West Seattle, Washington
02 Monday
(August 2018 photo by David Hutchinson)
Announced today by Seafair, no I-90 closures when the Blue Angels are practicing and performing August 1st-4th: “Their flight area over Lake Washington has shifted south, so access to the I-90 Bridge and Seward Park will remain open.” Looks like their performances are later in the afternoon, too, scheduled to start at 3 pm. We reported last weekend on other Seafair dates of West Seattle note, including the Seafair Pirates’ Landing on Alki July 6th.
11:36 AM: The tip’s just in from Kersti Muul: Orcas headed this way, transients, southbound from mid-Bainbridge Island. Let us know if you see them!
12:19 PM: Update from Kersti – the whales have paused for “a kill” between Bainbridge and Blake Islands.
(Pigeon Guillemot, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Highlights for the hours ahead:
FAMILY STORY TIME: 10:30 am at Southwest Library, for kids of all ages. (9010 35th SW)
DEBATE-WATCHING, ANYONE? 6 pm is the first night of a two-night Democratic presidential-candidate “debate,” with the 10 candidates featured tonight including Gov. Jay Inslee. We haven’t heard of any watch parties at local restaurants/bars but people have asked, so if you know of any, please commment (or message us) so we can add!
HOME-BUYING SEMINAR: 6:30 pm at Verity Credit Union (WSB sponsor) in The Junction. Info and RSVP link here. (4505 California SW)
HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: 7 pm at HP Improvement Club, talk about crime/safety/policing concerns plus local traffic safety, with a focus on 16th SW. (1116 SW Holden)
TRIANGULAR JAZZTET: Live at Whisky West, 7 pm. No cover. 21+. (6451 California SW)
OPEN MIC: 7 pm signups, 7:30 pm performances, hosted by Alan Sobel at Great American Diner and Bar. (4752 California SW)
THE BILLY JOE SHOW: Roots, rock, Americana, live at Parliament Tavern, 8 pm. No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
PLENTY MORE … see the full lineup on our complete calendar.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7:27 AM: Good morning. No incidents/alerts in our area.
8:54 AM: One traffic alert for White Center, from King County Roads – we’ve been reporting on partner site White Center Now about some modifications planned to the roundabout at 8th SW/SW 108th, and today, they tweet: “Full road closure on 8th Ave. SW north of the roundabout at SW 108th St. in White Center today, 11am – 2pm for pavement work. Flaggers will be present on site. Expect delays.”
Three West Seattle Crime Watch cases:
BUSINESS BURGLARY: A customer of West Seattle Nursery told us they were burglarized overnight, and we subsequently requested and obtained the police-report narrative. It says the break-in was discovered by an employee arriving early this morning. “Several areas of the nursery had been ransacked,” police wrote in the report, with the burglar(s) gaining entry to the buildings by drilling out/otherwise removing the locks. They left behind a mess, the report says, mentioning “several file cabinets and drawers had been tossed around the offices.” If you have any information for police, the case number is 19-231377.
And two reader reports of vandalized cars:
ADMIRAL: Kevin reports this happened last night:
Frustrated! While eating at Pizzeria 22 (California and College) with the car parked on the street nearby, we got keyed. Deep gouges in front quarter panel. Note on window from a kind witness: “Your car was keyed by blue Subaru YUX—-.” Why do people do this? SPD online report filed….and Mr Subaru— we’re looking for you!
NEAR LINCOLN PARK: Marie reported this last weekend: “The rear window on our SUV that was parked on Faumtleroy near Kenyon was smashed for no apparent reason (besides meanness!) on Sat night or Sunday morning. Car was locked…nothing of value inside…wasn’t even rifled through. Someone just got their jollies by destroying the window (and costing us $ and aggravation).”
Two weeks ago, we reported that a restaurant/bar called Lady Jaye would be taking over the West Seattle Junction space that’s been home to Pecado Bueno for six years. Tonight, we have word of PB’s closing date. The company’s marketing director Tim Larson tells WSB that this Sunday, June 30th, will be the final day of operation at 4523 California SW. He adds, “No news yet on a new location. All our team there will be transferring to other locations.”
