West Seattle, Washington
14 Thursday
(WSB photo)
Metro says ridership is now 30 percent of normal so as of Monday, it’s reducing service further. The routes to be entirely (temporarlly) cut as of Monday go beyond the 37 and 125 that were already axed – now the list of eliminated-for-now routes includes West Seattle-serving 21X, 55, 56, 57, 113, 116, and the Water Taxi shuttles 773, 775, Most other routes have reductions; a handful of West Seattle-serving routes including the 22, 60, 128, and 131 are keeping most if not all trips. As for the Water Taxi itself, its schedule also will be slashed. Here’s the full announcement (which includes the new WT schedule).
In case you haven’t already seen this at Bakery Nouveau … the photo and report are from Vlad:
I just got back from a takeout at Bakery Nouveau, and they had this funny toilet paper roll themed cake in the display case. A bit of levity during the strange period we are living through. The store has a good system for physical distancing and the food is still as tasty as ever, even when taken home to consume.
BN is of course on our ongoing West Seattle (etc.) food/beverage takeout-and/or-delivery list.
(Reader photo, March 25th)
Even after the “stay-home order” took effect, the city continued enforcing parking rules such as time limits in residential areas near business districts. One reader sent the photo above a week ago, after a parking-enforcement officer made another sweep through streets on the east side of The Junction, issuing -by the reader’s count – more than a dozen tickets. We sent a question to the city about whether they were considering relaxing the rules. No reply – but today, an announcement. From this SDOT Blog post:
… Beginning tomorrow, April 4, we will implement the following changes:
-No payment will be required on streets with paid parking.
-Hourly time limits will not be enforced outside of Restricted Parking Zones (RPZ).
-Loading zones up to 30-minutes, including new food pick-up zones, will continue to be enforced.
-All signs that indicate no parking, including no parking during a specified time, will still be enforced.
-Special zones will still be in effect, including new zones for Hospital and Human Services staff as well as existing zones for freight, food trucks, charter buses, etc.Time limits in RPZs will continue to be enforced so that people who live in these neighborhoods can still find parking in their neighborhoods. So, if you park in an RPZ and do not have a permit, you need to follow the posted time-limits. Additionally, payment suspension doesn’t apply to private, off-street lots and garages.
We encourage people, if they are able, to check their cars from time-to-time, as we continue to adjust on-street parking regulations to respond to the pandemic.
All street parking meters in Seattle will display No Payment Required screen.
Reinstating paid parking will be phased in after the stay-home order is lifted.
After the stay-home order is lifted, on-street parking activity is anticipated to gradually increase as employees return to work and businesses reopen. Businesses downtown and in neighborhood business districts will again need parking turnover to provide access for customers and visitors. At that time, we will reinstate parking fees at a reduced rate of $0.50 per hour, the minimum we are able to charge.
After three weeks at the $0.50/hour rate, we will then begin to adjust rates based on demand as customers return to business districts and need reliable access at the curb.
West Seattle has no on-street public paid parking, but we do have two RPZs – one in Fauntleroy, one in The Junction – so pay close attention to the signage wherever you park. Parking rules suspended two weeks ago included the move-every-72-hours rule.
Shop local! Three West Seattle business updates:
ILLUSIONS HAIR DESIGN: Though there’s no way to do styling right now, Illusions Hair Design (longtime WSB sponsor) is selling items for pickup tomorrow, if you get your order in by 4 pm today:
SATURDAY APRIL 4, from 11 am-3 pm, we will be available to have you pick up retail/hair items you may need (based on availability). **CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY, no cash/checks. Simply email with your product requests – contactillusionshairdesign@gmail.com – (if you’re unsure of what the item is called, we can look it up in your file here at the salon.) What do you need? Shampoo, conditioner, styling aid, umbrella, hat, scarf, etc…? We will call you, give you a total for your items. When you arrive at the salon SATURDAY between 11-3 pm, we will have your bag of items ready. Simply call us from your car, we will take your credit card information at that time and process it. We will then print you a receipt (no signature required!), add it to your bag and we will run it all out to you! (Illusions DRIVE-THRU style!)
