West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
Right after summer’s first sunset, Moon Dancers appeared on Alki tonight, twirling their way along the beach.
We got the advance alert from Denise, who explained that she and some friends created the dance for this year’s virtual version of the Fremont Solstice Parade, and they “had so much fun doing the shoot that we decided to do a guerrilla performance at Alki on the Solstice.”
(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
(If you missed the Solstice Parade when it was livestreamed Saturday afternoon, the video is archived here – you can see the Moon Dancers at 1:09:30.)
Locally, the pandemic has now spanned a full season – here’s the roundup for the first night of summer:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative numbers from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*9,165 people have tested positive, 69 more than yesterday
*585 people have died, 1 more than yesterday
*1,540 people have been hospitalized, no change from yesterday
*140,894 people have been tested, 3,582 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 8,700/574/1,518/117,097.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: More than 8.7 million people have tested positive. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, Russia, India, United Kingdom. See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: On again tomorrow, 10 am-2 pm. The market-management organization’s new website means a new format for the vendor list, plus a map – scroll down this page to find both.
FOOD DRIVE: If you can donate, Alki UCC is collecting food and more outside the church 10 am-4 pm tomorrow.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Three reader reports:
CATALYTIC CONVERTER STOLEN: From Maya:
I want to alert people to the fact that my Prius had its catalytic converter cut out this morning around 10:35 am at the 8400 block of Fauntleroy Place (by the one-way street near Lincoln Park). My neighbor scared off a car parts thief as they were finishing up.
They sped off, without time to close their trunk or pick up all of their things, not stopping at the stop sign.
Maya’s neighbor got the getaway car on camera but this is the only sharable frame:
CAR PROWL: From Al on Myers Way:
On 6/16/2020 my truck was broken into. The perpetrator stole everything from the inside of the vehicle, attempted to steal a tool box that was secured with a cable and lock, left and came back two hours later with a torch to cut the handles off the tool box.
Al says the thief got away in the light-colored 1992 Toyota Paseo you see him putting items into, license plate starting with BNX.
SIGNS STOLEN: From Mary in Fauntleroy:
Two signs, one Black Lives Matter, the other In Our House We Believe…. Two were also stolen from next-door neighbor and one down the hill. We live on 44th Ave SW above Endolyne Joe’s.
That’s a photo of community generosity as received during one of Alki UCC’s food-and-more drives this spring. If you can give, tomorrow’s your next chance. Here’s the reminder:
Thanks to our community’s generosity, Alki United Church of Christ (Alki UCC) is once again accepting donations outside our building for an In-Person, Socially-Distanced Food Drive at 6115 SW Hinds this Sunday, June 21 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Contributions of non-perishable food and other items will be distributed via the White Center Food Bank; top requests include Canned Meat/Soup/Fruit (pop‐top cans preferred), Rice, Noodles, Peanut Butter, Oats, Toilet Paper, Diapers, Similac Formula, Cleaning Supplies, Hand Sanitizer and Baby Wipes.
The drive benefits our vulnerable neighbors in need, those who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID 19. Check alkiucc.org for updates.
5:33 PM: Seattle Fire has a water-rescue callout arriving in the 1100 block of Alki SW. We’re headed that way too. Updates to come…
(Added: Photo sent by Jan, as response wrapped up)
5:36 PM: Per radio communication, there was a report of a missing swimmer but that was a false alarm. Response is being downsized. SFD also just verified that via Twitter.
If you live, work, and/or have traveled along the north half-plus of Delridge Way in the past few days, you’ve seen crews staging in a big way for the repaving-and-more project that’s preceding the RapidRide H Line conversion. Here’s what happens in the coming week, SDOT says:
What to expect the week of June 22
We will work in all three zones at the same time, from north to south on Delridge Way SW. No-Parking signs will be posted on both sides of the street in each phase of work to shift traffic around the work zones.
Work by zone
Zone A (West Seattle Bridge to SW Findlay St)
Curb ramp removal at SW Charlestown St
As early as Monday, June 22 we will be removing the northern curb ramp at SW Charlestown St. This work is expected last for one day. Please follow any posted pedestrian detour routes.
