West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
10:30 PM: Power’s out in some West Seattle areas. More than 5,000 out per map. Updates to come.
10:35 PM: Map added above. … The SCL map counts this as two outages, totaling more than 5,200 homes/businesses. Though no cause is officially identified yet, you’re probably well aware it’s a blustery night.
10:49 PM: Multiple reports of a flash seen/boom heard about the time the outage began, but there are no fire calls in the area, so haven’t heard any verification of that. Meantime, a couple standard power-outage reminders:
-If you have to drive, flashing or dark signals = 4-way stops
-Don’t open your fridge/freezer – if it’s a long outage, that’ll increase the time its contents can keep without spoiling
-Don’t get fixated on whatever ‘estimated restoration time” you see on the SCL map. That’s literally a guess, and seldom related to what actually happens. Could be back much sooner OR much later.
11:02 PM: Updated the headline to note that part of South Park is out too.
11:26 PM: Don’t know whether it’s cause, effect, or coincidence, but an SFD engine is checking out a reported power pole problem in the 7300 block of 19th SW. … (Minutes later) They couldn’t find the reported arcing wires, so they’re closing the call. Still no official word from SCL re: the problem.
11:58 PM: Some of those who lost power are back on – now it’s down to 3,600+.
12:14 AM: More are reporting restoration as of a few minutes ago. The map usually lags so we’ll see shortly how many. … Update: Now down to about 1,900 still out.
12:36 AM: Now some just LOST power … new outage, apparently. Highland Park and White Center have reported in. Map just updated – 3,500 more customers – the southernmost cluster here:
12:39 AM: Didn’t last long, at least for some.
12:49 AM: Now that entire south cluster is gone from the map, so we’re back to almost 2,000 out in West Seattle/South Park. … (added) A few of them are back on too, about 60 customers. A little over 1,800 remain without power.
1:11 AM: From Sunrise Heights – a security camera caught the 10:24 pm flashes that lit up the sky just as all this started – :32 into the video:
2:27 AM: Now down to a little more than 1,100 out.
2:56 AM: And another group is back. Now the West Seattle pocket is down to just under 500, with the South Park pocket at 240.
7:59 AM: Those two pockets are still out.
9:48 AM: SCL says via Twitter they’re hoping to have everyone back on by 11 am.
10:32 AM: The West Seattle pocket is down to 156; total number out now just under 400.
12:22 PM: Julie Moore from SCL just replied to our inquiry about the cause, and included a photo:
The cause was a large tree that affected two circuit feeders, with the impact along the main line for both feeders limiting ability to switch.
The impact site is in a greenbelt, creating difficulty for accessing the site and bringing in equipment, affecting the time it’s taken to complete repairs.
2:22 PM: Since that last check, everyone’s come back on.
Here’s our nightly update with local/regional pandemic-related toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals (keep in mind, these are the first since Monday):
*21.677 people have tested positive, 87 more than yesterday*
*758 people have died, 5 more than yesterday
*2,340 people have been hospitalized, 3 more than yesterday*
*Again tonight, the “new since yesterday” numbers on the county dashboard don’t all match the increases from what was on the dashboard 24 hours ago (as captured in our Monday roundup), so we’re using our calculations. Also, for a third night, the county has no stats on how many people have been tested, saying the state’s “data systems error” has not yet been resolved.
One week ago, those totals (plus testing) were 20,440/748/2,317/405,290.
ANOTHER AREA DEATH: One of the five zip codes that are partly or entirely in West Seattle, 98146, has recorded another death; now it has the most of those five zip codes, 16.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
VIRTUAL RESOURCE CENTER: Announced today:
To provide King County residents with ready access to dozens of community service providers during the COVID-19 Pandemic, King County District Court is making available a Virtual Resource Center (VRC). Operated as part of the court’s community court program, the VRC is open to anyone in the community to visit via Zoom videoconference or by telephone. Services at the VRC include access to education, work training, substance abuse treatment, transportation discounts, Public Health / DSHS, and many more.
Prior to COVID-19, King County District Court operated in-person community resource centers in Redmond, Shoreline and Burien. To help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, the in-person options have been replaced by the VRC until they are safe to re-open after the pandemic.
To find out how and when you can use the VRC, go here.
GOVERNOR’S BRIEFING TOMORROW: The announcement for his 2:30 pm Thursday briefing:
Gov. Jay Inslee will address media Thursday via streaming video and telephone to discuss the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and new protocols for safe airline travel in Washington state.
The governor will be joined by:
Max Tidwell, vice president of safety and security, Alaska Airlines
Tony Gonchar, regional vice president, Delta Air Lines
Lance Lyttle, managing director, aviation division, Port of Seattle
Brooke Vatheuer, vice president of strategic performance for Seattle, Alaska Airlines (Q&A only)
The speakers will discuss how they have taken the baseline guidance and expanded upon it.
It’ll be livestreamed – and available for playback later – here.
NEED FOOD? Food Lifeline has gone back to weekly distributions of emergency food boxes at its South Park HQ, 815 S. 96th – 2-5 pm this Friday (September 26th).