PLEASE UNDERSTAND: Our doors will remain locked, we will not be open to the public. You will not be allowed to come into the salon. ALL orders MUST be received via email, or you can leave us a message on our 24hr phone line. We will try to fulfill all of your requests on a first come, first served basis. (Many of our suppliers are not shipping, so we are limited to stock on hand.)
ALL requests must be received by FRIDAY APRIL 3 by 4 pm. If this is a success, we may do it again in a few weeks!
**PLEASE DO NOT ATTACH your credit card info to your item request inquiry. PLEASE DO NOT CALL and leave your credit card info our our message service. We are trying to be as diligent as we can, and respect your privacy as well as your well being. We will take your credit card info by phone when you arrive for pick-up. 206-938-3675
If you don’t see this until it’s too late … Illusions tells us it DOES look like they’ll do it again in 2 weeks. Join the Illusions email list via the website so you get first word on that.
CANNA WEST CULTURE SHOP: Here’s how to get CBD products delivered:
To help its customers, friends and neighbors receive their Essential CBD Products without leaving their homes, Canna West Culture Shop is now offering delivery service.
At checkout enter your contact information, select “Shipping” > Local Delivery > Payment Method “Schedule a Delivery.”
Deliveries are scheduled on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday by appointment only. Once you place your order a salesperson will contact you to confirm location and schedule your delivery.
There is a $5 delivery fee and $2 fuel charge for all deliveries regardless of location. Deliveries are limited within Seattle only. If delivery is not available in your area, we are happy to ship your products to you.
Pre-payment by credit card is required. An invoice will be sent via email for payment.
You will have the option to add gratuity. All gratuities will be donated to the local charities. During the month of April for Autism Awareness month, we will be donating to the WAAA, Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy organization.
A person 21+ must be present to sign for the order at the time of delivery. ID required.
Discounts are only available in-store.If you have any questions or concerns about delivery service, please call 206-743-8003 or email nina@cannaws.com. All CBD products delivered are hemp derived and contain ZERO to less than .3% THC and are Federally legal. Delivery service is not available from our dispensary.
(The dispensary is Canna West Seattle, a WSB sponsor, which remains open at 5440 California SW.)
PEGASUS BOOK EXCHANGE: Eric sent this update:
Just an update for the shop, we will be starting delivery only to WS residents on 4/4. People can email us to place delivery orders. And (soon) we will have pictures of genres posted, so customers can still browse the shelves. Delivery fee of $5 is waived if the customer spends $20 or more. We will be keeping our customers updated via FB, Instagram, our website, and with window signs.
(Send business updates to westseattleblog@gmail.com – we’re catching up on more this weekend.)
(Port of Seattle photo from February, before in-water work ended for the season)
12:26 PM: The extended in-water pile driving for the Terminal 5 modernization project is over, but now it’s time for a different round of pile driving. The announcement is from the Port of Seattle:
As the Port of Seattle and The Northwest Seaport Alliance Terminal 5 project continues, we expect impact pile driving of steel piles on the uplands of Terminal 5 as early as today, April 3, and will continue intermittently into mid- or late May.
Pile driving is restricted to the following days and times:
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays;
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays;
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays and legal holidays for vibratory pile driving only;No impact pile driving is allowed on Sundays or federal holidays (there will be no pile driving on Saturdays outside the fish window [Aug. 15 to Feb. 15]).
We also want to communicate some of the health and safety measures undertaken at the terminal due to COVID19. The contractor has notified us that these steps are being taken to maintain workplace safety:
-All workers are receiving health screening by a private contractor each morning before beginning work.
-Workers are driving to the job-site in their personal vehicles and have been asked not to carpool there.
-They also are encouraged to take breaks in their own cars rather than the break room.
-Extra cleaning protocols have been established for break rooms, sani-cans and construction equipment.
-Social distancing is monitored and enforced.
-Signage about best health practices has been placed throughout the terminal.
-If folks have any comments, questions, or concerns, please contact us through any of these channels:
Terminal 5 community phone line: 206-787-6886.
