MAKING MUSIC: 2 West Seattle scenes
Two scenes shared by WSB readers, as joy resounds through our neighborhoods, even in these stay-home days and nights:
The photo is from Laura Wood, who explains, “Trombone practice in the sunshine: Henry and Patrick Wood, 15 year old twins from West Seattle High School who really miss playing in their music groups!!”
Below, fiddler Dawn Hepburn joined neighbors on the east side of The Junction in “making a joyful noise” on Friday night:
She was in the Alki Masonic Lodge parking lot, with The Whittaker to the north and east, Broadstone Sky to the west, the 4801 Fauntleroy Apartments and Origins Cannabis (both WSB sponsors) to the south.
CORONAVIRUS: Saturday 4/25 roundup
Here’s a short nightly roundup following a quiet Saturday – :
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health data dashboard:
*5,811 people have tested positive, up 122 from yesterday
*399 people have died, up 12 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 5,063 and 340.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
NO WS FARMERS’ MARKET TOMORROW: Though the U-District and Ballard markets opened for a second weekend, the West Seattle market remains closed. No explanation so far.
FREE FOOD TOMORROW: Reminder,the KBM Commissary weekly free meal will be available 4-6 pm Sunday – details here.
FOOD DELIVERY – FOR STUDENTS: In Seattle Public Schools‘ latest message to families, the district says meal distribution will be done along 38 special school-bus routes, in addition to ongoing availability at certain campuses.
IN CASE YOU DIDN”T SEE THE SUNSET … thanks to James Bratsanos for the photo:
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
About those surveillance-video trailers at Westwood Village
We’ve gotten lots of questions about the new solar-powered surveillance-video trailers at Westwood Village.
Five are in place around the center. The company that makes them, Utah-based LiveView Technologies, says 3,500 are in use at a variety of sites – construction, energy, retail, government. According to the company’s website and a promotional video, the trailers send streaming video, and have the potential for features from thermal detection to “vehicle recognition.” You might also have noticed they have speakers, so warnings can be delivered (as in this marketing video).
They’ve drawn media attention in other places where they’ve been used or considered – Walmart stores use them under the name Lot Cops, for example. In Eugene, Oregon, the police are considering using them; a cost of $20,000 to $85,000 each was cited in coverage there.
So you’re being watched. But who’s watching? We took that question to Westwood Village management. The center’s managers aren’t allowed to talk with the media, so they sent our inquiry to the communications team at their company, Madison Marquette. The resulting response was basically “no comment”:
Thank you for your inquiry. Because the safety and security of our shoppers, employees, restaurants and retailers is of the utmost importance, we do not share the specifics of our security programs or procedures since doing so could comprise our security efforts.
Right now, many WWV storefronts are vacant or closed by government order, so the security need is different than pre-COVID-19. But it was just a year ago that you might recall police had planned to deploy a monitoring tower at the center and elsewhere; that ultimately never happened.
SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESS: 2 videos to see
Your local, independent businesses need you more than ever, whether they’re open, partly open, or entirely closed. Here are two videos about supporting them:
FCA SUPPORTING ENDOLYNE JOE’S: This time of year, Endolyne Joe’s (9261 45th SW) usually has a dine-out fundraiser to support the Fauntleroy Fall Festival. This year, Joe’s needs the support instead – since like other restaurants it’s only allowed to be partly open – so the Fauntleroy Community Association urges you to order lunch and/or dinner there on Tuesday (April 28th), and made this video to explain:
‘SMALL BUSINESS IS FAMILY’: The proprietor of Flourish Beauty, Juniper Nails, and Spruce Apothecary, Tiann Hadeed, made this video not just about her businesses, but “to help educate our clients and community on the importance of supporting small business.”:
FOUND BICYCLE: Kid-sized
The photo and report are from David:
found a very nice, practically new, white Strider bike in alley behind 3200 block of Avalon Way. I doubt a child would park it by dumpsters. I would like to return it to the owner.
Let us know if it is yours so we can connect you.
WEST SEATTLE BIRDS: More views of our winged neighbors
It’s a bit blustery out today so you might not be going out on that neighborhood-nature walk. No worries – photos we’ve received will bring the wildlife to you! The photos above and below are from Mark MacDonald -above, a Bushtit; below, a Towhee:
Next, the local Golden Pheasant made an appearance in Matt S‘s Charlestown Hill yard:
Kyle Riley in Seaview sent this view he identified as a Red-Tailed Hawk:
Lura Ercolano photographed this Great Blue Heron:
From Brian Michel – you’ll recognize this species:
And Barry J. White shared this video of hummingbirds in a white pine near their home:
(Yes, we asked, and Barry assures us the drone was only used for views of the tree AFTER the nesting babies were gone.)
Thanks to everyone who’s sharing what they’re seeing!
AVALON/35TH: ‘Substantial completion’
As a huge new unplanned project looms, SDOT has announced that another is almost done:
This week we reached substantial completion of the SW Seattle Paving: 35th/ Avalon project! We will not be working next week. We will be returning to the corridor as early as the week of May 4. You will see crews onsite through the month of May as they make final improvements and complete restoration along the corridor. We will be wrapping up construction by making safety improvements to the northbound bus stop at SW Genesee St, completing remaining striping, and finishing any additional minor work.
We will take down our no-parking signs where they are no longer needed. Some no parking signs will be set up as soon as May 4 to begin work at the northbound SW Genesee St bus stop on SW Avalon Way.
Just before work began a year ago, SDOT told us it was expected to last 14 months. The project was announced three years ago, first as a repaving project; a month later, lane reconfiguration was revealed as part of the plan too.
ROAD-WORK REMINDER: Weekend alerts for 5-way, low bridge, Delridge
Note the crew at the lower left of that screengrab from the city camera at the 5-way (Spokane/West Marginal/Chelan/Delridge) intersection very early this morning – repaving work got under way overnight, scheduled to continue tonight. That’s part of a variety of work scheduled in that area all weekend – including installation all day today of a new bus lane along the north end of Delridge, between Andover and the low bridge. That bridge itself will have crews working all day as load testing continues. If you’re expecting to travel in any of these areas this weekend, read the full alert so you’ll know what to expect.
GROCERY STORES: What’s up at West Seattle supermarkets
Time to start Saturday with grocery-shopping updates. The only major change this past week is that Westwood Village QFC has launched curbside pickup; Christine from the store’s e-commerce team told us it’s being rolled out at most QFCs, and that the usual service fee is being waived during the coronavirus crisis. … Hours at local standalone stores, including senior/at-risk shopping hours, stayed unchanged (here’s our standing list). We’re only shopping once a week, so we can’t scout all the stores for you, but readers have reported in each week, and it sounds like the safety measures are getting to be almost universal: Plexiglas, masks, floor spacing, etc. The main variable: Your fellow shoppers. They’re not all masking up, or paying attention to the one-way-aisle markers. (So don’t be THAT shopper!) Looking to avoid crowds? Shop in the first or last hour that your chosen store’s open. And let us know if you discover something new/changed! (Example: West Seattle Thriftway [WSB sponsor] says it has a new supply of garden seeds!)
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