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
We’ve already told you about the big reuse/recycle event in The Junction on Saturday (info here if you’re catching up). Now we’ve learned of one other recycling-dropoff event that same day – Ridwell invites you to bring plastic film (including plastic grocery bags!) to a dropoff event in Admiral:
The local recycling service Ridwell will be in West Seattle on Saturday, September 26th for a free community event to pick up all your plastic film. The community is trying to reach their goal of 50,000 pounds of material saved from landfills by the end of 2020 and we’re already over halfway there!
Date: Sat. Sept. 26th
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Where: PCC West Seattle parking lot, 2749 California Ave. SW
What: Ridwell will be in West Seattle to collect and recycle your plastic film including plastic bags, bubble wrap, shipping envelopes, and more.
Here is a list of What We Take
This event is open to members and non-members to drop off overflow plastics for free. If you’re not a member yet, stop by and see what we’re all about.
RSVP for the free recycling event here.
Last Sunday, we reported briefly on an incident that brought a sizable police response to a neighborhood southwest of The Junction, described at the time as a court-order violation. We recognized the name of the suspect arrested that day, Casey Carlstedt. We reported on him multiple times in 2017, including a prosecutor’s observation that he appeared to be “spiraling out of control.” The cases we mentioned that year included a reckless-driving arrest and a bicycle theft in which WSB readers helped find the bike and the thief. In the new case, court documents say Carlstedt, now 27, was arrested a short time after he was served with a court order to stay away from a certain house and the people who live there. After officers presented him with the order – finding him near the house – he left the area, but police soon got a call alleging he had threatened to kill a random passerby. When they found Carlstedt, he was back within 150 feet of the house he was ordered to stay at least 1,000 feet away from. Court documents say this is the sixth anti-harassment order filed against him in six years. He is charged with felony harassment and violation of a court order, and remains in jail, bail set at $25,000.
Two development notes:
4401 42ND SW APPROVAL: The city has given a key approval to the 5-story apartment building planned to replace the former Ginomai arts-studios building at 42nd/Genesee. It’s expected to include 72 “small efficiency dwelling units” – microapartments – and 5 live-work units, with 36 offstreet parking places. We first reported on the proposal in May of last year. The decision means appeals can be filed until October 5th; this notice explains how.
9038 21ST SW: South Delridge’s development boom continues. City files show an early-stage proposal for a 3-story (plus basement) building with 21 apartments, replacing a house on what’s now a Lowrise 1-zoned lot. The preliminary site plan shows Atelier Drome as the architecture firm.
(Update) 4 reader reports about bicycles, starting with two thefts:
SOUTH MORGAN JUNCTION THEFT: From Michael:
It was stolen sometime in the last 7 days from the garage of a condo building of the 6900 block of California Ave. The bike is a Specialized Sirrus, and the serial number (ends with) 867R. I’ve submitted a police report but don’t have a case number yet.
ADMIRAL THEFT: From Angie: “Stolen bike out of the Luna Apartment complex, purchased less than a year ago. Blue Yeti Sb130. Turquoise color.” (Similar to this stock photo.)
Finally, a dumped-and-likely-stolen bike:
FOUND IN FAIRMOUNT AREA: From Alex on Tuesday night:
Saw this one at the construction site on Fauntleroy near Dawson (not the one on the corner). It wasn’t there this morning and I assume construction happened since then so probably recent dump. Looks like an electric one without a battery so maybe taken from a garage or storage.
ADDED 3:51 PM: One more dumped bike.
FOUND ON ALKI POINT: Jason originally contacted us because a bicycle shown here last week as “found” turned out to be his. He has it back now. But this one was left in place of the one stolen from him, so he’d like to get it back to its owner:
Yours? Let us know and we’ll connect you.
Ken King invites you to join him this Saturday in West Seattle:
I am walking from Canada to Florida to fight suicide.
You are welcome to join us on our 5-mile walk around Alki Beach on Saturday, Sept. 26th, 10:00 am.
This is a five-mile walk around Alki Beach, from SW Canada Drive & Beach Dr. SW, to SW Florida St. & Harbor Ave. SW. Each mile represents one year from when our son Simon died from suicide.
I want to commemorate Simon’s life by participating in the Seattle, Washington Out of the Darkness Walk, an event that raises money for suicide prevention research, education, survivor and awareness programs. I will be among hundreds of thousands of people walking in more than 300 cities across the country to send a message of hope to the world.
I am walking in the Out of the Darkness Walk, to raise awareness and let people know it is OK to talk about suicide and mental illness. I want to do my part to prevent this tragedy from happening in other families.
To help make a difference, you can click this link to visit my personal fundraising webpage and donate online. I encourage you to share this letter with other people who may want to lend their support as well.
That link goes to a social-media page but you can also donate via this page on the open web.