Email: Terminal5_Outreach@portseattle.org
Find out more via the project website: t5construction.participate.online/
ADDED 5:43 PM: Many commenters wondered if the pile-driving posed any risk to the closed-for-cracks West Seattle Bridge. We asked SDOT. The agency’s reply:
We have been working with the Port of Seattle regarding their Terminal 5 construction work. The vibrations and energy from the marine pile driver diminishes exponentially the further it travels from the construction site, and is negligible by the time it reaches the nearest bridge foundation a third-of-a-mile away. Put another way, if this construction equipment posed a risk for the bridge it would be causing much greater damage to the buildings closer by.
In the ongoing analysis, SDOT adds that “we have partnered with an international team of engineering experts to conduct a comprehensive safety analysis which takes into account many external variables, including vibrations from nearby traffic, construction, and maritime activity.”
Two organized plans for Saturday night neighborhood fun:
PIGEON POINT ‘STREET DANCE’: Pete on Pigeon Point shares the PP plan:
There’ll be a social-distancing street dance in the neighborhood on Saturday night at 5:30 pm. Just come outside and bust a few moves. Decide who will provide music on your section of the block!
Certainly an idea that’s adaptable/adoptable anywhere.
WEST SEATTLE SINGALONG: Kerriann sent word of this: 7 pm Saturday night, a peninsula-wide singalong to Seattle band Foo Fighters‘ 2003 song “Times Like These.”
The invite:
Let’s gather together (in song) as the strong West Seattle community that we are! On Saturday, April 4th, at 7 pm, join your neighbors in singing “Times Like These” by Foo Fighters!
Sing out of your windows, open your front door, stand in your yard, driveway, or on the sidewalk! We can come together while still social-distancing!
You can find the lyrics online in many places; here’s one.
Be on the lookout for Brad‘s stolen car:
It’s a maroon 1994 Honda Accord LX Sedan, license plate BBH9979, cracked windshield, a WWU sticker on the rear window, and a few stickers on the passenger side of the rear bumper, stolen Wednesday night/Thursday morning from the 4400 block of 49th Ave SW.
We hope you don’t ever have anything to report in Crime Watch – but if you do, after you’ve reported it to police (911 if it’s happening NOW), please send us info so your West Seattle neighbors will be aware too.
Alone doesn’t have to mean being lonely. Helen at Our Lady of Guadalupe sends word of one reason why:
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish has a team of “Angel Buddies” ready to check in on our neighbors!
During this difficult time of uncertainty and staying home to stay safe, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish has a team of volunteers who are making weekly calls to check in on our community members and neighbors in West Seattle, offering messages of Hope that we will get through this pandemic crisis together! If you know of someone who would like to receive a call from one of our “Angel Buddies” contact Marion Kari at Our Lady of Guadalupe, via email, at: marionk@olgseattle.org.
The more we spread the message of hope during this time of isolation, we can strengthen confidence that as a community, we will be stronger when we are able to resume our normal lives.
5:44 AM: The high-rise West Seattle Bridge remains closed for the 11th consecutive morning.
The low bridge is reserved for transit, freight, emergency response, and Harbor Island access – SDOT told us in a Thursday interview, it’s working on an enforcement plan and better signage.
The main route across the Duwamish River is the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) – that’s also how to get to I-5, cutting across Georgetown.
Or you can use the South Park Bridge (map).
Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed to see if a bridge is opening for marine traffic.
OTHER LINKS
SDOT’s traffic map
Our traffic-cams page
Metro‘s canceled trips as the Reduced Schedule continues
Sound Transit Route 560’s Reduced Schedule
West Seattle Water Taxi schedule
Let us know what you’re seeing on your alternate commute – comment, or text (not if you’re at the wheel!) 206-293-6302.
First someone texted us this sighting from along West Seattle’s northern shore …
Looked like an interesting study in social distancing, but we had no info otherwise. Then – another photo arrived, in explanation:
That one’s from Lynn Hall, who explained, “Happy Birthday Serenade with social distancing for a friend standing at her front door on Alki Avenue.” Mystery solved!
