West Seattle, Washington
02 Monday
As noted here a week ago, the Terminal 5 project is doing some weekend pile-driving to catch up from a month and a half lost to a problem with pile breakage. In addition to Saturdays – including tomorrow – port spokesperson Peter McGraw just sent word that a Sunday date is set too: Pile-driving is now planned for Sunday, February 2nd, between 9 am and 5 pm.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We can see the end now.”
That’s how 35th/Avalon/Alaska project spokesperson Adonis Ducksworth summarizes where things stand. We talked with him and two key project managers at SDOT HQ after requesting a sit-down interview about what’s complete and what’s left to be done on the repaving-reconfiguration-and-more project.
Also in the conversation on Thursday: construction-engineering supervisor Elsa Tibbits and engineer Jeremy Walliman.
(L-R, SDOT’s Jeremy Walliman, Elsa Tibbits, Adonis Ducksworth)
First a little backstory: First word of the project came almost three years ago.
(Rendering by Sazei Design Group)
After three meetings in 2+ years, the mixed-use project at 8854 Delridge Way SW has won final Southwest Design Review Board approval. Toplines from last night’s review meeting:
The architects began with how they had addressed the issues highlighted in the previous review last September. The revised design has a more toned-down look; the types of materials and colors have been reduced in number, with a focus on more earthy tones.
While board members were OK with the new plan overall, questions about the ground-floor “commercial” space took up most of the meeting. Early on, the project team was asked what the space would be; architect Hamid Korasani from Sazei Design Group‘s reply – it was intended as office space for the building’s management and leasing agents. They said the owner had no plans for a café or coffee shop, so no ventilation or other required food-service-related elements were included.
Public comment centered around the open space proposed for the area right in front of the office space. The plan called for furniture outside it; people living nearby were concerned it might be a magnet for loitering. Board members pointed out that the outdoor space faces onto two very busy streets (Delridge and Henderson), so it really didn’t make sense to have outdoor seating in such a busy, noisy space, especially if the commercial space wasn’t going to hold a cafe or something similar.
So the plan was approved 5-0 with the provision that there be no outdoor furniture and that the street-front area outside the office space use more landscaping and generally be rearranged to bring more attention to the office entrance.
Even if you missed the meeting, you can still comment on the project by emailing the assigned city planner, Wayne Farrens, at wayne.farrens@seattle.gov, who will be writing the final report over the next few weeks.
(Bewick’s Wren, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Highlights for today/tonight:
GRAND OPENING: As previewed here Monday, today and tomorrow, Lula Coffee in The Junction is celebrating with specials and an invitation to visit the remodeled shop. (4451 California SW)
BENEFIT BEVERAGE SALES: In front of the south Lincoln Park parking lot, hot cider, 4-5:30 pm:
To raise money and support Immigrant Families Together, students and parents from the Taproot School have been selling lemonade (summer) and Hot Cider (by donation) to ferry travelers and park goers since school began in September.
(Photo courtesy Taproot School)
They gather in front of the southern Lincoln Park parking lot, with mobile sellers to catch those in line. All proceeds go to Immigrant Families Together and all supplies have been donated or created by the students and families.
(Fauntleroy/Cloverdale)
AUSTRALIA BENEFIT: The West Seattle Eagles invtte you to dinner starting at 5 pm, benefiting the fund for wildlife affected by the Australia bushfires. All ages welcome, membership not required. (4426 California SW)
‘PROMISED LAND’: Highland Park Improvement Club screening of the docmentary about the Duwamish and Chinook Tribes’ fight for recognition. Doors open at 7, film at 8. (1116 SW Holden)
SID LAW: Live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. No cover. All ages. (5612 California SW)
COMMUNITY YIN YOGA: 7:30 pm at Bikram Yoga West Seattle. (4747 California SW)
NICOLE WALTERS: Jazz singer live at the Pacific Room (WSB sponsor) on Alki, 8 pm. Cover and show info here. (2808 Alki SW)
AT THE SKYLARK: Dead On Cue, The Mercy Ray, The Grindylow, 8 pm. $8 cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
FIRST REPORT, 9:20 AM: The whales are back! Southbound south of Fauntleroy, Kersti Muul tells WSB. We’ll update this post with any additional info throughout the day.