Surrounded by fencing, windows boarded up, the little stone-studded house at 1123 Harbor SW awaits its future – or lack of one. As we first reported in February, its site has been sold. But local preservation advocates and historians hope to save the hand-decorated Depression-era house and move it. One of their first public presentations was at last week’s meeting of the Alki Community Council, which voted to support the effort. As outlined by Mike Shaughnessy, here’s what’s being proposed:
A volunteeer advisory group called the Alki Beach Rock House Association has been formed, led by local entrepreneur and historic-preservation advocate John Bennett, who’s long been restoring old buildings, from West Seattle to Georgetown to South Park. They would like to move the house from its current location to city Parks land – ideally near the Alki Bathhouse – where it could become a visitor/interpretive center. As the infosheet he circulated at the meeting describes it:
The (center) would be staffed and operated by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and offer a “gateway” location to the Log House Museum down the street. All relocation and construction-related costs will be provided by the Rock House Association and an “Operations and Maintenance” endowment will be established to release SPR of any incurred costs.
They envision putting it on a raised foundation and including a small space where an SWSHS volunteer could answer visitor questions and direct people to the nearby museum. The building could also be used to display interpretive information about the Duwamish people, the Denny Party landing, the nearby Statue of Liberty Plaza, Seattle Parks, and more.
There’s a precedent for a community-initiated project to become part of Alki Beach Park – a decade ago, that’s how the miniature Statue of Liberty, which originally was on a relatively nondescript base surrounded by asphalt, got its own plaza. (Though the original organizers and proponents of that plan have long since moved on, the ACC has remained caretakers of its originally endowed maintenance fund.)
The Rock House Association has had some preliminary talks with Parks. At last week’s meeting, the ACC voted to send the city a letter of support and also offered some advice on people to consult. Meantime, no redevelopment plan for the site is filed – yet.
A vigil tomorrow and Memorial Mass on Thursday are planned for Ronald H. Maes. Here’s the remembrance being shared with the community:
Ronald Henry Maes
Born in Seattle to George Maes & Clara VanCoulie.Ron worked in the grocery business for forty years, and loved bowling and working in his yard. His real love was doing things with his family. His Grandchildren kept him very busy in his retirement. It was filled with sports of all kinds. He and his wife of 58 years travelled extensively.
He is survived by his wife, Carole, their children, Caroline (Danny) Curtis, Terrie (Keith) Guthrie, Debbie (Mike) Dephelps, Randy (Eilisa) Maes, & Lori (Brian) Bress, seventeen Grandchildren, two Great-grandchildren, and two Granddaughters-in-law, his sister, Georgette, and many nieces & nephews.
Ron was preceded in death by his parents George & Clara, his twin brother Don, and infant daughter Tammy.
Memorial Services in his loving memory will be held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church of West Seattle.
A Vigil will be held on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 7 pm, and a Memorial Mass on Thursday, June 27, 2019 at 11 am.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMA) or Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.
To share your fond memories of Ron with his Family & Friends forever, please visit his Tribute Wall.
Care & Arrangements entrusted to Emmick Family Funeral Home of West Seattle.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
Thanks to the nearby resident who just sent that photo of another Highland Park Way/Holden crash this past hour. No injuries reported, so no Seattle Fire dispatch. The next phase of safety improvements at this problematic intersection isn’t clear; as reported here in May, SDOT told the Highland Park Action Committee that the cost of a long-proposed roundabout has jumped to $7 million, and even “just” a signal would cost $3 million. No funding has been identified for either.
(SIDE NOTE: HPAC’s next meeting – with crime, safety, and transportation on the agenda – is tomorrow night, 7 pm, at Highland Park Improvement Club.)
The advocacy group Seattle Subway suggests it’s time to start thinking ST4, three years after voters passed ST3. Here’s the map of possibilities they’re circulating:
Again, this is a volunteer group, not formally affiliated with Sound Transit or any other government agecy, but the prospect of where light rail goes next has been raised many times as the West Seattle extension is planned, so we’re publishing their pitch:
In 2016 Seattle took a bold step toward carbon-neutrality by voting to expand the Link rail system—acting in the face of a climate crisis that chokes our blue summer skies with wildfire smoke, combined with a growing influx of new residents to our city.
Planning and building rail extensions takes decades, however, and a completed ST3 system will still leave frustrating gaps in Seattle’s densest neighborhoods, like Belltown and First Hill. That is why we must start working on ST4 now to expand Link service and move toward a vision of Seattle that is fully connected by high-quality transit.
