West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
After four days away from its homeport Bremerton, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is headed back southbound in Puget Sound. Thanks to the person who texted us the photo as it passed Dungeness Spit earlier; the MarineTraffic.com tracker verifies that it’s headed this way, currently off south Whidbey Island. Might be hard to see if the weather doesn’t lift!
3:23 PM: Now in view from West Seattle, just as the weather lightens.
(Added: Photo by Don Brubeck)
If you visit Metropolitan Market (41st/42nd/Admiral; WSB sponsor) before about 2 pm, you can watch floral manager Rachel Mottwiler transforming that 300-pound pumpkin into a Halloween creation. We’re told she is legendary for her carving – here are some smaller ones already on display:
You’re also invited to sample cider at the store too.
P.S. Metropolitan Market is one of the regular participants in Admiral District business trick-or-treating, which (as featured in our Halloween Etc. Guide) is happening the day before Halloween this year – next Wednesday (October 30th), 3-6 pm.
(The seabird that’s Halloween-ready – Harlequin Duck, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Highlight time! First, from the WSB West Seattle Halloween Guide:
HIGH POINT CC FESTIVAL: Fall Festival at High Point Community Center, 5:30-7:30 pm. (6920 34th SW)
ALKI CC CARNIVAL: Spooky Carnival at Alki Community Center, 6-8 pm. “Spooky fun for the howl family! Carnival games and prizes and a Spooky Scream Room for the brave Trick-or-Treaters. Teen and adult volunteers are greatly appreciated.” 25-cent tickets or $7/unlimited bracelet. (5817 SW Stevens)
HIAWATHA CARNIVAL: Halloween Carnival at Hiawatha Community Center, 6-8 pm. Ages 5 and under in the auditorium, 5-12 in the gym. Tickets 25 cents. (2700 California SW)
SOUTHWEST POOL SWIM: Pumpkin Splash Family Swim, 7-8 pm at Southwest Pool. Free. If you’re under 18, an adult MUST be with you in the water. (2801 SW Thistle)
ALKI ‘GARAGE HAUNT’: Nightfall Orphanage, 7:30-10:30 pm. Full details in our calendar listing. (2130 Alki SW)
And from our year-round West Seattle Event Calendar:
TALK WITH YOUR COUNCILMEMBER: 2-7 12-5 pm, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s monthly district office hours, drop-ins welcome. At Southwest Customer Service Center. (2801 SW Thistle)
CIDER FUNDRAISER: Taproot School students will be selling hot cider 4-5:30 pm by the Lincoln Park south lot – for the ferry line as well as parkgoers – to raise money for Immigrant Families Together. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
FREE TASTING FRIDAYS: 4-6 pm at Capco Beverages in The Junction. (4100 SW Alaska)
TALK WITH THE MAYOR: After a walking tour of the West Seattle Junction starting at 4 pm, Mayor Jenny Durkan – accompanied by Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, Assistant SPD Chief Deanna Nollette, and Southwest Precinct Captain Pierre Davis – is scheduled for a community conversation at Cupcake Royale at 5 pm. (California/Alaska)
FOOTBALL: West Seattle High School‘s last scheduled home game of the season is vs. Sammamish at Southwest Athletic Complex, 7 pm. (2801 SW Thistle)
TX TRUMBO: Singer-songwriter at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. No cover. All ages. (5612 California SW)
FIX: Live in-store performance at Easy Street Records, 7 pm. No cover. All ages. (California/Alaska)
MUCH MORE … our full calendar is here, and the Halloween Etc. Guide is here!
Before we get to the list for today/tonight, a reminder about tomorrow (Saturday, October 26th) – it’s the next twice-yearly Drug Take-Back Day. 10 am-2 pm, take unneeded/unwanted/expired prescription pills/tablet to the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster) and drop it off. No questions asked. (If you miss the chance, here are year-round dropoff locations.)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7:31 AM: Good morning.
