(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.