12:12 PM: Kersti says another “large pod” is headed this way, currently southbound, mid-channel, off Bainbridge Island, “spread out.”
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7:11 AM: Good morning. No incidents/alerts so far.
TUNNEL CLOSURE TONIGHT: 10 pm tonight until 8 am Saturday, the NB Highway 99 tunnel is scheduled for a maintenance closure.
Just in from Cinthia:
My car was stolen between the late evening of January 22nd and early morning of January 23rd. 2014 Chevy Cruze. Dark gray with black interior (no tinted windows). Washington plate AYS6208. It was taken from the 8500 block of 16th Ave SW. Police incident number 20-27059. If you see it, please call 911.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged 25-year-old Solomon D. Whitt with first-degree murder in the death of his roommate, identified by authorities as 41-year-old Jana Layman. As reported by Seattle Police yesterday, Ms. Layman died January 13th, three days after she was taken to the hospital after Whitt claimed she had fallen down the stairs in the Junction home where he lived with her and her two children. He was arrested six days later. The charging documents say he attacked her after she asked him to move out. Prosecutors say Whitt has no criminal history but asked that his bail remain at $2 million because of “the danger he presents to our community.” He remains in jail awaiting arraignment. The charging documents say the defendant and victim met while working in a youth-sports program, and that he moved in a little over a year ago to help with her children. A commenter following our Wednesday report says donations are being accepted via this church website – choose “Jana’s Family Care Fund.”
Through the morning and afternoon, we published updates on Southern Resident Killer Whales in the area, first southbound, then northbound before sunset. Tonight, some photos! Thanks to David Hutchinson for the first and third photo, Kersti Muul (today’s original tipster) for the one directly below:
Kersti says members of all three resident pods were in the area today; her photo above shows Onyx (L87) and Nugget (L55).
We just missed the whales by the time we got to Alki to have a look, but Donna Sandstrom of The Whale Trail was there, assisting with land-based viewing, which is one of TWT’s missions.
Also meeting this week for the first time since October: HPAC (which now encompasses Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge). For one, the group voted on a new logo, created by Dina Lydia of Digital Genie:
Other topics:
DISCUSSION WITH POLICE: Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand was there, and encampment-related issues were a big topic, as was traffic.
Here are the toplines from the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s first meeting since October:
CRIME TRENDS: Southwest Precinct crime overall was down almost five percent in 2019 from 2018, said the precinct’s operations commander, Lt. Steve Strand. They’re hoping to repeat that in 2020. Lt. Strand stressed the importance of reporting all crime so they know what’s happening and where to focus patrols. (If it’s happening now, call 911; if not, most crimes can be reported online – go here.)
When Kyle told us last week about the removal of the unauthorized speed-camera signs in Arbor Heights, he observed that ideally SDOT would have installed one of the new lower-speed-limit signs while there. It’s been more than a month since the announcement that all arterials would go to 25 mph – with our part of the city among the first to get new signage – so we asked SDOT for an update. The reply:
We are underway with necessary preparation work to enable us to install the new speed limit signs. We installed new speed limit signs on Rainier Ave S in December, and expect to drastically ramp up installations in February. We are prioritizing reducing speeds in Southeast Seattle first, and will then move on to West Seattle and the Central District. It will take us several months to complete this work in these neighborhoods, and up to a year and half to complete sign installations citywide.
Over the past month, our maintenance crews and planners have been working to prepare for this project. We have begun manufacturing the new signs and have also been working to determine the most effective locations for new signs on arterial roads in South and West Seattle. This requires planners to analyze crash data and scout out every arterial road to determine where signs will be most visible based on the landscape ahead of issuing work orders.
In addition to reducing speed limits, we also plan to greatly increase the number of speed limit signs in order to increase awareness of the change. Today, many arterial roads have speed limit signs roughly 1 – 1.5 miles apart. Increasing the frequently of signs makes them more visible and improves their effectiveness, so we are planning to place new signs approximately every 0.25 miles citywide. This will be a very large project, requiring us to manufacture and install about 2,500 – 3,000 new signs throughout Seattle.
