduce cut-through driving [see postcard, with map, here]
*Adding a new RapidRide transit island with a separated bike lane at SW Yancy St
*Shifting the northbound bus stop about 150 feet [north] for routes 50, 55, and 21 to remove bus/bike conflict at Luna Park
*Reducing speed limits on SW Avalon Way and 35th Ave SW by 5 mph
*Installing skid-resistant surface treatment on SW Charlestown St [outside project zone] and SW Genesee St
*Adjusting the curb line and adding a new planting strip at 3246 SW Avalon Way
*Closing the slip lane from SW Avalon Way to Fauntleroy Way SW
*Installing a new water main
*Continuing conversations with business stakeholders about the hours of operation for the inbound bus lane
That affects parking; here’s the map showing the parking inventory, reported here in November. Meantime, more details on many of the newly announced changes are on the project website. As shown on the map atop this story, the full project zone is all of Avalon from the bridge to Fauntleroy, plus 35th between Avalon and Alaska, and one block of Alaska west of 35th.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“I’m running.” That was how City Councilmember Lisa Herbold opened a coffeehouse conversation with us this morning, announcing that she’s seeking a second term as the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) representative on the council. She says that while she has a reputation as a “policy wonk,” she and her staff have “gotten the most satisfaction” out of working directly with constituents. “From getting a streetlight fixed … to getting SDOT to build a stairway,” Herbold says it’s been “powerful” to connect residents with the people in city government who can help, to “amplify their voices.” We talked about a lot more, of course, including her response to critics on a variety of issues – so check back in about an hour as we add the rest of the story. Herbold’s declaration means at least five people are now in the D-1 race, looking ahead to the August primary.
ADDED 11:50 AM: Working for the district, Herbold says, doesn’t just mean individual constituents’ issues, which were also a reason for running that she cited when announcing her original run in February 2015. She adds that she’s proud of “policy work that has specifically helped the district.” She’s been recounting that in lengthy weekly updates, published online and sent to her mailing list. Just a few she lists: The noise-ordinance work requested by Alki residents; advocating for shore power to be part of the T-5 project; a ready-to-work program in High Point; safety advocacy in South Park.
Others are listed on her campaign website, including commitments made during her 2015 campaign. “And there’s still a lot of work to be done.” Impact fees is high on that list – she mentions transportation and utility fees – and “addressing displacement issues” (right now, evictions are in the spotlight).
We observe that it’s been a rocky four years for the council in general.
(Photo courtesy Best of Hands Barrelhouse)
9:09 AM: Long-in-the-works Best of Hands Barrelhouse has just announced its opening date for 7500 35th SW, former home of John’s Corner Deli (past and future home of the cow on the roof):
Craft beer drinkers near and far – rejoice! Best of Hands Barrelhouse, West Seattle’s newest microbrewery, will open March 8, 2019. Casual imbibers to beer connoisseurs can look forward to a comfortable taproom and outdoor patio to discover beer designed around Washington state ingredients and terroir.
West Seattle owners and brewers, Chris Richardson, Gregory Marlor, and Nicholas Marianetti’s brewery will showcase a range of rotating beer styles, with a focus on mixed-fermentation barrel aged sours and European inspired farmhouse ales. The goal of the brewery is to make beer that embodies a sense of place by utilizing the highest quality Washington state and Pacific Northwest ingredients whenever possible, and forging relationships with independent raw materials producers. The mission of the brewery is to produce the best handcrafted product we can while providing eclectic offerings to our guests.
Nicholas Marianetti and Gregory Marlor have most recently been serving the West Seattle community as beertenders at Alaska Junction’s beer bar and bottle shop, The Beer Junction. The two of them are level II Certified Cicerones®, and they will be sharing brewing and beertending duties at Best of Hands Barrelhouse.
Best of Hands Barrelhouse is located at 7500 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126 and can be found
at www.bestofhandsbarrelhouse.com.Hours of operation:
Sunday- 3-10 pm
Monday- 3-10 pm
Tuesday- CLOSED
Wednesday- CLOSED
Thursday- 3-10 pm
Friday- 3-10 pm
Saturday- 3-10 pm
ADDED LATE WEDNESDAY: Nick from Best of Hands sent answers to some questions that came up in comments:
-We are a 21+ establishment
-Well behaved pets will be allowed on the patio only
-We are planning to host rotating food trucks but have not yet developed that program
-Lastly, the parking lot on 35th beside the patio, as well as Clearview’s parking lot, will be available to our guests after 5 pm on weekdays and anytime Saturday and Sunday. There is usually ample street parking besides, and we’re conveniently located on the 21 bus line.
As for the cow (whose name is Merriam), Nick says she will be back before they open.
(Mount Rainier in this morning’s sunrise, photographed by Chris Frankovich)
Midweek highlights, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FAMILY STORY TIME: No school for Seattle Public Schools today – so bring everybody to Southwest Library for this story time, 10:30 am. (9010 35th SW)
PRESCHOOLER STORY TIME: 10:30 am at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. (2306 42nd SW)
BABY STORY TIME: And this morning’s trifecta of story times ends with 11:30 am Baby Story Time at High Point Library. (3411 SW Raymond)
LIGHT RAIL: The Stakeholder Advisory Group working on Sound Transit‘s West Seattle/Ballard light-rail extension meets at 5 pm in ST’s board room downtown. No public-comment period, but the meeting is open for all to observe. (401 S. Jackson)
FREE GROUP RUN: Get out and run with West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) – meet at the shop at 6:15 pm. (2743 California SW)
OPEN MIC: The Skylark takes signups at 7:30 pm, with performances starting at 8:30 pm – details in our calendar listing. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
THE WHOPPERJOHNS: Live at Parliament Tavern, starting at 9 pm. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
GOT SOMETHING FOR THE CALENDAR: Email is the way to send it – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thanks!
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:56 AM: Good morning! No school for Seattle Public Schools today, so traffic should be a bit lighter as a result.
6:10 AM: No major incidents or alerts, around the region as well as in our area, so far this morning.
6:36 AM: Still incident-free.
6;54 AM: Busy but still nothing out of the (current) ordinary.
7:13 AM: Slow on the bridge.
7:30 AM: Scanner – police are being dispatched to a reported driver/pedestrian collision at California/Findlay.
7:35 AM: The woman who was hit is not seriously injured, per first police on the scene. (And thanks to the person who just called to be sure we knew about this.)
7:40 AM: The incident was on the southbound side. We say “was” because the scene has now cleared. … Chilly morning and if you have a car parked on the street, you might have some scraping to do, we’re noting from our view of the street.
8:07 AM: Sorry we missed noting a low-bridge opening (remember that the temporary 7-10 am restrictions only apply to vessels below 5,000 gross tons), which is logged as having swung open for maritime traffic 7:32-7:50 am.
8:24 AM: Just in from Joseph, a photo of the bicyclist lineup on the low bridge just before that maritime opening ended:
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