FERRY DELAYS: From WSF: “The Fauntleroy 7:05a.m. departure to Vashon and Southworth is delayed due to a disabled vehicle on board the vessel. This will delay the 7:30am Vashon to Southworth, the 7:55a.m. Southworth to Vashon, and the 8:15a.m. Vashon to Fauntleroy departures.”
WEEKEND REMINDER: Sunday is the West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival, which means street closures beyond the usual block for the Farmers’ Market – California will also be closed south to Edmunds, and SW Alaska between 42nd and 44th. Here’s the bus-reroute info..
(1st three photos by WSB’s Christopher Boffoli)
10:37 PM: Big emergency response headed for the area of the Admiral Pub after a gunfire report. One person is reported injured, one in custody, at least two suspects at large. Police are closing traffic in the area. Updates to come.
10:52 PM: From radio communication – the victim was shot in the head, behind the pub. K9 teams are helping search. A gun has been found in/near a trash can.
10:57 PM: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli reports that he’s heard from witnesses that the “shooting happened in the alley behind the Admiral Pub. The shooters exited through Admiral Pub, got into a truck and tore off to the east.” Police, however, are searching on the suspicion that the suspects might still be in the area.
(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
11:21 PM: New information from SFD. The person injured was NOT shot: “Update: patient is a 29 year old male with minor injuries and did not require transport to a hospital. Initial reports of a shooting are incorrect. Confirmed reports of an assault,” SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo told us via email. Police aren’t commenting further, but we’re told a public-information officer is on the way.
11:48 PM: Per scanner, police are reopening California SW in the area.
12:16 AM: The newest information from SPD spokesperson Det. Patrick Michaud (whose briefing we recorded on video and will update when our crew gets back here): They’re still sorting out what happened but – An officer happened onto people getting into a fight of some kind in the alley behind Admiral Pub/Yen Wor Village. Guns were drawn. The officer fired. Part of the investigative presence is because of that. More as soon as your editor here gets to listen to the briefing.
12:38 AM: Adding to those details: All the shots fired were from the officer’s gun. The two people in the alley fight who drew theirs “did not have the opportunity” to fire them. As we reported above, one gun was found. No one is in custody; police are still talking to the injured man to try to find out more about the circumstances – there’s a possibility the “fight” might have been a robbery. Meantime, the Force Investigation Team is on the case and the officer who fired will be on paid administrative leave. (Added – the video:)
Great afternoon for soccer at Walt Hundley Playfield in High Point. The West Seattle High School girls started the day as co-leaders of the Metro League‘s Sound division, and beat Chief Sealth International High School in the final match of the regular season, 8-1.
The Wildcats’ record in league play is 9-0. Next stop: The Metro League tournament. But there was a reason to celebrate before today’s game – five reasons, actually:
The last home game of the regular season is the traditional time to celebrate seniors – from left, Marissa Rackner, Rivka Page, Lexi Foster, Lilli Bedell, Juliet Anawalt.
(Port of Seattle image: Yellow-shaded area is where the new cruise terminal would be)
On this day after the end of Seattle’s 2019 cruise-ship season, the port invites your feedback on a proposed new terminal that would be closer to West Seattle than the two it operates now, at Terminal 46, parallel with the south end of the Highway 99 tunnel, as this map shows. Here’s the announcement:
The Port of Seattle is proposing to develop a new cruise terminal at Terminal 46 as part of a flexible marine transportation facility which will continue to support cargo and other marine operations. Analysis of the cruise market and cruise ship deployment supports the need of a fourth berth to meet the demand for Port of Seattle cruise services, which can no longer be met by the three berths at the Port’s two existing terminals.
Scoping is an early and open process for determining the scope of issues that will be addressed in the environmental review document, for soliciting input regarding the Proposed Action and reasonable alternatives, and for identifying concerns regarding the potential environmental effects of the Proposed Action. Comments received during Scoping will be reviewed and taken into consideration during the preparation of the SEPA analysis.