P.S. We have another SDOT-project followup on the way, tonight or tomorrow: What’s left to do on the Avalon/35th/Alaska project, and how long it’ll take; we went downtown for a snow-delayed interview with project leaders.
If a student in your family is planning to take the SAT – you might be interested in this announcement:
Seattle Lutheran High School is hosting a SAT Prep class February – April – and you need to sign up fast:
WSHS and CSIHS students (or any other high school) are invited to join SLHS students in taking a SAT Prep course taught by a Kaplan instructor and held at Seattle Lutheran HS in The Junction. The target audience is juniors but sophomores are welcome to join if they’d like to get a head start on preparing for the SAT. Please click here to see the flyer with dates and times and to register online. The registration deadline is January 24. Keep in mind that the class often fills before the deadline in past years. Please contact Tami Clark with any questions at tclark@seattlelutheran.org
(Bald Eagle, photographed by Dan Ciske)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
BASKETBALL: Seattle Lutheran High School plays at home tonight vs. Rainier Christian. 6 pm girls, 7:30 pm boys. (4100 SW Genesee)
WEST SEATTLE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN: 6 pm at the West Seattle Golf Course, with special guest Ron Sims. Here’s how to RSVP. (4600 35th SW)
WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House High Point. Featured guest: King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who is a vice chair of the council as well as a Sound Transit Board member. All welcome. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
SOUTHWEST DESIGN REVIEW BOARD: As previewed here, third review meeting for mixed-use 8856 Delridge Way SW project. 6:30 pm at Senior Center/Sisson Building. Public-comment period included. (4217 SW Oregon)
AT THE SKYLARK: Sue Quigley, Brad Jaeger, Aly Crase. 7 pm. $8 cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
8:28 AM: Southbound orcas, south of Fsuntleroy, with “more coming,” reports Kersti Muul. Let us know if you see them!
9 AM: Kersti says a NB group is heading out of Colvos Passage (west side of Vashon).
2:16 PM: The now-NB orcas, mentioned by Kersti in a comment, are passing Three Tree Point south of here, but visibility on the water is poor as the rain/fog persists.
2:40 PM: Kersti is on the shore just south of Fauntleroy and says they ARE visible, even without binoculars, as they continue heading slowly north.
3:39 PM: Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail says they’re south of Alki Point now, putting on the best show in a long time!
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7 AM: Good morning. 2 problems reported right now – a stalled vehicle on NB 99 at Lander, and a crash on the westbound West Seattle Bridge at Delridge. Texters also mention an eastbound crash, but we aren’t seeing a dispatch on that so far.
7:05 AM: Now SDOT is mentioning the eastbound WS Bridge crash – and SFD has corrected its dispatch log to reflect it’s responding to the EB bridge, not WB.
7:20 AM: Multiple texters/tweeters describe it as a six-vehicle crash No major injuries, apparently, as most of the SFD dispatch has been dismissed.
7:34 AM: Crash scene not cleared yet; city map shows, unsurprisingly, feeder routes backed up.
8:29 AM: Finally clear.
10:15 AM: Thanks to David for the tip. If you’re headed to I-5, heads-up on an embankment fire just north of the bridge.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Alki Elementary principal Rena Deese told her students that this morning’s guest speaker was there to inspire: “She went to space, and you can do whatever your dream is!”
But Dr. Soyeon Yi – who made history as the first (and only, so far) South Korean in space – was entertaining, too, especially as she explained the particulars of, let’s just say, bodily functions in space.
Dr. Yi spent 11 days on the International Space Station in April 2008 after winning a competition – with more than 36,000 entrants! – to be South Korea’s first astronaut. As she told the Alki Elementary students, who sat rapt in the gym for her half-hour appearance, Korea had a “relationship” with Russia, so that’s where she trained. Hardest thing? Learning the Russian language, she said.