Our next rail expansion vote on ST4 should come in 2024. More people than ever will be riding Link in 2024 as major stations open in Northgate, Bellevue, Redmond, Federal Way, and Lynnwood. Critically, we will still have a window to design major ST3 stations and infrastructure for transfers and future expansion, since they must be planned that way from the start. The only way to avoid short-changing the potential of our investments in ST3, including a brand-new downtown subway tunnel, is to plan ahead with a Seattle-focused ST4 plan.
“Seattle is growing fast and started out decades behind on rapid transit,” said Keith Kyle, executive director of Seattle Subway. “When projects can take dozens of years to deliver, we don’t have time to wait around on getting started. We need to leverage the investments we’re already making to create a true Seattle Subway.”
Seattle residents should have the option to catch a train in Georgetown, Wallingford, or White Center and enjoy a smooth ride to Lake City, Crown Hill, or Fremont. We live in one of the most beautiful cities on the planet but spend far too much time stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, spewing carbon emissions from our vehicles.
“Improving Seattle’s public transit system serves everyone,” said Seattle Subway political director Ken Anderson. “Growing our Link network brings environmental, economic, mobility, and quality of life benefits to every person who doesn’t drive or is sick of wasting their time stuck in gridlocked traffic.”
To pay for this expansion, we have identified two existing funding sources with strong potential: The City Transportation Authority (CTA) and the Seattle Transit Benefit District (TBD). The CTA can be used in its current form, but can be greatly improved with state action. Please join us in urging your state legislators to improve the CTA.
“Seattle residents have a chance to make an impact on national and global issues like inequality and climate change by voting locally to expand transit access,” said Kjersti Egerdahl, board member of Seattle Subway. “Seattle can show leadership by developing a strong ST4 ballot measure.”
To make this vision of ST4 a reality, Seattle Subway is working alongside a coalition of partners to build grassroots support, talking to local elected officials, lobbying for small changes in state law, and preparing to run a ballot measure in 2024.
“The more stations Sound Transit builds, the more Seattle votes with our feet,” said Ben Broesamle of Seattle Subway’s Board of Directors. “As we continue to build today, we need to stay focused on the future and create more connections for everyone in the region.”
We stand at a crossroads to determine the future of rapid, low-carbon transit in Seattle and across the region. If you share our goal for transportation progress, come join Seattle Subway. Help us write our upcoming series explaining why each new ST4 line needs to be built. Help us connect with people at farmers markets and community events around Seattle to grow this movement. Help us by calling, emailing, and writing your elected representatives and Sound Transit officials to let them know you want more rail expansion.
Traffic is over, if you want it. Today, we invite you to join the ST4 movement— for the environment, for generations of Seattleites to come, and for yourself.
Seattle Subway is an all-volunteer nonprofit advocating for high quality rapid transit.
Just in case you haven’t been paying attention – ST3, approved by voters in the three-county Sound Transit district, includes extending light rail to the West Seattle Junction, opening in 2030. The planning process has moved into the environmental-studies phase, with a draft Environmental Impact Report due out for public comment late next year.
(Baby Steller’s Jay, photographed by Robin Sinner, shared via the WSB Flickr group)
Highlights of the hours ahead:
BRING DIAPERS! Help WestSide Baby “stuff the bus” with diapers by bringing some to its White Center hub for tonight’s diaper-drive culmination celebration, 5-7 pm. (10002 14th SW)
SAFER NEIGHBORHOODS: That’s what the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network is all about, and even if you’re not (yet) involved with a BW, you’re invited to tonight’s meeting, 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct. Hear from/ask questions of local police, plus a special Emergency Management guest. (2300 SW Webster)
FAMILY STORY TIME: 7 pm at Delridge Library, for kids of all ages. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
CANDIDATE MEET-AND-GREET: City Council District 1 candidate Brendan Kolding will be speaking/answering questions at Admiral Church, 7 pm. (4320 SW Hill)
PUNK/JAZZ: That’s what to expect at Parliament Tavern tonight at 9 with the Suffering F-Heads. No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
MORE! See the full lineup on our complete calendar.
As noted here back in April, the West Seattle Junction Association is lining the heart of The Junction with Pride flags this weekend. They’ve all been “adopted” by donors. Volunteers will be putting them up Saturday morning, taking them down Saturday night, putting them up again Sunday morning, and taking them down again. You’re welcome to help at the beginning or end of the weekend – meet Saturday morning at 8 am or Sunday at 5 pm; meet at Cupcake Royale on the northeast corner of California/Alaska.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7:02 AM: Good morning! No alerts or incidents reported so far.
Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network and friends hope you will join them on Saturday:
This coming Saturday morning, June 29th, from 9:30 AM – noon, Seal Sitters, along with Sno-King Marine Mammal Response and SR3, will be sponsoring our annual beach cleanup at Alki. We will be meeting at the Alki Statue of Liberty (61st Ave SW & Alki Ave SW) [ Map ]. There will be a brief introduction by Kate Melges, highlighting her work with Greenpeace on ocean plastics and microfibers.
Supplies will be provided by Seattle Parks & Recreation and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance. For additional details, check this announcement on Seal Sitters’ Blubberblog: Sentinels of the Sound beach cleanup.
While we are requesting an RSVP to ensure we have enough supplies, please feel free to drop by to visit our display tables and help out. RSVP to SealSitters.Outreach (at) msn (dot) com
9:28 PM UPDATE: SPD says the missing man is safe and has been returned home.
Earlier: Read More
9 PM: Thanks for the tips. What was described as a boom and a flash is apparently the result of another bird/power line conflict, this time north of Lincoln Park. The Seattle City Light map shows one customer out – though it’s not clear whether that’s a single residence or an entire multifamily building – along Lincoln Park Way.
9:08 PM: The map just updated to 22 customers affected.
One month ago today, Jan’s Beauty Supply in The Junction was burglarized. We didn’t hear about it until a customer mentioned it recently and encouraged them to tell the story, both as a warning and in case it brings in tips. Here’s what we received:
The incident occurred early morning 5/24/2019 between the hours of 3:30 am -5:30 am. (This is an ongoing investigation. Since we are a small business it really hit us hard.)
By use of surveillance cameras we were able to put together that there was a lockbox located in walk-through alcove (if your property management group has one on your building, be aware they can walk right into your building with a key) that was broken into with a rock. They entered the building and kicked in our back door. Proceeded to remove our entire safe.
Overall it was a two-hour process as we feel they knew what they were doing. They left the premises several times to see if a silent alarm was triggered.
Came back and it took them quite a while to remove the entire safe as it weighed over 300 lbs. and was located in an upstairs office which most people don’t even know we have. They used a cart we had in the storage area to wheel the safe out the door. And we ask if anyone who might have heard (because this had to have been very loud going out across the parking lot) to please contact the police if perhaps they saw a vehicle they were loading the entire cart and safe into. The retail portion of the store was untouched. However, with the holiday weekend and having to close bank accounts etc., it really put us behind with business.
We want to say thank you to everyone who was so supportive to us that following week. It took us some time but we are back up and running. We have been here 35 years and never had this happen before. Always a first time. So everyone needs to be aware. A final Thank you to Officer Ross from SPD for being so patient with Maile Hudson as she very slowly pieced together for them step by step what was missing etc. Was disturbing for all of us. All of SPD was great to respond and were so professional. Nice to know they were a phone call away.
If you have any potential tips in the case, refer to incident # 2019-186834.
Again this year, Seattle Parks plans to keep lights on at some playfields on July 3rd-4th to keep fireworks users away. Here’s the announcement:
Seattle Parks and Recreation will turn on field lighting on ballfields throughout the city on the evening of Wednesday, July 3 and Thursday, July 4 to protect the surfaces. The ballfield lights will be turned on at approximately 8:30 p.m. and most will be turned off at either 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., depending on the field.
The lights will be turned on to discourage the use of fireworks. Fireworks are illegal in the city of Seattle and will destroy the artificial turf on the fields or surrounding facilities. The approximate replacement cost for the synthetic surface based on per average full-size field (110,000 square feet) is $1.2 million. All the fields have been renovated in the past several years and benefit field users including players of soccer, football, baseball, Ultimate Frisbee and lacrosse.
The fields will be monitored by security from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
You can see the full citywide list here; four city-owned West Seattle fields are involved, and all will be “lights on” until 11 pm those nights:
Delridge Playfield, 4458 Delridge Way SW
Hiawatha Playfield, 2700 California Ave. SW
Walt Hundley Playfield, 6920 34th Avenue SW
West Seattle Stadium, 4432 35th Ave. SW
SDOT promised the final decision on a West Seattle Junction-area Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) would be made by month’s end, and this afternoon, it’s in:
SDOT will be installing a new Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) 35 in the West Seattle Junction in fall 2019 along with additional unpaid time limits and individual parking space changes.
