West Seattle, Washington
01 Tuesday
Time for our nightly roundup of local toplines in the coronavirus crisis:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the daily-summary data dashboard:
*7,221 people have tested positive, up 42 since yesterday
*514 people have died, up 3 since yesterday
One week ago, those numbers were 6,770 and 474.
ANOTHER LOCAL DEATH: The dashboard also shows a new death in 98146, which now has lost 6 people to COVID-19.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
NEED TO GET TESTED? A drive-thru testing event at not-far T-Mobile Park continues tomorrow
2 MORE HYGIENE STATIONS IN WEST SEATTLE: The Junction and South Delridge are the newest installation locations.
NEARBY QUARANTINE/ISOLATION CENTER STILL NOT NEEDED: We monitored the county’s weekly update call for White Center, started after the uproar that followed the announcement and establishment of a quarantine/isolation center in nearby Top Hat. County reps recently said the center won’t open unless those already open elsewhere in the county max out, and they’re a long way from that – today’s update noted 40 people total in the open centers (Kent, Issaquah, Shoreline, North Seattle), more than 100 below capacity. (And since that mid-afternoon call, there’s a new, lower total – 35.)
PHASE 2 RULES FOR SALONS, SPAS, OTHER PERSONAL-CARE BUSINESSES: The governor’s office has released the rules under which these types of businesses will be allowed to operate when reopening reaches Phase 2. See them here.
NEED FOOD? Food Lifeline has announced more distribution events – everyone’s welcome to drive up and get a 20+-pound box of food, no proof of need required. Here are the two closest to West Seattle:
Food Lifeline SODO Warehouse – 1440 East Marginal Way South
Friday, May 15th, at 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.Food Lifeline (Main Location)– 815 South 96th Street (South Park)
Friday, May 15th, at 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
8 PM SALUTE: Washington State Ferries says its under-way vessels will blow their whistles at 8 pm nightly in honor of front-line workers. (Walking within earshot of the Fauntleroy dock at 8 tonight, we didn’t hear anything, but we did hear nearby residents “making a joyful noise” with bells and noisemakers!)
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
One more school video to share – thanks to everyone who has been sharing them so the entire community can see them! This one features Madison Middle School staff, telling their students how much they’re missed.
Pre-pandemic, focus groups were a major means of feedback for SPD’s Micro-Community Policing Plans. This year, it’s happening online. The announcement is from Taylor Lowery, the Seattle University research analyst at the Southwest Precinct:
Seattle University is partnering with the Seattle Police Department to conduct ongoing research related to community crime concerns. Qualitative concerns allow SU researchers to collaborate with SPD leadership to improve the city’s community policing initiative.
As part of the Seattle Police Department’s Micro-Community Policing Plans, Seattle University’s Micro-Community Policing Plans Research Analysts invite those who live and/or work in Seattle to respond to focus group questions citywide in each of the city’s 58 micro-communities regarding community perceptions of crime, safety, and police legitimacy, as well as knowledge of and satisfaction with the MCPP. The focus group questions offer an opportunity to provide feedback to the Seattle Police Department on crime and public safety in Seattle, as a check-in between the administration of the Seattle Public Safety Survey every Fall. The questionnaire is accessible at https://seattleux.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_56jtU5ZxV67i6vH from May through August 2020.
Information obtained from the focus group will help inform your neighborhood’s MCPP, so please come share your concerns and suggestions! Thank you in advance for taking the time to offer your perspective on crime and public safety in Seattle via the online focus group questions. Please feel free to email me directly any questions that you have regarding the focus group.
She’s at lowerytaylor (at) seattleu.edu.
(WSB photo)
3:44 PM: Thanks to Desiree for the tip: That’s the drive-up Chase ATM in The Junction (44th/Edmunds), out of service after vandals hit it. Since it wasn’t taped up, she checked to make sure the Chase branch a few blocks north was aware; they told her they were, and that no cash was stolen, but that other West Seattle ATMs have been hit. We’re following up on that with police.
4:24 PM: Adding this reader report just received from Nancy:
Last night, my locked 2017 Volvo sedan was stolen from in front of my home (in the 3400 block of) 48th Ave SW. My husband’s 2002 Toyota 4 Runner was also jacked open . Inside it, Police found registrations from at least two other vehicles from nearby streets.
Today, my Volvo located in a hotel parking in Everett . The way it was located was thru Volvo dealer and my car’s “On Call” program which had ability to track my car’s position by GPS built into that.
I still haven’t seen my car because I need to figure out how to get up to Everett. It may not be driveable. But it was found all in one piece.
I had Everett Police have it towed to an Impound Lot. It will cost between $300 -$500 in fees to release it from Impound but what a joy to pay.
But I can tell you all to praise our Police. Pandemic has changed the ways crime occurs and where it occurs. Downtown Seattle is nearly empty so crime is on move.