A favorite memory from that “relationship” – support from cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who in 1963 became the first woman to go into space. During Dr. Yi’s training, Tereshkova encouraged her in a sort of grandmotherly way, she told the students. And she was there for the launch. You can see the blastoff in this Science Channel report on Dr. Yi:
What she misses most about space, she told the Alki students, is the view of Earth – you can look at photos or videos of that view, she explained, but nothing matches seeing it with your own eyes.
While in space, she also did science experiments, meditated, and, she noted, had fun. In zero gravity, she observed, you can look like you’re flying, so you can pose as a superhero! She even sang in space, and played what she called “the evidence” – a recording of her singing “Fly Me to the Moon” aboard the ISS. On a more somber note, she said, all those who go into space are “ambassadors of a peaceful Earth,” showing a photo of herself holding the flag o the United Nations, whose secretary-general at the time was South Korea’s Ban Ki-moon.
After a few more space stories, such as the bodily-function discussion (takeaway: don’t forget to turn on the suction pump!), she talked to the students about gratitude – “remember you always have something to be grateful for.”
The Alki Elementary PTA, for one, was grateful for Dr. Yi’s visit, underwritten by money raised at their annual auction, including a private lunch with two families at recently opened Outer Space Seattle a few hours after her presentation:
(Photo courtesy Outer Space Seattle)
Several years after her space trip, Dr. Yi moved to the U.S., and according to this online bio, now lives in Puyallup.
If you received Sound Transit‘s recent email update, that’s the newest map showing what potential routing/station options are being studied for West Seattle light rail. ST is still a year away from going public with a draft Environmental Impact Statement, and continues various types of studies as part of putting it together. Today ST spokesperson David Jackson sent word of what’s next, including “in-water” work:
There will be crews working beneath the West Seattle bridge along the Pigeon Point slope area over the next three days to analyze soil conditions.
The surface analysis on the Pigeon Point slopes will entail crews walking through the area to collect samples at several locations. Crews will be digging a series of hand dug test holes to evaluate the subsurface conditions. In addition to the hand dug test hole, steel probes may be used to measure the thickness of surface soils. Following the testing, the hand dug test holes will be back filled, soils tamped in-place and the ground surface smoothed.
Also in-water work in the Duwamish Waterway is set to begin next week. Please see the attached flyer.
3:44 PM: A texter points out that if you will be riding Metro back here from downtown this pm, this might affect you – road closures/bus reroutes because of a shooting involving SPD and KCSO at 3rd and Blanchard.
Transit Alert Update – Buses in downtown are being rerouted off 3 Av between Wall St/Virginia St, & off Blanchard St west if 5 Av due to emergency response.
— King County Metro ❄️🚏 🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) January 22, 2020
This shooting involved @SeattlePD and @kingcosoPIO. The suspect has been transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of non life-threatening injuries. No officers or deputies were injured during this encounter. Force Investigation Team detectives are responding.
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) January 22, 2020
5:28 PM: As noted by commenters, a second shooting incident has since happened downtown. This one is reported by SFD to involve “multiple patients,” near 3rd and Pine.
5:39 PM: Six patients, according to emergency-radio discussion. Meantime, from SDOT:
#Seattle If you can, avoid downtown streets and/or delay your commute if you're in the downtown district. Seeing high travel times due to multiple street closures in the area for investigations.
— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) January 23, 2020
6:07 PM: A reader texted that photo of NB buses queued at 3rd/Seneca. No recent update from Metro.
6:10 PM: Metro has now sent an update: “Buses in downtown Seattle continue to be rerouted off 3 Av btwn Wall St/University St & off Blanchard St west of 5 Av.”
6:18 PM: Short media briefing from police chief and fire chief: As noted above, 6 victims. 1 dead. 5 in critical condition. No one in custody. … Back to the issue of getting out of downtown, one person on Twitter tells us the Water Taxi has been busier than usual. It has one more run from downtown to West Seattle tonight, at 6:45 pm.
7:05 PM: As mentioned in comments, the Water Taxi has added runs: “To help alleviate congestion in the downtown Seattle area, the West Seattle Water Taxi will be adding additional sailings from Pier 50 to Seacrest park in West Seattle tonight.” No further details but if you’re still stuck downtown, consider heading for the pier.