Two days after Tuesday’s override vote, and less than a week before the next budget process begins, West Seattle/South Park City Councilmember Lisa Herbold will be the spotlight guest at a local meeting. Here’s the announcement:
On Thursday, September 24th, West Seattle Democratic Women will complete its last program of a series of three on Racism/Institutional Racism/Police. The meeting begins at 6:00 pm with a short membership meeting. The program begins at 6:30 pm with Seattle City Councilperson Lisa Herbold sharing her thoughts on the City’s proposed budget, how it will relate to any reduction/redirection of the funding of the Seattle Police Department, how any changes could affect the security of our local communities in her district, and any alternative benefits that might occur. A Q&A will follow, ending at approximately 7:45 pm with the meeting itself ending no later than 8:00 pm. We anticipate this to be a most interesting and informative program. There is no cost.
To register & get your zoom codes, have questions to submit to Lisa, or for any questions of WSDW, please email wsdwomen@yahoo.com or call Karen 206.920.2231.
(Great Blue Heron, photographed at Seacrest by Jerry Simmons)
Notes for a blustery Wednesday:
TASTE OF WEST SEATTLE, DAY 4: Second-to-last day to enjoy special menu items at food/drink establishments around West Seattle while benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank‘s work to fight hunger and homelessness. You have dozens of options – see the list of participants here! (WSB is a community co-sponsor of the Taste of West Seattle.)
FLU SHOT CLINIC: 10 am-5 pm, Madison Middle School is hosting a drive-up flu-shot clinic today, as explained here. (3429 45th SW)
BRIDGE TASK FORCE MEETING: Noon today, the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force meets for the ninth time. Topics include the West Marginal Way SW plan (here’s our report from last Friday) and the Cost-Benefit Analysis that will play a key role in the “repair now/replace later or replace now” decision. Here’s the agenda; here’s the main link for watching. When breakout-discussion time happens, stay on the main link to watch group A, or go here for group B.
RECONNECT WEST SEATTLE @ HPAC: 7 pm tonight, join the community council for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge in talking about not only the city’s plan for bridge-detour traffic mitigation, but also what else the community needs. This preview includes how to participate.
Family and friends are remembering Donald A. Gwilym, and sharing this with the community:
Donald (Don) Andrew Gwilym passed away peacefully on September 16, 2020 at his daughter’s home in West Seattle, surrounded by family, after a few months’ battle with brain cancer.
Don was born on June 1, 1935, at Seattle General Hospital, to Herald and Aina Gwilym. Don graduated from West Seattle High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Washington. He served two years in the Public Health Service in Washington, D.C. After a cross-country return trip in a VW bug, Don joined his father and brother at Seattle City Light, where he spent 41 years working on hydroelectric projects on the Skagit and Pend Oreille Rivers, including dam safety.
On September 23, 1961, he married Karen Oberg, and raised three daughters. In 1991, Don and Karen moved to Vashon Island, where they spent 25 wonderful years living in the woods, ferry commuting, and hosting magical “grandparent camps” and family reunions. In 2016, they moved to Horizon House in Seattle.
Don was a gentle, giving, compassionate man with a strong passion for justice and helping others. He was a lifelong member of the United Church of Christ denomination, including 52 years at Plymouth Church in Seattle. He worked to eliminate housing discrimination, desegregate public schools, provide companionship to many who were unhoused or experiencing mental illness, and deliver food to those who were isolated. Up until his illness, Don escorted supported-living residents to events, and coordinated the Horizon House van trips to church. He honored every single individual he met and advocated for those in need.
Don loved dogs, playing with his grandkids, greeting neighbors, learning history, dancing, singing, eating cinnamon rolls, watching Storm/Seahawks/M’s games, traveling to Sweden and China, and cracking really corny jokes.
Don was preceded in death by his newborn son Thomas and his brother Edward Gwilym. He is survived by his wife Karen, daughters Gwen (Fred Williams); Janet (Bing Tso, Jr.); and Kathy, and his brother Herald Gwilym (Kathleen). He is also survived by his five grandchildren—Rheanna (Seth), Tyee, Alana, Morgan, Annika — and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Don’s life will be held at a later date due to COVID. Consider donations in his memory to Plymouth Healing Communities (plyhc.org) or Kids in Need of Defense (supportkind.org), wear your mask for others, and pet a dog.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
6:30 AM: Welcome to Wednesday. It’s the 184th morning without the West Seattle Bridge, which closed exactly six months ago.
TRANSIT
Metro – Today is the third weekday since the “service change” – check here to see if your route was affected. And remember that fare collection resumes next week, on Thursday, October 1st.
Water Taxi – Fares for the foot ferry also will resume October 1st. No recent service change; still on weekday-only schedule, until at least next spring.
ROAD WORK
*Delridge project: Weather permitting, the postponed SW Oregon closure will start Friday morning. Meanwhile, here’s where crews are working now.
CHECK THE TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU GO
Here’s the 5-way intersection camera (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
Here’s the restricted-daytime-access (open to all 9 pm-5 am) low bridge:
The main detour route across the Duwamish River is the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) . Here’s that camera:
The other major bridge across the river is the South Park Bridge (map). Here’s that camera:
Going through South Park? Don’t speed.
Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed for info about any of those bridges opening for marine traffic.
You can see all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
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