We’re on orders to “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” for another month, and that’s just one of the headlines in our nightly roundup:
MAY THE 4TH BE WITH … YOUR HEALTH: Gov. Inslee‘s early-evening media briefing led off with his announcement that the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order – originally expiring April 6th – will go until May 4th. (Many “Star Wars” references followed.) The governor continued his wartime analogies, meantime, but also congratulated everyone for doing their part. Our coverage includes video of his announcement and the Q&A that followed.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: rrom today’s Seattle-King County Public Health news release:
2,656 confirmed positive cases (up 175 from yesterday)
175 confirmed deaths (up 11 from yesterday)
One week ago, the cases/deaths numbers for King County were 1,577/109.
TWO MORE NEARBY DEATHS: Checking the county’s data dashboard for the first time in a few days, two more local zip codes have had someone die of COVID-19, 98106 and 98146; previously, 98126 and 98136 had 1 each. Here are the newest numbers of confirmed cases, people with test results, and confirmed deaths, by zip code:
98106 – 28/213/1
98116 – 18/240/0
98126 – 29/240/1
98136 – 13/155/1
98146 – 37/222/1
Both 98106 and 98146 stretch beyond city limits.
(Photo courtesy Neighborcare Health)
TESTING IN HIGH POINT: Thanks to reader tips, we learned today that West Seattle’s first outdoor COVID-19 testing location opens tomorrow. Neighborcare Health is operating it behind its High Point clinic, in the parking lot it shares with the (closed) High Point Library.
NUCOR MAKES PPE: The steel mill alongside the West Seattle Bridge has joined the fight against COVID-19, with engineers using business and personal 3-D printers to make shields for local health-care workers.
TOP HAT QUARANTINE SITE UPDATE: King County had estimated that its quarantine/isolation site in Top Hat, east of White Center, would open tomorrow. That’s not going to happen, county official said today – there’s still work to be done. We’ll have a detailed update on partner site White Center Now later tonight. Meantime, 33 people are now staying in other county facilities set aside for quarantine and/or recovery.
RESOURCES ROUNDUP: As we’ve been mentioning, there’s an avalanche of assistance offers. Could any help you? The city’s put together a roundup you might want to browse. Among the possibilities it mentions is the Paycheck Protection Program we spotlighted this morning at the suggestion of a reader.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Another example of neighbor-to-neighbor encouragement, from Yma, who explains that someone mysterious leaves surprise treasures like these:
The rock with the smiley face was the first (some nice glitter paint on the other side). Today – I was going out to get my elderly gato his meds & came upon the painted shell at the bottom of the porch steps. This warms my heart, brings a smile, and gives me hope.
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
As if small businesses don’t have enough to worry about … Evan at Lady Jaye in The Junction sent that photo of damage to their door, explaining, “Someone tried to break in our back door last night, so remind everyone to lock their doors and set their alarms, especially the businesses that are empty. We are here a lot so it’s easier for us to police. All of our booze is off-premise too.” Local police say their emphasis patrols have switched focus to include closed businesses, but they can’t be everywhere – they’ve provided this advice, too.
5:04 PM: For the second day in a row, Gov. Inslee is gathering media (virtually) for a COVD-19 response update. Watch above, and read our as-it-happens notes below.
He opens by saying he’s extending the “stay-home order” through May 4th. (Its original expiration was to be April 6th.) He says it’s “morally necessary” because the full force of the virus hasn’t hit yet and modeling suggests at least 1,000 deaths, “and more will die if we stop now.” He says the percentage of positive tests is going up, so “we’re not out of the woods yet” and “we will not accept unnecessary deaths in our state.”
He acknowledges there are economic consequences and that everyone must find ways to support those who fall into financial hardship “through no fault of their own.” He reiterates that health recovery is vital for economic recovery. He quotes FDR about confidence and courage. “I have confidence in the courage of Washingtonians.” He stresses, “This is temporary. … All of us are leaders in this effort.”
While it’s OK to be outdoors, he extols “walks around the block” – but don’t, for example, go to Skagit Valley to see the tulips (which apparently some are doing even though the festival is canceled).
5:13 PM: Q&A starts with whether there might be another extension. “Ye, that is possible … but because Washingtonians are so committed to this, we are hopeful that will be the end.” But no guarantees. He also acknowledges that “rebuild(ing)” the economy “is going to take all of us.”