All comments are due no later than 4 PM, November 13, 2019, and may be submitted via:
Terminal 46 Cruise Development website (Click “Participate”) at: T46cruise.participate.online
E-mail to: SEPA@portseattle.org
In writing to: Laura Wolfe, Port of Seattle, Pier 69, 2711 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121
In writing and/or verbally at the three EIS Public Scoping Meetings/Open Houses: These meetings will provide opportunities to learn more about the project and proposed actions, and to provide input on the environmental review process.
October 30, 2019
5:30-7:30 PM
South Seattle Community College
Georgetown Campus
6737 Corson Avenue South
Building C, Room 122November 4, 2019
4:00-6:00 PM
Embassy Suites at Pioneer Square
King Street Ballroom
255 South King StreetNovember 7, 2019
11:30 AM-1:30 PM
The Foundry
4130 1st Avenue S
The new terminal is expected to be ready for the 2023 cruise season. The port also has issued a Request for Proposals to three teams that have qualified to compete for the contract to “co-invest with the port to build and operate the facility.”
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The only tunneling possibility to be studied for Sound Transit light rail in West Seattle will be in The Junction, now that the possibility of also considering the Pigeon Point Tunnel alternative is dead.
That’s the result of a Sound Transit Board vote this afternoon. But the other alternative proposed for addition to environmental studies, Yancy/Andover Elevated, remains alive.
That one will be added to the route/station options already approved for studying.
Starting with the committee recommendation made October 10th to add the Yancy/Andover Elevated alternative to studies, board members also added a proposed SODO alternative. But they rejected King County Councilmember (and West Seattleite) Joe McDermott‘s proposal to add the ~$200 million-third-party-funding-required Pigeon Point Tunnel alternative, with 6 board members voting yes, 9 voting no.
In the face of one board member (Dave Earling of Edmonds) flatly declaring he’s against anything requiring third-party funding, McDermott countered that they’re just voting on studies now, no commitment beyond that. But board member Kent Keel of University Place pointed out that the Pigeon Point tunnel would likely have to connect to a ~$700 million Junction tunnel and “that makes my eyes roll up in my head.” Paul Roberts of Everett said the more is added to the studies, the more is added to the timeline. Claudia Balducci of Bellevue said she felt there were already enough alternatives being studied. Bruce Dammeier of Pierce County said that – using a “meal” analogy that others had deployed in discussion – the Pigeon Point Tunnel looked like “dessert” when other areas were just looking for “a basic meal.” McDermott disputed that, saying third-party funding would not be taking basic funding out of anybody else’s mouth.
ST staff noted that any required third-party funding “would have to be well-defined” by the end of next year, and “in hand” by 2022. (The Yancy/Andover Elevated alternative is not expected to carry additional cost, but Junction tunneling possibilities that are already planned for study would.)
Before the discussion and vote, executive corridor director Cathal Ridge recapped staff assessments and public comment, concluding with a reminder that adding alternatives means the draft EIS would be out in the first quarter of 2021 rather than at the end of 2020. Here’s the slide deck:
An hour-plus of public comment started the meeting. West Seattle-related comments included a resident supporting the Pigeon Point Tunnel. “A viaduct [-style guideway] slicing through our neighborhood and taking our park is a forever loss,” she said … A group from North Delridge’s Youngstown neighborhood spoke in favor of both – suggesting Yancy/Andover be redesignated as the preferred alternative – because “the two preferred alternatives end up decimating our neighborhood.” There are areas near their densely developed/redeveloped neighborhood that could be used. “It’s a neighborhood that should be served by light rail, not destroyed by light rail” …. Deb Barker, who served on the Stakeholder Advisory Group earlier in the process, said studying Pigeon Point would be doing “the right thing for West Seattle”… Marty Westerman of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition said the group supports studying both (and sent a letter to that effect earlier this week).