Access to the parking lot at SW Charlestown St may be restrictedDemolition work from SW Charlestown St to SW Dakota St
For the next few weeks, we will be completing demolition work in the roadway and sidewalk between SW Charlestown St and SW Dakota St. Lanes will be shifted around the work zone.SW Genesee and SW Oregon streets
We will continue conducting utility and storm work. Please expect traffic to be shifted to one side of Delridge Way SW.SW Alaska St
Pipework will begin this week and last through the week of June 22Zone B (SW Findlay St to north of SW Orchard St)
SW Findlay St to SW Juneau St
We will continue installing utility pipes. Please expect traffic to be shifted to one side of Delridge Way SW.Zone C (North of SW Orchard St to White Center)
We will finish connecting catch basins throughout this zoneWork throughout the corridor
Continued potholing for utility work
In each of the three work zones, travel lanes will be reduced to one lane in each direction with restricted turns. Please follow posted traffic signs.
Upcoming work
New temporary left-turn pocket lanes at SW Orchard St will be installed later this summer to allow people driving to make left turns onto Delridge Way SW. These turn pockets will also be included when we install the final project street configuration.
See the full advisory here.
Before the school year ended Friday, one more farewell “paade” – this time, at Pathfinder K-8 on Pigeon Point.
Thanks to administration secretary Barb Mote for sharing the photos!
One Pathfinder year-end tradition is yet to come – retired PE teacher Lou Cutler‘s annual Make-A-Wish fundraiser. While he and the students weren’t able to run around the school track as usual – one lap for every year of his age (69 this year!) – Lou plans a fundraising walk in West Seattle next week – more on that later this weekend.
Even if the clouds don’t lift, you’re invited to celebrate the change of seasons with West Seattle educator/sky-watcher Alice Enevoldsen (who’s also a volunteer NASA Solar System Ambassador). Six hours after the summer-solstice moment at 2:43 pm today, join Alice via Zoom, 8:45 pm-9:15 pm, for her quarterly sunset watch – all ages welcome. You need to register in advance – go here to do that now.
(WSB photo from January, former West Seattle Licenses office post-closure)
It’s been six months since the sudden closure of the vehicle-licensing subagent West Seattle Licenses. Though in-person services like this largely remain closed anyway, we wondered recently if West Seattle was close to getting a new one, since the previous estimate was “as soon as June.” So we checked with King County, which leads the process for finding and managing subagents like these. Here’s what spokesperson Cameron Satterfield told us this week:
The RFP is closed, and our Records and Licensing Division is in the process of evaluating the responsive applicants. Six applicants were chosen for interviews, which should (have been) complete by the end of this week. Next step is to rank those applicants in order and send the list to state DOL for their review and final selection. That process takes a minimum of four weeks, but it could be longer considering the pandemic situation. Once we get the final selection back from state DOL, we’ll work with that applicant to get a contract signed and complete the work needed before opening. Since we don’t yet know who the final choice will be, I don’t have a timeline for opening. Some of the factors that go into that include the applicant securing a lease or purchase for their physical location, getting DOL equipment installed and tested, and making sure the applicant and their employees have the necessary training.
As of a few days ago, the location used by the former sub-agent still had a “For Lease” sign in the window (that wouldn’t necessarily be where the new subagent sets up, though). Meantime, no update on the results of a state “administrative review (of) irregularities” involving the previous subagent.
(File photo: Lost Pond in the West Duwamish Greenbelt)
Here’s a fun way to start the weekend – virtual hikes with West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails. The group is offering two to start with, in place of the guided hikes they offered on Saturdays pre-pandemic:
Join Ken Workman, great-great-great-great grandson of Chief Seattle, as he walks native land, leaving from the trailhead at SW Dawson and 19th Avenue SW. And follow Steve Richmond, an expert on native plants and forest restoration, as he identifies native and invasive plants from the 14th Avenue SW and SW Holly trailhead.
More virtual hikes will follow soon!
As WDGT notes, the “greenbelt” is actually Seattle’s “largest remaining contiguous forest.”
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