RPZ 35 signs will be installed on the orange-lined blocks shown on the map, which will limit vehicles without RPZ 35 permits to 2-hour parking, 7 AM – 6 PM, Monday – Saturday.
All residents living within the orange-shaded area shown on the map will be eligible to purchase RPZ 35 permits. Vehicles displaying an RPZ 35 permit will be exempt from the 2-hour time limit on RPZ-signed blocks.
We will send residents in the orange-shaded area information on purchasing permits prior to RPZ sign installation. Permits are currently $65 per vehicle for a two-year cycle. One hang-tag guest permit is available per household. A $10 low-income permit is available.
Thank you to all who participated in this process.
Residents and businesses in the area will get this mailer (PDF) soon, too.
BACKSTORY ADDED: The decision follows March’s public hearing on the proposal (WSB coverage here). The final decision comes two and a half years after a Junction resident initiated the request – which in turn was seven years after the city had rejected the previous community request for one.
P.S. This will be West Seattle’s second RPZ; the first has been in place in Fauntleroy for more than a quarter-century.
Seattle Parks confirms that West Seattle’s only city-run indoor pool, Southwest Pool, reopened today. It was originally scheduled to reopen right after Memorial Day after a monthlong closure to replace the pool liner, but the work took an extra month. Here’s the swimming schedule.
Got stuff to recycle and/or shred? Another big opportunity is just days away – the West Seattle Junction Association sends the reminder of Saturday’s event in the parking lot off 42nd south of SW Oregon. From WSJA executive director Lora Radford:
Reuse and Recycle in the Junction this Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM. We’ll have two shredding trucks this year, supported by Windermere. Plus we’ll have the usual array of recyclers ready to take items from Styrofoam to the usual array of electronics.
We’ll offer drive up and walk-up areas on the 42nd Ave parking lot. We are giving a reminder, the items for the Goodwill should be in good working order and be ready for resale.
In other words – if something’s in really bad shape and not recyclable, this isn’t the place to dump it. This is all FREE to thanks to the sponsors and partners, listed on the webpage where you’ll find more about what they will and won’t take.
One week from tonight, the Seattle Chamber Music Society‘s “Music Under the Stars” series of free outdoor events returns to West Seattle for a third summer. This year, though, a new location, as SCMS spokesperson Alexander Hawker explains:
Music Under the Stars is a free community event that takes place in parks throughout Seattle. It features classical chamber music performances and live broadcasts of our concerts in Benaroya Hall. It is family friendly, and a great opportunity to bring a picnic, enjoy beautiful Seattle weather, and listen to some great chamber music.
In previous years we have held the West Seattle events at Delridge Playfield. We had an exciting opportunity this year to partner with the Chinese Garden so we are moving from Delridge Playfield to the new location at Seattle Chinese Garden for these performances.
The details for the event are the same as previous years, with the exception of the change in location. Music Under the Stars in West Seattle takes place on the first four Monday evenings in July, beginning July 1st at 7:30 pm, and takes place in Seattle Chinese Garden. The event begins with a live student performance of classical chamber music, which is followed by an HD radio broadcast of chamber music from Benaroya Hall.
The Chinese Garden is on the north end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus on Puget Ridge, 6000 16th SW.
10:31 AM: Thanks for the tips. West Seattle High School sheltered in place for a while this morning, less than an hour. Seattle Public Schools spokesperson Tim Robinson says it was because of a threat via social media. Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson says police were initially called around 9 am and are investigating. No other details so far.
1:11 PM: WSHS principal Brian Vance sent this message to families:
I know that there have been a few incidents and media attention the past couple of weeks that have prompted communications home. Unfortunately, we had an incident this morning that I want to share information about. We are sending you this letter to update you on the facts and to assure you that we are doing everything we can to support our students.
This morning, it was reported that one of our students created a social media post with threatening content directed toward our school security team.
We quickly determined that the student who allegedly made the post was not in school at the time.
We worked with SPS security and the Seattle Police and decided to put the school in the shelter-in-place protocol. This happened just after first period began.
The student who allegedly made the threat was contacted by police and was taken into custody.
The shelter-in-place was lifted before the end of first period.
I continue to ask for your partnership in reminding students about safe and appropriate use of social media. Social media can take on a life of its own and comments that are perceived as threats or dangerous are taken seriously and investigated. The outcome and consequence of posts and comments can be unpredictable and has the potential to follow students for years.
Thanks to the parents who forwarded the note.
| 4 COMMENTS