WHAT’S NEXT: Environmental studies continue. Once the draft report comes out, another round of public comment will ensue, then a final report, and the board would decide in 2022 the final route and station locations, with construction to start in 2025 in order to meet the target start date of 2030. Before all this, as announced earlier this week, two “neighborhood forums” with updates and station-location discussions are planned in West Seattle November 21st and December 7th.
(SDOT slide deck from HPAC meeting – or see it here in PDF)
What SDOT now calls the Highland Park Area Safety Project was the first of two major topics at last night’s HPAC meeting. (The other, Westcrest Park Off-Leash Area, will be covered in a separate report.)
It’s meant primarily to address the long-problematic Highland Park Way/Holden intersection, but the scope has broadened, SDOT says. Thought the agency’s director Sam Zimbabwe had been announced, he wasn’t there; an SDOT delegation led by Jim Curtin and James Le handled the presentation and Q&A instead.
Bottom line, as Curtin reiterated multiple times, this is contingent on whether Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s proposal for funding – taken from the city’s so-called “Mercer Megablock” sale proceeds – is finalized by councilmembers in November. That said, they talked with the 30+ meeting attendees about where they’re at and what residents think. Read More
The photo and announcement are from Taproot School:
To raise money and support Immigrant Families Together, students and parents from the Taproot School will be in costumes, selling Hot Cider (by donation) to ferry travelers and park goers from 4-5:30 pm tomorrow, Friday October 25th, in front of the southern Lincoln Park parking lot, with mobile sellers to catch those in line. All proceeds will go to Immigrant Families Together and all supplies have been donated or created by the students and families.
Earlier this year (Aug 9th), the Taproot school sold lemonade for the cause, raising $1,000 from generous West Seattle/Vashon/Southworth travelers. We are hoping the warm fall cider and excited kids in Halloween costumes will raise spirits and funds once again and encourage people to turn out to support the school’s efforts.
Immigrant Families Together is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization working to keep families together by providing bond money for parents, legal services, safe housing, clothing, food, cellphones among other vital services to help families have the best possible chance at receiving asylum. For more information about how to help immigrant families stay together or to donate directly, please go (here).
(Joey Baumgartner, photographed by Steve Richmond)
By Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog
After watchers spotted coho spawners struggling to enter Fauntleroy Creek from the beach, the Fauntleroy Watershed Council called on State Fish and Wildlife to assess conditions there and get permission from the reach-to-the-beach property owner for emergency clearing of vegetation choking the channel.
(Spawner in Fauntleroy Creek)
Spawners were hampered by logs on the beach and a thicket of vegetation that was almost impenetrable. Restoration of this reach happened a decade ago but reed canary grass and nightshade soon got a toehold and began spreading. Spurred on by Tuesday’s sighting of 30 robust spawners schooling near the mouth, neighbors, volunteers, and Steve Richmond and Joey Baumgartner with Garden Cycles set to work.
(Steve Richmond, photographed by Dennis Hinton)
“In my opinion, Steve and Joey really saved this spawning season on Fauntleroy Creek,” said council member Dennis Hinton. “Within four hours, they had adjusted logs, cleared vegetation in the channel, and anchored erosion-control fabric where banks needed support. By the end of the day, another dozen spawners were poised to enter the reach and head to spawning habitat.” This work was the first to draw on the Fauntleroy Watershed Stewardship Fund established in 2018 to accept private donations.
You will have a chance to see spawners during an “open creek” on Saturday, noon to 3 pm. Come to the fish-ladder viewpoint at SW Director and upper Fauntleroy Way to catch the eye of a salmon watcher below or come directly down the driveway at 4539 SW Director Place. Dogs must be tightly controlled.
Can’t make the “open creek”? Watershed Council members will be at Sunday’s Fauntleroy Fall Festival (2-5 pm in the church/Y/schoolhouse triangle, 9100 block of California SW) to talk salmon during this “Silver Anniversary” year honoring the first spawners in 1994.