From Washington State Ferries:
Due to necessary repairs, the 90-car Sealth will replace 124-car Cathlamet as the F/V/SW #2 vessel beginning with the (updated) 4:35 p.m. Fauntleroy to Vashon sailing. This will cancel the 3:55 p.m. Southworth departure
That’s the newest city-provided “hygiene station,” installed this morning in the northeast corner of Junction Plaza Park – portable toilets with a hand-washing station. We reported in late March on the first round of installations, which included one at Westcrest Park; the second round of installations did not include any West Seattle sites. After getting a tip about this one, we asked the city if any others were being installed in West Seattle; the reply – “A hygiene station was also deployed at Salvation Army White Center, located at 9050 16th Ave SW” (in South Delridge). The original city announcement says these sites “will be accessible 24/7 and serviced daily, with waste removal, needle disposal, and supplemental cleaning.”
One week after SDOT went public with some details of its emergency plan in case of West Seattle Bridge failure or imminent failure (WSB coverage here), it’s just published a close-up look at the new monitoring system. The graphic above is from the new SDOT Blog update, which also includes photos of some of the monitoring equipment. Also explained – the monitoring is also key to the biggest decision yet to be made. Three main purposes are listed:
*Keep us informed on how the bridge reacts to environmental changes, bridge stabilization measures, temporary shoring, and potential future repairs.
*Give us a better indication of bridge distress that could warn of impending failure.
*Guide us to a decision about the technical feasibility of repair or replacement.
SDOT says the system includes cameras, movement sensors, and crack monitors, noting:
The new intelligent monitoring system is already ‘talking’ to us and telling us that there is some potential for failure. What we don’t yet know is how great that potential is. The new system will help us better determine that.
SDOT adds that “after we collect a few weeks’ worth of data”:
Analytic modeling will interpret the data to gain a baseline understanding of the bridge’s behavior. If we observe stable behavior, the bridge will continue to be monitored during and after the temporary crack arrest measure installation and the Pier 18 restrained lateral bearings’ release, to see how the bridge reacts.
See the entire update here.
(Image courtesy Google Maps/Street View)
A new early-stage redevelopment proposal for Alki will replace the last pocket of beach bungalows at the tip of Duwamish Head with one building containing 50 to 65 units. The project address is 1116 Alki SW [map]; the site also includes five lots to the west, according to the site plan filed last week. Another document in the online file says the building would be six stories with one partly underground level of parking, which would include 77 to 103 spaces (as per the Alki Parking Overlay, which requires 1 1/2 spaces per unit). Property records show the three westernmost parcels were sold together in 2014 for $3.6 million; the three easternmost parcels were sold in 2017 transactions that totaled more than $4.5 million. Four of the six houses to be demolished are more than a century old. This is an early-stage proposal, so no public-comment opportunities/reviews are set yet.
We start today with two notes about COVID-19 testing. First: Public-health authorities say it’s increasingly available, and urge people to get it ASAP if they start showing symptoms. That info is here. Meantime, people who need testing may be eligible for a drive-through event happening today and tomorrow in SODO. Registration is required. From the announcement:
QFC and Fred Meyer announced a partnership with the City of Seattle and the Seattle Mariners for free COVID-19 drive-thru testing. The first testing will be at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, May 13-14.
Testing Site Information:
● Dates: Wednesday, May 13 and Thursday, May 14
● Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
● Location: T-Mobile Park Parking Garage at 1250 1st Ave S. Seattle – south entrance (Massachusetts and Occidental)
● Registration is required. Register at krogerhealth.com/covidtesting or call 1-888-852-2567 (select option 1, then option 3).
Those eligible will next select a testing location and appointment time. Then, registrants will receive an email confirmation with pre-appointment paperwork to complete. When a person arrives for their test, they should have their photo ID ready and should leave their window rolled up for check-in, until a health-care practitioner comes to the car to administer the test.
For the testing, patients remain in their cars throughout the process, which is completed in just a few minutes using self-administered test kits. The test uses self-administered nasal swabs, which are less painful and designed to increase safety. This onsite testing is supported with laboratory services provided by eTrueNorth, a contractor of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Test results are expected within approximately 48 hours. The Seattle testing site is estimated to have capacity for 250 vehicles per day.
5:58 AM: Good morning – the 51st morning without the high-rise West Seattle Bridge. If you are heading out – here are the cameras for the 5-way intersection and the restricted-access low bridge (where SPD enforcement continues):
Since the main detour route across the Duwamish River is the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map), we check it next, including the Michigan exit that takes you across Georgetown to I-5:
The other major bridge across the river is the South Park Bridge (map) – this camera shows you the approach:
Both bridges open for marine traffic; check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed for info about openings.
NEW CAMERAS: SDOT has added 6 new cameras, along 35th and Roxbury. Here are two:
16th/Roxbury:
35th/Morgan:
You can see any and all of the local traffic cams, including the new ones in West Seattle, here.
TRANSIT
Metro – Reduced schedule; reduced capacity; check here for next departure
Water Taxi – Reduced schedule continues
ROAD WORK
As noted here, the 35th/Avalon/Alaska project was expected to see some more finishing touches this week, so watch for possible “no parking” signs.
During the stay-home order, we’re not live-monitoring traffic, so please let us know what you’re seeing – comment or text (but not if you’re drivingl!) 206-293-6302.
| 13 COMMENTS