7:20 PM: Update from the Water Taxi, last run from downtown will be 7:30 pm.
9:35 PM: Buses are still detoured, Metro says. Meantime, SPD has just published a short summary of the first shooting this afternoon, the one involving officers and deputies.
10:13 PM: And now SPD has published this summary of the 3rd/Pine shooting, with 1 dead and six others injured.
THURSDAY MORNING NOTE: Metro says bus routing did return to normal early this am.
In December, we reported on a local case that went before the city Hearing Examiner, related to the upcoming Seattle Parks project that will close the Westcrest Park Off-Leash Area for an estimated six months of drainage work. Park neighbor Inge Anderson appealed the Parks decision that an environmental-impact study wasn’t needed, saying that among other impacts, it will affect many users of West Seattle’s only off-leash area because the planned temporary replacement OLA is small. Five weeks after Anderson and Parks manager David Graves argued their respective sides before Hearing Examiner Ryan Vancil (WSB coverage here), his decision is in – read it here (PDF).
While Vancil reiterates points he noted during the December 16th hearing – such as, that appellants face a tough challenge because it’s on them to prove a city department made the wrong decision – he sided with Parks. He said Anderson “did not introduce evidence demonstrating any significant impacts that are reasonably likely to result from the proposal.” The key word there is “significant”; Vancil agreed that the plan would have some impacts, just not enough to require a full environmental study. His decision is the city’s final word on the matter, and any further challenges would have to be done in court; when we contacted Anderson to ask if she intends to do that, she said yes.
The photo is from Collin, who reports police are on the scene of that crash on the downhill side of Olson Place, as you head toward 509. No SFD dispatch so far, so apparently no serious injuriess.
12:24 PM: After none in 2019, West Seattle has its first homicide case of 2020. On January 10th, neighbors told us about a police response in the 4500 block of 40th SW. Police would only tell us that they were investigating a serious injury suffered by someone in the residence but weren’t sure if a crime was committed. We’ve been following up but received no new information, until today. SPD now says the victim died and her 25-year-old roommate has been arrested:
On January 10th, the 25-year-old man called 911 and said he had found his roommate, a 41-year-old woman, unresponsive at the bottom of a staircase in their shared home in the 4500 block of 40th Avenue SW.
Patrol officers, concerned about the circumstances of the incident, called for homicide detectives to respond to the scene. Medics transported the woman to Harborview Medical Center, where she died three days later.
Homicide detectives conducted an initial interview with the 25-year-old man, and then released him from the scene. The detectives continued to investigate and, after the woman’s death on January 13th, police interviewed the man once again, leading them to book him into the King County Jail for homicide.
The King County Jail roster shows the suspect is jailed in lieu of $2 million bail. We’ll be checking with prosecutors for bail-hearing documents and will add anything more we find out.
12:59 PM: Added a photo we had taken while checking with police on January 10th. Also just received the probable-cause document from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. It says the victim never regained consciousness and “had injuries on her neck that were inconsistent with a fall down the stairs”; the suspect had “what appeared to be fresh scratches/abrasioons to his arms and chest.” The document says that after the Medical Examiner determined the victim was killed by strangulation, the suspect told police he strangled her and “threw her down the stairs to make it look like an accident.”
When last we asked SDOT about an activation timeline for the 35th/Dawson signal – one of the last major features of the 35th SW Safety Project’s Phase 2, announced almost two years ago – the estimate was around Thanksgiving. But now Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s, and MLK Day have gone by too, and the stoplight hasn’t been activated yet. So here’s a new SDOT update:
We installed the poles for the 35th Ave SW and SW Dawson St signal in late October and have been working with Seattle City Light to power up the signal cabinet. Seattle City Light completed their electrical work last week and the SDOT contractor is now moving through the final phase of activating the signal which includes configuring, inspecting and finalizing the signal cabinet system. If the weather allows it, we anticipate to have the signal operational by the end of February. We also plan to return to this location when the weather warms up in late Spring to complete permanent striping, restore landscaping, and install any remaining signage.
When the plan for this signal was announced in 2018, it was described as something the community had long been requesting – at least a decade.
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