The latest approvals for Delridge development/redevelopment are for the slope along the east side of 23rd SW: 13 houses in the 5200 block [map]. We first wrote about the proposal a year and a half ago. The city published notices today with the approvals, technically two separate (but adjacent) sites, one with seven 3-story houses planned, the other with six, each providing one offstreet-parking space per house. This opens a two-week appeal period, deadline November 7th. The 5232 23rd SW notice and decision documents are here; the 5244 23rd SW notice and decision are here.
(Rock Wren that’s drawing birders to Alki Point – photographer Mark Wangerin says it’s a fairly rare sight here!)
Here are the highlights for the rest of your Thursday! First, from the WSB West Seattle Halloween Etc. Guide:
GLOW PARTY: You’re invited to the Glow Party at Delridge Community Center, 6-8 pm: “Join the Delridge Community Center and the Delridge Advisory Council for an evening of glow in the dark fun! Come glow with us for the 5th annual glow in the dark party. Snacks, games and music is just the beginning of the fun. Wear your costume, face paint or anything that will illuminate the party.” (4501 Delridge Way SW)
And from our year-round Event Calendar:
SOUND TRANSIT BOARD: Will they vote to include one, both, or neither of two West Seattle alternatives in light-rail environmental studies? Meeting downtown includes public comment; agenda and documents are linked here. 1:30-4 pm at ST board room. Also viewable via livestream. (401 S. Jackson)
UNDERSTANDING MEDICARE: 1:30 pm at Southwest Library, free presentation. (9010 35th SW)
SOCCER: 4 pm at Walt Hundley Playfield (with senior-recognition starting at 3:30), the tied-for-division-lead West Seattle High School girls are the home team, taking on Chief Sealth International HS. (34th/Myrtle)
CHAMBER AFTER-HOURS: 5:30 pm-7:30 pm at (corrected) Hunt Jackson, the monthly West Seattle Chamber of Commerce evening networking event. (4123 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House High Point. The agenda highlight:
Metro Transit Guest — Graydon Newman, Seattle Service Planning Lead, and West Seattle resident. General questions we’ll address:
Rapid Ride – misalignment of next bus timing vs. bus arrival; RR H stop spacing; etc.
public/private partnerships and shuttle buses – competition w/ Metro? Shuttles to Water Taxi, neighborhoods, Seahawks
evaluation processes
light rail integration
What programs is Metro continuing (e.g., Trailhead Direct), what is it expanding, what programs is it piloting (e.g., pilot programs on many first mile-last mile solutions, such as Ride 2 in West Seattle).
(6400 Sylvan Way SW)
GET TO KNOW YOUR NGO: As previewed here, visit Emerald Water Anglers (WSB sponsor) to learn about more than half a dozen advocacy organizations and what they do. (4502 42nd SW)
SEATTLE LUTHERAN HS OPEN HOUSE: 7-8:30 pm, visit the Seattle Lutheran High School campus to learn about SLHS. (4100 SW Genesee)
(Wednesday evening photo by Marc Milrod)
THE SUPER KREWE: Brassy! 8 pm at Parliament Tavern. $8 cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
Just two days until this opportunity to give your time along with volunteers from the Delridge Grocery Co-op:
Join our merry band of volunteers as we take it to the streets (well, Delridge Way SW) the weekend before for our Community Adopt-A-Street Trash Pick-Up event on Saturday, October 26. Trash bags, gloves, pickers, and other supplies will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own gloves and bags as well. This is a great family activity (as well as a great way for middle and high schoolers to get some community service time), and you can participate for as little or as much time as you have to spare.
*Meet at Youngstown Coffee Company starting at 9:30 am (5214 Delridge Way SW)
*Saturday, October 26, 10am to 12pm
*RSVP: See this Signup Genius page
The co-op will celebrate its grocery-store groundbreaking just one week later!
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:58 AM: Good morning. So far, no incidents or alerts.
WEEKEND PREVIEW: Sunday is the West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival, which means street closures beyond the usual block for the Farmers’ Market – California will also be closed south to Edmunds, and SW Alaska between 42nd and 44th. Bus reroute info is here.