What will tell him it’s OK to lift the order? He says he is consulting many experts with lots of data, and we “have our destiny in our control” by continuing distancing.
Should people wear masks? The state health officer says that like federal experts, they’re evaluating that. She also says the peak is expected around Aprl 11th but “they are feeding new data into this model every day.”
5:37 PM: Q&A continues. The governor repeatedly stresses that social distancing must continue so we don’t “pull defeat from the jaws of victory.” He says the experts think person-to-person contact has been reduced by about 80 percent. He also reiterates the importance of mobilizing manufacturers to make PPE since we can’t rely on the federal government to mandate it. He says what’s happened to New York could have happened here if not for the measures taken. He also says Washington has “probably the second-highest per-capita testing” of any state.
5:41 PM: He wraps up with a Winston Churchill quote. The video window above should soon show the archived recording, so we’re leaving it up.
7:59 PM: Here’s the full news release from the governor’s office.
(Looking east under the high bridge from Marginal Place)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Ten days have now elapsed since the sudden, shocking news that the West Seattle Bridge was unsafe and would be shut down immediately. SDOT warns in a new online FAQ that “we anticipate a lengthy closure.” Monday’s City Council briefing suggested that means months, not weeks.
So, many questions remain.
We were able to ask a few of them in a brief conversation this morning with SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe (a West Seattle resident). Our allotted time was short so these are by no means all the questions that we (and you!) have – but it’s a start. (We also have questions, mostly technical, out to SDOT in writing.) Exact quotes are marked as such.
TR: What’s happening right now, today, regarding the work toward finding out what’s wrong and getting a temporary shoring plan?
SZ: “Our roadway structures division lead Matt Donahue has personally visited the bridge just about daily … we are still trying to understand what exactly is going on with cracking on the bridge … we are still inspecting every day after taking the live load off the bridge; we are still trying to understand what is causing the cracking to happen. Our repair and interim shoring plan has to respond to the structural issues that we are facing and so we still have to understand exactly what’s going on and make sure that our repair plan is responding to those issues. So we’ve got the same consultants [WSP] that have been part of this … going back to last year when we started analyzing this cracking in more detail have still been with us working on continuing to understand what’s been going on and what our repair strategy can and should be.” As for when they will know they have enough information to proceed with a temporary shoring plan, that’s dependent on their “modeling” matching “what we’re seeing in reality” during those daily inspections, to “understand where the stresses are appearing in the bridge and how we can address that.” The modeling involves analyzing how the bridge is reacting to forces including gravity, wind, load compared to how it “should be responding” to those factors, and what it can tell them about “where the bridge is going over time.”
TR: What has SDOT seen since the must-close-the-bridge-now discovery on March 23rd?
SZ: “We have still seen some crack growth.” They’re installing stress-monitoring instrumentation – real-time monitoring should be in place within a week – and are also “mapping” the cracks to see if they’re growing at the same rate as before the closure.
(Signage at west end of lower bridge, a small part of the white sheet covering the old green sign)
TR: The low-bridge restrictions are being ignored. When will a decision be made on enforcement? And when will the signage be improved?
SZ: “We implemented the detour plan [on March 23rd] extremely quickly and there are certain things that we have limited capacity, especially right now in terms of our public-health emergency response … We are working to improve the signage over the next week or so and increase some of the size, make sure there’s better signage, and hope that that in part can lead to better behavior. … Enforcing the restriction is not necessarily an easy task, and what we have been working on over the last week with the Police Department is … there has not been active enforcement of the prohibitions but police have been out there at various points, observing, having a presence, but then also figuring out… how we could safely and effectively enforce the restrictions.”
(Screengrab of SDOT camera, tweeted Sunday by @kazzmere)
TR: What about measures to keep people off the high bridge? We’ve received multiple reports of people seen walking, running, biking, skateboarding on it. Will there be better barricades (etc.)?
SZ: “There likely will.” Police were dispatched on Sunday to check out two reports of people on the bridge. “It is not … open to pedestrians, it is closed because it’s unsafe to be up there right now, for anybody; we don’t want anybody up there at all, it really is a hazard to people … We recognize that we may have to upgrade the fencing to make sure that people aren’t up there … we’ll do that as we need to.”
From there, we went back to the high bridge’s condition:
TR: Which side of the bridge are the worst cracks on?
SZ: “Both … the south side of the bridge [eastbound] is in a little bit worse condition … that’s potentially because it’s getting more solar exposure … hotter from the sun … but again, we don’t know exactly what all the causes of the deterioration are, but that could be one part of it.”
TR: Given the unique nature of the bridge, have you been in contact with anybody involved in building it?
SZ: Not sure about that but knows they’ve “reached out to folks who were part of SDOT over the years” and they’re also talking with WSDOT “and some of their bridge experts.” Part of what led to the discovery of this problem was consulting firm WSP bringing in some experts – “I believe from Toronto” – and some “academic bridge experts … so we’ve got a lot of eyes on it, and we’re looking for all the best advice and thoughts that we can get … Building a bridge like this, maintaining it, repairing it … there’s no one way to do it, and we’re looking for the best ideas of how to do it effectively.”
We were over our allotted window by then, but SDOT had indicated they wanted to clarify the pre-closure timeline a bit, so we asked about that last.
SZ: “The late February notification was an indication that we needed to think about reducing the number of lanes on the bridge by the end of 2020 – over time. It wasn’t an immediate ‘hey, do this right away’. March 19th was more of a ‘hey, this is a big issue'” and recommending full closure. That led to Donahue going to the bridge daily over that weekend and then Monday (March 23rd) morning, when he “went back inside the bridge – and a lot of this you can only see from inside the bridge – that takes some effort to actually (get) inside the bridge, make sure people can get in and out safely – so when he went back in with the WSP consultant and another one of our bridge engineers, that’s when he confirmed the growth of the cracks and also recommended full closure.”
TR: So the February 21st “think about reducing lanes by the end of 2020” wasn’t a life/safety matter?
SZ: No, and they knew what an effect even lane reductions would have on West Seattle, so they were talking about implementation, mitigation, “starting that conversation” but “in a month in the middle of our public-health emergency we had not been able to have a lot of those discussions that we would need to have to be able to implement even a lane reduction … and then it became a public-safety concern very quickly.”
As noted above, we have other questions pending with SDOT, and have requested an interview about the traffic plan – from monitoring of the detour routes to strategies that might be deployed when “stay-home” time is over and traffic starts getting back to something resembling a normal level. So watch for more followups.
Our ongoing coverage is all archived here, newest to oldest. SDOT’s project page is here, including the new FAQ.
This morning, we published the Seattle Police report about a woman beaten in West Seattle and the arrest of her boyfriend. The SPD information included a mention that domestic violence calls are up 21 percent in the past month citywide. Following up on that, here’s a message from SPD’s Victim Support Team:
1) Home is not safe for everyone. While national and local leaders have encouraged us to stay home to stop the spread of the pandemic, we also know that staying home may not be safe for many adults and children experiencing domestic violence. Community resources may be harder to access, and existing anxiety and fear will be compounded by this new global crisis.
2) Domestic violence thrives behind closed doors. Social distancing can magnify the feelings of isolation that domestic violence survivors may already be experiencing. This is an important time to encourage friends, family and neighbors to reach out and support each other in new and creative ways. Reaching out to let someone know they are not alone, can be incredibly helpful to break isolation.
3) Help is available. The Seattle Police Department is working alongside local community and national partners to ensure victims have access to the support they need to keep their families safe. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence in your relationship, please call the The National Domestic Violence Hotline, (24 hours everyday), 800-799-7233 or 800-787-3224 (TTY).
4) Call if you can, text if you can’t. When attempting to call 911, an already dangerous situation can intensify if an abusive partner tries to interfere with the call, or the violence escalates. The King County Text-to-911 technology offers survivors of domestic violence an added resource when they are unable to call for help. People who use this service must remember to text their exact location and type of assistance they need in their first message, so the call taker can begin to dispatch law enforcement response immediately.
12:43 PM: Thanks for the tips. Three small tents labeled as “COVID-19 Testing” have gone up in the parking lot behind the Neighborcare Health clinic and High Point Library off SW Raymond east of 35th SW.