Sunday’s festival doubleheader starts with the West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival, 10 am-2 pm. As we continue our countdown, here’s the map!
New this year, a Hot Cider and Cocoa Garden – your choice of beverage will cost just $2, whipped cream included if you want it! PCC Community Markets (WSB sponsor) is the cocoa/cider/whipped cream provider; The Beer Junction is donating its time to run the “garden.”
The festival also features:
–Applepalooza tasting and voting during the Farmers’ Market (10 am-2 pm)
–Activities presented by local businesses/schools/organizations (10 am-2 pm)
–Chili Cookoff benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank (10 am until sold out)
–Costume Parade at 11:30 am
–Trick or Treating at noon
–Kids’ Pie-Eating Contest at 1:30 pm
We’ll be in the Info Booth in the heart of The Junction; see you Sunday. (WSB is a Harvest Festival community co-sponsor.)
Another of the big weekend events we’re looking ahead to: The Fauntleroy Fall Festival, 2-5 pm on Sunday (October 27th), at the schoolhouse/church/Y in the 9100 block of California SW. Tonight we have the schedules – both the activity list (above) and the performance/event schedule (below).
One activity requiring advance preparation – the cake contest. More on that tomorrow.
No photo but if you look across Elliott Bay, that’s Grand Princess at Pier 66 downtown. When it leaves tonight – scheduled for 10 pm – that’s the end of this year’s Seattle cruise season, after more than six months. Grand Princess is in the middle of a weeklong round trip out of San Francisco; next stop, Vancouver, B.C.
(Karen Berge, Deb Greer receiving SPD community-service award last August)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Almost a decade after launching face-to-face meetings, the founders of the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network are “thinking we need to shake it up a bit.”
Karen Berge and Deb Greer told attendees at last night’s WSBWCN meeting that they’re ceasing monthly meetings. Over all these years, there have been some memorable meetings – touring a local home with an SPD officer explaining Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design – and even some tumultuous moments, like the protester-disrupted 2015 forum with then-Chief Kathleen O’Toole. But there also have been lightly attended meetings with well-trod topics, such as yet another explanation of how 911 works.
And it’s not just about the meetings themselves.
We’ve taken to using the term “flipped-car crash” for many crashes dispatched as “rollovers” because the cars usually land upside down – but in this case, police tell us, the car really did roll. It landed right side up on the south side of SW Alaska, just west of 45th SW. The occupants were still being evaluated by medics but were not believed to be seriously hurt.
(Photo courtesy Tamsen Spengler)
It wasn’t in the mayor’s plan, but – as reported here last week – City Councilmember Lisa Herbold has proposed adding the West Marginal Way SW safety project to next year’s city budget. In hopes of convincing her colleagues to support it, Duwamish Tribe leaders and West Seattle community advocates spoke at the council’s budget hearing last night at City Hall downtown. They’re the first group you’ll see in the Seattle Channel video, about 5 minutes in:
As Longhouse director Jolene Haas explained, the building’s site was chosen in part because of its proximity to the culturally significant sites across the street, but crossing is risky at best. In addition, the west side of the street, where the Longhouse has been for a decade, is without sidewalks. SDOT recently narrowed that side of the road for a short distance as a stopgap measure.
WHAT’S NEXT: The council’s budget review continues. If you have an opinion on this or anything else they’re considering, council@seattle.gov is the email address reaching them all.
Early warning that the Washington State Ferries “Triangle Route” will be down a boat next week:
The Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route will operate on its two-boat alternate schedule for one week this Monday, October 28, through Friday, November 1. M/V Sealth will leave the route for necessary maintenance and its annual U.S. Coast Guard-mandated inspection, leaving only the M/V Kitsap and M/V Issaquah.
Customers are encouraged to plan ahead and should expect delays. We understand this service disruption will affect customers’ travel plans, and we will work to return the vessel back service as soon as possible.
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