They don’t appear to be in use yet. Neighborcare’s website says, “Neighborcare is doing limited testing for COVID-19. … We are working to set up outdoor testing at multiple sites that ensures the safety of our staff and patients.” The notice asks patients to “call 206-549-5710 to talk to a nurse or medical provider before coming to a clinic.” We have a message out to the organization to ask about the High Point plan, and will add anything we find out.
1:27 PM UPDATE: Neighborcare has responded to our inquiry:
As of Friday, 4/3 Neighborcare Health at High Point will have outdoor COVID-19 testing and exams available for current Neighborcare Health patients by appointment only. Conducting tests and exams for patients with COVID-like symptoms outside in tents allows us to keep our patients, staff and the community safe. This model has been used by other health care systems in the area.
Neighborcare Health patients with respiratory illness symptoms, such as a cough, fever or shortness of breath, should call 206-548-5710 to make a phone appointment with one of our medical providers. We are asking patients not to come to the clinic, but to call first. Based on guidance from the Washington State Department of Health and the patient’s situation, the medical provider will determine if a patient should get tested and/or be seen in-person for an evaluation.
Our health care teams are also still available to help patients with other health care needs during this time. To help protect patients, staff and the community, we are temporarily scheduling most appointments by phone, including medical, behavioral health and nutritionist visits. If someone needs urgent or emergency dental care, they should call 206-548-5710 to schedule a phone consultation with a dentist before coming to a clinic.
In all cases, a health care provider will determine if a patient needs an in-person appointment. Interpretation services are available for in-person or phone appointments. For in-person visits, we put extra safety measures in place to protect patients and staff, such as screening all patients and visitors coming to the clinic, and limiting the time patients are in the waiting area.
As reported here on Wednesday, Gov. Inslee is asking Washington manufacturers to turn their expertise and capabilities to items desperately needed to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. We learned that one local company already has jumped in – Nucor Steel in West Seattle is making face shields with 3D printers – 20 so far, and gearing up to be able to make 100 a week. We spoke Wednesday afternoon with Nucor’s Patrick Jablonski, who has just sent photos and more information.
They are doing it with “both on-site and employee-owned additive manufacturing (3D printing) capability. Nucor Seattle engineers who specialize in additive manufacturing researched “needs, tested designs, and optimize Nucor-owned hardware in addition to their personal 3D printers at home. Currently, the effort is focused on producing National Institutes of Health-approved face shields for medical workers and frontline caregivers. Nucor is now printing holders for these face shields and has purchased plastic and straps under the guidelines issued by the NIH. Nucor is also researching and designing various forms of respirator components that can be fitted with household media such as coffee and vacuum filters.”
Once they came up with the idea, Jablonski told us, it only took about a week to formulate a plan. Now, they are working on optimizing production to 100 shields a week, and then might be able to increase the production rate.
The first 20 masks were donated to Providence Mount St. Vincent in West Seattle (which recently announced its first COVID-19 case). Jablonski says, “The Nucor Seattle team is continuing to reach out to local health care providers to learn about additional needs and design concepts.” Nucor also has donated extra PPE to local medical centers, including hundreds of N95 dust masks, and nitrile gloves.
Just in via SPD Blotter:
Seattle police arrested a domestic-violence suspect in Kent on Wednesday after his girlfriend was beaten and left in a wooded area of West Seattle last week.
Around 11:30 PM on March 24th, an injured woman walked up to a West Seattle home and asked for help.
The residents called 911, and police contacted the woman, who said she had been riding in a car with her boyfriend when he pulled over in a secluded wooded area. The man then reportedly pulled the woman out of the car and assaulted her, knocking her unconscious. The woman sustained significant facial injuries and had blood on her clothing following the attack.
The victim was transported to the hospital for further treatment.
Detectives from the SPD Domestic Violence and Major Crimes Taskforce obtained a warrant for the 26-year-old man and were able to locate him in Kent where, on April 1st, the SWAT team took him into custody.
Over the last month, the Seattle Police Department has seen a 21-percent increase in reports of domestic violence. If you, or someone you know, has experienced violence in a relationship or at home, please call or text 911 to get help from Seattle police and the Victim Support Team.
We’ve seen an avalanche of resource links for potential economic assistance related to COVID-19-ordered business closures and layoffs. If you have a business, Casie emailed to recommend a look at the Paycheck Protection Program. She suggested that we “remind small businesses in West Seattle to take advantage of the PPP program which is scheduled to start this Friday. This is the program that funds the payroll, rent and utilities of small businesses who have been impacted by the pandemic for up to 8 weeks. So many of us depend on our small businesses and I hope they and their employees can get some relief through this program.” The infopage describes the PPP as a Small Business Administration “loan that helps businesses keep their workforce employed during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.” Thanks to Casie for the note. (The West Seattle Junction Association and WS Chamber of Commerce also have been sharing resource info with their members, so if you’re on their lists, be sure to read the emails!)
5:44 AM: The high-rise West Seattle Bridge remains closed for the 10th consecutive morning.
The low bridge is reserved for transit, freight, emergency response, and Harbor Island access – the city hopes you’ll honor that without the threat of police enforcement.
The main alternative across the Duwamish River is the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) – that’s also how to get to I-5, cutting across Georgetown.
You also can cross via the South Park Bridge (map).
Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed to see if a bridge is opening for marine traffic.
OTHER LINKS
SDOT’s traffic map
Our traffic-cams page
Metro‘s canceled trips as the Reduced Schedule continues
Sound Transit Route 560’s Reduced Schedule
West Seattle Water Taxi schedule
Let us know what you’re seeing on your alternate commute – comment, or text (not if you’re at the wheel!) 206-293-6302.
While you’re out walking, be on the lookout for Chris‘s stolen bike:
My bike was stolen off the back of my car sometime last night. As it was locked with a cable lock onto my bike rack, the thieves cut the bike rack off and made away with the rack with the bike stuck on it. It is a woman’s bike, pale metallic blue with the model named Mia on it. It was stolen from the front of my house on 34th Avenue SW by Willow St . Due to health conditions, this was my main source of exercise.
It looks like this stock photo – plus fenders and a carrier. The theft has been reported to police.
King County’s numbers report is back after a day away, and that tops tonight’s roundup:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From today’s Seattle-King County Public Health news release:
2,496 confirmed positive cases (up 166 from Monday)
164 confirmed deaths (up 14 from Monday)
23 people are currently staying in King County isolation and quarantine facilities
To compare – one week ago, the numbers were 1,359 King County cases, and 100 deaths.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Still no new updates on the state Department of Health page, but they’re working on a fix, the governor said today.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them – nation by nation – here.
NO EXTENSION DECISION YET: The governor had another media briefing today (here’s our coverage, with video) and said he’s “likely” to extend the “stay-home” order but not ready to make an announcement yet. (The current expiration date is Aprll 6th, next Monday.)
BE A MAKER: The governor also exhorted our state’s manufacturers to pivot to making things that the pandemic fight requires – PPE, test sample vials, etc. (At least one here in our area has already stepped up to help out – we’re working on that story for tomorrow.)
SHOULD YOU WEAR A MASK? You’ve probably heard that the federal government is mulling new guidance on this topic. SKCPH addressed the topic in today’s news release, saying, “Staying apart from other people is our best protection against COVID-19, but non-medical masks can be a supplement.”
GOT SPARE SANITIZER? Here’s a local collection drive.
GOT SOMETHING TO OFFER OR REQUEST? Remember that West Seattle Support is up and running now at westseattlecovid.recovers.org – co-coordinator Phil Tavel just spoke at tonight’s (online) District 1 Community Network meeting (full meeting report later) and said they’re continuing to ramp up, with dozens of volunteers ready to help, too.
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
After a week-plus of roaming to the south, The West Seattle Turkey is back in the area where it has spent much of the past near-year – Admiral. It was back at Rose De Dan‘s home today – she sent the photo above (and has shared sightings before). From the West Seattle High School area, Rob Braby sent this video:
And Mayra caught The Turkey climbing near 39th/Admiral:
During its recent meanderings, The Turkey was seen as far south os south Gatewood, and was even spotted crossing busy streets in The Junction. Thanks for the sightings!
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